tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8749128196254469072024-03-13T10:43:23.421-07:00ArtsmithArtsmith is a non-profit organization promoting arts education and the creation of new works.Jill McCabe Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14404870175762833215noreply@blogger.comBlogger86125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-874912819625446907.post-55585048685558565412018-05-20T17:49:00.002-07:002018-05-20T17:49:40.934-07:00A Letter to Artists (and call for artist residency applications)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Dear Artists,<br />
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Remember January 2017? The U.S. post-election turmoil? The divisiveness beginning in social media, with friends, and sometimes within families? That year, Artsmith's Artist Residency Fellows put their energy into their art. In the dark of winter, they hunkered down and worked with an intensity and determination. There were long naps, too. And walks to the beach just to watch the waves, to let the rhythm of the tide reassure them and reset their own internal tides.<br />
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Now imagine January 2019. We'll be coming off the mid-terms. Will you need a week of creative escape to delve deep and give yourself over to your art? Can you imagine having the luxury of time to create all day, join fellow artists for dinner, then soak in the hot tub or sip your favorite beverage by the fire? If so, we hope you'll <a href="http://orcasartsmith.org/residency.html" target="_blank">apply for Artsmith's 2019 artist residency</a> the week of January 4-11 (Deadline May 31). Or apply to any of the <a href="http://cascadiaresidencies.org/index.html" target="_blank">Cascadia Artist in Residence Network (CAiRN)</a> residencies. Or schedule your own creative retreat. Turn off the phone. Take long walks. Make time to be inspired.<br />
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We love you and want you and your art to thrive!<br />
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Your Fans at ArtsmithJill McCabe Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14404870175762833215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-874912819625446907.post-60179339208438739012018-01-06T23:11:00.001-08:002018-01-06T23:11:41.818-08:00The Artists are in Residence!<div style="text-align: center;">
Artsmith's 2018 Artist Residency is in full swing, and earlier this week residency fellows presented their works at year's the first Salon Series reading at Darvill's Bookstore. </div>
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Carrie L. Larson creates complex, intricate, and thought-provoking artist books.</div>
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Achy Obejas, Penn Stewart, Tina Schumann, and Yvonne Garrett listen intently. </div>
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Carrie discusses artist books with Orcas Island artist and writer Norris Carlson.</div>
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Achy before reading from her latest novel, <i>The Tower of the Antilles</i>.</div>
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Penn reads from his WWII-era novel, <i>Fertile Ground</i>.</div>
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Tina reads from her second poetry collection, <i>Requiem</i>. </div>
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Yvonne reads a selection of fiction and poetry,</div>
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including two poems written during her 2015 Artsmith residency </div>
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A stimulating conversation ensues with the audience during the author Q&A.</div>
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The annual residency brings together up to five artists who apply through a highly competitive process. Selected fellows are invited as guests of Artsmith and Kangaroo House Bed and Breakfast for a week of unfettered time to work on their respective arts. </div>
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Applications for the interdisciplinary residencies are open to visual artists, writers, composers, textile artists, film makers, and more. 2018 marks the 11th year of Artsmith's residencies.</div>
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The next residency will take place in January of 2019, and applications will be open between March 1 and May 31, 2018. For more info, go to our website: orcasartsmith.org</div>
Jill McCabe Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14404870175762833215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-874912819625446907.post-61090283319777684252017-07-14T18:14:00.002-07:002017-07-14T18:14:38.473-07:00Why I Apply to Artist Residencies Knowing I Might Not Get In<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Each year, Artsmith asks accomplished professionals in the arts to serve on our Peer Review Panel to adjudicate artist residency applications. And each year, the Peer Review Panel faces tough decisions about which artist projects or processes to support with an invitation to be a guest of the coming year's artist residency. I don't envy the panel having to choose. The artists who apply are talented, hard-working, committed to their artistic practices, and could genuinely benefit from a week of uninterrupted time creating new work in the San Juan Islands. Each year, many worthy and qualified applicants learn they were not selected for a residency this time. It's the part of my (also voluntary) job as executive director I stress about the most. If only we could afford to give residencies all year long, to everyone who applies.<br />
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As an artist who applies to residencies, I know full well what it's like to submit, hope, and wait for an answer. Hedgebrook has turned me down three times now, but I know they've also selected other deserving applicants, which eases the disappointment. Sometimes I think, 'This is my last Hedgebrook application,' and later change my mind. Why? It's not because of some determination to get in. It's simply that I know how much those application fees help support valuable programs. I apply as a donation. It just so happens that my donation comes with a chance for a fabulous artist residency. Now, when I get the news that I wasn't selected, I don't feel bad because I don't expect it. Maybe this is the wrong attitude to have. Maybe it lacks the kind of determined confidence needed to make it as a writer or artist. On the other hand, knowing how the ever-changing makeup of the Artsmith Peer Review Panel affects the selection of residency fellows each year, I understand that being selected or not selected is not a cut & dried sanction of one's work or level of artistry. The reality is, these things are always somewhat subjective. I've gotten into a few artist residencies and been awarded a few prizes and grants. I would never be so arrogant to believe that acceptance means I was among the best, only that my particular project appealed to a particular reviewer. The element of luck.<br />
