"Not With My Book!"

Nick Tannner reports in the U.K.’s Guardian Unlimited that children’s author George Walker has demanded that his book be removed from amazon.com.

From the article:

George Walker, author and publisher of "Tales from an Airfield," was horrified to find that his new title was featured on the site without his permission, following good sales in bookshops. "What they are actually doing is getting the independents to do their market research," said Mr Walker, a passionate advocate of independents. "When a book gets a certain amount of attention, they will attempt to stock it and cut the independents out. Not with my book!"

Walker has urged readers to seek out independent bookstores and to use sites such as localbookshops.co.uk. Walker, who published "Tales from an Airfield" himself, said, "We take a very long-term view of this... We have taken a stand to support local bookshops - that's how we want to sell our book."

Labels: booksellers, self-publishing

- posted by Michael Shay @ 8:30 AM 1 comments

 
Celebrating 50 Years of On the Road

Jenny Shank reports in New West Dec. 19 about a series of events in the Denver area commemorating the 50th anniversary of Jack Kerouac’s On the Road.

The Denver Public Library will display the On The Road scroll January through March. According to a press release, the library will exhibit "the original 120-foot scroll on which Kerouac wrote his first typewritten draft of On The Road."

Says Shank: "The book is significant for Denver because a good portion of it takes place here, where Kerouac meets up with pal Neal Cassady, who is called Dean Moriarty in On The Road. Kerouac writes that Moriarty ‘used to beg in front of Larimer alleys and sneak the money back to his father, who waited among the broken bottles with an old buddy, then when Dean grew up he began hanging around the Glenarm poolhalls; he set a Denver record for stealing cars and went to the reformatory.' "

It must be noted that a short stretch of On the Road takes place in Cheyenne during Frontier Days (called "Wild West Days" in the book).

The opening ceremony for the scroll exhibit will feature musician and friend of Kerouac David Amram (January 6, 2-3:30 p.m., Denver Central Library). The Blair-Caldwell African American Research Library will screen the beat film "Pull My Daisy," (January 5, 8-10 p.m.). Amram will perform a concert entitled "The Musical Roots of Kerouac's Prose" at El Chapultepec (January 6, 6-8 p.m.). A walking tour about the places Kerouac haunted in town entitled "A Lilac Evening, Jack Kerouac in Denver" will embark from the Central Library (January 7, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.), and finally there will be a tribute to Hunter S. Thompson ("From Kentucky to Colorado - The Literary and Journalistic Legacy of Hunter S. Thompson") at the Central Library (Sunday, January 7, 2:30-4 p.m.).

Shank also suggests that Kerouac fans to check out the website Neal's Denver, which features an online walking tour of the places where Neal Cassady and Jack Kerouac hung out.

Labels: Colorado, writers, Wyoming

- posted by Michael Shay @ 9:42 PM 0 comments

 
Jentel Deadline Jan. 15

Spend a month of creative time in northern Wyoming at the Jentel Foundation. Next postmark application deadline is Jan. 15 for sessions May 15 through December 13. Four visual artists and two writers selected for each session. Scenery is great, contemplative time is even better.

Labels: artists' communities, poetry, writers

- posted by Michael Shay @ 10:34 PM 0 comments

 
Fishtrap Opens Up Writers-in-Residence Program

The Eastern Oregon Writer in Residence program puts professional writers into rural communities for a full nine-week school term.

The program started with Fishtrap and Wallowa County, where it has run successfully for ten years. This year, the program is being expanded to Harney County (with the first residence in Crane), Fossil-Condon, and Chiloquin. Each community selects its own writer, but all communities will work with Fishtrap as program coordinator, and we are developing a "writers roster."

Writers work no more than two four-hour days in schools, teach an evening workshop for adults, and give at least one reading in the community. The rest of the time is theirs to write and live in the community. There is a $3,000 stipend for the nine weeks, and basic housing is provided. At Fishtrap, writers work winter term (mid-January through mid-March), and we change genres and grades each year (we will in fact have songwriters Kate Power and Steve Einhorn here this winter).

Annie Callan's “Taf” began with her Fishtrap residency. Ellie Belew found a local manuscript in the library which she went on to edit and publish. Our writers keep returning, and one of them bought a house here! The point is that this gig allows you time to write and time to learn something about a community. Although the Wallowa County program will continue to operate winter term, other communities are looking at spring and fall terms (at this point, Fossil-Condon and Harney County spring 2007; Chiloquin fall of 2007).

