West Virginia Writers, Inc. Blog

Huntington Writers Showcase

2010-02-03T15:13:00.003-05:00

Arts Resources for the Tri-State is hosting its first Writers Showcase, highlighting the region's writers. This will be a performance based event held quarterly. Their vision for this project is to foster the growth of writers in the field of performing arts and provide venues for the performance of their original works.

The Herald Dispatch newspaper has an article with details on how writers can submit their work. Find the article HERE.

Twelve Secrets to Being a Super Prolific Short Story Writer

2010-01-28T11:09:00.003-05:00

Sci-Fi blog io9.com has an article called Twelve Secrets to Being a Super-Prolific Short Story Writer by Charlie Jane Anders.

Check it out HERE.

Becky Conrad, guest columnist for Gazette

2010-01-24T20:09:00.002-05:00

WV Writers' own Becky Conrad was a guest columnist for the Charleston Gazette on Sunday.

Find her article at the following link...

http://wvgazette.com/Life/lifecolumnists/201001220729

Arts Day at the Capitol

2010-01-24T17:49:00.002-05:00

West Virginia Writers will have a table at Arts Day at the Capitol 2010, distributing conference preview flyers and contest entry forms o' plenty. We'll also be performing, with live readings from Tim Armentrout, Cat Pleska and Eric Fritzius starting at 1p.

Come on by and see the show and us.

Glimmer Train Very Short Fiction contest, deadline approaching

2010-01-22T18:04:00.001-05:00

VERY SHORT FICTION AWARD
Deadline: January 31

Prizes:
1st place wins $1,200, publication in Glimmer Train Stories, and 10 copies.
2nd-place: $500 and possible publication.
3rd-place: $300 and possible publication.
Results post on March 31. Winning story will be published in Issue 79.

Other considerations:
Open to all writers.
Length not to exceed 3,000 words. Any shorter lengths are welcome.
Reading fee is $15 per story.

Submit your story HERE.

Morgantown Poets Winter Series Reminder

2010-01-20T16:12:00.001-05:00

(This news courtesy of George Lies of WVW and Morgantown Poets fame)

Three authors will launch Morgantown Poets winter/spring 2010 series at 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 21, at Monongalia Arts Center (MAC).

T.W. (Terry) McNemar of Stonewood and poets Matt Anserello of Morgantown and Isaac Pressnell of Keyser will share their talents. Adam Atkinson, co-director and literary editor of Open Thread, a regional arts service organization, will introduce the poets.

The reading is free and open to the public. The MAC is at 107 High Street, downtown Morgantown (beside Hotel Morgan).

McNemar is a humor, short story and novel writer. His writing reflects the humanity, humor and conscience of everyday life, often in a strong Appalachian style. McNemar’s work has been featured in The Johns-Hopkins University ‘ScribblePress,’ the drama textbook, Young Women’s Monologues from Contemporary Plays, MountainEchoes, and Traditions, the literary journal of Fairmont State University. His novella, “Ragdoll Angel” (Booklocker, 2007), tells the story of a kidnapping in a small mountain village in 1952. McNemar is also the current president of West Virginia Writers, Inc.

Anserello holds a Master of Fine Arts degree from West Virginia University and lives in Morgantown with writer Emily C. Watson and two retired greyhounds. His poems have appeared in Bat City Review, Phoebe, Smartish Pace, and Versal, among others. Anserello is the West Virginia winner of the 2009 Open Thread Tri-State Chapbook Contest for his chapbook, “Cloud Shaped Room.”

Pressnell earned his Master of Fine Arts in poetry from WVU. His poems have appeared, or are forthcoming, in Tar River Poetry, Ninth Letter, DIAGRAM, Opium, Bravado, Lake Effect and OTQ: Open Thread Quarterly. He lives in Keyser where he teaches English at Potomac State College.

IMPORTANT NOTE: During winter months, Morgantown Poets schedules featured authors on a WEATHER-PERMITTING basis. If weather conditions are poor, Morgantown Poets does not guarantee any and/or all scheduled authors will be able to attend. In fact, Morgantown Poets discourages anyone (featured authors included) from attempting to drive in poor weather conditions, snow or ice. We urge everyone to exercise utmost caution during winter driving season. DO NOT attempt to drive to any event if road conditions are (or may become) hazardous.. Safety first!

