Call for entries: PEN American Center

The PEN American Center, the U.S. branch of the world’s oldest international literary and human rights organization, annually awards over $100,000 in literary awards, including the $5,000 PEN/Phyllis Naylor Working Writer Fellowship to an author working on a piece of children's or young-adult fiction. This fellowship honors a writer whose work is of high literary caliber, but who may not yet have attracted a broad readership, to pursue long-term or book-length projects that might not otherwise be possible. Eligible writers have two published works and must be nominated by PEN members. Click here for full guidelines and nomination procedures. Deadline Feb. 3.

"Free expression in the academy" Nov. 13 in Jackson

From a UW press release:

What are the promises and perils of our increasingly digital world? Who pays for dealing with climate change? Who should speak at a public university?

Three University of Wyoming professors tackle these questions Saturday, Nov. 13, from 8:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., during Saturday U: The Free One-Day College Education at the National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson.

Now in its second year, Saturday U is a collaborative program designed to connect top UW professors with life-long learners in Jackson Hole. This free college experience offers Jackson residents an opportunity to exercise their minds without homework, or tests - the only requirement is a love of learning.

Offered three times a year, Saturday U is sponsored by the University of Wyoming, UW Foundation and Wyoming Humanities Council. It is presented by Central Wyoming College, National Museum of Wildlife Art and Teton County Library Foundation. For information, contact Teton County Library Adult Humanities Coordinator, Oona Doherty, (307) 733-2164 ext. 135 or odoherty@tclib.org

Participants may earn half a college credit (in-state tuition is $44.50) or half a Professional Teaching Standards Board credit from Central Wyoming College. To register for credit, call Susan Thulin, CWC outreach coordinator, (307) 733-7425.

WYO Theater presents acoustic Steve Earle

Musician and songwriter Steve Earle will perform in concert at the WYO Theater in Sheridan on Saturday, Aug. 8, 8 p.m. Tickets are $29 adult and $27 senior, military and students.

Here's the announcement from the WYO Theater web site:

The WYO is proud to present a special solo acoustic concert of Steve Earle, touring in support of his new album Townes, a 15-song set comprised of songs written by Earle's friend and mentor, the late singer-songwriter, Townes Van Zandt (Pancho and Lefty and White Freightliner Blues, to name just two). Townes debuted May 28 at number 19 on the Billboard Top 200 chart, the highest debut in Earle's career, and at number 6 on the Billboard Country Chart.

Earle is a master storyteller in his own right, with songs recorded by Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Emmylou Harris, Waylon Jennings, Travis Tritt, The Pretenders, Joan Baez and countless others. His 1986 debut record, Guitar Town, shot to number one on the country charts immediately establishing the term "new country" or sometimes "alt-country," followed by an exciting array of twelve releases including the biting hard rock of Copperhead Road (1988), the politically-charged Jerusalem (2002) and, more recently, the Grammy-winning albums The Revolution Starts...Now (2004) and Washington Square Serenade (2007).

FMI: http://www.steveearle.com/. Listen to Steve Earle's acoustic version of Pancho and Lefty at http://www.myspace.com/steveearlemusic

Wyoming premiere of "Straightlaced" April 1 at Shepard Symposium on Social Justice

Fall issue of Wyoming Artscapes out

Back cover, Artscapes. Graphic Designer, Laura Patridge

Fall issue of the newsletter is out. Read managing editor Mike Shay's absorbing recap of Salman Rushdie's talk during his visit to Laramie on September 25.

Fused glass class article by editor Linda Coatney.

Director Rita Basom talked about the upcoming 2009 Arts Summit.

Arts Council Board Chair Bruce Richardson finishes up his advocacy series with the third installment, "Jerry the Auto Mechanic Sing Opera: Artist/Workers and Worker/Artists in Wyoming."

Other articles include the Wyoming Governors' portrait unveiling, Piatigorsky mini-tour, the Poetry Out Loud state competition in Cheyenne, Aboriginal Elder Yidumduma Bill Harney's visit to UW, and the State Museum permanent works exhibit.

The artist spotlights were on Kevin Holdsworth, a writer living in Green River who is professor of English at WWCC and director of Western American Studies; the classic cowboy music group, Bar J Wranglers from Wilson, Wyoming; and Florence McEwin, also a Green River resident and professor of art and gallery director at WWCC.

