tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19966552011-12-15T06:46:05.337-07:00wyolitmailWyolitmail covers literary activities in Wyoming U.S.A. and the Rocky Mountain West. Posted daily by Michael Shay at the Wyoming Arts Council.Michael Shaynoreply@blogger.comBlogger4461100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-53890478502312090922007-03-26T10:45:00.000-06:002007-03-26T11:10:06.792-06:00WAC debuts new all-arts blogThe Wyoming Arts Council now has a new blog for arts news and events in the state. It's called "Wyoming Arts" and you can find it here. I've been posting to that blog since March 1 as a test, and now it's up and running. Please send your e-mail announcements to Mike Shay and I'll do my best to get it on the blog in a timely manner. Assisting me is Linda Coatney, whose Michael Shaynoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-66370201809195580412007-03-02T14:47:00.000-07:002007-03-02T15:02:28.811-07:00On the Road with Absaroka County's FinestThis narrative comes from Craig Johnson's very entertaining monthly e-mail newsletter (March 1 edition). The only mystery writer in Ucross is preparing to launch his annual spring book tour with the mytical yet compelling Walt Longmire, sheriff of Absaroka County, Wyoming. Here's what's happening in Craig's world: I'm calling this one the Kindness Goes Michael Shaynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-65673175500018056982007-03-01T11:11:00.000-07:002007-03-01T11:20:03.560-07:00Montana poet and author Robert Pack will talk about his work on Thursday, March 29, 7 p.m., at the Center for Conferences and Institutes at Laramie County Community College in Cheyenne. A new collection of his poems, Still Here, Still Now, will be published this year. Admission is free. Sponsored by the LCCC Foundation. FMI: 307-778-1285.Michael Shaynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-67725227869176657202007-02-28T09:55:00.000-07:002007-02-28T10:22:30.738-07:00Kennedy Featured in BombshellsJeffe Kennedy in Laramie e-mailed wyolitmail to announce that her piece "Inheritances" appears in the new anthology, Bombshells: War Stories and Poems by Women on the Homefront from OmniArts Publishing. The book, edited by Missy Martin and Jesse Loren, is available for $12.95 at your favorite bookstore. Jeffe is a roster artist for the Wyoming Arts Council. She Michael Shaynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-27637527835447537472007-02-27T08:29:00.000-07:002007-02-27T08:43:36.934-07:00WyoPoets will hold its spring writing workshop on Saturday, April 28, 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Hampton Inn, 400 West F St., Casper. Sheridan writer (and WAC roster artist) Joan Puma Bennet will lead the workshop. For more information -- and to reserve a spot -- contact Mary Hein in Casper or Lee Ann Seibken in Douglas. Michael Shaynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-38847016764107388952007-02-23T10:12:00.000-07:002007-02-26T20:28:45.965-07:00Hagy Novel Explores Friendship Forged by WYO & WarYesterday’s mail brought a review copy of Alyson Hagy’s new novel, Snow, Ashes, published by Graywolf Press. Alyson teaches in the University of Wyoming M.F.A. program and is a WAC creative writing fellowship recipient. The book’s formal release date is May 1. According to the press, Alyson will hit the road for a regional author tour, but no Michael Shaynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-81161331406765129332007-02-22T11:56:00.000-07:002007-02-22T22:51:18.943-07:00What Would Walt Read Out Loud?High School students from throughout Wyoming will participate in the state finals of the "Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest," at 7 p.m., March 5, at the Plains Hotel in downtown Cheyenne.Winners of this year’s competition will be announced at an awards ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda at 8 a.m., March 6. The public is invited to attend both the evening Michael Shaynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-6968017924090889632007-02-21T11:53:00.000-07:002007-02-28T16:19:47.180-07:00Teton County Library Hosts Fantasy AuthorT.A. Barron, who writes "epic tales of young heroes on their paths to self discovery," will conduct a talk and book signing at the Teton County Public Library in Jackson from 7:30-8:30 p.m. on Friday, March 2, in the Ordway Auditorium. The program is free and open to the public."Barron’s talk will explore how he finds great inspiration in the wonders of Michael Shaynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-25846153094186823272007-02-20T19:57:00.000-07:002007-02-22T23:01:57.760-07:00Ron Franscell ReturnsRon Franscell announces "Wyoming Book Tour II" for his book Fall: The Rape and Murder of Innocence in a Small Town, which the Chicago Sun-Times has called "heartbreaking ... the girls' last terrifying moments are delivered with such vivid texture that they are almost too painful to read. The technique and execution is not unlike Truman Capote's In Cold Blood.... And just whenMichael Shaynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-25806341846097173782007-02-19T12:01:00.000-07:002007-02-20T10:22:08.787-07:00Brush Up on Your Writing at YWCMicah Wyatt in Laramie informs me that the dates have been set for the 2007 Young Writers Camp at the scenic Thorne-Rider Youth Camp near Story.Writers (ages 15-18) will gather June 16-23 at the camp. Instructors/mentors/chaperones will be the same as last summer. Micah, a writer and YWC alumnus, returns as director. Danica Wyatt, a fine essayist, physicist, and Michael Shaynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-26733761682578342732007-02-17T10:25:00.000-07:002007-02-17T21:13:41.181-07:00Memoirs Highlighted at NWC Writers SeriesThe Northwest College Writers Series in Powell will feature these writers during the spring