Public parking is available near the MAC in the parking garage at the corner of Pleasant and Chestnut streets and at the city lot behind 142 High Street (enter off Spruce). The MAC is accessible to individuals with special mobility requirements; schedule ahead at least seven days prior to the event by calling 304-292-3325, or write to info@monartscenter.com.

Established in 1977, West Virginia Writers, Inc. (http://www.wvwriters.org) is the state’s largest nonprofit, all-volunteer, writers' resource and service organization serving literary interests. West Virginia Writers sponsors both an annual writers’ conference and an annual writing competition.

Open Thread (http://openthread.org) is a regional arts service organization that develops frameworks for artistic discovery in Pittsburgh and the surrounding tri-state area. With an emphasis on the emerging artists, writers and performers, Open Thread has been producing arts events and small publications since 2007.

Morgantown Poets is an informal not-for-profit, all-volunteer community group that meets from 7-9 p.m. the third Thursday of each month at MAC, providing literary enthusiasts in north-central West Virginia the opportunity to express themselves, share their work, network and to connect up-and-coming writers with more established authors. New writers are welcome. Join the group on Facebook by entering “Morgantown Poets” in Facebook’s search. Or join Morgantown Poets mailing list by writing to morgantownpoets@yahoo.com or the listserve at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/motownpoetry.

Six Questions For... blog

2010-01-18T10:30:00.003-05:00

Writer/editor/blogger Jim Harrington has created a blog called "Six Questions For..." in which he publishes a series of interviews with editors from a wide section of the publishing field, posing to them six questions in search of the sort of details they are looking for in stories they'd be willing to publish.

Check it out for yourselves at... http://sixquestionsfor.blogspot.com/

WV Writers Podcast: Keith Pitzer Tribute with Pops Walker

2010-01-15T10:19:00.002-05:00

Episode 24 of the WV Writers Podcast is now available. It is a special double-size episode in tribute to musician Keith Pitzer, who was a friend of WV Writers and of this podcast. Keith died after a battle with cancer on December 22 , 2009. Joining us for the episode is Pops Walker, who was a good friend of Keith's. We talk about Keith the man, the musician and the tireless servant of the ecological health of the Cheat River. We'll also hear some of the outtakes from my interview with him last June, including some of the amazing music he made alongside his wife Joan.

Find Episode 24 posted on our podcast website.

Members Matter: Tovli Simiryan's recent publications

2010-01-14T09:33:00.000-05:00

Wanted to pass along some great news regarding some recent publications by WVW member Tovli Simiryan.

“Pieces of Ester—Cartography of War” was nominated for a 2009 Push Cart Prize by Raving Dove Literary Magazine

“Point of Departure” and “Biopsy”, two short stories, are included in the new volume of 6S, available at Amazon.com

An essay by Tovli, “Melodies of Old Women” was published by IDEALS—Institute for Jewish Ideas and Ideals.

A memoir, “Belonging”, by Tovli is included in It All Changed in an Instant: More Six-Word Memoirs by Writers Famous & Obscure. This volume, published January 2010, is available at Amazon.com, or Smith Magazine.

“When Clouds Were Real”, a short story by Tovli, was published in the Winter edition of Raving Dove Literary Magazine.

A collection of short stories, Ruach of the Elders, Spiritual Teachings of the Silent, by Tovli is available at Amazon.com, or via Tovli’s web site.

Poetry Collections: The Breaking of the Glass and Fixing the Broken Glass are available at Amazon.com or, contact Tovli directly via her website: http://mysite.verizon.net/vzeej44z/index.html

New Voices Original Short Play Festival Lineup Announced

2010-01-14T09:20:00.002-05:00

The Greenbrier Valley Theatre is presenting their second annual New Voices Original Short Play Festival later this month.

The plays in the festival include "Embers" by Jeffrey C. Kanode (Lewisburg, WV), "The Unopened Valentine" by Dwayne Yancey (Fincastle, VA), "Roses" by John J. Carosella (Jeanette, PA), "...and Tigers and Bears" by Eric Fritzius (Princeton, WV), and "A Greek Fire Drill" by Christian Giggenbach (Lewisburg, WV).

