Enter Warren Adler's latest international short story competition by Jan. 16, 2009

Fraser & Haas at WYO Theater on Nov. 7

A concert by Celtic music duo Fraser & Haas will be held on Friday, Nov. 7, 7:30 p.m., at the WYO Theater in downtown Sheridan. The musical partnership between Alasdair Fraser, long regarded as Scotland’s premier fiddle ambassador, and talented young California cellist Natalie Haas, may not seem an obvious one. Fraser has a career spanning 30 years. Haas, a graduate of Juilliard, wasn’t even born when Alasdair was winning fiddle competitions on the other side of the Atlantic. But this seemingly unlikely pairing is the fulfillment of a long-standing musical dream of Fraser to return the cello to its historical role at the rhythmic heart of Scottish dance music. For ticket info, go to http://www.wyotheater.com. For info about the musicians, go to www.alasdairfraser.com and www.nataliehaas.com

November grand opening for Wyoming Center

"Raw Days" by Dexa! Dog (a.k.a. Bo Moore)

Bo Moore of Green River, winner of the 2007 Frank Nelson Doubleday memorial writing award, has a new book. Writing under the pen name Dexa! Dog, the title is “Raw Days/Candid Views on Manic Depression and the Human Condition.” The book is available on amazon.com using search words Dexa! Dog or Raw Days. Here’s the link to the book’s amazon.com page: http://www.amazon.com/Raw-Days-Candid-Depression-Condition/dp/1440405263/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1225464511&sr=1-1. You can also e-mail Bo at dexadog at ymail.com and she will sell you a copy. Bo says that she is working on two more books as Dexa! Dog.

Here’s how amazon.com describes the book:

Candid essays on manic depression from a bipolar writer. Her experiences have launched personal, cultural and social inquiry into how we understand ourselves in the interplay between physical reality and the mind.

Here’s what Colorado writer and 2007 Blanchan/Doubleday judge Laurie Wagner Buyer has to say about Raw Days:

Dexa Dog may be an alias, but the woman behind the mask in Raw Days delves deeply into the essence of identity and what it means to be alive in a troubled culture. While not even the best scientists or spiritual leaders know why the human mind works or does not work, Dexa Dog does a beautiful job of exploring the dark labyrinths and circuitous passages into how we define reality and how we fail at supporting brilliant minds that function outside the box of what most consider normalcy.

Whatever label one wishes to place on the condition called bipolar, manic depression or mood disorder, it is clear that people who live, work and create within this altered state of being are both blessed and cursed. Stretching our somewhat staid literary parameters by blending memoir, poetry and commentary on today’s culture, Raw Days is a must read for anyone who is intrigued with the ever-expanding universe called the human mind.

Interesting that Bo’s book arrives in the same month in which Congress approved mental health parity legislation that, according to Mental Health America, “will broadly outlaw health insurance discrimination against Americans with mental health and substance-use conditions in employer-sponsored health plans.” Good news for the estimated 67 percent of adults and 80 percent of children requiring mental health services who do not get it.

Next week, Nov. 5-6, is the Governor’s Roundtable on Children’s Mental Health at Little America in Cheyenne. Guest speakers include Governor Dave Freudenthal (of course), Dr. Brent Sherard, Rodger McDaniel and Beth Stroul, among many others. There will be music by recording artists Lindsay Rush and a session about the fantastic Wyoming Sage Photovoice Project that features visual diaries of teens and families with mental health issues. Perhaps you saw the recent exhibition at Metro Coffee in Casper. All conference events are free, but you have to register for luncheon and banquet. Get more info at Wyoming Uplift.

It always comes back to the arts, doesn’t it?

Boo! Wyoming Poetry Out Loud sign-up deadline is tomorrow!

Oct. 31 is the sign-up deadline for Poetry Out Loud.

This recitation competition is open to high school students, grades 9-12, in language arts, speech/debate and drama classes. Teachers can sign up their classes by calling Mike Shay at the Wyoming Arts Council, 307-777-5234. Poetry Out Loud is open to public and private school students, as well as home school associations. Students participating in the program memorize and perform three poems included in material provided by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation. Each school sends its winner to the state finals, with that winner going to the national competition in Washington, D.C., in April. Students can win cash prizes and scholarships. Their school libraries can also win collections of poetry books.

FMI: Call the Arts Council at 307-777-7742, or check out our web site.

Last Jack Sanders concert tonight in Sheridan

Wyomingites have one remaining opportunity to see guitarist Jack Sanders in a free concert.

He will perform Thursday, Oct. 30 (tonight!) at 7 p.m. in the Sheridan Senior Center, 211 Smith St., Sheridan. The event, part of a mini-tour sponsored by the Piatigorsky Foundation, and is free and open to the public. For more info, call 307-672-2240.

A solo guitarist, chamber musician and teacher, Sanders has performed both nationally and internationally.

His performances have included the Sitka Summer Music Festival, Kapalua Music Festival of Hawaii, Arrowhead Bach Festival and solo appearances with numerous orchestras, including the Illinois Chamber Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of Santa Fe, Modesto Symphony, Orange County Chamber Orchestra and South Coast Symphony.

Recently, he was featured as a soloist with The California Philharmonic. An accomplished luthier, Sanders builds classical and flamenco guitars, as well as historic reproductions of vihuelas, baroque guitars and 19th Century instruments.

The Muriel and Dr. Seymour Thickman Family Charitable Foundation in Sheridan underwrites the Piatigorsky Foundation concerts in Wyoming.

Friday is deadline for Blanchan/Doubleday

Happy All Hallow's Eve Eve!

Tomorrow is the postmark deadline for applications to the 2009 Neltje Blanchan and Frank Nelson Doubleday Memorial Writing Awards. The $1,000 Blanchan Award is given to a writer whose work, in any literary genre, is inspired by nature. The $1,000 Doubleday Award is given to the best manuscript submitted by a woman author. To apply, you must be at least 18 years old and a Wyoming resident.

The competition is sponsored by the Wyoming Arts Council and funded by artist and arts patron Neltje from Banner.

Judge for the competition is prize-winning poet Laurel Blossom from South Carolina.

Get your own printable application and guidelines at the WAC web site, http://wyoarts.state.wy.us/.

FMI: Michael Shay, 307-777-5234 or mshay@state.wy.us.

In Memoriam: Mabel E. Brown

From Mike Shay:

Mabel Brown was one of the first people I met when I came to Cheyenne in 1991. She then was a young lass of 77. She was everywhere -- the legislature, book signings, history events all around the state, Governor's Arts Awards dinner, and at the Wyoming Arts Council. Mabel researched and wrote "First Ladies of Wyoming: 1869-1990," a large format book published by the Wyoming Commission for Women (Wyoming Council on Women's Issues) in cooperation with the Wyoming Arts Council. We sold the book out of the WAC offices until we ran out of copies several years ago. Mabel would come by occasionally to see how we were doing. We eventually sold out of the book and were waiting for an updated version.

We'll have to wait awhile longer. Mabel Brown died Oct. 23. She was 94. R.I.P. Mabel, and we'll keep on doing our best to support the arts and humanities here in Wyoming.

This obituary was in this morning's Wyoming Tribune-Eagle:

Mabel E. Brown, 94, of Cheyenne died Oct. 23 at Cheyenne Health Care Center.

She was born Jan. 19, 1914, near Golden, Colo., and had lived here since 1997.

