CLTP holds auditions for melodrama

Cheyenne Little Theatre Players is holding auditions for its Old-Fashioned Summer Melodrama.

On Monday and Tuesday, May 12-13, 6:30 p.m., auditions for emcees and olio acts will be held at the Historic Atlas Theatre in downtown Cheyenne. CLTP is looking for Western or vaudeville style acts of 3-5 minutes in length.

On Monday and Tuesday, May 19-20, 6:30 p.m., auditions will be held for cast members. CLTP needs five men and two woman.

FMI: Cathie Chadwick at 307-638-6543.

Beats "On the Road" in Wyo. this summer

From a press release from the Wyoming Humanities Council:

This summer, the Wyoming Humanities Council presents "On the Road: 50 Years of the Beatniks," a summer program about American counterculture in the 1950s and early 1960s. The program includes a book discussion series focusing on Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg and William S. Burroughs; a poetry slam tour of Casper, Cheyenne and Lusk hosted by UW poet and professor Craig Arnold; and a bus trip on June 22 to visit beat locales in Denver. Host sites will also screen B movies from the era.

"The beatniks belong to the history of our region," said humanities council staff member Jenny Ingram. "Thirty pages into ‘On the Road,’ Jack Kerouac visits Cheyenne Frontier Days."

In Laramie, book discussion meetings will take place at the office of the Wyoming Humanities Council. In Casper, Cheyenne and Lusk, they will take place at public libraries.

All programs are free and open to the public. This program is sponsored by the We the People initiative of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

FMI: Jenny Ingram at (307) 721-9247 or jingram@uwyo.edu, or visit www.uwyo.edu/humanities.

New Deal celebration draws crowd to Guernsey

More than 250 people attended the 75th anniversary celebration of the New Deal on Saturday, May 3, at Guernsey State Park.

All of us were thankful that the ceremony was held Saturday under sunny skies and not on Friday, when 60 m.p.h. wind gusts pushed snow through the canyon, shutting down county roads. The wind had been so fierce that the umbrella tent set up for the band was lifted from its moorings and slammed into a tree. It took park service guys all day to get it down and find replacements for the poles bent in the storm.

Saturday's audience sat in folding chairs, munched homemade cookies and sipped lemonade while Prickly Pair of Dubois (shown above) serenaded them with songs from the 1930s. Others toured the park museum, an historic rock building constructed in 1936 by the New Deal's Civilian Conservation Corps. During the New Deal, Guernsey was home to two CCC camps. It was also one of the few camps in the U.S. that was allowed to use skilled labor, which contributed to the multitude of structures in the park that not only look good but are intact 75 years after their construction. That includes the displays inside the museum, as well as its sturdy exterior.

Wyoming State Parks and Cultural Resources Director Milward Simpson opened the ceremonies. The flag ceremony was conducted by the Wyoming Youth Challenge Color Guard. They posted flags representing the U.S., Wyoming, and the CCC, the same type of flag that flew here in 1936.

Next at the podium was Gov. Dave Freudenthal (shown above in front of museum). He said that he had a fondness for the museum, as the rock for its floor was quarried in his hometown of Thermopolis. His parents grew up prior to the Great Depression and were married right out of high school on March 6, 1929. The Depression began on Oct. 29, 1929, with the "Black Friday" stock market crash. Gov. Freudenthal's father would tell his eight children that the president thought that "the day that I married your mother was so important, he closed the banks."

That sort of humor was indicative of the can-do spirit that prompted President Franklin D. Roosevelt to launch the CCC as one of the first acts of his administration once he took office in 1933. Dr. David Kathka of Rock Springs followed the Governor and talked about the New Deal's history. There were eventually 19 CCC camps in Wyoming, each containing about 200 men. The two at Guernsey competed against one another and planted trees and built roads and trails. They built the museum, picnic shelters and the Million Dollar Biffy, one of the most elaborate and well-constructed outdoor restroom facilities in the country.

