Archive for Conferences

In Like a Lion….

{ March 4, 2013 @ 6:38 am } · { Acceptances, Conferences, Working-class Studies }
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Okay, I can’t honestly say that March blew in like a lion — more like an irritable lion cub.  We haven’t had a lot of winter weather, but the sky has been completely gray for five days straight with no sun whatsoever.  I’m so pale, that I swear I could audition for a part in a teenage vampire movie.  Except that I don’t look like a teenager.  I really, really need some sun.

I spent this past weekend glued to my desk, trying to get caught up with my work for school. It wasn’t a fun weekend, but now I feel like I can face March and the weeks before spring break.

I won’t be at AWP this year, although I’m certainly envious of those of you who will be…safe travels to all and make sure you have a great time!  A lot of new books are coming out in time for the big event, and I have already ordered my copies – many should be on my doorstep soon.

I am, however, going to this June’s Working Class Studies Conference that will be held in Madison, Wisconsin.  One proposal has been accepted, and another is pending. I have attended two of these conferences before, and I’m really looking forward to this year’s program.

Onward, March! (No pun intended)

Wet Weekend

{ September 9, 2012 @ 10:53 am } · { Call for Submissions, Conferences }
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I’m recovering a bit from Earth’s Eye, a festival of nature writing  (I mentioned this event here.) Of course, since the day was devoted to outside fieldwork, it rained, so I spent Saturday a bit soggy, but happy to be in the company of writers who want to learn about nature writing as much as I do.  (To be honest, the weather cleared Saturday afternoon, so I wasn’t that soggy).  It was a stunning day at Presque Isle; furthermore, Scott Russell Sanders was our field group leader for the day, so not only was I in the company of fellow writers who wanted to learn, I was also in the company of Sanders, who is a fantastic person (besides, being a great writer!) Hats off to the English faculty at Penn State Behrend, especially Kim Todd, for organizing this event!

I don’t want to end today’s post without mentioning that qarrtsiluni is currently taking submissions for the next theme issue: animals in the city.  Take a look here for more information.

Hello September!

{ September 1, 2012 @ 8:42 am } · { Conferences, Writing Process }
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Saying hello to September means also saying goodbye to the summer.  I won’t dwell on what got done and what didn’t get done in the last few months.  Instead, I want to reset my goal of trying to submit to 10 journals per month.  I know that will be a bit tricky, but I’m going to try.  I also have a few books left over from the summer that I want to read as soon as the start-of-the-new-school-year craziness stops.

I am  leaving the summer behind while laughing a bit about the writing life.  I often go weeks without hearing anything — no acceptances, no rejections, no notes from writing friends.   And yep, one day this past week, I left my email account for three hours, and when I came back and logged on, I had a request for my chapbook, a thanks for my chapbook, an acceptance and a nice rejection.  Go figure.

In other news, the AWP panel I was on didn’t get accepted, so now I have to make a decision about AWP.  I’ve never been.  And I love Boston.   But it’s an expensive trip and while I do get some travel funding from the school, a trip to AWP will wipe out that funding.  And I will be traveling during the weird winter/slushy/icy time of the year, which can be problematic.

Still, I love Boston.

Earth’s Eye

{ August 8, 2012 @ 2:06 pm } · { Conferences }
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Writers, naturalists, bird watchers, teachers, journal keepers—anyone interested in writing about the natural world— get inspired and take your work to the next level!  Earth’s Eye, A Festival of Writing in and on the Natural World will take place in Erie, Pennsylvania on Saturday, September 8.  The cost is only $36!!! (And that cost covers transportation from the Penn State Erie to Presque Isle State Park, lunch, and dinner)

Scott Russell Sanders will be the main speaker (If you do not know Sanders’ work, you need to look up his books, now!) Other readings will be given by faculty members of the BFA program at Penn State Erie.

For more information and to register online, go to www.behrend.psu.edu/festival.

The Week Ahead…

{ June 18, 2012 @ 8:24 am } · { Conferences }
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I always have trouble adjusting to real life after I come home from a writing retreat or a conference.  It’s like getting a taste of some sort of utopian world — where you have unlimited time to write and study and socialize with others who love the written word as much as you do.  I also admire those who can summarize their travels in a concise manner.  I feel like I ramble when I try to write about any type of writing festivities. 

Still, as always, (this is the fifth time I have attended the Chautauqua Writers’ Festival) the weekend was a blast.  A few highlights include meeting up with my old mentor/professor Judith Vollmer, listening to Martin Espada’s reading which included one of my favorite poems of all time, “Alabanza” and learning about the work of nonfiction writers Valerie Boyd and Natalia Rachel Singer. 