She was an author, historian, and storyteller for the Wyoming State Historical Society.

Mrs. Brown was a member of the Wyoming Historical Society, Cheyenne Historical Society, the Weston County Historical Society, and PEO.

She is survived by two daughters, Martha Allender of Newcastle and Jeannie Martin of Billings, Mont.; nine grandchildren, 17 great-grandchildren and five great-great-grandchildren.

Mabel was preceded in death by her husband, Charles W. Brown; parents, R.O. and Jessie Edwards; a granddaughter, two brothers and three sisters.

Memorial services will be 1 p.m. Saturday at First United Methodist Church with the Rev. Trudy Robinson officiating. Cremation has taken place at Cheyenne Memorial Gardens. Services are under the direction of Wiederspahn-Radomsky Chapel of the Chimes.

Friends may send contributions to the Wyoming Historical Society, P.O. Box 247, Wheatland, WY 82201, the Weston County Historical Society or a charity of their choice.

New emerging fiction writers in Laramie

UW's MFA program’s Emerging Fiction Writers Mini-Symposium takes place on 11/7 and 11/8. Chris Bachelder, Karl Iagnemma and Neela Vaswani, all terrific young fiction writers on the rise, will be in Laramie for a public reading at Second Story bookstore at 5 p.m. A reception and booksigning will follow.

More information about these authors can be found at http://www.uwyo.edu/creativewriting/showdivisionnews.asp?divisionnewsid=10323

For artists who need help with brochures

A brochure design workshop will be offered in Casper on Monday, Nov. 17.

Learn how to make your advertising stand out in the competitive marketplace in this hands-on brochure design workshop sponsored by Wyoming Entrepreneur.Biz. This workshop will consist of an hour of group lecture, plus a personal 20-minute consultation to work on individual brochures with facilitator Wes Connell.

Location is the Small Business Development Center Conference Room, 300 S. Wolcott, Ste. 300, Casper, 8 a.m. Deadline to register is Monday, Nov. 10. Registration fee is $50.

To register, call 307-234-6683 or 800-348-5207 (in Wyoming).

FMI: http://www.wyomingentrepreneur.biz

Cheyenne Depot hosts American Indian Heritage Month Celebration Nov. 15

Celebrate "Ciaoloween" at Ciao Gallery

Peter Fletcher plays at Laramie Co. Library

Classical guitarist Peter Fletcher is coming to the Laramie County Public Library in Cheyenne. Free and open to the public, this award-winning performer’s concert takes place at 7 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 3, in the library’s Cottonwood Room.

This concert will feature selections from his most recent CD, “Music of the Baroque,” and will culminate with two of the most exciting and powerful works in the classical guitar repertoire: the ever popular “Sevilla” and “Leyenda” by Spanish composer Isaac Albéniz.

Fletcher started studying guitar at age 9, and gave his formal debut concert at age 15. He further studied in master classes with such highly regarded guitarists as Jose Tomas, Pepe Romero and Christopher Parkening. Fletcher’s performances have been broadcast on National Public Radio, and he is also a prize winner in the prestigious Wurlitzer Competition.

His lifelong passion for classical acoustic music and amazing talent has placed him in concert halls across the country including performances at Carnegie Hall, where he has been invited to return for a third engagement in 2009.

Seating is limited for this event, which is open to adults and teens.

The Laramie County Library is located at 2200 Pioneer Ave. in Cheyenne. For more information, call 634-3561 or visit our Calendar of Events.

Lunch with Manuel Munoz at UW

Manuel Munoz has had two books of short stories published. Zigzagger (Northwestern University Press, 2003) and The Faith Healer of Olive Avenue (Algonquin, 2007). Manuel shies away from being compartmentalized as how publishers and book stores want to market him. Often dark and depressing, his stories are products of what he says was a very dangerous environment. Someone at the reading that night said his literature has a patience to it, and during lunch and the reading Manuel was gracious and very sharing with his literary process.

Students were invited to eat lunch with him and ask questions. He told about his life growing up in a small town in central California. When he left that town and came back, he realized how dangerous life was there when he was growing up. Just like the big city, everyone in his small town had a story.

Munoz had worked at a large publishing company and talked about writing behind the scenes, what happens at publishing houses, and how little emphasis there is on the writing, but on how the book is going to sell. Well known authors are always given preferential treatment. He also remembers the kindnesses shown to him by one or two reviewers who sent him personal notes saying they liked his work.

There was also some discussion about the national literary narrative, and how National Book Award winners are chosen, who's nominated and why, and the discourse that goes on. He was referring to 2004, when there were 5 women authors nominated, and how the discourse turned really kind of ugly. He was asked about what he wants to hear from the people who read his first drafts. Most importantly, he said, he wants to know if they had an emotional response to it. He teaches at Cornell, and his students there consider having an emotional response a weakness (the young students in my classes echo this same sentiment) in themselves and in the work, and that it isn't intellectual to have an emotional response. I do find that an interesting observation.

He also said to turn off the TV, that it's a distraction that none of us can afford, although we found out that many of us like to watch Judge Judy, as does Edward P. Jones. Manuel was amazed that he'd be getting to have dinner that evening with Joy Williams, UW's Eminent Writer in Residence this academic year, and he was really impressed by the level of talent that UW is able to bring in every year.

--Linda Coatney

Craig Johnson remembers Tony Hillerman

This remembrance of Tony Hillerman comes from one of our own, mystery writer Craig Johnson of Ucross:

There was an owl on one of the teepee poles at my ranch last night and, if you're lucky enough to live adjacent to Indian Country, you pay attention to such things. The Cheyenne see the owls as messengers from the other side, and I couldn't help but wonder who it was that was sending something a little more than special delivery.

I always thought he looked a little like an owl, even before I met him. The way the tufts of hair perched up on his head and the pointed nose -- but most of all it was the eyes; not so much the eyes of an eagle because those carry a self-concern, but more like the eyes that see past self-interest.

He was 83, and he lived in Albuquerque with, in his own words "now-and-then rhematic arthritis, in-remission cancer, a minor heart-attack, a mediocre eye, one tricky ankle and two unreliable knees." He began teaching at the University of New Mexico in 1967 and, with a wife and six children, he struggled to make ends meet. The story goes that he was typing away in his office late one night and an associate enthused, "You must be the hardest working professor we have here at the University."

He looked up with the twinkle his eyes always carried, his glasses perched at the end of his nose. "Actually, I'm writing a book."

Undaunted, the woman remarked. "How wonderful, what's it about?"

"It's a mystery."

She was crest-fallen. "With all your knowledge of Navajo art, culture, society and history-why are you wasting your time writing a mystery novel?"

His response, like the man, was eloquent and authentic. "Because I want someone to read the darned thing, that's why."

I was fortunate enough to win a short story award in combination with the writing conference that is named after him and Cowboys & Indians Magazine. He'd written seventeen books in his series when I met him, was a New York Times Best-selling fixture, and had won every award you can imagine. I'd written one novel and was facing the daunting task of trying to write my second, so I asked him how you keep it fresh. He smiled the small grin that reflected the admiration, adoration, and respect that everyone had for him. "At the risk of sounding like a bad sports analogy, you gotta write 'em one at a time-and just remember to tell a good story." It is invaluable advice.

