49 Writers Weekly Round-up

Happy St. Andrew’s Day to one and all!

Now that the holiday season is officially under way, here are a couple of 49 Writers event to get you in a celebratory mood:

On December 3, 7:00 pm,
at Great Harvest Bread Company, celebrated Alaskan chef Kirsten Dixon
will give a Reading & Craft Talk entitled “Stirring Words” –a
discussion of how she brings all things culinary to the table and to her
writing.

On Wednesday, December 5, 7-9 pm, at Indigo Tea Lounge, 221 East 5th
Avenue, Anchorage, we are inviting anyone who participated in one of
our 2012 writing classes or the Tutka Bay Writers Retreat to read from
their published, completed or work-in-progress inspired by what you
learned.


If you enjoy following the 49 Writers blog, why not participate in our Best of the Blog 2012 contest? Andromeda has selected the most-viewed and most-loved guest blog posts of the year and we are seeking nominations for a shortlist of favorites to be voted on in the next stage. Make sure your favorite is in with a chance by “seconding” today!


Looking for a seasonal gift for that special writer in your life? You could surprise them with a John Haines broadside featuring “Poem of the Forgotten” ($50). Or slip a 49 Writers tuition gift voucher into their stocking. (Details of our spring schedule to be announced soon.)

Did you know that the Anchorage Senior Center holds a regular Memoir Writing Group?  The group meets in the Art room on Tuesdays, 10 am to noon,
the Art room September through early May. No meeting will be held on
Tuesday, December 25 or January 1, 2013! Suggested topics are given
periodically but you can write about whatever you like, and share by
reading some of your work for up to 10 minutes during the group
meeting. The meetings are informal and usually start with everyone
sharing something positive that has occurred in their life recently.


The NEA has just announced its biennial Literature Fellowships Program, deadline February 28. For FY 2014, fellowships in prose (fiction and creative nonfiction) and poetry are available.

Lucian
Childs’ short story, “Approaching Zero,” was a finalist in Glimmer
Train’s April 2012 Family Matters competition. It has recently been published in the Canadian online literary journal, The Puritan.

G.E.M. Thomas is self-publishing his newest novel, Strong Roads: Blues and Greens and Blood.
This story uses the latest ePub 3.0 standard, which allows for
multimedia interaction with the reader. What does that mean? An example
of interactive multimedia is when a reader taps a characters’ name or
any word in Hawaiian, throughout the narrative, and hears it pronounced.
The book will be available January 11, 2013 on gemthomas.com,
where you can also donate to his Indiegogo campaign to raise money for
the associated technology and for advertising (November 9- December 17).

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.

Alaska Celebrates Cirque tomorrow, Saturday December 1, 7pm: a pay-as-you-can fundraiser for the seventh volume of Cirque, due out on Winter Solstice, December 21.
Organic Oasis on Spenard Rd hosts an evening of story, song, drums,
poetry, faces; and Organic Oasis’ own food available for purchase.

A very belated call for submissions for fiction pieces from Unboxed Books: deadline tomorrow, December 1. At stake, a $5000 prize, judged by Francine Prose. Full guidelines at www.unboxedbooks.com

Next Saturday, December 8, 7pm,
Fairbanks Arts Association’s Literary Reading Series will feature four
UAF literary faculty and staff sharing recently published work: Eric
Heyne, Sean Hill, James Engelhardt and Christopher Lee Miles. Bear
Gallery, Alaska Centennial Center for the Arts, 2300 Airport Way.

On Wednesday December 12, 5:30-7 pm
in the Bear Gallery of the Fairbanks Arts Association, Poems in Place,
in collaboration with the Fairbanks Arts Association, will host an
informational gathering and poetry reading by some of Fairbanks’ best
known poets. Poets reading that evening will include John Morgan, Renee
Singh, Derick Burleson, Rebecca Morse, Nicole Stellon O’Donnell and Carolyn Kremers. For more information, contact the Fairbanks Arts Association at 907-456-6485.

If you are interested in ePublishing, David Marusek is teaching an eBook Publishing Workshop at UAF during their WINTERmester. This non-credit class, CRN 39909, takes place on January 7, 9 & 11. 6:00 – 8:00pm. Registration fee $100. To register, go to www.uaf.edu/wintermester.

If
you’re dreaming of an Andalusian adventure in the land of olives and
Moorish architecture, join 49 Writers co-founder Andromeda Romano-Lax,
author of The Spanish Bow this April 12-20
for a creative writing workshop near Malaga, Spain. The week-long
course is run by Flavour of Spain, an organization created by English
couple Hilary and Mike Powell, whose old mill (“El Molino”) property
serves as home base for artistic and culinary workshops.  Running
parallel to Andromeda’s mixed-genre writing workshop is a painting
workshop offered by Harold Allanson. A typical day at the rural estate
includes a 3-hour small-group writing workshop, usually held out of
doors; gourmet meals served with wine; additional one-on-one mentoring;
and free time for siestas and optional excursions, including a trip to
the Alhambra. Brochure, prices and details at http://www.flavourofspain.net/2013.htm.