This years New Voices Cast includes (in alphabetical order) Pamela Barry, Ellen Broudy, Adam Criddle, Larry Davis, Paul Detch, Meredith Donnelly, Mary Leb Foster, Eric Graves, Kelly Kemp, Brian Miluk, George Piasecki, Brennan Smith, and Derek Teaney. Directors include Kurtis Donnelly, Michael Sharp and John Holt.

Shows are January 21-23 and January 28-30 at the Greenbrier Valley Theatre in down town Lewisburg.

Holler Winter Submissions Deadline

2010-01-13T14:54:00.000-05:00

(The following news comes courtesy of Thomas J. McKenna)

Once again, it's time to submit to Holler. The deadline for submissions for the Winter issue is January 31. We will start to review them on Monday, February 1. (You are more than welcome to submit after the deadline. If we have time, we will consider your work for the Winter issue. If not, then we will take a look at it in the Spring.) Submit online (http://www.princetonpoetryproject.org) or send your poems to

The Princeton Poetry Project
P.O. Box 1924
Princeton, WV 24740

And tell your friends to submit, too.

The winter issue is scheduled for publication in February and we will have another reception to mark the occasion.

Writers Toolkit 2010

2010-01-12T09:49:00.000-05:00

The WV Division of Culture and History in collaboration with the WV Library Commission is presenting their annual Writers Toolkit event on February 13, 2010. The event will take place at the Cultural Center in Charleston. The event is free and open to the public.

Below are the workshop descriptions, schedule and bios of participating authors.

Workshop Descriptions: Writer’s Toolkit 2010

Registration 9am

Morning Session – 10am – 12 noon
Afternoon Session 1pm – 3pm

Frank X Walker
Morning: Demystifying the Poetic Process"
Walker will lead beginning and immediate writers through the creative process from original concept to published poems. Participants will practice and conquer new editing & revision techniques, try on persona poems, and generate new work in a community of writers.

Irene McKinney’s Non-Fiction Workshops:

Morning: IN SHORT.
Brief creative non-fiction pieces of 1-3- pages are currently seen everywhere. Such pieces may be short chapters or sections of a longer work or stand on their own as magazine pieces or radio commmentaries. Any subject is permissable and can yield fortunate surprises. We will use exercises to trigger writing.

Afternoon: MEMOIR: RECOVERING THE SELF.
Writing memoir might be termed a "vale of soul-making," as Keats termed the writing of poems. We create meaning in our lives by feeling our way along through past events while providing the same journey for a reader. We will begin with exercises to trigger the writing.

Anthony Viola’s Fiction Workshops:

Morning: Creating Three-Dimensional Characters through Unreliable Narrators.
An unreliable first-person narrator is one that masters the art of exaggeration, skews the facts of a story so that they cater to his or her needs. They can become truly gifted storytellers because they are truly human and unconsciously embrace and clearly display (to the reader) the idea that they are bound by their limited point of view. One way to create an unreliable first-person narrator is to carefully place contradictory elements, details, etc. within the narrative, which may or may not be expressed overtly, however will always remain on the surface for the reader to interpret as contradictory. By including specific elements and details, writers indirectly create three-dimensional characters in their narrators even if these narrators aren’t unreliable narrators.
In this session, participants will study, explore, and attempt to create an unreliable narrator. An exercise sheet and sample will be provided. Participants will be encouraged to share their work with others.

Anthony Viola’s Fiction Workshops:

Afternoon: Embracing Brevity by Writing a Story in 120 Words
Character, conflict, rising action, and climax are traits often associated with the short story genre. However, one complexity is that stories must be short; therefore a writer must achieve the most in the least amount of space. Brevity is the one unquestionable characteristic of the short story genre and many writers often have difficulty writing a complete story in such a compact space. By focusing on brevity, writers indirectly base their stories on single events and limit timeframes, settings, and characters, avoiding unnecessary clutter and underdevelopment. In this session, participants study, explore, and attempt to craft a complete story in 120 words. An exercise sheet and sample will be provided. Participants will be encouraged to share their work with others.

