Deadline approaches for WAC Blanchan and Doubleday writing awards

B/D judge Katie Coles knows poetry and prose and icebergs.

Call for entries to writers in Wyoming!

The postmark deadline for applications for the Blanchan and Doubleday writing competitions is Nov. 2 -- a week from this Friday. Here is some info about the contests and this year's judge.

These awards are designed to bring attention to writers who have not yet received wide recognition for their work, and to support emerging writers at crucial times in their careers. Poets, fiction writers, essayists, and script writers who have published no more than one book in each genre and who are not students or faculty members are invited to apply by submitting manuscripts and an entry form by the deadline.

The Neltje Blanchan Award, $1,000, is given for the best poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, or script which is informed by a relationship with the natural world.

The Frank Nelson Doubleday Award, $1,000, is given for the best poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, or script written by a woman author.

POSTMARK DEADLINE IS NOVEMBER 2, 2012

Applications have been mailed to those on the Wyoming Arts Council literary arts lists. A printable application is available on the WAC web site at 
http://wyoarts.state.wy.us/Artists/Index.aspx

Katharine Coles will serve as the judge for the 2013 Neltje Blanchan and Frank Nelson Doubleday writing awards.

Coles will travel to Wyoming next spring for a reading with the Blanchan and Doubleday awardees. Details will be available in February 2013. 

Katharine Coles’ fifth and sixth collections of poems, The Earth Is Not Flat and Flight, are forthcoming in 2013 and 2015 from Red Hen Press.  Her poems, essays, and stories have appeared in such journals as The Paris Review, The Gettysburg Review, Poetry, Image, Seneca Review, North American Review, Southwest Review, DIAGRAM, and Ascent.  In 2009-10, she served as the inaugural director of the Harriet Monroe Poetry Institute for the Poetry Foundation. She is a professor at the University of Utah, where she founded and co-directs the Utah Symposium in Science and Literature. She is a 2012 Guggenheim Foundation Fellow.

In 2010, she traveled to Antarctica to write poems under the auspices of the National Science Foundation’s Antarctic Artists and Writers Program

Nancy Curtis featured in spring issue of The Wyoming Woman Magazine

The spring issue of The Wyoming Woman Magazine is out and it features a profile of publisher Nancy Curtis, recipient of a 2010 Governor's Arts Award. It was written by Saratoga writer Lori Van Pelt, winner of a 2010 creative writing fellowship in poetry from the Wyoming Arts Council. One astonishing fact from the article: Nancy was a founding member of Wyoming Writers, Inc., and WyoPoets, both of Wyoming's statewide writing groups (WyoPoets holds its annual meeting this weekend in Casper). She's also published three of Lori's books, and books by many other state and regional writers. Get more info at www.highplainspress.com

WWInc at MPiBA this weekend; MPiBA director resigns

Lisa Knudsen, Colorado-based director of the Mountains and Plains Indpendent Booksellers Association, has announced she is leaving at the end of the year. Many booksellers in Wyoming are members of this organization. The big MPiBA convention will be held in Denver this weekend. Look for the Wyoming Writers, Inc., table. Here's info about the event from Anne Heberelin, who coordinates the WWInc table with John Nesbitt:

Mountain & Plains Independent Booksellers Association (MPIBA) holds their exclusive expo every September. Booksellers, book distributors, publishing houses, and upon occasion editors and agents attend looking to place book orders, market their latest publications, meet their customers, and search for new talent. By participating in this event WWInc. members have an opportunity to market their works, meet their public, and maybe network a book signing.

This event is one where you can “put yourself out there” from a safe place, in the company of friends and fellow writers. This year’s event takes place September 23 – 25th. The event is being held at the Denver Tech Center Marriott. There will be a wrap-up article in the next WWInc. newsletter.

More on Knudsen here

"Day for Writers" at Cheyenne Barnes & Noble

A "Day for Writers" at Cheyenne Barnes and Noble on Saturday, September 18, 10 a.m.–3 p.m

If you are an aspiring writer, please join local authors at Cheyenne B&N this Saturday for a day of inspiration and instruction.

