Head down to Crosscurrents at the Anchorage Museum on Wednesday. Frank Soos, Eva Saulitis, Susanna Mishler, and David Stevenson will give us a glimpse behind the curtain to see the real person behind the author’s persona on the page.
Enjoy the lengthening daylight. There’s always time to write when you finally come in at night, or when you’re awakened by the early dawn.
Happy writing!
EVENTS IN ANCHORAGE
Crosscurrents: Alaska Writer Laureate Frank Soos and panelists Eva Saulitis, Susanna Mishler, and David Stevenson. A wide ranging discussion about how writers present themselves on the page in poetry and essay, as opposed to the people they may be in the rest of their lives. Wednesday, April 29, 7pm at the Anchorage Museum, 7th Street entrance.
May events from the UAA Bookstore. All UAA Campus Bookstore events are informal, free and open to the public. There is free parking for bookstore events in the South Lot, the West Campus Central Lot (behind Rasmuson Hall), the Sports Lot and the Sports NW Lot. For more information call Rachel at 786-4782 or email repstein2@uaa.alaska.edu.
- May 7, 4:30-6:00pm: Photographer Ben Huff presents his book The Last Road North
- May 8, 4:00-6:00pm: Author Stuart Archer Cohen presents his book This Is How It Really Sounds
- May 10, 4:00-6:00pm at UAA/APU Consortium Library room 307: Glenn Kurtz presents Three Minutes in Poland: Discovering a Lost World in a 1938 Family Film.
EVENTS AROUND ALASKA
ONLINE CLASSES
Lynn Lovegreen will lead an online workshop on writing YA/NA historical romance sponsored by Young Adults Chapter of Romance Writers of America (YARWA). Writing YA/NA Historical Romance. Online: May 4-22, 2015. $10 for YARWA members ($20 for non-members). Register here.
SOUTHCENTRAL, MAT-SU, KENAI PENINSULA
The 2015 Mat-Su Young Writers Conference, April 25, sponsored by Publication Consultants and the Mat-Su School District, is in need of author speakers to present on a number of writerly topics. To apply as an author speaker, contact Evan Swensen at evan@Publication Consultants.com.
Meet Linda Dunegan. Friday, May 1 at 4pm at Fireside Books in Palmer. If you’ve been reading the news this past year, you’ve probably seen allegations of corruption and abuse in the Alaska National Guard. Linda Dunegan’s book The Price of Whistleblowing is her own story of working in that institution. It’s an unflinching narrative about standing up in a hostile environment, and it’s a stark commentary on the impact of corruption on national security — and on individual lives.
An All-Day Independent Bookstore Day Party at Fireside Books in Palmer! May 2nd.
They’re celebrating with some some really special bookstore “swag” — collectibles that will only be available at participating independents on May 2nd. They’ll have broadsheet posters created by Stephen King just for the occasion, literary tea cloths and onesies, socks from Christopher Moore. They even have a stencil from Margaret Atwood. And a full day of events. Click on the links to find out more:
- 10:00 AM Book Art with Anne Prevost
- 11:00 AM Story-time with Deb Bohm
- 12:00 Noon One-minute Portraits with Julie Meer
- 1:00 PM Panel Discussion:“Relationship Advice from Writerswith Deb Vanasse, Timothy Bateson, Kris Farmen, and Jackie Ivie
- 2:00 PM Bluegrass music with Anna Lynch
- 3:00 PM For Writers: A panel discussion on publishing with Eowyn Ivey, Deb Vanasse, and Vared Mares.
- 4:00 PM Booksigning with Heather Lende.
Kachemak Bay Writers’ Conference, June 12-16. 2015’s keynote speaker is Andre Dubus III, and there are a host of amazing writers on the faculty this year (as there are every year). This year’s post-conference workshop at Tutka Bay Lodge, Finding the Geography of Our Work, will be led by 2014 Kingsley Tufts Award winner Afaa Weaver, June 16-18,
SOUTHEAST
Literary Happy Hour: a new monthly event in Juneau. Sunday, April 26, 4:30-6pm, Coho’s, 51 Egan Drive. Free – No Host Bar. Readings by Libby Bakalar (author of the Juneau-based blog One Hot Mess) and Geoff Kirsch (Juneau Empire columnist and humorist). These two writers (who happened to be married) are truly funny! Check out their work by clicking on their names. See you at Coho’s!