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The donation and the chance for a residency aren't the only reasons I apply to residencies like Hedgebrook. There is a much greater benefit, which I receive regardless of whether my application is accepted. By taking time to think honestly about my intentions and process for my work, I gain clarity, direction, depth of understanding, and a richer perspective that enriches the work. When I first applied to Playa, for example, it helped me articulate why taking time to sketch forces me to make closer observations, and also explore the idea of hibernal states in my poetry and the life-cycles and ecosystems around us, to understand that the distinction between death as a final state and winter hibernation as a stage in a process, helped me understand why poetry about death is not a final state, but a moment in a grieving (and therefore growing) process. I sort of grokked this on an intuitive, artistic level, but not as something fundamental to my work and way of thinking at the time. When I applied to Brush Creek Foundation for the Arts, I had no idea how to explain my fascination with borders and their arbitrarily imposed limitations, but the application process forced me to put those amorphous ideas into a succinct, understandable form. I'll forever be grateful to Playa and Brush Creek, not just for the residencies they so generously granted me, but for their applications, which guided me toward an important artistic breakthroughs. And I'm just as grateful to Hedgebrook and Willapa Bay AiR and the Millay Colony and Yaddo for asking similar questions and pointing me toward new ways of thinking about my work, the creative process, and my intentions as an artist.<br />
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This year, as I prepare my fourth Hedgebrook application, I look forward to giving thought to the questions posed. The application process facilitates an annual assessment of my path of development as a writer and artist. It's not easy. The application doesn't do the work for me, but it pushes me to frankly evaluate and consider my writing, my intentions, my craft, and my willingness to take risks.<br />
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I can only hope the applicants for the Artsmith residency also see the benefit of taking the time to articulate their artistic intentions and something of their aspirations for what might come of a residency, and that the process of thinking about those things, in turn, enlightens, or fine-tunes or possibly even nourishes their work.<br />
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<br />Jill McCabe Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14404870175762833215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-874912819625446907.post-36451135254772603802017-06-08T18:04:00.000-07:002017-06-08T18:04:13.594-07:00In Conversation with Art -- Deep Ekphrasis at the San Juan Islands Museum of Art<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The Artsmith Peer Review Panel has been hard at work reading applications for our 2018 Artist Residency. As we eagerly await their review, here's a little art distraction from my Advanced Composition class at Skagit Valley College. This morning, the staff at the San Juan Islands Museum of Art opened the doors two hours early and allowed our class to visit a stunning exhibit of First Nations artists from the Washington, British Columbia, and Alaska coasts, ranging from Coastal Salish to Northwest Coast Indian to Inuit traditions. The exhibit, Emergence, showcases the works of recent generations while honoring the legacy of their mentors.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOy7SIRnU0Iob0PkLSrKyg-wGaAjw9tS1HaaLoKRPBC2YflZlfKc_8RyqQK8deDPQdK5HolZ8xaGtq1l-Ke9CJrNXgsDPNRaV4DKsfBacYUBixNMInZUX4aqK7UU23jyJJKzliqta0Xr8/s1600/Emerging_Frog_by_Rande_Cook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="383" data-original-width="353" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOy7SIRnU0Iob0PkLSrKyg-wGaAjw9tS1HaaLoKRPBC2YflZlfKc_8RyqQK8deDPQdK5HolZ8xaGtq1l-Ke9CJrNXgsDPNRaV4DKsfBacYUBixNMInZUX4aqK7UU23jyJJKzliqta0Xr8/s320/Emerging_Frog_by_Rande_Cook.jpg" width="294" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Emerging Frog by Rande Cook</td></tr>
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After spending time with the exhibits, students then selected a piece whose properties spoke to them in certain ways. Students then did quick sketches to better familiarize themselves and spend time in contemplative, close observation.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIvdK9swhJ9apcuoIx-VMxl6hi68SHytPEclhpZ1MBD-HJwKJrCbCk_-0ZrsHBSDZOcBXRQuQIB6JQWBAUUjqsDs69IZGPeqOZYIjuUQbLGnkc_8pWuWxwYRO8iMOLHCJxM8GvZOOhSfU/s1600/Thunderbird_Mask_by_Art_Thompson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="473" data-original-width="395" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIvdK9swhJ9apcuoIx-VMxl6hi68SHytPEclhpZ1MBD-HJwKJrCbCk_-0ZrsHBSDZOcBXRQuQIB6JQWBAUUjqsDs69IZGPeqOZYIjuUQbLGnkc_8pWuWxwYRO8iMOLHCJxM8GvZOOhSfU/s320/Thunderbird_Mask_by_Art_Thompson.jpg" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thunderbird Portrait Mask by Art Thompson</td></tr>
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Students then did a freewrite, asking the essence of the piece any questions that came to them. Questions ranged from "Raven, why do you have a broken beak?" to "Turtle, why do you hide in your shell?" to "Wild Woman, why are you so scary?"<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_9dLrStde1L4d1QrArS3IgF4yQo6hwO96kgWNOFhUWA1g2Pn7l8SjykqQMyl1OKtxAFJ56tAmh-mP1icpWccjaTNXX4ig7tuWho7L5TBxVQHa2MoT5OM_6RStZEw21TtZOzNoCQDRi9Q/s1600/Tumbling-Walrus-by-Kananginak-Pootoogook-e1493743703390.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="468" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_9dLrStde1L4d1QrArS3IgF4yQo6hwO96kgWNOFhUWA1g2Pn7l8SjykqQMyl1OKtxAFJ56tAmh-mP1icpWccjaTNXX4ig7tuWho7L5TBxVQHa2MoT5OM_6RStZEw21TtZOzNoCQDRi9Q/s320/Tumbling-Walrus-by-Kananginak-Pootoogook-e1493743703390.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tumbling Walrus by Kananginak Pootoogook</td></tr>
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Students riffed on their questions, digging deeper, exploring the mystery and enigma of the personae they perceived, and allowed their curiosity to guide their inquiry into these works from cultures that are primarily foreign to them, even though the students themselves represent a wide range of ethnic and cultural diversity.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCu84fjBsZ4FeF0rfL5TXy_hpqE7dqwr0ZW-zz3CNyToN2qVL9oJgyOM5DqHoIglvcCH0i1Ga1ai5Ot_Xo-xRFqstnVe-y6JbSbdn1jNjOeCBjUUCvxo-kn-J-gAcZ2bkvkP54IiDZWcE/s1600/Moon-Sitting-on-Water-for-Four-Days-by-Tim-Paul.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="800" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCu84fjBsZ4FeF0rfL5TXy_hpqE7dqwr0ZW-zz3CNyToN2qVL9oJgyOM5DqHoIglvcCH0i1Ga1ai5Ot_Xo-xRFqstnVe-y6JbSbdn1jNjOeCBjUUCvxo-kn-J-gAcZ2bkvkP54IiDZWcE/s320/Moon-Sitting-on-Water-for-Four-Days-by-Tim-Paul.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Moon Sitting on Water for Four Days by Tim Paul</td></tr>
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After plumbing the depths with their probing questions, the students answered the questions--not attempting to speak on behalf of the works they'd admired, but as though someone had asked them the questions. I won't share their answers, but how would you answer the questions....<br />
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Why do you hide in your shell?<br />
Why is your beak broken?<br />
Why are you so scary?<br />
Why do I fall into silence in your presence?<br />
What are you trying to tell me?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju0_8Shmfwldb27h5xPjHx7LbkJ6ujJcLHn-hGSoGB6v-8-QT2Gc5EMP14e2j6RR9nCWloYP6ud4nyFixiw4OqRuv619fTTn9FfEjv52ewo_btOfHXYNs1jyC0N-Vj53r1f9Ac6nah2fQ/s1600/Salmon-Rattle-by-Shawn-Karpes.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="420" data-original-width="477" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju0_8Shmfwldb27h5xPjHx7LbkJ6ujJcLHn-hGSoGB6v-8-QT2Gc5EMP14e2j6RR9nCWloYP6ud4nyFixiw4OqRuv619fTTn9FfEjv52ewo_btOfHXYNs1jyC0N-Vj53r1f9Ac6nah2fQ/s320/Salmon-Rattle-by-Shawn-Karpes.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Salmon Rattles by Shawn Karpes</td></tr>