10:00 — John Nesbitt – “The Plan”

11:00 — Joanne Kennedy– “Getting Started”

12:00 — Tina Ann Forkner– “Creating a Writing Community”

1:00 – Amanda Cabot — “Like Fine Champagne: The Art of Sparkling Dialogue”

2:00 – Discussion Panel: Writing & Publishing (Nesbitt, Forkner, Cabot, and Kennedy)

3:00 — Amanda Cabot – “Surviving Rejection and Other Detours on the Writer’s Path to Success”

FMI: B&N at 307-632-3000.

Julianne Couch essay in New West

Laramie's Julianne Couch teaches at UW, works as a free-lance writer, is a member of the Wyoming Arts Council artist roster and is a Wyoming Writers, Inc., board member planning the group's 2011 conference. She's also working on a new book. Whew! She notifies wyomingarts that she just published her first "official" piece in New West. Here are the opening paragraphs:

Shaded under a cluster of evergreens in the Medicine Bow National Forest, I watch the family of our friend Mark deliver part of him back to Wyoming from where he lived in Missouri, a few months after his death.

About 50 friends and family gathered to witness Mark’s wife and daughter scatter his ashes into a swift and shallow mountain stream. His dust the color of bentonite disappears like fiber powder into the waters of Douglas Creek. Part of Mark is bound for the Platte River, then will leave Wyoming for the Missouri River, then the Mississippi, then finally, the Gulf of Mexico and the ocean beyond.

You will want to read the entire essay at http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/a_western_sense_of_place_knowing_who_we_are_by_where_we_are/C39/L39/

Daily Yonder: "Wyoming Writers Circle the Wagons"

Check out this article by Julianne Couch of Laramie:

Wyoming Writers Circle the Wagons in the Daily Yonder

Julianne is on the Wyoming Arts Council's artist roster. Bring her to your community with an Arts Across Wyoming grant. More info at http://www.wyomingartscouncil.org/

New York Times education blog features Pat Frolander's "Denial" in "Poetry Pairing" series

The Learning Network, a New York Times blog, has a weekly “Poetry Pairing” series. In collaboration with the Poetry Foundation, TLN features a work from Ted Kooser's American Life in Poetry project alongside content from The Times that somehow "echoes, extends or challenges the poem’s themes."

This week's poem is "Denial" by Pat Frolander of Sundance, Wyoming, long-time member of Wyoming Writers, Inc., WyoPoets and Bear Lodge Writers (see June 24 wyomingarts post).

To read Pat's poem, Ted Kooser's intro and the accompanying NYT story, "Getting on with life after a partner dies," go to http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/

Frolander's poem chosen for American Life in Poetry

Sundance poet Patricia Frolander has had her poem chosen for the American Life in Poetry series, sent out by http://www.americanlifeinpoetry.org/, sponsored by former U.S. Poet Laureate Ted Kooser of Nebraska.

The series is carried by newspapers, while a large number of readers receive the column via e-mail subscription. Current readership is approaching 4,000,000 per week. The audience includes readers from Indonesia, Uganda, Bangladesh, Australia, New Zealand, Peru, Poland, Germany, Italy, France, Canada and the U.K., as well as U.S. readers from Maine to Hawaii.

The New York Times education blog -- The Learning Network -- will feature the ALIP weekly poem along with a piece from the Times that elaborates upon the poem's themes.

Pat was a featured artist in WAC's Artscapes Fall 2009 issue. Pat is also a member of Bear Lodge Writers, Wyoming Writers, Inc., and WyoPoets.

Call for proposals: Wyoming Writers, Inc.

Four new Wyoming Writers, Inc., board members were elected at last week's 36th annual conference in Cody. They are Cindy Bower, Casper; Carol Deering, Riverton; Carol Eckhardt, Chugwater; and John D. Nesbitt, Torrington.

One of the new board's immediate tasks is to find people to do various tasks, such as bookkeeping, webmastering, and newsletter editing. WWInc is seeking proposals in which respondents indicate the tasks they could do for WWInc and what you’d like in return.

For more information, including detailed descriptions of these tasks, please contact board past president Joe Megeath at jmegeath@q.com. Proposals and supporting resumes are due by June 30. Winning proposals will be announced by July 31.

For more about WWInc, Wyoming's statewide writers' group, go to www.wyowriters.org

On the eve of the 36th annual WWInc conference

NASCAR driver & writer J. Couch of Laramie is all revved up about the Wyoming Writers, Inc., conference

Still time to join us in Cody June 4-6 for the 36th annual Wyoming Writers, Inc., conference.