Dr. Kathka noted that the CCC workers woke up early to the bugle's call and labored most of the day. Each camp was run as if it was a military camp which also served as preparation for the world war that was on the horizon. But the men -- most of them in their twenties -- also played hard, especially at the park's summer water carnival. Photos of camp activities were on display in the museum.

Michael Pettigrew, the mayor of the town of Guernsey, also spoke. Todd Thibodeau from Wyoming State Parks talked about the camp's history. Not widely known, he said, is that Guernsey was the first collaboration between the CCC, Bureau of Reclamation (which built the reservoir dam) and the U.S. Forest Service to create the prototype of a public recreation area. It served as a model to build other recreation facilities at Bureau of Reclamation reservoirs across the U.S., especially in the West.

After the ceremony, there was more time for cookies and music. The event was funded by a grant from the Wyoming Arts Council via a grant from the NEA's American Masterpieces program. Prickly Pair is featured on the WAC's artist roster. Les Hamilton, one of the group's three members, grew up in the Big Horn Basin where his father worked for the CCC in the 1930s. The day's events concluded with guided tours provided by park personnel.

For a profile of Orman Millikin, the local rancher who, as a young man, worked with the CCC at Camp Guernsey and was honored by the Governor at Saturday's ceremony, go to http://www.trib.com/articles/2008/05/04/news/wyoming/doc481bd3f5289f0815347652.txt

UW arts calendar for May 3-4

The following events are on the University of Wyoming arts calendar this weekend:

Saturday, May 3, 7:30 p.m. -- Wyoming Gamelan Chandra Wyoga and Balinese dance performers, College of Education auditorium. Free.

Saturday, May 3, 7:30 p.m. -- UW Department of Music presents the Globe Saxophone Quartet, Fine Arts Center concert hall. Tickets cost $7 for general admission and $5 for students and senior citizens.

Sunday, May 4, 2 p.m. -- The UW Intermediate Dance Composition class will perform its final works, Arts and Sciences auditorium. Free.

Sunday, May 4, 3 p.m. -- UW Department of Music presents the Collegiate Chorale, Fine Arts Center concert hall. Free.

For updates on UW events and activities or go online at www.uwyo.edu/calendar. Visit www.uwyo.edu/finearts for Department of Theatre and Dance and Department of Music event information and tickets.

Students on stage at Dancers' Workshop

The Dancers' Workshop Progress Performance, "Poetry in Motion," will be held in the Jackson Hole Center for the Arts' Theater on Thursday, May 22, 6:30 p.m. All seats are $5. Click Here To Get Tickets.

Dancers' Workshop students -- from five years old on up to adults –- present their annual end-of-the-school-year performance. Student dancers perform works they have spent the past eight to ten weeks performing, with all forms represented: tap, ballet, modern, jazz, hip hop, pointe.

National Finals results for Poetry Out Loud

The competition was fierce.

Fifty-two revved-up high school kids from fifty states, the District of Columbia, and the Virgin Islands came to Washington, D.C., April 28-29 to compete in the national finals for Poetry Out Loud.

Caila Booth, a senior at Buffalo High School, represented Wyoming. She traveled to D.C. with her mom, Kelly. Her dad would have come too, but he had an emergency appendectomy two days before departure.

I attended to see the finals in person, and to meet with my Poetry Out Loud colleagues from other arts agencies. I learned a few things that can help Wyoming boost its participation in a program that can be as vital in the schools as language arts, drama or speech and debate.

The semifinals were held all day on a soggy Monday, April 28, at Lisner Auditorium on the George Washington University campus. The morning semifinal featured representatives from states in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic region, plus D.C. and the Virgin islands. At 1 p.m., contestants from the South and Midwest took the stage. Western and Great Plains states competed in the evening.

I watched presentations by every student in all three regions. Each one recited two poems, which were scored by the judges, who then selected their top eight. Those eight each recited one more poem. Those scores were added to the previous ones to get the four who advanced to the finals.