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Or try this with a piece of artwork that inspires you. Instead of doing ekphrasis that simply responds to the work, allow yourself to enter into a deeper, more profound conversation--one that delves into fundamental questions about the piece, and therefore yourself.</div>
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If you teach, maybe you'd like to try this with your students. The most reluctant may have much to say in a non-threatening conversation with a work of art.</div>
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Special thanks to Karen, Laura, and the staff of the San Juan Islands Museum of Art for hosting our class, and a big thank you, also, to the anonymous individuals who generously loaned their collection for this extraordinary exhibit. If you'll be anywhere near Friday Harbor between now and September 4, 2017, I urge you to visit the museum. It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see these privately held works. Better yet, attend artist and Kwakwaka’wak chief, Rande Cook's presentation, "<a href="https://sjima.org/shop/rande-cook-art-as-a-voice/" target="_blank">Art as a Voice</a>," 1-2:30 pm on July 12, 2017 at Brickworks (150 Nichols Street, Friday Harbor, WA).<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Moon by Rande Cook</td></tr>
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<br />Jill McCabe Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14404870175762833215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-874912819625446907.post-32940940144756529792017-04-26T07:39:00.002-07:002017-04-26T07:39:44.703-07:00Cascadia Artist in Residence Network Summit (& upcoming residency deadlines)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Last weekend Playa Foundation for the Arts in Central Oregon hosted the Cascadia Artist in Residence Network Summit. Sixteen artist residency administrators gathered to talk about how we might work together to better serve artists. Topics such as hospitality, equity, and the usual fundraising came up, among others. For a small organization like Artsmith, it's a wonderful opportunity to learn from larger, long-standing residencies such as Hedgebrook, Sitka Center for Art and Ecology, and Centrum. Above are views from my studio window watching the sunrise over the playa, and into my studio, lit by the morning sun.<br />
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To learn more about CAiRN, and find some fabulous residencies in the Cascadia region, go to <a href="http://cascadiaresidencies.org/">http://cascadiaresidencies.org/</a>. Upcoming residency deadlines include:<br />
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May 15 -- <a href="http://liberalarts.oregonstate.edu/centers-and-initiatives/spring-creek-project/" target="_blank">Spring Creek</a><br />
May 31 -- <a href="http://orcasartsmith.org/residency.html" target="_blank">Artsmith</a><br />
June 1 -- <a href="https://www.chinquapinartists.org/" target="_blank">Cinquapin</a><br />
June 15 -- <a href="http://calderaarts.org/caldera/" target="_blank">Caldera</a><br />
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<br />Jill McCabe Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14404870175762833215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-874912819625446907.post-13716431599769631742015-12-11T09:59:00.003-08:002015-12-11T09:59:59.370-08:00Laredo, the Birth of a Writing Residency<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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When you read the words <i>Laredo, Texas</i>, what do you think? Dusty cattle ranches? Lawless border town? Vacqueros? Mexican drug cartels? Or perhaps something else? Maybe graceful architecture, verdant spaces, warm people, vibrant arts scene, and incredible cuisine?<br />
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The media has not been kind to Laredo. Once a Spanish colonial city with beautiful architecture and rich heritage, you'd never guess it from portrayals in the "Streets of Laredo" television series that depicted a Western town that looks more like it ought to have existed in Nevada than the more sophisticated Laredo. Recent media hasn't been much better. Sensationalizing the drug violence south of the border, various television and print media have reported that the crime and violence are just as high north of the border. A misdemeanor maijuana bust for possession of a joint that no one would bat an eye at in Cleveland, OH, becomes a harrowing story of drugs, corruption, and violence for Laredo. They don't tell you that Laredo stacks up as far more safe than most U.S. cities. Nor do they mention that the drug-running across the border extends throughout the U.S., into Canada, and around the world. That Mexican and other crime syndicates operate in every city.<br />
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So when I consulted for the Texas Historical Commission in Laredo, I was saddened to realize most people will never know what a cultural treasure the city is. Blasita Lopez, Director of the Laredo Convention and Visitors' Bureau faces overcoming these misconceptions every day. "What would you think," I said to Blasita, "of hosting a group of writers for an artist residency here, so they can experience Laredo for themselves?" And presumably write about it. Blasita loved the idea, and the Artsmith Laredo Writing Residency was born.<br />
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Travel writer and founder of Modern Day Nomads, Tiffany Owens, helped get the word out so writers could apply for the residency. Travel photographer (and brother extraordinaire) Bob Johnson agreed to join the residency and take photos for the writers to use, if they choose. From the applications, five writers, one photographer, and one videographer were selected from across the U.S. and Mexico. We met December 3, and for the next two and a half days went on a whirlwind, behind-the-scenes look at Laredo, including cooking classes, meeting celebrated ballgown designer Linda Leyendecker-Gutierrez, bird-watching, and meeting with the Laredo Bridge Manager and Homeland Security's Customs Border Protection Regional Manger. We went on Laredo's new CaminArte art walk and Streets of Laredo Artisan Bazaar, to see the works of local artists, makers, and craftspeople. We heard Mariachi music and ate incredible border cuisine.<br />
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We gained new friends, a few pounds, and a greater appreciation for a city that deserves recognition. Laredo reminds me of San Antonio twenty years ago. You'll find historic Spanish colonial to arts and crafts buildings and homes, some of which have been neglected due to a wounded economy. You'll also find restored architectural treasures due to the improving economy. In the short time we were there, one of the first homes along the Plaza de San Agustin and also the former headquarters of the Republic of the Rio Grande were undergoing restorations. One of the city's early grocery stores and residences has been remodeled into the restaurant Siete Banderas, which opens later this month and is bound to be the hot new downtown dining destination. Local architects are working on plans to restore the Plaza Theater, and new construction is planned along the riverfront.<br />
