Sample Events At The Festival
September 18, 2008
Non-fiction and Memory workshop with Beth Loffreda9:00 am to 11:30 am Location: Casper College Strausner Student Center, CE 217 |
Beth Loffreda, director of the University of Wyoming's Master of Fine Arts program in creative writing will teach a two-day Non-Fiction writing workshop. Loffreda is author of Losing Matt Shepard. She notes: "This workshop will focus on memory as a rich but tricky resource for non-fiction writing. Acts of memory are dense with emotional power and mood, far more than mere facts. But memory typically can tell us very little about the gorgeous complexity of reality, of what really happened. How do we take advantage of what memory can lend to our writing while also negotiating its dangers? This question will be at the heart of the workshop. Courtney Carlson, current UW MFA student in creative non-fiction, will join me to assist in our conversation." This workshop costs $50 for students, $75 for others. Space is limited. Register via the "Register" link on this website. CEUs will be offered. |
Jack Gantos talks with elementary school kids9:00 am to 10:00 am Location: Casper College, Roberts Commons |
Jack Gantos, author of dozens of books for children, will speak to elementary school students about his life and some of his books--especially the picture books in his award-winning Rotten Ralph series. Gantos is a widely experienced speaker and teacher, with a sense of humor that knows its audience. The general public is welcome too, free of charge. And if anyone has copies of his books, Gantos will be available to sign them afterward. |
Character and Fiction workshop with Alyson Hagy9:00 am to 11:30 am Location: Casper College Strausner Student Center, CE 217 |
Novelist and short-story writer Alyson Hagy's workshop will feature writing exercises and discussion appropriate for beginning writers, and those who have some writing experience. Hagy's books include the novels Snow, Ashes and Keeneland, and the short-story collection Graveyard of the Atlantic. She teaches in the University of Wyoming's Master of Fine Arts program in creative writing. The two-day workshop costs $50 for students; $75 for others. Space is limited. Register early via the "Register" link on this website. CEU's will be offered. |
Jack Gantos talks with middle school kids10:30 am to 11:30 am Location: Casper College, Roberts Commons |
Jack Gantos, author of dozens of books for children, will speak to middle school students about his life and some of his books---in particular the semi-autobiographical Jack Henry series, and the Joey Pigza series about a kid with ADD. Gantos is a widely experienced speaker and teacher, with a sense of humor like a laser beam. The general public is welcome too, free of charge. And if anyone has copies of his books, Gantos will be available to sign them afterward. |
The Lyrical and Our Emotions: Creative Writing Workshop with David Romtvedt1:00 pm to 3:30 pm Location: Casper College Strausner Student Center, CE 217 |
What is poetry? What is prose? We talk a lot about the prose-poem but I don't think I've ever heard anyone say, "I write poem-proses." For many people poetry is above all else a revelation of emotion--but all forms of writing from popular song lyrics to technical description carry our feelings. Focusing on language rhythms and on intuition, we'll explore some of the places where poetry and prose meet. |
Poetry Workshop with H.L. Hix1:00 pm to 3:30 pm Location: Casper College Strausner Student Center, CE 217 |
Award-winning poet and translator Harvey Hix, on the faculty of the University of Wyoming's MFA program, offers the first session of his two-day poetry writing workshop, aimed at poets and potential poets of all skill levels. Hix's most recent poetry book, God Bless, is a "political/poetic discourse;" his previous collection, Chromatic, was a finalist for the National Book Award. Previous awards include the T. S. Eliot Prize and a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. His books are already for sale at the Casper College bookstore, located in the Center down the hall from room 217. The two-day workshop costs $50 for students; $75 for others. Space is limited. Register early via the "Register" link on this website. CEUs will be offered. |
Words, Pictures, and the Local Past1:00 pm to 2:15 pm Location: Ft. Caspar Museum, 4001 Fort Caspar Road |
