Thank you to everyone who participated in this year’s membership drive! You helped us to meet and exceed our goal of 100 new members in 2014–we’re at 106 and counting. We also appreciate the support of everyone who donated part of their Permanent Fund Dividend to 49 Writers this year through Pick.Click. Give., our first time participating in the program. We just received our list of donors and will be thanking you personally soon. To those of you who donated anonymously, please know that your contribution helps us to continue supporting writers around the state.
49 Writers is accepting course proposals for Spring 2015 in Anchorage and Juneau–deadline Nov. 15. If you are a published writer with teaching credentials and a passion for your craft, we want to hear from you!
 |
| Lee Goodman |
- Thursday, Nov. 13, 7pm, Great Harvest Bread Co., Anchorage: Reading & Craft Talk with Lee Goodman (Indefensible)
- 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!
If you’ve been curious about Kathleen Witkowska Tarr’s time in Poland earlier this year, you’ll want to read her contribution to Spilt Ink, where the venerable Sewanee Review publishes original writing online. Read “Jazz and Thomas Merton: Defiant Artistry” here. Congratulations to Kathleen for her inclusion in this vanguard of Spilt Ink writers.
We were pleased to learn that Dipika Guha, playwright and current Rasmuson Foundation Artist Residency Program fellow at the Island Institute in Sitka, was recently awarded the inaugural Shakespeare’s Sister Playwriting Fellowship. Dipika appeared with featured authors Ernestine Hayes and Sherry Simpson at our Crosscurrents Southeast event in Sitka in September. More info: http://aroomofherownfoundation.org/awards/shakespeares-sister/dipika-guha/.
Tomorrow, Saturday, Nov. 8, 1pm, Barnes & Noble, Anchorage: Author signing by Bill Sherwonit, author of Animal Stories: Encounters with Alaska’s Wildlife.
Friday, Nov. 14, 7pm, Jitters in Eagle River: The Living Room holds readings every 2nd Friday 7-9pm in Eagle River, by writers and book lovers. Sign up to read, or come listen. Visit their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/EagleRiverWritersRead.
Wednesday, Nov. 19, 7pm, Wilda Marston Theatre, Loussac Library: The Alaska Writers Guild monthly program features Raymond Lions, who will talk about “How to Submit to Writing Contests and Critiques.” Ray has been one of the judges who critiques and judges manuscripts for the Guild’s quarterly writing contests for several years. Learn what to expect and how to prepare your stories to be professionally critiqued and to enter contests that can win real money for your writing.
Wednesday, Nov. 19, 7pm, Hugi-Lewis Studio, 1008 W. Northern Lights; This month’s Poetry Parley features the work of Monica Devine of Eagle River, the award winning author of 5 children’s books. Her poetry, non-fiction work and photographs have appeared in Cirque, New Letters, Alaska Magazine, Children’s Television Network, StillPoint Arts Quarterly and three anthologies. Monica has selected Marie Howe as the Marquee poet. Start getting to know Marie at www.poetryfoundation.org. Readers still needed–guys?–email poetryparley@gmail.com if interested.
Tonight, Friday, Nov. 7, 7pm, UAF, Wood Center Ballroom: Reading by Midnight Sun Visiting Writer Adrianne Harun. Harun is the author of a story collection, The King of Limbo, a Sewanee Writers’ Series selection and a Washington State Book Award finalist, and a novel, A Man Came Out of a Door in the Mountain. Her stories have won awards from Story magazine and the Chicago Tribune and been listed as notable in both Best American Short Stories and Best American Mystery Stories. Most recently, Adrianne was awarded a 2015 fellowship from the Civitella Ranieri Foundation in Umbria, Italy. Adrianne teaches at the Rainier Writing Workshop, an MFA program at Pacific Lutheran University, and at the Sewanee School of Letters at Sewanee, the University of the South. She lives in Port Townsend, Washington.
Tonight, Friday, Nov. 7, 7pm, Kachemak Bay Campus, Home: “Moving to Fairbanks: The Writer and Place,” a craft talk and reading with John Morgan. Presentation to include photographs that resulted in the book-length poem, River of Light, recently published by University of Alaska Press.
Tomorrow, Saturday, Nov. 8, 7pm, Bear Gallery, Alaska Centennial Center for the Arts, Fairbanks: The Fairbanks Arts Association will host a reading by poets Susanna Mishler (Termination Dust) and Sean Hill (Dangerous Goods).
Seth Kantner (Ordinary Wolves, Shopping for Porcupine) and Beth Hill are gearing up for their author tour of Southeast Alaska to promote their new children’s book, Pup and Pokey, as author and illustrator. Here’s where you can find them:
Thursday, Nov. 13, 7pm, 360 North Writers Showcase – Juneau. This episode of 360 North’s Writers’ Showcase will feature several holiday-themed short stories and essays, including a guest performance by Seth Kantner, the award-winning author of “Ordinary Wolves.” Be part of the television studio audience @360 in the 360 North and KTOO building on Thursday, November 13th. Doors open at 6:30 and cameras roll at7 p.m. Admission is free, and seating will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. At the end of the one-hour recording meet the actors and the writers and Kantner will be signing books. Contact Scott Burton: 586.1670. http://www.360north.org/arts360/
Friday, Nov. 14, 6:30pm, Haines Public Library, Haines. Reception followed by 7pm Reading/Book Signing. Contact Jessie Morgan: 766.2545. http://www.haineslibrary.org/
Sunday, Nov. 16, 2-5pm, Hearthside Books, Juneau: Book Signing at the Hearthside Holiday Event. Contact Brenda Weaver: 789.2750. www.hearthsidebooks.com.
Monday, Nov. 17, 7pm, Juneau Arts & Humanities Council (JAHC). A reading will be held featuring Juneau poets who are connected with the community in various ways and will say a few words about their connection before reading two or three poems. Susi Gregg-Fowler will speak about 49 Writers. Other readers are Emily Wall, Richard Stokes, Bill Merk, and Sarah Isto. A family designee will read from Richard Dauenhauer’s work. The gallery will be open, there is no admission charge and refreshments will be available.
Registration is now open for the 2015 North Words Writers Symposium. Sign up now for 4 days of literary adventures!