My poems are up up on Kritya

Hi All,

My poems are up for reading pleasure on the Kritya website. This is a special Polish edition. The site is a little confusing. There are columns with headings. The first Column is labled "My Voice" The 2nd Column is "Poetry in My Time". If you care to read, click on "Poetry in My Time" and you can read my first poem, which is the 3rd one down. Then click on my name at the end of the poem and it will take you to my second poem.

I am officially an International poet now! This e-journal is out of India.

http://www.kritya.in/0411/En/index.html

Mira Nair Tomorrow

Please join President Schmotter at the 2009 President’s Lecture.

Mira Nair, director of Salaam Bombay!, Monsoon Wedding, Mississippi Masala and The Namesake,comes to Western Connecticut State University, Ives Concert Hall, to discuss the themes of race, class, gender and cultural appropriation and displacement found in her films as well as her craft in the film industry. More information about her lecture can be found through this link: http://www.wcsu.edu/president/lecture-series.asp

We hope to see you there!

Celebrate National Poetry Month

In the first of a series of events in April, a handful of Writing Dept. faculty poets will read from their work in celebration of National Poetry Month. James Scrimgeour, Elizabeth Cohen, Lynne Paris-Purtle, Irene Sherlock, and Brian Clements will read at 3:00 on Monday, April 13 in Alumni Hall. The reading is free and open to the public, with coffee/tea/cookies served.

Also in April, poets Liza Rosenberg and Jerry Mirskin will read from their work and offer workshops. Mr. Mirskin will offer a workshop in poetry, and Ms. Rosenberg will offer a workshop in writing for children and young adults. Reading: April 23, 3:00, Alumni Hall. Rosenberg workshop: the evening of April 23. Mirskin workshop: evening of April 24. Contact clementsb@wcsu.edu to sign up for the limited-seating workshops.

Finally, Prof. Scrimgeour will host a reading in memory of John Tamas, a former WCSU student whose poems have just been release in a posthumous edition. April 28, 3:00, Alumni Hall. To participate in the reading, please contact scrimgeourj@wcsu.edu

Vermont Studio Center

hi all ... hope you are doing and writing well. I just wanted to share the good news that, very last minute, I was accepted into a month long writing residency at the Vermont Studio Center. I managed to convince my employer to let me take the time off (just got the final ok late Friday!) and today I find myself settling into a studio space overlooking a river in a small village in Vermont. There is an international group of amazing creative people here, both writers and visual artists, and I hope to really immerse myself in my writing over the next month. I feel so grateful for this getaway and encourage any of you who haven't yet looked into retreats to check them out.

Thanks to Dan Pope!

Special thanks to Dan Pope for graciously hosting a line editing workshop on campus Wednesday evening. The program was engaging and enlightening. For those of us no longer writing syllabi and posting to OMG discussions, this was a lovely way to stay immersed in our writing craft and reconnecting with others.

March was a very busy month for me...

Hi all. My head's been spinning for a while, so apologies for the mega-update.

March started well with the launch of Brain Harvest, new online magazine that publishes sudden fiction for the Web and also for various mobile devices. The premiere story was my own Patmos Like Pink Elephants. The 'zine was featured on both BoingBoing and Galleycat, so I got a lot of eyeballs.

Then, You Might Sleep..., my short story collection, was published after lengthy delays. Do check it out. It is just now percolating through various distribution channels. (It went live on Amazon only today, for example.)

THEN, Clarkesworld, the online magazine I co-edited in 2008 was nominated for science fiction's leading award, the Hugo, in the fairly obscure "semi-pro zine" category. This is likely as close as I'll ever come to a direct Hugo nomination, so I'm quite pleased.

FINALLY, my story with Tim Pratt, The Dude Who Collected Lovecraft, was nominated for the Horror Writers Association's Bram Stoker award in the Short Fiction category.



Of course, today I got two rejection slips within five minutes of one another, but that's the writing life. March still rocked.

Hope all is well with everyone.

No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency Comes to Life

Grammy Award winning artist and poet Jill Scott stars as Precious Ramotswe in HBO's adaptation of Alexander McCall Smith's popular literary mystery novel, No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency.

Now I wish I had subscribed to HBO instead of Starz! In viewing the preview (which looks very promising), I think this production will stay true to the spirit of the book.

For a preview, click on the YouTube link below.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vdee9507YVM

To read about Scott's initial misgivings at accepting the role, read USA Today's article: http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2009-03-25-jill-scott_N.htm

Open House, Tuesday, April 7

WestConn will host an Open House for all of its graduate programs on the 7th. If you know of anyone who is considerting entering a graduate program, please direct them to this link:

http://www.wcsu.edu/gradopenhouse/

Gorgeous Spot for Writing Retreats, Workshops, & Conferences in Northeastern PA.

