Sunday, December 19, 2010

GLaaS Planning on Fun January 23rd


Please consider joining us for a New Year's Explosive Planning Brunch!  (Bring a dish to share.)

January 23rd
at Annette's house: 
1202 Adams St. NE
MPLS, MN
11:30 AM

We'll be discussing the next several months' events, and we'd like to have your thoughts to make this organization strong. Come to share your ideas or just to help vote on what to do next. Our organization is nothing without you. We need you, and we need to continue to work toward being a successful organization. Won't you help us do that?  (Also, the food is always awesome.)

If you'd like to contact us for more information, email our FaceBook page or our email address glsalumnibrd@hamline.edu.

Remember, without your help, the GLaaS is only ever half full or empty.  Or something.  :)  See you there!

Monday, November 29, 2010

Want to do a reading with another poet?

Poet Wendy Brown-Baez has a chapbook called transparencies of light forthcoming by Finishing Line Press, but they can't start the print run until she has advance sales. She thought up the idea of a poetry salon, like a jewelry party or Tupperware party but with poetry. She is happy to do this in tandem with another poet.

Her book is mainly persona poems of women telling their stories, and she would love to organize readings in the spring with a male poet, so the two voices would be a contrast or interweave with each other. She is happy to do everything she can to set up readings in cafes, bookstores, etc. (wherever it is free).

If interested, contact Wendy Brown-Baez at poetaluna@yahoo.com or call 612-437-3355.

Friday, November 19, 2010

Winter Wassail: Possibly the coolest event ever December 12th

Meet at "The Magnolia"
2101 Randolph Ave
St. Paul, MN 
Sunday, December 12 
4:00-7:00 PM

Join us for the first-ever West Egg "Winter Wassail"--- a twist on the usual end-of-semester reading and social.

Originally derived from the Old Norse term ves heill meaning "be well" or "be in good health," wassailing is the tradition of wishing good fortune on one's neighbors by paying them a visit (Oloffson 1). By the 19th century, wassailing evolved into the singing of Christmas carols on the doorsteps of neighbors and friends, with the hope that a singer would receive a gift in return ("figgy pudding," anyone?).

To celebrate the end of the semester, we are going to do some wassailing of our own:

We will begin at The Magnolia (home of a couple of MFA students) then visit a handful of homes in the Mac-Groveland/Highland Park area in St. Paul. Instead of singing carols, will read 2-3 poems or prose excerpts from our own work. We hope that having a mobile reading like this will help us share literature in a new way and engage with a community beyond ourselves. (Walking in a winter wonderland could be pretty fun, too.)

The stops on our wassailing route will be established ahead of time. We will know some of the patrons we visit, but others will be neighbors who simply volunteered to have a bunch of writers stop by and share some meaningful work.  Be sure to dress appropriately for spending time outside.

As usual, all GLS students, alumnae/i, and friends of West Egg are welcome. Snacks and hot beverages will be provided, so please RSVP so we know how much/many goodies to prepare. When you RSVP, let us know if you plan to read.


Work Cited

Oloffson, Kristi. "Christmas Caroling." Time. Time Inc., 21 Dec. 2009. Web. 10 Nov. 2010. http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1949049,00.html#ixzz14uS7pHDj


This is such an awesome idea that I hope it's really well-attended.  Bring your literature and your holiday cheer!

Friday, November 5, 2010

Collage with Deborah Keenan November 14th

As if that weekend couldn't get any more packed with great opportunities to connect with GLS folks!
Collage Afternoon with Deborah Keenan
November 14th
GLS House (1500 Englewood Avenue)
12:30 - 4:00PM

Dear Students and Alums, 

We hope you will join us for the fifth annual Collage Afternoon.  Please bring
  • the scissors you most love that let you be the most accurate with your cutting.
  • a glue stick.
  • any preferred backings to anchor your images.
  • at least a couple of visions for the afternoon. 
  • images that are small enough that they feel private to you (I want all of us to work on collages that are personal, almost enclosed in our own reveries about our own imagined and real life and spirit). 
  • images that feel bold, generic, large (in some way, size or meaning), so that you can, the same afternoon, be working toward a collage that could become a public work of art by 4 p.m. that day.
  • some thinking about color. 
  • three written portraits of three different colors that you are willing to share with our group.
I look forward to seeing many of you on November 14th at 12:30.  If you would like to bring something calm and non-messy to eat and drink and to share, that would be great. We will have a table set up for food and drinks to keep us going through the afternoon.

- from an invitation by Deborah Keenan (find the full text on Facebook)

You need more Dhoom in your Minnesota November

It's your lucky day!  

Saturday, November 13
5:00 pm
GLC 100E

After what is sure to be a stimulating event that is Colloquium, come to GLC 100E for a casual movie night where we will be watching and often laughing at the fabulously entertaining Bollywood Movie Dhoom 2.  The film stars Bollywood's superstar dancer Hrithik Roshan and one-time Miss World Champion Aishwarya Rai. 

If you have never seen a Bollywood movie before, this is where you want to start, as this will be the most fun culture shock you ever experience. The word 'Dhoom' itself can mean anything from 'get your freak on' to 'rejoice and make merry.' Whatever the true definition, Dhoom 2 is appropriately named.

Dhoom 2 comes with high endorsement from Hamline writers of all genres (and my film buff friend who has been telling me I must see it), so it offers something for everybody because everybody, no matter the genre, likes to--that's right--DHOOM.  Hamline students, professors, and alumni are all invited to bring friends and loved ones to the show. 

There will also be popcorn!  What more could you ask for?!

More info can be found on Facebook.

See you there!

Fall Colloquium Saturday, November 13th

Fall Colloquium
1:00 – 4:00 pm
Saturday, November 13th

The annual GLS Colloquium is in the Kay Fredericks Room of the Klas Center.  The afternoon program will showcase award-winning MALS and MFA capstones projects, illustrating the breadth of interest and disciplines, and artistic excellence of our graduates.

This year’s presenters are:
  • Jerilyn Jackson, Proseminar Essay: Undermining American Political Compassion
  • Deborah Meissner, Synthesis: Elasticity of Faith: Making Peace with Religion as Culture
  • Joshua Wodarz, Fiction Thesis: The Tug of Water
  • Didi Koka, Poetry Thesis: Lost Breath Sung
  • Vanessa Ramos, Creative Nonfiction Thesis: The Rooster and the Crow: Cuentos y Casos
This event is free and open to the public, but we ask that you RSVP.   Please send RSVPs to Anika at aeide02@hamline.edu.  Be sure to include your name and your school/program affiliation if you have one (ie. MFA Student, MALS Student, GLS Faculty, MALS/MFA Alum, etc.).

Great readers and fun times here again!  Don't miss it!

Sunday, October 31, 2010

Fall GLS Exchange

Look what's up!
It's the Fall 2010 GLS Exchange.
There's all kinds of good stuff in here, including some lovely muse news from fellow alumni.
Check it out!

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Bonfire Potluck this Saturday

West Egg Literati Autumn Potluck and Bonfire
Saturday, October 23rd at 6:00-10pm
Location: Sarah Hayes' House

Please join your fellow GLS students and alumnae/i for an autumn potluck and bonfire! Some drinks -- there was mention of mead and wine -- and finger food will be provided by our illustrious hosts, but please feel free to bring something to share.  I suggest something warm.

