Many thanks to all who turned out for the David Vann reading at Metro Books last night. Now it’s on to Tutka Bay for our first 49 Writers Retreat! But as we all know, there’s no rest for the…well, let’s just say we’re keeping busy here at 49 Writers. Besides the awesome announcement this week of our new shared use home at 645 W. 3rd Avenue, we’ve got a great line-up of courses for fall, and the registrations keep rolling in.
Speaking of courses, we’re adding one more to our line-up. 49 Writers friend and writer extraordinaire Cindy Dyson (And She Was) will be teaching a three-hour clinic called “Writer v. Grinch” on Wednesday, Dec. 22 at 6:30 p.m. In the spirit of the Grinch, this nasty little workshop is about discovering where your writing is two sizes too small and biggerizing it. She’ll focus on the nitty gritty, micro stuff — words and phrases and sentences. Bring one to five pages of your W.I.P. Dyson says she has two superpowers. The first is figuring out where your writing is constricted. The second is toasting wet panties a perfect golden brown over a campfire, but this one may not apply to this workshop. “We’ll see,” Dyson says. “I just want to flog everyone toward Whoville, where all the happy authors join hands and sing about their six-figure advances.” Though it’s rather un-Grinchy, Dyson is donating all course proceeds back to 49 Writers, so your registration all goes to continuing good programs for writers.
Also upcoming – and a nice way to support what we do – a 49 Writers yard sale at 415 L St. on Saturday, Oct. 2, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. We’ll be liquidating lots of almost-new guesthouse stuff, and 49 Writers friend Jana Latham of Arctic Rose Gallery is donating half the proceeds from the sale of some lovely boutique clothing. Likewise, we’re happy to accept your donations of high-quality, nearly-new items that you’re willing to part with, no strings attached. These can be dropped off at 415 L St. on Friday, Oct. 1 from 4 – 6 p.m.
Today! First Friday book signing at Raven Place, 415 L St, Anchorage, will feature Barbara Hunt and Alaska’s Heavy Light
Later tonight, Friday September 3rd, 8-10pm, MTS Gallery presents a screening of Sandra Kleven’s short film ‘To the Moon,’ a tribute to Theodore Roethke mentioned in a recent round-up post about Sandra’s trip Outside. MTS Gallery is at 3142 Mountain View Drive, Anchorage.
The UAA Bartlett Lecture series is proud to be bringing Terry Tempest Williams to Anchorage! She will be speaking at the Wendy Williamson Auditorium at 6pm, Monday September 13th. Admission is free.
F Magazine’s October submissions deadline is approaching: September 10th. The theme – open, as always, to interpretation – is ‘Learning a Craft.’ Solicited are poems (one page at most, please), short fiction, creative nonfiction and essays (500-800 words max). Attach submissions as word document (please no .docx) and always include name and contact information. November’s theme will be ‘Altered States;’ December’s, ‘Villains, Scoundrels and Low Down Dirty Bastards.’ Submit prose to Teeka Ballas and poetry to Bruce Farnsworth.
Some new and notable books coming soon from Alaska authors: Jo Ann Mapson’s new novel, Solomon’s Oak
Eva Saulitis’ new book on the orcas she has studied since 1987 will be coming out from Beacon Press in Boston, in the Fall of 2012.
Other stuff: Various selections from Derick Burleson’s book-in-progress, Melt, will be forthcoming in Poetry International, Poetry Northwest, Cirque and The Smoking Poet. And it’s five months to publication day for Dana Stabenow’s 18th Kate Shugak mystery, Though Not Dead, on February 1st 2011. Plus husband and wife Steve Kahn and Anne Coray have both had books published! They will be doing joint book signings in-state in October-November and Outside next April. Steve’s book (nonfiction) is The Hard Way Home: Alaska Stories of Adventure, Friendship and the Hunt
Check out this interesting snippet in the continuing dialectic between traditional and electronic publishing media, where New York Times bestselling author Seth Godin explains why he will not be publishing any more books by the traditional route. Perhaps it’s easy to say that when you already have twelve under your belt?…