"Knock Em Dead At the Mic" Roundtable with Lisa Lenard-Cook and Lynn Miller!

Lisa Lenard-Cook

We'll soon post the final schedule for all of the roundtables during the conference, but wanted to give everyone a heads-up on one of those that will be on the list: Albuquerque writers and founders of the ABQ Writers Co-Op, Lisa Lenard-Cook and Lynn Miller, will provide tips on reading work aloud during their roundtable, "Knock Em Dead at the Mic"! Here's their description:

It’s one thing to give voice to the voices in your head, and another to stand in front of a crowd and read those words aloud. Lynn C. Miller, PhD, who taught Performance at UT-Austin for 27 years, & Lisa Lenard-Cook, MFA, who, despite her preference to hole up at her laptop, loves to sway a crowd, will offer tips to reading your work that will move you from knock-kneed knuckle-chewer to powerhouse public performer.

And here's some bio information on Lynn and Lisa:

Lynn C. Miller

Even before they joined forces to start ABQ Writers Co-Op in 2010, offering classes and community for southwestern writers, Lynn C. Miller and Lisa Lenard-Cook had made names for themselves as both writers & teachers. Lynn’s career at the University of Texas at Austin included two major teaching awards and three research awards for her work on adapting modernist writers for the stage and performing autobiography. Lisa’s first novel Dissonance was short-listed for the PEN Southwest Book Award, & was a selection of NPR Performance Today’s Summer Reading Series & Durango-La Plata Reads; her subsequent books include the novel Coyote Morning and a book about writing fiction, The Mind of Your Story.  Lynn is the author of two novels, The Fool’s Journey and Death of a Department Chair, and co-editor of Voices Made Flesh:  Performing Women’s Autobiography.  Her play, “Passenger on the Ship of Fools,” (co-authored by Laura Furman) won a new play award in 2009 and was produced by the Vortex Theatre.  A member of the faculties of the Santa Barbara Writers’ Conference &Writerseducation.com, Lisa writes “The Lonely Writer’s Companion” on www.authorlink.com. Lynn’s play “The First Woman” was featured in March 2011 on KUNM’s Radio Theatre program for women’s history Month. Both writers conduct workshops nationally as well as locally and serve as mentors to writers on individual projects. Go to www.abqwriterscoop.com for information about their new literary magazine, Bosque, as well as Lynn & Lisa’s fiction and memoir classes.

Bio for Hispanic Writer Award Winner, Richard Vargas!

Richard Vargas graduated from the UNM Creative Writing program and earned his MFA with distinction, in 2010.

He has two books of poetry published: McLife, Main Street Rag Press, 2005, and American Jesus, Tia Chucha Press, 2007. His poetry has been featured on Garrison Keillor's radio show, Writer's Almanac. 

His poem, "baby brother's blues" earned him the Editor's Choice Award from the anthology, New Poets of the American West, Many Voices Press. He received a National Latino Writer's Conference Community Scholarship in May 2011. 

He currently edits and publishes a national small press poetry magazine, The Más Tequila Review, and is the events coordinator for an independent bookstore in Albuquerque. He also sits on the board of the non-profit Local Poets Guild. 

He has organized poetry readings and booksignings for Lisel Meller, Diane Wakoski, Luis J. Rodriguez, Lucien Stryk, Demetria Martinez, Mitsuye Yamada, Carlos Cortez, Marc K. Smith, and many more.

Bio for Taos Resident Award Winner, Linda Michel-Cassidy!

This year's Taos Resident Award Winner Linda Michel-Cassidy has a diverse and accomplished background as a visual artist and writer--here's the bio she sent us:

I live in the tiny town of Arroyo Seco, between Taos and the Ski Valley and am a visual artist, writer and teacher. I have worked as a creative writing mentor for 6^th-graders and for SOMOS’ youth mentoring program. For the past four years I have taught in the Taos school district as part of  Artists in the Schools, where I have facilitated mosaic mural projects with something like 320 awesome kindergarteners. 

Before I moved to Taos 7 years ago, I taught Metalsmithing and Art Law and Business in college as well as community art programs.

My essays have appeared in The Horsefly, Howl and SOMOS publications. I am also included in the recently released book, Voices of New Mexico, published by the New Mexico Book Coop in celebration of the State’s centennial. 

