Montana 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.

Labels: poets, readings

- posted by Michael Shay @ 11:11 AM 0 comments

 
What 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 competition and awards ceremony.

During the state finals, contestants will recite works they selected from an anthology of more than 400 poems. It includes old favorites by Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson, as well as poems by dynamic living authors who've read their work or conducted workshops in Wyoming, such as Joy Harjo, Jorie Graham, Robert Bly, and Li Young-Lee. You can read those poems -- or memorize them yourselves -- by going to the Poetry Out Loud web site.

The Wyoming Arts Council, the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation are co-sponsors of POL. It's a national program that encourages high school students to learn about poetry through memorization, performance and competition. This is the second consecutive year that Wyoming has participated in Poetry Out Loud.

Poetry Out Loud encourages mastery of great poetry by offering educational materials and a dynamic competition to high schools across the country. The process begins at the classroom level. Those winners advance to a school-wide competition, then to the state capital competition, and ultimately to the National Finals in Washington, D.C. More than 250,000 students across the country are expected to take part this year.

The NEA and Poetry Foundation created a standards-based teacher’s guide, a comprehensive website and a CD featuring poetry recitations by well-known actors and writers such as Anthony Hopkins, Alyssa Milano, N. Scott Momaday and Rita Dove.

FMI: Wyoming Arts Council at 307-777-7742.

Labels: awards, Poetry Out Loud, poets, Wyoming

- posted by Michael Shay @ 11:56 AM 2 comments

 
Brush Up on Your Writing at YWC

Micah 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 Micah's sister, will be there, as will poet Jesse Loesberg from San Franscisco.

Guest teachers are wont to drop in. Last June, I joined the teachers and students for some mysterious homemade stir fry and we sat around the fire pit on a balmy evening and discussed short story writing. Everyone read a sample of his/her work.

Here's where I have to admit that my son, Kevin Shay, is a YWC alumnus. He says he'd love to come back as a visiting writer and may someday because he's a pretty good writer (I'm biased) and is working towards a career as a high school language arts teacher. As we speak, he's taking courses at Pima County Community College in Tucson, a place he enjoys very much in the winter months but not so much in July.

Sign up for the 2007 camp by going to the Young Writers Camp web site and downloading the printable application. It's open to teen writers who live in WYO and elsewhere.

Labels: poets, students, writers, writing conferences, Wyoming

- posted by Michael Shay @ 12:01 PM 0 comments

 
Memoirs Highlighted at NWC Writers Series

The 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 the Pulitzer Prize, Thursday, March 29 at 7:30 p.m., Fagerberg Building, Room 70.

Garry Wallace teaches biology and English at NWC and will read from his memoir, "Biography of a Bird Dog," on Tuesday, April 10 at 7:30 p.m. Listen to a live interview with Garry on Tuesday, April 3, on KODI’s Party Line show at 9 a.m. (1400 AM on the dial; simulcast on KZMQ 1140 AM).

Wyoming Poet Laureate David Romtvedt on Friday, April 20, 7:30 p.m., in the Nelson Performing Arts Building. David will be interviewed at 9 a.m. on April 16 on KODI’s Party Line show.

All the events are free and open to the public. FMI: http://www.northwestcollege.edu/hum/writers.htm

Labels: Idaho, memoir, poets, writers, Wyoming

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

 
Any truth to the rumor that former U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins will read in Jackson in early June?

Labels: poets

- posted by Michael Shay @ 4:25 PM 1 comments

 
Meet the Arts Council Board

The 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 comments about the WAC and/or the board, or to quiz us about our policies. The WAC has undergone many changes in the past year so it's a good time to come out and see what's new.

The GAA dinner and awards ceremony starts at 6 p.m. on Friday at the Taco John's Center next to the Hitch. Dinner will be served at 7, followed by the awards presentation by Gov. Dave Freudenthal at 8. We also have some great entertainment on tap. One of the honorees this year is poet and teacher Barbara Smith of Rock Springs. This continues the WAC tradition of honoring writers, literary groups and patrons in the state. During the past 25 years, awards have gone to David Romtvedt, Charles Levendosky, Gaydell Collier, Neltje, Ucross Foundation, and Wyoming Writers, Inc. It's not too early to start thinking about other lit people and orgs that have contributed mightily to Wyoming's literary tradition.

Unfortunately for procrastinators, the registration deadline for Friday's GAA gala event already has passed. See you next year.

Labels: artists' communities, awards, poets, writers, Wyoming Arts Council

- posted by Michael Shay @ 10:06 AM 0 comments

 
Last call for Wyoming Writers, Inc., Contest

The 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 non-members. Again, there is no limit to the number of entries. One check may be written for all the fees; however, no fees will be refunded unless there are fewer than nine entries in any category. Each entry must be accompanied by an Affidavit of Authorship (available from the Contest Chair) and a cover sheet. All work must be unpublished and not previously submitted for publication. All work must be in English and must be the original work of the author. Word limit is 3,500 words for prose and 40 lines for poems. Critiques are available for an additional $10 fee apiece.

Entries should be mailed to Myra Mumma, Wyoming Writers, Inc. Contest Chair, 1610 Big Flat Rd., Missoula, MT 59804-9222.

FMI: Myra Mumma at rym528@yahoo.com.

Labels: contests, poets, writers, Wyoming Writers

- posted by Michael Shay @ 11:42 AM 0 comments

 
Voicings 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.

Labels: poetry, poets, Wyoming

- posted by Michael Shay @ 9:46 AM 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

 
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

 
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