Friday, April 06, 2012

Spring is Bustin' Out With ... Writers

This next week is busy busy with literary events throughout Colorado. Here are a few.




2012 Evil Companions Literary Award

Evil Companions Literary Award

The Oxford Hotel is proud to host the 2012 Evil Companion
Luis Alberto Urrea

Thursday, April 12, 2012
The Oxford Hotel – 1637 Wazee Street, Denver
Valet parking available for $10

6 p.m. Cocktails and hors d’oeuvres
7 p.m. Award presentation and author remarks
Book signing will immediately follow

Buy tickets now
Purchase tickets securely online

Tickets: $70
Patron Tickets: $150 (includes signed book & signed event poster)
Book Club Special: ten tickets for $600
Students & Educators: $60
Proceeds benefit the Denver Public Library

Luis Alberto Urrea, 2005 Pulitzer Prize finalist for nonfiction and member of the Latino Literature Hall of Fame, is a prolific and acclaimed writer who uses his dual-culture life experiences to explore greater themes of love, loss and triumph.

Luis Alberto Urrea

Born in Tijuana, Mexico to a Mexican father and an American mother, Urrea has published extensively in all the major genres. The critically acclaimed and best-selling author of 14 books, Urrea has won numerous awards for his poetry, fiction and essays. The Devil's Highway, his 2004 non-fiction account of a group of Mexican immigrants lost in the Arizona desert, won the Lannan Literary Award and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the Pacific Rim Kiriyama Prize.

Urrea's 2010 novel, Into the Beautiful North, imagines a small town in Mexico where all the men have immigrated to the U.S. The Hummingbird’s Daughter, an historical novel, tells the story of Teresa Urrea, sometimes known as the Saint of Cabora and the Mexican Joan of Arc. In November, 2011, the sequel to The Hummingbird’s Daughter, Queen of America, was released to widespread critical acclaim.

Urrea lives with his family in Naperville, IL, where he is a professor of creative writing at the University of Illinois-Chicago.

Luis Alberto Urrea's books:
Queen of America
Into the Beautiful North
The Hummingbird’s Daughter
Mr. Mendoza’s Paintbrush
The Devil’s Highway
Nobody’s Son: Notes from an American Life
Six Kinds of Sky
Vatos
In Search of Snow
Wandering Time: Western Notebooks
Ghost Sickness: A Book of Poems
By the Lake of Sleeping Children
The Fever of Being
Across the Wire: Life and Hard Times on the Mexican Border

The Evil Companions Literary Award is presented annually in April to a poet or writer who embodies the spirit of the original Evil Companions. The award pays homage to a group of Denver writers who met in the 1950s and '60s to drink and discuss writing, and dubbed themselves the Evil Companions.

The Evil Companions
Working to preserve the memory of the original Evil Companions are Joyce Meskis, owner of the Tattered Cover Book Store, Dana Crawford, owner of the Oxford Hotel, and Colorado State University Professor of English, David Milofsky. The trio created the literary award and its accompanying event to promote and build upon Denver’s deserved reputation as a center for writing and literature. The Evil Companions event has now become a local favorite. Proceeds from the event benefit the Denver Public Library.

Become a fan of Evil Companions on Facebook!

Celebrating 20 Years of Evil Companionship.


Contemplative Education as a Catalyst for Social Justice: Art as the Communicator and Organizer of Action

Date: Wednesday, April 11th
Spoken Word Performance at 6pm
Location: Naropa University, Arapahoe Campus, Student Center, Boulder, Colorado

Three Naropa alumni will explore the intersections between contemplative education, art, social justice, and service. More so they will examine how these concepts do not exist exclusively of each other rather exist as components of larger whole which propel and support each other. Drawing from their experiences the
presenters will address this phenomenon as art and action.

Free to all members of the community!
Co-Sponsored by: The Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics & The Missing Peace

Lora Fike is a writer and public servant hailing from the Land of Cold Air, Minnesota. She recently finished her bachelor's degree in Interdisciplinary Studies with concentrations in Peace Studies, Writing & Literature, and Transpersonal Psychology from Naropa University. Since graduating she has worked in Boulder with the "I Have a Dream" Foundation as an after-school Program Coordinator with at-promise youth ranging from 4th-10th grade. Her translations of Rosario Castellanos' poetry were published in Naropa's literary journal Bombay Gin, issue 37.2. She is passionate about spoken word poetry and can be found performing at Martin Luther King, Jr. and Cesar Chavez events in Boulder County.