Folk Arts intern Pamela Sari, wrote about Diwali Nite at UW. Reba Jo Teran of Ft. Washakie received a coveted Folk Arts grant.

Don't forget about the Governor's Arts Awards celebration in Cheyenne, February 13, 2009. Our next issue, out in late January, will profile all of the awardees.

If you'd like to get on the newsletter mailing list, call Evangeline at (307) 777-7742.

Teton Co. Library presents "Turning Real Life Into Fiction" with Chris Crutcher

From a press release:

Chris Crutcher doesn't back down from writing about real life.

As the author of ten novels for teens, a therapist and child protection advocate, Crutcher tackles subjects such as child abuse, depression, censorship and racism.

Teton County Library hosts a free evening program "Turning Real Life into Fiction" with acclaimed author Chris Crutcher on Thursday, November 20 from 7-8 p.m. in the library's Ordway Auditorium. Crutcher will talk about how he turns real life material into compelling, award-winning stories. As an author who has said, "the real creativity in writing comes from the
rewriting process," Crutcher will reveal his writing strategies and answer audience questions. The talk will be followed by a book signing, with booksavailable for purchase from Valley Bookstore.

The library also invites teens to view Crutcher's work on the screen with the Teen Movie Matinee: "Angus," based on the short story "Angus Bethune," on Monday, November 10 from 3:30-5 p.m. in the Ordway Auditorium. The movie is rated PG-13 and suggested for teens age 13 and older. Both events are free and open to the public and sponsored by the Charles Englehard Foundation and through the general support of Teton County Library Foundation.

Crutcher will spend several days in the valley, visiting with students in grades 9-12 at Red Top Meadows, Summit High School and Jackson Hole High School. Many students at these schools are reading Crutcher's work in preparation for his visit. A child-parent book group led by Lynne Wegner will also read titles such as Staying Fat for Sarah Burns and meet with Crutcher while he is in town.

The library's Teen Program Coordinator, Allie Gillen, says that teens, parents and teachers are excited for Crutcher's visit. The library brought the author to the valley in 2002 to rave reviews, and Crutcher's return visit is in direct response to community requests.

In keeping with his popularity, Crutcher's most recent book Deadline is on the short-list of nominees for Wyoming's Soaring Eagle Award for 2008-09. Most notably, recipients of this award (to be given in 2009) are nominated and chosen by students in grades 7-12.

Crutcher's subject matter has also keep him high on another list, the American Library Association's top 10 most frequently challenged authors for 2007. This means that Crutcher's titles received numerous challenges asking libraries to remove Crutcher's books from library shelves. Mark Twain, Phillip Pullman and Toni Morrison are also in the top 10, and the entire
list can be viewed at http://tinyurl.com/3khdpr.

"The Satanic Verses" author to visit Laramie

From a UW press release:

Salman Rushdie, renowned novelist and human rights activist, will visit Laramie this fall as a guest of the University of Wyoming Department of English L.L. Smith Lecture Series.

The internationally-acclaimed writer will speak and answer audience questions at 5 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 25, in the UW College of Arts and Sciences auditorium. The event is free and open to the public.

Friday, Sept. 26, from 9-10:30 a.m at the Albany County Public Library (ACPL), Rushdie will lead a breakfast conversation about his writing. Attendance is free, but seating is limited. To reserve tickets, call (307) 721-2580 ext. 5456 or e-mail albypr@will.state.wy.us. The event is sponsored by the Albany County Public Library Foundation.

Other events planned for Rushdie's visit include book discussions of "The Satanic Verses" in September, hosted by the ACPL. The University of Wyoming Libraries will provide a limited number of free copies of the novel to the public. Further details about the book discussions will be announced later.

"Salman Rushdie is one of the most successful, controversial and celebrated authors of our time," says Peter Parolin, head of the UW Department of English. "His work has won critical acclaim and widespread commercial success, while his ideas have stimulated, galvanized and provoked."

In 1988, Rushdie published "The Satanic Verses," a satirical novel that explores issues of religious faith and fanatical belief. Rushdie was accused of blasphemy against Islam, and the novel was banned in many Muslim countries. Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini famously issued a fatwa, or religious proclamation, against Rushdie, calling on all faithful Muslims to put him to death. Rushdie spent much of the next 10 years in hiding. He says he still receives "a sort of Valentine's card" every year from Iran, to remind him of the sentence.