At a time when you usually have to beg most big-time authors to remember what it was like when they were climbing up the ladder, he wrote me a blurb for not only my first novel, but my second, because he said he'd enjoyed them so much. I still have the voice message on my answering machine where he read the jacket quote because his email was on the fritz. "Umm, Craig, I can't get this email thingy to work, so I thought I'd just call you and tell you what to put on your book."

One of the last times I saw him was when he was being feted at the Los Angeles Times. They gave him their Life Achievement Award, and the hall where he was interviewed was standing room only, and the line to have him sign his books was about a mile long. He was a storyteller whose owl-like eyes saw further than the genre and farther than himself.

Perhaps the best words to describe his legacy are those of his protagonist Jim Chee, "Everything is connected. The wing of the corn beetle effects the direction of the wind, the way the sand drifts, the way the light reflects into the eye of man beholding his reality. All is part of totality, and in this totality man finds his horzo, his way of walking in harmony, with beauty all around him."

Tony Hillerman, 1925-2008

Dec. 12 deadline for WAC performing arts fellowships in music performance

The Wyoming Arts Council invites Wyomingites involved in music performance to compete for the 2009 Performing Arts Fellowships.

Postmark deadline is Dec. 12, 2008. The WAC welcomes applications from Wyoming residents 18 or older who are not full-time students pursuing high school, college or university art-related degrees.

The WAC will award up to two fellowships of $3,000 each to honor the most exciting, creative work by Wyoming instrumentalists and vocalists. Two jurors from Arizona, vocalist/musician Ruth Lara Vichules and guitarist/composer Brad Richter, will choose the winners.

The agency’s fellowships are on a four-year rotation schedule among music composition; theatre and dance performance; music performance; and theatre direction, dance choreography and design for the stage.

Fellowship applications will be mailed by the end of October to those on the WAC performing arts mailing lists. You can find a printable application in the WAC web site at http://wyoarts.state.wy.us/IndArtist/Performing.asp. If you need further information, contact Michael Shay at the WAC in Cheyenne at 307-777-5234 or mshay@state.wy.us.

Here’s some background information on the jurors:

Ruth Lara Vichules is a vocalist, musician, and educator from Phoenix. Ruth was sung to sleep by her Mother with German and Hebrew children’s songs, Carter Family and Woody Guthrie ballads. After Suzuki violin in elementary school, guitar, saxophone and Aebersold jazz camps in high school, Ruth went on to receive university degrees in music and art. Visiting Guadalajara, México in the early 1980s, Ruth was overwhelmed by the beauty and depth of Latin American folk music. She moved to Tlacotalpan, Veracuz, land of Agustín Lara & Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, and scoured the countryside for traditional music. She received a master’s degree in the process, conducting an ethnographic collection of children’s verse from oral traditions. Fascinated by the use of improvisation in Mexican folk music and verse, Ruth studied son jarocho -- a tradition from southern Veracruz that is highly improvisatory -- with Gilberto Gutiérrez and the legendary group Mono Blanco. Go to her web site at www.ruthlaravichules.com.

Brad Richter has performed as a soloist, with renowned chamber ensembles and in duos with artists such as Grammy winning cellist, David Finckel of the Emerson String Quartet. His performances and compositions are frequently heard on NPR and PBS stations around the United States and he has also written and performed the score for the Emmy award winning PBS television series, The Desert Speaks. Festival appearances have included the Guitar Festival of Great Britain, The London International Guitar Festival (with Carlos Bonell, Alirio Diaz and John Williams), The Aspen Music Festival and the Walnut Valley Festival, where he won the National Finger-picking Championship, a competition that features some of the world's finest guitarists from all genres. Brad teaches music at the University of Arizona in Tucson and is the Artistic Director of Lead Guitar!, a non-profit he co-founded in 2006 which establishes guitar programs in schools around the country with large populations of at-risk-youth. The rugged beauty of the American southwest continues to be a source of inspiration for much his music. Go to his web site at www.bradrichter-guitar.com.

Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Moorcroft 11/15

The West Texas Trail Museum will be hosting a Cowboy Poetry Gathering on Saturday, Nov. 15, 1 p.m.-11 p.m., at the Moorcroft Community Center in Moorcroft.

Headliners are Andy Nelson (WAC roster artist), Ken Cook, Yvonne Hollenbeck, and Rhonda Sedgewick Stearns. They will be joined by other special guests.

Prairie Fire will provide music for an evening dance from 7-11 p.m. A silent auction and dinner is included in your ticket price.

Tickets are on sale now at the West Texas Trail Museum in Moorcroft or by calling 1-307-756-9300 or 1-307-689-0344. Ticket Prices are $25 single, $45 couple and $5 per child 16 and under.

This event is sponsored in part by a grant from the Wyoming Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Manuel Munoz to speak at UW book club

The University of Wyoming Office of Multicultural Affairs in Laramie sends this news:

University of Wyoming Ross Hall Book Club. Tuesday October 28, noon to 1:30 p.m. Wyoming Union Room 203. Guest Discussant: Author Manuel Munoz. Space limited to 30 participants. For more information, please call (307)766-4121. Open to faculty, staff, students, and community residents.

Call the WAC to schedule grants training

Looking to learn more about grant writing?

Need an overview of th Wyoming Arts Council's programs?

Confused about how to use our e-granting system?

Help is available! WAC’s program specialists are available to conduct grants training in your community. If your organization would like to arrange a session, please call us to work out a schedule.

This training is useful for rookie grant writers as well as to those who are more familiar with the process, as rules and regulations concerning the process do change. Trainings cover information for organizations and individuals. Basic grantwriting information that can be transferred to any grant is also covered.

Organizations who request a grant training seminar are asked to assist us in selecting a time, location and in publicizing the opportunity to other organizations and people who may be interested in this opportunity.

To schedule a grants training session, call the WAC in Cheyenne at 307-777-7742.

Next Jackson Hole Writers Conference set for June 25-28, 2009

The seventeenth annual Jackson Hole Writers Conference will be held June 25-June 28, 2009, at the Center for the Arts in downtown Jackson.

While the full line-up of presenters hasn’t been announced the conference will feature these special tracks for 2009:

Travel and outdoor writing: Learn how to craft your adventure writing to tell the perfect story of discovery, and get paid for your traveling addiction.

Young adult fiction: Explore the burgeoning field of fiction for young people.

Poetry: Hone your skills in workshops and critique sessions with one of America’s premier poets.

Jackson Hole Writers Conference will also be offering tracks in both creative nonfiction and fiction.

FMI: http://www.jacksonholewritersconference.com/

Wyoming Lincoln Commission offers grants

The Wyoming Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission (WALBC) recently announced that a Community Activities Grant Program is available to provide financial assistance to chapters of the Wyoming State Historical Society, schools, arts organizations, chambers of commerce and other organizations in developing activities relating to the Lincoln Bicentennial celebration.

Funds may be used for exhibitions and other public programs, brochures and other Bicentennial related activities. These grant funds are available for short-term, rather than continuing or multi-year projects. The deadline for applications is December 15, 2008, with a maximum of $1,000 available to each applicant.

To receive a copy of the application please contact Kathleen Urban, Wyoming Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, 1501 East 20th, Cheyenne, WY 82001, (307) 638-7831 or by e-mailing kurban@lccc.wy.edu.

FMI: http://wyospcr.state.wy.us/Lincoln/.