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I mention all this not to get you to invest in downtown Laredo real estate, but to share with you the beginnings of a new writing residency whose mission, loosely, is to support the people who write about place, and also a city whose heritage needs and deserves preservation. I'm not sure how the residency will evolve from here. Those who experienced it are just beginning to share their feedback. Blasita Lopez has indicated they would be willing to host again, and she and I will chat next week about when we might do another residency. If you'd like to be kept up to date on when the next Laredo writing residency will take place, and also when the application period will open, as well as information about our Orcas Island residency, <a href="http://orcasartsmith.org/about.html" target="_blank">sign up for our mailing list</a>. Until then, safe travels!<br />
Jill McCabe Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14404870175762833215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-874912819625446907.post-49279266844785175702015-07-12T16:34:00.000-07:002015-07-12T16:34:13.582-07:002016 Artsmith Artist Residency Fellows Announced<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrxiSaw2zjz0otYIkxLHQlFVc6Q8zDgisi5FaTMFxuPPyFD6NYTKQmygU2f6Fbhfb6MouQFLjCtInLMRnJhNPVFP-cSQl-IBEzNdzsxG0e5k83tCtUnd2RI6d119Yvwn1YFkmlvCgeDkM/s1600/2014-06-08+19.30.52.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrxiSaw2zjz0otYIkxLHQlFVc6Q8zDgisi5FaTMFxuPPyFD6NYTKQmygU2f6Fbhfb6MouQFLjCtInLMRnJhNPVFP-cSQl-IBEzNdzsxG0e5k83tCtUnd2RI6d119Yvwn1YFkmlvCgeDkM/s320/2014-06-08+19.30.52.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The results for the 2016 Artsmith Artist Residency on Orcas Island are in. Please
join us in congratulating the following artists who have been selected
for the 2016 residency. In alphabetical order by last
name:<br /><span><br /><span></span></span> 1. Rachel Clark—Writing: Fiction <br /><span></span> 2. Chauna Craig—Writing: Nonfiction <br /><span></span> 3. Corinne Duchesne—Visual Art: Painting <br /><span></span> 4. Yvonne Garrett—Writing: Poetry <br /><span></span> 5. Garrett Hope: Music: Composition <br /><span></span> 6. Holly Hughes—Writing: Nonfiction, Poetry <br /><span></span> 7. Susan Kim Campbell—Writing: Fiction <br /><span></span> 8. Jason Kirk—Writing: Poetry<br /><span></span> 9. Jill Kolongowski—Writing: Nonfiction <br /><span></span> 10. Nancy Lord—Writing: Fiction <br /><span></span> 11. Caitlin Scarano—Writing: Poetry<br /><span></span> 12. Cerese Vaden: Visual Art: Printmaking and Sculpture (Artsmith's 2015 Artist of the Year)<br /><br /><span>The
Artsmith Peer Review Panel all commented on the amazing quality of this
year's applications, making their jobs both more enjoyable and more
difficult. We look forward to hosting the selected fellows who will
spend anywhere from one to four weeks in residence. Congratulations to
the selected fellows, and many thanks to all of the applicants.</span><br /><span></span></div>
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Jill McCabe Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14404870175762833215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-874912819625446907.post-74806804103309882852015-03-27T18:12:00.001-07:002015-03-27T18:12:45.733-07:00Musings on Home and Heritage<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Coming home to the Northwest after a trip to Texas leading heritage tourism workshops, I was delighted to take a float plane from Lake Union to the San Juan Islands. Having grown up on the coast, it's always a thrill to come home and see the mountains and water that feel somehow part of not just the landscape, but what I call home and who I am. As we lifted off from the water and away from the city, this perspective of Gas Works Park came into view. Gas Works is the first park where I was finally able to get a kite to take flight. The park is named for the only coal gasification plant left in the U.S. It operated in the first half of the twentieth century, and was opened to the public as a park in 1975. Seattle landscape architect Richard Haag was awarded the American Society of Landscape Architects Presidents Award of Design Excellence for his design. I didn't know any of this the first time I went to the park. It was an oddity, the old plant that some still consider an eyesore, but fascinating to see, especially with the backdrop of downtown Seattle and the Space Needle. The park became special to me, though, because it became part of my personal history. A history that's insignificant to anyone else, but similar perhaps to memories thousands others have formed at that site.<br />
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In 2013, Gas Works was added to the National Register of Historic Places. For whatever reason, the designation was not granted for more than ten years after the park had been nominated. Does it make Gas Works any more special? Does it give the park some degree of significance or street cred in the eyes of historians and cultural heritage gurus? Maybe so. Or maybe it brings attention to a past technology, and therefore the past that technology belonged in and was linked to. Certainly, flying over the park triggered memories of a past I rarely think about but still hold dear.<br />
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Judith Kitchen wrote that she was interested in (and interested in writing about) her own life more than anything else. Whatever we decide is significant to us, connects ultimately to our own experience. That is, our experiences inform what we decide is important. Those decisions are subjective, personal, and unique. No doubt some people would still say the gasification plant should be dismantled. Others might advocate for that land--prime real estate in Seattle--to be used for other purposes. Maybe condos or office buildings to attract more people and businesses to the city. Personally, I think it should be used for flying kites. A place of lift-off. Where a child's hopes and efforts can soar. Where a middle-age woman can indulge in sentimental memories. Where rock once became energy (and, albeit, pollution). Where we can remind ourselves how far we've come, and to cherish the ineffable <i>Home</i>.<br />
<br />Jill McCabe Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14404870175762833215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-874912819625446907.post-84677433589310982392015-03-22T12:54:00.001-07:002015-03-27T17:34:46.397-07:00April 1 Reading and Reception with Carolyne Wright to Kickoff Poetry Month<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Mark your calendars for a special Poetry Month kickoff event with Carolyne Wright and the premiere reading of the anthology <i>Raising Lilly Ledbetter: Women Poets Occupy the Workspace</i><i> </i>(Lost Horse Press,
2015), edited by Wright along with fellow poets Eugenia Toledo, and M.
L. Lyons. The anthology is in response to the 2009 Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and brings together
voices of women poets in the workspaces they occupy: from cotton rows to corner
suites, trawlers to typing pools, nursing stations to space stations, factory
floors to faculty offices. These voices bear witness to women’s workplace
lives, and act to re-envision and refigure the world of work for women.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Poet
Carolyn Forch<i>é</i> dsecribes the book as a compilation of “the
heavy-lifters, night-shifters, line and piece workers, writing with grace and
often with humor: poets who punch clocks, <i>woman</i> the phones and decks,
weave, weld and can, cotton-pick and cold call, thread-spin, typeset and teach.
They sex-work, they ship-build, plaster and preach, butcher and drive the bus.