Impressive line-up of writers, poets, editors and agents conducting workshops and presentations. Also open mic readings, roundtables with noted excperts in their fields (such as the wyomingarts blog) and a tour of the BBHC.

Get all the info at http://www.wyowriters.org/

Roripaughs lead session about Heart Mountain during Wyoming Writers, Inc., conference

Lee Ann Roripaugh

At the Wyoming Writers, Inc., conference June 4-6 in Cody, there will be a session about the Heart Mountain Relocation Camp. During World War II, the camp was home to more than 10,000 Japanese-Americans relocated from the West Coast. The camp is now a National Historical Site and an interpretive center is under construction.

The Heart Mountain session will be conducted by Wyoming Poet Laureate Emeritus Robert Roripaugh, his wife Yoshiko and their daughter, Lee Ann, a Laramie native who now teaches creative writing at the University of South Dakota. Lee Ann will read selections from her award-winning poetry book, "Beyond Heart Mountain."

This presentation will be held on Friday, June 4, 7-8 p.m., at the Holiday Inn at the Buffalo Bill Resort in Cody. A book signing will follow. Both events are free and open to the public.

FMI: http://www.wyowriters.org/; http://www.heartmountain.us/

May 20 final day for WWInc early bird rates

Thursday, May 20, is the final day to register for the 2010 Wyoming Writers, Inc., conference with early bird rates. The conference will be held June 4-6 in Cody.

The early bird rate is $155 per person for members and $170 for non-members. After May 20, that rate goes up to $175 and $200, respectively.

Join WWInc when you register and pay only the member rate for the conference!

The conference features workshops and presentations by Edgar and Spur Award-winning author Max McCoy; award-winning novelist and Wyoming Poet Laureate (1996-2002) Robert Roripaugh; Lee Ann Roripaugh, winner of the National Poetry Series Prize for her book "Beyond Heart Mountain;" literary agents Suzie Townsend of Fine Print Literary Management and Gordon Warnock of Andrea Hurst Literary Management; and UW/CC humanities professtor and Wyoming Arts Council board chair Bruce Richardson.

Find a printable registration form at the WWInc web site at http://www.wyowriters.org/

Early registration deadline extended to May 20 for Wyoming Writers, Inc., conference in Cody

Wyoming Writers, Inc., has extended its early bird conference registration deadline to May 20. The conference will be held June 4-6 in Cody.

The early bird rate is $155 per person for members and $170 for non-members. After May 20, that rate goes up to $175 and $200, respectively.

Join WWInc when you register and pay only the member rate for the conference!

The conference features workshops and presentations by Edgar and Spur Award-winning author Max McCoy; award-winning novelist and Wyoming Poet Laureate (1996-2002) Robert Roripaugh; Lee Ann Roripaugh, winner of the National Poetry Series Prize for her book "Beyond Heart Mountain;" literary agents Suzie Townsend of Fine Print Literary Management and Gordon Warnock of Andrea Hurst Literary Management; and UW/CC humanities professtor and Wyoming Arts Council board chair Bruce Richardson.

Find a printable registration form at the WWInc web site at http://www.wyowriters.org/

Award-winning filmmaker creating short film for Heart Mountain Interpretive Center

The Heart Mountain Internment Camp between Cody and Powell will be the among the first of these World War II sites to have its own interpretive center. Construction on the exterior is nearing completion. Work during the next year will focus on the interior.

The Heart Mountain Foundation has received a series of grants ever since the camps were designated National Historic Sites by the National Park Service. Wyoming Writers, Inc., will conduct a session about Heart Mountain as part of its annual conference June 4-6 in Cody. It will feature Laramie native Lee Ann Roripaugh, author of the award-winning book of poetry "Beyond Heart Mountain;" her father, Bob Roripaugh, poet, novelist and Wyoming Poet Laureate Emeritus; and his wife Yoshiko, a native of Japan. The presentation will be held 7-8 p.m. on Friday, June 4, at the Cody Holiday Inn. This session is free and open to the public (find info on conference registration at WWInc web site).

Meanwhile, good news keeps coming in for the Heart Mountain Foundation. Here's a Billings Gazette story by Ruffin Prevost:

An award-winning filmmaker with a personal connection to Heart Mountain is creating a short film to be shown at a new museum that will open next year at the site of the historic internment camp.

