Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Morgantown Poets Winter Series Reminder

(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.

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Tuesday, November 03, 2009

Novelist Emily Mitchell Reading in Morgantown

Novelist Emily Mitchell will be featured during Morgantown Poets 7 p.m. literary event Thursday, Nov. 19, at Monongalia Arts Center (MAC).

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

Mitchell's first novel "The Last Summer of the World" was a finalist for the New York Public Library's Young Lion's Fiction Award in 2008.

"First time novelist Mitchell pulls off the dazzling trick of allowing readers to see through the eyes of art-photography pioneer Edward Steichen in her excellent reconsideration of his life and art," says Publishers Weekly. "This would be merely impressive if the book confined itself to the stormy end of Steichen's first marriage, a subtheme that gets its due and packs a psychological punch. Instead, Mitchell follows Steichen through his airborne reconnaissance work during WWI, providing a devastating portrait of the insanity of war in general and the Great War in particular... this commanding novel is about the images one can never quite burn from memory."

Mitchell's short fiction has appeared in New England Review, Indiana Review, Raritan and Agni. She also has a story that will be published in a forthcoming issue of Ploughshares. Her reviews have appeared in The New York Times and New Statesman.

Mitchell is a faculty member in the Department of English in the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences at West Virginia University. Born in London, she has lived in Virginia, Vermont, Osaka, New York, California and now, West Virginia.

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 mobility impairments; please schedule ahead at least two days prior to the event by calling 304-906-7268, or write to info@monartscenter.com for more information.

Morgantown Poets is an informal community group that meets from 7-9 p.m. on the third Thursday of each month at the MAC, providing literary enthusiasts 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 that is followed by readings from attendees.

Join Morgantown Poets’ mailing list by writing to morgantownpoets@yahoo.com or join the group on Facebook by entering "Morgantown Poets" in Facebook’s search.

On the Web: http://lastsummeroftheworldbook.googlepages.com/home

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Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Mary Lucille DeBerry's Book Launch Party

(This news courtesy of Phyillis Wilson Moore)

BOOK LAUNCH

At The Blue Moose Cafe, 248 Walnut Street, Morgantown, WV 26505
Thursday, July 16, 2009
6:00-8:00 pm

Award-winning West Virginia native (AND FUTURE WV WRITERS PODCAST GUEST) Mary Lucille DeBerry will read from her first collection of poetry, Bertha Butcher’s Coat.

$15.90 (or a pre-purchased book) at the door includes an autographed copy of Bertha Butcher’s Coat, wine and appetizers.

This event is sponsored by Parsons Corporation and co-hosted by Gary Tannebaum, owner of the Blue Moose Café, and Parsons representative Anne-Marie Borbely-Bartis.

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Friday, May 01, 2009

Author reading in Morgantown

Author Joey Madia will be reading from his new fantasy novel, Jester-Knight, Thursday, May 7, from 7-9 pm at the Blue Moose Cafe in Morgantown.

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