I hold both an MFA in Visual Arts and a BFA in Metalsmithing from the California College of the Arts, a Bachelors in Psychology from the University of Delaware and a J.D. from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law.

Bios for Bobby and Lee Byrd of Cinco Puntos Press!

As we recently announced, Bobby and Lee Byrd of Cinco Puntos Press will be available for Publishing Consultations at the conference! Bobby and Lee will hold these appointments separately: Lee specializes in fiction, and Bobby in poetry. See below for their full bios! And check out the website if you're interested in registering for a consultation!

 

Writer and publisher Lee Byrd lives in El Paso. In 1985, with her husband, poet Bobby Byrd, she founded Cinco Puntos Press, a publishing house recognized for bringing the multicultural literatures of the American Southwest and the U.S./Mexico border region to a national audience. Lee has published a collection of short stories, My Sister Disappears (SMU Press), two children’s books, The Treasure on Gold Street and Lover Boy (Cinco Puntos) and a novel Riley’s Fire (Algonquin), named one of the Top Ten Best Books of 2006 by People magazine. In 1997, she was the recipient of the Dobie-Paisano Fellowship. In 2005, she and her husband received Cultural Freedom Fellowships from the Lannan Foundation.

From Bobby Byrd: I am a poet (my most recent book—White Panties, Dead Friends and Other Bits & Pieces of Love) and co-publisher with my wife Lee and son John of the very independent Cinco Puntos Press in El Paso. Publishing, by the way, is something that Lee and I as writers, not wanting to work in academia or in the 9 to 5 world, fell into by chance as a way to make a living. That said, it surprised us and has become an essential ingredient in our intellectual and imaginative lives. I have I co-edited with John Byrd Puro Border: Dispatches, Graffiti and Snapshots from the U.S./Mexico Border. I have co-edited, again with son John, an anthology of Texas crime fiction, Lone Star Noir, for the Akashic Books Noir Series which will be out in 2010. I continue to write of course, both poetry and essays and pieces for my blog @ http://whitepantiesanddeadfriends.blogspot.com/.

More Scholarship Winner Bios! Leo Love Winners Cedar Brant and Emma Rainey

Poetry Winner Cedar Brant:
Cedar Brant’s first book of poems, Like Any Other Dream Will Do was  published in 2010 by FootHills Publishing. Her work has appeared in the Whitefish Review and the anthology Poems Across the Big Sky. She  is co-founder of the poetry troupe Bentgrass, who tour Montana  performing poetry and hosting writing workshops.  In 2008 they received a grant from Humanities Montana to travel to the small  ranching towns of eastern Montana.  They have published two anthologies of poetry Windfall Season (2007) and Night Corn (2010). For the past ten years, she has worked as a botanist and field biologist across the west. She spends her summers living in a trailer in various grasslands, counting and keying out plants, and honing her four-wheeling skills.  She was born in a barn in northwest Montana, and now lives in Missoula.

Prose Winner Emma Rainey:

Emma Rainey earned an M.F.A. from the University of Iowa’s Nonfiction Writing Program in 2009. Currently she teaches writing, yoga, and choreographs. Past undertakings include writing and editing for the Teaching Company, serving as artistic director for several dance companies, working with homeless teens, and volunteering as faculty advisor for ONE. Her essays have appeared in Southeast Review, Drunken Boat, Two Hawks Quarterly, Iowa Review, and in an anthology published by NCTE titled: Reinventing Identities in Second Language Writing. Since organizing the first free writing workshop for veterans in Iowa City, Ms. Rainey has conducted several workshops for military children with parents serving overseas. She has recently incorporated: Writing My Way Back Home—A Writers’ Workshop for Veterans, and is applying for nonprofit status to continue helping U.S. military personnel finding their way back home through writing.

Publishing Consultations Available with Bobby and Lee Byrd of Cinco Puntos Press!

Bobby and Lee Byrd are owners and publishers of Cinco Puntos Press, which publishes books for children and young adults as well as fiction, poetry, nonfiction and graphic novels.  Started in 1985, Cinco Puntos Press (CPP) is a small, very independent publishing company rooted in El Paso, Texas, not three miles north of the U.S. Mexican Border.