If you are interested in being on this roster, please contact Rich Wandschneider at Fishtrap. This will be a cumulative roster, so let Rich know ASAP, even if you are not available immediately.

Labels: Oregon, poets, writers

- posted by Michael Shay @ 11:12 PM 0 comments

 
E-MAIL NEWSLETTER PASSES ON, BUT THE BLOG SURVIVES: With the 12/22/06 edition, wyolitmail e-mail newsletter will cease publication. I began wyolitmail in 1999 when the Wyoming Arts Council board, facing big deficits, cut funds for our print newsletter. The agency decided to jump whole hog into electronic communication via its web site. Unfortunately, the switch from print to electrons was a bit premature and we're still catching up.

In the beginning, wyolitmail was sent weekly via e-mail to the 20 or so writers on the WAC roster and those who had won literary fellowships -- those who had e-mail addresses anyway. Those people started to forward wyolitmail to others, and they contacted me to get on the list. Pretty soon I had hundreds of subscribers for the free service, some even beyond the state's borders. Today, 540 subscribers receive it every Friday.

The wyolitmail blog will survie, and I'll do my best to update is daily. After all, a writer must support his habit -- and his fellow writers. In September, my job title changed from literary arts specialist to individual arts specialist. I’m now in charge of fellowships and Individual Artist Professional Development grants for literature, performing arts, and visual arts. I’m also the editor of a two new publications: the all-Arts Council monthly e-mail newsletter and a new quarterly print newsletter. The weekly edition of wyolitmail had to go.

The new all-WAC e-letter will feature info for individual artists and arts organizations. I’m already receiving lots of info about arts exhibitions and theatre performances and concerts. You may already have seen them sneaking into wyolitmail. However, if you don’t want to receive this more comprehensive arts e-letter, let me know. First issue is tentatively scheduled for Jan. 26, 2007. Please send your announcements at least a week in advance, and I’ll do my best to get them in.

Change is good, as they say (whoever "they" are). If you find yourself nostalgic for the e-mail wyolitmail, you can check out the WAC archives on the literature page.

Labels: Wyoming Arts Council

- posted by Michael Shay @ 8:42 AM 0 comments

 

Winona LaDuke Speaks at UW Jan. 17

Political activist and author Winona LaDuke will be the keynote speaker at the annual Martin Luther King Jr. March and Days of Dialogue (MLK/DOD) celebration Jan. 15-19 at the University of Wyoming in Laramie. LaDuke, an Anishinaabekwe (Ojibwe) enrolled member of the Mississippi Band Anishinaabeg Tribe, is program director of the Honor the Earth Fund that works nationally to advocate, raise public support and create funding for native environmental groups. She will discuss "Wars, Energy, Global Climate Change and the Environment" Wednesday, Jan. 17, at 7 p.m. in the Wyoming Union Yellowstone Ballroom. Her talk is free and open to the public. An inspiring speaker, she is the author of "Recovering the Sacred: The Power of Naming and Changing" and "All Our Relations: Native Struggles for Land and Life."

This year's MLK/DOD theme is "The Art of Dialogue." UW celebrates the continuing impact of King's life and ideals through a week-long series of events. They include:
Tuesday, Jan. 17, 6-8:30 p.m.: Retired Rear Adm. John Hutson will discuss “Don't Ask, Don’t Tell: The Worst Best Policy,” Wyoming Union Family Room. Free.
Tuesday, Jan. 17, 8:30 p.m.: Def Poetry Jam, King Street Market, Washakie Dining Center. The jam provides individuals an opportunity to share with the audience a favorite poem related to diversity. Free.
Wednesday, Jan. 18, 7 p.m.: Political activist Angela Davis, will talk about “Art, Education, Activism: Beyond Rhetoric to Action,” in the Wyoming Union Yellowstone Ballroom. Free.
Thursday, Jan. 19, 8 p.m.: Comedian Charlie Hill, Wyoming Union Yellowstone Ballroom. Hill is the leader of Club Red, a comedic group that has been called, “Monty Python ... with moccasins!” Free.

The week of activities “renews UW's commitment to make its campus a more welcoming and empowering place for people from different backgrounds, heritages, orientations or abilities,” says Malinda Daniel, MLK/DOD co-chairman.