Rob Whetsell’s Historical Writing Workshops

Morning: This session will explore historical writing styles and techniques used to interpret history and make it more meaningful to the public. Presentation will focus on interpretive writing techniques, developing research skills, types of historical resources available to writers and how they can be applied. Mr. Whetsell will share his experiences as a historical writer and interpreter and his approaches to writing for a variety of formats and audiences.

Afternoon: The class will conduct an on-site visit to the WV State Archives to learn basic techniques of historical research and use of archival resources. Plans also include a short tour of West Virginia State Museum to analyze and discuss the effectiveness of interpretive writing and illustrate the different techniques and formats used to engage the public.

Kaite Hillenbrand’s Poetry Workshop

Afternoon: Whether you have an idea for a poem in mind or not, this workshop will help you figure out how to express your thoughts and feelings in a unique way. In my workshop, we will read a few poems, paying attention to imagery, figurative language, and other elements of craft. Each workshop member will make a list of images that have caught their attention recently and, with the help of a "sensory call," each person will freewrite on one of those images, keeping in mind the five senses. We will then compose a poem or two based on that image, using a line-by-line guide that I will provide. I will give you some time to revise before you read it to the rest of the workshop! In honor of Valentine's Day, we may also savor some Hershey's Kisses and write with love in mind.

Author Bios: Writer’s Toolkit 2010

Frank X Walker Walker is the award-winning writer and founder of the Affrlachian Poets, the author of four collections of poetry including the soon to be published I Dedicate This Ride: A Portrait of Isaac Murphy and the editor of PLUCK! The Journal of Affrilachian Arts & Culture. He teaches in the Department of English at the University of Kentucky.

Additional bio information and photos if necessary are available under the press kit link at www.frankxwalker.com
Irene McKinney is Poet Laureate of the State of West Virginia and the author of 6 books of poetry, most recently Unthinkable: New and Selected Poems (2009). Her personal and deeply insightful non-fiction essays are regularly heard on West Virginia Public Radio.
McKinney is Professor Emeritus at West Virginia Wesleyan College, and has also taught at Western Washington University, the University of California-Santa Cruz and Hamilton College. She is currently serving as Writer-in-Residence at Lynchburg College in Virginia. When she isn’t travelling, she lives on the Barbour Co. farm that has been her family’s home for generations.

Dr. Anthony Viola is an Assistant Professor of English at Marshall University where he teaches creative writing, literature, and composition. He received a Ph.D. in Creative Writing from Ohio University in 2003, was a postdoctoral fellow in Creative Writing at Ohio University, and was a postdoctoral scholar in Creative Writing at the University of Kentucky while serving as the Associate Director of the Writing Program. He has been published in Pleiades, Gulf Coast, and Calliope, has had a short story nominated for a Pushcart Prize and another short story listed in “100 Other Distinguished Stories,” Best American Short Stories 2007. In addition to completing a collection of interrelated short stories, he has completed a full-length novel and two screenplays.

Rob Whetsell has 20 years of professional experience in interpreting West Virginia history. A former US Forest Service historian and archeologist, he currently works as an architectural historian for a large cultural resource contracting firm. Mr. Whetsell has a B.A. in History/Political Science from Davis & Elkins and dual M.A.s (in History and Public History) from WVU.

Mr. Whetsell is the author of the book Elkins, West Virginia: The Metropolis Revisited (1994) and has also completed three documentary films: A Good Place to Work: Myles Lumber Company (2008); The ‘CC Boys: A West Virginia Legacy (2006); and The Cliff-Scaling Soldiers of West Virginia (2003). Rob is also a 2006 recipient of the West Virginia History Hero Award and has received several other awards for his cultural resource work and interpretive skills, including the US Forest Service’s Eastern Region, Century of Service Award.

Kaite Hillenbrand is Assistant Editor in Chief of Connotation Press: An Online Artifact, and she teaches English at Waynesburg University in Waynesburg, PA. She lives in Morgantown and is a native of Charleston, WV. She earned her MFA in Poetry from the University of California, Riverside, and she earned her MA in Literature from WVU. She feels rooted in West Virginia’s landscape, and her lyric narrative poetry reflects that. Her poetry was most recently published in Kestrel, and a recent interview with her appears online at The Bees Knees.

