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FIRE AND BRIMSTONE: As Jackson Holites contemplate the volcano rising beneath Yellowstone Lake, it's worth noting that fiery conflagrations are nothing new to their neighborhood. The 11/20/05 Denver Post Book Section reviewed “Scorched Earth: How the Fires of Yellowstone Changed America,” by Rocky Barker (Island, 277 pages, $24.95). Says the Post: "Using the 1988 fires that burned more than a million acres in the park as a jumping-off point, Barker discusses the people and policies that led to the catastrophe." Many of us recall the "blame game" that erupted after the fires, with locals blaming the Feds, and the Feds responding in kind. Reminiscent of what happened Down South following hurricanes Katrina and Wilma this year.
AFTER THE DELUGE: You don’t have to be from hurricane land to enjoy Carl Hiaasen’s books. His many years as an investigative reporter and acerbic columnist for the Miami Herald serves him well as he rips land developers, crooked politicians, drug dealers, celebrities, and all the other greedheads that make the Sunshine State such a fun place. My intro to Hiaasen was his 1995 novel about Hurricane Andrew, “Storm Warning.” I was hooked. In “Skinny Dip” (2004), a crooked marine scientist, Chaz Parrone, is helping a developer poison the Everglades. When his wife Joey finds out, he pushes her overboard on a cruise, and she saves herself by climbing on a wayward bale of marijuana. Joey is rescued by a former cop and loner Mick Stranahan, who helps her hide her death so she can get even with her husband. Chaos and mayhem ensue. In “Lucky You,” Hiaasen tackles skinheads, the Florida lottery, and the strange town of Orange, which is famous for its weeping fiberglass Madonna, the Road-Stain Jesus, and other miracles. I listened to “Lucky You” via audiobook on a trip around WYO and didn’t want to get out of the car. Hiaasen has first-hand experience with all these people and places, and I believe him because I spent 14 years in coastal Florida. In the Nov. 13 Herald, Hiaasen wrote a scathing column about Florida’s hurricane preparedness (and lack thereof) during Wilma. His conclusion: “When the big one arrives – the really big one – plan on the pits. Plan on devestation. Plan on mayhem. Plan on bungling by those who’ve been telling you how to plan… Be prepared, they’re warning us. Next time, you’d better be prepared. Know how to prepare? Stock up on Prozac, that’s how. Because it’s going to be real bad, both miserable and tragic, and there’s nothing to be done except wait.” I’m sure the Miami tourism people loved that. Hiaasen’s novel for children, “Hoot,” is being made into a movie set for a spring 2006 release.
NEW BOOK ON WYO OIL PATCH: This comes from Barbara Bogart, director of the Uinta County Museum in Evanston: For author and historian Walter Jones, the current energy boom in southwestern Wyoming is an old story. Jones has just published
Derricks and Determination, a book that documents the history of oil exploration in Uinta County from 1847-1982. Jones “became interested in the subject because of the numbers of oilfield workers who came into the library and who were willing and excited to talk about their profession and experiences.” This was the Uinta County Library where Jones served as director from 1972-1982. “I loved the sight of oil derrick lights at night shining from the hills north and east of Evanston. Then, as I jogged in the evenings along Yellow Creek road, I liked seeing all the different oilfield service trucks going and coming. There seemed to be an energy to everything related to oil, an energy and an optimistic sense of adventure and accomplishment.” Jones’ book is available for $20 (tax included) at the Uinta County Museum shop, Tenth & Front Streets in Depot Square, downtown Evanston. FMI: 1-888-989-8248.
BETTER IGNORANT THAN INFORMED: From a Nov. 27 AP story: Copies of a Tennessee high school's student newspaper were seized by administrators because the edition contained stories about birth control and tattoos, stirring a First Amendment debate. Administrators at Oak Ridge High School went into teachers' classrooms, desks and mailboxes to retrieve all 1,800 copies of the newspaper Tuesday, said teacher Wanda Grooms, who advises the staff, and Brittany Thomas, the student editor. The Oak Leaf's birth control article listed success rates for different methods and said contraceptives were available from doctors and the local health department. Superintendent Tom Bailey said the article needed to be edited so it would be acceptable for the entire school. The edition also contained a photo of an unidentified student's tattoo, and the student had not told her parents about the tattoo, said Superintendent Tom Bailey. ''I have a problem with the idea of putting something in the paper that makes us a part of hiding something from the parents,'' he said. He will permit the reprinting of the paper if the changes are made. ''We have a responsibility to the public to do the right thing,'' he said. ''We've got 14-year-olds that read the newspaper.'' Thomas said she wasn't sure about making changes. ''I'm not completely OK with reprinting the paper,'' she said. First Amendment experts were critical of the seizure. ''This is a terrible lesson in civics,'' University of Tennessee journalism professor Dwight Teeter said. ''This is an issue about the administration wanting to have control. Either the students are going to have a voice, or you're going to have a PR rag for the administration.''