There will be an opportunity to read what we've been working on these past weeks, so feel free to bring something you would like to share with your fellow potluckers.  If you'd like directions, contact West Egg Literati or check out their Facebook page.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Two great events on Friday, October 22

5:30-7:30 
Friday, October 22
Faculty Appreciation Pot Luck Dinner: Made With Love 
GLC Art Gallery

GLS alumni are throwing a potluck to thank faculty for the wonderful teaching and inspiration they have provided over the years.  The event takes place on Friday, October 22 from 5:30 – 7:00 pm in the GLC Art Gallery.  It's that big, old, columned former-library building the GLC was built around.  Come for the architecture, come for the faculty, come for the Water~Stone reading, come for the company, just come! 

Yes, it's before the Water~Stone Reading, so you might happen to be on campus already anyway to snag a good parking spot.  If you’re interested in bringing a dish to share, post your ideas on the Facebook invite OR email glsalumnibrd@hamline.edu.  This was a really fun, low-key event last year.  We had a blast, and the faculty who came seemed to have a great time, too. With you there, it will be even better.  See you there!



7:30
Friday, October 22 
Water~Stone Reading
Sundin Hall

The annual Water~Stone reading will be held on Friday evening, October 22 at 7:30 pm in Sundin Hall.  The new edition should be here in about two weeks and it is going to be fabulous!  (Take a sneak peek here and be the first to see the new issue at Rain Taxi’s Twin Cities Book Festival, Saturday, October 16 at MCTC in downtown Minneapolis.)  Also, don't forget that now that we're alumni, we can submit to Water~Stone!  (Deadline December 1!)

We hope you will be able to join us for the reading and reception celebrating the 13th volume of Water~Stone Review on October 22.

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Twin Cities Book Festival October 16th!

It's October and that means it's time for Rain Taxi's annual Twin Cities Book Festival.

Yes, it's that time already.  This free extravaganza showcasing all things literary is 

Saturday, October 16, 2010
10:00 am to 5:00 pm
at Minneapolis Community & Technical College


Have you seen the author list?!  There is seriously someone for everyone.  Good grief!  We're talking
  • M.T. Anderson (co-sponsored by the Hamline University Creative Writing Program, no less!) at 3:30
  • Mary Catherine Bateson
  • Richard Paul Evans
  • James Howard Kunstler
  • Frederic Tuten
  • Jean Valentine
  • Jeffrey Zaslow 
  • Bruce Lansky
  • Alexander McCall Smith (10-11)
  • and more, if you can believe it.

On top of that, there are panels on 
  • Minnesota Debut Fiction
  • The Changing World of Publishing: Getting Books to Readers
  • The Great Midwest: Regional Writing
  • Views From The Loft (featuring our own Barrie Jean Borich!)
I would be remiss as a comics fan not to mention the panel on Minnesota Comics at 1:30Bill Willingham of Fables (if you haven't read it, go read it now) will be there along with several other excellent panelists.


But wait!  There's more!  Seriously!
  • A children's pavilion
  • Book sales and signings
  • Lit mag fair (be on the lookout for Water~Stone staff members and a huge variety of literary magazines)
  • Publishers
  • Literary organizations

How can there be so much literary goodness in one place?!  How can such an amazing thing occur?!  Find out for yourself!  (Volunteers are appreciated. :)  See you there . . .




If you have an event you'd like us to mention here on the GLaaS blog, just let us know.

Call for Writers/Readers and Submissions

Libby Casey Irwin (MFA 1995-2000) and ArtWorks of Art St Croix want your creative writing!


What they're looking for
  • any creative writing genre (including songs and novel excerpts)
  • family-friendly, yet vibrant, keen, original works
  • authors able to attend a rehearsal on 3 December 2010
  • authors willing to read their pieces on 4 December 2010 (probably under 5 minutes, depending on participation)

If this sounds like you 

Submit up to five literary pieces
  • by November 15, 2010
  • by email to libbycaseyirwin@live.com or 
  • via snail mail at Libby Casey Irwin; 2710 Mallard Drive; Woodbury, Minnesota  55125.

Please include
  • e‑mail address
  • snail mail address
  • phone number 
  • a brief description of yourself and your work as a writing artist.

If you have any questions, call Libby at (651) 738‑7223.   (Libby teaches creative writing and coordinates this literary event at the end of the year. She thanks you for your support of a worthy recitation.)



If you have an event or a call for submissions, we'd love to post it on the GLaaS Blog.  Get in touch with us, let us know you'd like us to post on the blog (and what you'd like to post), and we'll do our best to shine the spotlight on you!

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Mark your calendars now: Donna Isaac invites you to two readings

You are invited two poetry readings by Donna Isaac.

Saturday, October 9th
Fresh Grounds
1362 W. Seventh
St. Paul
1:00 p.m.

and

Saturday, November 20th
Jerabek's New Bohemian
63 Winifred St.
St. Paul's West Side
1:00 p.m.

For more information, check out Donna's website at www.donnaisaacpoet.com.


(Do you have a reading you'd like to share about? Send it along, and GLaaS will be happy to spread the word!)

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

This just in for the poetry book club on September 30th!

We'll have a guest with us this month! Oliver St. John, an intern for MinnPost.com, is writing about book clubs around town.  Mark your calendars and head to Micawber’s to pick up American Smooth by Rita Dove if you haven’t already!


See you Thursday, September 30th
7:30-9PM
on Jean's porch (if it's warm enough).

Have questions?  Need directions? Email us.

Have a great September!

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Check out alumni blog: KunstKitchen

Name of your blog: KunstKitchen

Link to your blog: http://kunstkitchen.wordpress.com/

What your blog is about: Sharing cooking, dining and eating Slow food, as opposed to fast food. Recipes and humorous antidotes for a post modern really fast world.

Your name (if you're not blogging anonymously): Catherine Katt

Years you were in the program (and year you graduated from Hamline): 2000-2006 ('06)

When you started blogging: June 2010

Why you blog: Blogging to make the connection between food as the source and art as the spiritual source.  Inspired by my niece who is a culinary writer. She likes what I write.

Who your intended audience is: Anyone interested in the Slow Food movement and real food.

What blogs you like to read: My friends' blogs.

Advice to or question for bloggers: "Just do it."

Thursday, September 2, 2010

September and October Poetry Book Club

In September and October, we will be meeting the last Thursday of the month, so mark your calendars for

Thursday, September 30: Rita Dove's American Smooth
Thursday, October 28: Stanley Plumly's Old Heart
7:30 to 9:00 pm
at Jean's

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to let us know, and we'll get you in touch with Jean.  See you there.

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Alumni Spotlight on Aaron Wilson ('08)

In the last couple of months, Aaron M. Wilson (class of 2008) has started to succeed in finding a home for a few of his stories. He's placed stories both online and in traditional print media: most notably in Twin Cities: Cifiscape Vol. I (late August 2010) and The Last Man Anthology (which includes stories from Barry N. Malzberg, C.J Cherryh, and Ray Bradbury, and is available to pre-order). He was also awarded the June author spotlight in the third issue of eFiction Magazine that included an interview and publication of three of his stories.

He lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he attempts to understand life, others (including his two cats – one good and one bad), himself, and especially his wife – in that order. He writes about books, stories, movies, and his experiences as an adjunct instructor of English, Literature, and Environmental Science on his blog: Soulless Machine.

Here is what Aaron has been up since April 2010:

So what have you been up to lately?  We'd love to hear about it!  Just email us, and you could be the next person basking in the glow of the GLaaS alumni spotlight . . .

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Gatsby Lawn Party August 25th at 6

Yes, it's that time: the Gatsby Lawn Party is here again!  West Egg Literati, the GLS student org, is hosting this new student welcome bash once more!  Alumni are quite welcome.

Join us on the GLS House back lawn on Wednesday, August 25 
at about 6:00 (5:30 if you want to help us set up).  

Connect with new students.  Reconnect with alumni of yore.  Play some croquet, write some haiku, and maybe bring some money for West Egg merchandise and their always delightful and artistic lit mag rock, paper, scissors.

If you think you’ll be coming, we’d love an RSVP to help with our planning.  Just email Kelly at kkrebs@hamline.edu.  (In the case of inclement weather, the festivities will be moved to East Hall 5.)

See you there!

These brd members will be there.  Will you?

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Help keep yourself accountable for writing (and have fun doing it)

A friend in the writers' group I'm in recommended the site 750words.com.  If you want to get cracking on being disciplined and really make the writing habit part of your everyday life, there's nothing like signing yourself up to be on a Wall of Shame.  Just kidding. 

There are some great tools here to help you keep track of your goals.  You also get points and badges and some really interesting features, one of which is like a mood ring based on your writing. 

3 pages a day might be how you start getting back into the practice of writing if you've fallen out of it.  You can do 3 pages a day.  And everyone likes penguin badges, right?

Do you use this site?  Any tips or tricks for those who might be interested?

Sunday, August 8, 2010

This Tuesday big meeting (and no WHH)

Tuesday night 
August 10
6:30 
GLS house

We'll be meeting to toss around ideas for the coming year of GLaaS.  We'd love to get your ideas.  We'd love if you would bring your ideas and come yourself because we'd love to see you and have you join the board.  (WHH will not be meeting that night since your faithful blog editor can't be two places at once.  Yet.)

If you can't make it, but you have a suggestion for a great event or want to help us plan future events, please let us know (preferably before the meeting, but we love hearing from you any time).

We hope to see you there!

Love,
GLS Alumni Board/glsbrd/GLaaS board

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Check out David Oppegaard's blog: Deep Thoughts With Blogagaard

Name of your blog: Deep Thoughts With Blogagaard

Link to your blog: www.blogagaard.blogspot.com

What your blog is about: The voice I blog in is a slightly insane version of myself that often refers to itself as “Blogagaard” or “We here at Blogagaard.”  Sometimes I review books or movies, sometimes I talk about writing, but mostly I just post on the world around Blogagaard and the skewed way Blogagaard perceives it, with the occasional posting or plug of my own writing along the way.

Your name (if you're not blogging anonymously): David Oppegaard

Years you were in the program (and year you graduated from Hamline): 2004-2006 ('06 grad)

When you started blogging: August 2005

Why you blog: I started a different blog when I was traveling in Europe to keep my friends updated. By the time I came back, I was already addicted to instant gratification of seeing your words on the web instantly.

Who your intended audience is: My intended audience, at the beginning, was pretty much just my friends. Now that I’m a published author, I try to aim my posts at a more general audience and discuss the craft of writing more than I used to. Hopefully my blog amuses as many people as possible.

What blogs you like to read: I used to read a lot of blogs, but then many of my friends stopped blogging, and I drifted away from blog reading in general. In some ways I see blogging as a big fad that reached its height in the ought’s, but there are obviously many hardcore bloggers still going strong and new blogs popping up every day.

Advice to or question for bloggers: I suppose my only advice is that blogging is a marathon, not a race, so if you’re just starting a blog, don’t pour your whole soul/life story into it in the first couple of months, because you’ll burn yourself out pretty fast and suddenly you won’t feel like blogging anymore.

P.S. from GLaaS: Be sure to check out David's blog because he's also experimenting with publishing some of his best blogging moments over the years.  All hail drunken blogging, indeed.  If you're new to blogging, there's a lot of material to laugh about here.  In a good way.

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Alumni Spotlight on Laura Littleford in 2010 Minnesota Fringe Festival

"Romeo and Juliet Go to Winnipeg"
One Woman Show by Laura Littleford

Laura Littleford, MFA 1998, premieres her latest one woman show, "Romeo and Juliet Go to Winnipeg" on Friday, August 6, at 5:30 p.m. at the Playwrights' Center (2301 Franklin Avenue E, Minneapolis) as part of the 2010 Minnesota Fringe Festival (visit www.fringefestival.org for details).  Stay tuned for opening night festivities at www.lauralittleford.com.  Also, check out her event page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/edit/?id=105567592822663#!/pages/Laura-Littleford/105567592822663.

This autobiographical work features "misadventured, piteous overthrows" by two teens who try to escape bickering Baptist families in bucolic Burnsville.  Old dogma breaks into new insanity in 1969, while Romeo and Juliet make out for 491 miles on a high school choir tour to Winnipeg.

"Romeo and Juliet Go to Winnipeg" plays at the Playwrights' Center at the following dates and times:
·
Friday, August 6 at 5:30 p.m.
·
Sunday, August 8 at 4 p.m.
·
Wednesday, August 11 at 7 p.m.
·
Saturday, August 14 at 10 p.m.
·
Sunday, August 15 at 1 p.m.

It sounds hilarious, so we hope to see a lot of you turning out to support your fellow alumni and enjoying  gobs of all-around artistic talent at the Fringe Festival.  This year, the Minnesota Fringe Festival runs August 5th-15th.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

July Poetry Book Club: July 27

Don't forget!  In just a little under one week, we meet to discuss In the Bird Museum by Kristy Bowen.

The Hamline GLS Alumni host a Poetry Book Club on the last Tuesday of each month from 7:30-9pm at Jean Larson's house.  This is an incentive for graduates interested in poetry to read a whole book of poems, to come up with questions/insights/what works what doesn't/ favorite moments, and discuss them with alumni. We have a deal going with one of the local bookstores to get each month's book at a discount.  You can sit back, engage, read part, read all. Come monthly, come sometimes. Flexible and low key (unless someone decides to raise a ruckus; you know how poetry can affect some of us).

Please email Jean at jeanielars@comcast.net for more information.

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Check out Beth Greshwalk's blog: Coffee with a Koala: My Realities of Relocating from Minneapolis to Melbourne

Name of your blog: Coffee with a Koala: My Realities of Relocating from Minneapolis to Melbourne

Link to your blog: http://www.bethinoz.wordpress.com/

What your blog is about: In narrative essay form, this blog explores the journey of a 30-something American woman who packed up three suitcases, two cats, and a fist full of hope and ventured to Melbourne, Australia, to live. I was driven by the one thing women’s magazines and girlfriends have warned us about for years: a long distance relationship. My Aussie boyfriend (a travel writer) and I met at an Indonesian writer’s festival, fell in love over email and phone calls, and spent seventeen months of correspondence, visits and travel before I moved to Australia to see this adventure through. The purpose of this blog isn’t to (a) tell overly sentimental stories or (b) focus on love relationships. It’s about exploring the flip-sides to the fantasy of moving abroad.