Steven Okazaki (shown in photo), 58, whose father was among the 11,000 internees at Heart Mountain, won an Academy Award for his 1990 documentary, “Days of Waiting.”

The film tells the story of Estelle Ishigo, a Caucasian woman who voluntarily joined her Japanese-American husband, Arthur Ishigo, in a detention camp in California and, later, at Heart Mountain. Ishigo, an artist, documented camp life in drawings and photographs, many of which Okazaki used in “Days of Waiting.”

“We’re very excited about his creativity and ability to take this subject, which is quite complex, and bring it to life for visitors,” said Dave Reetz, executive director of the Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation.

The nonprofit group has raised $3.5 million toward a goal of $5.3 million for an 11,000-square-foot interpretive learning center under construction at the site of the former camp.

Heart Mountain was one of 10 camps across the country where 110,000 Japanese-Americans were held during World War II. It will be the second site with a museum. The National Park Service manages an interpretive site at Manzanar, on the eastern side of California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains.

Born in Los Angeles, Okazaki now lives in San Francisco. He won an Emmy award in 2008 for “White Light/Black Rain: The Destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.” He also has earned Oscar nominations for three other films, including “Unfinished Business.” That documentary tells the stories of three men seeking to overturn their convictions 40 years after they refused a government order to enter internment camps like Heart Mountain.

Okazaki’s new film will be about 10 minutes long, and will introduce visitors to the broad range of social issues and historical background covered at the Heart Mountain center, Reetz said.

Reetz and other foundation members have been working with Okazaki to develop key points to be covered in the film, and to integrate it with exhibits being designed by Split Rock Studios. The Minnesota-based firm has developed installations for the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Los Angeles, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation Visitor Center in Missoula and more than 100 other sites.

John D. Nesbitt of Torrington wins two Spur Awards from WWA

This news from Western Writers of America came out last week but it's worth repeating because writers from Wyoming fared so well.

Here's the WWA press release:

Western Writers of America announced the winners and finalists of its annual literary contest Saturday, March 20, during the National Festival of the West in Scottsdale, Ariz.

John D. Nesbitt of Torrington (shown in photo dueing book signing at Cheyenne's City News) won two Spurs, claiming his second consecutive Spur for Best Original Mass Market Paperback Novel with “Stranger in Thunder Basin” (Leisure Books) and for Best Western Short Fiction Story, “At the End of the Orchard” ( Hardboiled Magazine).

Winners and finalists will be honored at the WWA Convention, June 22-26 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Knoxville, Tennessee.

The complete list of winners and finalists:

Long Novel -- Winner: Robert Flynn, “Echoes of Glory” (TCU Press). Finalists: Bob Cherry, “One-Eyed Jacks” (Cicada Wing); Mary E. Trimble, “Tenderfoot” (Treble Heart).

Short Novel -- Winner: Robert Olmstead, “Far Bright Star” (Algonquin). Finalists: Sandi Ault, “Wild Sorrow” (Berkley Prime Crime); Robert Greer, “Spoon” (Fulcrum).

Mass Market Paperback -- Winner: John D. Nesbitt, “Stranger in Thunder Basin” (Leisure). Finalists: Lyle Brandt, “Hanging Judge” (Penguin/Berkley); William Blinn, “A Cold Place in Hell” (Pinnacle/Kensington).

Nonfiction-Biography -- Winner: David C. Humphrey, “Peg Leg” (Texas State Historical Society). Finalists: Clyde Milner and Carol O’Connor, “As Big as the West: The Pioneer Life of Granville Stuart” (Oxford University Press); Polly Aird, “Mormon Convert/Mormon Defector: A Scottish Immigrant in the American West (Arthur H. Clark).

Nonfiction-Historical -- Winner: Douglas C. McChristian, “Fort Laramie” (Arthur H. Clark). Finalists: William B. Schillingberg, “Dodge City: The Early Years, 1872-1886” (Arthur H. Clark); Paul Horsted, Ernest Grafe and Jon Nelson, “Crossing the Plains with Custer (Golden Valley Press).

