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| Sue Pope reads from her essay about birding in Bhutan |
Writers are made of stern stuff! Despite the frigid
temperatures around town on Wednesday, a trusty band of students from this year’s
workshops turned out to share their writing at our Indigo Tea Lounge gathering. We
heard descriptions of the sensory pleasures of St. Thomas and the allure of the
tango; got drawn into stories about Gold Rush-era travelers, a father in his
declining years, and a prison visit with an accused killer; and were charmed by a musical shadow
puppet play performed with great enthusiasm! Thank you to everyone who
participated, and to Morgan Grey for organizing the event.
Earlier in the week, Kirsten Dixon’s craft talk at Great Harvest Bread attracted an impressive crowd, who came to hear more about the art of “Stirring Words” and find inspiration for their own writing. Here is the list of Kirsten’s recommended reading for those of you who couldn’t make it (and those of us who can’t remember): The Auberge of the Flowering Heart by Roy Andries de Groot; A Literary Feast by Lilly Golden; Will Write for Food by Dianne Jacob; Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard; Making a Literary Life by Carolyn See; Wabi Sabi for Writers by Richard Powell; and the haikus of Matsuo Basho. A great lineup for any writer’s gift list. Our gratitude goes, as always, to Barbara Hood and the staff a Great Harvest Bread. to craft talk coordinators Lucian Childs and Lorena Powelll, and to our intrepid Blitz Team who plaster the town with posters announcing these events: Arlene Lidbergh-Jasper, Debbie LaFleiche, Lizbeth Meredith, Andromeda Romano-Lax, and Steve Shamburek.
Our next Reading & Craft Talk takes place at Great Harvest Bread on Wednesday, January 30, 7-8:30 pm, and will feature local author Bill Streever, who will talk about Story Telling and Science: Writing about All Things Cold and All Things Hot. Bill’s review of Dangerous Work was recently published in the New York Times – a must read for anyone intrigued by the thought of Arthur Conan Doyle’s adventures on a Scottish whaler.
We are putting the finishing touches on our spring schedule, which will be announced here next week, December 14. Registration will open on January 1.
The 49 Writers Resolve to Write gathering for members and guests will be held on Friday, January 11, in Anchorage. Invitation to follow. We will be working with members in other communities to set up similar events -stay posted for details. If you would like to host a Resolve to Write, feel free to get in touch and we can connect you with writers in your area.
Huge congratulations are in order for two our our featured writers this year, Eowyn Ivey and Joan Kane. This week Eowyn was named Best International Author by the UK National Book Awards (dubbed “the Oscars of the publishing industry”) for her novel, The Snow Child. Meanwhile, Joan, who according to NACF board member Joy Harjo writes poems “as meticulous as snowflakes,” secured a Native Arts & Cultures Foundation Artist Fellowship.
If you have news to share of publishing success, a book
signing, or any other literary activity in your community, feel free to email
us at 49writers@gmail.com and we’ll help to spread the word.
The Fairbanks Arts Association presents F3: the Fairbanks Film Festival. Click here for full prospectus and entry form. Entries due midnight, December 15. Please deliver to the Fairbanks Arts Association office.
The Fairbanks Arts Association also welcomes nominations for the 2013 Interior Alaska Mayor’s Awards for the Arts, through January 21, 2013, 6pm. The nomination form can be accessed at http://fairbanksartsassociation.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/nomination-form-2013_fillable.pdf.