Labels: Native American writers, politics

- posted by Michael Shay @ 1:49 PM 0 comments

 
FRESH FROM A STINT WITH THE IRAQ STUDY GROUP: Senator Alan Simpson will perform the holiday classic, How the Grinch Stole Christmas on “Comfort Food, Meatloaf and Mashed Potatoes for Your Mind,” Wyoming and the West's only live comedy and musical variety radio show. Joining Big Al as musical guest will be the Yellowstone Women's Barbershop Harmony Chorus. This week on “Comfort Food,” the staff has written letters to Santa, The Heck's Angels have a special Christmas gift for Cody, Bob Crachet has a special request and more. “Comfort Food” is hosted by Chris Turner and heard live on KODI 1400 AM and KZMQ 1140 AM from 9-10 a.m. Saturday. The show is performed before a live audience at the world famous Irma Hotel in downtown Cody and admission is free. Host Chris Turner says: “Come on down and take a bite out of Christmas.” FMI: 307-587-9989.

Labels: politics, radio

- posted by Michael Shay @ 10:47 AM 0 comments

 
Happy Birthday to Ucross

The fall 2006 issue of the Ucross Foundation annual report and newsletter features a long list of accomplishments of Ucross residents. As Executive Director Sharon Dynak notes in the introduction: “In all, 1300 individuals have been awarded Ucross residencies since we opened our doors 25 years ago.”

That’s a lot of writers, artists, and musicians who have enriched their art through a WYO experience. Wyomingites have benefited too, as we get to experience residents’ work in words and music, and appreciate art on display in the Big Red Gallery. Not to mention the huge (and artful) Fourth of July bash Ucross hosts every year.

Another intriguing thing about Ucross is its working ranch, which raises all-natural beef and continues its experiments in “organic meadow rejuvenation.” The Nature Conservancy and the Apache Foundation have rejuvenated the native flora which has led to higher numbers of native fauna.

So, the environment at Ucross nurtures both antelope and artists. Just a few reasons why Ucross won a 2005 Governor’s Arts Award.

Labels: artists' communities, poets, writers

- posted by Michael Shay @ 4:35 PM 0 comments

 
CONFERENCE OFFERS EARLY-BIRD RATES: Register now for the second annual Northern Colorado Writers Conference March 23-24, 2007, at the Fort Collins (Colo.) Hilton. Highlights include: Hear Sandra Dallas – best-selling author of eight books, including The Persian Pickle Club and New Mercies -- and motivational speaker Jim Davidson; attend the free trade show, featuring businesses and organizations tuned in to writers; visit with some of your favorite authors and learn their tools of the trade; learn from and visit with professionals in the industry; network with other writers. Registration rate is $245 through Jan. 1; $275 at the door.

Labels: writers, writing conferences

- posted by Michael Shay @ 10:53 AM 0 comments

 
EHRLICH AT "WINTER WORDS" IN ASPEN: Gretel Ehrlich of Cora, Wyoming (Solace of Open Spaces), will read from her work on Thursday, Feb. 1, 2007, at 5:30 p.m., at the Given Institute in Aspen, Colo. Part of the Aspen Writers' Foundation "Winter Words" series. Tickets are $15 for the reading and signing; $40 for the "Author Salon," which includes the reading, signing, and members-only after-party.

Labels: writers

- posted by Michael Shay @ 9:37 AM 0 comments

 
NATURE WRITERS GATHER AT MAMMOTH: The Yellowstone Nature Writers Field Conference will be held Jan. 28-Feb. 3 at the Mammoth Hotel in Yellowstone National Park. This five-day workshop "seeks literary inspiration through park exploration and expert guidance from accomplished writers and publishers." Conference director is Digger Jerry George, author of several books and columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle. The conference faculty features best-selling Wyoming mystery writer C.J. Box; award winning author and publisher of Hayday Books, Malcolm Margolin; literary agent Judy Klein; and on-line magazine editor Courtney Lowery.

Labels: literary agents, mystery, writers, writing conferences

- posted by Michael Shay @ 9:37 AM 0 comments

 
ROUNDING UP WRITERS IN WYO: The fall 2006 Wyoming Library Roundup is filled with stories on books and authors, thus its title: “Books & Authors.” It includes a feature story on the 2007 Wyoming Book Festival in Cheyenne which also celebrates the recently-completed Equality State Book Festival in Casper. This reflects the fact, voiced by my boss Milward Simpson, director of Wyoming State Parks and Cultural Resources, that “Wyoming is becoming known nationally and internationally as a ‘hotbed’ of great writers.” Also in the issue is the annual “Twelve Wyoming Books for Christmas” and profiles of authors Mary Gillgannon, Kevin Holdsworth, Eugene Gagliano, Margaret Coel, and the members of Bear Lodge Writers in Sundance (see their links on wyolitmail sidebar). Kudos to editor/designer Tina Lackey and assistant editor/writer Susan Vittitow for a stimulating and good-looking publication.