Your name (if you're not blogging anonymously): Beth Greshwalk

Years you were at Hamline: 2001-2008 (M.F.A.)

When you started blogging: June 22, 2010 (still new; several entries and growing)

Why you blog: It allows me to write in the way I enjoy most (memoir) and be published, in a sense. This cathartic outlet also gives me confidence and keeps me writing on a regular basis. Great practice!

Who your intended audience is: It's possible that women may relate most, but I think it may work for anyone who tends to take chances and "follow their heart," over their head. Travelers or anyone else who is currently or has lived abroad may also be interested.

What blogs you like to read: I'm still pretty new to the blogging scene - would love some suggestions.

Advice to or question for bloggers: Just do it. It's a great platform for writers who want to get their voices out there. I think you'll be surprised by its hidden benefits. I'm still a newbie, and am sure to have questions for other bloggers soon!

Anything else you'd like to add: I was actually in the MFA program from 2001-2008, so a smattering of people may remember me, though I was only in one evening class per semester. Also, I did spend 2005-2006 living in Athens, Greece, where I completed my final MFA capstone project, a memoir about immersion in a foreign country (I did a long distance, independent study/correspondence with Barrie Jean Borich). And THAT was actually inspired by a MALS/MFA arts course in 2001, where we'd spent 11 days in Athens! So I can honestly thank the GLS program for changing my life in this way - inspiring me to live abroad and to write about it! :) Sorry for the gushing, but I seriously do owe this to GLS! :)

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Come meet the low-residency folks on July 12th at 7

GLS Low-Residency Reading and Reception: Monday, July 12  7:00 pm  
A Meet and Greet for the GLS Community
Did you know that GLS offers a low-residency MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults?  Twice a year, students in this program come from across the nation to the Hamline campus for a 10-day residency full of seminars, workshops, lectures, and readings.  At this summer’s residency (July 8 – 18), faculty, visiting writers, graduating students, and guest editors/publishers will deliver lectures and offer seminars that examine a broad range of issues for writers in the field.  Because these low-residency students and faculty are only on campus for a short time, they rarely get to meet other students in our programs.  But this summer, we're opening the doors and bringing everyone together! 
We’d like to invite all members of the GLS community to a special residency reading and reception on Monday evening, July 12 at 7:00 pm in the Kay Fredericks room, 3rd floor of the Klas Center.  The reading will feature our faculty/authors Ron Koertge, Jane Resh Thomas, Anne Ursu, Lisa Jahn-Clough, and Jackie Briggs-Martin.  A book signing and reception will follow.  We hope you can join us for this special event.  It will be a great way to meet these students and the wonderful faculty who teach in our low-residency program!

These are really great authors with tons of writing experience and books under their belts, not to mention all the great students you've never met.  So come on out and meet them all!



Sunday, July 4, 2010

Scriptwriting opportunity


One of our alumni let us know about this opportunity.  Be sure to check it out if you're interested.

"Seeking someone who would be interested/have experience/capability in writing a script for a family entertainment film. Work with a scriptwriter and computer animator to develop The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister to develop the character into a 3D computer animation film. The story would appeal to 8 - 12 years old and family. They are pretty far along in the development process and are  looking for people who can write dialog. The bones of the story are somewhat worked out. Character must change quite a bit (grow up) to appeal to a more grown up audience. For more information send your contact information to Joan Stavely."

Friday, June 25, 2010

The new GLS Exchange has arrived!

If you didn't receive the new GLS Exchange through email on Thursday 24 June, you can check it out here.

I'd also recommend letting GLS know your preferred and current email address, as well, so you can be notified of future issues as they are published.

This new, turbo-charged version of the Exchange contains all the content you looked forward to in the paper version and more. Be sure to check out fun additions like The View from West Egg and the Alumni Corner for updates on how you can connect. I'm looking forward to the In the Classroom and the Beyond the Classroom features, myself. Maybe all this community news will inspire you to send us an alumni update or a reading list or book review of your own.

Just because you've graduated doesn't mean you can't still be part of the great GLS community. :)

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Michael Kiesow Moore ('99) invites you to write peace into your life this summer

Hi there,

I'm a Hamline MFA alumnus (1999), and I'd like to let everyone know about a week-long class I'll be teaching on Madeline Island this summer. Here are the details:

Writing Peace into Your Life
August 8 to August 13, 2010
All levels / multi-genre

At the peaceful setting of Madeline Island we will spend a week exploring many aspects of peace. If you had peace in your life, what would it look like? How can you use your own inner peace to benefit your family, community, and world? The goal of this class is to have students consciously explore the nature of peace through writing. In the process, we can discover deep truths about ourselves and how we relate to the world.

We'll read and discuss writings by Thich Nhat Hanh, Mohandas Gandhi, and others. Guided meditations and walks in the beautiful island setting will return students to their own sense of inner peace. Students will pull from their own craft toolkits of poetry, creative nonfiction, or fiction, at all levels of writing.

As writers-and as caring human beings-we will meet at the crossroads of peace, creativity, and imagination to inspire hope for the future, deepen our connections to ourselves and others, and inspire each other to use our creativity for peace.

For further information and registration, see http://www.madelineartschool.com/. (NOTE: You might want to use Internet Explorer to view this site, not Firefox .)

If you have any questions, let me know. Thanks!

best,
Michael

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Come to next year's MALS Forum

If you didn't make it out to the MALS Forum in April, be sure to be on the lookout for this event next year. It was frankly fascinating to see what MALS graduates have been writing about. Seriously. From even this small number of presenters, I got to hear about topics from history to sociology to religion to politics to family and beyond.

The only irritating thing about these MALS graduate presentations is the same thing that's irritating about the parallel graduate readings for MFA students: you want to hear more!

Be on the lookout next spring for this intriguing event, and be sure to come hear smart people talk about things they've been thinking hard and writing beautifully about. It's well worth your time.

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

TalkingImageConnection (TIC) reading June 17th





Fitting the Profile
a reading presented by TIC and the Tychman Shapira Gallery

Thursday June 17th @ 7PM
Sabes Jewish Community Center
4330 S. Cedar Lake Road
Minneapolis, MN

writers
Naomi Cohn * Geoff Herbach * Rebecca Kanner * Judith Katz * Alison Morse * Margie Newman

respond to 
the exhibit "Profiling: Exploring The Faces of Diversity Within The Jewish Community"

For more information, email yackmor@talkimage.org.

These performances are always a blast and usually have at least one of your fellow alumni.  Be sure to experience a reading this summer, and remember that TIC is always looking for new participants.   Email TIC a story or piece of creative non-fiction or three poems, along with a description of your past experience as a reader and your interest in visual art.



Friday, May 28, 2010

Maya Washington '06 wants your creative writing

Dearest Friends and Creative Fam-

I am editing the White Space Poetry Anthology and I don't have any poems to edit! I sent out the following call for submissions a few weeks ago and have only received a few submissions. Please spread the word, submit your own work and forward this to colleagues. And for all my teaching artist friends, please encourage your star students to submit.

White Space Poetry Anthology
Deadline extended 6/15/10

The White Space Poetry Anthology is a collection of poetry, creative non-fiction, and art that use white space, literal or metaphorical to connect to thoughts and ideas.