I was impressed by the calibre of their recitals. I was seated next to Victor Akosile's teacher from McKinley Technology High School in D.C. She told me that Victor grew up with a stutter and he stutters still -- until he goes up on stage. He performed "Famous" by Naomi Shihab Nye and "Calmly We Walk Through This April's Day" by Delmore Schwartz. Great presentations, but he didn't make it to the finals.

Alison Strong did. She's from New Jersey. She performed the very popular -- and difficult -- "Fever 103" by Sylvia Plath. According to a story the next day in USA Today, Strong was puzzled by the complicated poem and didn't know how to approach it until she found a video of Plath herself reading the poem. Tip for students participating in future POL contests: watch the video, if it's available. Not real helpful for John Donne and Emily Dickinson, but most 20th century poets are at least available in audio. Strong also recited "A Supermarket in California," a funny Allen Ginsberg poem where he imagines Walt Whitman and Federico Garcia Lorca loitering in a post-war American grocery store.

Other memorable recitations came from Shawntay A. Henry of the Virgin Islands with "Beauty" by Tony Hoagland, Carolyn Rose Garcia of West Virginia with "Poem with One Fact" by Donald Hall," and Gabrielle Guarracino and "Unknown Girl at the Maternity Ward" by Anne Sexton. Sexton, Sharon Olds, and Sylvia Plath were probably the most popular poets at the national finals.

In this region, Strong, Henry, Garcia and Guarracino all advanced to the finals.

Region Two finalists were Elijah P. Orengo from Georgia, Sequoia J. Jelks from Indiana, Charles White of Michigan and Hannah JoBeth Roark of Oklahoma.

Finally, at 5 p.m., we reached the semifinals for the third region, which included most of the states in the western half of the country. You'd think that tension had built all day for Caila, but she didn't show it, looking cool and calm on stage during the sound check. Not only was this region the last to compete but Wyoming -- as usual -- was the last up because the competitors were arranged alphabetically by state. Caila followed a fine presentation of Billy Collins' "Forgetfulness" by BreAnna Jones of Yakima, Wash. Caila's first poem was "Fever 103" by Sylvia Plath. She did a great job. Her second-round poem was "America" by Claude McKay, not nearly as well-known but powerful when recited by Caila.

Alas, Caila didn't make the cut for the next round. But eight of her competitors did. And that list was narrowed to four after the third recitation by each student. They were BreAnna Jones, Elsa Vande Vegte of South Dakota, Sophia Elena Soberon of Oregon and Madison Niermeyer of Utah. As we moved into the National Finals on Tuesday, you could see that the third region might have been the toughest. The overall second-place finisher was Soberon of Oregon and the third prize in the Tuesday night finals was awarded to Madison Niermeyer of Utah.

Who won first prize? Shawntay A. Henry of the U.S. Virgin Islands. This is the first time that the Virgin Islands had competed in the Poetry Out Loud National Finals. A huge cheer went up when the winner was announced at about 10 p.m. on April 29. Seems as if the islands' entire population had traveled to D.C. for the event.

While in D.C., I talked to POL organizers from many states. They told me that the competition gets tougher each year, and that most of the state finalists utilize coaches to sharpen their skills. Wyoming will have to do that in the future, as it obviously makes a big difference. I also garnered a few other tips about improving the Wyoming POL program. If you've competed in this poetry recitation contest, we welcome your comments via e-mail or by phone at 307-777-7742.

One other thing. At the POL luncheon on Tuesday at the Dirksen Senate Office Building, both of Wyoming's senators showed up to congratulate Caila. Sen. Enzi was one of the first to appear, posing for photos and chatting with Caila before he headed back to work. Sen. John Barrasso came a half hour later, following a speech on the floor of the Senate. Many pictures were taken by the NEA photographer, and we will feature those in upcoming blog posts.

Meanwhile, keep reading -- and memorizing -- your favorite poems.

--Mike Shay

The Bears are here

An exhibit of fiberglass bear sculptures designed by Wyoming high school students and celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the National Museum of Wildlife Art is on display at the Wyoming State Museum from May 1 through June 14. Titled "Wild About Bears," the exhibit features eight award-winning designs by high school students from throughout the state.