Despite the fatwah and the international controversy that followed, Rushdie went on to produce some of his most compelling work while living under the constant threat of death. "Shalimar the Clown" (2005) was an international bestseller and a nominee for both the Booker Prize and the Commonwealth Writer's Prize. He is also a prolific essayist, whose provocative articles are collected in "Step Across This Line" (2002).

Rushdie is currently distinguished writer in residence at Emory University. His 10th novel, "The Enchantress of Florence," was published this spring.

Salman Rushdie on UW fall schedule

From a UW press release:

Salman Rushdie, renowned novelist and human rights activist, will visit Laramie this fall as a guest of the University of Wyoming Department of English L.L. Smith Lecture Series.

The internationally-acclaimed writer will speak and answer audience questions at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 25, in the UW College of Arts and Sciences auditorium. The event is free and open to the public. On Friday, Sept. 26, from 9-10:30 a.m at the Albany County Public Library (ACPL), Rushdie will lead a breakfast conversation about his writing. Attendance is free, but seating is limited. To reserve tickets, contact 307-721-2580 ext. 5456 or albypr@will.state.wy.us. The event is sponsored by the Albany County Public Library Foundation.

Other events planned for Rushdie's visit include book discussions of "The Satanic Verses" in September, hosted by the ACPL. The University of Wyoming Libraries will provide a limited number of free copies of the novel to the public. Further details about the book discussions will be announced later.

"Salman Rushdie is one of the most successful, controversial and celebrated authors of our time," says Peter Parolin, head of the UW Department of English. "His work has won critical acclaim and widespread commercial success, while his ideas have stimulated, galvanized and provoked."

Rushdie is best known for the worldwide storm surrounding his novel "The Satanic Verses," which led to a standing death sentence from the Islamic regime of Iran. Since then, he has been an outspoken advocate for freedom of expression and mutual tolerance.

Rushdie is currently distinguished writer in residence at Emory University near Atlanta. His tenth novel, "The Enchantress of Florence," was published this spring.

The English department's L.L. Smith Lecture Series, named in honor of a former department head, brings distinguished authors to Wyoming. Recent L.L. Smith speakers include Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka and Canadian novelist Michael Ondaatje.

Terry Tempest Williams "Weather Report" project wraps-up

(l) Terry Tempest Williams

On May 5th, Terry Tempest Williams and the graduate student "Weather Report" team held their final "Report." The following story appeared in the Boomerang on May 6, by staff writer Eve Newman.

The energy boom in Wyoming means watching development taking over open spaces. It means jobs that keep families together. It means oil and gas executives feeling vilified. It means dead cottonwoods across ranch land.

Every Wyoming resident has a story about living in Wyoming. For many, those stories have to do with the latest boom cycle and the unprecedented change that’s affecting the land and the people. For others, their stories are about displacement, loss, love, racism, isolation, tolerance or opportunity.

Many Wyoming residents had the chance to share their stories in a public setting this year as part of a project organized by author Terry Tempest Williams, eminent writer-in-residence at the University of Wyoming, and a group of graduate students in the creative writing department at UW.

Through a series of "Weather Reports," Williams and the students visited seven towns around the state to give readings of their work, teach writing workshops and talk with several dozen residents at each stop about what it means to live in Wyoming. Yesterday they gave a report about the project. They talked about what they learned at each stop, the surprising complexity of the issues affecting the state, and the importance of listening.

In Pinedale, the group arrived as the town discovered wells polluted with benzene and was dealing with ozone alerts issued by the Department of Environmental Quality. "We just listened and took notes," said student Brendan Magone. He read a list of quotes the audience said that night:

"We didn’t know what we were up against."
"I like seeing new faces and diverse faces here in town."
"We have to go with it and learn to manage it better."
"We have to fight for it."

In Riverton, residents talked about wanting the same things for their community even though they started with different agendas, according to student Josh Olenslager. "I think people carried away a closer sense of understanding with their neighbors," he said.

In Ethete, the audience talked about social and emotional issues, from being an outsider to racism to tolerance and acceptance.

In Gillette, talk again turned to energy development — fitting for a town with 20 coal-bed methane wells in 1980 and more than 30,000 today, with plans to push that number to more than 80,000 by 2010. "Those facts were daunting," Williams said. "I didn’t know what to expect." She also remembered a trip one morning to a sage grouse lek in the area, surrounded by quiet because the drilling stops during breeding season. "It was just one of those sacred moments where you think, ‘I’m so grateful to be a resident in the state of Wyoming,’" she said.