Morgantown Poets Winter Series

2010-01-11T09:06:00.000-05:00

Contestcast 2010

2010-01-09T16:38:00.001-05:00

Parts 1 and 2 of the 2010 WV Writers Contestcast are now online! In them I am joined by special guests Terry "El Presidente" McNemar and Steve "El Coordinador de la Competencia" Goff to talk about the WVW Annual Writing Contest and detail some of the changes you need to know about and the unchanged things you still need to pay attention to. It's a veritable digital contest primer.

In Part 1 we primarily discuss the adult contest, while in Part 2 the main topic is the New Mountain Voices Student Contest. We also get a sneak peek at not only some of the key judges for the contest but some more of the major presenters for the 2010 Summer Conference. El President McNemar also spills the time period we can expect ALL the details on the conference to be revealed. (Hint: it'll be sooner, rather than later.)

Find the Contestcast on our podcast website or subscribe through iTunes.

University of New Orleans, Writing Contest for Study Abroad

2010-01-07T09:04:00.001-05:00

(THIS NEWS COURTESY OF WVW'S GEORGE LIES)

University of New Orleans Writing Contest for Study Abroad

Deadline: January 31, 2010
Entry Fee: $25
Web site: www.unopress.org/writingcontest
E-mail address: bill.lavender@uno.edu

Three prizes to attend the writing program at the Ezra Pound Center for Literature in Dorf Tirol, Italy, or the Writing Workshops in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, are given annually to a poet, a fiction writer, and a creative nonfiction writer. Writers who have not published a book of 45 pages or more in the genre in which they are applying are eligible.

The award includes full tuition and lodging, and the winning works are published in the Pinch. The editors of the Pinch will judge. Using the online submission system, submit up to three poems totaling no more than five pages or up to 4,500 words of prose with a $25 entry fee by January 31. Visit the Web site for complete guidelines.

University of New Orleans, Writing Contest for Study Abroad, Division of International Education, Metropolitan College, New Orleans, LA 70148. (504) 280-7457. Bill Lavender, Program Coordinator.

Article from Sal Buttacci

2010-01-02T17:02:00.003-05:00

WV Writers own Sal Buttacci has an article on Poetry.About.com regarding poetry and the public recital thereof. Check it out for yourself at the following LINK.

And while the poetry recital written of in the article was not well attended, one of Sal's that had a better turn out was recently recorded and will soon be made available as a Recorded Live Reading for the WV Writers Podcast.

WVW ANNUAL WRITING CONTEST 2010

2010-01-01T08:41:00.004-05:00

(FROM WVW CONTEST COORDINATOR STEPHEN GOFF)

Greetings, from Contest Central,

The WVW Board of Directors and I have been busy readying the West Virginia Writers 2010 Annual Writing Competition, and I want to take this opportunity to update everyone on a few changes for this year, and to encourage you to start thinking about your entries for this year's contest.

Last year was my first as the Contest Coordinator and I really enjoyed interacting with so many of you throughout the contest period. It was an honor to be part of such an established and important writing competition. Here's a few facts about the contest you may not know:

FACTS ABOUT THE CONTEST

Established in 1982
The state's largest writing competition.
Open to West Virginia residents and members of WV Writers, Inc., adult or college-level.
New Mountain Voices Student Writing Contest (with different writing categories for grades 1-5, 6-8 and 9-12)
Over $105, 000.00 in prize money awarded since 1982.

You may have noticed in that "fact list" that our Youth Competition has had a name change, that comes with an exciting make-over as well.

This year our contest for students in grades 1 -12 will become The New Mountain Voices Student Writing Contest. In an effort to get more students to enter, this year there will be no entry fee. Let me say that again, for the STUDENT competition this year, there will be no entry fee, yet the prize purse remains the same. First place $100; second place $50; and third place $25.

In addition, we have provided students with a series of writing prompts to give them some direction and provide them with a fun challenge. I think students, parents and teachers alike will find the changes we have made make this a student competition with a little sizzle.

Please check our web site for details.

Meanwhile back at the ADULT competition, we have added a new category for this year, simply entitled "Inspiration". You can enter either poetry or prose in this category, and because of the variety of writing that can fall under the "inspirational" heading we have purposefully not been to specific as to what can fit this category.

All of our other categories are back this year; and our cash prize purse remains the same. First place $250; second place $125; and third place $75.