semester:Mary Clearman Blew (pictured at right), author of the memoir "All But the Waltz" and professor at University of Idaho, Tuesday, Feb. 20 at 7:30 p.m. Fagerberg Building, Room 70.Kim Barnes, an Idaho native whose memoir, "Into the Woods," was a finalist for Michael Shaynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-23877289086874502412007-02-16T08:47:00.000-07:002007-02-17T10:10:06.080-07:00What's New On WAC Web?The Wyoming Arts Council is making a gallant attempt to keep updated its web site. It's always a work in progress -- as anyone knows who has an active site.There are some new features on http://www.wyomingartscouncil.org. The Cybergrants system allows you to apply for organizational grants and Individual Artist Professional Development grants. Just go to the home page and Michael Shaynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-82461090757621495222007-02-15T16:25:00.000-07:002007-02-15T16:27:22.751-07:00Any truth to the rumor that former U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins will read in Jackson in early June?Michael Shaynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-67877342707144027692007-02-12T10:25:00.000-07:002007-02-12T11:15:20.889-07:00La Frontera is New Publisher in TownIt's good news when Wyoming gets a new book publisher.La Frontera Publishing has set up shop in Cheyenne -- and its first book is by a Wyomingite. La Frontera chose Encampment's Candy Moulton as its debut author with the second (and revised) edition of her 1994 book "Legacy of the Tetons: Homesteading in Jackson Hole." It will be distributed by the University Michael Shaynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-35513440991525126602007-02-11T11:30:00.000-07:002007-02-11T12:06:46.361-07:00Reading Under the StarsWyoming summers are short.That thought occurred to me (not for the first time) as I prowled around Hot Springs State Park in Thermopolis a few weeks ago on a below-zero morning. My ears froze to my head and my breath formed clouds as I chugged along. I was transfixed by the patterns made by the ice which froze as it spilled over the hot springs terrace. Local ducks seemed Michael Shaynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-82818675414940091212007-02-09T14:04:00.000-07:002007-02-09T14:13:53.508-07:00Deadline Extended for Poetry Out LoudThe Wyoming Arts Council (WAC) invites teachers in grades 9-12 to sign up their classes for this spring's Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest. The National Endowment for the Arts, the nation’s largest arts' funder, and the Poetry Foundation, the nation’s largest literary organization, have joined with the WAC to bring Poetry Out Loud to high schools Michael Shaynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-10117136558407553712007-02-08T14:08:00.000-07:002007-02-05T20:23:31.417-07:00Apply Now for WAC RosterThe Wyoming Arts Council (WAC) has just opened up the roster application process for in-state artists. Postmark deadline is March 30. Applications will be sent out early next week to mailing lists in folk arts, literature, performing arts, and visual arts categories. You can also print the application and guidelines pages by going to the WAC web site after Feb. 15.WAC Michael Shaynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-76912811308194855512007-02-05T19:59:00.000-07:002007-02-05T20:23:31.450-07:00Literary Connection April 27-28In early December, I reported that the Literary Connection: Between Readers and Writers conference in Cheyenne had selected three of its five presenters. Now the line-up is complete. They include Brooklyn's Myla Goldberg, author of the national bestseller Bee Season; novelist and short story writer Jill McCorkle (The Cheerleader, Crash Diet); Bob Shacochis, Michael Shaynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-25783699669132695702007-02-02T12:50:00.000-07:002007-02-02T12:55:23.771-07:00University of Wyoming Dept. of Theatre and Dance offers two plays of topical interest during February:Spinning into ButterBy Rebecca GilmanDirected by William Missouri DownsFebruary 6-11, 2007, 7:30 p.m. (10 p.m. Fri.-Sat. and 2 p.m. Sunday matinee)Fine Arts Studio Theatre"Rebecca Gilman’s award-winning play is a searing, darkly comic exposé of hidden racism and political correctness on American Michael Shaynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-29760789986335912542007-02-01T10:06:00.000-07:002007-02-01T10:26:12.957-07:00Meet the Arts Council BoardThe Wyoming Arts Council board meets Feb. 1-2 at the Hitching Post Inn in Cheyenne as part of this week's 25th anniversary celebration of the Governor's Arts Awards. The board will meet from 1-5 on Thursday and 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. on Friday. The traditional public comment session will begin at 1:30 p.m. on Friday at the Hitch. This is your opportunity to offer your Michael Shaynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-51388207079651272032007-01-30T13:46:00.000-07:002007-01-30T14:28:02.249-07:00Tennessee Williams’ “Cat” Comes to the RockThe Actors’ Mission in Rock Springs has chosen “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” by Tennessee Williams as its next production. Performances are set for March 2, 3, 9, and 10 at 6 p.m. in the Elk's Lodge, 307 C St. Performances are free, and a cash bar operated through the Elks will be open for the Saturday performances. For more info, contact the Actors’ Mission Michael Shaynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-34825290505290094462007-01-29T08:27:00.000-07:002007-01-29T10:22:22.518-07:00"Big Read" Reads Willa; Looks for Local PartnersFrom the Wyoming State Library’s Outrider newsletter: In response to a decline in literary reading, the National Endowment for the Arts has established its Big Read grant program, designed as a community-wide reading and