Join four skilled authors who've worked hard with words and pictures over the years to tell true stories from Casper and Wyoming's past, as they talk and take questions on their motives, methods, and choices. Among his dozen books on the Indian wars, Jack McDermott, of Rapid City, South Dakota, has written the best book about Fort Caspar--Frontier Crossroads: The History of Fort Caspar and the Upper Platte Crossing. Mike McClure, of Lander, Wyoming, recently reached a new peak in his long photographic career with his book of windswept, black-and-white, landscape-and-human-relics photographs, Artifact: A cultural Geography of Wyoming. Journalist and photographer Mark Junge, of Cheyenne, combined stunning portraits and telling interviews with important Wyomingites some years ago in The Wind is My Witness: A Wyoming Album; more recently his book of 1940s through 1960s Casper news photographer Tom Carrigen's photos, The View from Center Street, has been winning lots of praise and attention around here. Charlotte Babcock, well-known local speaker and raconteuse, is the author of Shot Down: Capital Crimes of Casper, a book of true crimes from our lurid past. The panel will be moderated by the urbane Everett Akam, history professor at Casper College. Authors will be available after the panel to sign books. Admission to this and all panel discussions at the festival is free. |
Readings: Wyoming Arts Council Fellowship Winners1:30 pm to 3:30 pm Location: Casper College Goodstein Foundation Library |
Every year, the Wyoming Arts Council gives up to three $3,000 creative writing fellowships plus a $500 travel stipend to the annual fellowship reading in Casper. |
Plucking Meaning from Wyoming’s Past2:45 pm to 4:00 pm Location: Ft. Caspar Museum, 4001 Fort Caspar Road |
How do people who write about the past choose their subjects? Out of their personal obsession? A sense of their audience? A need to shine light in dark corners, or set things right? Or something else? Come ask questions of and hear a conversation among four accomplished historians and biographers who write widely on late-19th and early 20th century Wyoming and the West. Biographer, historian, and literary critic Susanne George Bloomfield's 10 books include Adventures of the Woman Homesteader: The Life and Letters of Elinore Pruitt Stewart. Biographer John Clayton's new book Cowboy Girl: The Life of Caroline Lockhart, chronicles the times and troubles of that scrappy novelist and flamboyant, often angry Cody newspaperwoman. John Davis' two books about the cattle-sheep troubles in the Big Horn Basin in the early 1900s is about to be followed by a new one about the Johnson County War. And Lawrence Woods is author of 10 or more books on important figures from Wyoming's early days, including cattlemen Moreton Fewen, Alex Swan, and John Clay, and frontier newspaperman and promoter Asa Shinn Mercer. Book festival director and historian Tom Rea, author of Devil's Gate: Owning the Land, Owning the Story, will moderate. See the panelists' bios under the "Author" link for much more info. |
So you want to be a children’s book author? with Jack Gantos4:00 pm to 5:30 pm Location: Casper College, Wold Physical Science Center: Wheeler Auditorium, Rm. 103 |
Jack Gantos, author of dozens of books for children, is also a frequent conference speaker, university lecturer, and in-service provider. Jack will offer a writing workshop for aspiring children's book writers, teachers, librarians and any interested persons. There is no registration required for this workshop and there will be no charge. Gantos' books will be for sale on site and he will be available for autographs after the presentation. |
Icebreaker Reception for Authors6:00 pm to 7:00 pm Location: Dr. Walt Nolte's House, 2141 South Cedar Street |
Walt and Becky Nolte host the authors and book fest organizers at an icebreaker reception. Hors d'oeuvres will be served. This event provides an opportunity for the authors to meet or reacquaint themselves with each other and to meet Dr. Nolte, president of Casper College, along with his wife, Becky. Organizers will be present to answer any questions. This event precedes the public reading given by featured speaker, Alexandra Fuller at 7:30 p.m., Durham Hall, Casper College. |
Featured Speaker, Alexandra Fuller7:30 pm to 9:00 pm Location: Casper College, Aley Fine Arts Center, Durham Hall |
Alexandra Fuller's first book, Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight: An African Childhood (Random House, 2001), was a New York Times Notable Book for 2002, the 2002 Booksense Best Non-fiction book, a finalist for the Guardian's First Book Award and the winner of the 2002 Winifred Holtby Memorial Prize. Her 2004 Scribbling the Cat: Travels with an African Soldier (Penguin Press) won the Ulysses Prize for Art of Reportage. Her latest book is The Legend of Colton H Bryant (Penguin Press, May, 2008). She has also written for The New Yorker and National Geographic. Ms. Fuller will read from her most recent book, answer questions and sign books which will be available for sale on site. |