We are also interested in voice as it pertains to the artist's point of view: be it regional, cultural or individual perspectives. There are no guidelines with regard to subject matter--we are mostly interested in how you use white space in your work and how it relates to your artistic point of view. Simultaneous and previously published work is welcome. If you are a multi-genre artist, please include pieces that include text and visual art.

Poetry: submit up to 6 poems.

Creative non-fiction: submit up to 6 short prose poems, or short creative non-fiction.

Art Work: submit up to 6 images.

Please send your electronic submission, along with your name, email, postal address, and a brief bio (60 words or less) to whitespacepoetry@gmail.com. Selected submissions will appear in print and online. There is no pay for contributors. If your work is selected you will receive a contributor copy of the anthology and recognition on our site.

- Maya Washington

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Spotlight on Michele Campbell '07

Michele Campbell - MFA Creative Nonfiction - 2004-2007

I blog at http://voixdemichele.blogspot.com.

I wrote a screenplay and turned it into a movie with Todd Wardrope (MFA 2010).  It can be seen on the YouTube, and there's a link right here with all the credits.  It was created for the Women Stand Up and Shoot comedy short film competition through IFP Minnesota.  We didn't win, but it's a fantastic movie anyway, and we're still entering it into contests.

Also, I am writing a one woman show for the Fringe Festival.

Title: Pardon My French.
Venue: The Playwrights' Center (2301 Franklin Ave. E)
Performance times:
Thursday, August 5 - 5:30 p.m.
Saturday, August 7 - 2:30 p.m.
Sunday, August 8 - 8:30 p.m.
Wednesday, August 11 - 8:30 p.m.
Friday, August 13 - 7:00 p.m.

For more information about the Minnesota Fringe Festival, please click http://fringefestival.org/.

There you go!

- Michele

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

It's not all fish in acid: Why Robert Desnos matters (to me)

Before GLS, I had only a glancing acquaintance with Surrealism.  It consisted of my firm dislike for Dali paintings, which always made me feel slightly ill.  Then I met Robert Desnos in one of Deborah Keenan's classes, and I fell in love with what Eddie Hirsch referred to as his “deeply joyous and wildly stubborn” self.  One of my assignments was to research Desnos, and I did so enthusiastically.  Now, years later, I think I finally understand those Dali paintings, and I owe it all to Desnos.

Very Brief Summary

He had somewhat humble beginnings, a dramatic life in an interesting time and place surrounded by interesting people and ideas.  (You should read about them.)  He wrote whatever he wanted, however he wanted, and no one could tell him what he could or could not write, not Breton (the leader of the Surrealist movement) and not even the Nazis.  He died a tragic death. 

Why I love Desnos

He wasn't afraid of forms or free verse.  He wasn't afraid of being labeled a commercial sellout when he started working in radio and advertisement, using writing to, gasp, make a living.  He wasn't afraid to call the Surrealists out when he thought they were being ridiculous ("Comrades" is pretty great).  He didn't think he could only write with one voice, and there was no experiment he woulnd't try.  He laughed at people who looked down their noses at him, and he kept doing what he wanted: writing whatever he wanted however he wanted.  He didn't care if you understood; he didn't care if HE understood.  He just wrote. 

From a poem I wrote to Desnos

I want to read everything you wrote
so maybe I can be brave like you
some day maybe I can write
fearlessly like you whatever however
I want with a merry smirk
at all of those who say you can't

"Love like fish swims in acid"

I got my chance to read what he wrote when we looked at The Voice of Robert Desnos for the April Poetry Book Club meeting.  Finally, I had the excuse I needed to read a somewhat comprehensive and chronological selection of his work.  It was like watching someone grow up.  From that irritatingly incomprehensible automatic writing poetry (whose practitioners started going a bit crazy) to his tediously extensive love affair with unrequited love to his mostly sometimes slightly more comprehensible later works, Desnos was all over the place, and there's always something to like.

In the earlier poems, it was usually a single phrase that made sense amidst the seemingly randomly assembled flotsam of the unconscious mind.  I could grab onto that weird and beautiful bit and hold on for dear life, letting the rest of the poem wash past me.  Later, when he was being viciously political or sly or playful or in reciprocated love (finally), sometimes a whole poem could keep me in its world.  But those earlier ones . . . 

Why GLaaS matters

And then, that moment of insight I never could have had if I hadn't been sitting with a group of smart people discussing why I still liked Desnos even when he didn't make any sense to me.  "I can't see pictures in my head," I said.  "I can't visualize like most people can.  People have tried to explain Surrealism to me, and I have stared at Dali's paintings for as long as I could bear, and they meant nothing to me.  But when I read this early stuff by Desnos, when I see these ideas as words thrown down in a poem randomly together, suddenly, I understand what Surrealism is; I feel like maybe I understand Dali paintings now that I've seen them as text."

I even got a poem out of the evening, one of those muse-gift ones where something you've been reading and something else you've been contemplating collide just right, and you complete the poem right then!

Always at least half-full

Anyway, one of the reasons we started GLaaS is to make sure alumni can continue to have those discussions that lead to those moments of insight we remember so well from our classes.  Just because we have our degrees doesn't mean we can't still experience that kind of learning.  I, for one, am glad.  Also, Jean's porch is outstanding.  Hope to see you there this summer.

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Q & A with the Poetry Book Club

May 25th, we're discussing Towards the Forest by Holaday Mason.  In case you haven't made it out to a Poetry Book Club meeting, I asked Jean Larson, one of the leaders, some questions about the book club and the upcoming meetings.

How are the books chosen?  The original attendees nominated options by email last August and September and brainstormed a great list. Then we voted for our top picks.  So far this effort continues to provide us with a reading list.

What can you tell us about May's author?  Holaday Mason lives in California, and even emailed me after she googled herself and found that we’d chosen her book to study.

Any particulars you're excited about discussing?  Holaday’s line, “I might have been anyone”


What’s next?
Tuesday, June 29th:  The Wellspring by Sharon Olds
Tuesday, July 27th:  In the Bird Museum by Kristy Bowen
Tuesday, August 31st: National Monuments by Heid Erdrich

See you at the next Poetry Book Club meeting.  (last Tuesday of every month)

Please email Jean at jeanielars@comcast.net for more information.

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Alumni Poetry Book Club: May 25


The Hamline GLS Alumni are hosting a Poetry Book Club on the last Tuesday of each month from 7:30-9pm at Jean Larson's house. On May 25, we will discuss the book  Towards the Forest by Holaday Mason.

This is an incentive for graduates interested in poetry to read a whole book of poems, to come up with questions/insights/what works what doesn't/ favorite moments, and discuss them with alumni. You can sit back, engage, read part, read all. Come monthly, come sometimes. Flexible and low key--unless someone decides to raise a ruckus!--you know how poetry can affect some of us.

Please email Jean at jeanielars@comcast.net for more information.

"Green Light Send-off" Graduation Reception : May 22

Saturday, May 22
3:00 pm 
GLS Backyard (1500 Engelwood Ave.)

May 22 is graduation day at Hamline University, and we’d like to invite our alumni to come back and help us celebrate at the annual Green Light Send-Off.  The party will begin around 3:00 pm in the backyard of the GLS house immediately following the commencement ceremony (which begins at 1:30 pm.)