In 2007, the National Museum of Wildlife Art distributed 35 fiberglass bear forms to Wyoming high schools. The goal was to challenge students to collaborate on designing the bears and also to support the next generation of wildlife artists by encouraging the wildlife art theme. The project also gave students an opportunity to exhibit their work professionally and ultimately fulfill an artistic vision that could benefit their respective high schools.

This competition strengthened NMWA’s connections with high school art students and teachers around the state while building awareness of the museum’s numerous programs.

"Our state has many treasures and one of them is the National Museum of Wildlife Art," Lynn Friess of the Friess Family Foundation said. "My husband and I thought a statewide art competition would benefit high school art programs, as well as be a part of the museum’s 20th anniversary celebration."

The bears were judged at the Wyoming High School Art Symposium in Casper on April 18 and the eight winning schools were awarded cash prizes for their art programs. A first prize of $7,000 was awarded to Pinedale High School; second, $5,000, to Mountain View High School; and third, $2,000, to Encampment High School. Honorable mentions and $500 was awarded to Niobrara, Douglas, Cody, Powell and Star Valley high schools.

The "Wild About Bears" contest and exhibition is supported by a grant from the Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund, a program of the Department of State Parks and Cultural Resources. It is also supported by the Friess Family Foundation and the National Museum of Wildlife Art.

The Wyoming State Museum is located in the Barrett Building, 2301 Central Avenue in Cheyenne.

For more information about this and other Wyoming State Museum exhibits and programs, please call 777-7022.

Nell Hanley on UW's Speaking of Writing

Paul Bergstraesser’s guest Thursday on Speaking of Writing will be UW’s own, Nell Hanley. To hear the program, tune in Thursday from 4 to 5 p.m. on KOCA LP FM 93.5. If the gods of technology smile upon us, we’ll podcast the program later on uwyo.edu/itunesu. In the meantime, we’ve got lots of past programs available for free download on that site. Also check us out at www.speakingofwriting.com.

Thanks to the Creative Writing MFA in the UW English department for underwriting the show.

Nell Hanley was born in New York City on November 10, 1965, the morning after the night all the lights of the city went suddenly out. The doctor, fearing a Russian invasion, had gone missing, but was eventually found asleep in a remote lounge, and was roused and called to duty, which he performed without finesse. Nell claims to have a memory of this event. Those who know her indulge her in this fancy because she remembers so little else. She turned one, ten, twenty, and thirty, then shortly the century turned, uneventfully, and the next thing she knew she was in Texas, where it was too hot. Now she lives in Wyoming, with under her belt a fair bit of schooling and twenty-odd years worth of stints at a significant number of varied, low-paying jobs, a few of which were, despite their unlivable wages, in certain ways marvelous. She has an M.F.A from the James A. Michener Center for Writers at UT Austin. She is an assistant lecturer in the English Department at the University of Wyoming.

Alan Barstow recieves UCross residency

The generosity of the Board of the Ucross Foundation, and the Foundation’s President, Sharon Dynak, has made possible an ongoing relationship with the University of Wyoming Creative Writing MFA program, through which one graduating UW MFA student each year is awarded a one-month residency at Ucross.

This year’s recipient is Alan Barstow. In his time at Ucross, Barstow will continue to develop the nonfiction project that generated his MFA thesis, “Amen: Denying and Defying HIV/AIDS in a Namibian Village.”

Alan spent two years as a peace corp worker in Namibia, and returned to Namibia over spring break as part of a team of law students to study the problem of HIV/AIDS in the prisons. Alan has also been the graduate assistant to Terry Tempest Williams and coordinates her "weather reports" project for the graduate student committee.

This is the second year of the partnership; last year, fiction writer Sarah Norek was awarded a residency.

Congrats, Alan. And happy trails.