discussion of a single classic novel. The Wyoming Center for the Book in Cheyenne is putting together a grant proposal in April Michael Shaynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-3593164749172324622007-01-27T12:46:00.000-07:002007-01-30T14:36:56.040-07:00Line-up Announced for Jackson Writers ConferenceThe 15th annual Jackson Hole Writers Conference will be held June 28-July 1 in Jackson. Special tracks for this year include travel and outdoor writing, with featured speaker Daniel Glick, young adult fiction with Todd Strasser, and a teachers’ track with Lee Zacharias. An array of other fiction and nonfiction writers will talk about their work. Michael Shaynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-64561727591312777932007-01-26T12:43:00.000-07:002007-01-26T12:44:56.668-07:00Award-winning author and wilderness advocate Terry Tempest Williams will read from her recent book, set in Rwanda, Friday, Feb. 2, at the University of Wyoming. The free public reading will begin at 5:30 p.m. in UW's College of Education auditorium. The University Bookstore will offer specially priced books at the reception to follow. A Utah native who recently relocated to Jackson, Williams is aMichael Shaynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-72197651384831085052007-01-25T14:57:00.000-07:002007-01-27T13:13:28.718-07:00Hot Springs State Park Site for Wyoming Writers Inc. ConferenceAn internationally-renowned (and Wyoming-based) husband-wife writing duo, Montana’s poet laureate, and the Jackson novelist whom the New York Times Book Review recognized as the writer who “brilliantly and knowingly captures the spirit of the Wyoming wilderness."Michael and Kathleen Gear of Thermopolis, Sandra Alcosser of Florence, Michael Shaynoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-65431705037658143862007-01-21T11:42:00.000-07:002007-01-21T11:49:27.602-07:00Last call for Wyoming Writers, Inc., ContestThe postmark deadline for the Wyoming Writers, Inc., annual writing contest is Jan. 31!You may enter in the following five categories: Adult Fiction, Adult Non-fiction, Fiction Written for Children, Free Verse and Traditional Poetry. You may enter more than one piece.Each entry should be accompanied by a $10 fee for members and $15 per entry for Michael Shaynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-64653959716169212082007-01-20T11:07:00.000-07:002007-01-20T11:13:03.772-07:00"Jentel Presents" Feb. 6The Jentel Artist Residency Program in Banner features a "Jentel Presents" event open to the public at Davis Gallery, 38 South Main, Sheridan, on Tuesday, February 6, from 5:30-7 p.m. "Jentel Presents" is a community outreach program that features presentations and readings by the visual artists and writers at the residency.Presenters include:Jon Taylor, New Bedford, Mass.Michael Shaynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-66054632590401950882007-01-17T13:58:00.000-07:002007-01-17T14:12:17.389-07:00Terry Tempest Williams at WWCC Jan. 25The Arlene and Louise Wesswick Lecture Series in the Humanities and Education at Western Wyoming Community College in Rock Springs presents “An Evening with Terry Tempest Williams” on Thursday, Jan. 25, 7:30 p.m., in the college theatre. Terry will read from new work and from those books, such as Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family and Place, which are Michael Shaynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-4812151554152231072007-01-17T09:49:00.000-07:002007-01-20T11:22:06.971-07:00Wanted: Big Horn Basin ArtistsI’m traveling to three sites in the Big Horn Basin next week – Jan. 22-24 – for grants training sessions. Here’s a special invitation for you creative types to come out and see a demonstration of the Wyoming Arts Council’s new on-line granting system. It’s also an opportunity for me to talk with performers and visual artists, people I’ll be working with now that I’m Michael Shaynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-84904916640560622982007-01-16T16:36:00.000-07:002007-01-16T16:43:20.379-07:00Kevin Holdsworth of Rock Springs will read from his new book, Big Wonderful: Notes from Wyoming, on Friday February 2, 7 p.m. at Second Story Books in downtown Laramie and on Saturday, February 3, 2 p.m., as part of the Rocky Mountain Land Series at the Tattered Cover Bookstore, 1628 16th Street at Wynkoop in Lower Downtown (LoDo) Denver. Big Wonderful was released Nov. 30 by University Press of Michael Shaynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-43928553479034066502007-01-15T14:52:00.000-07:002007-01-16T16:48:28.285-07:00Fremont Libraries Get LIFTI’m not sure how many Carnegie libraries remain in the state. I know of two: Lusk and Lander. I know that Cheyenne demolished its Carnegie Library way back when. Other Wyoming towns did too.I’ve been to the Niobrara County Library in Lusk several times. It’s a nice-looking old building with a small space for readings and other events. I once attended a Tumblewords event Michael Shaynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-26674723537474355302007-01-13T10:17:00.000-07:002007-01-13T10:27:00.288-07:00Courtroom Helped McKinzie Refine Story SkillsClinton McKinzie, University of Wyoming Law school grad and Denver-based district attorney, was profiled by writer Karen Cotton in the Jan. 12 "What’s Up" section of the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle. He’s the author of the Antonio Burns mystery series set in Wyoming. He was on the mystery writing panel with C.J. Box, Craig Johnson, and Michael and Kathleen Michael Shaynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-50764590929900548472007-01-11T13:01:00.000-07:002007-01-11T13:11:44.473-07:00The grants training session scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 11, 7-9 p.m., at the Sweetwater County Public Library in Green River