readers who joined us at our inaugural reading and craft talk at Great Harvest
Bread Company on Tuesday, on what turned out the be the perfect spring evening.
Writer Mary Albanese read from her memoir, Midnight Sun, Arctic Moon, and entertained
and informed us with her story of writing the book about her adventures as as geologist in the 1970s Alaska. Mary later expressed appreciation for the opportunity to talk about her craft. Thanks also go to Barbara Hood, our gracious hostess, who not only
provided a beautiful venue but also plied us with delicious cookies. We are also
indebted to Lucian Childs and Lorena Knapp, the volunteers who organize our popular
reading and craft talk series.
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| Mary Albanese at Great Harvest Bread |
Call for proposals for the 49 Writers fall workshop
season! We are now accepting proposals for our workshops that begin in September
and run through November. While our course offerings are flexible, they
generally fall into one of three categories: Elements courses that are generally 6 to 8 hours
long; genre-based workshops that typically run 12 to 15 hours; and special topics
that are typically covered in a single session of 2 or 3 hours. In Anchorage, we’re likely
to schedule two in each category per term, leaving room to add an impromptu course
or two with visiting writers if opportunities arise. Click here for more information about how to submit a proposal. Deadline for fall proposals is June 1, 2012.
Write-a-thon! The online fundraising pages remain open, and donations are still coming in. We
have, in fact, raised an additional $740 since the event took place on April 13, and the
grand total currently stands at $7,673. The website will accept donations for three months after the event.
School in Anchorage, the 2012 Poetry Out Loud Alaska State Champion. From a
competitive field of more than 5,400 students across the state, Aryeh received the title
at the state finals held in the Juneau Arts & Culture Center in Juneau. The
first runner-up was Chaya Pike from Sitka High School in Sitka, Alaska. Aryeh’s
final recitation was The End of Science Fiction, a free form poem by Lisel
Mueller commenting on contemporary life. He says, “Poetry Out Loud is an
all-out incredible event. The chance to absolutely immerse myself in these
poems–to get inside them, and then try to communicate that connection to an
audience—is challenging, enlightening, and transformative. I love that there’s
this kind of opportunity out there for teens.”
semester’s Writers in the Schools program, and are happy to conclude that elementary
students, teachers, and visiting authors alike enjoyed a most positive experience.
Many students loved the engagement with real writers and writing their own stories,
and were sorry when the time came for our authors to leave. Teachers were happy to see
the enthusiasm their students showed for writing, and appreciated the new insights and
ideas. Our instructors reported that they loved the energy and interest of the
young writers, and would gladly do this again. Thank you to the principals and
teachers at Kasuun Elementary, Rogers Park Elementary, Sand Lake Elementary,
Susitna Elementary, and Turnagain Elementary, who welcomed us into their
schools.
instructors: Teeka Ballas, Kelsea Habecker, Carol Loftfield, Stefanie Tatalias, Deb Vanasse,
and Megan Applegate. Thanks must also go to the instructors who conducted four professional development workshops for Anchorage School District teachers: Hannah Moderow,
Marybeth Holleman, Cynthia Monroe, Stefanie Tatalias, and Kelsea Habecker.
O’Donnell, author of Steam Laundry.
April 28, former Homer News reporter and 49 Writers regular AndromedaRomano-Lax will give two free workshops and a lecture and reading in Homer.
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| Andromeda (at left) with Homer writers Nancy Lord, Teresa Sundmark, Eva Saulitis, Ela Harrison Gordon, Miranda Weiss |
At 5pm, at Bunnell St Arts Center, she
will talk about Art as Propaganda and her newest novel, The Detour, set in 1938 Italy. Earlier in the day, she will give
workshops at the Library, open to all writers of all levels. The 10am workshop will explore “Memory as
Muse,” including its unreliability, and will include discussions and short
exercises. The 11am workshop, “Reading
Like a Writer,” addresses the way a serious writer reads, including
note-taking, analysis, reverse-engineering, reading with specific craft issues
in mind, keeping logs. Visit Andromeda’s website for more about her latest
books.
Also tonight at 6:30 pm, Deb Vanasse will join writers in Nenana for an informal workshop/discussion on writing at the Nenana Community Library. A big thanks to the Alaska State Library for funding this visit as part of a “Sharing Our Stories” grant, and to Martha Tomeo and Amanda Austin of Tri-Valley for securing the funding and also hosting a workshop last night with Deb at the Tri-Valley Community Library.
April 28, 10am, a writers critique group will meet at Title Wave Books,
Northern Lights Mall, Anchorage. All genres and levels welcome. For more
information, contact Mary at (907) 569 5075.
April 28, 2pm, the Fairbanks Arts Association is sponsoring Poetry at the
Dredge. Chatanika Dredge, Mile 29 Steese Highway. This year’s theme, Interior
Poets, highlights and recognizes the work of some of the best-known poets of
the Interior, including Cindy Hardy, John Morgan, Amber Flora Thomas, and Peggy
Shumaker. Bring poetry, warm clothes, water, a sack lunch, a cushion or
blanket.
Call Anna at (907) 456 6485 ext. 226 for more information.
April 28, 2pm, Fireside Books in Palmer presents romance writer Jackie Ivie
at 2pm, and their own Eowyn Ivey, author of The Snow Child, at 4pm. 720 S. Alaska St, Palmer.
April 29, 1pm, Hearthside Books presents Sara Isto and The Fur Farms of Alaska. Nugget Mall, 8745 Glacier Hwy, Juneau.
April 29, 7pm, Janee Baugher will give a reading at Yaw Chapel, Sheldon
Jackson Campus, Sitka.
May 4, 7pm, the Alaska Quarterly Review’s First Friday series will be
hosted by Jitters Café (11401 Old Glenn Highway, Eagle River). Featured musical
guests will be vocalist Marian Call, accompanied by Seth Boyer. There will also
be readings from AQR’s award-winning 30th anniversary Spring/Summer 2012
edition.
Poetry Competition is coming up on May
1st (electronic deadline is May 15).
Competition is open to all Alaskan writers. Get the full details on their website.
Second Annual Robert Service Poetry Contest. Send a rollicking, rhyming poem
about Canada’s North, capturing the spirit of Robert Service. Poems must be 500
words or fewer, be original and unpublished, and must be received by July 1, 2012. Send a maximum of three
poems, together with contact information. Winning poems will be published in a
special issue of Up Here; winner gets $750, runner-up, $250. For more
information, visit uphere.ca or contact the editor, Aaron Spitzer at aaron@uphere.ca
overcorrection of grammatical errors http://www.cracked.com/blog/7-commonly-corrected-grammar-errors-that-arent-mistakes/.