TONIGHT, SEPT. 9 - GEORGE DREW

Tonight, at 7:30pm, the Colorado Springs Writers Reading Series will host featured reader George Drew. We'll also have an Open Mic session to kick things off, with the usual limit of ten readers maximum, each allowed 3-5 minutes of prose or poetry reading.

If you're new to the Open Mic thing, I'll have more copies of a handy insight available-- just something I typed up a couple months ago regarding a few tips for every reader. I'm looking forward to seeing lots of students, new writers, lovers of lit, and local writers tonight!

One more thing: I think I'm going to retire the blog sign up list, as I just don't have room on the book table anymore! Too many good books for sale! So, here's a re-cap of all the blogs of writers in our area. Check them out and leave comments!

Tom Preble: www.tompreble.com

Marie Ostarello: www.ostarello.com

Julianza Shavin: www.droppinglikerubies.com

Dan Gardner: www.esldatingdiaries.blogspot.com

Joseph Uphoff: www.home.earthlink.net/~pfuphoff/id4.html

M.R. Hyde: www.hydewords.blogspot.com

Amanda Coburn: www.amandacoburn.blogspot.com

Debbie Maxwell Allen: www.writingwhilethericeboils.blogspot.com

Angela Giles Klocke: www.angelagilesklocke.com

Have fun with each other's work, guys. Stay connected and support each other! I'll see you all this evening at the BAC - 513 Manitou Avenue.

Abby E. Murray

CSWRS Coordinator

AUGUST REVIEW & SEPTEMBER PREVIEW

Last Friday night, August 12th, Lynne Bryant read a selection from her debut novel, Catfish Alley. And, as I do every month, I sat behind the book table and watched the audience fall under the spell created whenever a story is told-- we lean forward a bit, the corners of our mouths lift in little flinching smiles when a main character triumphs, our eyes soften a little and the stress of the week melts away just slightly. We leave our town and spend time in the homes of the characters.

Catfish Alley will particularly appeal to those of you who have read The Help, though it's important to know how Catfish Alley follows a very different storyline, even when the location and theme strike similar chords. If you weren't able to purchase a copy of Lynne's book at the reading, you'll be happy to know that I've got several copies on hand for you at the next event, each for $15.

Speaking of the next reading: George Drew, poet from New York and author of several manuscripts including The View From Jackass Hill and American Cool, will be our featured guest on Friday, September 9th at 7:30pm. We'll begin, as always, with an Open Mic session of ten readers maximum, each allowed 3-5 minutes of prose or poetry.

Please come purchase books to support our authors! Or, buy a beer or glass of wine for you and your date at the bar. This supports the BAC in Manitou, and I, for one, am thankful for their contribution to this series.

I'll see everybody on Friday, September 9th, at 7:30pm in the BAC main building. For now, have enjoy the rest of this scalding summer!

Abby Murray

CSWRS Coordinator

JULY REVIEW & AUGUST PREVIEW

On July 8th, Donita K. Paul showcased an excerpt from her fantastic YA novel, Dragonspell, the first in the Dragon Keeper Chronicles. The series has moved forward into several novels since its publication in 2004, and Donita has recently expanded her writing adventures into the realm of children's books.

Actually, I purchased a copy of The Dragon and the Turtle (co-written with Donita's daughter Evangeline Denmark) for my four-year-old niece in Washington state, and I've been informed that she was over the moon about it-- and is sending me some hand-drawn pictures in thanks. The storylines of Donita's books are each full of whimsy, as well as the practicality that comes from an imagined character's voice. I've been told that many people who attended that Friday's reading enjoyed most Ms. Paul's eagerness to connect with the crowd, answer questions about everything from plot to publishing, and, of course, the Open Mic participants that kicked off the evening.

Next month, CSWRS will be hosting fiction writer Lynne Bryant, whose debut novel, Catfish Alley, was published in April of this year. Lynne has popped up on our Open Mic list before, and it's going to be a delight to hear her read with a publication under her belt. The Southern Literary Review has said of Catfish Alley, "[it] brims with humor and pathos in equal parts, with realistic, three-dimensional characters sure to delight and intrigue from the start. Of all the novels set in the South, Lynne Bryant's debut novel deserves an honored place on any bookshelf."