Writers featured in the 2005 issue of High Plains Register, the literary magazine of Laramie County Community College will read from their work on Thursday, Dec. 1, 2 p.m., at the LCCC Playhouse, 1400 E. College Drive in Cheyenne. Free and open to the public.
ATTENTION SPOKEN-WORD ARTISTS: This comes from the El Centro Su Teatro web site in Denver: “ ‘It's About The Word. Word Up!’ is the theme of the spring 2006 Neruda Poetry Festival. It flows like honey off a silver tongue, offering a $500 cash prize to the top spoken word artists in the region. Turning words into groceries! Reminiscent of ‘Flor y Canto’ (flowers and songs), El Centro continues a tradition that goes back to the Mayans and Toltecs.”
DON’T BOGART THOSE MYSTERY IDEAS: Barbara Bogart in Evanston sends this query: The
Uinta County Museum Book Club will be reading mysteries set in Wyoming for its spring 2006 series. While I have some titles in mind, I'd like to hear from wyolitmail readers what authors and books they would suggest. Thanks! Call me at 307-789-8248 or e-mail
museum@uintanet.com. When you’re in Evanston, drop by the museum at 36 Tenth Street.
DONATE FOOD, ZAP LIBRARY FINES: From the Natrona County Public Library in Casper: Help those in need and clear your library card of late fees by taking part in “Food for Fines” Dec. 5-19. The library is teaming up with Joshua's Store for its third canned food drive. To participate, simply bring a few cans of food or other nonperishable items to any NCPL branch, including the bookmobile, and we will clear your account of all late fees or, if you have lost your library card, we’ll replace it for free. All food will be donated to Joshua’s Storehouse. This offer doesn't apply to collection accounts and fines for missing and/or damaged items. FMI: 307-237-4935.
DEADLINE CLOSING IN: The Owen Wister Review at University of Wyoming is looking for poetry, creative nonfiction, fiction, art, and photography for the spring 2006 issue. Postmark deadline is Dec. 1. FMI: Joan Bolander, editor, 307-766-6190 or bolander@uwyo.edu.
WRITING WORKSHOP DEC. 10 IN CHEYENNE: The Cheyenne Family YMCA will be the site for a writing workshop by the Rocky Mountain Writer’s Association on Saturday, Dec. 10, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Continental breakfast provided, lunch on your own. Featured presenters include British novelist Janet Roots, fiction writer Jackson Webb, and nonfiction writer Sandy Welchel, president of the National Writers Association in Denver. A few locals (me included) will be conducting sessions. Topics will include publishing, writing dialogue, descriptive writing, and viewpoint. The workshop will be held in the YMCA’s Community Center, 1426 E. Lincolnway. Registration starts at 9:30 a.m. and the cost per person is $45. Scholarships available from RMWA by calling 303-777-2281. FMI: Chris, YMCA, 307-634-9622 ext. 228.
TAP INTO WIER THIS WINTER: Apply now to participate in the winter 2006 session of Writers in Electronic Residence (WIER). This model program, geared for grades 5-12, links students and teachers with professional, published writers using the Internet. It also provides an innovative application of Wyoming's new language arts standards. The writers, in concert with the classroom teacher, inspire students to read, write, and review in an effort to gain better understanding of writing and reading techniques. Each participating class pays $500 to the Wyoming Arts Council, which is working with the award-winning Canadian WIER program to bring this opportunity to our state. For samples of writing by Wyoming students in the 2003-2004 session, go to the Wiertap page at WIER HQ in Toronto. Please note that we are working toward providing WIER access to home-schoolers via libraries. FMI: Call Mike at 307-777-5234 or e-mail me at mshay@state.wy.us.
