BREWER EARNS HUMANITIES AWARD: Utah Poet Laureate Ken Brewer has often traveled to Wyoming for readings, workshops, and presentations. Last June he was a presenter at the Wyoming Writers, Inc., conference in Cheyenne. I was at that conference, and one of the diehards who stayed through the entire open mic reading on Friday night. Ken was there, too, an appreciate audience member and, as usual, staying late. He has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and is not doing well. I hope that he’s cheered by the news that the Utah Humanities Council has selected him to receive the 2006 Distinguished Humanities Award “for a lifetime of championing public humanities programs through his devotion to teaching literature and poetry, his service as Utah's Poet Laureate, and his personal writing.” The award will be presented at the Human Ties Celebration on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 5 p.m., at the State Office Building Auditorium in Salt Lake City. The ceremony and reception are free and open to the public. Then, at 7 p.m., a dinner will be held at Memorial House in Memory Grove to honor the nine awardees, and they will have an opportunity to speak about their work. Because of Ken’s declining health, his wife, Bobbie, will take his place, and Ken plans to ask a friend to accept the award on his behalf. The dinner will be held at Memorial House in Memory Grove, beginning at 7 p.m. Tickets for the dinner are $40. FMI: Maria Torres at torres@utahhumanities.org.