September 19, 2008
Jack Gantos at Star Lane Center8:30 am to 9:30 am Location: Star Lane Center, 1400 S. Fairdale |
Jack Gantos, author of dozens of books for children, will speak to students at Star Lane Center about his life and some of his books for young adults--Hole in My Life, Desire Lines, and Curse of the Rumbaughs. Gantos is a widely experienced speaker and teacher, with a sense of humor like a laser beam. The public is welcome, too, free of charge. |
Non-fiction and Memory workshop with Beth Loffreda, Part 29:00 am to 11:30 am Location: Casper College Strausner Student Center, CE 217 |
Part 2, Beth Loffreda, director of the University of Wyoming's Master of Fine Arts program in creative writing will teach this second day of a two-day Non-Fiction writing workshop. The two-day workshop costs $50 for students; $75 for others. Space is limited. Register early via the "Register" link on this website. CEU's will be offered. Loffreda is author of Losing Matt Separd. She notes: "This workshop will focus on memory as a rich but tricky resource for non-fiction writing. Acts of memory are dense with emotional power and mood, far more than mere facts. But memory typically can tell us very little about the gorgeous complexity of reality, of what really happened. How do we take advantage of what memory can lend to our writing while also negotiating its dangers? This question will be at the heart of the workshop. Courtney Carlson, current UW MFA student in creative non-fiction, will join me to assist in our conversation. |
Character and Fiction workshop with Alyson Hagy, Part 29:00 am to 11:30 am Location: Casper College Strausner Student Center, CE 217 |
Part 2, Novelist and short-story writer Alyson Hagy's workshop will feature writing exercises and discussion appropriate for beginning writers, and those who have some writing experience. Hagy's books include the novels Snow, Ashes and Keeneland, and the short-story collection Graveyard of the Atlantic. She teaches in the University of Wyoming's Master of Fine Arts program in creative writing. The two-day workshop costs $50 for students; $75 for others. Space is limited. Register early via the "Register" link on this website. CEU's will be offered. |
Playing Around With Words: the Creative Process with Nebraska poet Twyla Hansen9:00 am to 10:00 am Location: National Historic Trails Interpretive Center, 1501 North Poplar |
In this free, one-hour presentation, poet Twyla Hansen from the Nebraska Humanities Council speakers bureau covers the fascinating topic of creativity in her own unique way. Writers have lots of tools to use: words! And the power in these tools depends on how the words are used on the page, a process that can surprise the writer in unexpected ways, especially by trying something new. This presentation will focus on the process of writing creatively in poetry and short prose. The presenter will use readings of her own and others’ work, writing exercises and interaction and participation by the audience to generate possibilities for creativity in writing. |
Jack Gantos talks with high school kids10:00 am to 11:00 am Location: Kelly Walsh High School Auditorium, 3500 East 12th Street |
Jack Gantos, author of dozens of books for children, will speak to high school students about his life and some of his books for young adults--Hole in My Life, Desire LInes, and Curse of the Rumbaughs. Gantos is also a widely experienced speaker and teacher, with a sense of humor like a laser beam. Adults and the general public are welcome too, free of charge. And if anyone has Gantos' books, he'll be free to autograph them afterwards. |
Introduction to Oral History with Mary Kay Quinlan10:30 am to 11:30 am Location: National Historic Trails Interpretive Center, 1501 North Poplar |
Mary Kay Quinlan, associate professor in the College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln campus will be offering this free introduction to Oral History workshop in the morning at the Trails Center, followed by a longer workshop in the afternoon. Quinlan is also co-author of "The Oral History Manual" and "The American Indian Oral History Manual: Making Many Voices Heard." The morning session will include information on what sets oral history apart from other question-asking techniques used for gathering information. It also will describe examples of some noteworthy oral history projects. |