High Plains Register out today

Check out Laramie County Community College's 18th volume of High Plains Register, their own creative and literary arts publication. Works include poetry by contributors Dawn Miklos, Darrel Hammon, Shaina Serelson, Simone Sellers, Dan Weingardt, Sherry Weaver Smith, Zack Anderson, Jesse Anderson, Kyra Syvanen, Jordan Korber, Ben Humphrey; short stories by writers Kara Syvanen, Randy Bruns, Lacey Dippold, Damien Kortum, Katie Baxter, D. N. Lyons, Bob Simkins, Nancy Uno, Andrew Boheler, Alicia Padilla, Maura Kelly; and visual art by Ron Medina, Guy Tustin, Darrel Hammon, Cassie Eliasson, Wayne Sanchez, Howard Dykes, Carl Aldrich.

Deadline for the next edition is Wednesday, October 1, 2008. Submit work to Liz Jackson c/o LCCC Arts & Humanities, 1400 East College Drive, Cheyenne, WY 82007 or email Liz at ljackson@lccc.wy.edu.

Also, visit the college website at http://www.lccc.wy.edu/

Poetry Out Loud national contest featured in USA Today

Here's the link for the USA Today article which appeared on April 29, 2008.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2008-04-28-poetry-out-loud_N.htm?loc=interstitialskip

UPDATE: Wyoming Arts Council fellowships

Here are some updates on the Wyoming Arts Council’s programs for individual artists.

Laura Pritchett, of Fort Collins, Colo., has agreed to be the judge for the 2009 Wyoming Arts Council creative writing fellowships. She’s the author of the novel Sky Bridge (2007) and the 2001 collection of short stories, Hell’s Bottom, Colorado, both from Milkweed Editions. She is also the editor of two collections: The Pulse of the River: Colorado Writers Speak for the Endangered Cache la Poudre and Home Land: Ranching and a West that Works. Her third collection, The Gleaners: Eco-Essays on Recycling, Re-Use, and Living Lightly on the Land, is due out in spring 2009. Her work has also appeared in numerous magazines, including The Sun, Orion, High Country News, Colorado Review, 5280, and the book Comeback Wolves: Western Writers Welcome the Wolf Home and Social Issues Firsthand: The Environment.

At the Equality State Book Festival Sept. 18-20 in Casper, Laura will read from her work together with the fellowship winners on Thursday at Casper College. She also will serve on Saturday’s fiction panel at the bookfest.

As with all WAC fellowships, you have to apply with a paper application. A printable version will be available on the web site by May 2. Applications will be mailed from the WAC offices the following week. Postmark deadline is June 20.

Postmark deadline for applications to the Wyoming Arts Council’s visual arts fellowships is Wednesday, April 30. Forms are available on the WAC web site at wyoarts.state.wy.us or by mail by calling the WAC offices in Cheyenne at 307-777-7742.

The competition is open to Wyoming residents only. You must be 18 or older. Full-time students pursuing high school, college or university art-related degrees are ineligible.

Judging the submissions will be Colorado artists Lawrence Argent, Mary K. Connelly and Patty Ortiz. They will select up to three winners who will each receive a $3,000 stipend. Winners will be announced in early June.

I am recruiting judges for the 2008 performing arts fellowships in musical performance. Those judges will be in place by May 16 and the applications will be available by June 2. The postmark deadline will be in mid-August.

For more info, contact Michael Shay, individual artist program specialist, at 307-777-5234 or mshay@state.wy.us.

--Mike Shay

Susan Stubson to perform in Casper

Susan Stubson, Wyoming Arts Council board member, will be playing for the Casper Chamber Music Society, along with Jim Romain on the saxophone (he's from Drake University) this Sunday, 4/27 at 4pm at Shepherd of the Hills Presbyterian Church, 4600 S. Poplar Street in Casper; phone (307) 235-3536 - Adults $8, Seniors $6, Students $2.

Working within the school community

How to adapt your artistic gifts to school policies, regulations, and curriculum structure

The Powder River Symphony is pleased to announce a grant from the Dana Foundation to support a workshop for performing artists interested in working with students and teachers in the public schools. The workshop will include a presentation by Dr. Eugenie Burkett, curriculum specialist, on creating activities that focus on the Wyoming and National Standards for Education with break-out sessions for artists to design and write lesson plans.