She called the project and her year at UW "the greatest privilege of my writing life. … I see the state differently." As for the experience of the graduate students, she said, "I believe that our students were able to bear witness to the power of stories. And they heard the force of their own voices." She praised UW for the opportunity to engage her students and the state in the project."If a university cannot be at the forefront of this type of conversation, then what is a university?" she said.

Other cities they visited include Rawlins, Cheyenne and Casper.

Williams, the award-winning author of "Refuge," and other works, writes about nature and culture. Her latest book, "Mosaic: Finding Beauty in a Broken World," will be released this year.For more information about "Weather Reports," visit www.uwyo.edu/ttw.

Eve Newman’s email address is lbedit6@laramieboomerang.com.

Casper College stages "Fahrenheit 451" -- the play and the symposium

The Casper College Department of Theatre and Dance presents "Fahrenheit 451" May 1-3 and 6-10 at 7:30 p.m. on the McMurry Mainstage of the Krampert Theatre (2 p.m. matinee on Sunday, May 3). The play is from the novel by Ray Bradbury and directed by Douglas Garland. Tickets go on sale April 28 and are $12 for adults and $10 for children/students.

On Thursday, May 1, the department will host a symposium, "Future Hopes, Future fears," featuring Casper College faculty and staff of the Nicolaysen Art Museum and Natrona County Public Library. The topic will be the issues confronting humanity's future. In the college's black box theatre.

For those of you who haven't memorized the plot of Bradbury's "Fahrenheit 451," here's a refresher, courtesy of a college press release:

"Fahrenheit 451" is a gripping story both disturbing and poetic: a visionary parable of a society gone awry, in which firemen burn books and the state suppresses learning. Meanwhile, the citizenry sits by in a
drug-induced and media-saturated indifference. More relevant than ever a half-century later, "Fahrenheit 451" has achieved the distinction of being both a literary classic and a perennial bestseller.

For ticket info, phone 1-800-442-2963 ext. 2500 or 307-268-2500. Or go to http://www.caspercollege.edu/.

Listen to Ray Bradbury reading the opening section of the novel at http://cetl.edtech.csulb.edu/f451/

Remembering the blizzard of '49

Local historian Jim Ehrenberger relives one of Wyoming’s harshest winters with his presentation, "The Blizzard of the Century," this month’s Wyoming State Museum lecture, Feb. 14, at 7 p.m., in the Multi-Purpose Room.

Remembered by many as the "Blizzard of ’49," Ehrenberger examines the winter season beginning in November 1948. The famous blizzard that happened several months later left thousands of livestock dead and people stranded throughout the state. President Harry S. Truman called the storm a "national emergency." Using historic photographs, Ehrenberger vividly describes the extent of the storm and the relief efforts that followed.

The Wyoming State Museum is located in the Barrett Building 2301 Central Avenue in Cheyenne. For more information about this and other State Museum programs, please call 777-7022.

Spoken-word artist performs for UW's "Martin Luther King Jr. "Days of Dialogue"

New York City spoken-word artist and author Saul Williams is the keynote speaker for the 2008 Martin Luther King Jr./Days of Dialogue (MLK/DOD) celebration Jan. 21-25, at the University of Wyoming in Laramie.

Williams will perform at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 23, in the Wyoming Union Yellowstone Ballroom. He will read his poetry earlier that day from 11 a.m.-1 p.m., also in the Yellowstone Ballroom. Williams is the author of "The Dead Emcee Scrolls: The Lost Teachings of Hip-Hop" and had the lead role in the movie "Slam."

MLK/DOD is UW's annual celebration of the continuing impact of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s life and ideals. The theme for the seventh annual event, "The Politics of Dialogue," reflects the importance -- and difficulty -- of honest, open communication in a pluralistic society, according to the organizing committee.

The week of special activities renews UW's commitment to make its campus a more welcoming and empowering place for people from different backgrounds, heritages, orientations or abilities, says MLK/DOD committee co-chair Malinda Daniel. Several UW organizations and Laramie businesses sponsor the week's activities.

Most events are free and all are open to the public. Activities during the week are:

Monday, Jan. 21: Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, community service projects, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Laramie; Martin Luther King Jr. March and Dr. Willena Stanford Community Supper, begins at the Albany County Courthouse and ends at the Wyoming Union Yellowstone Ballroom, 4-6:30 p.m. The 2008 Willena Stanford Diversity Award will be presented at the dinner.