The Lyrical and our Emotions: Creative Writing Workshop David Romtvedt, part 21:00 pm to 3:30 pm Location: Casper College Strausner Student Center, CE 217 |
What is poetry? What is prose? We talk a lot about the prose-poem but I don't think I've ever heard anyone say, "I write poem-proses." For many people poetry is above all else a revelation of emotion--but all forms of writing from popular song lyrics to technical description carry our feelings. Focusing on language rhythms and on intuition, we'll explore some of the places where poetry and prose meet. |
Oral History Workshop with Mary Kay Quinlan1:00 pm to 3:30 pm Location: National Historic Trails Interpretive Center, 1501 North Poplar |
Mary Kay Quinlan, faculty of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln campus will be offering this follow-up workshop to her morning session which is an introduction to Oral History. Quinlan is also co-author of "The Oral History Manual" and "The American Indian Oral History Manual: Making Many Voices Heard." This afternoon session will outline oral history project planning, legal and ethical issues in oral history, interviewing techniques, and a discussion of oral history technology and archival issues. |
Poetry Workshop with H.L. Hix, part 21:00 pm to 3:30 pm Location: Casper College Strausner Student Center, CE 217 |
Award-winning poet and translator Harvey Hix, on the faculty of the University of Wyoming's MFA program, offers the second session of his two-day poetry writing workshop, aimed at poets and potential poets of all skill levels. Hix's most recent poetry book, God Bless, is a "political/poetic discourse;" his previous collection, Chromatic, was a finalist for the National Book Award. Previous awards include the T. S. Eliot Prize and a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. His books are already for sale at the Casper College bookstore, located in the Center down the hall from room 217. The two-day workshop costs $50 for students; $75 for others. Space is limited. Register early via the "Register" link on this website. CEUs will be offered. |
Jack Gantos on his life and work4:00 pm to 5:30 pm Location: Casper College Aley Fine Arts Center, Durham Hall |
Jack Gantos is the author of dozens of books for children, including the Rotten Ralph Rotten Readers, the Joey Pigza books and the Jack Henry books, and books for young adults, including Hole in My Life, (Farrar Straus, 2002), a memoir of crime, prison, and his emergence as a writer. Gantos is also a widely experienced speaker and teacher, with a deadly accurate sense of humor. The general public is welcome too, free of charge. He will be available to autograph his books which will be for sale on site before and after his presentation. |
Gala Banquet and Keynote Speaker, Gary Ferguson6:00 pm to 9:00 pm Location: Casper Petroleum Club, 1301 Wilkins Circle |
Join the book festival authors and your friends for a no-host bar and mingling from 6:00-7:00, followed by a buffet and Festival Keynote speaker, Gary Ferguson. Besides being an award-winning writer, Gary has built a solid reputation as an engaging speaker. He offers a variety of talks to writing groups, universities, and environmental, social and outdoor organizations across the country. For more on Gary, see his "Author" profile on this website. Tickets are $25.00 each and will not be available for purchase at the door. You may register for the banquet via a secure server on the "register" tab of this website. All tickets will be available for pick up that night at the door. |
Poetry Slam9:30 pm to 11:00 pm Location: Metro Coffee Company, 241 South David |
All readers and listeners welcome; prizes you won't want to live without will be awarded. Two rounds of unbiased judging likely; three possible. The slam will be emceeded by the esteemed Greek-American poet and sushi chef, George Vlastos. |
September 20, 2008
Equality State Book Fair8:30 am to 5:00 pm Location: Nicolaysen Art Museum, 400 East Collins |
Check out exhibits by local, regional and national publishers, as well as archives, libraries and museums with special collections for writers, researchers, and readers. Stop by the display tables on your way to the panel discussions all day at the Nic. Kids! Make sure you stop in the Discovery Center to learn how to create your own, one-of-a-kind block print. Artists have illustrated books using this technique for centuries. (Be thinking of your favorite story to illustrate.) The panels will be held in the main gallery. See panel details for further information. All authors presenting on panels will have books for sale by local bookstores and will be available for autographs after their presentations."Readings, Readings, Readings Galore" will be held by sign-up authors every 15 minutes in the Nicolaysen Library. If you are an author with at least one book in print and would like to reserve a 15 minute reading slot between 9 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, September 20, please contact Kathy Coe (). |