Nonfiction-Contemporary -- Winner: Charles H. Harris III and Louis R. Sadler, “The Secret War in El Paso: Mexican Revolutionary Intrigue, 1906-1920” (University of New Mexico Press). Finalists: Katherine Benton-Cohen, “Borderline Americans: Racial Division and Labor War in the Arizona Borderlands” (Harvard University Press); Timothy Egan, “The Big Burn: Teddy Roosevelt and the Fire That Saved America” (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt).

Short Nonfiction -- Winner: Roger Di Silvestro, “Teddy’s Ride to Recovery” (Wild West). Finalists: Kerry Oman, “Rejoicing in the Beauties of Nature: The Image of the Western Landscape During the Fur Trade” (Great Plains Quarterly); Michael A. Amundson, “These Men Play Real Polo: An Elite Sport in the Cowboy State, 1890-1930” (Montana: The Magazine of Western History).

Short Fiction -- Winner: John D. Nesbitt, “At the End of the Orchard” (Hardboiled Magazine). Finalists: Matthew Mayo, “Half a Pig” (Express Westerns); J.J. Clark, “As Is” (High Desert Journal).

Juvenile Fiction -- Winner: Johnny D. Boggs, “Hard Winter” (Five Star). Finalists: Victoria McKernan, “The Devil’s Paintbox” (Knopf); Melodie Cuate, “Journey to Goliad” (Texas Tech University Press).

Juvenile Nonfiction -- Winner: Nancy Plain, “With One Sky Above Us” (Mondo Publishing). Finalists: Annica Benning, “Arizona: Nations and Arts” (Walnut Canyon Press); Charles C. Mann, “Before Columbus: The Americas of 1491” (Atheneum/Simon & Schuster).

Storyteller -- Winner: Sandra Day O'Connor (author) and Tom Pohrt (illustrator), “Finding Susie” (Random House); Finalists: Joe Gribnau (author) and Adrian Tans (illustrator), “Kick the Cowboy” (Pelican); Vaunda Micheaux Nelson (author) and R. Gregory Christie (illustrator), “Bad News for Outlaws: The Remarkable Life of Bass Reeves, Deputy U.S. Marshal” (Lerner Publishing).

Documentary -- Winner: Candy Moulton, “In Pursuit of a Dream” (Boston Productions Inc.). Finalists: Ric Burns, “We Shall Remain: Tecumseh’s Vision” (WGBH); Lyman Hafen, “Born to Ride” (Southern Utah University).

Poem -- Winner: Paul Zarzyski, “Bob Dylan Bronc Song” (Two Medicine). Finalists: David Memmott, “Where the Yellow Brick Road Turns West” (Wordcraft of Oregon); Larry D. Thomas, “Glass Mountains” (Southwestern American Literature).

Audiobook -- Winner: Gary McCarthy, “River Thunder” (Books in Motion). Finalists: Monty McCord, Mundy’s Law (Books in Motion); Phil Mills Jr., “Where a Good Wind Blows” (Books in Motion).

Song -- Winner: Wylie Gustafson and Paul Zarzyski, “Hang-n-Rattle: (Two Medicine Music/Bucking Horse Moon Music). Finalists: Steve Moulton, “Steamboat” (Butch Hause/The Ranger Station); Daron Little, “Pete French” (self-published).

Call for entries (updated): Wyoming Writers, Inc., annual writing contest

Here's a revised press release about the Wyoming Writers contest. Notice there is some prize money added to the pot now.

Wyoming Writers Inc. is seeking participants to enter its Annual Writing Contest.

Prose entries are limited to 3,000 words. Categories are:

Adult Fiction (including science-fiction, mystery, romance, NO horror or erotica)

Fiction for Children

Novel Segments (maximum of three)

Humor

Non-fiction (includes articles, essays, and creative non-fiction)

Poetry entries have 40-line limit. Categories are:

Traditional Poetry

Free Verse.

Entry fees are $2 per entry for WWInc. members, $5 for non-members. All entries must include a cover sheet and be postmarked by Friday, April 2, 2010.

Mail entries to:
Chris Williams
WWInc. Contest
3229 NW Gumwood Ave.
Corvallis, OR 97330.

NO ENTRIES WILL BE RETURNED.

Winners will be announced at the WWInc. 2010 conference at the Holiday Inn in Cody. Certificates and monetary prizes (minimums for 1st - $25, 2nd - $10, and 3rd - $5) will be awarded, the winning entries will be published on the WWInc. website,
www.wyowriters.org.