GTMF rated one of "Top 100" events for 2009

Amanda Flosbach at the Grand Teton Music festival in Teton Village sends this news:

The American Bus Association (ABA) has announced that the Grand Teton Music Festival has been designated as one of the Top 100 Events in North America for 2009 by an elite tourism industry selection committee. Inclusion in the Top 100 list, published as a supplement to the September/October issue of Destinations magazine, indicates that Grand Teton Music Festival offers excellent entertainment value to both tour groups and individual travelers from around the world, said ABA.

The Grand Teton Music Festival celebrates its 48th season in 2009 from July 1-August 15.

FMI: www.gtmf.org or call the ticket office at 307-733-1128.

Touchstone 2008 in Laramie Nov. 15-16

Touchstone Laramie 2008, an exhibition and sale by the Laramie Artists, will be held on Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 15-16, at the Ramada, I-80 and U.S. Hwy. 287 in Laramie. Times on Saturday will be 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and on Sunday 1-5 p.m.

The Laramie Artists Project is a consortium of Laramie-area professional artists. The inaugural Touchstone exhibition was held in fall of 2006 and was a huge success. Two of those artists, Susan Moldenhauer (shown in photo at Touchstone 2006) and Wendy Bredehoft, coordinated the effort. This was their reasoning (taken from the LAP web site):

There are many professional artists in Laramie who show their work in galleries and museums throughout the country but, until 2006, not in their home town. Artists Susan Moldenhauer and Wendy Bredehoft brought a group of artists together to form Touchstone Laramie, a showcase of their work. The success of their effort and the stream of requests from Laramie art lovers for the next Touchstone convinced these artists to plan the 2008 event.

And they’ve been planning ever since.

Wyomingarts traveled from Cheyenne to the 2006 exhibition. The four of us spent all afternoon there, ogling and buying. A perfect time to buy Christmas presents. It was one of the best art jaunts of the year.

The line-up list of artists in the exhibition is impressive: Alberto Alcantara, Alison Arnold, Joe Arnold, Wendy Bredehoft, Mack Brislawn, Penelope Caldwell, Cathi Carr-Lundfelt, Katie Christensen, Susan Davis, Stan Dolega, Ken Driese, Jerry Glass, Anthony Guzzo, Sandra Guzzo, Dan Hayward (WAC roster artist), Travis Ivey, Raymond Jordan, Crystal Lawrence, Linda Lillegraven, Ginnie Madsen, Jon Madsen, Debbie Mathew, Sharon Mathiesen, Susan Moldenhauer, Barry O’Riley, Jeremy Page, Joanne Ramsey, Terry Reid, Rebecca Sissman, Jeny Stoesz, Mike Stoesz and Paula Wilson-Cazier.

FMI: http://www.laramieartistsproject.com/

UW music professor wins national award

From a UW press release:

Theresa Bogard is internationally known as a pianist. She's building quite a reputation as a teacher, too.

Bogard, a professor in the University of Wyoming's Department of Music, was recently selected as the Council for Advancement and Support of Education's (CASE) Wyoming Professor of the Year. This is the only national honor designed specifically to recognize excellence in undergraduate teaching and mentoring.

Nominated by UW Provost Myron Allen, Bogard received letters of recommendation from current and former students, colleagues and peers from other institutions. Nomination materials included her teaching logs and course descriptions, plus personal statements of her teaching and mentoring techniques, courses and curricula she created and steps she has taken to extend the learning process beyond the classroom.

"Professor Bogard is an internationally-recognized pianist in her own right, and she has shown tremendous dedication in sharing her craft and artistry with UW's students," Allen says. "We're all delighted -- but hardly surprised -- that CASE has chosen her for this honor."

This is Bogard's second major award of 2008. She was one of five recipients this spring of a John P. Ellbogen Meritorious Classroom Teaching Award, which were founded in 1977 to foster, encourage and reward excellence in classroom teaching at UW.

In 2005, Bogard won UW's Outstanding Faculty Commitment to Internationalization award, which is presented annually by UW's International Board of Advisers.

"There are very few people in my academic and musical lives who have had a more positive influence on me, professionally and personally," says Carolyn Cline, a former piano student. "I have worked with very few faculty members who have the ability to motivate and push their students to succeed like Dr. Bogard. Studying with her has made me a stronger person and musician, and I believe that is the definition of excellence in teaching."

As a pianist, Bogard performs numerous solo and chamber music recitals throughout the U.S. each year and has appeared in concerto performances with the UW Symphony Orchestra, the UW Chamber Orchestra and the Jefferson Symphony Orchestra. She has also performed to rave reviews in Australia, Belgium, Mexico, New Zealand and Russia, among other places.

In addition, Bogard has presented lectures and recitals on music by American women composers at the Scripps College Inaugural Symposium on Women in Music in California and at the American Music, American Women Susan Porter Memorial Symposium in Colorado.

Bogard received her bachelor's and doctoral degrees from the University of Colorado at Boulder and her master's degree, all in piano performance, from the Eastman School of Music in New York. Prior to joining the UW faculty in 1992, Bogard held positions at Northeast Missouri State University and West Chester University in Pennsylvania.

Karen Cotton offers tips for young writers

Karen Cotton, Wyoming Tribune-Eagle features/entertainment reporter and children's writer, will be conducting a presentation for middle school-age students at the Laramie County Public Library in Cheyenne on Thursday (tonight) at 7 p.m. Her free presentation will focus on journalism and novel writing. It is being sponsored by the New Futures Program through a student loan corporation.

Some of the topics Karen will cover include:

• honing your writing skills
• how-to tips on publishing
• classes for writers
• college degree -- important or not?
• writing organizations, conferences and workshops
• generating writing ideas

She's e-mailed professional writers about their views on these subjects. Their answers are featured on the WTE's entertainment blog at http://wteentertainmentarticles.blogspot.com/.

From Karen's WTE blog, here are some tips from mystery writer and former journalist T. Jefferson Parker:

I think the most important thing a writer can do, besides write every day, is to read a lot. That’s how you learn what good writing is. The human race is lucky to have thousands of years of writing to instruct us – so dig right in. Good books are the diet of the writing mind, just like good nutrition and good exercise build the body. What you take in is what you will eventually put out. So read the best writers you can find. Who are they? That’s up to you. Let’s just say that a good book will delight and instruct and mystify and provoke and educate and satisfy you. There, that’s a nice wide definition. Read on, friends.

I (Mike Shay) will appear with Karen at the library tonight to answer your questions about writing awards and programs offered by the Wyoming Arts Council.

Gourevitch, Jones coming to UW

UW's Eminent Writers in Residence for the 09-10 academic year will be Philip Gourevitch for nonfiction, and Edward P. Jones for fiction. The Eminent Writer for poetry will be announced soon.

Gourevitch is editor of The Paris Review, and has been a long time staff reporter for The New Yorker. His most recent work is Standard Operating Procedure, a book about Abu Grahib prison, written in collaboration with filmmaker Errol Morris. Gourevitch has written on many subjects. He became widely known for We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will be Killed With Our Families: Stories From Rwanda, a riveting accounting of the 1994 genocide. The book is Gourevitch's story as he attempts to make sense of what happened, as well as the stories of the people he interviews. From a Publisher's Weekly review, Gourevitch says about the project, "The best reason I have come up with for looking more closely into Rwanda's stories is that ignoring them makes me even more uncomfortable about existence and my place in it."