Bobby and Lee Byrd are both writers and they started the press in order to carve out more time for their own writing.  As they moved further and further into the publishing life, they discovered that publishing, like writing, is an act of self-discovery. Each book takes them to a new place; each book leads them into unexpected intellectual terrains, places they might never have experienced without the provocation of new books and the business of making and selling them. In recognition of its importance as a voice for the southwest region and its commitment to literature, Cinco Puntos Press has received the American Book Award for excellence in publishing and been inducted into the Latino Literary Hall of Fame. The Press has received five publishing grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, and three similar grants from the Texas Commission for the Arts.  In addition to awarding Southwest Book Awards for many of CPP books over the years, the Border Regional Library Association presented the Press with a special Southwest Book Award in 1993 for outstanding achievement in bringing national recognition to regional literature. CPP has also received two grants from the Fideicomiso para la Cultura de México y Estados Unidos (funded jointly by the Belles Artes and the Rockefeller Foundation).

An accomplished poet, Bobby will consult with participants interested in marketing poetry manuscripts, nearly all of which are published by independent presses such as Cinco Puntos. We encourage writers of fiction, including YA (young adult) and children’s books to schedule a meeting with Lee Byrd, who is herself a gifted short story writer.The Byrds will be at the conference July 10 through 13th.

To learn more about the press, visit the website: www.cincopuntos.com/

Emma Sweeney at Conference July 11-14!

EMMA SWEENEY

Emma Sweeney is a member of the Association of Authors' Representatives and the Women's Media Group, where she served as president in 2003. She graduated from the University of California at Berkeley with a BA in English Literature. Emma is also a writer whose own books include Tulipa (Artisan, 2000) and As Always, Jack (Little, Brown, 2002; Back Bay Books, 2003). Her clients include Janet Burroway, Sara Gruen, Sandra Scofield, and our own Jonis Agee.

The Emma Sweeney Agency is a boutique literary agency specializing in general fiction, women's fiction, historical fiction, and narrative nonfiction projects including biographies, history, business, and eastern religion. The agency works with co-agents in every territory, from the UK and Australia to Germany, Spain, France, Italy, eastern Europe, and Asia, and make dozens of foreign rights sales (as well as audio and first serial sales) for their clients every year.
Please see the web page, www.emmasweeneyagency.com, for a complete list of co-agents and news about upcoming books.

Shuttle Service from Albuquerque to Taos!

Shuttle Service

If you would prefer to have someone else do the driving and want to take a shuttle from the Albuquerque International Sunport to Taos on the same day of your arrival, please plan your airline flight so as to arrive in Albuquerque well before 5 p.m.

Here are some shuttle options:
Twin Hearts - 575-751-1201
The schedule is as follows:
Regularly scheduled departures from the Albuquerque Sunport: 11:30, 1:30, 3:30, and 5:30
Regularly scheduled departures from Taos: 7 a.m. (arrival in ABQ at 9:30), 9 a.m. (arrival @ 11:30),
11 a.m. (arrival @ 1:30), 1:30 p.m. (arrival @ 4)
One way cost is $50.00/roundtrip is $95.00

Twin Hearts are willing to schedule extra shuttles for 3 or more passengers.

Please ask for Robert or Mike to make special arrangements.

When you call, please identify yourself as attending the Conference.


www.taosexpress.com for information about getting from Albuquerque to Taos via Santa Fe using the Railrunner and shuttle service.

Shuttle reservations should be made in advance.

Scholarship Recipients Announced!

2011 Scholarship recipients:

D.H. Lawrence Fellow: Darlin' Neal, Orlando FL
Hispanic Writer Award: Richard Vargas, Albuquerque, NM
Native Writer Award: Monty J. Little, Santa Fe, NM
Taos Resident Award: Linda Michel-Cassidy, Arroyo Seco, NM
Leo Love Merit Scholarship in Poetry: Cedar Brant, Missoula, MT
Leo Love Merit Scholarship in Prose: Emma Rainey, Farifiled, IA

D.H. Lawrence Fellowship

Darlin' Neal
Darlin' Neal is currently an assistant professor in the MFA program at The University of Central Florida and Fiction Editor of the Florida Review; however, she spent her childhood traveling around New Mexico, where she attended 13 different grade schools. She is the author of the short story collections, Rattlesnakes and The Moon (Press 53, March 2010) and the forthcoming, Elegant Punk (Press 53, 2012). Her stories have appeared in The Southern Review, Shenandoah, Puerto del Sol, Smokelong Quarterly, Eleven Eleven, The Rio Grande Review, The Best of The Web Anthology and many other magazines. Her fiction and nonfiction have been nominated numerous times for the Pushcart Prize. In her post at The University of Central Florida, she also serves as faculty advisor to UCF's undergraduate literary arts magazine, The Cypress Dome, and for The Writers in The Sun Reading Series which brings in writers of national caliber each semester.
More Pictures and Bios to be posted soon.