Let me give you a few tips on entering, that come from my perspective as contest coordinator:

* Follow The Instructions Closely: This may seem obvious, but believe me some people spend a great amount of time crafting and editing their work, and then forget to slow down and fill in the entry form as required. Don't disqualify yourself by not reading the Contest Rules. If you've got a question, my email address is on the form and on our web site. We will work with you (as many of you can verify from last year); so just double check everything before you mail.

Is your check signed? Is it for the right amount? Is your word count correct? Did you remember to NOT put your name on your work? Did you mark the correct categories you intended to enter? Pay attention to the deadlines. Etc.

When I get your entries I use our coding system so that the judges just see a little code number on your piece, along with the title you supplied. They then let me know what pieces they have selected as winners by title and code number, and then I track it back to YOU on my spreadsheets.

* Don't Be Afraid To Enter Pieces You Entered Last Year: Every year we have new judges for each category. Just like in school, where one teacher loved your work and the other didn't "get" it, something you sent last year, that you know was unjustly ignored, might just sing to the new judge on the job.

* Try Entering a Piece in More Than One Category: Some of you already do this, but for others, it will increase your chances of winning without writing a new piece. Yes, if you enter one piece in three categories it is three entry fees; but you also now have three judges considering your work, rather than just one.

The contest opens January 2, 2010, with a deadline of March 15, 2010. As always we have an extended and final deadline of March 31, 2010, but there is $2.00 late fee PER entry after March 15. Here again, pay attention...if it's late, and you send no late fee(s), it doesn't get entered.

And finally, because we hope to see the New Mountain Voices student contest really take off, those entries will be handled by Nadine McKinney. Check the web site for all contest rules, mailing instructions and contact information.

Please note that there are some changes to the rules and format of the student contest.

Entry Form (.doc) Entry Form (.pdf)

Student Entry Form (.doc) Student Entry Form (.pdf)

Good luck,

Steve Goff
WVW Contest Coordinator

Fund-raising Through Science Fiction

2009-12-30T19:47:00.005-05:00

(THE FOLLOWING STORY AND TEXT COMES FROM THE io9 WEBSITE. IT IS VERY TIME SENSITIVE, SO PLEASE GIVE IT A LOOK ASAP)

Now's your chance to help one of science fiction's most entertaining writers, and get yourself some neat fiction into the bargain. Spider Robinson's wife Jeanne is battling cancer, and science fiction authors and readers are uniting to help out.

Dec. 30 is a "blog rally" for the Robinsons, and author Larry Santoro has agreed to donate all the proceeds from sales of his novella "Lord Dickens's Declaration," to the Robinsons' cause. Here are the details, from The One-Thousand:

Science Fiction author Spider Robinson's wife Jeanne is fighting cancer and they're both fighting to pay the bills. 100% of any money used to purchase Larry Santoro's excellent e-book, "Lord Dickens's Declaration," will go directly to the Robinsons. Here's the link:

http://www.starshipsofa.com/shop/lord-dickenss-declaration/

Dec 31st is the last day that people can buy Larry's story. I'd like to end the fundraiser with a bang. Let's get the word out all over the web to let people know on December 30th, there's only one day left to help. Why December 30th? Because if there's only one day left people won't put it off and say, "I'll do it later. I still have time." Make sure you link to the purchase page!

"So You Want to Write a Book" workshop

2009-12-30T10:13:00.006-05:00

Rosalyn Queen Alonso will be conducting a workshop entitled "So You Want To Write A Book" at the United Technical Center on RT. 19 N, in Clarksburg.

It will start on February 2 and run for eight weeks from 6:00 to 8:00 P.M.

The course will cover the basics from getting started to marketing a finished product. There will also be local published authors sharing their experiences and tips.

For more information or to register contact Charlotte Lake at the UTC or clake2008@yahoo.com

Queen-Alonso is a published author with her book "Arriverdici, Recipes and Customs Every Italian Girl Takes From Home" now in its fifth printing

Jayne Ann Phillips on her home town origins as a writer

2009-12-28T09:42:00.000-05:00

WV author Jayne Ann Phillips has published an article in Smithsonian Magazine on growing up in Buckhannon, W. Va., and how such small towns make perfect starting points for writers.

Thanks to Steve Goff for the forward.

