This week we launched our annual membership drive, with the goal of bringing many new supporters into the 49 Writers community. If you follow this blog and enjoy reading the wide variety of posts by regular and guest bloggers, please consider making a financial commitment to the organization. Because we are a community-based nonprofit, your contributions play a vital role in providing creative writing workshops, maintaining the 49 Writers blog, and bringing author events to your area–not to mention building a community of writers across the state. Plans are already underway to introduce more programming to Juneau and Southeast Alaska, and this coming weekend I’ll be in Fairbanks talking to writers and partners there about their interests and needs. We’re a small nonprofit with a clear vision (a vibrant community of Alaskan writers coming together to inspire, create, and share) but we need your support to keep going and growing!
At the beginning of October, we introduced a new membership model that offers you more options and benefits, including monthly contributions by secure automatic payment–now you can pay a little at a time rather than one amount annually and still receive benefits equivalent to your total annual contribution. Basic membership is just $49! Co-founder Andromeda Romano-Lax has donated Title Wave gift certificates to the cause. The names of any new members who sign up by November 15 will be entered into a drawing, and five lucky people will each win $20 to spend at the bookstore. Why wait, when you can join now!
Have you ever thought about teaching for 49 Writers but not acted on that idea? We are accepting proposals for our spring 2014 classes and workshops (deadline Friday, Nov. 15). You can find more information and instructor guidelines on our website.
Upcoming 49 Writers events include:
Saturday, Nov. 9, 7pm, Great Harvest Bread Company: “How to Write a War Story,” Reading & Craft Talk by visiting author David Abrams (Fobbit).
David Abrams is also participating in author events in Homer and Fairbanks:
Thursday, Nov. 7, 6:30pm, Reading and Craft talk at Kachemak Bay Campus in Homer as part of its annual Visiting Writers’ Series.
Friday, Nov. 8, 7pm, Murie Auditorium, UAF Campus: David gives a talk as part of the Midnight Sun Visiting Writers Series–thanks to UAF for bringing David to Alaska!
Tomorrow, Saturday, Nov. 2, 7-10pm, join Rancorous Dead Writers at the Blue Loon in Fairbanks. The Dead Writers Reading and Raffle is is the annual fundraiser of the UAF English Department, with proceeding going directly to the Midnight Sun Visiting Writer’s Series. Tickets $12 in advance, $15 at the door. Contact Eric Parker at emparker2@alaska.edu for more information. Look for a 49 Writers report next week!
Communicators monthly luncheon presents filmmaker, Mary Katzke. In 2010 Mary Katzke
and her 10 year old son, Corin, sold everything and began the adventure of a
lifetime. 28 countries and a world education later, Katzke and her son
share their adventures in the documentary “World School.” Come hear about
their travels and how the trip came together.
to announce several related programs as part of this year’s One Campus, One
Book event, featuring author Kij Johnson (At
the Mouth of the River of Bees), who will visit classes on the UAS Juneau
Campus during this time.
- Wednesday, Nov. 6, 8pm, Hendrickson Stage (UAS Campus, Hendrickson building
room 113): “Finding True North: Selected Readings from Kij Johnson’s At
the Mouth of the River of Bees” Presented
by the UAS Drama Club, S.C.R.I.P.T. (Students for the Creation, Reading,
Interpretation and Production of Theatre). $5 at the door (fundraiser for UAS
Drama Club), students free with ID. - Thursday, Nov. 7, location TBA: UAS Honors Program Reception for Kij Johnson.
- Friday, Nov. 8, 7pm, UAS Egan Library: “At the Mouth of the River of Bees: Human-animal communication after the
Change”–Reading and keynote by Kij Johnson, sponsored by OCOB and UAS
Evening at Egan lecture series. - Saturday, Nov. 9, 1-4pm, Douglas Public Library: Community Fiction Writing Workshop with Kij
Johnson, sponsored by the Friends of the Juneau Public Libraries
Nov. 8, 10:30am-2pm, UAA Student Center
Den: The Anchorage Neighborhood
Writing Project welcomes you to its first free writing workshop on urban
writing. The class will be interactive, with discussions, exercises,
writing prompts, and suggestions to encourage participants to draw inspiration from
their everyday lives and write about living in Anchorage. Join us at 9am for a breakfast panel about
Mountain View, including a literary reading by Mary Kudenov. Bring paper,
something to write with, a bag lunch, and stories to share. Parking free
on Fridays. For questions or more information, contact Bree Kessler at bckessler@uaa.alaska.edu. The
workshop is free and open to anyone in the community with a story to tell. The reading, panel discussion, and writing workshop are all part
of ENGAGE
Week: Urban in Alaska sponsored by the UAA Center for Community
Engagement and Learning (CCEL).
Saturday, Nov. 9, 7pm, the UAF MFA Creative Writing Faculty will give a reading at Bear Gallery in Pioneer Park, Fairbanks. Admission free! For more information, please contact Jill at Fairbanks Arts Association (456-6485, ext. 222 ). Gerri Brightwell is a British writer who lives in Fairbanks and teaches at UAF. She has two published novels: Cold Country and The Dark Lantern. Derrick Burleson is the author of four poetry collections and teaches in the MFA program in Creative Writing at UAF. Daryl Farmer is the author of Bicycling Beyond the Divide and is currently an assistant professor at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks. Kyle Mellen is the 2013-14 Term Instructor in Creative Writing at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and is currently at work on a story collection and novel.
The Alaska State Council on the Arts (ASCA) and the Alaska Humanities Forum (AKHF) are pleased to announce that nominations are now open for the 2013 Governor’s Awards for the Arts and Humanities. The arts awards are offered in the following categories: Margaret Nick Cooke Award for Alaska Native Arts and Languages, Business Leadership, Arts Advocacy Award and Individual Artist. Eligibility is open to any individual, organization or institution that has made a significant contribution to the arts in Alaska. The deadline for nominations is Friday, Nov. 15. Nominations are now being accepted online. For additional information, please visit the ASCA web site.
The Alzheimer’s Resource of Alaska, as part of
Alzheimer’s Awareness Month, is proud to announce its second annual Writing
Contest. The theme is “Memorable Moments of Care” and all rules and guidelines
are available on their website. The grand prize is 40,000 Alaska
Airline miles! Deadline is Friday,
November 29, 5pm.
Cinthia Ritchie continues to garner recognition for her work: her memoir Hunger was chosen as a finalist in the 2013 William Faulkner-William Wisdom Creative Writing Competition in the Narrative Non-Fiction category. Congratulations, Cinthia–we look forward to reading more of your writing.
Belated kudos to Kellie Doherty, 49 Writers blog interviewer, for winning the Out-of-Towners category in the recent Sledgehammer 36-Hour Writing Contest. Read “A Chance Encounter,” her winning entry. You’ll find other Alaskans too among the Out-of-Towners entries.