Tuesday, Jan. 22: Ellbogen Center for Teaching and Learning book discussion of "Teaching Defiance: Stories and Strategies for Activist Educators, a book written in wartime by Michael Newman", noon-1:30, Coe Library Room 307; performance by Day Acoli, Denver hip-hop poet, 6 p.m., Wyoming Union Yellowstone Ballroom; "One Arab, One Jew, One Stage" comedy show, featuring stand-up comic duo Bob Alper and Azhar Usman, 8 p.m., UW College of Arts and Sciences auditorium.

Wednesday, Jan. 23: "Food of Diversity" smorgasbord, featuring foods from around the world, 4-7 p.m., $10 per person or free to students with UW meal plan, Washakie Dining Center; exhibition of African mud paintings from Kenya and Ghana, reception and gallery viewing with curator Godwill Mock, 5-7 p.m., Wyoming Union Senate Chambers, with the exhibition on display in the ASUW Gallery in the lower level of the Wyoming Union.

Thursday, Jan. 24: Keepers of the Fire Talking Circle, "Going Home Again After College," panel discussion and lunch, including guests Trivia Afraid of Lightning, student from Oglala Lakota College on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, and Patterson Yazzie, communications specialist at American Indian College Fund, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., Wyoming Union Senate Chambers; "Don't Let Others Define You," presentation by Trivia Afraid of Lightning, 3-4 p.m., Wyoming Union Yellowstone Ballroom; performance by Boston-based Soulfege, global urban fusion band, 8 p.m., Yellowstone Ballroom.

Friday, Jan. 25: Talk by Guy Padgett, youngest-ever mayor of Casper and first openly gay mayor in Wyoming, 4 p.m. in the Wyoming Union Family Room; Poetry Slam, 9 p.m., Washakie Center King Street Market.

Among other events are a book display at Coe Library, presentations sponsored by the College of Law and the President's Advisory Council on Minorities' and Women's Affairs (PACMWA), and a Martin Luther King Jr. Day Art Show, featuring art by Laramie K-12 students.

For a detailed listing of all events, visit the UW Web site at http://www.uwyo.edu/mlk.

John Byrne Cooke on war reporting

Teton County Library presents an author talk with Jackson author John Byrne Cooke, who explores the enduring tensions between a free press and government during times of war in his new book.

Cooke will discuss his book, "Reporting the War: Freedom of the Press from the American Revolution to the War on Terrorism" on Wednesday, Jan . 16 from 7:30-8:30 p.m. in the library's Ordway Auditorium in Jackson. The program is free and open to the public. A book signing will follow.

Published in October, Cooke's book has garnered accolades from reviewers, who have deemed it "an incisive, well researched account of war-time reporting and a must-read for those who want to be critical consumers of news." Cooke explores how the press has opposed government war policies; how the government has tried to intimidate and suppress dissenting opinion; and
how the press has worked to inform the public while preserving the principles of the Founding Fathers.

Cooke's first novel, "The Snowblind Moon" (1985), was a featured alternate selection of the Book-of-the-Month Club. His second novel, "South of the Border" (1989), received praise from The Washington Post, which wrote: "Like Michener, Cooke is a historian in novelist's clothing, but he is not as long-winded and his sentences are more graceful."

FMI: Contact the library's Adult Program Coordinator at 733-2164 ext. 135. You can also visit the library online at http://www.tclib.org/.

Read freely on Bill of Rights Day

The Bill of Rights Institute celebrates "Bill of Rights Day" each Dec. 15. Its web site has resources to help educators teach about the Bill of Rights in the classroom.

Here are some of the web site's resources:

"You will find Founders Online, which includes audio clips, biographical essays, classroom activities, and videos on our nation's Founding Fathers; readings for your students on the Bill of Rights; free, complete lesson plans for middle and high school students; and enriching background information from Princeton University Professor Dr. Ken I. Kersch on First Amendment freedoms."

You can also subscribe to monthly e-lessons, such as "The Bill of Rights in the News" and "The Bill of Rights in Times of Crisis."

In October, the American Library Association named the Bill of Rights Institute the best free reference site of 2007. It was described as "an excellent resource for both teachers and high school students.”

Go to http://billofrightsinstitute.org/borday/.