December 2007 E-News
"The tendinous part of the mind, so to speak, is more developed in the winter; the fleshy, in summer. I should say winter had given the bone and sinew to literature, summer the tissues and the blood."
--John Burroughs
There are too few opportunities to purchase high art on cocktail napkins these days, and we've taken steps this holiday giving season to correct that. Starting December 6, you can bid on the framed literary and artistic musings of Tobias Wolff, Shari Caudron, Alexandre Phillipe, William Haywood Henderson, Nick Arvin, Harrison Candelaria Fletcher, Ryan Kelly, Chris Ransick, and others through the Lighthouse Serviette Project. You can see a preview of the Serviette Project here, and check back on December 6 to start bidding on your favorite piece.
Also, since it's the giving season, there are a truckload of other ways to support Lighthouse, the largest independent literary nonprofit in Denver. If you're planning on purchasing holiday gifts online through Amazon or the Tattered Cover, please consider clicking here and ordering them through our Web site so a percentage of each purchase will come back to Lighthouse. You can also support us by making a tax-deductible donation by clicking here.
Speaking of the holidays, escape some of the shopping and bustling stress at our Wine and Poetry Party on Saturday, Dec. 1, 4-6 PM, at the Ferril House. You'll hear poetry read by master class alums Donna Wise, Kathryn Bass, Bill Rector, Vicki Mandell-King, Jeni Rinner, Joan Logsdon, Carolyn Jennings, and Joy Sawyer. Light refreshments will be served, and feel free to contribute to the wine collection. Also, you can glimpse for yourself the Lighthouse Serviette Project pieces.
The rest of the e-news follows:
FACULTY NEWS & KUDOS
A big congratulations to Shari Caudron, whose book Who Are You People? won the Colorado Book Award in the Creative Nonfiction category. We're also celebrating Mario Acevedo's finalist nod for his book The Nymphos of Rocky Flats.
Lots of big news for Alexandre Phillipe and Cinema Vertige--they have been commissioned by the City of Denver and the Downtown Denver Partnership to create a short film for the Downtown Denver Area Plan, and by the City of Aspen to produce a 40-minute documentary about the City's Historic Preservation Program. Both films will be released in the spring. The launch of his latest full-length documentary is December 15.
MEMBER SUCCESS STORIES
Congrats are in order for member and new board member Carleen Brice, whose debut book Orange Mint and Honey--out on February 12--just got rave reviews from Publisher's Weekly. They recently called her work "[An] accomplished debut...Brice's straightforward prose is dead-on in describing the challenges Shay and her mother face as they reconnect." See information on events surrounding Orange Mint below.
Also, kudos are in order for Claudia Putnam, whose poem "Wishing" was accepted by California Quarterly. She has another poem, "13 Ways of the Lion" in the forthcoming Backwards City Review. Also, be sure to check out Janelle Muntz Lassonde's article in this month's issue of Motor Boat & Yachting--she wrote about her family's cruise down Italy's western coast. The editor, in his letter, called it "one of the most remarkable stories you'll ever read."
Member Ginny Hoyle has two honors--first, she has a poem coming out in Pilgrimage in March. In addition, The Napkin Project, a mail art project created with Seattle artist Ellen Sollod in 2003, has been selected for inclusion in Conceptually Bound 3, an installation of innovative book projects slated for exhibition at California State, Chico, in 2008. The Napkin Project, featuring Ginny's poem "In Case of War," (workshopped here at Lighthouse with Mike Henry) was presented to 60 world leaders, including the President, Colin Powell, Bishop Desmond Tutu, Noam Chomsky and the Delai Lama.
Finally, if you're looking for something to do before LH's Wine and Poetry Party, check out member Coleen Hubbard's "The Charisma Contest: A Theatrical Exploraion of Human Charisma," which is a reading of her one-act play. It happens Dec. 1, 10 AM to noon, on DU's campus at Ben Cherrington Hall.
LIGHTHOUSE BOOK CLUB
The next meeting of the Lighthouse Book Club is Saturday, December 8, 2:00 PM, at the Ferril House. The book is Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky. Next up: William Haywood Henderson's Augusta Locke, the discussion of which will be combined with our January 26, 2008, 4:00 PM, Writer's Buzz at Forest Room 5. The Buzz will focus on writing about real people in a fictional (or narrative nonfictional) context. Thanks to member and coordinator Katharine Smith-Warner for volunteering to organize the book club!
A SPICY CELEBRATION NOT TO BE MISSED
Mark your calendars now--member Carleen Brice is gearing up for the launch party and some readings of Orange Mint and Honey. Join her Tuesday, February 26, 2008 from 6-8:30 PM for an evening celebrating writers, readers, and the late great Nina Simone's birthday (Feb. 21st). There will be live music, free food and drink, and a reading and signing from Carleen from 7:30-8:30. You can also join her Saturday, March 8, 2008 at 7:30 PM for an evening of reading and live jazz at Westside Books, 3434 W. 32nd (Highlands neighborhood).
THE YEAR OF WRITING DANGEROUSLY: 2008 WEEKLY WORKSHOPS
Just in time for your own New Year's resolutions to finish that novel (or just to get writing altogether), our Winter Session calendar is up and running. Mondays feature our eight-week "Intro to the Novel" and "The First Chapter and Beyond" workshops, Tuesdays feature "Narrative Nonfiction," "Writing the Short Story," and the "Advanced Novel," Wednesdays overflow with "Art of Narrative," "Advanced Narrative Nonfiction," and "Screenwriting," and Thursdays offer up a daytime version of "Art of Narrative" and evening "Flash Forms," "Writing Poetry," and "Advanced Short Story" classes. Check it out and register now, as some classes have already filled up. Witness the return of the 4-week workshops early next year, once we figure out how to squeeze more space out of Lighthouse!
YOUNG WRITERS OUTSIDE THE STUDIO
Our next young writers' workshop is Outside the Writer's Studio: Mixing the Arts. Students will learn to inspire their writing from music, visual arts, and more. The workshop is in two parts, December 9 and 16, 1-3:30 PM, at Lighthouse, and will be co-taught by Jennie Dorris and professional flutist Alaunde Copley-Woods.
CALENDAR CHECK: RETREATS AND LIT FEST
Now that you have that brand-new 2008 calendar, mark down a few important dates: Our annual Lit Fest is June 6-21, and the next Grand Lake Retreat is July 6-11. Stay tuned for the full program details of each as January approaches. (We're running as fast as we can...)
LIGHTHOUSE HAPPENINGS THAT ARE TOO TIMELY FOR PRINT
Keep Lighthouse in your life every day by keeping tabs on our blog. You can keep up to speed on all of our events, announcements of the accomplishments of our members, and random inspirational multimedia clips for those days you can't get your act together.