Labels: bookfests, libraries, writers

- posted by Michael Shay @ 10:49 AM 0 comments

 
ROMTVEDT A WINTER FISHTRAP PRESENTER: From a press release: The theme this year for Winter Fishtrap is "Crossing the Great Divides: Civil Conversation in the West." The place is the Wallowa Lake Lodge in eastern Oregon; dates are Feb. 23-25. In this election year, we have been bombarded with stories of Red and Blue, Democrat and Republican, city and country, east and west. It has seemed like a game, an exercise in sorting the entire country, all 300 million of us, into opposing camps. Are we indeed sorting ourselves into two (or more) camps? David Romtvedt, Wyoming poet laureate and author of Some Church (Milkweed Editions), has argued that "coding our states red or blue" might be harmful, that such labeling "isolates us and forces us to lead lives that are intellectually and emotionally impoverished." Bill Bishop of the Austin (Texas) American-Statesmen, wrote a series of articles called the "Great Divide," which he is now working into a book about how America is segregating itself, "by race, by skills, by the way we form our families, live our lives and, in the end, by our politics." Romtvedt and Bishop will be joined at Fishtrap by Howard Berkes, who has roamed the country from Hurricane Katrina to Olympic scandal for years, and became National Public Radio's first rural affairs correspondent in 2003. Winter Fishtrap is a weekend conference of readings and discussions. It’s a package deal, with all meals included and lodging available at the Wallowa Lake Lodge on a first-come basis. It is open to writers, readers, and thinkers interested in the conversation, a kind of "citizens' symposium" of the West. FMI: 541-426-3623.

Labels: Deep West, poets, politics

- posted by Michael Shay @ 8:26 AM 0 comments

 
SANDLIN TAKES NEW NOVEL ON THE ROAD JAN. 29: Jackson’s Tim Sandlin will launch a book tour for his new novel, Jimi Hendrix Turns Eighty, on Monday, Jan. 29, 7:30-8:30 p.m. with a talk and signing at Boulder Bookstore, 1107 Pearl St., Boulder, Colo. On Tuesday, Jan. 30, 5:30-7 p.m., Tim will sign books at Off the Beaten Path Bookstore in Steamboat Springs, Colo. Hell be at the Tattered Cover Bookstore, 1628 16th St., in Denver on Wednesday, Jan. 31, 7:30-8:30 p.m. Novelist Christopher Moore had this to say about the book: "Part Cuckoo's Nest, part Acid Test, and part Alamo, Jimi Hendrix Turns Eighty shows us that to awaken the passion and idealism we thought flatlined at thirty, we need only to slip it a dose of sunshine and poke it with stick of sandalwood. Tim Sandlin takes us on a comic flashback to the future that can give you the giggles and the willies at the same time. What a trip! Pound for pound, Tim’s stuff is as tight and funny as anyone doing this comedy novel thing." Tim, a a one-time Wyoming Arts Council fellowship recipient, documented his 1997 book tour for Deep West: A Literary Tour of Wyoming, available through Wyoming's Pronghorn Press.

Labels: Deep West, fellowships, writers

- posted by Michael Shay @ 4:20 PM 0 comments

 
MUSEUM HOSTS TALK ON GAME WARDENS: Readers who enjoy C.J. Box’s mystery novels starring game warden Joe Pickett might want to attend a presentation on “History of the Wyoming Game Warden” on Thursday, Dec. 14, 7 p.m., in the Multi-Purpose Room in the Wyoming State Museum in Cheyenne. Jay Lawson, of the Wyoming Game and Fish Dept., will discuss the appointment of the first game warden in the 1890s, as well as many other interesting events involving the state’s red-shirted G&F employees. He will examine the unsolved murder of two game wardens in the Sierra Madre Mountains and the story of Earl Durand’s killing spree following his arrest for poaching elk. Lawson also will explore the restoration of the beaver by early wardens and the evolution of equipment and techniques used by the Game and Fish Dept. The State Museum is located in the Barrett Building, 2301 Central Avenue. FMI: 307-777-7022.