Edward P. Jones has won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. He was born and grew up in Washington, D.C. His first book, Lost in the City, a collection of short stories on the African American working class of the 20th Century in Washington, D.C., won both the Pen/Hemingway Award and the Lannan Foundation Grant. His second book, The Known World, is set during the Civil War and examines the issue of ownership of black slaves by free black people as well as by whites. It was a National Book Award finalist and won the Pulitzer in 2004 for fiction, and the 2005 International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award. In 2005, Jones was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship. His third book, All Aunt Hagar's Children, is a collection of short stories about African American characters living in Washington, D.C. Some of the stories had been previously published in The New Yorker.

Both authors will work closely with MFA students in individual manuscript consultations and/or workshops; will visit classes; and will be giving public readings in Laramie and elsewhere around the state. Thanks to Beth Loffreda, director of the MFA Creative Writing program, for the info.

"Smashed" author at Casper College

The Natrona County Prevention Coalition will host Koren Zailckas, national speaker and author of "Smashed," on Thursday at the Casper College Roberts Commons ballroom in Casper. The event is open to the public and parents are encouraged to bring their teenagers.

The schedule for the appearance is: 4:30 p.m., author meet & greet with local high school and college students; 5:30 p.m., book signing-open to the public; 6:30 p.m., speech open to the public; 7 p.m., questions and answers.

"Smashed" chronicles Zailckas' personal story of underage drinking. There will be a frank question and answer session following the event. For more information, call 233-4285.

Kids can talk to some historic characters on Halloween

Children can enjoy a safe and educational Halloween evening while meeting some of Wyoming’s most famous characters at the State Museum’s, "A night at the Museum," from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., October 31.

Children and their families will meet a variety of characters from Wyoming’s past while touring the State Museum’s galleries.

Expected to be on hand during the festivities are a frontier army soldier, Nellie Tayloe Ross and many other h istorical Wyomingites. Teddy Roosevelt will also be on hand to discuss his role in Wyoming’s history.

During the evening, children will get a chance to visit with each character and ask them about their role in the history of the Cowboy State. Each child that talks to a character will receive a bag of Halloween Treats.

This event is for all ages and children must be accompanied by an adult.
For more information about this and other State Museum programs, please call 777-7022.

WAC survey awaits responses of artists

From Mike Shay, individual artists program specialist:

The Wyoming Arts Council survey of individual artists has been up on the Survey Monkey site since Sept. 29. As of this morning, 101 artists in the state have taken the survey. That's a great response, but we would like to get an even larger sampling. What are your thoughts on the Arts Council's fellowship programs? Its IAPD grants? Should the WAC sponsor an annual gathering of individual artists? If so, where should we have it and what time of year?

More questions await your response -- Click Here to take survey.

Piatigorsky "mini-tour" features solo guitarist

Guitarist Jack Sanders will perform five concerts at northern Wyoming venues as part of a Piatigorsky Foundation "mini-tour" during the final week of October.

A solo guitarist, chamber musician and teacher, Sanders has performed both nationally and internationally. His performances have included the Sitka Summer Music Festival, Kapalua Music Festival of Hawaii, Arrowhead Bach Festival and solo appearances with numerous orchestras, including the Illinois Chamber Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of Santa Fe, Modesto Symphony, Orange County Chamber Orchestra and South Coast Symphony. Recently, he was featured as a soloist with The California Philharmonic.

An accomplished luthier, Sanders builds classical and flamenco guitars, as well as historic reproductions of vihuelas, baroque guitars and 19th Century instruments. A faculty member of Pomona College, he has taught guitar-building courses at the California Institute of the Arts and Pomona College.

The Muriel and Dr. Seymour Thickman Family Charitable Foundation in Sheridan underwrites the Piatigorsky Foundation concerts in Wyoming. This is the fifth year the Thickman Foundation has made it possible for Piatigorsky Artists to perform in Wyoming communities and schools.
The Piatigorsky Foundation is a national arts services organization whose mission is to bring live classical music to individuals who do not have the geographical access or financial means to attend major concerts in larger cities.

Evan Drachman established The Piatigorsky Foundation in 1990 in honor of his grandfather, renowned cellist Gregor Piatigorsky, who deeply believed in the healing and inspirational power of classical music.

The upcoming Wyoming concerts featuring the talents of Sanders are scheduled for:

• Sunday, Oct. 26, 2 p.m., Dubois, Headwaters Arts and Conference Center, 20 Stalnaker Street; call 307-455-2687
• Monday, Oct. 27, 7 p.m., Lander, Trinity Episcopal Church, 860 South 3rd Street; call 307-332-8253
• Tuesday, Oct. 28, 7 p.m., Greybull, First Presbyterian Church, 433 First Avenue South; call 307-765-2208
• Thursday, Oct. 30, 9:20 a.m., Sheridan High School, 1056 Long Drive; call 307-672-2495, ext. 1112
• Thursday, Oct. 30, 7 p.m. Sheridan Senior Center, 211 Smith Street; call 307-672-2240.

All performances except the Sheridan High School concert are free and open to the public.

FMI: Rita Basom, WAC, 307-777-7743.

Leah Hardy is part of Jentel Presents Nov. 4

If you've voted and are just hanging around waiting for the results, you should attend "Jentel Presents" on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 5:30-7 p.m. at Sheridan College Downtown Campus on N. Main St. in Sheridan. The event is free and open to the public. Refreshments served!

"Jentel Presents" is a community outreach program that features slide presentations and readings by the visual artists and writers at the Jentel Artists' Residency near Sheridan.

Presenters include: Leah Hardy, Laramie, WY; A mixed media sculptor, Leah’s top 10 list includes family hugs, exquisite poetry, fresh mangoes, and Buddha’s smile. Casey Haymes, Santa Fe, NM; A novelist, Casey collects hoodies from concerts and longs for dull moments. Anna Knoell, Brooklyn, NY; An oil painter, Anna is obsessed with the landscape, mythology and history of the American west. Meredith Molchan, Greenville, NC; A fiber/ceramic artist, Meredith loves rainy weather, and is a fierce Scrabble player. Dave Snyder, Chicago, IL; A poet, Dave is a gardener who also once saved someone from quicksand. Nancy White, Redwood City, CA; A painter/sculptor, Nancy thinks of herself as a ‘color geek’, and has a taxicab license for Boston.

The Jentel Foundation offers dedicated individuals a supportive environment in which to further their creative development. While at Jentel, visual artists and writers have the opportunity to experience unfettered time to allow for thoughtful reflection and meditation on the creative process in a setting that preserves the agricultural and historical integrity of the land.

The Jentel Artist Residency Program accepts applications twice a year from visual artists in all media and writers in all genres for a one-month residency. A residency includes a comfortable accommodation; common living, dining and recreation areas; a private workspace and a stipend to help defray expenses during the program. For more information please visit http://www.jentelarts.org/.

PHOTO: Back row, left to right: Anna Knoell, Leah Hardy, Nancy White; front row, left to right: Casey Haymes, Dave Snyder, Meredith Molchan.

Centennial Singers go "Into the Woods"

From a University of Wyoming press release:

The University of Wyoming's musical theatre group, the Centennial Singers, will perform its first full-length musical "Into the Woods" at 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 24, and Saturday, Oct. 25, in the College of Education auditorium.