Find contest rules and entry form on the Wyoming Writers Inc., web site, http://www.wyowriters.org/events.html.

More info -- and links -- for WWInc conference

The 36th Annual Wyoming Writers, Inc. Writers Conference will be held in Cody June 4-6. The host facility this year is the Buffalo Bill Resort which includes The Holiday Inn, The Comfort Inn, and The Buffalo Bill Cabins. Nearby is the Buffalo Bill Historic Center with five museums.

Our conference features workshops and round table discussions with renown Spur Award-winning author and investigative journalist, Max McCoy; former Wyoming Poet Laureate and award-winning novelist, Robert Roripaugh; winner of the National Poetry Series and English Professor at University of South Dakota, Lee Ann Roripaugh (shown in photo); and literary agents Gordon Warnock from Andrea Hurst Literary and Suzie Townsend from FinePrint.

Our opening evening event includes a discussion of the Heart Mountain Relocation Camp, located near Cody and where thousands of Japanese-Americans were interred during World War II. Speakers during this event will be members of the Roripaugh Family.

Our Keynote Speaker on Saturday evening, June 5, will be Max McCoy. With two coveted Spur Awards for his Western novels and years as an investigative journalist, McCoy brings immense experience to the table.

Literary agents Suzie Townsend and Gordon Warnock look forward to meeting authors and discussing their work with an eye toward possible representation. Both agents will be conducting six-minute pitch sessions at this conference.

Closing session on Sunday will feature a talk by Bruce Richardson, University of Wyoming professor and chairman of the Wyoming Arts Council board. Bruce will address the Wyoming arts scene -- and the role that poets and writers play in it.

Register now at http://www.wyowriters.org/.

See what WWInc members are up to on the org's Facebook site at http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/group.php?gid=281346116621 or on Twitter at http://twitter.com/WyomingWriters

Register now for Wyoming Writers, Inc., annual conference in Cody

Wyoming Writers, Inc., opens registration for annual conference in Cody:

Since 1974, Wyoming Writers, Inc. has educated, inspired, and connected a generation of writers in the American West. Join us in Cody, Wyoming at the Holiday Inn for our 36th Annual Conference, June 4-6, 2010.

The city of Cody—named in honor of famed Wild West showman, Buffalo Bill—is located in the northwest corner of Wyoming, and is less than fifty miles from Yellowstone: America’s first and most-spectacular national park. Cody is home to the Buffalo Bill Historical Center and its five museums, all located under one roof. Art galleries and shops abound, as do attractions devoted to local history. Old Trail Town is located just west of the city.

Fifteen miles east is the Heart Mountain Relocation Camp and Memorial. Once sagebrush-covered prairie, the Heart Mountain area was transformed into the third largest city in Wyoming when thousands of Japanese-Americans were ‘relocated’ there following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. The camp and its history will be the topic for our opening presentation on June 4th.

With the majesty of Yellowstone at its doorstep, Cody is a slice of the Old West—of America—not to be missed. We hope you’ll join us here in June.

Find the list of presenters and more info at: http://www.wyowriters.org/

Print out this form -- or cut and paste into a Word doc -- fill out, enclose check, and send to the address at the bottom of the form

Wyoming Writers Conference Registration
Holiday Inn at The Buffalo Bill Resort
June 4-6, 2010; Cody, Wyoming

Name _______________________________

Address______________________________

City, State, Zip_________________________

Phone _______________________________

Email _______________________________

Website______________________________

NOTE: Conference Registration includes all meals on Saturday, including the Banquet, and Sunday Breakfast.

Early Bird Registration postmarked by MAY 4, 2010:
Members: $155 x ______ persons = $________
Non-members: $170 x ______ persons = $________
Not a member??? Join below, get member benefits and take the member discount!

Registration AFTER May 4, 2010:
Members $175 x ________ persons = $________
Non-members: $200 x ________ persons = $________

Guest Meal Tickets – for those not registered for the conference:
Saturday Breakfast $15.00 x ________ persons = $ ________
Saturday Lunch $17.00 x ________ persons = $ ________
Saturday Banquet $25.00 x ________ persons = $ ________
Sunday Breakfast $15.00 x ________ persons = $ ________

Annual Membership Dues:

For fiscal year July 1, 2010 through June 30, 2011
Membership types: Regular $35. Sustaining Membership $75; Patron $250; Student $10. Student fee must be accompanied by student ID or other proof of status.