Luis Humberto Valadez is a writer/musician/performer emanating from Chicago Heights, IL. Since graduating from The Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics at Naropa University, he has worked actively as an artist, educator, and community servant. His first book of poetry “what iʼm on” was published by University of Arizona Press in 2009. His first extended play release “wat ahm on (ep)” was released by Last Minute Records 2009. He performs regularly and has an album and chapbook being released this spring. He currently works as Program Director for Chicago HOPES, an afterschool education and arts program provided in homeless shelters and as a teaching artist with Chicago Arts Partnerships in Education.

Tim Z. Hernandez is an award winning writer and performer originally from California. His debut collection of poetry, Skin Tax, received the 2006 American Book Award, and his debut novel, Breathing, In Dust was featured on NPRʼs All Things Considered. It went on to receive the 2010 Premio Aztlan Prize in
Fiction, and a 2010 International Latino Book Award, and was a finalist for the California Book Award. In 2011, Hernandez was named one of sixteen New American Poets by the Poetry Society of America. He is a frequent visiting author at Universities and institutions across the U.S. and has performed in venues such as L.A.ʼs Getty Center, Stanford University, Dixon Experimental Theater in New York City, and Denver Center for the Performing Arts. He holds a B.A. in Writing & Literature from Naropa University, and an M.F.A. from Bennington College in Vermont. He currently lives in Colorado and works for the Colorado Humanities and Center for the Book.

Tim & Luis will also be performing at The Laughing Goat on Monday, April 9th.
For more information, contact Megan Frewaldt at mfrewaldt@naropa.edu





Friends of the Longmont Library Logo

This Festival is sponsored and brought to you by Friends of the Longmont Library.

To learn more about the Friends and support their activities and programs please visit their website.

All programs below are presented FREE to the public through the generosity of the Friends of the Longmont Library.

The line-up of events:

Monday April 9, 7:00 - 9:00 PM

The Grand Kick-Off Party!

You Belong Cover art

Join us for food, music and the introduction of our anthology, The You Belong Collection: Writings and Illustrations by Longmont Area Residents, as we kick off the week's activities. The book will be available for purchase at the Kick-Off Party for $15/copy. For more information click here.

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Tuesday April 10, 7:00 - 8:30 PM

Jayme Stone Concert

World renowned banjoist Jayme Stone and his bandmates take us on a world tour.

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Wednesday April 11, 6:30 - 8:30 PM

Manuel Ramos

Denver-based lawyer and award-winning crime fiction author Manuel Ramos will present an author talk and offer a book signing in the Library Meeting Rooms.

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Thursday April 12, 7:00 - 8:00 PM Presentation, 8:00 - 9:00 PM Reception

Kathy Brandt

Undersea diver, mystery writer, and Bi-polar disorder advocate Kathy Brandt will present an author talk at 7:00 PM at the Central Presbyterian Church, followed by a reception and book signing in the Library meeting rooms.

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Friday April 13, 2:00 - 5:00 PM

Colorado Authors Open House and Book Signing

Over 70 Colorado authors will be on hand to sign their books and talk one-on-one to visitors.

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Friday April 13, 7:00 - 8:00 PM Presentation, 8:00 - 9:00 PM Reception

Gail Carson Levine

Newbery Honor Recipient Gail Carson Levine will present an author talk at 7:00 PM at the Central Presbyterian Church, followed by a reception and book signing in the Library meeting rooms. This event is free, but tickets are required for the author talk due to limited space. Tickets available beginning April 2nd at the Children's & Teen Services desk. No tickets or registration are required for the reception & book signing.

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Saturday April 14, 10:00 AM - NOON

Creative Writing Workshop for Young People

Gail Carson Levine will present a writing workshop for tweens & teens ages 10-18. This event is free, but due to limited space, interested youth must apply to participate. Pick up an application at the Children's & Teen Services desk between March 1st - March 30th. Applications are due April 2nd. For more information about this event, call Children's & Teen Services at 303-651-8477

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Saturday April 14, 1:00 - 5:00 PM

Melanie Tem and Steve Rasnic Tem

Join dark fantasy authors and Bram Stoker Award winners Melanie and Steve Rasnic Tem as they present readings, storytellings and a basic writing workshop.

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Saturday April 14, 6:00 - 9:00 PM

The Library After Dark for Grades 6 - 12

Make plans to attend a special evening just for teens! Gaming, food, movies, prizes, body art, and special performances all happening after the library closes Saturday, April 14th from 6:00 - 9:00 pm.
Register at the Library or by phone at 303-651-8477.

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Sunday April 15, 2:00 - 3:30 PM

Steve Jenkins

Join Caldecott Honor Recipient Steve Jenkins for a presentation about writing and illustrating books. For ages 6 and up. This event is free, but due to space limitations, registration is required. Stop by the Children's & Teen Services desk or call 303-651-8477 to register beginning March 1st.

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Sponsored by Longmont Public Library and Friends of the Longmont Library



Later.


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