The reception is open to all members of the GLS community--graduates, their guests, faculty, and alumni.

The Green Light Send-Off is the bookend experience to our annual Gatsby Party that welcomes new students into the program each fall.  If you'd like to attend, please RSVP to glsalumnibrd@hamline.edu or the Facebook event page, so we can get idea of the number of people to expect.  And don't worry if you can't attend graduation; the real party begins afterward at GLS anyway!

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Does anyone read reviews anymore?

Here's a great article about the state of reviewing I ran across in Publishers Weekly.  I've been reading a lot of reviews online lately, and this bit really resonated with me.

"When I read a scathing, thinly veiled ad hominem attack, or a prolonged act of self-aggrandizing cleverness at another's expense, or a condemnation of a single book for the bigger tendency--or tradition--that it would seem to represent, I tend to think negative reviews are ultimately embarrassing and ruinous for everyone, no matter how exciting they may be to read or gossip about.  But when a reviewer manages to point out a book's shortcomings even-handedly, with care and dignity, and with an eye to raising the bar a little higher for readers and for writers, too--that's another story.  I'd love to see more reviews like that."

Timothy Donnelly quoted in
Craig Teicher's "What Poetry Reviews Are For (and Up Against)"
in Publisher's Weekly March 29, 2010

Rain Taxi got mentioned, too, which was kind of thrilling.

The article as a whole is about whether book reviewing--specificially poetry book reviewing--matters in today's culture.  Be sure to check out the full article for several different perspectives on the issue. 

What do you think?  Do you read reviews?  What do you look for in them?  Do you write them?  What would make you want to read professional reviews?  Are there any reviewers or sites you really trust for consistently high quality reviews?


Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Calling all Terry Tempest Williams fans

Wow.  Finding Beauty in a Broken World is exciting to read.  I'm captivated by the unusual formatting, the careful structure/form, and the fascinating content.  I admit a bias toward mosaic, mixed-genre, creatively-formatted forms, but I think this book would draw most any serious reader into its meticulously and seemingly-effortlessly crafted world of beauty and disaster.

I've read a couple of Williams' essays, too, and I'm wondering if you have a favorite you could recommend.  Which of her books do you love most?  Which articles?  Which essays?  If you have any suggestions to share in this week before she comes to visit Hamline (someone pinch me), please do. 

And don't forget all of her events on campus; this is a rare chance.  :)

No WHH this Tuesday (20th)

There will be no WHH on Tuesday, April 20, so I can enjoy Terry Tempest Williams' Mahle Lecture at 7:30 in the Hamline United Methodist Church (HUMC).  If you've never been to HUMC, it's really lovely with lots of intricate stained glass that has its own particular character as the light changes and fades to night.  It will be a great place for Williams to talk about mosaics and her newest book Finding Beauty in a Broken World.

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Alumni Poetry Book Club: April 27

The Hamline GLS Alumni are hosting a Poetry Book Club on the last Tuesday of each month from 7:30-9pm at Jean Larson's house. On April 27, we will discuss The Voice of Robert Desnos: Selected Poems.

This is an incentive for graduates interested in poetry to read a whole book of poems, to come up with questions/insights/what works what doesn't/ favorite moments, and discuss them with alumni. You can sit back, engage, read part, read all. Come monthly, come sometimes. Flexible and low key--unless someone decides to raise a ruckus!--you know how poetry can affect some of us.

Please email Jean at jeanielars@comcast.net for more information.

MALS Forum: April 24




MALS Forum
Saturday, April 24
1:00 PM 
Sorin Hall Rooms A & B

In a new tradition GLS is starting this year, selected students graduating from the Master of Arts in Liberal Studies (MALS) program will be presenting their final capstone/synthesis project at the MALS Forum on Saturday afternoon, April 24.   The event starts at 1:00 pm and will be held in Sorin Hall rooms A & B.

Similar to the Grad Readings for our MFA students, the MALS Forum gives us an opportunity to hear some of the projects that our MALS students have researched and written for their capstone work.  Please RSVP to Kelly Krebs if you think you'll be joining us.

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Four events the week of April 18th






Does GLaaS have a week of fun for you!

April 18th: Book Arts Class with Georgia Greeley at 2 PM
April 20th: Terry Tempest Williams Aperitif at 5:30 PM

Hamline has some fun for you, too!

Terry Tempest Williams is coming to Hamline University and will be doing two events you might love.

Mahle Lecture in Progressive Christian Thought: “Finding Beauty in a Broken World”
Tuesday, April 20
7:30 PM
Hamline United Methodist Church
1514 Englewood Avenue
Saint Paul, MN

“A Writer’s Interview with Terry Tempest Williams”
conducted by faculty member Barrie Jean Borich and MFA student Nuria Sheehan
Wednesday, April 21
7:30 PM
Sundin Music Hall
1531 Hewitt Avenue
Saint Paul, MN


We hope to see you there!


Alumni Happy Hour: April 21





Author Terry Tempest Williams is coming to Hamline!

We’ll be at Sweeney’s Saloon (96 North Dale Street in St. Paul) starting at 5:30 pm.  Around 7:00 we’ll head over to campus for the “Author’s Interview” program that begins at 7:30 pm in Sundin Hall.  GLS Alumni Board will buy the first round of drinks (beer or wine).

The Best Gift You'll Ever Make: April 18th




The Best Gift You'll Ever Make 
Book arts with Georgia Greely
Create keepsakes for graduates
April 18 @ 2 PM
GLS House

More details to come . . .  Stay tuned!


Sunday, March 21, 2010

15 Books Pete Heiden ('09) liked in 2009

From the last six months or so . . .
  • My Self, My Muse: Irish Women Poets Reflect on Life and Art edited by Patricia Boyle Haberstroh
  • True at First Light by Ernest Hemingway
  • No Boundaries, an Anthology of Prose Poems edited by Ray Gonzales
  • Unpacking the Boxes, A Memoir of a Life in Poetry by Donald Hall
  • The Winged Life, Writings of Thoreau edited by Robert Bly
  • Reaching out to the World, New and Selected Prose Poems by Robert Bly
  • A Hundred White Daffodils by Jane Kenyon
  • Where Our Food Comes from: Retracing Nikolav Vavilov’s Quest to End Famine by Gary Paul Nabhan
  • Wolves and the Wolf  Myth in American Literature by S.K. Robisch
  • To and From by G.E. Patterson
  • Eccentric Islands by Bill Holm
  • Grass Dancer by Susan Power
  • A Wilderness Within, the Life of Sigurd Olson by David Backes
  • Shadow Tag by Louise Erdrich
  • First Words by Joyce Sutphen

Friday, March 19, 2010

Check out Kathleen Cassen Mickelson's blog: One Minnesota Writer

Name of your blog: One Minnesota Writer
Link to your blog: http://oneminnesotawriter.blogspot.com/
What your blog is about: I talk about writing, submitting, sharing, and the kindnesses that writers and other artists can offer each other. This is not a site for complaints about various editors or writing groups or the multitude of things that can make people upset. But, if you have a story about a kindness that helped you in your creative career, by all means, chime in. What blogs are really about, deep down, is community.
Your name (if you're not blogging anonymously): Kathleen Cassen Mickelson
Year you graduated from Hamline: MFA, creative nonfiction, 1998
When you started blogging: March 2010 (yup, brand new)
Why you blog: I started blogging as a result of my work as a reader, then an editor, at Every Day Poets, an online daily poetry journal. We went through a period where we got some really rude comments from readers who clearly did not write poetry themselves, and I began to ponder why people feel they can be so much ruder online than in person. I'd like to be a kinder presence on the blogosphere.
Who your intended audience is: Anyone interested in writing, making art, or the creative process. I post links to my blog weekly via Facebook, LinkedIn, mnartists.org, ning, and other places on the Internet as I discover them.
What blogs you like to read:  Some of my favorites are Brevity's Creative Nonfiction Blog, Poetic Asides with Robert Lee Brewer, Life on the Periphery, and New Pages Blog.
Advice to or question for bloggers: No advice - I'm too new. But please visit my blog and leave some comments. I'd love to hear from you. Thanks! 