THIS SOLDIER READ VOLTAIRE: “He sort of walked sideways on the crossbeam of life. He never walked it straight. He promised me. He said, “I won’t get hurt.” This is Meg Corwin of Tinmath, Colo., wife of Staff Sgt. Michael C. Parrott, 49, who was shot by an insurgent and died Nov. 10 in Balad, Iraq. He was in the Wyoming Army National Guard based in Cheyenne, but was serving in Iraq with the Pennsylvania National Guard. According to an article in the Nov. 14 Wyoming Tribune-Eagle, Corwin and Parrott met in 1986 at the University of North Carolina. Corwin recalled that she was charmed by Parrott's brown eyes, his big smile and the fact he read Voltaire in the bathroom. Added Corwin: "My husband and I both loathe and despise the war. He was under no illusion about this war. He didn't believe the Bush administration's reasons for the war, but he believed he could do some good.” Services are being held in North Carolina and Fort Collins, where Corwin teaches at CSU.
PANGLOSS, A 21ST CENTURY MAN: From Voltaire, the satirist, comes Dr. Pangloss in the picaresque 18th-century novel “Candide.” Pangloss, a professor of the arcane science of "metaphysico-theologico-cosmo-codology," contends that “we live in the best of all possible worlds.” In the book, when Candide, Pangloss and Candide's friend Jacques sail to Lisbon, a storm hits and Jacques is washed overboard. Pangloss stops Candide from saving his friend, saying that "the bay of Lisbon had been formed expressly for [Jacques] to drown in." One can see Panglossian logic expressed daily in the news.
PROULX & GARDNER SHARE COVER: It’s not often that you’ll see an Olympic champion wrestler and a Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist on the same bill. But the Wyoming Library Roundup’s “Wyoming Authors” issue for fall 2005 does just that. The cover photo features Rulon Gardner when he returned home in triumph to Afton, Wyo., after winning the gold medal in the 2000 Olympics. Under Gardner’s smiling face is a blurb for an interview with Annie Proulx, Pulitzer Prize winner from Centennial. Gardner’s autobiography, Never Stop Pushing, was released in September. Proulx’s most recent book was Bad Dirt: Wyoming Stories 2, released in 2004. A movie based on her 1999 story from Close Range, “Brokeback Mountain,” is set for release on December 9 (you can watch the trailer on Annie's web site).
Wyoming Poet Laureate David Romtvedt debuts his new book from Milkweed Editions, “Some Church: Poems,” on Friday, Nov. 25, 5-7 p.m., at Margo’s Pottery, 1 N. Main, Buffalo. FMI: 307-684-9406.
NELSON WRITING BOOK ABOUT ALAN SWALLOW: An odd coincidence arose out of last week’s litquiz (in Nov. 4 e-mail issue). I mentioned Alan Swallow, the renowned publisher and WYO native, as the publisher of one of Thomas McGrath’s first books. It happens that Laramie writer Dale Nelson is writing a book about Swallow. Here’s some more from Dale: “I actually inherited the book from Tom Auer (the late founder and publisher of The Bloomsbury Review). His estate was looking for a writer to write the book, utilizing Auer's research. I learned of their quest by a notice that you ran in wyolitmail. I was interested because I have on my shelf both Swallow's book of his own poems, ‘The Nameless Sight’ and books by several Pacific Northwest poets whom I knew when I was living and writing in Seattle. They were all published by Swallow -- Nelson Bentley, Vi Gale, Edith Shiffert, Joan Swift and Eve Triem. So, I have in my study five banker's boxes of the research that Tom Auer conducted, plus a couple of boxes loaded with books published by Swallow. My deadline in the book is in June, so it isn't likely to be published before next year. I agree that Swallow is a neglected figure. The book is under contract to Syracuse University Press, which published my first two books and has another one in the bin. They were especially interested because the Syracuse library has a lot of Swallow's papers, which Auer of course consulted. Thanks for your interest.” I look forward to Dale’s book. He is a WAC roster artist and you can bring him to your community through an Arts Across Wyoming grant.
