Linda: 49 Writers Weekly Roundup

At summer’s height, like most Alaskans the staff and board at 49 Writers are making the most of the season, whether traveling out of state, enjoying its great outdoors, or catching up with friends and family. The pie chart below (which popped up on Facebook this week) illustrates clearly why emails have dried up to a trickle, the phone is quiet, and literary events are far from our minds…summer is short!

That’s not to say, however, that we’re not busy behind the scenes with a variety of projects, including planning our fall season of classes and author events in Anchorage and beyond. We’ll be announcing those details before the end of this month.

Other projects we’re working on–besides the necessary recordkeeping, reporting, and grantwriting–are the Anchorage Remembers anthology, Alaska Book Week, and our fall membership drive. Four editors are helping the authors of 36 stories prepare their work for publication in the print version of the Anchorage Remembers memoir collection (made possible by a Community Centennial Grant from the Alaska Humanities Forum). Soon, we will start posting these and other stories submitted to the Anchorage Remembers blog.

Remember that you can follow us on Facebook, where we post a wide variety of items throughout the week that we think will be of interest to writers. For example, AWP has just announced the accepted events for next year’s conference in Minneapolis. And they have just released the 2015 attendee guide.

We hear from Mary Wasche that her new book, Escape to Alaska, is now available at www.WhiskeyCreekPress.com, Amazon Kindle, or Barnes and Noble. Congratulations!

If you have news to share, do email us at 49writers (at) gmail (dot) com.

Nominations for the 2015 Governor’s Awards for the Arts and Humanities open today! Learn more at the Alaska State Council on the Arts website. The categories for the 2015 Governor’s Awards for the Arts are: Arts Education, Native Arts, Arts Organization and Individual Artist. In addition, the Alaska State Council on the Arts’ Literary Advisory Committee will accept nominations for the State Writer Laureate, who will be appointed by the Governor to a two year term (2015-2016).

In two weeks, Cirque contributors will gather in Bothell WA for a reading and fundraiser. It will take place at Tandem Wine and Dinner Bar in Bothell, 7 pm. Details coming. See Cirque at www.cirquejournal.com and follow on Facebook.

August 22-24, Center for Alaska Coastal Studies‘ Peterson Bay Field Station (across Kachemak Bay from Homer): Line by Line in Kachemak Bay: a writer and artist retreat led by Marilyn Sigman and Marilyn Kirkham. Registration $225, including water taxi transportation, food, two nights lodging, and a journal. For more information and to sign up, contact info@akcoastalstudies.org or 907-235-6667.

Opportunities for Alaskan Writers

Did you know that if you’re an Alaskan writer you can get listed for free in the Alaska Writers Directory? It’s easy to do, just click here to complete the online form. If you’re already listed, do check your information to make sure it’s current–updates can be submitted using the same form. As Alaska Book Week approaches (Oct. 4-11, 2014), it’s a great way for schools, book clubs, and other groups to connect with writers to invite to their Alaska Book Week celebration.

Need an author photo for your upcoming book? Affinityfilms, Inc., an Anchorage non-profit, will create your photo in exchange for a donation to the organization. Visit their website to contact them and make a donation online. Big thanks to Mary Katzke for this generous offer.

Anchorage Public Library is looking for fall writing group leaders, one for a teen group and one for an adult group. This is a great way to share your love of writing. For more information, contact Jim Curran at curranjm@ci.anchorage.ak.us or 343-2938.

Rasmuson Foundation is now accepting its next round of applications from all previous Rasmuson Individual Artist Award Recipients for its Artist Residency Program. Online applications for 2015 residencies will be accepted now through August 15, 2014. Questions about the program can be directed to Program Coordinator Jeremy Pataky at jeremy.pataky (at) gmail.com or 907-244-7717.

The Alaska Literary Awards, established in 2014 by the Alaska Arts and Culture Foundation through a generous gift from Peggy Shumaker and Joe Usibelli, are accepting applications. The Alaska Literary Awards recognize and support writers of poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, playwriting, screenwriting, and mixed genres. Any Alaska writer over the age of 18 who is not a full-time student is eligible to apply. Quality of the work submitted is the primary consideration in determining who receives the awards. There are no restrictions on the writer’s use of the award and no formal report is required. Application deadline is Tuesday, September 2, 2014, 9:59pm (AKDT).