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.

Morgantown Poets Winter Series

(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.

Reminder: Doug Van Gundy appearance tonight in Morgantown

(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

Morgantown Poets welcomes novelist Emily Mitchell this Thursday

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                30...       , 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. We also have a listserve at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/motownpoetry.

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

Morgantown Poets Fall 2009 Series

Dec. 17 - Doug Van Gundy, author of the poetry book, "A Life Above Water"

(Note: This falls on WVU Final Exam Week. WVU Winter Break begins Dec. 20. Christmas is Dec. 25.)

Morgantown Poets Spring 2010 Series

Jan. 21 - Special Morgantown Poets spring series/new year kick-off event featuring three authors: T.W. McNemar, president of West Virginia Writers, Inc. and author of the novel, "Ragdoll Angel," and poets Matt Anserello of Morgantown and Isaac Pressnell of Keyser. Adam Atkinson of the regional arts organization, Open Thread (http://openthread.org) will introduce the poets. (Note: Due to the nature of this special event and the number of featured authors, Morgantown Poets may not conduct the usual open reading portion of the event Jan. 21.)

Feb. 18 - Mark DeFoe, author of the poetry books, "Bringing Home Breakfast," "Palmate," "AIR," "Aviary," "The Green Chair," and "Greatest Hits."

March 18 - Elizabeth Savage, faculty member, Fairmont State University, poetry editor of Kestrel, FSU's literary publication

(Note: WVU Spring Recess begins March 27.)

April 15 - Kirk Judd, performance artist and author of the poetry books, "Field of Vision" and "Tao Billy"

May 20 - Judy Byers, storyteller, folklorist, faculty member and director, The Frank and Jane Gabor WV Folklife Center, Fairmont State University

(Note: WVU Commencement is May 16.)

NOTE: If you know of any upcoming literary arts events, programs, publications, collaborations and/or publishing opportunities and would like Morgantown Poets to announce it, feel free to e-mail us back at morgantownpoets@yahoo.com with the date, time and location of the event, as well as all other details such as deadlines. One of our goals is to support authors, artists and the literary arts throughout the community.. While we are very busy and cannot make any promises or 100 percent guarantee we will be able to announce every single event or opportunity, we will do our best to share these opportunities during our scheduled events, and will make an effort to help get the word out online as well. Our deadline for announcements is no later than 5 p.m. on the second Thursday of each month. (Or one week prior to our regularly scheduled event.)

Generally, we focus on announcements concerning the literary community in north-central West Virginia, where Morgantown Poets is located, with a few exceptions for announcements such as publishing opportunities. For statewide literary announcements, we highly encourage everyone to join/get in touch with the statewide writing organization, West Virginia Writers, Inc., http://www.wvwriters.org. West Virginia Writers publishes a frequent e-newsletter and does a wonderful job announcing what's going on in the literary world throughout West Virginia. To get on the West Virginia Writers e-newsletter mailing list, email twmcnemar@verizon.net.