has been postponed due to bad weather. The WAC staffer due to conduct this session (me) is stuck in Riverton with snow swirling all around (see accompanying DOT webcamera photo). This session will be rescheduled for later this month or early February. As noted before, WAC Michael Shaynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-79505566591037583482007-01-10T10:17:00.000-07:002007-01-10T11:08:10.516-07:00Road Trip: Ethete and RivertonAs I drove I-25 north on Tuesday, I was glad I hadn't been on the road the day before. I passed five truck trailers that had been smacked down by Monday's winds. Two were on their sides and sliding down the snowy hill on that last rise before you get to Wheatland. On the southbound lanes, two big wreckers were righting another big rig. The wind had settled to its Michael Shaynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-8923366417477639882007-01-08T09:00:00.000-07:002007-01-08T09:17:50.415-07:00Grants Training UpdateThe WAC staff begins traveling this week to conduct grants training sessions in 26 communities. Make that 25, as we debuted last Thursday at the Laramie County Public Library in Cheyenne. About 30 people attended, including individual artists and reps from arts orgs – and a variety of other non-profits. The training focuses on our new on-line granting program, which we have Michael Shaynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-51587493384128523222007-01-06T07:58:00.000-07:002007-01-06T08:01:32.856-07:00Quote for Our TimesFrom Adrienne Rich in an essay on the Poets Against War web site: "Poetry has the capacity to remind us of something we are forbidden to see."Michael Shaynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-88000867918152282572007-01-05T13:10:00.000-07:002007-01-05T13:20:36.607-07:00Malinalli (a.k.a. Malinche) Focus of Book GroupTeton County Library in Jackson announces that the sign-up begins on Monday, Jan. 8, for a Spanish book discussion. “Malinalli, Real Woman and Mythical Figure” will explore Laura Esquivel's latest work Malinche, a provocative novel based on a woman (a.k.a. Malinalli) who remains controversial for her role in the Spanish conquest of Mexico. Michael Shaynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-85021853077574587942007-01-04T09:46:00.000-07:002007-01-04T09:48:48.263-07:00Voicings From The High Country is now accepting poetry submissions for the 2007 edition. The deadline is February 1. Guest poet this year is Terry Rasmussen from Casper College. For guidelines, contact Ella Cvancara, 4920 South Oak St., Casper, WY 82601.Michael Shaynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-58450122367114120212007-01-03T09:01:00.000-07:002007-01-03T09:07:38.381-07:00Return of "Yellowstone Kelly"I was eight when I saw the movie Yellowstone Kelly, with Clint Walker as the almost-forgotten frontiersman, explorer and army scout in the post-Civil War West. I don’t remember much of the plot, but Walker – who was star of the Cheyenne TV series – battled the wilderness, Indians, and an inept assistant played by Ed "Kookie" Byrnes. The big dude played Cheyenne BrodieMichael Shaynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-75591672060397689412007-01-02T14:21:00.000-07:002007-01-02T14:35:16.858-07:00Mark Jenkins, Global CorrespondentCan’t keep a guy like Mark Jenkins down on the farm, not after he’s cycled across Siberia, paddled a kayak from battlefield to battlefield along the Turkish coast of Gallipoli, and climbed the icy Italian Ridge of the Matterhorn. Mark, a Laramie native and two-time WAC fellowship recipient, reports that he just returned from researching an article on Pakistan forMichael Shaynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-16413928576961641992006-12-29T08:30:00.000-07:002006-12-29T08:34:54.769-07:00"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 Michael Shaynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-82818987044972971142006-12-28T21:42:00.000-07:002006-12-28T21:48:57.513-07:00Celebrating 50 Years of On the RoadJenny 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 Michael Shaynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-85066129450702926592006-12-27T22:34:00.000-07:002006-12-27T22:40:09.237-07:00Jentel Deadline Jan. 15Spend 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.Michael Shaynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-66426795626535001912006-12-24T23:12:00.000-07:002006-12-24T23:19:21.893-07:00Fishtrap Opens Up Writers-in-Residence ProgramThe 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. Michael Shaynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-6818812526732127742006-12-22T08:42:00.000-07:002006-12-22T08:56:43.828-07:00E-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 Michael Shaynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-76098263296609050722006-12-21T13:49:00.000-07:002006-12-21T14:02:33.490-07:00Winona LaDuke Speaks at UW Jan. 17Political 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 Michael Shaynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-79399168731240296512006-12-20T10:47:00.000-07:002006-12-20T10:49:48.927-07:00FRESH 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 Michael Shaynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-88896501401230346772006-12-19T16:35:00.000-07:002006-12-22T08:38:52.560-07:00Happy Birthday to UcrossThe 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 artMichael Shaynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-44809775461518933042006-12-18T10:53:00.000-07:002006-12-18T10:56:26.353-07:00CONFERENCE 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 Michael Shaynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-2512970372352184882006-12-17T09:37:00.000-07:002006-12-17T09:42:12.659-07:00EHRLICH 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.Michael Shaynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-37957624208010569422006-12-16T09:37:00.000-07:002006-12-16T09:42:39.854-07:00NATURE 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 Michael Shaynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-23252063073879308832006-12-15T10:49:00.000-07:002006-12-15T10:55:37.617-07:00ROUNDING 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 andMichael Shaynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-17501765247800857312006-12-14T08:26:00.000-07:002006-12-14T08:32:15.895-07:00ROMTVEDT 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 Michael Shaynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-566542955927649362006-12-13T16:20:00.000-07:002006-12-13T16:24:33.547-07:00SANDLIN 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 Michael Shaynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-41478736976641569292006-12-11T14:41:00.000-07:002006-12-11T14:45:31.892-07:00MUSEUM 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 1890sMichael Shaynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-342307000464216052006-12-08T13:46:00.000-07:002006-12-08T13:51:34.507-07:00MARSHALL’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 Michael Shaynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-1160637906208673362006-12-07T14:12:00.000-07:002006-12-07T14:15:29.680-07:00BBHC 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 Michael Shaynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-12973155543122035072006-12-06T17:09:00.000-07:002006-12-08T13:53:16.555-07:00READERS 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 Michael Shaynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-19676680262024410542006-12-05T13:45:00.000-07:002006-12-05T13:55:24.939-07:00BOX 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 Michael Shaynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-7942652843663770692006-12-01T10:25:00.000-07:002006-12-05T13:56:01.497-07:00Franscell in WYO Dec. 2-8Ron 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 Michael Shaynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-85072512490308967382006-11-30T14:08:00.000-07:002006-11-30T15:38:33.900-07:00SIGN UP NOW FOR POETRY OUT LOUD: The Wyoming Arts Council is looking for high school teachers interested in “Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest,” co-sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation. According to an NEA release: “Poetry Out Loud builds on the recent boom in poetry as an oral art form, as demonstrated by the slam poetry movement and the immense Michael Shaynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-39752885520091827142006-11-29T10:52:00.000-07:002006-11-30T15:41:02.730-07:00“BRANDED” ON THE ROAD: A series of readings and photo exhibitions are scheduled for the book “Branded: The Making of a Wyoming Cowgirl,” written by Kaycee’s Deirdre Stoelzle Graves and photographed by Jennifer Gorman: Thursday, Dec. 7, 6-8 p.m., Metro Coffee Company, 241 S. David, Casper; Friday, Dec. 8, 5:30-7 p.m., Jackson Street Gallery, 130 S. Jackson, Jackson. Dierdre will also hold a book Michael Shaynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-53569529351102665952006-11-28T13:54:00.000-07:002006-11-28T14:02:31.519-07:00SAVE THESE DATES: Tim Sandlin sends word that the 2007 Jackson Hole Writers Conference will be held June 28-July 1. The conference, once sponsored and promoted by University of Wyoming, is now on its own and has an office at the new Arts Center in Jackson. Tim says that he’ll be e-mailing updates about the conference as they become available. Meanwhile, check out the amazing Jackson Hole Center Michael Shaynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-5032138027891557802006-11-26T20:48:00.000-07:002006-11-26T20:54:17.074-07:00PRONGHORN HOLIDAY CATALOGUE: The holiday catalogue from Pronghorn Press in Greybull just landed in my mailbox. I own a fair number of books on the Pronghorn list, with multiple copies of Deep West: A Literary Tour of Wyoming (of course), both titles in the "Women & Words" series (Moonhorses & the Red Bull, Listening to Stones), Renee Carrier’s A Singular Notion, Cheryl Wright’s "High Country" Michael Shaynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-35422533502260715942006-11-24T09:04:00.000-07:002006-11-24T09:19:56.171-07:00IRISH LIT CLASS IN CASPER: Stuart Rutten, instructor in the University of Wyoming Honors Program, will teach "Studies in Irish Literature" (ENGL 4600-51) at the UW/CC Center this spring. Offered in Casper and statewide via videoconference, Rutten will focus on Irish mythology, religious works, modern poetry, novels and "rebel" literature from the struggle between the Irish and the English. Michael Shaynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-24625359058506544892006-11-22T08:22:00.000-07:002006-11-22T08:26:39.616-07:00GAA RECIPIENTS ANNOUNCED: The 2006 Governor’s Arts Awards’ recipients have been selected. They are Rock Springs’ poet and Western Wyoming Community College professor Barbara Smith; the Cultural Arts Program at Ark Regional Services in Laramie; Razmick Sarkissian, music teacher for the Sheridan County School District; and arts administrator Candra Day of Jackson. They will be feted at the 25th Michael Shaynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-22979270575162428472006-11-21T15:14:00.000-07:002006-11-21T15:19:34.278-07:00THIS DAY IN WYOLIT HISTORY: On November 21, 1940, novelist and short story writer Ernest Hemingway married war correspondent and author Martha Gellhorn in Cheyenne. Hemingway's friend, noted photographer Robert Capa, shot the ceremony for Life magazine. The Author’s Calendar web site describes the relationship this way: “The first years of their marriage were happy, although Gellhorn was never Michael Shaynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-35810346488217718292006-11-20T10:18:00.001-07:002006-11-20T10:23:20.906-07:00WYOPOETS MARKS 30 YEARS: As WyoPoets begins its thirtieth year, President Myra L. Peak (a 2007 WAC fellowship recipient) sends word that the organization has a new web site at wyopoets.org. I took a quick look and was impressed. It’s attractive, user-friendly, and full of info about the organization. Here’s a little bit of history from member Midge Farmer of Gillette: “Did you know we were born Michael Shaynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-1163780456887437402006-11-17T09:18:00.000-07:002006-11-17T09:36:19.936-07:00WELCOME TO THE ARTS MOTELI don’t often list visual arts events on this blog. But this one is too cool to neglect. And it might provide some ideas for writers looking for unique ways to showcase their work.