Type of Membership (select one):

Regular ($35) ____ Sustaining ($75) _____ Patron ($250) _____ Student ($10) _____

Add all costs you have selected on this page. TOTAL ENCLOSED _____________

Make checks payable to Wyoming Writers, Inc. and mail with this form to:
Pat Frolander; 19652 Hwy 14; Sundance, WY 82729

Deadline is April 2 for WWInc writing contest

Wyoming Writers Inc. (WWInc.) is seeking participants to enter the annual Writing Contest.

Prose entries are limited to 3,000 words and the categories are:
Adult Fiction (which includes genre fiction such as science-fiction, mystery, romance, but no horror or erotica)
Fiction for Children
Novel Segments
Humor
Non-fiction (includes articles, essays, and creative non-fiction)

Poetry entries are limited to 40 lines and the categories are:
Traditional Poetry
Free Verse

Entry fees are $2 per entry for WWInc. members and $5 for non-members.

All entries must include an entry form and be postmarked on or before Friday, April 2, 2010.
Mail your entries to: Ms. Chris Williams, WWInc. Contest, 3229 NW Gumwood Ave., Corvallis, OR 97330.

Winners will be announced at WWInc.'s 2010 conference held June 4-6 at the Holiday Inn in Cody. Certificates will be awarded. Winning entries will be published on the WWInc. web site.

Contest rules and entry form can be found on the WWInc. web site, www.wyowriters.org/events.html

Max McCoy to deliver keynote & conduct workshops at 2010 WWInc conference

Max McCoy will be a presenter at the annual conference for Wyoming Writers, Inc., at the Holiday Inn in Cody June 4-6.

Here's a description of Max's presentations during the conference:

Saturday workshop sessions:
1. "Find your story." Why narrative matters, narrowing a topic down to a story, and how the best stories often find you. The similarities between good journalism and good scholarship.
2. "Find your audience." Determining how big your story is, who you're writing for, and how to pitch an editor. Also, answering the big question: are you writing for love or money?
3. "Find your voice." Putting it all together, honing a style and tone that is appropriate, knowing the rules and knowing when to break them.

Saturday keynote address: "Narratives of the Damned." Max McCoy talks about interviewing and writing about those on the edges of society, from a-bomb survivors in Hiroshima to serial killers on American death rows -- and what their stories reveal about truth, writing, and (maybe even) art.

Sunday morning roundtable: "Sunday Morning with Max McCoy," discussion and Q&A.

Bio:

Native Kansan Max McCoy is an award-winning journalist and novelist.

He won the Spur award in 2008 from the Western Writers of America for his novel, Hellfire Canyon. It’s the story of a 13-year-old boy and his mother who walk across Missouri during the Civil War and become part of the gang lead by Alf Bolin, the notorious Ozark serial killer. Hellfire Canyon was also named a Kansas 2008 Notable Book.

McCoy is the author of fifteen other books, including four original Indiana Jones adventures for LucasFilm and the novelization of Steven Spielberg’s Into the West. His fiction debut, The Sixth Rider, about the 1892 raid on Coffeyville’s banks by the Dalton Gang, was published by Doubleday and won the Spur/Medicine Pipe Award for Best First Novel by the Western Writers of America.

USA Today has described his writing as “powerful.” In addition to westerns and historical fiction, McCoy also writes contemporary adventures. Publishers Weekly called his novel, The Moon Pool, an “intelligent thriller… tightly drawn characters, a vile villain and a satisfying, thought-provoking conclusion make this a compelling read.”

McCoy grew up in Baxter Springs and most of his books are set in Kansas or Missouri. He began his career in journalism at the Pittsburg Morning Sun and writing for pulp magazines such as True Detective and Front-Page Detective. Most recently, he was the investigative writer for the Joplin Globe. He has won first-place awards in investigative journalism for his stories on serial killers and hate groups.

His latest book is Canyon Diablo (Kensington 2010), a sequel to Hellfire Canyon.

McCoy’s an assistant professor of journalism at Emporia State University and working on a nonfiction book about meteorite hunters in Kansas. He is also at work on a new novel, Damnation Road.

For more information about the 2010 WWInc conference, go to http://www.wyowriters.org/