Condo for Rent during the Conference!

2 bedroom condo available for rent during the conference. $125/night plus $100 cleaning fee. Within 2 blocks of Sagebrush, 128 Dona Ana, #208, 87571, by Taos Spa. 950 sq ft, Washer/dryer, full kitchen, Kiva fireplace, covered parking. It's really a patio home. No shared walls and has a yard, with sitting area in back. Private quiet drive. Decorated by featured artist Peggy McGivern, peggymcgivern.com

pstravlo@comcast.net or 303-619-0400

Taos Express: Travel Option from Santa Fe!

 As we've noted on our website, we are not coordinating with a shuttle service this year.

However, we did want to notify you all about Taos Express: a shuttle that coordinates with the New Mexico Rail Runner--a train that runs between Albuquerque and Santa Fe. For those of you taking the Rail Runner, the Express would be a great option.

The schedule for Taos Express can be found here.

And whether or not you take the shuttle, be sure to check out the beautiful Taos postcards featured on their site. We can't stop sending them around!

Another Rideshare Opportunity!

Participant Maya Kapoor has offered some space in her car on the way from Taos to Albuquerque! She'll be leaving on Sunday the 10th and returning on Sunday the 17th.

She'll have room for two, possibly three people in her car.

Email her at mayalkapoor@gmail.com if you're interested!

Thanks, Maya!

Spaces Open in SOMOS Publication Workshop July 9th!

 SOMOS, which stands for Society of the Muse of the Southwest, is a membership organization for both aspired and accomplished writers based in Taos.

On the Saturday before the conference, July 9th, they'll be holding a workshop called "Preparing Your Manuscript for Publication" at the Mabel Dodge Luhan House from 1-4 pm.

Barbara Scott, editor at Final Eyes and owner of Scott Group, a Denver-based type and design house, will lead the workshop.

The fee is $40 per person ($30 for SOMOS members.)

To register call 575-758-0081, or send an email to somos@somostaos.org.

Taos Pueblo Pow Wow, July 8th through 10th!

 As the conference approaches, we imagine that more and more of you are finalizing your travel plans!

One thing you might want to keep in mind--and thanks to Summer Wood for reminding us about this--is that the Taos Pueblo Pow Wow takes place the weekend before the conference starts!

Everyone is welcome at the Pow Wow, and we trust Summer that it's an "amazing experience"! If you've never been to one, this would be a great opportunity.

You can find more info about the event here.

Looking forward to seeing everyone soon!

New Essay By Taos GA Elizabeth Tannen!

 Our very own Elizabeth Tannen, the Graduate Assistant for the Taos Conference, has an essay up today--about her mom reading her blog--on the website "Style Substance Soul."

It's the same site that featured Debra Monroe's piece a few weeks ago--which you must read if you haven't already! Both are part of the site's "Mom" theme in honor of Mother's Day.

Enjoy!

Interested in Sharing a Suite at the Sagebrush?

 

 

As we've announced on our website, the Sagebrush Inn only has suites remaining.  Each of those contains two bedrooms, one with a queen bed and another with a queen murphy bed, and two bathrooms.

 

Participant Ellen Kolton of Cambridge, Mass. is interested in sharing with another female--if you're interested, you can contact her directly at ellenkolton@gmail.com.

 

Thanks, Ellen!

Literary Agent Kit Ward Coming to Taos!

 We've just announced the first of our editors and agents to attend the 2011 Taos Summer Writers' Conference and provide consultations: we're thrilled that Christina (Kit) Ward, the Boston-based literary agent, will be joining us!

Kit represents a diverse list of writers, including our very own Debra Monroe, for her recent memoir, "On the Outskirts of Normal: Forging a Family Against the Grain" Her writers span various types of nonfiction as well as fiction; recently she teamed up with a colleague to form The Ward & Balkin Agency, Inc.