Read the article online HERE.

Another passing...

2009-12-23T17:30:00.004-05:00

Kirk Judd alerted us that West Virginia has lost another of its best poets. Paul Curry Steele, originally of Charleston, died Monday, December 22, at the Edgewood Manner in Lucasville, Ohio. Mr. Steele was 81.

From his obituary in the Logan Banner: "Paul was the son of the late George C. and Tava Curry Steele. Also preceding him in death was a sister, Sybil Washington; a brother, George C. Steele Jr., and a nephew, Robson Sage. He graduated from the University of Virginia and obtained an advanced degree from the University of Iowa. Steele taught at George Washington University, was a published poet, and later worked at a library in Charleston."

Mr. Steele was the author of Anse on Island Creek and Other Poems, published by Mountain State Press. This was a seminal work which explored through poetry the life, character and eventual death of the notorious Hatfield family patriarch William Anderson "Devil Anse" Hatfield.

His work also appeared in Wild Sweet Notes: 50 Years of West Virginia Poetry 1950 - 1999. According to Kirk Judd, co-editor of that anthology, Steele was recognized as a great West Virginia bohemian poet.

Graveside services will be held Monday December 28, at 11 a.m. at Forest Lawn Cemetery at Pecks Mill. Condolences may be left at www.honakerfuneralhome.org.

Keith Pitzer's passing.

2009-12-22T16:38:00.003-05:00

Received some sad news today from friend of WV Writers, Pops Walker, regarding the passing of another friend of our organization, Keith Pitzer.

Pops writes...

Friends and loved ones….

It’s with a heavy heart that I write to you today, for we have lost a great friend and performer, Keith Pitzer. Keith passed on this morning after a courageous fight with cancer. His wife Joan, and his four grown sons mourn the loss of their loved one, as do I, Bobbi, and anyone who knew Keith.

I first met Keith in 2003 at the Mountain Stage NewSong Festival. After hearing him play, and jamming with him, I knew I’d found a kindred musical spirit. After talking with him for a while, I knew I’d met a dear friend.

He and Joan played at two of our events at the river, and another at the performing arts center in Luray. Each performance was special, and folks who had the good fortune of listening to them walked away richer for the experience.

We shared some stages together in West Virginia, and while on the road in that region, the Pitzer farm became our home-away-from-home. His hospitality was warmer than a fresh buttered biscuit, right out of the oven. And when dinner was done, and the dishes put away, the instruments came out. My oh my – did we have fun. Some of the best music I ever played was with Keith – he was such an accomplished musician, he brought out the best in me. And we laughed. Oh, did we laugh. I love him for it.

While driving today, taking care of some Christmas errands, Bobbi and I were amazed by the amount of snow still on the ground from this past weekend’s blizzard. We saw many cars still snowed-in, and many by-roads that looked impassable. Bobbi mentioned that it reminded her of Keith’s instrumental, “Loudon County Snow”. He wrote the song some years ago while at Drew McKnight’s place. They were snowed in that weekend and hadn’t much else to do except play music. Apparently, the snow brought out something deep within Keith’s soul. If you’ve ever heard him and Joan play it, you’ll understand. Quite simply, it’s a masterpiece of picking. How strange, and perhaps fitting, that he passed while so many of us were snowed in again.

There will be no public ceremony for Keith in the coming days. Rather, Joan and the boys will mourn with loved ones for a while, and in the Spring, host a celebration of his life at the family farm that he so dearly loved. As Joan told me this morning, Keith wouldn’t want a mournful event. Rather, a celebration is in order. And the timing of Spring will be just right. It’s a time of new life. No, gentle people, we don’t have a date yet.

One last thing … Keith was the Executive Director of “Friends of the Cheat”. The Cheat River in West Virginia had been abused and pillaged by industry for years. “Friends of the Cheat” are dedicated to restoring it and protecting its future. Keith took his job seriously and loved that river. So, rather than flowers or sympathy cards, I ask you, on behalf of Joan and the boys, to send a small donation in Keith’s honor to:

Friends of the Cheat
119 South Price Street
Suite 206
Kingwood, WV 26537-1478

I can hear Keith’s voice now – “Shucks Pops, just a couple of bucks each from a slew of caring folks could make a big difference”. You’re right, Keith – it would.