NESBITT ON THE ROAD: John D. Nesbitt, a multi-talented novelist and short-story writer from Torrington, will travel to book signings this weekend in Laramie and Cheyenne. He will sign copies of his two latest books, Rancho Alegre and Shadows on the Plain, at Hastings, 654 N. 3rd St., in Laramie on Friday, Nov. 18, at 4 p.m. He will be at Barnes and Noble, 1851 Dell Range Blvd., in Cheyenne on Saturday, Nov. 19, at 3 p.m. John’s web site notes that Rancho Alegre is a traditional western novel in which out-of-work cowboy Jimmy Clevis takes on a simple job to find a rancher’s son but rides into a “tangled net of lies, stealing, blackmail, hidden identities . . . and murder.” Shadows on the Plain is “a book of hard-crafted fiction set in the contemporary West, stories about life and love, loss and death, with a few laughs along the way…. The book captures the spirit of people who tough it out in a world both modern in its problems and timeless in its landscape.” John teaches both English and Spanish classes at Eastern Wyoming College. One of his stories is featured in Deep West: A Literary Tour of Wyoming. He has won a creative writing fellowship from the Wyoming Arts Council, two Wyoming State Historical Society fiction awards, and two awards from Wyoming Writers, Inc., for encouragement of writers and service to the organization.
H.L. Hix, poet and director of the University of Wyoming Creative Writing Program, will be the guest reader at Laramie Poetry Slam #10 on Friday, Nov. 18, at Trinity Coffeehouse, 113 Grand Ave., Laramie. These slams were initiated last year by Craig Arnold, a poet who teaches in the UW writing program. In the spring he won the coveted Rome Prize and is spending this school year writing in Rome. To compete in Friday's slam, you need three original poems. Slammers cannot use costumes, musical instruments, or props. Sign-up begins at 7:30 p.m., and the slam starts at 8. We hear rumors that Cheyenne poets are holding their own against the Laramites.
DEEP WEST BACK ON TRACK: Deep West: A Literary Tour of Wyoming is now in its second printing. It's a bit odd to say that for a print-on-demand (POD) book, but there you have it. Deep West's publisher is Pronghorn Press of Greybull which produces all of its books via Lightning Source in LaVergne, Tennessee. It's basically a massive high-end photocopier that also binds the book and spits it out into the hands of readers. Many larger publishers have been using this technology for review copies. So do non-vanity-press POD publishers such as iuniverse and Xlibris. It's worked well for Deep West, co-edited by me, David Romtvedt, and Linn Rounds. It's a fine-looking book, with cover art by award-winning Laramie artists Linda Lillegraven and chock-full of great writing by 19 writers including Annie Proulx, Tim Sandlin, Barbara Smith, Dainis Hazners, Linda Hasselstrom, and Jon Billman. This anthology features WYO writers, was conceived by a WYO org (Center for the Book), edited by Wyomingites, and published by a WYO press. Not many books can say that. The production was in Tennessee, which we annexed especially for this project. Deep West should again be available for ordering by the official launch of the holiday season -- the day after Thanksgiving (a.k.a. Black Friday). Get updated info from Susan Vittitow, Wyoming Center for the Book, 307-777-5915; order through your local bookstore or Pronghorn Press.
IDAHO PARK COULD BE NAMED FOR VARDIS FISHER: The October issue of the Idaho Center for the Book newsletter included excerpts of June columns by Tim Woodward of the Idaho Statesman advocating for a state park named for Idaho writer Vardis Fisher. The land, near Hagerman, includes a spring-fed lake and the burnt-out remains of Fisher’s house. Woodward quotes Boise State University Professor James McGuire: “When the literary history of Idaho is written, one of the real regrets people will have is that the state didn’t jump at the opportunity to save it and name a site there for him.” Idaho Center for the Book Director Tom Trusky would like to see a deck built on the Fisher house’s foundation overlooking the lake, making it an inspiring place for a summer writers’ workshop. The Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation wants to name the site after the Billingsley family, local pioneers. During the department’s open comment period about the park, 51 of 55 responses supported the Fisher name.
Fisher, who died in 1968, wrote 36 books and was credited with creating a new literature for the West. He wrote the Idaho guide for the Works Progress Administration (WPA) Writers’ Project during the 1930s. Fisher flummoxed D.C. bureaucrats when he finished his book first and announced it to the world. According to Trusky: “Fisher worked through Caxton's Printing in Caldwell, Idaho, and just ignored threats and exhortations from D.C. bureaucrats who ordered him to put on the literary brakes so the New York state guide would be first in the national series. The Idaho guide is probably 90 percent (if not 110 percent) Fisher. It’s wiry, full of evocative prose, beautifully written, well-researched and free of Chamber of Commerce purpled prose hucksterism. It arrived (first in the WPA series) to universal praise and became a model for all other state guides.”