Perseverance Theatre and the Juneau Public Library, and 49 Writers invite you to meet Madeline George, author of Seven Homeless Mammoths Wander New England. May 1, 12pm at the Juneau Public Library Downtown. Bring a bag lunch and chat with Madeline about the play, writing, and her life as a writer. Madeline is the author of two young adult novels as well as several plays. She is a resident playwright at New Dramatists. The event is free and open to the public. Seven Homeless Mammoths Wander New England opens May 1 at Perseverance Theatre and runs through May 24. Tickets are available at Hearthside Books and the JACC and by calling 463-TIXS. Visit ptalaska.org for information about pay-as-you-can and preview performances.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR WRITERS
PUBLICATION
Local writer Andrea Hackbarth is volunteering as a poetry reader for the lit journal noble gas quarterly. She reports that she’s “been asked to forward our call for submissions to any and all writer folk. Because I’m reading for poetry, this particular call is poetry focused, but they publish fiction, non-fiction, art, and other things as well. Check out the journal and submission guidelines and send some work in.” “noble gas quarterly’s poetry section seeks poetry submissions of all styles and dispositions. we seek to create a safe space for experimentation with all the substance of a precious metal and the formal stability of a noble gas. please send 3-5 pieces via submittable with a brief bio and some word on your poetics. we look forward to hearing from you!”
CONTESTS & GRANTS
Poets & Writers lists a ton of writing contests and grants on their searchable website. The May/June issue includes an analysis of contest trends for the last decade.
CONFERENCES, RETREATS & RESIDENCIES
Registration is open for the Tutka Bay Writers Retreat featuring two outstanding guest instructors, Ann Eriksson and Gary Geddes! September 11-13 at the fabulous Tutka Bay Lodge.
National Arts Strategies: Call for Creative Community Fellows. Application deadline for the second cohort: April 26. Around the world there are artists, activists, community organizers, administrators and entrepreneurs working as change-makers in their communities – using arts and culture as vehicles to drive physical and social transformations. During the nine-month fellowship, fellows are given tools, training and access to a community of support in order to fuel their visions for community change, spark new ideas and help propel them into action.
The Wrangell Mountains Center residency program aims to support artists of all genres, writers, and inquiring minds in the creation of their work. Their organization and community will provide unrestricted work time and space to focused individuals. They invite applicants with creative and inquisitive minds who will both add to and benefit from the interdisciplinary efforts at their campus in McCarthy, Alaska and the surrounding Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve.
North Words Writers Symposium, May 27-30, Skagway. Keynote speaker is Mary Roach, plus a bevvy of Alaska’s best authors.
Kachemak Bay Writers’ Conference, Homer, AK, June 12-16, 2015: keynote speaker is Andre Dubus III, and there are a host of amazing writers on the faculty this year (as there are every year).
Last Frontier Theatre Conference, June 14-20, in Valdez, features new work by playwrights from around the country. There are evening performances, 10-minute play slams, even a fringe festival. The deadline is past for play submissions, but they may still need actors.
Wrangell Mountains Writing Workshop presents RiverSong with Frank Soos, Michelle McAfee, Robin Child, and Nancy Cook, July 22-27, McCarthy to Chitina. The Wrangell Mountains Writing Workshop is pleased to partner with McCarthy River Tours & Outfitters to host a six-day, five-night adventure in the fabulous Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. This year’s workshop will feature poet and essayist, Frank Soos, who is currently serving as Alaska’s Writer Laureate, joined by accomplished singer-songwriter Michelle McAfee, backcountry banjo-diva Robin Child, and workshop director Nancy Cook. Together they will explore the ways wilderness can help inspire songs, stories, poems, and essays. Activities include an opening reading/performance and craft sessions in the comfort of the Wrangell Mountains Center’s facility in McCarthy, followed by three nights and four days of creative inquiry along the Kennicott, Nizina, Chitina, and Copper Rivers. Space is limited to eight student writers/ songwriters.
Alaska Writers Guild & SCBWI Annual Writer’s Conference, September 19-20, Anchorage. Early registration starts May 2015. www.AlaskaWritersGuild.com