Save the date: Monday, July 20. That’s when we’re planning another 49 Writers no-host gathering, this time in Anchorage to coincide with the UAA Summer Reading Series. Our plan is to meet after the readings, around 9:45 or 10 p.m., at the bar/lounge at the Embassy Suites Hotel, 600 East Benson, next to Allyn and Peterson. It’s a short hop from UAA, so we encourage you to attend the readings and visit with authors afterwards (buy books!) before making your way to visit with us. Yes, it’s late, but it’s still summer, and we’ll keep the festivities short and low-key, breaking up around 11 p.m. unless people want to linger. We won’t prod you into talking about your latest projects or scoop your most embarrassing moments – this is strictly an offline face-to-face for writers who might not otherwise get to meet. All writers, published or not, are welcome. An RSVP would be nice (debv@gci.net) so we can arrange some casual seating, but if you can show up at the last minute, that’s fine too. If you need directions or have questions that evening, I’ll have my cell (907-388-9303).
Make a night of it and attend the readings too, featuring three teachers in the UAA MFA program: Judith Barrington, David Stevenson and Sherry Simpson. Barrington is a memoirist, poet and teacher who was born in the U.K. and lives in Portland, OR. Her work has been published in many literary journals, and she gives memoir workshops in Europe and America. She is most well known for her nonfiction book, Writing the Memoir. Her most recent book of poems is Horses and the Human Soul. Stevenson writes often about the mountaineering experience both in fiction and nonfiction prose. He is widely published in journals such as Ascent, Alpinist, Isotope and Weber Studies as well as in The American Alpine Journal where he has been book review editor since 1996. Simpson is the author of two collections of essays, The Way Winter Comes and The Accidental Explorer: Wayfinding in Alaska, that explore how people use nature, wilderness, animals and cultural icons to define themselves and understand their world. Her nonfiction has appeared in anthologies and journals across the country. She is currently writing a book about people and bears.
And of course, there’s a twelve-day stretch of opportunities to hear from writers during the series. Check our calendar in the sidebar for details.
Can’t make it to Anchorage? There’s plenty going on in Fairbanks, too, during the two-week Creative Writing strand at the Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival beginning July 20. Classes run all day, Monday through Friday. Participants may do all or part; some also take music and visual art classes. Last year participants ranged in age from 18-84 and in experience from complete beginners to folks who had published books. The faculty includes:
Jeanne E. Clark~ poetry, essays
David Crouse~ fiction
Margo Klass~book arts, collaboration
Peggy Shumaker~poetry and nonfiction
Frank Soos~fiction, brief prose, nonfiction
Nicole Stellon O’Donnell~guest writer
Melina Draper~guest writer
On Thursday, July 23, 5:30-7:00 at the UAF Museum Education Center, there will be a Creative Writing Faculty Reading, free and open to the public, followed by a book signing in the UA Museum lobby.
If you have questions about either the classes or the reading, contact Peggy Schumaker at peggyzoe@gmail.com or 907 350-9894.