The state’s Parks & Rec web site provides a "public comment summary to the Thousand Springs State Park master plan," which includes the Billingsley Creek area where Fisher's home was located. Some respondents lobby for the Fisher name along with interpretive programs on the author's life and work. Others argue against naming anything for Fisher. Perhaps feelings about the controversial author are still a bit raw. In his columns, Woodward sums it up this way: “Fisher was an abrasive iconoclast, which is probably why recognition has been so long in coming."
BOOKFEST SET FOR OCTOBER 2006: Plans are moving along for a statewide book festival Oct. 19-21, 2006, at Casper College and other venues throughout the city. The bookfest will be held in conjunction with the 20th annual Casper College Literary Conference. The planning committee met Nov. 7 and heard some exciting news from Casper College President Walt Nolte. Intrigued? Stay tuned to these pages for more info in the coming weeks.
JOHNSON WINS HILLERMAN AWARD: Ucross resident Craig Johnson has been named the winner of the Tony Hillerman/PEN USA Mystery Short Story Contest. According to a press release: “The award, co-sponsored by Cowboys & Indians Magazine and Wordharvest Workshops for Writers of Santa Fe, N.M., includes publication in the February/March 2006 issue of the magazine. The contest requested submissions for the best mystery short story set in the Western or Southwestern U.S. and was to include at least one cowboy and/or Native American character.
"Johnson's short story, ‘Old Indian Trick,’ uses some of the characters from his debut novel, The Cold Dish, which was released by Viking Press in January 2005. Viking will release the second novel in the series, Death Without Company, in March of 2006 when The Cold Dish goes into paperback (Penguin). ‘I had an idea but nobody got killed so I didn't really think the story had much of a chance,' said Johnson. 'Evidently, the judges had a sense of humor.’ The story concerns the fictional sheriff, Walt Longmire and a friend, Cheyenne Indian Lonnie Little Bird, as they solve the robbery of a local restaurant.
"Johnson and his wife Judy traveled to the conference's banquet Nov. 5 in Albuquerque. ‘I was really looking forward to meeting Mr. Hillerman,’ Johnson said, ‘and he and his family are truly wonderful.’ Johnson received a complete set of signed Tony Hillerman novels and a hand-engraved, sterling silver pen from Cowboys & Indians Magazine as part of his winnings. ‘I'm pretty sure the pen is worth more than the first three pickup-trucks I owned, combined.’ "
Johnson received a Wyoming Arts Council creative writing fellowship in 1995.
PLAN NOW FOR NATPOMO: It’s not too early to plan National Poetry Month events for April 2006. The UW creative writing program in Laramie is sponsoring the month’s biggest event, an appearance by U.S. Poet Laureate Ted Kooser on April 6-7. Wyoming’s own poet laureate, David Romtvedt, is available for readings and residencies through the Wyoming Arts Council’s Tumblewords grants. Laramie’s Chavawn Kelley presents "Purple Trout on Every Side: The Poetry of Trout Fishing" through the Humanities Forum of the Wyoming Humanities Council. Alaska’s fiddling poet, Ken Waldman, will be traveling through Wyoming the last month in April. You can snag him as he’s traveling through, possibly through a Wyoming Arts Council Open Door "unexpected opportunity" grant.
MATURIS AT KY BOOK FAIR: Richard and Mary Maturi of Laramie County are among the writers featured at the Kentucky Book Fair in Frankfort. They will be signing copies of their books, "Triple Crown Winner: The Earl Sande Saga" and "Will Rogers, Performer." An authors’ reception will be held Friday, Nov. 11, 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the Buffalo Trace Distillery Clubhouse and the book signing will be Saturday, Nov.12, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. at the Frankfort Convention Center.
CODY POET, TRAPPED IN TEXAS, MAKES THE BEST OF IT: I’m always impressed with writers who take publishing into their own hands. David Thornberry is a poet from Cody but now in temporary exile in Texas. He publishes his own chapbooks under the imprint of Running Dog Press. He recently sent me two of his 14 books. “Jump Rope Songs” came out in 2000 and is made up of work David wrote in WYO. In one, he writes about living in the WYO mountains and talking to his brother in flatland North Carolina. He notes that if he could walk straight out in the air all the way to North Carolina, “eventually/I would be standing/seven thousand feet/above your house/looking down/with binoculars/at Ben and Hanna/playing in the yard.” He contrasts that with the imagined journey from Texas: “it’s a long/flat boring dusty sealevel walk/to your house/from here.” He ends with “and I’m not special/not an angel/not an eagle/anymore.” A unique way to contrast the way he feels about WYO and TEX. I didn’t ask David, but I wondered if he got the title of his press from Don DeLillo’s quirky novel “Running Dog.” David’s working on a new chapbook, “Medicine Wheel,” centered in the Big Horns. He “plans to return to the High Country a.s.a.p.”