“Touchstone Laramie,” is a fine art exhibition and sale of locally produced painting, sculpture, printmaking, photography, hand-weaving, and other art-forms by members of The Laramie Artists’ Michael Shaynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-1163696136716016062006-11-16T09:53:00.000-07:002006-11-16T10:01:48.570-07:00BOOK CELEBRATES WIND RIVER WILDSWind River Wilderness is a large-format book, edited by Roger Chilcote and published by Laguna Wilderness Press, which is (according to its jacket copy) “a testament to one of the most magnificent, diverse, and pristine wilderness environments in the continental U.S. A stunningly beautiful book of photographs and essays in celebration of the Wind River area of Michael Shaynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-1163608732933532722006-11-15T09:36:00.000-07:002006-11-15T09:38:52.950-07:00HOLDSWORTH BOOK BIG, WONDERFUL: Kevin Holdsworth of Rock Springs adds to the rapidly growing list of intriguing first-person accounts of living in contemporary Wyoming. His book, Big Wonderful: Notes from Wyoming (ISBN 0-87081-846-5, $26.95) was just published by the University Press of Colorado. Here’s a description from the UPC web site: “Growing up in Utah, Holdsworth couldn’t wait to move Michael Shaynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-1163449778895603922006-11-13T13:28:00.000-07:002006-11-13T13:29:38.910-07:00READ YOUR WORK AT LCCC: Laramie County Community College’s literary magazine High Plains Register and the English Majors Club presents “The Expressive Element” on Thursday, Nov. 16, 7 p.m., in the college’s Student Lounge in Cheyenne. Bring your original stories, poetry, lyrics and more to read. Prizes will be awarded for best in show, best poem, best fiction and nonfiction, and best open medium Michael Shaynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-1163395844119246732006-11-12T22:28:00.000-07:002006-11-12T22:31:30.420-07:00Living and Writing "Between Fences"The Wyoming Council for the Humanities and the Wyoming Arts Council have announced a call for poetry, short fiction and creative nonfiction submissions for their upcoming Between Fences Anthology. The Humanities Council writes: "In Wyoming we live between fences. Although they often go unnoticed, fences frame our homes, ranches, roadsides, schoolyards, Michael Shaynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-1163264334924593212006-11-11T09:57:00.000-07:002006-11-11T10:00:31.426-07:00SAVE THESE DATES: The Wyoming Arts Summit will take place on Oct. 18-20, 2007, at the Casper Events Center. The planning committee met in Dubois Nov. 2 prior to the Wyoming Arts Council board meeting and decided on a series of presentations and discussions around the theme of “community development and the arts.” Experienced event planner Ann Larson will be working on the details from her office Michael Shaynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-1163169804721286212006-11-10T07:40:00.000-07:002006-11-11T10:01:14.810-07:00LEE ALLEY AT MUSEUM: Armistice Day will be celebrated at the Wyoming State Museum in Cheyenne with a talk and book signing by Wheatland author Lee Alley. Alley, Wyoming’s most highly decorated Vietnam Veteran, will discuss his book “Back from War: A Quest for Life After Death.” Also known as Veterans Day, the 11th of November is the anniversary of the official end of World War I (Nov. 11, 1918). Michael Shaynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-1163087451625783102006-11-09T08:48:00.000-07:002006-11-09T08:52:57.860-07:00BOOKFEST PODCAST ON THE WEB: The Wyoming Arts Council web site now has its first podcast. Sue Castaneda, my colleague in State Parks and Cultural Resources, traveled to the bookfest in Casper Oct. 20 to record the reading featuring this year’s winners of the creative writing fellowships. After some judicious editing of my rambling introduction, Sue put the 55-minute podcast on the web site Michael Shaynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-1163006690825946692006-11-08T10:01:00.000-07:002006-11-08T10:24:51.056-07:00DOERR READS IN LARAMIE NOV. 15The University of Wyoming Creative Writing Program will host award-winning author Anthony Doerr Wednesday, Nov. 15, as part of its visiting writer series. The author will read from his work at 5 p.m. in the Albany County Public Library Meeting Room, 310 S. 8th St. Book signing to follow.Doerr is the author of two books, a 2002 volume of eight short stories entitled, Michael Shaynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-1162326594413010612006-10-31T13:26:00.000-07:002006-10-31T13:32:25.330-07:00WYO TOUR WILL BE HOMECOMING FOR FRANSCELL: Ron Franscell attended high school in Casper and spent most of his professional life as a journalist in Wyoming. Now a newspaper editor in Beaumont, Texas, this one-time Wyoming Arts Council creative writing fellowship winner will return to the state in December with his new book, “Fall: The Rape and Murder of Innocence in a Small Town.” It’s a factual