Plain Facts and True Stories9:00 am to 10:15 am Location: Nicolaysen Art Museum, 400 East Collins |
Join banquet keynote speaker Gary Ferguson, whose many books include Hawks Rest: A Season in the Remote Heart of Yellowstone; National Geographic writer Mark Jenkins; UW Creative Writing Professor Beth Loffreda, author of Losing Matt Shepard; and Serle Chapman, author of Promise: Bozeman's Trail to Destiny for a discussion of the very different ways they use plain facts to tell true stories. Panel will be moderated by Bruce Richardson of the University of Wyoming/Casper College Center. |
Catching the Big One: Writers on Trout10:45 am to 12:00 pm Location: Nicolaysen Art Museum, 400 East Collins |
Join Fly Rod and Reel columnist John Gierach, whose 17 books include Trout Bum, and Sex, Death, and Fly Fishing; Oregon fish essayist Ted Leeson, author of The Habit of Rivers and many more; Casper College's Chad Hanson, author of Swimming with Trout; and British Columbia educator and short-story writer Mallory Burton, author of Green River Virgins and other Passionate Anglers, for a lively discussion of book-writing, life, dry flies, and nymphs. Check the authors link for more on their work. Panel will be moderated by the book-readin' angler, Casper College's own Bill Mixer. |
Featured Poet Laurie Kutchins12:00 pm to 1:00 pm Location: Nicolaysen Art Museum, 400 East Collins |
Prize-winning poet Laurie Kutchins grew up in Casper and now teaches at James Madison University in Virginia. Her latest book, The Night Path, was published last year by BOA Editions, and her poems have appeared in The New Yorker, The Kenyon Review, Poetry, Ploughshares, and elsewhere. She is also a regular faculty member for the Taos Summer Writers Conference, and she offers private workshops that nurture connections between creativity and healing. Check the authors link for more info. Kutchins will be available to sign books after her reading. |
Young Authors Ceremony1:00 pm to 2:30 pm Location: Natrona County Public Library, Crawford Room, 307 East Second Street |
The Wyoming State Reading Council and the Center for the Book present the awards ceremony for winners of each of their contests, "Young Authors" and "Letters About Literature". About 35 students; that's three winners from each grade level K-12 on prose, non-fiction and poetry will be on hand with their books to receive their awards, for "Young Authors". About 9 winners for "Letters About Literature" will be on hand to receive their prizes as well. Cookies, snacks and punch will be served. Please come to honor these talented young folks. |
Publishing from the Ground Up1:00 pm to 2:15 pm Location: Nicolaysen Art Museum, 400 East Collins |
For news, war stories, and free advice from the front lines of publishing in the USA, join Sarah Crichton, editor of Sarah Crichton books at Farrar, Straus, and Giroux in New York City; Katie Dublinski, editorial director for Graywolf Press in Minneapolis, Wayne Cornell, editor of the Caxton Press in Caldwell, Idaho, and Annette Chaudet, editor and publisher of Pronghorn Press in Greybull. The panel will be moderated by John Nesbitt, Eastern Wyoming College English and Spanish teacher, and author of more than 20 books of western fiction. |
Making Up Stories in the West2:45 pm to 4:00 pm Location: Nicolaysen Art Museum, 400 East Collins |
Join novelist Tina Welling of Jackson, author of Crybaby Ranch; novelist and former Wyoming Poet Laureate Robert Roripaugh, whose new collection of short stories spanning five decades, The Legend of Billy Jenks, was just published last year; novelist Laura Pritchett, judge for the Wyoming Arts Council's 2008 fiction fellowships, whose books include Sky Bridge, a novel, and Hell's Bottom, Colorado, stories; and C.J. Box, whose new mystery, Blood Trail, the eighth Joe Pickett novel, was published by Penguin/Putnam in May, 2008. This panel will be moderated by novelist Alyson Hagy, of Laramie. |
Events
9/19/2008
8:30 am to 9:30 am
Jack Gantos at Star Lane Center
1:00 pm to 3:30 pm
Oral History Workshop with Mary Kay Quinlan
9/18/2008
6:00 pm to 7:00 pm
Icebreaker Reception for Authors
4:00 pm to 5:30 pm
So you want to be a children’s book author? with Jack Gantos
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