It’s actually Singer’s work I’m thinking about this morning as I type this post.  At her reading, Singer spoke about her most recent project, a blog Winter With Zoe,  that chronicles a year with Zoe, her dog dying of cancer. I’m paraphrasing what she said just a bit but she opened her reading with these words: “If you love a pet, you are destined to get your heart broken.”  I’m not sure why I’m thinking of her words this morning.  It’s a gray sort of day outside.  The rush of the conference is over, and real life is settling in.  I think it’s because her blog is uplifting, encouraging us to live as a pet would live, and that is to live in the moment, not worrying so much about the future.  I know that my own mind is always going 100 different directions at once, and most of the time, it’s thinking about the future — tomorrow’s class, next week’s writing seminar, Sunday’s poetry reading, Thursday’s car inspection, today’s doctor’s appointment — the list goes on and on, and that focusing on the here and now is a much happier and healthier place to be.

Off to Chautauqua

{ June 14, 2012 @ 8:15 am } · { Conferences }
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This morning I leave for the beautiful Chautauqua Institution to attend the annual writers’ festival.  I’m leaving technology behind, taking only a notebook, lots of pencils, and a poetry book or two.  (Okay, okay, I will have my cell phone for emergencies, but you have to understand, my cell phone is simple and ancient.  Believe it or not, I really only make phone calls on my cell phone!)  Thus, emails will go unanswered and student papers will go unread.  I’m looking forward to the weekend.

ASA Recovery

{ March 26, 2012 @ 2:07 pm } · { Conferences }
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Like most people, when I get home from a conference, I feel both exhausted and rejuvenated. Exhausted because I’ve spent three days running from session to session, meeting new people, greeting old friends, but rejuvenated from the celebration of both knowledge and art.  But rejuvenated because I got to read with my poet heroine, Paula Bohince (she’s great! and her new book is coming out very soon!). I also saw poets Peter Oresick, Jesse Graves, Richard Hague, Lori Jakiela, and Sandee Gertz Umbach read.  Plus, I met plenty of new poets and writers.  (And I sold six chapbooks!!!!)

So much to think about….but now, it’s on to the rest of the semester…In another week, I’m on spring break!

 

Blog Silence

{ March 21, 2012 @ 12:41 pm } · { Conferences }
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Tomorrow I will be traveling to the ASA Conference in Indiana, Pennsylvania.  As I have mentioned before, I am super excited about this trip — I have never been to an ASA Conference before and I love multidisciplinary conferences.  I’m also super excited to go to the conference for another reason — I am going technology free.  Yep, no laptops, no access to computers.  (Okay, I’m bringing my cell phone — but trust me, it’s a very old model.  I can barely send text messages on it!)  Lately, because of work, I have felt tethered to my computer, so I’ve decided I need a break from technology — thus, my blog will be silent until I get back, and I won’t be responding to emails.  However, I will be back on Sunday!

Have a great week, and for those of you in the East, enjoy this great weather!

Dreaming of Chautauqua

{ February 20, 2012 @ 10:07 am } · { Conferences }
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This winter has brought us “unseasonably warm temperatures” with little to no snow.  Today, it’s sunny outside, and I’m even thinking of getting my bike out of the garage to take a quick spin around the block.  This morning, I swear I heard a robin (although I haven’t seen any robins yet!)  In short, with weather like this in February, it’s easy to dream about summer.  And it’s easy to dream about Chautauqua.

This year, the Chautauqua Writers’ Festival will be held on June 14 – June 17.  There’s a great lineup of writers including poets Martin Espada and Judith Vollmer.  Judith was my advisor and professor when I was an undergraduate at Pitt Greensburg, and I can’t wait to see her again! 

The regular summer sessions look great too!  Poets Marjorie Maddox, Patricia Jabbeh Wesley, Jim Daniels, Gabriel Welsch, and Julia Kasdorf will all be conducting workshops throughout the summer.  Take a look here for more information.

I know that most people who come to Chautauqua are local (Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York), but the prices for both the festival and the workshops are very reasonable.  If you are looking for a fantastic writer’s vacation, consider trying one of these sessions!

ASA Conference

{ December 20, 2011 @ 12:48 pm } · { Conferences }
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A few days ago, I received some great news — at the end of March, I will be reading with one of my favorite poets, Paula Bohince, at the Appalachian Studies Conference in Indiana, Pennsylvania.  Fans of the Scrapper Poet know how much I love Bohince’s work (and so excited that her next book, The Children, will be out in spring 2012!), so I’m thrilled (and a bit nervous, I must admit) to read with her!  The conference also holds other great writers including poets Maggie Anderson, Peter Oresick, and Lori Jakiela. 

This is the first time I have ever planned on attending the Appalachian Studies Association Conference, and I’m really looking forward to the event.  The Appalachian Studies Association is much like the Working Class Studies Association — that is, it’s an interdisciplinary conference, so there will be films, readings, panels about pedagogy and literature, plus panels concerning history and sociology.  I always love these kinds of conferences because I learn so many new things.

I don’t know how many readers I have in the Western/Central Pennsylvania area, but if you live in the area — I would think this is a conference well worth attending, even if you can only make the Saturday events!  Here is the link to the ASA’s website, along with the conference schedule. 

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