This is anthology as page-turner, as fist in the air, as do-it-yourself manual
against despair.”</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: small;">The reading, part of the 2014-2015 Artsmith Salon Series, takes place at Darvill's Bookstore at 1 Main Street in Eastsound, Washington on Wednesday, April 1, 6:00 pm. The reading will be followed by a Q<span style="font-family: inherit;"> and </span>A with the author, reception with hors d'oeuvres, and book-signing.</span></span></span>Jill McCabe Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14404870175762833215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-874912819625446907.post-43163106295008188742015-03-10T09:22:00.004-07:002015-03-10T09:22:50.473-07:00Art at the Airport<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Have you been through SeaTac Airport lately? I always enjoy the glass and other visual arts there (especially the blown glass installation made to look like bones from an archeologist's dig), but the latest addition is my favorite: live, acoustic music in the terminals. The constant noise of gate announcements, TVs blaring, cell phones ringing, babies crying, and the usual din of conversations wear me out, so it seems odd that another sound source added to the mix would have the opposite effect. Whatever the reason, hearing a live guitar and melodic voice while I wait for my flight completely transforms the experience. If you need to fly in or out of SeaTac in the near future, look for the live performers who might be found near the gate or in the food court area. Oh, and drop them a tip of appreciation. Artists need our support ... but that's another topic entirely.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Jill McCabe Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14404870175762833215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-874912819625446907.post-54562426786123400372015-03-09T21:10:00.001-07:002015-03-09T21:10:43.027-07:00How Many Languages Do You Speak<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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At Artsmith's Spring 2015 Writer Island, writer Ira Sukrungruang asked participants, "How many languages do you speak?" Japanese, Italian, French. Then he asked how many languages "as a writer." What character languages can you speak? Ira speaks Southside Chicagoan, for example. What about BC Canadian? Nor'easter? West Texan? What about languages that aren't defined solely by geography? Teenage gamer. LDS Missionary. Retired auto mechanic. "Make a list," he advised, "of the languages you speak." Write in those languages. Listen. Add more.Jill McCabe Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14404870175762833215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-874912819625446907.post-87058757204927109662015-01-20T10:29:00.000-08:002015-01-20T10:29:50.764-08:00Opening skyward<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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On our daily, mid-January now, walks to North Beach, the trees lift long, bare fingers to the sky. All but one cherry blooming early. It brings to mind the artists and writers who gather the courage to send their works out into the world, sometimes a harsh and unwelcoming world. And yet, those works, like these flowers, give the rest of us hope. So thank you to those of you who take the risk and share your art. You can't know who will be inspired by the glimpses of life you share, but please know we are.Jill McCabe Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14404870175762833215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-874912819625446907.post-73286102043901547672015-01-20T00:06:00.000-08:002015-01-20T09:18:36.076-08:00Artsmith Residency to Hit the Road<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Once a part of Spain, once a part of Mexico, once a part of the Republic of Texas, and now a bilingual and multicultural part of the U.S., Laredo, Texas is a city rich in art, architecture, culinary delights, and remarkably friendly people. Not to mention it is an important spot for migratory birds and the birders who love to see them, especially the birds that don't venture any farther north.<br />
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Why mention all this, you ask? Because in December 2015, Artsmith takes its residency program on the road for a 3-day residency for culture & travel writers. Up to five writers (with room for two to bring a partner writer, photographer, or videographer who can share their room) will be selected. Writers and their partners are responsible for their travel expenses to get to Laredo. Once in Laredo, three nights' lodging at the historic La Posada Hotel and most meals will be provided, plus a chance to experience the best of Laredo culture with special, behind-the-scenes access.<br />
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We'll attend the CaminArte art walk and Streets of Laredo Artisan Bazaar. Other options, to be determined after the residency fellows are selected, include border cuisine cooking classes, birding and guided walks with a naturalist in the Rio Grande riparian zone, meetings with Immigration and Border Patrol, Teatro Tejano de la Calle street theater and history tour. Catch a glimpse of some of the possible sights and activities below.<br />
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The residency takes place the first weekend of December, 2015, with details to be posted to the Artsmith website soon. So get ready to submit your application this spring for a festive and exciting adventure in December!<br />
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<br />Jill McCabe Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14404870175762833215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-874912819625446907.post-36865546594633296622015-01-09T16:52:00.000-08:002015-01-09T16:52:08.242-08:00Get Help Representing Your Work to Residencies & Publishers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Need help applying to Artist Residencies? Or pitching your book to an agent or publisher? Want to see examples of well-crafted artist statements and query letters? Need help drafting an intriguing description of your work? Sign up for The Art of the Pitch workshop with agent and publicist John Sibley Williams and Artsmith founding director Jill McCabe Johnson on February 7, 2-4 pm, at Daedalus Books in Portland, OR. $30 in advance secures your spot, or <a href="https://artsmith.submittable.com/submit" target="_blank">apply </a>for one of two scholarships by Feb. 1. Learn more at <a href="http://orcasartsmith.org/workshops.html" target="_blank">http://orcasartsmith.org/workshops.html</a>.<br />
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While you're there, check out info on the Spring 2015 Writer Island with Ira Sukrungruang and apply for a scholarship for that, too!<br />
Jill McCabe Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14404870175762833215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-874912819625446907.post-65339995865418235472015-01-06T10:26:00.000-08:002015-01-06T10:26:58.481-08:00Artsmith's 2016 Residency Expands to up to Four Weeks<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghiZrJNM3a7edM6949k8P3O47mrAkfkZwJHDojgSaF2ovexJoRiEMbXqudklhV7dVp7jokMGR9kf8RFreTwvgFUoqOGlbuE4xy-BHlXGSF9cDkaBbKWpqXsg3N95Lf1Ei3VkRMMFfj3to/s1600/2014-05-23+15.05.06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghiZrJNM3a7edM6949k8P3O47mrAkfkZwJHDojgSaF2ovexJoRiEMbXqudklhV7dVp7jokMGR9kf8RFreTwvgFUoqOGlbuE4xy-BHlXGSF9cDkaBbKWpqXsg3N95Lf1Ei3VkRMMFfj3to/s1600/2014-05-23+15.05.06.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wake up in the Steller''s Jay Suite</td></tr>
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Time. Perhaps the greatest gift of a residency is time. Time to work on one's art. Time to explore. Time to rest. To sleep. To soak in the hot tub under the stars. To take long walks or stare at the fire. To become lost in thought. To let images and ideas wash over you. Time to yawn. To stretch. Time to come out the other side with fresh insights. Time to incorporate those new ideas, that new you who has morphed and developed and grown, into new works. Time to know. Time not to know. To wonder. To make mistakes. To hate your mistakes. To love them more than anything you've ever done. Time to lose track of yourself and time itself. Time for time.<br />
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With this in mind--that understanding that insight is aided by time--Artsmith has decided to expand its residency in 2016 so that applicants can apply for as many as four weeks in residence. From January 3 to January 30 we will host up to five artists, writers, and scholars at a time, each staying anywhere from one to four weeks.<br />
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Also in the interest of time, our application period will move to earlier in the year. Applicants can apply between February 1 and April 30. As always, a Peer Review Panel of artists, writers, and scholars will review the applications and select those whose work they believe will benefit most from a residency in this setting. Until then, think about how much time you could use (and can manage with your schedule) and how you would like to spend it in residence in the San Juan Islands.<br />