Sunday, March 7, 2010

Alumni Poetry Book Club: March 30

The Hamline GLS Alumni are hosting a Poetry Book Club on the last Tuesday of each month from 7:30-9pm at Jean Larson's house. On March 30, we will discuss the book Little Boat by Jean Valentine.

This is an incentive for graduates interested in poetry to read a whole book of poems, to come up with questions/insights/what works what doesn't/favorite moments, and discuss them with alumni. You can sit back, engage, read part, read all. Come monthly, come sometimes. Flexible and low key-unless someone decides to raise a ruckus!-you know how poetry can affect some of us.

Please email Jean at jeanielars@comcast.net for more information.

Wonderful worlds

Since we're having a world-building night, I figured I'd ask the three folks leading it to talk about some books they love that have wonderfully crafted worlds.  Here are there responses . . .

Dave says
  • The Earthsea Trilogy by Ursula K. Le Guin: The original "waterworld."
  • The Dark Tower series: Roland the Gunslinger is hands down Stephen King's greatest character, even if the series got wobbly after Wasteland.
  • 1984 by George Orwell: Big brother is watching you...everywhere.
  • Ringworld by Larry Niven: A very detailed book about a (literally) manufactured world.
  • Only Forward by Michael Marshall Smith: Set in a futuristic city where every neighborhood has a different theme.  One neighborhood changes color constantly, another is run by cats.  Not talking cats-just cats.
  • The Great Gatsby: With this one short book, F. Scott Fitzgerald created a glittery world of 1920's wealth and longing.  When the narrator attends a party, you can taste the cocktails.
  • Don Quixote: Miguel Cervantes creates vivid, dusty Spain-then he sets an old dreamer loose upon it who is living in a world of his own.
Jeff says
  • Hobbit / Lord of the Rings / Silmarillion: Tolkien's Middle Earth is probably the seminal and most well constructed fantasy world there is.  He spent most of his life (decades) creating it, its history, the history and movement of its people, and even a number of the different languages, down to syntax, sentence structure, and alphabets. Seriously, the guy was a language professor who wanted to create new languages, and made a world and a new history to fit them.  I don't think we can talk about world building without mentioning Tolkien.
  • Chronicles of Narnia: Not nearly as well constructed as Middle Earth, but I think Narnia also merits mentioning because for quite some time it was the pre-eminent fantasy world for children.  It's been supplanted by Harry Potter, but it's still very relevant (they're still making movies of it!).
Satish says
  • His Dark Materials Series by Phillip Pullman: Though I loved the Harry Potter series, I do feel the world of 'His Dark Materials' is much more sophisticated.  I loved that it really portrayed the ideas of 'outer and inner self' in some fantastic ways. By using the 'Daemon' Pullman characterized one individual using 2 beings. 
I do love comic books, but due to their ongoing nature, they are extremely wild where anything goes, and many times contradict any structure that they have. However, limited series comic books have a much tighter hold of things as it is meant to be one story with a beginning middle and end. Such as...
  • Transmetropolitan: I don't think there is a single page where there is not a trail of cigarette smoke, and it is a must for any fans of Gonzo reporting that was started by Hunter S Thompson. The corrupted use of Nano technology, dirty politics, and vicious media are all things that the disgruntled crude reporter 'Spider Jerusalem' is fighting
  • Y: the Last Man: A great series about a world where every male has died except for a man and his monkey. Enough said.
What do you say?

What book worlds do you love best?  Which ones do you revisit over and over again?  Do share. :)

Welcome to our Worlds!

Join Hamline MFA Alumni David Oppegaard, Jeff Smieding and host Satish Jayaraj as they present their respective sci-fi and fantasy worlds.

The writers will each do a short presentation about their worlds and the inspirations and thought process that has gone into its creation before taking questions from the audience. Though the presenters may read from their work, their creative process will be the primary focus.

March 11 @ 7 PM
Giddens Learning Center 100 E
Hamline University
This event is open to the public.

David Oppegaard lives in St. Paul, MN. He is the author of the Bram Stoker-nominated The Suicide Collectors and the newly released Wormwood, Nevada. Each novel he writes is different- they range somewhere between literary fiction, speculative fiction, horror fiction, and dark fantasy-and the worlds he builds for each is subsequently different as well. Even David is sometimes confused by the genre mishmash inside his head.


Jeff Smieding is a graduate of the MFA program at Hamline University. His debut novel, And In Their Passing, A Darkness, is a dark fantasy fairy tale in the style of the Brothers Grimm, and is represented by Red Sofa Literary. Throughout the past ten years, Smieding has performed live in local bands Kentucky Gag Order and Belles Of Skin City, as well as given literary performances in art galleries, bars, and bookstores with The Lit 6 Project, Electric Arc Radio, Talking Image Connections, and the Riot Act Reading Series. Truly, Smieding is a Minneapolitan Man-about-town. He's pretty cool.

Satish Jayaraj is a 2009 Hamline Alumni whose thesis was Secret Of The Naga Dragons a young adult fantasy novel. He is inspired primarily by global mythology and is always striving in his fiction to find a balance between universal mythological symbolism and individuality while also honoring the pure joy of storytelling.
Of late, more to his surprise than anyone else's, he has also found himself hosting other literary events such as Chris Title's "Barbaric Yawp" Open Mics. This is the second event he has hosted through the Graduate Liberal Studies Alumni Association (GLAAS).

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Peter Hoeg

Haley said...

Okay. So I'm not a girl who reads a lot of fiction...I like fiction, I just usually get drawn to other things first. I'm saying this because I'm a little behind the times when it comes to what's 'hot' in the fiction world.

However, I just started reading Smilla's Sense of Snow by Peter Hoeg...and omg, I'm obsessed.

I'm wondering if anyone out there has read other works by him. This novel is so harsh and ornate. Are the rest of his writings so awesome?

Monday, February 1, 2010

WHH February 2nd

I'm going to read more of Ploughshares, again.  I know I will.  But I will also endeavor to use my will power and draft a bit about a trip I took last spring to see my sister overseas.  I will NOT just read great literary magazines the whole time.  I won't. 

Someone, please come make sure I don't.  :) 

See you at the HU Library's second floor by the periodicals for an hour of literary bliss from 6-7.  (More details here.)

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Poetry Book Club

GLaaS is hosting a Poetry Book Club on the last Tuesday of each month from 7:30-9pm at Jean Larson's house.  

