This is your final reminder about the Early Bird deadline for Tutka Bay Writers Retreat – after Tuesday, May 15, rates will go up for members and non-members alike. Register now to take advantage of this opportunity to study and discuss the art of writing with our retreat leader, visiting author Pam Houston. Remember too that we are currently accepting proposals for our fall workshops – the deadline for that is June 1. For more information or to submit, just go to the 49 Writers website.
Today, Friday, May 11, is the deadline for our third and final WYAK contest – “Hunted.” It is also the deadline for online submissions for our print anthology of youth writing. There’s still time to submit – just go to the WYAK website and send us your entry!
For those of you who attended Steve Almond’s “Obsessive Writing” workshop last month – and for everyone who nurtures an obsession – check out Obsession, a new online literary magazine now accepting seriously written pieces of nonfiction, fiction, and poetry that express, implicitly or explicitly, your obsession. Click here to submit, or visit their website. Thanks for this tip from one of our workshop participants – the writing produced there was of high quality, and we would love to see examples of your work published.
Do you love plants and gardening? If so, we have an opportunity for you! 49 Writers and the Alaska Botanical Garden are collaborating to stage garden readings and perhaps offer a workshop or two at their annual Garden Fair on June 16 and 17. If you are interested in planning or assisting, please email us at 49writers@gmail.com. ABG also has volunteer writing opportunities, including help with their widely distributed newsletter, so do contact them at garden@alaskabg.org if you are interested.
On the subject of collaboration, we are delighted to announce that popular essayist, food writer, and memoirist Molly O’Neill has teamed up with top food writers to bring her latest Cook ‘n Scribble food writing retreat to Alaska. “Food, Nature & The Writer’s Wild Mind” will take place July 12-16 at Tutka Bay Lodge near Homer. This experience will offer a unique opportunity to delve into the sensory aspects of food writing, with instruction and timed exercises designed to keen the senses and to expand the writer’s awareness of the rhythms and realities of the natural world and its effect on voice and point-of-view in food narrative, personal essay, blog posts, and memoir. Joining Molly are other masters of the craft – Shauna James Ahern, Hank Shaw, and Sara Kate Gillingham-Ryan. Cook ‘n Scribble will dedicate some of the proceeds to 49 Writers, and we are also planning a community event with the visiting writers – updates to be posted once final details are in place.
Tomorrow, Saturday May 12, 10am, a Writers Critique group will meet at Title Wave Books, Northern Lights Mall, Anchorage. Open to any type of writing or genre; all levels welcome. For more information, call Mary at (907) 569 5075.
Also tomorrow, Saturday May 12, noon, the Alaska Center for the Book presents Reading Rendezvous.Sign up for the Anchorage Public Libraries Summer Reading Program. All activities free–music, craft activities, science exhibits, Fiddle Dee Dee, and Don Russell’s magic show. Loussac Library, 3600 Denali St, Anchorage.
On Sunday May 13, 1-4pm, the Community Writers Guild will meet at the Bear Gallery, Pioneer Park, Fairbanks.
On
Tuesday, May 15, 5.30pm, UAA faculty Tracey Burke will facilitate a conversation about “Hunger and the Working Poor.” UAA/APU Books of the Year partners with Loussac Library to co-host the “Conversation Salon Series,” a series of discussion around the theme of “The Working Poor.” The sessions are moderated by UAA faculty and are not presentations, but opportunities for attendees to discuss issues relevant to themselves and the community. Ann Stevens Room, Loussac Library, 3600 Denali St, Anchorage. For more information, contact Christina Gheen at (907) 786 6374,
booksoftheyear@uaa.alaska.edu
Midnight Tuesday May 15 is the submissions deadline for
F Magazine’s Second Annual Statewide Writing Competition. More details
on their website.
Midnight Tuesday May 15 is the deadline for nominations for the CLIA Award, for Contributions to Literacy in Alaska with Alaska Center for the Book. Nominees may be an individual or an organization that has made a significant contribution to the advancement of literacy, literary arts, or the preservation of the printed word in Alaska. Awards will be presented in November. Visit
http://coolwebak.hypermart.net/id24.html for more information.
On Wednesday May 16, 7pm, Poetry Parley will feature the poetry of Lawrence Ferlinghetti and local poet Brian Hutton. Out North, 3800 DeBarr Rd, Anchorage.
A little late in reporting this, but Radical Arts for Women announced the winners of the Nicole Blizzard Short Story Contest. Congratulations to the winners and honorable mentions!
Grand Prize went to Leslie Kimiko Ward with “Totem.”
Second place went to Heather Teel with “Kay Baby.”
Third Place was a tie between Teresa Sundmark with “People Like Us” and Wendy Withrow with “Ms. Connection.”
Honorable Mentions: Susan M. Stade with “Objects are Closer than they Appear,” Martha Amore with “Fairbanks in January,” Karen Rasmussen with “A World for Girls,” Dorothy Spees with “Ianthe,” Rosalie Loewen with “Sleeping Beauty,” Sheila Sine with “The Difference,” and Alix Layton with “The Rendezvous.”
This 49 writers blog is interesting and I like it so much! I found great inspiration in writing while reading this.