Labels: writers, Wyoming history

- posted by Michael Shay @ 2:41 PM 0 comments

 
MARSHALL’S NEW BOOK: Wyoming writer Joseph Marshall III, author of The Lakota Way and The Journey of Crazy Horse, has released a new book. Keep Going: The Art of Perseverance (Sterling Press, $17.95) is “an inspirational guide deeply rooted in Lakota spirituality,” according to the jacket copy. “When a young man's father dies, he turns to his sagacious grandfather for comfort. Together they sit underneath the family's cottonwood tree, and the grandfather shares his perspective on life, the perseverance it requires, and the pleasure and pain of the journey.” Joseph will discuss and sign copies of the book on Friday, Dec. 8, 7:30 p.m., at the Tattered Cover Bookstore on East Colfax Avenue in Denver. Request a signed copy at books@tatteredcover.com.

Labels: Native American writers

- posted by Michael Shay @ 1:46 PM 0 comments

 
BBHC OFFERS FELLOWSHIPS: The Cody Institute for Western American Studies (CIWAS) at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody invites proposals for its Resident Fellowship Program. Funds are intended to pay for research on any aspect of the American West. They carry a stipend of $5,000 and a residency requirement of up to five months between June 1, 2007 and May 31, 2008. Fellows may pursue field research in the Cody area or work in the BBHC collections. Deadline is March 19, 2007. Submit a c.v. and a proposal (no more than three single-spaced pages) to Dr. Robert B. Pickering, CIWAS, BBHC, 720 Sheridan Ave., Cody, WY 82414-3428.

Labels: fellowships, Western History

- posted by Michael Shay @ 2:12 PM 0 comments

 
READERS AND WRITERS CONNECT: The Literary Connection: Between Readers and Writers in Cheyenne has set its dates and times for 2007. As in the past, two of the scheduled writers will conduct a free writing workshop at Laramie County Community College on Friday, April 27, 1-4 p.m. On Saturday, April 28, 10:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m., at the Hitching Post Inn, the Connection’s five writers will talk about their work and sign books, courtesy of City News. There is a cost for this event. Three writers have thus far committed to the 2007 Literary Connection: Myla Goldberg, author of Bee Season; Jill McCorkle, author of The Cheerleader and Crash Diet: Stories; and Bob Shacochis, author of Swimming in the Volcano.

Labels: Literary Connection, writers

- posted by Michael Shay @ 5:09 PM 0 comments

 
BOX IN NEBRASKA: Cheyenne mystery writer C.J. Box will talk about his books on Tuesday, Dec. 12, 6 p.m., at the Chadron Public Library in Chadron, Nebraska. His most recent "Joe Pickett" novel is In Plain Sight. The event is free and open to the public. Box's novels have won numerous awards and nationwide praise. A reviewer in the Madision (Wisc.) Capitol Times said this: "What mystery writer Tony Hillerman is to New Mexico, C.J. Box is to Wyoming... crackling good reads...."

Labels: mystery, writers

- posted by Michael Shay @ 1:45 PM 0 comments

 
Franscell in WYO Dec. 2-8

Ron Franscell will be in WYO beginning this weekend for presentations about his new book, Fall: The Rape and Murder of Innocence in a Small Town (New Horizon Press, $24.95, ISBN: 0-88282-279-9). Here is a list of his events, updated from an Oct. 31 post:
Saturday, Dec. 2, 7-9 p.m., at Roberts Commons Ballroom, Casper College (co-sponsored by Ralph's Books and Blue Heron Books of Casper)
Monday, Dec. 4, noon, Casper Rotary Club, Parkway Plaza Hotel, Casper
Tuesday, Dec. 5, 3-6 p.m., Whistlestop Books, Douglas
Wednesday, Dec. 6, 6-7:30 p.m. City News, Cheyenne
Thursday, Dec. 7, 10-11:30 a.m., Cheyenne East H.S. Auditorium, Cheyenne; 4-6 p.m., Barnes & Noble, Cheyenne; 7-8:30 p.m., discussion and reading, Cheyenne Family YMCA Writers Voice
Friday, Dec. 8, 5-7 p.m., Chickering Books, Laramie

Labels: true crime, writers

- posted by Michael Shay @ 10:25 AM 0 comments