Michael Shaynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-1162241155786086222006-10-30T13:44:00.000-07:002006-10-30T13:45:55.820-07:00Cultural Trust Fund Begins Application ProcessGrant applications for the new Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund (WCTF) will be available on November 8, according to program administrator Renee Bovee.Designed to promote, preserve and enhance the unique cultural heritage of Wyoming, the Cultural Trust Fund was has been funded by the Wyoming Legislature with a $10 million corpus. The interest of which willMichael Shaynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-1162186505148169242006-10-29T22:32:00.000-07:002006-10-29T22:37:59.176-07:00OWR WANTS YOU: From Owen Wister Review editor Ken Steinken: "The Owen Wister Review, the literary & arts magazine of the University of Wyoming, is now accepting original works for its Spring 2007 issue. We are hungry for work that seek to view Wyoming and the West from a new perspective, be that in form or content. All submissions will be considered, but we are especially interested in those thatMichael Shaynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-1162054305083794972006-10-28T10:51:00.000-06:002006-10-28T15:27:02.510-06:00BOOKFEST ATTENDANCE NUMBERS: Tom Rea, head honcho for the Equality State Book Festival, reports that "4,520 total individuals were reached by the Oct. 19-21 book festival." That’s more than twice the attendance of 2,000 souls that we estimated when writing our grants to the National Endowment for the Arts, Wyoming Community Foundation, etc. Numbers aren’t everything, but they are something. We’llMichael Shaynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-1161990313762676872006-10-27T17:04:00.000-06:002006-10-27T17:05:13.776-06:00COLES NAMED UTAH POET LAUREATE: From a press release: Today, Governor Jon M. Huntsman, Jr., named Katharine Coles as Utah’s new State Poet Laureate. Coles, an associate professor of English at the University of Utah, has published two novels and three collections of poetry. Her poems and short stories have appeared in numerous periodicals and anthologies. Coles has a long history of professional Michael Shaynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-1161902953198221592006-10-26T16:43:00.000-06:002006-10-26T16:49:13.213-06:00Fellowship Winners Shine at BookfestOn Friday, Oct. 20, I was emcee for two events at the Equality State Book Festival in Casper’s First United Methodist Church. The first was a reading of the 2007 creative writing fellowship winners along with fellowship judge Rosemary Daniell. About 50 people attended the event. I acknowledged the fellowship honorable mentions, Pat Frolander of Sundance and Michael Shaynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-1161558362144460482006-10-22T17:00:00.000-06:002006-10-23T12:11:07.016-06:00Great turn-out for events at the Equality State Book Festival in Casper. Not even a surprise snowstorm nor a UW home football game against arch-rival CSU could stay the state's writers and book-lovers from their appointed rounds. Stay tuned to upcoming posts for some first-person accounts (mine) of the Oct. 19-21 event. Feel free to add your impressions, thoughts. criticisms, etc., of this Michael Shaynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-1161265555836199492006-10-19T07:37:00.000-06:002006-10-19T07:49:32.293-06:00Meet me at the Equality State Book Festival in Casper Oct. 19-21. Featured writers include Annie Proulx, Linda Hasselstrom, Gerry Spence, C.J. Box, Rosemary Daniell, Tim Sandlin, Candy Moulton, and Kathleen and Michael Gear. Poetry slam Friday night, and readings all day Saturday (Oct. 21) at the First United Methodist Church downtown by authors Theodore Judson, Jeffe Kennedy, Lily Burana, Karol Michael Shaynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-1161098414505211622006-10-17T09:19:00.000-06:002006-10-17T09:20:14.526-06:00MATURI CONDUCTS WRITING SEMINAR: Richard Maturi will offer a seminar, "Jump Start Your Writing Career" on Saturday, Oct. 28, from 9:30 a.m.-noon in the Cowboy Room at the Hampton Inn in Laramie. Maturi will instruct how to craft powerful query letters, use the rules of the writing game, generate irresistible ideas, sell writings multiple times, and publish your own work. Each attendee will Michael Shaynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-1161026222350407862006-10-16T13:12:00.000-06:002006-10-16T13:28:15.213-06:00"SO THEN MY HUSBAND GRABBED THE CHAINSAW..."From Warren Adler’s web site: It's the silver anniversary of my novel "The War of the Roses" and at Stonehouse Press, we want to celebrate. You've read our divorce story; now we want to read yours. So get to writing and give us -- in 1,500 words or less -- your juiciest, meanest, and veracious divorce story. For those of you who were never married...Michael Shaynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-1160924363084322672006-10-15T08:53:00.000-06:002006-10-16T09:33:56.626-06:00BOOKFEST READINGS GALORE: More than 32 authors have signed up with the Equality State Book Festival to read from their work in 15-minute intervals on Saturday, Oct. 21, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., at the First United Methodist Church in Casper. The church is located across the street (north) from the Natrona County Library, which will be conducting its annual book sale on Oct. 21. The church is about two Michael Shaynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-1160838121730876302006-10-14T09:01:00.000-06:002006-10-14T09:02:01.746-06:00QUOTE OF THE WEEK: From Homer Simpson, animated hero: "Weaseling out of things is important to learn. It's what separates us from the animals ... except the weasel."Michael Shaynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-1160760932703072092006-10-13T11:32:00.000-06:002006-10-13T11:35:32.760-06:00CORRECTION