Michael Pangburn of the South Dakota Arts Council and Camelia El-Antably of the Wyoming Arts Council will both be making presentations during the day. Stipends of $100 for up to 30 performing artists are available to pay for expenses associated with attending the workshop. With ensembles, only 1 stipend will be furnished per group.

The workshop is scheduled for Thursday, October 9 and will run from 9 am to 2 pm at the Lakeway Learning Center in Gillette, WY. Although the workshop focuses primarily on the performing arts, artists of all genres are invited to attend. To register send an e-mail to: genieburkett@yahoo.comand. A registration form will be e-mailed to you along with a schedule and directions to the workshop site.

Wyomingites are WWA Spur Award finalists

Lori Van Pelt of Saratoga sends word that she will be participating in a short story panel at the annual Western Writers of America conference June 10-14 in Scottsdale, Ariz. Lori received recognition as a WWA 2008 Spur Award Finalist in the Best Western Short Fiction category for her short story, "The Wild-Eyed Witness," featuring Wild Bill Hickok, which appeared in the anthology, LOST TRAILS (Pinnacle, 2007), edited by Russell Davis and Martin H. Greenberg.

Lori wasn't the only Wyomingite to be honored this year by the WWA. John D. Nesbitt of Torrington received recognition as a Spur Award Finalist in the Best Original Mass Market Paperback category for his novel, RAVEN SPRINGS. Nancy Curtis's High Plains Press of Glendo was also recognized as a Spur Award Finalist in the Best Western Poetry category for Jane Candia Coleman's THE WHITE DOVE.

For more info about the WWA conference, go to http://www.westernwriters.org

Amend reception May 4 at Cam-plex

Cam-plex Heritage Center in Gillette will host a reception with local visual artist Christopher Amend and his display of "TRANSITIONS." Christopher recently retired from the Campbell County School District as an art teacher is now pursuing his art full-time. With his life in transition, Chris has also found his work in transition as he explores new approaches and new imageries.

Meet Christopher at an artist reception on Sunday, May 4, 2-5 p.m. This reception is free and open to the public.

For more information contact the ticket office at 307-682-8802. Ticket office hours are Monday through Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Christopher’s show will be on display from April 28-May 30.

Gallery hours are Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Gallery doors are open during Heritage Center events and by special appointment.

Literary events at Mountain West Conference

Guy Lebeda, the Wyoming Arts Council's pal in Salt Lake City, sent this:

Poets and writers please join us at the Mountain West Conference on the Arts, May 8-9, at the Utah Cultural Celebration Center, 1355 West 3100 South, West Valley City, Utah.

This is a great opportunity for inspiration, networking, professional development, accessing essential resources and creating community connections.

Just look at the poetry components of the conference:

1. Keynote Speaker: David Whyte. Whyte grew up among the hills and valleys of Yorkshire, England. A captivating speaker with a compelling blend of profound poetry and insightful commentary, David is one of the few poets to take his perspectives on creativity into the field of organizational development, where he works with a wide and diverse international clientele. David is the author of six volumes of poetry and two bestselling books of prose.

2. Session: "Wooing the Wild Horses: Harnessing the Poem," by Lance Larsen, Poet & Professor of English, Brigham Young University. Tap into your imagination. This workshop offers participants the opportunity to be led through a process of drawing on their inner thoughts and dreams, allowing inspiration to come through the written word onto the page.

3. Session: "Innovative Approaches to the Art of Healing," with Susan Sample, poet; Therese Jones, Associate Professor, Dept. of Internal Medicine, University of Utah School of Medicine; and Shannon McQuade, Project and Training Coordinator, Arts in Caring Council. There is a profound difference between "healing" and "curing," just as there is between "illness" and "disease," and both doctors and patients view the contemporary practice of medicine as being over-focused on biomedical technologies and interventions. This panel will explore the integration of the humanities in medical education and the introduction of the arts in clinical settings. It will also review how the integration of the arts improves health outcomes, as well as highlights existing local programs and available resources for artists and health care professionals.