BELL, EDWARDS, RECEIVE BLANCHAN/DOUBLEDAY AWARDS: Maryland nature writer Lisa Couturier, judge for the 2006 Neltje Blanchan and Frank Nelson Doubleday Memorial Writing Awards, has announced her selections. Laura Bell of Cody will receive the $1,000 Blanchan Award for her creative nonfiction piece, “On the Diamond Trail.” Melodie Edwards of Laramie will receive the $1,000 Doubleday Award for her short story, “Fragile: This Side up.” Mike Bressler’s poems received an honorable mention in the Blanchan category. Bressler is from Jackson. This competition, open only to writers in Wyoming, is funded by artist and arts patron Neltje of Banner. I’ll include more info on the winners and their work in future postings.
NOTES FROM THE MILTON CONFERENCE: I traveled to the John R. Milton Writers’ Conference Oct. 27-29 at University of South Dakota to read my work. The theme was “frontier nostalgia” and writers approached it from a variety of angles. Writers at the fiction reading on Saturday included me, former WYO Poet Laureate Bob Roripaugh, along with USD’s Mary Honerman and Sean Johnston. I read two pieces, one a short-short entitled “How the West Was Won” that imagined settlers of attention deficit disorder traveling the Oregon Trail in Wyoming in 1857. At one of Friday’s readings, John D. Nelson of Dakota State University in Madison read several WYO-based poems. He got to know the state pretty well when he was a grad student at UW in Laramie. In “Moving the Mobile Home,” he recounts the saga of how the constant winds buffeted his ancient trailer parked on Laramie’s western fringe. It’s finally hauled away by the salvage man. Mary Anne Maier, a Torrington native and UW grad who now lives in Longmont, Colo., read essays on the theme of “Interactions with landscape.” Her landscapes included Western Nebraska bluffs, Laramie Peak, and Bear Mountain near Hawk Springs. It also included inner landscapes, including that of her mother in Torrington whose favorite song was “Release Me” by Ray Price. Only later in life did Mary Anne understand the desperate longing that song reflected. South Dakotan Ryan Allen read a story about fishing -- and falling off a cliff – in the Wind River Range. Read more about the conference by going to my web site.
WRITERS PLAN FOR A BUSY JUNE: Writers in WYO might as well skip work during the first two weeks of June 2006. First comes the annual conference for Wyoming Writers, Inc., June 2-4 in Rock Springs. Then there's the Western Writers of America (WWA) Conference in Cody June 13-17. According to a press release, the WWA conference program will include information about marketing, outdoor writing, mountain men, sessions with editors and publishers, entertainment, the Homestead Auction, and tours of the Buffalo Bill Historical Center and other Cody attractions. A block of rooms is reserved at the Holiday Inn, more are available at the adjacent Comfort Inn, or you can stay in a cabin at the nearby Buffalo Bill Village. For reservations, call Blair Hotels at 1-800-527-5544.
WILLIAMS MOVES TO WYO: Award-winning writer and Utah native Terry Tempest Williams is moving to Jackson with her husband, Brooke. Terry is the author of “Refuge,” “The Open Space of Democracy,” and “Red: Passion and Patience in the Desert.” She has conducted writing workshops and readings in WYO. She was a featured presenter at the 1991 (maybe it was 1992) Casper College Literary Conference and I still remember her impassioned reading of “The Clan of the One-Breasted Women” from “Refuge.” Guy Lebeda at the Utah Arts Council says she is a key member of the state’s writing community and a staunch supporter of the non-profit arts community. She has contributed her work to anthologies and literary magazines, often waiving any fee. On Nov. 2, 7 p.m., the Center of the American West will present Williams with the 2005 Wallace Stegner Award. She will also participate in a one-on-one conversation with historian and writer Patricia Limerick. The event takes place at the University Memorial Center, Glenn Miller Ballroom, University of Colorado at Boulder.
