Not much news from around the state this week, but we’ve got plenty right here at 49 Writers. First, note that our next online book club discussion, featuring David Vann’s Legend of a Suicide
Here at the blog, we’ve got scads of great guest posts lined up, and we’re always eager for more. If you’ve submitted – don’t fear, we’ve got yours queued up to post. In the next several weeks, look for guest posts by Shannon Polson, Rich Chiappone, Sandra Kleven, and John Morgan, as well as a slew of great 4.9 Things posts about what our readers have learned from writing. Look, too, for interviews with Dan Henry and Buckwheat on the North Words Writers Symposium and with Judy Ferri on the Alaska State Literacy Association. In short, keep reading!
As you know, Andromeda and I have been hard at work, at a pace that eclipses most part-time employment, devising strategies to engage Alaska’s writers and readers in dialogue about a statewide writing center, all while building and maintaining core writing center-type activities: workshops, consulting, program planning, and this blog. Look for a newsletter and survey in the months to come, as well as a shift in our organizational status to a 501c3 non-profit. In a few weeks we’ll also travel across Kachemak Bay to explore options for a writers’ retreat. If you have thoughts about what you’d like in a retreat, or on any other possible writing center functions, leave a comment at the end of this post, or email me at debv@gci.net.
Congratulations to Alaska writer Sandra Kleven, who has with thanks to David Tarr added a recording of Holy Land to the book’s website. Years in coming, the recording is a dramatic monologue spoken by actor Michael Bricker, from the Y-K Delta region. Find it by clicking on the Holy Land book cover (scroll down) on the 49Writers page.
The Ultima Thule, Adventures in America’s Northernmost Lands, a website and anthology dedicated to education about and preservation of Alaska’s public lands in the Arctic, reminds us of their ongoing call for submissions. The Ultima Thule will also showcase selected photography and multi-media, as well as representation of artwork in other media. All artists submitting work which is accepted will be featured on the Artists’ Bio page. Previously published work is welcome. They are developing plans to publish selected submissions as a print anthology within the next two years. Send your submission (short submissions welcome, or essays up to 5,000 words, or ten photographs or other media images) along with a short bio and picture, to Shannon Polson at ps@polsons.com.