4. At the Governor’s Leadership in the Arts Awards Luncheon, Skyline High School senior Madison Niermeyer, 2008 Utah State Poetry Out Loud Champion, will recite one of the poems that she will perform at the National Poetry Out Loud finals in Washington, D.C.

For more information visit hhttp://arts.utah.gov/events_calendar/annual_conference/index.html or contact Jason Bowcutt at jbowcutt@utah.gov or call 801-236-7554.

Free preview for "High School Musical"

Rose Wagner notified us that some of the cast from the Cheyenne Little Theatre Players' "Disney's High School Musical" will be performing at the Frontier Mall in Cheyenne on Saturday, April 26 at 2 p.m. in the J.C. Penney court. She urged everyone to drop by for this free teaser of a show that's been garnering a lot of attention around town. Rose added: "Don’t forget to call to make your reservations to see the entire musical, showing May 2-4, 8-11, and 15-18. Seats are selling fast!"

The musical is directed by Wende Wolfe-Perez. Cast members are Preston Powis, Marissa Mohr, Kelsy Moler, Blaine Backman, Betsy Plemons, Sam Benson, Thomas Quinlivan, Nick Bosley, and Taylar Perez.

For tickets, call 307-638-6543.

"Maid in the U.S.A." author at UW April 29

Mary Romero, author of "Maid in the U.S.A.," a 1992 book that studies the exploitation of domestic service workers in the United States, will speak Tuesday, April 29, at the first scholarly presentation of the University of Wyoming's Social Justice Research Center (SJRC).

Romero, a professor of justice studies and social inquiry at Arizona State University, will speak from 4-5:30 p.m. in the College of Education auditorium in Laramie. Her presentation, titled "What immigration raids tell us about Latino Families and the State," is free and open to the public.

She will also speak to UW classes while at the university.

"We are honored to bring such a distinguished scholar to the University of Wyoming," says SJRC Director Francisco Rios. "Dr. Romero's scholarship exemplifies the best of research with a social justice lens. The focus of her academic achievements on women and labor highlight a much-neglected area of our thinking. But in uncovering these often silenced voices, we learn anew about the task of widening the path for democracy, dignity and human rights."

Romero's UW visit is sponsored by the SJRC and the departments of Chicano Studies and Family and Consumer Sciences.

The SJRC, established last year, is an interdisciplinary center dedicated to addressing practical and theoretical questions arising from the pursuit of social justice. The idea for the center stemmed from a directive of the President's Advisory Council for Minorities and Women's Affairs.

FMI: http://www.uwyo.edu/sjrc

42nd Film & Video Festival call for entries

Deadline is June 27, 2008

The Council on Foundations and Grantmakers in Film + Electronic Media (GFEM) are seeking submissions of films and videos for the Council on Foundations' 42nd Annual Film & Video Festival to be held May 4-6 2009, in Atlanta, Georgia.

The Film & Video Festival showcases films, videos, and television programs that have received
support from foundations, corporate giving programs, and donor networks, with the aim of encouraging grantmakers to use media to advance their philanthropic goals. The festival promotes foundation support of creative, high-quality productions that expand the boundaries of the use of media for the social good.

Complete the submission form online at www.fundfilm.org

2008 FESTIVAL FILMS
Winners of the Henry Hampton Award for Excellence in Film & Digital Media
* Hollywood Chinese
* A Lion in the House
* Made in L.A.
* ¡Salud!
* A Son's Sacrifice

Other festival films include -- Arctic Son · A Doula Story · The Last Atomic Bomb · Legacy of Torture: The War Against the Black Liberation Movement · Outlawed: Extraordinary Rendition, Torture and Disappearances in the War on Terror · Prison Town USA · Revolution '67 · Sierra Leone's Refugee -- All Stars · Standing Silent Nation · Third Ward, TX