Jill McCabe Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14404870175762833215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-874912819625446907.post-9635574810965928012014-06-29T13:18:00.000-07:002014-06-29T13:18:00.029-07:00Your Writer's Writer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Ac7XfIH8kj42nEOzQhJdaYqgBUCik7AbItcaArBAlTJadEBK3m0Q3-f9EqA13r0K-abXnIobpAtE6wrm29u09O5a3iaMJ2rLs12kAs8BK_K7XX-6U-EEy82ko07p6q7QvrsQhUl3RUs/s1600/Your+Sisters+Sister+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Ac7XfIH8kj42nEOzQhJdaYqgBUCik7AbItcaArBAlTJadEBK3m0Q3-f9EqA13r0K-abXnIobpAtE6wrm29u09O5a3iaMJ2rLs12kAs8BK_K7XX-6U-EEy82ko07p6q7QvrsQhUl3RUs/s1600/Your+Sisters+Sister+1.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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People often ask what Orcas Island is like in fall and winter, and we have a hard time describing how some days everything is tinged a foggy blue, like waking to a muted, indigo dream, or how the late afternoon light reflected off the water illuminates everything with a doubly golden glow. But now we don't have to explain. We can tell them to watch the movie "Your Sister's Sister." Filmed on Orcas Island in the fall and winter, it shows how along the shorelines the ambience of majestic trees are silhouetted by two sources of light: the low-slung sun, and dappled light off the water that shimmer along the undersides of branches. Unless it rains. Then the grasses brighten and dense mosses come to life. The trails are quiet. One is tempted to wrap up in a cozy blanket with a hot mug of goodness and remember what it means to relax so deeply your thoughts run just as deep. The kind of contemplation writers and artists in residence often seek.</div>
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Why, you might wonder, are we thinking of fall and winter during these glorious days of summer? Because the application period for the <a href="http://orcasartsmith.org/residency.html" target="_blank">2015 Artsmith Artist Residency</a>, January 4-11, as well as <a href="http://orcasartsmith.org/workshops.html" target="_blank">Writer Island with the incomparable Peggy Shumaker</a>, October 24-26, 2014, are both open. Plus, Doug and Anne Johnson as well as Peggy have both offered scholarships for Writer Island, so the <a href="https://artsmith.submittable.com/submit" target="_blank">application</a> period is open for that, too! Join us for an escape to our island of creative rejuvenation.</div>
<br />Jill McCabe Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14404870175762833215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-874912819625446907.post-3887177534263926262014-03-24T19:23:00.000-07:002014-03-24T19:23:33.304-07:00Imnaha Writer's Retreat<div style="text-align: center;">
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Ahh, for a week to write in an inspiring setting in the company of other creatives! I just learned from the good folks at Fishtrap's Imnaha Writers' Retreat that they still have a few spots open for their annual writing retreats in April. Do you know about Imnaha yet? If not, you'll probably want to. Every year, they make a limited number of one-week writing retreats available during the month of April. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0dJ963umRcNJZ7KyjyR9xOLnTDx1nwpyuaCQWHmD4UcW0I4p5jgWcenz2Rb4KDd7BEO2tm9bPMPUvATD9vRzBDsR75aletKaV1HedfrpbR2lsLqGu1O2aOxn1oNPol8KCp2cbxVV0XZY/s1600/Imnaha+Exterior.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0dJ963umRcNJZ7KyjyR9xOLnTDx1nwpyuaCQWHmD4UcW0I4p5jgWcenz2Rb4KDd7BEO2tm9bPMPUvATD9vRzBDsR75aletKaV1HedfrpbR2lsLqGu1O2aOxn1oNPol8KCp2cbxVV0XZY/s1600/Imnaha+Exterior.jpg" height="133" width="320" /></a></div>
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The retreat takes place at a remote cabin in Oregon's upper Imnaha River, and by remote, I mean you will walk across a suspended footbridge to get to the cabin (a cart is available so you don't have to carry your bags). Up to five writers luxuriate in the glorious Oregon countryside, respecting a quiet time during the day, and having the option to share work and stimulating conversation in the evening. The pricing uses a voluntary sliding scale, with the lowest fee being only $280 per week, or more if you choose and can afford it.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf-GUxbWJ65q-rhGNltcJjlTbLmb8rzgL2FF_QcNz_i1Tj4ThLJnOvcdCPw3p84N2Qcp4AaoLTpRohQ2oHVenHsY57FUzLgBhifprHl8RZZITeQ5tpoZkkeO49d_Qx_vLHRnmMZ6PE_4Q/s1600/Imnaha+Footbridge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf-GUxbWJ65q-rhGNltcJjlTbLmb8rzgL2FF_QcNz_i1Tj4ThLJnOvcdCPw3p84N2Qcp4AaoLTpRohQ2oHVenHsY57FUzLgBhifprHl8RZZITeQ5tpoZkkeO49d_Qx_vLHRnmMZ6PE_4Q/s1600/Imnaha+Footbridge.jpg" height="133" width="320" /></a></div>
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This year's retreats take place April 6-12, April 13-19, April 20-26, and April 27-May 3. I'm not sure which dates are already filled, but contact Imnaha to find out if the week you'd like is available. You can learn more about the retreat at the <a href="http://fishtrap.org/?page_id=77" target="_blank">Imnaha Writer's Retreat web page</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLC2ohc1mGAEgAPbLHQAia-Ksr7UVr7LfEqQa_EcMCmW3btGXFvdh60flUQp8_HMXY5B3ePmz7PbJKcZqPZSCWVoIu3tW30LaFVJQM1qwK-93hvxO_Do3fgttIgDVZuhy5j_uGGWe-qbE/s1600/Imnaha+Exterior2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLC2ohc1mGAEgAPbLHQAia-Ksr7UVr7LfEqQa_EcMCmW3btGXFvdh60flUQp8_HMXY5B3ePmz7PbJKcZqPZSCWVoIu3tW30LaFVJQM1qwK-93hvxO_Do3fgttIgDVZuhy5j_uGGWe-qbE/s1600/Imnaha+Exterior2.jpg" /></a></div>
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PS - "Writer" is defined loosely, and includes writers of all kinds, including songwriters.<br />
PPS - They also have a treehouse in addition to the cabin, so definitely ask about that!<br />
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<br />Jill McCabe Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14404870175762833215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-874912819625446907.post-57189258758263164322014-03-09T12:32:00.000-07:002014-03-09T12:32:13.107-07:00Judith Kitchen and Stan Sanvel Rubin Read at Darvill's March 11<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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Those who know this month’s Artsmith Salon Series featured
readers, Judith Kitchen and Stan Sanvel Rubin, know that the past few years have
been a time of prolific writing despite the devastating effects of cancer on Judith’s
health and both their lives. The cancer is now in remission, and Judith and
Stan have recently had published a novella-length essay and a collection of poetry,
respectively. Books that aren’t necessarily meant to speak to each other, but when read together (or listened
to at a reading) create poignant and moving connections. Can we draw conclusions from how Judith writes of dreams where she tries to convince her late mother to say that her daughter will die while Stan writes a series of poems reminiscent of Neruda's odes, but each set in wartime, as though the essayist is trying to help her loved ones prepare for all eventualities while the poet focuses on the trauma and aftermath of battle? Can we make assumptions about their personal battles, individually and as a couple, with cancer, fear, or even the choice <i>not </i>to approach cancer a "battle?" Can we help but be inspired by and grateful to two masters of their craft who transform the fear of ruin into an appreciation of all our collective moments, ruinous or otherwise?</div>
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Judith was recently honored at the annual Association of
Writers and Writing Programs (AWP) conference for her lifetime contributions to
literature and being one of the most highly regarded writers and critics in the
world today. Stan is also a highly acclaimed poet and critic, whose latest
poetry collection, <em>There. Here.</em> from Lost Horse Press, has garnered
praise for its silence that "has rarely spoken more clearly than in poems
whose whittled-down sounds find war in the hulls of pine nuts and human nature
in the folds of an accordion” (Linda Bierds). Among their many other
accomplishments, Judith and Stan founded Pacific Lutheran University's low
residency MFA in Creative Writing, now celebrating its tenth year.</div>
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Judith and Stan will read at <b>Darvill’s Bookstore on Orcas
Island Tuesday, March 11, 2014 at 6pm</b>. As always, a stimulating Q&A will follow
the reading along with hors d’oeuvres and book-signing. For a hint of their
writing, and to get a sense of the interplay between their poetry and essays, here are two excerpts. Notice how each draws from past, present, and
future—from memory, moment, and metaphor—in ways that reminds us that love is
the life well lived.</div>
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In <b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Circus Train</i></b>, Judith writes:</div>
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“There’s something I have to say about the good properties
of metastasis. It’s certain. There’s no backing out, so you are forced to
accept. It’s a little bit like that column of dust in the old Westerns, far in
the distance, but announcing its presence as it takes its interminable time
coming closer and closer until, suddenly, there it is with a shape and the
horse gallops up hard in your face and stops still, all lathery, and you know
you are just about to hear some news of some sort. From then on, it’s all first
person. Or sort of.</div>
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“Mid-May. The apple trees in the yard behind our house have
blossomed so that, waking, I look into a sea of white clouds. I could go back
to apple trees, the peculiar branchings that make for good climbing, my
mother’s voice calling me down. Instead, I see a young girl alone, crouched on
a hot day in early June, sifting the dirt of the strawberry patch. Each runner
shoots out its individual white flower. Tiny, tinged with pink. But I am intent
on the sifting, the sun a poultice on my neck, warm and filled with silence.