TO 10/12 POST ON CYBERGRANTS: The WAC’s “Cybergrants” system in up and running on our web site. Organizations can now apply online for grants in these categories: Arts Across Wyoming, Tumblewords, Open Door, Technology in the Arts, Arts Access, and Folk Arts (all six categories included in the Ongoing Grants book). Individuals can apply for Individual Artists Professional Development Michael Shaynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-1160666771813307962006-10-12T09:25:00.000-06:002006-10-12T09:26:11.833-06:00The Wyoming Arts Council’s “Cybergrants” system in up and running on our web site. Organizations can now apply online for WAC grants in these categories: Ongoing Programs (Arts Across Wyoming, Tumblewords, Open Door, Technology in the Arts, Arts Access, and Folk Arts); Grants to Organizations; and Arts in Education. Indiviiduals can apply for Individual Artists Professional Development Grants. Michael Shaynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-1160596818276199622006-10-11T13:57:00.000-06:002006-10-11T14:00:18.306-06:00HIX NAMED NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST: H.L. “Harvey” Hix, poet and director of the University of Wyoming creative writing program in Laramie, has been named a finalist in poetry for this year’s National Book Awards. His book, “Chromatic,” is published by Etruscan Press. Hix joins other poetry finalists Louise Gluck (“Averno”), Ben Lerner (“Angle of Yaw”), Nathaniel Mackey (“Splay Anthem”), and Michael Shaynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-1160576361450798642006-10-11T08:15:00.000-06:002006-10-11T08:25:18.546-06:00PBS DOCUMENTARY DEBUTS AT BOOKFEST: From my colleagues Tom Rea and Laurie Lye on the Equality State Book Festival planning committee: "A last-minute addition to the Mormon history events slated for Friday Oct. 20 at the National Historic Trails Center in Casper will be two free showings of the LDS filmmaker Lee Groberg’s new PBS documentary, The Sweetwater Rescue: The Willie and Martin Handcart Michael Shaynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-1160514575105504772006-10-10T15:07:00.000-06:002006-10-10T15:09:35.120-06:00GET LITERARY AT NYC CONFERENCE: The “Literary Writers Conference” will be held Nov. 2-4 in New York City. It’s a conference geared for post-MFA writers of literature and its worthy goals are to teach writers “how to maneuver the marketplace and forge lasting relationships with editors, agents, and publishers.” Main sponsors are the Council of Literary Magazines and Presses and the New School Michael Shaynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-1160407627566813352006-10-09T09:24:00.000-06:002006-10-09T09:31:17.593-06:00SPENCE TAKES ON CULTURE WARS: Durham Hall on the Casper College campus will be the site of a lively session with Gerry Spence that promises to get the Equality State Book Festival off to a rollicking start. “Can Books Win the Culture Wars” will feature Wyoming’s most famous (some might say infamous) trial lawyer being interviewed by UW History Professor Phil Roberts from 4-5 p.m. on Thursday, OctMichael Shaynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-1160241180495937262006-10-07T11:04:00.000-06:002006-10-07T11:13:00.513-06:00Get Tix Now for Bookfest BanquetLaurie Lye, chair of the Equality State Book Festival, sent this letter about the bookfest’s Oct. 20 banquet, an event that combines writing, music, and great food. Take a look....Dear All:Yesterday marked exactly 2 weeks until the book festival starts, and we are all getting very excited. We’d like to focus your attention on the Gala Banquet scheduled at the Michael Shaynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-1160172149043114122006-10-06T16:00:00.000-06:002006-10-09T10:07:11.360-06:00 NEW BAMA BOOK INCLUDES “DOC” COVERS: The illustration art of Cody artist James Bama have now been collected into a 160-page full-color book, James Bama: American Realist (hardbound edition ISBN: 0-9723758-8-0, signed and numbered hardbound edition ISBN: 0-9723758-9-9). It was written by Brian M. Kane with Harlan Ellison and Len Leone. Here’s a description: "James Bama: American Realist is the Michael Shaynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-1160067136035687132006-10-05T10:50:00.000-06:002006-10-05T10:52:16.053-06:00SEPARATION OF WORDS & MUSIC: Warren Adler of Jackson and NYC writes in his latest e-sheet about being a “fussy old purist” on the subject of listening to music while reading. Here’s a quote: “Words are the principal conveyance of meaning between people and I’ve always believed that the printed word, reading, was an extremely private endeavor that needed no sensory enhancements.” Read Warren’s Michael Shaynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-1159900503261191082006-10-03T12:27:00.000-06:002006-10-05T10:59:51.590-06:00Purple Haze Meets ViagraTim Sandlin’s new (and long-anticipated) novel, Jimi Hendrix Turns Eighty, will officially be released by Riverhead in January. I just received a review copy. The cover features a psychedelic VW microbus with a wheelchair strapped to the roof. Attention-getting and nostalgic for some Baby Boomers, horrific for others. I’m not sure if copies will be available when Tim Michael Shaynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1996655.post-1159722549169348062006-10-01T11:04:00.000-06:002006-10-09T10:09:12.820-06:00Lori Van Pelt's biography, Amelia Earhart: The Sky's No Limit (Forge, 2005), a premier title in the American Heroes series, received recognition in the UK's Guardian Unlimited recently. Best-selling author and movie producer Don Mullan, creator of Eyewitness Bloody Sunday, selected Lori's book as one of his "Top 10 Books on Heroes," saying, "Van Pelt's biography reignited my admiration for a Michael Shaynoreply@blogger.com0