He was one of the gentlest souls I’ve ever met, and having him for a friend made me a richer man.

Your friend in loss,

Pops Walker

Author Ed Davis announces new blog

2009-12-21T14:31:00.002-05:00

Ed Davis, author of I Was So Much Older Then and The Measure of Everything, has announced a new blog connected to his website. We have a link to it here, but you can visit it directly at authoreddavis.blogspot.com and subscribe to receive an e-mail when there’s a new posting.

New entries, just posted, include:

December 18, 2009: Free Fiction Writing Workshop to be offered in February at Blue Jacket Books in Xenia

December 17, 2009: Anatomy of a Reading: What I learned from a recent innovative literary event at Tipp City Public Library

Archived postings include:

July 30, 2009: Antioch Writers’ Workshop 2009. Words and wisdom of the workshop’s star, poet-teacher Rebecca McClanahan.

August 13, 2009: More on Writers’ Workshops. Valuable or destructive? Should workshops “fix” poems and stories?

August 26, 2009: One-Minute Muse. Meeting the literary giant who changed my life.

The Greatest Nerdy Gift Books in the Galaxy

2009-12-18T14:30:00.001-05:00

Naturally, we at WV Writers think you should consult our own gift guide for all your holiday purchases. However, website io9 has offered their own take for the scifi/ fantasty/ horror/ writer-in-training aficionado in your life, as well.

Find it HERE.

Reminder: Doug Van Gundy appearance tonight in Morgantown

2009-12-17T15:22:00.002-05:00

(This news courtesy of Morgantown Poets)

Poet, musician, teacher and Pushcart Prize nominee Doug Van Gundy will be featured with Morgantown Poets at 7 p.m. Thursday (Dec. 17).

The reading at Monongalia Arts Center (MAC) is free and open to the public. The MAC is at 107 High Street, downtown Morgantown (beside Hotel Morgan).

Van Gundy's poems, “Engineers” and “The Return of the Almighty,” were nominated for Pushcart Prizes this year. His first book of poems, "A Life Above Water," was published in 2007 by Red Hen Press.

The author's poems and essays have appeared in many journals including The Oxford American, Ecotone, Waccamaw, The Louisville Review and The Fretboard Journal.

A graduate of the Goddard College Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing Program, Van Gundy has been a visiting poet at Randolph-Macon College, Barton College, Coastal Carolina University and Davis & Elkins College. The author was recently an associate artist at the Atlantic Center for the Arts in New Smyrna Beach, Fla. He has been a panelist at The Association of Writers & Writing Programs (AWP) and South Atlantic Modern Language Association (SAMLA) conferences, and has read at various venues across the United States.

In addition to being a writer and teacher, Van Gundy is a well-known traditional musician. He plays fiddle, guitar, mandolin and banjo in the old-time music duo, Born Old.

Van Gundy teaches writing at West Virginia Wesleyan College in Buckhannon.

Public parking is available near the MAC in the parking garage at the corner of Pleasant and Chestnut streets and at the city lot behind 142 High Street (enter off Spruce). The MAC is accessible to individuals with special mobility requirements. Please schedule ahead at least seven days prior to the event by calling 30... , or write to info@monartscenter.com.

Morgantown Poets is an informal, all-volunteer community group that meets from 7-9 p.m. the third Thursday of each month at MAC, providing literary enthusiasts in north-central West Virginia the opportunity to express themselves, share their work, network and to connect up-and-coming writers with more established authors. New writers are welcome. Meetings usually begin with a spoken reading by a featured author followed by readings from attendees.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Morgantown Poets wants people to be aware we are now in winter driving season and encourages everyone to exercise caution. Please do not to attempt to drive to an event if road conditions are (or may become) hazardous. Remember, Morgantown Poets hosts an event every month. Thus, no one should feel any pressure to attempt to drive to any particular event if road conditions are hazardous. Safety first!

Join the group on Facebook by entering “Morgantown Poets” in Facebook’s search. Or join Morgantown Poets mailing list by writing to morgantownpoets@yahoo.com or the listserve at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/motownpoetry.

Doug Van Gundy on the Web: http://www.fishousepoems.org/archives/doug_van_gundy/index.shtml