Each ray streaks upward toward its source. In front of me, a soft pile of
sifted dirt, silken, the texture of talc. My hand smoothes and smoothes it,
leaving little trails of fingermarks. My hair pulls loose from my braids and
makes a haze of sunlight around my head. The breeze is softer than the dirt,
like a finger brushed over the forehead. I do not remember what I was thinking,
but <em>that</em> I was thinking. Alone with my thoughts. With the dirt and the
breeze and my own sense of self that did not disappear with my mother’s call.”</div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://ovenbirdbooks.org/Shop/">The Circus Train</a></i> (Ovenbird Books,
2014)</div>
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In <b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">There. Here.</i></b>,
Stan writes:</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Meteor in War Time</b><br />
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We lie on the moonlit deck<br />
long after midnight to watch<br />
the streaking Aurigids<br />
display their dazzle,<br />
rare fireworks seen<br />
just three times<br />
dating from the comet<br />
that broke past the sun<br />
when Julius Caesar<br />
was in charge<br />
of the wars that mattered.<br />
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<em>I see nothing,</em> you say,<br />
<em>but a few weak stars.</em><br />
From an air mattress<br />
we scan the sky<br />
with the intense peripheral wariness<br />
of those whose mission<br />
is to spot bombers<br />
before they reach the city,<br />
and I see one falling<br />
in a swift arc<br />
over our heads.<br />
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><a href="http://www.losthorsepress.org/catalog/there-here/"><em>There. Here. </em> </a>(Lost
Horse Press, 2013)<br />
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<![endif]--><br />Jill McCabe Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14404870175762833215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-874912819625446907.post-32340850715422339572014-02-06T15:27:00.001-08:002014-02-06T15:27:45.620-08:00Wild, Reckless, Lovely Valentine's Reading February 11This Valentine's Day, forget chocolate. Think chanterelles. Forget sappy love poems, think poetry that takes on the universe. Forget cupid-covered cards, think wild, reckless, and lovely with the books of husband & wife writers Langdon Cook and Martha Silano. Both will be the February featured readers in Artsmith's Salon Series at Darvill's Bookstore.<br />
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Langdon will share the adventures of a forager in his latest book, <i>The Mushroom Hunters: On the Trail of an Underground America</i>.<br />
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And Martha will read poems from her fourth poetry collection, Reckless Lovely, that "begins with The Big Bang and ends with the unleashing of twelve million bees from a jack-knifed semi."<br />
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No doubt, Langdon will share tips not only for foraging, but ways to incorporate wild ingredients into a wild menu.<br />
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Since spring is just around the corner, be sure to ask him how to collect and cook with the tender fiddleheads of fern (here reminiscent of a heart for Valentine's Day). <br />
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Martha might be persuaded to read you her poem partially inspired by this image of a merman.<br />
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Who knows what wonders of nature will take wing or hang delectably on the vine.<br />
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As always, the reading will be accompanied by hors d'eouvres, book-signing, and open-mic. Bring some of your own wild, lovely, reckless words to share.<br />
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Tuesday, February 11, 2014, 6:00 PM. Darvill's Bookstore, 1 Main Street, Eastsound, WA. <br />
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<br />Jill McCabe Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14404870175762833215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-874912819625446907.post-76362941637281967392014-01-18T14:36:00.000-08:002014-01-18T14:36:01.289-08:00Winter Island / Writer Island<br />
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<a href="http://susanmustard.com/christmas_art_books.html" target="_blank"><img alt="http://orcasartsmith.org/workshops.html" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4FbOKqWMVPV5-ITfG6W7onaGOsYFL9ez9X52SNzmMIWgDGLNRXQJp6AZTgxxkB3g9QSyAtMAKRczcwB-lmK4fSIoQSlcukMeU7DdePpimXrxg61y1VKU9yswoHLAAIMO7fAsnxb7iA6I/s1600/books_art_xmas_susan_mustard.jpg" height="104" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Artwork by <a href="http://susanmustard.com/christmas_art_books.html" target="_blank">Susan Mustard</a></span></div>
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There's a reason why we chose winter for the second Writer Island retreat. I love this hibernal time, when the urgency of holiday festivities are over, when the garden lies dormant, and nearly every plant shows signs of being on the verge.<br />
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This is the most productive writing time for me, that long, suspenseful moment before leaf and blossom. Not only do I feel inspired by winter's quiet progression, but the moodiness of daytime's angled light and the crackle of evening's winter fire provide the perfect conditions for writing.<br />
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The only thing that could make it better is the presence of other
writers -- amazing writers and teachers like Martha Silano and Tina
Schumann -- to hold that creative space, encourage and inspire one
another, and later share new works (preferably accompanied by a complex
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If you love writing in winter, too... If you could use a nurturing retreat where you can write during the day and share your work at night... If you love good food and the stimulating company of other writers... do yourself a favor and sign up for <a href="http://orcasartsmith.org/workshops.html" target="_blank">Writer Island</a> January 31 to February 2. Give your writing the space and time it deserves.</div>
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<br />Jill McCabe Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14404870175762833215noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-874912819625446907.post-52088584477295654172014-01-14T20:13:00.000-08:002014-01-14T20:13:16.745-08:00Already Missing the 2014 Artsmith Artist Residency FellowsThe 2014 Artsmith Artist Residency, with Fellows Tim Burton, Theresa Dowell Blackinton, Simone Muench, Cynthia Neely, and Lisa Ohlen Harris, was an incredibly talented and sympatico group. For our last evening together, we ventured out to Doe Bay Cafe Pizza Night, then went home to share works around a blazing fire. I'm still floating on the great conversations and creative mojo.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eagerly awaiting our pizza and swapping hilarious travel stories.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cynthia Neely -- all smiles, all the time!</td></tr>
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<br />Jill McCabe Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14404870175762833215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-874912819625446907.post-34683458971824753792013-12-09T12:37:00.001-08:002013-12-09T12:37:24.186-08:00Sustainable Wine? Yes, Please!The season of festivity is up on us. Before you stock up on wines, come join us at Darvill's Bookstore this Tuesday, Dec. 10, for a reading and wine-tasting of West Coast sustainable wines as Shannon Borg reads from her latest book, <i>The Green Vine: A Guide to West Coast Susatinable, Organic, and Biodynamic Wine</i>. The reading begins at 6pm, followed by wine-tasting, hors d'oeuvres, and open mic. The event is free and open to the public. <br />