Tickets are available at both the Fine Arts box office and the Wyoming Union information desk. Prices are $10 for adults, $8 for seniors, $5 for students and children and $25 for a family pack (two adults and three children).

This is the first time the group has performed a full-length musical instead of a musical revue show.

"One of the reasons I wanted to do a full-length musical this year is because we are starting a musical theatre concentration within the theatre Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) program in the near future," Director Patrick Newell said. "It's natural for Centennial Singers to take on the production aspects of a full musical and be at the forefront for this idea."

Currently, the UW Department of Theatre and Dance offers BFA concentrations in theatre performance, dance, playwriting and technical design. The addition of concentrations in educational theatre and musical theatre are in the works for next year.

"I think the new format of producing an actual show is a great recruiting tool for this group," said JC McCann, a junior in music. "The musical theatre concentration is definitely something this university needs, and with the name of Centennial Singers to back it, I feel it would definitely be successful."

"Into the Woods" combines and intertwines the stories of popular fairytales such as "Cinderella," "Jack and the Beanstalk" and "Little Red Riding Hood."

"It's great to have such a large ensemble this year because it is fun to see everyone working to create characters that are vastly different than what we are used to in everyday life," said Kari Kontour, a UW graduate. "In this show, we're trying to get away from the Disney stereotypes of Cinderella and such, but we still want to stay true to that familiar image."

For more information about CS and this performance, call Newell at (307) 766-3076 or e-mail centennial.singers@uwyo.edu.

Photo: Cast members Rachel Slama (left) of Lakewood, Colo., Rebecca Diamond (middle) of Winter Park, Colo. and Carly Jones of Montrose, Colo., rehearse for the Centennial Singers' musical "Into the Woods." (Donald P. Turner Photo)

Permanent collection pieces wide-ranging wonderful

Minerva Teichert, "Running Horses" 1986

For the first time in 13 years, an exhibition of artwork from the Wyoming State Museum’s permanent collection will be on display through December 8. The exhibit features 32 selections from the permanent collection and includes artwork by Wyoming artists, who live, have been residents or have a connection to the state. The selections reflect the dominant theme of landscape with a handful of pieces that include the human figure or animals.

Highlights include a wall-sized painting by Minerva Teichart, a one-time resident of Cokeville, and self-portraits of Laramie artists Joe Arnold and Robert Seabeck. Painting, pastel, drawing and printmaking are represented by residents who have been active in the State for decades. These artists include Linda Lillegraven, Joe Arnold, Jon Madsen and Seabeck all from Laramie; John Giarrizzo from Powell; Neltje from Banner; and Ben Valdez from Cheyenne.

Ben Valdez, "Jefe" 1980

Other mediums on exhibit include photography, ceramics, bronze, stone, photomontage and textile represented by Matt West, Gail Sundell and Robin Laws from Cheyenne; Laury Lacy from Jackson; Mary Lana Perrotti from Cody; Joan Sowada from Gillette; and James Knadler from Laramie.

This exhibition provides visitors a look at the diverse creative processes and themes explored by these artists and collected by the State Museum. The State Museum’s permanent art collection was first instituted during the 1960s through the efforts of Laura Hayes and Bobbie Hathaway. Since then, the collection has grown with work purchased from the annual Governor’s Capitol Art Exhibition and through other acquisitions.

Purchased or donated artwork is reviewed by the Museum Acquisition Committee before acceptance into the collection. The last public exhibition was held in 1995.

Don Couch, "Bear Family" 1988

The Wyoming State Museum is located in the Barrett Building, 2301 Central Avenue in Cheyenne. Museum hours are 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Saturdays through October. Saturday hours will change to 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., beginning November 1. For more information about this and other State Museum exhibits and programs, please call 777-7022.

Thrills and Chills

BodyLines Dance Theatre will present Thrills and Chills dance performance at the Mary Godfrey Playhouse on Saturday, October 25, 2008. There will be two performances, one at 2:00 p.m. and another at 7:30 p.m. Admission is free.

Order new thriller from Cheyenne's C.J. Box

C.J. "Chuck" Box of Cheyenne notifies us that his new thriller, "Three Weeks to Say Goodbye," will be released on January 6. You can pre-order your copy now at http://cjbox.net.

Meanwhile, you can go to C.J.'s web site and read the first chapter. Here's more about the book:

After years of trying to have a baby, Jack and Melissa McGuane's dream has come true with the adoption of their daughter Angelina. But nine months after bringing her home, they receive a devastating phone call from the adoption agency -- Angelina's birth father, a teenager, never signed away his parental rights and he wants her back. Worse, his father, a powerful Denver judge, wants him to own up to this responsibility and will use every advantage his position of power affords him to make sure it happens. When Jack and Melissa attempt to handle the situation rationally by meeting face to face with the father and son, it is immediately apparent that there's something sinister about both of them and that love for Angelina is not the motivation for their actions.

As Angelina's safety hangs in the balance, Jack and Melissa will stop at nothing to protect their child. A horrifying game of intimidation and double-crosses begins that quickly becomes a death spiral where absolutely no one is safe... How far would you go to save someone you love?

C.J. Box has once again written a bone chilling thriller that will keep you guessing until the very last page.

Read The First Chapter

Deadline approaches for WAC CAP grants

Update on the Wyoming Arts Council's Community Arts Partners (CAP) grant program:

Historically many partnerships figure into the policymaking, community planning, economic revitalization and affordable housing efforts in each of our cities. Today the communities that are experiencing the strongest most sustainable economic growth are the ones who are revitalizing their local economies by finding and utilizing local talent and cultural assets. It is for that reason the Wyoming Legislature and the Wyoming Arts Council have created the "Community Arts
Partners Grant Program."

Five communities will be selected to receive a matching grant of up to $10,000 in 2008 for specific community arts partnership projects that will support the goals of the program and meet the grant criteria.

TIMELINE
-Final Deadline for Applications is 10/29/08.
-Notification of award will be by 12/15/08.
-Project must begin on or before 12/1/08
-Project End Date must be by 6/30/09 (circumstances may provide for later End Date)
-Final Report is due 60 days after end of project

This grant will be administered by the Wyoming Arts Council Community Development and the Arts Program. Applications will be accepted online only at http://www.wyomingartscouncil.org/.
FMI: Contact Community Development and the Arts Specialist Randy Oestman at (307)-777-7109 or email at roestm@state.wy.us.

Resources for artists with disabilities

The National Arts and Disability Center at UCLA sends this announcement:

October is National Arts and Humanities Awareness Month and National Disability Awareness Month!

In recognition of these two significant events, the National Arts and Disability Center (NADC) would like to encourage you to visit our Call for Entries and our Calendar of Events. If you or your organization is aware of any events that are accessible or involve artists with disabilities feel free to send the information to bstoffmacher@mednet.ucla.edu. We will be happy to post the information online and disseminate to our members for FREE!

Ways to get involved:

• Rising Artists with Disabilities (RAD) has a new site on Facebook for emerging artists between the ages of 15-25 http://www.facebook.com
• The Art and Disability Network (ADN) Listserv for California artists at lists.ucla.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/artsanddisability
• Join the NADC mailing list -- e-mail bstoffmacher@mednet.ucla.edu

The NADC Website (http://nadc.ucla.edu ) contains the equivalent of over 600 pages of information. Topic areas include: careers in the arts for people with disabilities; accessible programs for museums, mixed-ability dance, inclusive theatre companies, accessible products and services, and many other topics. We provide prompt technical assistance via our online "Help Desk." The site contains links to other national and internationally known arts and disability web sites along with a web tour of individual artists with disabilities. We also present an online gallery that features the work of artists with disabilities.

