Six weeks ago we announced that current Executive Director Linda Ketchum will be leaving 49 Writers at the end of December, and that the Board of Directors was seeking the right person to take over leadership of our small but rapidly growing nonprofit. We focused on recruiting someone from our literary community who could hit the ground running and had the right combination of skills and experience to continue the successful pursuit of the 49 Writers mission–supporting the artistic development of writers throughout Alaska, fostering a writing community, and building an audience for literature. Who might this person be?
We were delighted by the level of interest from our membership and others, and it turned out to be a very competitive selection process. The search committee took great care to be thorough and thoughtful in arriving at its decision. Today we can reveal that the successful candidate is Morgan Grey, who is set to complete her MFA in Creative Writing at UAA this coming spring. Morgan is a founding member of 49 Writers and will be known to many of you through her participation in our writing classes and her work over the years as a volunteer in a variety of capacities, most recently as coordinator for the Tutka Bay Writers Retreat.
In addition to her demonstrated commitment to the organization and her passion for its work, Morgan brings to the job the expertise that 49 Writers needs as we move into our fifth anniversary year. Linda and Morgan will be working closely together during December to ensure a smooth transition, and Morgan will officially take over on January 1, 2015. Look for a full introduction to our next Executive Director soon. Meanwhile, do join us in congratulating Morgan for taking on this new role at 49 Writers with relish!
Thank you to everyone who submitted a course proposal for spring 2015. We are now reviewing all the options and starting to put a schedule of classes together. More news soon on our faculty for the next season and some of the topics we hope will further your learning and creative thinking. After the success of our first online course piloted this fall by Andromeda Romano-Lax (Your Novel Now), we are ready to expand the online menu!
It’s time to give a shout out to Juneau–this week our membership there hit the 50 mark. Way to go, Juneau writers, and latest new member Erin Hanson! Your enthusiasm and support for 49 Writers is greatly appreciated, and we want to acknowledge in particular those of you who have made additional donations this year. We look forward to bringing new authors and events to the Southeast literary community in 2015.
- TOMORROW, Saturday, Nov. 22, 9am-12pm, 645 W. 3rd Avenue, Anchorage: Composition by Juxtaposition, creative writing workshop with Caroline Goodwin (Trapline), Alaska-born Caroline moved from Sitka in 1999 to attend Stanford as a Wallace Stegner fellow in poetry. She is currently serving as the first Poet Laureate of San Mateo County, CA and teaching in the MFA Writing program at California College of the Arts in San Francisco.
- Monday, Dec. 1, 6-9pm, Juneau Arts & Humanities Council: Composition by Juxtaposition, creative writing workshop with Caroline Goodwin. For more information and to register classes, visit our website.
- Saturday, Dec. 6, 12-2pm, 645 W. 3rd Avenue, Anchorage: 49 Writers Lit Mag Sale! In recent years we have accumulated a library of literary journals through generous donations from members and other writers. Until we secure our own long-term space, we are going to share the wealth with our members rather than hide the journals away in a basement. A second sale will take place in Juneau at the Thursday, Feb. 5 meeting of the Juneau writers group. This is a great opportunity to get your hands on some of the journals that might be interested in publishing your work!
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| Mandy & Kirsten Dixon |
TOMORROW, Saturday, Nov. 22, 12pm, Barnes & Noble, Anchorage: 49 Writers board member Kristen Dixon and her daughter Mandy Dixon, take our taste buds on an Alaskan adventure in their newest cookbook, Tutka Bay Lodge Cookbook! With seafood as the star of the cuisine, you’re sure to find something to love. Come join us from noon to 3:00 pm.
Monday, Nov. 24, 5-7pm, UAA Campus Bookstore: Poet Carolyn Goodwin: Trapline. Caroline Goodwin was born and raised in Anchorage. She moved to California from Sitka in 1999 to attend Stanford University as a Wallace Stegner fellow in poetry. Her first collection of poetry, Trapline, was published by JackLeg Press in ,2013. Currently, she serves as the first Poet Laureate of San Mateo County, CA and also teaches in the MFA Writing program at California College of the Arts in San Francisco. Her first poem was published in the Anchorage Daily News in 1971.
Wednesday, Dec. 3, 5-7pm, UAA Campus Bookstore: UAA Undergraduate English Students: Readings and Writings. Faculty chosen undergraduate creative writing students in the English Department come together to present their course work. Everyone is welcome to attend and be enchanted.
All UAA Campus Bookstore events are informal, free and open to the public. There is free parking for bookstore events in the West Campus Central Lot (behind Rasmuson Hall), the Sports NW Lot.
Events around Alaska
TOMORROW, Saturday, Nov. 22, 11:30am, Fireside Books, Palmer: Bill Sherwonit will and sign his new book Animal Stories: Encounters with Alaska’s Wildlife. These essays of memorable, astonishing—and in some instances, life-changing—encounters with wild animals are a reminder that nature’s wondrous wild surrounds us wherever we are. “Whether writing about grizzlies, dancing cranes, or mad hares, Bill Sherwonit enchants and inspires, reminding us that wildness surrounds us.” —Tim Folger, series editor, The Best American Science and Nature Writing.
TOMORROW, Saturday, Nov. 22, 8pm, Pioneer Park Civic Center Theater, Fairbanks: Dark Winter Nights has three storytellers lined up for this week’s show! Bill Schnabel, Cloud Dancer (pen name) and Tomato (yes, a man named Tomato). Bill will talk about what happens when one-upping your neighbors goes a little too far. Cloud Dancer will talk about what it feels like to be dinner in a can. Tomato will tell a story about breaking up a fight between a couple of vicious rival gangs–of the wild kingdom sort. Not to be missed!
Cirque is offering two internships in Anchorage, running from December 1, 2015, through August 2015. A job description will be developed for each intern, based on their learning goals in publishing, editing, marketing, promotion, social media and event planning. Interested? Please send inquiries to the email below. The time involved would range upwards to 10 hours, weekly, but usually, just an hour or two. To apply for one of the positions, please send cover letter and resume to cirquejournal@gmail.com Cirque internships are unpaid, but past interns report increased knowledge and skill, and an expanding circle of literary contacts and friendships.
Wow! Thanks for the shout-out and welcome. Happy to come back into the fold.
Thanks to Linda for her service, and welcome/congrats to Morgan!