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<a href="http://www.mountaineersbooks.org/The-Green-Vine-P1173.aspx" target="_blank">The Green Vine </a></div>
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<a href="http://shannonborg.com/" target="_blank">Shannon Borg </a></div>
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Artsmith Salon Series at Darvill's Bookstore</div>
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One Main Street, Eastsound, WA</div>
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Tuesday, December 10, 2013, 6:00 pm </div>
<br />Jill McCabe Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14404870175762833215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-874912819625446907.post-553078469602239852013-10-13T10:31:00.000-07:002013-10-13T10:31:13.437-07:00Bruce Holbert Reads from Lonesome Animals Today at Darvill's<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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If you love crime fiction, but hate two-dimensional characters...<br />
If you love westerns, but hate the false history of Indian-as-threat and settler-as-hero...<br />
If you love action, but only when it serves a purpose in the plot...<br />
If you love hard-nosed lyricism, but can rarely find it...<br />
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...you won't want to miss Bruce Holbet reading from his highly acclaimed first novel, <i>Lonesome Animals</i>, today at Darvill's Bookstore in Eastsound.<br />
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For a preview of Holbert's writing, read his thoughtful and heart-wrenching <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/28/opinion/sunday/i-killed-my-friend.html?_r=0" target="_blank">essay </a>in the New York times about accidentally killing a friend when he was a young man:<br />
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Then come to Darvill's to hear the work of a writer who knows violence firsthand, and writes about it not to be sensational but in a quest for redemption of the true history of the west, and redemption of civilization itself. Followed by wine, hors d'eouvres, and open mic. Open and free to the public.<br />
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Artsmith Reading Series at Darvill's Bookstore<br />
1 Main Street, Eastsound, WA<br />
6:00 pm, Sunday, October 13, 2013Jill McCabe Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14404870175762833215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-874912819625446907.post-56973612450189063242013-10-07T11:28:00.000-07:002013-10-07T11:28:35.352-07:00Diana Abu-Jaber reading canceled -- But don't miss our next reading on 10/13 with Bruce Holbert<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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For those of you planning to attend Diana Abu-Jaber's reading on October 8, the author has had a family emergency and had to cancel. We are looking at possible future dates, so don't despair. Fortunately, we had two readings planned for the month of October, so please join us at Darvill's Bookstore on Sunday, October 13, 6:00 pm to hear the talented <b>Bruce Holbert</b> read from his stunning debut novel, Lonesome Animals. The reading will be followed by wine & hors d'oeuvres and an open mic. The event is free and open to the public.<br />
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Description of Lonesome Animals:<br />
In <i>Lonesome Animals</i>, Russell Strawl, a tormented former lawman,
is called out of retirement to hunt a serial killer with a sense of the
macabre who has been leaving elaborately carved bodies of Native
Americans across three counties. As the pursuit ensues, Strawl’s own
dark and violent history weaves itself into the hunt, shedding light on
the remains of his broken family: one wife taken by the river, one by
his own hand; an adopted Native American son who fancies himself a
Catholic prophet; and a daughter, whose temerity and stoicism contrast
against the romantic notions of how the west was won.<br />
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In the vein of <i>True Grit</i> and <i>Blood Meridian</i>, <i>Lonesome Animals</i>
is a western novel reinvented, a detective story inverted for the west.
It contemplates the nature of story and heroism in the face of a
collapsing ethos –not only of Native American culture, but also of the
first wave of white men who, through the battle against the geography
and its indigenous people, guaranteed their own destruction. But it is
also about one man’s urgent, elegiac search for justice amidst the
craven acts committed on the edges of civilization.<br />
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Praise for Lonesome Animals:<br />
"From the opening sentence of Holbert's remarkable debut, it is obvious
that we are in the hands of a master storyteller . . . Holbert's prose
is simultaneously roughly hewn and elegant, and recalls Cormac McCarthy
at his best, as do his insights into the relationship between predator
and prey. Call it literary fiction, classic western realism, or
historical noir, Holbert is a writer of formidable skill and this
auspicious debut should have considerable crossover appeal." —<i>Publishers Weekly</i><br /><br />“Holbert’s
unsettling book demands a strong stomach… At the end the reader will
feel relief or satisfaction or some combination, and tip a sweat-stained
hat to Holbert for raising the stakes of the Western genre… Holbert’s
sympathies seem to align with the quality of his prose: the land is
rendered in loving, even exquisite detail, so too the crimes… Holbert
has gone all-in: This book is audacious.” —<i>Kirkus</i><br /><br />"<i>Lonesome Animals</i>
is an impure marvel. Ths cowboy noir is loaded with lyrical detail,
black humor, and a kind of antic despair. At its center is the
compromised lawman Russell Strawl, a pilgrim making slow progress
through the blasted ruins of Western myth. He turns violence into a kind
of brutal music and provides the weary, stubborn heart of this
astonishing debut."<br />—Max Phillips, Shamus-winning author of <i>Fade to Blonde</i> <br />
<br />Jill McCabe Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14404870175762833215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-874912819625446907.post-8026016983040980722013-10-04T07:19:00.000-07:002013-10-04T09:34:35.916-07:00Diana Abu-Jaber kicks off 2013-2014 Reading Series<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Join the celebration this Tuesday, October 8, as we kickoff our 2013-2014 Reading Series with the "witty and entertaining" novelist Diana Abu-Jaber. Named "one of the most notable Arab authors in the United States," Diana's latest novel, <i>Birds of Paradise</i>, has received tremendous praise and has been selected as an Indie Books Pick.<br />
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Diana is also the author of the award-winning memoir,<i> The Language of Baklava, </i>plus the best-selling novels <i>Origin </i>and<i> Crescent</i>, the latter of which was awarded the 2004 PEN Center USA Award for Literary Fiction and the American Book Award. Her first novel <i>Arabian Jazz</i> won the 1994 Oregon Book Award and was a finalist for the PEN/Hemingway Award. Diana teaches at Portland State University.<br />
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The reading begins at 6:00 pm at Darvill's Bookstore in Eastsound, followed by wine & hors d'oeuvres and open mic. The event is free and open to the public.<br />
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Darvill's Bookstore<br />
1 Main Street<br />
Eastsound, WA 98245<br />
Tuesday, October 8, 6:00-8:00 pm Jill McCabe Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14404870175762833215noreply@blogger.com0