Our friend and New York dancer extraordinaire Mary Macleod has been renting her Pennsylvania farmhouse and newly renovated barn space for a variety of artistic endeavors. Her home is located 90 minutes outside of NYC and two hours out of Danbury on nine wooded acres by the scenic Lackawaxen River. No neighbors; freedom to move and think; nature, nature, nature. Most of her groups have been actors and dancers because Mary has a stunning hardwood dance studio in her recently-built barn. However, she reminded me that her home and work space would be ideal to house up to 20 participants in a writing retreat, workshop or conference. Mary’s an earnest and adorable person in addition to being a wonderful host and/or chef should her talents in those areas be a part of the group’s needs. Her rates vary depending on the scope of the need, but all I can say based on what she’s charged so far is: she is VERY reasonable and willing to listen to any offer. Your personal connection with me would go a long way toward getting you a nice deal with her. Email me or post here if anyone has interest in this. dnldlw@aol.com.

ENcouraged by Kate's responses... help me too?

I know i have to do an internship next semester too, and I don't know where or what to do it in. I think a book publisher or a travel/woman's magazine would be best. I'm pretty flexible as to location; Connecticut, or I'll just move someplace else. In Florida now, but probably won't stay, at least, not this time ;-) A paid internship would rock my world, but a good experience is more important to me. Danke, peeps! Can't wait to see everyone in August!

Internship?

Hi,

I'm preparing to do my internship this summer, but being in the Midwest, I'm dry of ideas of where to begin looking. I'd love to do something online with a literary magazine, or anything else that may be "virtual." I'm continuing to look in the Kansas City area for opportunities, but I thought I'd just pop the question out there to anyone who has already done their internship: Where did you find opportunities? Do you know of any lit mags or other online options that may be looking for interns this summer, somewhere where you interned or other places you know of? Thanks for your help!
Kate

Pope Workshop Location, Time for March 25

Higgins 206, across the hall from the Writing Dept. offices (not down at the other end of the hall where the room numbers have "A" in them).

6:30 pm

If you haven't sent your work yet, send it on in!

Meet the Author

hi all, just wanted to let you know that on Thursday March 19 from 9:30-10:00 a.m., Harry Rinker will be running a spot on his radio show, "Meet the Author" about my book: Losing the Way: A Memoir of Spiritual Longing, Manipulation, Abuse and Escape. The station is WXCI, 91.7 on your dial and it's the student-run radio station for WCSU. The book is about time I spent in a fundamentalist cult from ages 14-29. Tune in if you're free - Harry's a great interviewer and he made me feel disarmingly comfortable. I said more about myself than I meant to! kristen DeVoe (skedgell is my pen name)

Dan Pope Workshop on March 25

Just a reminder that Dan Pope's prose line-editing workshop is scheduled for March 25. PJ pointed out to me that we've scheduled the workshop during spring break. Due to the fact that our low-res program isn't affected much by spring break and due to our heavy schedule in late March and April, we're going to keep the workshop on the 25th. Apologies to GAs or anyone else for whom the schedule causes problems. Thus far I have 9 people signed up. We can take a few more.

Graduate Scholarships

If you are interested in applying for scholarships for next year, please go to the Financial Aid web site (linked from WestConn main page), download an application, complete it, and deliver it to Graduate studies now later than March 15--this is a delivery deadline, not a postmark deadline. Ignore the Feb. 13 deadline that is posted there.

Dan Pope Workshop

Dan has kindly offered to give an on-campus workshop on the evening of March 25. The subject of the workshop will be line-editing prose, whether fiction or nonfiction. If you are interested in attending, please contact me no later than March 9 so we can determine whether there will be sufficient attendance for the workshop. All attendees will be asked to submit work in advance for potential discussion in the workshop.

Winter Wonderland in New England

As the Groundhog Predicted Winter is Alive and Raining Snow on Connecticut
The northeast has been hit by a large snowstorm that will total about 10 inches when its done. Even though it's March, winter isn't ready to say goodbye.
http://www.associatedcontent.comslideshow/13004/as_the_groundhog_predicted_winter_is.html

Go Figure

No one told me they pay you for this stuff. Suckers.

I managed somehow to get one of my shorts published in Crossed Genres. Next item on the agenda: figuring out how to spend my $10. I'm like a millionare now. Things I can buy:

40 Bud Lights at the Phoenix on Monday nights
100 anytime minutes on my cell phone
1000 pieces of penny gum, if they still make penny gum
9 Whopper Juniors at Burger King

If anyone else can help me think of how I can spend all my money, please help me out.

Oh yes, and if you have 20 minutes (that you will never, ever get back), you can check my story out by clicking this link.

Adam