You can find more information about Kit on our website, as well as the registration form to sign up for a consultation during the conference.

And of course, stay tuned! We'll be announcing more editors and agents in the coming weeks.

Debra Monroe: on Women and Beauty, and Mothers and Daughters

Be sure to check out this beautiful personal essay by Taos instructor Debra Monroe. Debra's memoir , On the Outskirts of Normal: Forging a Family Against the Grain came out to wonderful critical acclaim last year.

This piece, published on the website "Style Substance Soul" takes on the subject of the way women are percieved--by men and by the world--changes as they age. It's truly a gourgous essay,  perfect tonic for the upcoming Hallmark holiday!

Congratulations on a terrific piece, Debra--we look forward to seeing her, and all of you, in Taos!



 

Another Rideshare Opportunity!

Participant Pat Shapiro will be driving up to Taos from Santa Fe on Sunday afternoon, July 10th, and is happy to take three people with her in her car!

Please send us an email, at taosconf@unm.edu, if you're interested in driving with Pat and we'll connect you with her!

Thanks, Pat, for the offer. And hope everyone is getting as excited as we are for the conference! Almost two months to go! Registrations are coming in fast and furious--so if you haven't signed up yet, make sure to do so soon!

"Home in the World": Emily Rapp in Santa Fe Reporter

If you haven't had a chance to already, check out Taos instructor and memoirist Emily Rapp's incredibly moving story, recently published on the cover of the Santa Fe Reporter, called "Home in the World."

It's about her young son, Ronan, who was recently diagnosed with Tay Sachs disease, a rare and terminal illness. Emily's writing transforms a story that could be devastatingly sad into one that is truly beautiful, inspiring and hopeful.

Emily's weeklong workshop is called "A Matter of Love: Beginning Memoir"--and there's only one spot left!

BookPage Interview With Summer Wood!

Congratulations again to Summer Wood, who keeps getting more and more great press about her new book, Wrecker!

Check out this video interview, posted on the website BookPage--Summer even managed to get in a plug for the conference towards the end! And note that BookPage currently has Wrecker listed as one of it's top 20 books of the year, so far! Other titles on the list include Tea Obrecht's The Tiger's Wife and Swamplandia by Karen Russell--pretty decent company!

Thanks for the mention, Summer, and congrats again on your continuing success!

Ride Available from Albuquerque to Taos!

First-time attendee Karla Linden, a massage therapist here in Albuquerque, has offered to make her car available for a couple of folks who need rides up to Taos!

Karla will be driving up from Albuquerque on Saturday July 9th and back on Saturday the 16th. She's got an SUV and says she should have room for two people to travel along with her and her Boston Terrier, Lulu!

Send us an email at taosconf@unm.edu if you're interested and we'll pass your info along. Thanks, Karla!

UNM Recognizes Taos Conference for Commitment to Diversity and Social Justice!

 A bit of good news for the conference to share: we recently learned that the University of New Mexico's Office for Equity & Inclusion nominated the Taos Conference for a Presidential Luminaria Award.

That award recognizes individuals and groups on campus for their dedication to diversity and social justice work.

We can think of few things more important to celebrate, and are honored by the nomination!

Update on Transportation to Taos!

It's just come to our (dismayed) attention that Taos Shuttle, the company we had been recommending for those of you who need a ride from Albuquerque to Taos, has closed down.

Apologies for any confusion we've caused! We're currently scouting other options and will post, both here and on the website, as soon as we figure out the best alternative.

In the meantime, anyone who has room in their vehicles from Albuquerque to Taos, or anyone looking for a ride, is more than welcome to email us at taosconf@unm.edu and we'll be happy to help coordinate!

Stay tuned!

Mark Sundeen Travel Piece in New York Times!

Nonfiction writer Mark Sundeen will be teaching two workshops at this year's Taos conference: an intermediate weeklong course called "The New Nonfiction: What Everyone is Reading but MFA Programs Aren't Teaching" and an all levels weekend workshop called "Mapping Memory: Finding Your Story."

Mark recently published a travel piece in the New York Times on trekking in the highlands of Guatemala.

Check it out! It's a great read, and a great means of vicarious adventure! Congrats, Mark!