This is an incentive for graduates interested in poetry to read a whole book of poems and come up with
  • questions
  • insights
  • what works
  • what doesn’t work
  • favorite moments 
Then you get to discuss all this with other alumni!  It's like class, only without the grading.

You can sit back, engage, read part, read all. Come monthly, come sometimes. Flexible and low key.  Unless someone decides to raise a ruckus!  You know how poetry can affect some of us . . .  


This spring the group will meet on January 26, February 23, March 23, and April 30. Stay tuned for next month's book 

P.S. If you'd be interested in hosting another kind of book club, do let us know


Writers' Happy Hour every Tuesday night!

For those times when you no longer have class to get you to write and submit for publication, every week there's Writers' Happy Hour!

At first, I thought of calling it PubDates (you and me together for one night every week).  I decided on Writers' Happy Hour.  I was then informed that we have GLaaS Happy Hour sometimes, so I figure we can refer to this particular weekly activity as WHH (pronounced Whuh?).

What are the details?

* Tuesday Nights (when Hamline is open)
* Hamline University Library
* 6 - 7 PM
* Second Floor (next to the main stairs near the end of the magazine alphabet)
* Look for the sign.
* We're saving a place for you . . .

What is the WHH?

Maybe you want to get published, but you need some help.  WHH is there to potentially offer the following services:
  • an encouraging hand of support.  
  • a swift kick in the rear and someone to keep you accountable about your submissions.  
  • a critique partner.  
  • 60 minutes a week to just write.  
  • a regular time to research/read all the journals and literary magazines out there.
Browse the literary journals, trade suggestions, get advice, or head upstairs to the quiet study floor for an hour of solid writing.  Whether you want support or a challenge or someone to keep score with, GLaaS is here for you.  Waiting.  So lonely . . .

Kimberly Eridon is the contact person for this ongoing event, and you can reach her at kaendermiles@gmail.com.

Read anything great online about writing or thinking?

If you stumble on a great website for writers, thinkers, artists, etc., please pass the wealth along.  Just email us a brief paragraph and a link to the content (website, blog post, online article, or whatever), and we'll pass it on to your fellow alumni.

Have you witnessed an incredible event?

If you've been to an event in the Twin Cities area that knocked your socks off, we'd love to read your thoughts on the experience.  Be it that wonderful Pre-Raphaelite exhibit at the MIA last year or a particularly energetic Barbaric Yawp reading, we'd like to hear about it.

Just email us, and tell us where and when and why it inspired you to read or write or create in some other way.  Let us know if it was a one-time thing, part of a series, or an ongoing exhibit (please provide the closing date).  If there's a website, please include it.

And if there's some event you are waiting for with bated breath, feel free to send that to us, too.  We'll post that you're anticipating it, and maybe you can find some like-minded folks to talk to in the comments section.

We look forward to hearing from you soon.

-GLaaS

Did you get something published?

Tell us all about it. :)  We want to rejoice with you (and check it out at the library or buy it at a book store)!

Please email us and include the following information:

  • Your name
  • Your graduation year
  • Name of publication
  • Issue/volume
  • Name of your piece
  • Kind/genre(s) of piece
  • Tell us about your piece
  • Tell us how you got it published
  • What advice from this particular process you would like to pass on

Can't wait to hear from you.

- GLaaS

What is GLaaS up to?

We'll talk about our (usually upcoming) events, so you can get them on your calendar.  We'll ask for help if we need it, talk about our planning meetings, and generally keep you updated about our activities (so you can come to them). We sure do like spending time with you.

We want to serve as both a social network and a resource to help you keep reading, writing, and thinking even though you've graduated (and maybe moved far away).

We can't wait to see you again!  Until then, please stay in touch.  :)

Sincerely,
GLaaS

Do you have an organization we should know about?

We're interested in finding out what our alumni are up to.  If you've started an organization (charity, literary magazine, theater company, reading series, etc.) or are a part of one that you think we'd be interested in finding out about, supporting, or joining, do share.

Email us, so we can post a profile of your organization.  Please include the following information:
  • Your name
  • Grad year
  • Organization name
  • What your organization does
  • How you got involved
  • How others can get involved
  • Org website and email/contact info
We hope to hear from you soon.  :)

Are you doing a reading or performance in the Twin Cities area?

Share the details with us; we're all ears!

Email us the info and any links (and your name and grad year), and we'll post a blog entry about them.

Are there any authors you love?

You know how sometimes you find an author you love?  You can't talk about the author and his/her works enough.  You wish everyone you knew would read that author's work, and then talk with you for hours about the author (or at least love that author as much as you do, if that's even possible).

We would love to hear about that author (or those authors) from you.  What elements of their craft send shivers down your spine?  Which of their characters do you have literary crushes on?  What settings do they bring to life so vibrantly you want to visit them?   Feel free to wax as eloquent as you want.  Any author is fair game, any genre, any age range.

Email us your passionate musings, and be sure to send some links to the author's home or fan pages, if you have any.

Sincerely,
Future Fans of Your Favorite Authors

Heard any great music lately?

Do you have a (list of) musician(s) you wish more people listened to? A song or an album that inspired you to write for some reason?  Do share.

Watched a great movie or TV show lately?

Did it have great writing or a really engaging plot or well-crafted characters?  Did it make you want to write?

We'd sure love to hear about it.

Do let us know.

- GLaaS

Do you have a list of books you love?

We would love to hear about 10 books you've loved lately.  It could be a simple list or an annotated list.  It doesn't have to contain your favorite literary classics.  It could be guilty pleasure reads, books you wish more people had read, your favorite childrens' books, or any kind of mixture.  Be creative.  You're welcome to submit more than one list, too.

(If your list has a few more or less than 10, we don't mind.)

Be sure to give your list a title and include authors.

Thanks,
Your Fellow Alumni

Do you want to be in the Alumni Spotlight?

Hi.

What have you been up to lately?  We'd love to know.  Feel free to tell us.

Be sure to include things like your name and the years you were in the program.  We'd also be interested in knowing why you chose Hamline's GLS program.  Really, we just want to know anything you want to tell us.

Hope to hear from you soon.

Sincerely,
GLaaS

Do you blog?

Do you have a blog?  Do you want more people to read your blog?  Do you want intelligent and interesting people to read your blog and comment on it?  Are you looking for blogs to read?   

GLaaS is here for you.  Not only do we want to post a link to your blog on our blogroll, but we also want to give you a chance to tell other alumni all about your blog.  If you'd like us to post a profile of your blog, please email us with the following information, and watch for a blog post about you coming soon!

Name of your blog: My Awesome Blog
Link to your blog: myawesomeblog@blogspot.bloop  
What your blog is about: A paragraph or two or a list or something telling what your blog talks about.  Be as creative as you want.
Your name (if you're not blogging anonymously): Chris Shmoe
Years you were in the program (and year you graduated from Hamline): 1996-2000 ('00 grad)
When you started blogging: month year
Why you blog: If you want to talk about what made you start writing your blog, please feel free.
Who your intended audience is: If you have one, please let us know who it is and how you target it.
What blogs you like to read:
Advice to or question for bloggers: If you have a piece of advice to share or a question to ask other GLS alumni bloggers, please do.