FMI: National Arts and Disability Center, (310) 825-3715, mkudritzki@mednet.ucla.edu

"Variations on a Theme" at EWC Gallery

"Variations on a Theme," a mixed media exhibition by Laramie's Diana Baumbach, will be featured at the Eastern Wyoming College Fine Arts Lobby in Torrington Oct. 20 through Nov. 8. A reception and artist talk will be held on Saturday, Nov. 8, 5 p.m. This event is free and open to the public. refreshments will be served.

Exhibition sponsored by the EWC Department of Art and The Fine Arts Council.

FMI: Daniel Fielder, EWC, 307-532-8291, daniel.fielder@ewc.wy.edu

Applications available for WAC artist roster

The Wyoming Arts Council invites artists to apply for its 2009-2010 artist roster. Applications are accepted from all artistic disciplines. You must be a current Wyoming resident, 18 years of age or older. Postmark deadline is Dec. 1, 2008.

The roster gives a WAC “stamp of approval” to the roster artist and also serves as a resource to Wyoming communities, organizations and schools seeking quality artists for their local programs. A printable roster application is available on the WAC web page at wyoarts.state.wy.us/. Paper copies of the application have been mailed to all individual artists in the WAC database.

New artists may apply each year, while current roster artists will be carried forward to 2011. In 2011, all artists will need to re-apply.

For more information, contact one of these Wyoming Arts Council staffers: Karen Merklin, grants manager and roster coordinator, 777-7743, kmerkl1@state.wy.us; Annie Hatch, folk and traditional arts specialist, 777-7721, ahatch@state.wy.us; or Mike Shay, performing, literary and visual arts specialist, 777-5234, mshay@state.wy.us

If you like Shakespeare and Elvis, you'll really dig Off Square's "A Midsummer Night's Dream"

The Off Square Theatre Company in Jackson presents William Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from Oct. 23 through Nov. 1, 8 p.m., plus a 2 p.m. matinee on Nov. 1. Tickets are $10 for Oct. 23 previews; $55 for Oct. 24 gala. All all other performances $30 for adults, $20 for students, children and seniors.

Click Here To Get Tickets

Off Square Theatre Company’s production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" comes with a twist. Off Square sets the magical tale of love and marriage in 1958, when Elvis was King, and poodle skirts, black leather jackets, greased-back hair and up-tight adults could be found at every turn.

The language is the Bard’s but the songs are right out of "American Bandstand" – or in our case, "Athenian Bandstand" – with Theseus as Dick Clark. Oberon is the "King" (Elvis, that is), and Titania is Olivia Newton John at the end of "Grease," tight black leather and all. If you like Shakespeare and old time rock 'n' roll, you’ll love this version of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" in a ducktail and biker boots.

Oct. 24 gala includes pre-show dinner, performance and post-show champagne with the cast.

"Masquerade Politique" at Lander Art Center

The Lander Art Center presents its fall festivity, "Masquerade Politique 2008: A Festive Diplomatic Soiree and Silent Auction," on Saturday, Nov. 1, 6-9 p.m., at the Lander Art Center, 224 Main Street, Lander.

Chili and Cornbread will be served. Beer supplied by the Cowfish.

Political or patriotic costumes encouraged. Prize awarded for best costume.

The auction includes many items by local jewelry artists, painters, sculptors, print makers, and a teapot by internationally reknowned potter Warren MacKenzie.

Tickets are $25 per person and are available at the Lander Art Center, Valley Printing and from LAC Board members.

FMI: Lander Art Center at 332-5772 or Dannine Donaho at 332-9621.

"SPaNKing New Music" Oct. 22 at UW

"New Frontiers: The Laramie Contemporary Music Project," a four-day music festival including three concerts and three interactive events, will be Oct. 22-25 at the University of Wyoming.
Passport tickets, which include entry to all concerts, cost $7 for adults and $5 for students and senior citizens. Tickets are available by calling the Fine Arts Center box office at (307) 766-6666 or at the Web site www.uwyo.edu/finearts.

The festival will feature this year's UW Artists-in-Residence Alaunde Copley-Woods, a flutist/composer from Boulder, Colo.; Beth Custer, a San Francisco-based composer; and Monica Demarco, a New Mexican composer, plus performances by the chamber ensemble, SPaNK and UW faculty and students. All concerts begin at 7:30 p.m., and will be in the UW Fine Arts Center concert hall.

The concert series opens Wednesday, Oct. 22, with "Spanking New Music," a recital by SPANK, which includes Nicole Riner (flute), Anne Guzzo (clarinet and composer), Maureen Sorensson (soprano) and Theresa Bogard (piano).

The second concert, titled "Shiny New Chamber Music," is Friday, Oct. 24, and includes performances by featuring Copley-Woods and Custer.

The final concert, "Great and Small," will feature Demarco, UW Wind Ensemble Director Bob Belser and the UW Collegiate Chorale.

The festival also includes interactive discussions/workshops on Wednesday, Oct. 22, at 10 a.m. (Fine Arts 127) and 2:10 p.m. (Fine Arts 254) and Thursday, Oct. 23, at 1:10 p.m. (Fine Arts concert hall).

Photo: The chamber ensemble SPaNK, which includes Anne Guzzo, Maureen Sorensson, Theresa Bogard and Nicole Riner, will open "New Frontiers: The Laramie Contemporary Music Project," with a 7:30 p.m. recital Wednesday, Oct. 22

Cat Urbigkit debuts new book October 29

This press release comes from Trish Newcomb at McDonald & Woodward Publishing Company in Granville, Ohio:

McDonald & Woodward Publishing is happy to announce the timely October 29 release of "Yellowstone Wolves--A Chronicle of the Animal, the People, and the Politics" by award-winning Wyoming author/photographer Cat Urbigkit.

This book will be launched at a special program hosted by the Wyoming State Museum in Cheyenne. Ms. Urbigkit will present a program/book reading beginning at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 29, followed by a reception and book signing.

This book is a unique perspective, written by one of the litigants who sued the US Fish and Wildlife Service to prevent the reintroduction of Canadian wolves into the northern Rockies. Urbigkit's book provides four frames of context: historic, scientific, legal, and immensely personal.

The press release is pasted below. If you would like additional information about the book, please see a full description at www.mwpubco.com/YellowstoneWolves.htm

UW Art Museum Gala set for Nov. 1

From a UW press release:

The University of Wyoming Art Museum will host its 16th annual Gala Benefit Ball, "An Abstract Expression," at 6 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 1, in the Wyoming Union ballroom in Laramie.

The Art Museum's major fundraising event of the year will include both silent and live auctions with auctioneer Mark McNamee, gourmet dining, and dancing to live music performed by Play It Forward.

Individual tickets for $175 and couple tickets are available, along with table sponsorships at various levels. To buy tickets or for more information call the Art Museum at (307) 766-6622.

"Tom and I hope to see a sellout crowd again this year," says Jacque Buchanan who is a Gala co-chairperson along with her husband, UW President Tom Buchanan. "Being just four days before this year's election we have an extraordinary auction prize that is sure to be a hit: a trip to the 2009 U.S. presidential inauguration ceremony."

