SAVE THE DATE!
Thursday, May 30, 2013
This year’s awards ceremony will be held at Space Gallery in Portland.
More information to come…
Upcoming Events
June 1, 2013
You’ll Laugh, You’ll Cry. (Then You’ll Get Published!)
Back-to-Back Prose Workshops with Steve Almond & William Giraldi
WORKSHOP #1: Funny Is the New Deep
Instructor: Steve Almond
Time: 11:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Cost: MWPA Member $65 | Nonmember $110
WORKSHOP #2: Tragedy is the New Norm
Instructor: William Giraldi
DateTime: 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Cost: MWPA Member $65 | Nonmember $110
BOTH WORKSHOPS
Location: USM Glickman Family Library (Seventh-Floor Events Room)
Level: Open
Maximum Attendees: 18
*SAVE 15%: Take both workshops!
*Both workshops for members $110 | Both workshops for nonmembers $187
→ Workshop Info
→ Registration Form
→ Dibner Fellowship Application + Guidelines
THE WORKSHOPS
Funny Is the New Deep
Contrary to popular belief, writing funny doesn’t mean sacrificing depth. On the contrary, for most literary writers the comic impulse is inextricably linked to tragedy. We’ll look at the work of Lorrie Moore, George Saunders, and others in an effort to learn how to loosen up and let your sense of humor inform your sense of humanity.
Tragedy is the New Norm
In the wake of the recent massacres in Aurora, Newtown, and Boston, how do literary writers incorporate such calamitous events into their fiction without resorting to cliche and sentimentality? We’ll examine tragic scenes from some masterpieces of world literature—including Homer, Sophocles, Shakespeare, and Flannery O’Connor—to understand better how the greats handled the tremendous challenge of tragedy. We’ll also look at the quieter, personal tragedies of everyday living—the death of a loved one, the destruction of a marriage—in stories by such American greats as Raymond Carver and Richard Ford.
THE INSTRUCTORS
Steve Almond is the award-winning author of ten books of fiction and nonfiction, three of which he published himself. His most recent book is the story collection God Bless America. Almond’s fiction has appeared in the Best American Short Stories 2010, McSweeney’s, New England Review, Playboy, Tin House, and many other publications. He has also contributed articles to the Believer, Boston Globe, Los Angeles Times, GQ, Poets & Writers, The Sun, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, and countless other magazines and newspapers. stevealmondjoy.com
William Giraldi is the author of a novel, Busy Monsters, published by W.W. Norton (2011), is a Senior Editor for the journal AGNI, and is a regular contributor to The New York Times Book Review. He has been a finalist for a National Magazine Award in the category of Essays and Criticism, and has been a recipient of a Pushcart Prize. His nonfiction and fiction have appeared in The Atlantic Monthly, Dissent, Commentary, The Daily Beast, Georgia Review, Bookforum, Salon, Southern Review, The Believer, Kenyon Review, Ploughshares, Yale Review, The American Scholar, The New Criterion, Salmagundi, and The Wall Street Journal, among others. williamgiraldi.com
Take Heart Reading: Belfast
The Take Heart reading series celebrates the publication of Take Heart: Poems from Maine, an anthology that gathers together the first two years of Maine Poet Laureate Wesley McNair’s popular weekly newspaper column of the same name. Every Take Heart event features contributing poets reading not only their own poems from the anthology, but also selected work by other poets in the collection.
+ SATURDAY, JUNE 1 at 3:00 p.m.
Where: Left Bank Books, Belfast
Poets: Lynn Ascrizzi, Bob Brooks, Linda Buckmaster, Elizabeth Garber, Carolyn Locke, Tom Moore, Dave Morrison, and Pat Ranzoni
You’ll Laugh, You’ll Cry (Then We’ll Party!)
An Out-of-Control Reading with Steve Almond & William Giraldi
Longfellow Books in Portland
Saturday, June 1 at 7:00 p.m.
Free!
STEVE ALMOND is the award-winning author of ten books of fiction and nonfiction, three of which he published himself. His most recent book is the story collection God Bless America. Almond’s fiction has appeared in the Best American Short Stories 2010, McSweeney’s, New England Review, Playboy, Tin House, and many other publications. He has also contributed articles to the Believer, Boston Globe, Los Angeles Times, GQ, Poets & Writers, The Sun, The Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, and countless other magazines and newspapers. stevealmondjoy.com
WILLIAM GIRALDI is the author of a novel, Busy Monsters, published by W.W. Norton (2011). He is a Senior Editor for the journal AGNI, and is a regular contributor to The New York Times Book Review. He has been a finalist for a National Magazine Award in the category of Essays and Criticism, and has been a recipient of a Pushcart Prize. His nonfiction and fiction have appeared in The Atlantic Monthly, Dissent, Commentary, The Daily Beast, Georgia Review, Bookforum, Salon, Southern Review, the Believer, Kenyon Review, Ploughshares, Yale Review, The American Scholar, The New Criterion, Salmagundi, and The Wall Street Journal, among others. williamgiraldi.com
June 13, 2013
Take Heart Reading: Portland
The Take Heart reading series celebrates the publication of Take Heart: Poems from Maine, an anthology that gathers together the first two years of Maine Poet Laureate Wesley McNair’s popular weekly newspaper column of the same name. Every Take Heart event features contributing poets reading not only their own poems from the anthology, but also selected work by other poets in the collection.
+ THURSDAY, JUNE 13 at 7:00 p.m.
Where: Longfellow Books, Portland
Poets: Robin Merrill, David Moreau, and Martin Steingesser
June 14, 2013
Take Heart Reading: Camden
The Take Heart reading series celebrates the publication of Take Heart: Poems from Maine, an anthology that gathers together the first two years of Maine Poet Laureate Wesley McNair’s popular weekly newspaper column of the same name. Every Take Heart event features contributing poets reading not only their own poems from the anthology, but also selected work by other poets in the collection.
+ FRIDAY, JUNE 14 at TBD
Where: Owl & Turtle Bookshop, Camden
Poets: Carol Bachoffner, Linda Buckmaster, Elizabeth Garber, Kristen Lindquist, Bob McLaughlin, Robin Merrill, Dave Morrison, and Elizabeth Tibbetts
June 17, 2013
Take Heart Reading: Searsport
The Take Heart reading series celebrates the publication of Take Heart: Poems from Maine, an anthology that gathers together the first two years of Maine Poet Laureate Wesley McNair’s popular weekly newspaper column of the same name. Every Take Heart event features contributing poets reading not only their own poems from the anthology, but also selected work by other poets in the collection.
+ MONDAY, JUNE 17 at 6:30 p.m.
Where: Carver Memorial Library, Searsport
Poets: Linda Buckmaster, Kristen Lindquist, Carl Little, and Elizabeth Tibbetts
June 29, 2013
Maine Poetry Express: Chebeague Island
The Maine Poetry Express, an initiative of the Office of the Maine Poet Laureate, is a whistle-stop tour of community poetry readings conducted by Maine Poet Laureate Wesley McNair, who brings together Maine poets and townspeople for readings and discussions of poetry.
FMI: Deborah Bowman: cheblib@hotmail.com