I hope to see you all on Friday, August 12th, at 7:30 in the BAC in Manitou. August, like July, will take place in Venue 515 (515 Manitou Avenue) due to an exhibit in the BAC's main gallery. Remember to support the authors by buying books at the book table, and support the BAC by purchasing wine and soda at the bar!

See you in August!

Abby

CSWRS Coordinator

quick change!

Just a tiny update: tonight's reading with Donita K. Paul will be hosted in the building next door to the BAC's main gallery, in Venue 515. We'll have signs up on both doors, so you should be able to find your way.

See you tonight!

Abby E. Murray

CSWRS Coordinator

REVIEW & PREVIEW

Last month, we had the pleasure of hosting poet Juliana Aragon Fatula at the CSWRS's new venue, the main building of the Business of Arts Center in Manitou Springs. Juliana's poems were electric, filling the room and our minds with everything from the sassy to the aromatic. Her poetic voice spread a blanket beneath what brings family together in writing, in history - food, competition, politics, loss, mystery.

I think, as I sat back at the book table, the audience was captivated by both Juliana's poems and her dramatic energy; the surge of intensity in her writing is equally met by her ability to perform and engage. If anyone has the opportunity to hear Juliana read in the future, I say jump on it! Hailing from Cañon City, she has participated in CSWRS as well as the Southern Colorado Reading Series (sponsored by CSU-Pueblo).

(Juliana enchants the crowd in the center of the BAC's gallery)

This Friday, July 8th, CSWRS will be hosting author Donita K. Paul. Her credits include both the Dragonkeeper Chronicles and the Chiril Chronicles, as well as the new children's book The Dragon and the Turtle. She's a weaver of fantasy stories, and I'm really looking forward to hearing her work in a couple days.

Bring a friend and come early to wander around the BAC's gallery space beforehand. Also, remember that we have some great titles for sale at great prices:

(our book table, with titles from yours truly as well as Lynn Wagner, Laura Feldman, Jessy Randall, Juan Morales, and more!)

I'll see you all on Friday the 8th, at 7:30pm, at 513 Manitou Avenue. Looking forward to it!

Abby E. Murray

CSWRS Coordinator

TOMORROW EVENING

Poet Juliana Aragon Fatula will be joining the Colorado Springs Writers Reading Series as the featured author for tomorrow night's event (Friday, June 10th).

Remember, CSWRS has moved to the main building of the Business of Arts Center (513 Manitou Avenue), not far from its previous home. Open Mic begins, as usual, at 7:30pm. Sign up for Open Mic when you arrive, and come prepared to purchase books for sale by local authors!

See you all then,

Abby

CSWRS Coordinator

UPDATES!

Remember, there is no reading this month (May) and we will reunite in June. Specifically, June 10th, at 7:30pm in the main building of the Business of Arts Center at 513 Manitou Avenue. A big thank you to Jana at the BAC for working with me on landing such an artistically inspiring venue. We will be hosting events at the BAC from now on! We will have books for sale, refreshments, and a genuinely good time for all.

Our featured writer in June will be Juliana Aragon Fatula, author of Crazy Chicana in Catholic City, and I'm really looking forward to it-- Juliana is a fantastic poet who was recently accepted to take part in the Macondo Writer's Workshop in San Antonio this July.

The best way to stay informed about the Colorado Springs Writers Reading Series (and share this information with others) is to check this blog every now and then, or join the email mailing list. (No more than two emails a month-- I promise!) We are no longer going to be sticking to a third-Friday-of-the-month schedule; instead, we'll most likely be hosting an event every second Friday of the month. I will let you know when this is confirmed for future readings. Until then, keep your ears open!

Also, and I just have to put this out there, I'm teaching an English 227: Poetry Writing course this summer through Pikes Peak Community College, and I wanted to let all those who might be interested know that they should enroll! The class will be held on Mondays and Wednesdays at the Centennial campus, from 1-3:15pm. If you know of any students or potential poets who might be interested in studying feminist, political, surreal, and formal poetry with me for ten weeks, let them know. The class will be part workshop format.

Thank you so much to those of you who have attended CSWRS events over the past year. Your presence forms the literary stamina of the series, and I'm grateful to have seen you there!

Abby

CSWRS Coordinator