Many other unique items will be auctioned including a vacation to Ireland, a handcrafted grandfather clock, a character named for the winner in the next C. J. Box book, a sports package and tickets for 10 to the Cheyenne Frontier Days finals with Gov. Dave and First Lady Nancy Freudenthal.

Among raffle items are valuable jewelry and a $1,000 gas card. Only the first 400 who purchase tickets available now for $50 each are eligible to win these prizes.

The Gala Benefit Ball is held annually to provide funds for the art museum exhibitions, education and collection programs and outreach programs that allow the museum to present nationally renowned and culturally significant exhibitions and programs to Wyoming and the surrounding area.

Star Valley Arts Council raises funds through new cookbook

"Tried and true recipes from your neighbors" are featured in "The Art of Cooking in Star Valley." The book was compiled and published as a fund-raiser by the Star Valley Arts Council in Lincoln County.

Copies are $13 each and are available at the Star Valley Independent, Walton’s Country Store, Hastings, Eclips Beauty Shop, Country Charm, Pamida Pharmacies, First Bank in Afton and Alpine, Splash, Toe Candy, Etna Trading Post, The Tanning Barn, BOSV in Afton, and all schools in Lincoln County School District No. 2.

FMI: www.starvalleyarts.org

Bar J Wranglers in concert Nov. 28

The Star Valley Arts Council presents the Bar J Wranglers in concert on Friday, Nov. 28, 7 p.m. at the Star Valley High School auditorium in Afton.The Bar J Wranglers from Jackson will perform a standard repertoire of Western music laced with humor and storytelling during this two-hour concert.Tickets are $12 per person in advance and $15 at the door.FMI: http://www.starvalleyarts.org/.

Poetry for a Thursday morning

From Ted Kooser, U.S. Poet Laureate, 2004-2006:
"Every child can be seen as a miracle, and here Minnesota poet James Lenfestey captures the beautiful mystery of a daughter."

Daughter

A daughter is not a passing cloud, but permanent,
holding earth and sky together with her shadow.
She sleeps upstairs like mystery in a story,
blowing leaves down the stairs, then cold air, then warm.
We who at sixty should know everything, know nothing.
We become dull and disoriented by uncertain weather.
We kneel, palms together, before this blossoming altar.

Wyoming Memories: Finding and Preserving Family History

In celebration of Archives Month, the Wyoming State Archives will hold a free genealogy workshop October 28 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., in the State Museum Multi-Purpose Room.
Archives Month is celebrated annually in October by archival repositories across the nation to promote the preservation of documentary history, and inform the public about their programs and holdings.

Sharon Lass Field, who has 40 years of experience researching Wyoming records and historical documents of all kinds, will serve as the keynote speaker of the workshop. She enjoys doing historical background work and is well qualified to conduct genealogical research. Field also enjoys teaching genealogy and her sessions are designed for everyone from beginners to veteran genealogists, who need help breaking through the brick walls often encountered in research. The Federation of Genealogy Societies recognized Field as its 2007 Ruth Bishop Genealogy Volunteer of the Year.

Wyoming State Archives staff will also speak at the workshop. Curtis Greubel, archives research s upervisor, will talk about the Archives’ holdings and how they can be accessed. Suzi Taylor, photograph historian, will provide information on the Archives’ Historical Photograph Collection and how photographs can enhance genealogical research. Finally, Roger Joyce, state archivist, will discuss proper storage and handling of documentary materials and family records.
Attendees are welcome to bring a sack lunch to the workshop.

The Wyoming State Archives and State Museum are located in the Barrett Building, 2301 Central Avenue in Cheyenne. Space is limited. Please call 307-777-7826 to reserve a seat.

Multi-artist reception Oct. 17 at The Nic

The Nicolaysen Art Museum in Casper will hold a reception on Friday, Oct. 17, 6 p.m., to celebrate the opening of new exhibits by Bill Shepherd ("Reviewing the West"), Tom Nussbaum, Lucy Fradkin and James Holmes. Lectures by the artists will begin at 6:30 p.m. Their work will be on display at The Nic from Oct. 17, 2008 through Jan. 4, 2009.

The reception is free to members and $10 for non-members (annual memberships are just $35). Food and cash bar by 303 Restaurant in Casper. Live music!

While at the reception, see "Residual Light" by Wynn Udall in The Nic's Rosenthal Gallery.

FMI: http://www.thenic.org

Call for entries: CLTP New Play Project

March 31, 2009 is the deadline for Wyoming, Colorado, Idaho, Nebraska and Utah playwrights to enter their work to the New Play Project, a program created by the Cheyenne Little Theatre Players (CLTP) in Cheyenne to encourage, recognize and support playwrights in the five-state region.

Entries must be full-length plays that have not been performed previously; no film scripts or musicals are allowed. The winning stage play will be produced as a Readers Theatre by the CLTP during its 2009-2010 season. The winning playwright will receive a $500 cash award and an all-expenses paid trip to Cheyenne, WY to attend production meetings, auditions, rehearsals, and performances of the work. The competition entry fee is $20 per play submitted.

Submission guidelines, a proposal form, and an application package are available on the CLTP’s website at www.cheyennelittletheatre.org. Questions should be emailed to rbernhard@cheyennelittletheatre.org.

Cheyenne Little Theatre Players hosts festival of Wyoming community theatres in March

On March 13-14, 2009, the Cheyenne Little Theatre Players (CLTP) is playing host to the 2009 Wyoming State AACT (American Association of Community Theatre) Play Festival in Cheyenne at the Mary Godfrey Playhouse in Cheyenne. The event will feature sixty minute performances by Wyoming community theatres; networking opportunities; and workshops on fundraising, acting, and historical accuracy in set design, costuming and other production aspects in the performance of period plays and musicals.

Performances will be judged by AACT certified adjudicators from Colorado, Nebraska, and Missouri. Community theatres interested in participating can find entry information, the AACTFest 2009 Handbook, and a preliminary calendar of events at the CLTP’s website, http://www.cheyennelittletheatre.org/. Questions should be emailed to rbernhard@cheyennelittletheatre.org.

Anyone may purchase tickets to attend performances or, for a small registration fee, attend workshops. More information on tickets and workshop fees will be available on the CLTP website in mid-January, 2009. The Wyoming State AACT Play Festival offers exciting opportunities for everyone interested in live theatre.

Emerson String Quartet returns to UW

From a UW press release:

The Emerson String Quartet will perform Thursday, Oct. 23, for the eighth time in the University of Wyoming Cultural Programs' concert series.

That'll make one concert for each of the ensemble's eight Grammy Awards.

The quartet, which made its debut at UW in the 1970s, shortly after the release of its first album, will perform at 7:30 p.m. in the Fine Arts Center concert hall in Laramie. Tickets for the third of five fall concerts cost $20 for adults and $17 for students and senior citizens. Tickets are available by calling the Fine Arts Center box office at (307) 766-6666 or at the Web site www.uwyoedu/finearts.

"There are so many fine string quartets around these days that we don't like to think in terms of ‘best' or ‘greatest,'" says Cedric Reverand, UW Cultural Programs director. "So, we'll just say this about Emerson: There is no finer string quartet in the world."

FMI: Fine Arts Center box office at (307) 766-6666 or go to www.uwyo.edu/finearts