Our thanks to the good folks at Out North Arts House for inviting us to be part of their Sept. 8 “Revealing Party.” Our own Sandy Kleven generated lots of laughs with her on-stage performance “A Writer’s Life.” Check out the event video. We’re excited to be part of the Arts House effort by trying out a 49 Writers Café in the Emerging Artists Gallery. Our café crew will meet Sept. 20 at 7 pm at Out North. Email 49writers@gmail.com if you’re interested in helping.
Did you catch accomplished writer, chef, and 49 Writers Board member Kirsten Dixon on the Today Show this morning (Sept. 16)?
Kirsten co-owns the Within the Wild Adventure Company with her husband and two daughters; it’s through their generosity that we’re able to run our Tutka Bay Writers Retreat.
Retreat-goers noted that Jeanne Worachek’s poem about her stay at Land’s End Resort is now framed and hanging at the resort. Check it out next time you’re in Homer.
Nice work, young writers! We received over 100 entries for our WYAK Zombies Invade Alaska contest. Our judges are hard at work selecting three finalists in each of two age categories. Stay tuned for online voting!
Non-fiction writers take note: instructor Leslie Hsu Oh recommends registering for her course “Truth or Dare” by September 24 in order to have plenty of time to read the pre-class assignments. And of course you know we’re registering now for our entire fall line-up of 49 Writers courses http://www.49writingcenter.org/Instruction/fall2011.php. Classes begin Oct. 4 in Anchorage and Fairbanks.
Almost two hundred students have attended 49 Writers classes during the last year. It’s time to gather, hear their voices, and recognize their accomplishments. The first 49 Writers Student Celebration on September 30 will feature twenty-five students reading a short selection from their writing.
All are invited to hear to the students’ diverse styles, reunite with fellow students, meet other writers, and appreciate what we have achieved as a community. We’ll gather at the 49 Writers’ Café at Out North Contemporary Art House at 3800 DeBarr Road in Anchorage from 7 PM to 9 PM on Friday, September 30.
Anyone who has attended a 49 Alaska Writing Center class, workshop or retreat is invited to read a three to four minute selection. If you are interested, send a note to 49WritersStudentCelebration@gmail.com. If more than twenty-five people respond, there will be space for more to read at future student celebrations.
This month we’re also recruiting instructors for our WYAK Write Young Alaska effort. If you’re a writer who’d like to help kids get excited about writing, we want to hear from you by Oct. 1 . We’re working to secure funding so that we can offer payment to workshop instructors.
We’re enjoying a tremendous response to Alaska Book Week Oct. 8-15, which begins in just over three weeks. Tell us how you plan to celebrate and order for free posters and bookmarks, while supplies last.
The old saying about many hands making the work lighter is certainly true here at 49 Writers. Our thanks to Ramona Pearce of Homer who answered the call for help with our bookkeeping. We could also use volunteers for our “blitz team” – four or five times a year, each member hangs flyers at four or five spots in Anchorage. Another need is for cleaning at our 3rd Avenue location – two hours a month during October, November, February, March, and April. And finally, Lorena Knapp will be moving to a new volunteer role, leaving an opening for someone to maintain our Events and Deadlines pages here at the blog.
On Saturday September 17, 2pm, local authors Debbie Miller and Frank Keim will be signing books at Gulliver’s Books, Fairbanks.
State Writer Laureate Peggy Shumaker is on the road–and on the radio–again: listen out for her on Monday September 19, 2.30pm in an interview with Dave Kiffer on KRBD ratio.
On Tuesday September 20, 10.30-11.50am, Peggy Shumaker will be guest lecturer for Teague Whalen’s UAS class, with a topic of “Narrative, Facing Adversity in Pursuit of Happiness.
Later that same day, at 5pm, Peggy will be present for the Community Writers group, Cape Fox Lounge fireplace, 800 Venetia Way, Ketchikan. Call 907 225 8001 for more information.
On Wednesday September 21, 4pm, Alexis Hills will be at Fireside Books, 720 S Alaska St, Palmer, to present on WiFi and the Bad Boys of Radio.
Also on Wednesday September 21, 7pm, it’s time for Poetry Parley again, at Out North Gallery, 3500 Debarr. The featured poets are William Carlos Williams and local poet DC McKenzie. Readers are still needed, so if you want to read one or two Williams poems, please contact Jonathan Minton asap.
On Thursday September 22, 5pm, Carmen Nelson presents The Food Allergy Cookbook at the UAA Campus Bookstore, 3211 Providence Drive. For more information, contact Rachel Epstein at 907 786 4782 or see their website.
Thursday September 22 is also when Anchorage essayist and author Bill Sherwonit’s 12-week nature and travel writing class begins. It will take place in the Sierra Club office downtown. Participants in this workshop-style class will explore and refine their own writing styles, with an emphasis on the personal essay form. The class will also read and discuss works by some of America’s finest nature and travel writers, past and present. The cost is $240. To sign up for this Thursday night class (7 to 9:30 p.m.), or for more information, contact Sherwonit at 245-0283 or akgriz@hotmail.com. Further information about the teacher is also available at www.billsherwonit.alaskawriters.com.
On Friday September 23, listen out for Peggy Shumaker on KTOO radio with Jeff Brown.
Later that same day, at 7pm, Peggy will present for the Fall Evening at Egan Lecture Series; Egan Lecture Hall, UAS: free and open to everyone.
On Friday September 24, 9am-noon, Peggy Shumaker will present for the Gathering Information Series: Writing workshop at the Downtown Juneau Public Library, 292 Marine Way, Juneau. Call 907 586 5249 for more information.
Congratulations to 49 Writers member and supporter Cherie Stihler, whose book Wiggle, Waggle – Woof has been awarded the 2011 Forget-me-not Book Award by the Alaska State Literacy Association.
Congratulations to L. K. Mitchell, aka Vivian Faith Prescott, whose middle-grade fantasy novel, Keeper of Directions, will be coming out in e-Book format from Euterpe, a middle-grade/YA imprint of Musa. Look out for it mid-September 2011. For more information, check out http://www.lkmitchell.com and http://pocketfulofcharms.blogspot.com.