Thursday, July 22, 2010

July 28th: Get Your Literature On!

You are all cordially invited to hear a public reading of area authors: LeAnne Howe, Philip Morgan, ECU English professor Ken Hada, ECU student Chris Clark et al, will read from their original works. Please join us at the Ada Arts & Heritage Center (14th & Rennie), Wednesday, July 28, 7pm.

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

New Kid on the Block

If you see this guy around campus, please introduce yourself and make him feel welcome.


He is Jim Hunter, the newest member of the English and Languages department.  Welcome aboard!

Fall Creative Writing Festival

Dr. Tribbey has forwarded the following invitation to us from Dr. Nathan Brown of the University of Oklahoma:

" . . .I wanted to let you know about a wonderful workshop opportunity this fall at Georgia O’Keefe’s Ghost Ranch. I’ve wanted to teach here for quite some time, and this year they have accepted my course proposal!

"This is a great opportunity to focus on writing for an entire week in a small group setting among some of the most beautiful, quiet, and inspiring hills you will ever see in Northern New Mexico. Watch a sunset in this place, and you’ll suddenly know what Georgia O’Keefe was painting about all those years." ["Pedernal," at right, was painted in 1941.]

Click
here to see the Ghost Ranch website and get a feel for the program overall, and click here to go directly to the registration page for Dr. Brown's course (which is described in detail below) :

Creative Journaling and Its Role in Learning to Write

October 10 - 16, 2010 Ghost Ranch Abiquiu
Registration fee: $350 + housing & meals
Before August 15: Save $100

This workshop serves as a general introduction for those who do not necessarily have an educational or experiential background in writing, but who do have events, family memories and life-stories that they want to preserve for, and share with, younger generations.

We will focus on: 1. Conversation and its role in sparking ideas for writing and creativity in general; 2. How a daily journaling practice can actually “teach” us to become better writers; 3. How to incorporate photographs, scraps, sketches and other visual elements to enhance our stories; and 4. The nature of “memory” and “storytelling,” and how keeping a daily journal enriches the mind and spirit.


Whether the writings are of a personal -- and of the “now” -- nature, or are intended for the children and grandchildren of future generations, this class demonstrates skills and techniques on how to engage readers as well as how to make memories more “colorful” and “memorable.” This course promotes mindful dialogue and the sharing of ideas, as well as the ways in which current and/or historical events play into making family or personal memories more meaningful to readers.

Nathan Brown is an award-winning author, musician, performer and photographer. He holds a PhD in Creative and Professional Writing from the University of Oklahoma, where he teaches writing. Mostly he travels now, performing readings and concerts as well as speaking and leading workshops in high schools, universities and community organizations on creativity, creative writing and the need for readers to not give up on poetry. He has published six books:
My Sideways Heart, Two Tables Over (winner of the 2009 Oklahoma Book Award for Poetry), Not Exactly Job (finalist for the 2008 Oklahoma Book Award), Ashes Over the Southwest, Suffer the Little Voices (finalist for the 2006 Oklahoma Book Award) and Hobson’s Choice. And his new CD, “Gypsy Moon,” was just released this last spring.

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Adios, Javelinas; Hello, Boll Weevils!


Today's Ada Evening News reports that the sports teams of East Central and two of her Oklahoma sister schools (Southwestern Oklahoma State--the Bulldogs Weatherford and Southeastern--the Savage Storm from Durant) are trading in their Lone Star Conference badges to join an as-yet-unnamed conference with six Arkansas schools, including: the University of Arkansas at Monticello (the Boll Weevils--see image at left), Arkansas Tech (the Wonderboys from Russellville), Harding (the Church of Christ Bisons from Searcy), Henderson State (the Reddies from Arkadelphia), Ouachita Baptist (the Southern Baptist Tigers from Arkadelphia), and Southern Arkansas (the Muleriders from Magnolia). All these Arkansas schools were formerly members of the Gulf South Conference along with teams from Alabama, Tennessee, Mississippi, George and Florida.

We will, then, be leaving behind Abilene Christian (the Wildcats), Angelo State (the Rams), Midwestern State (the Mustangs of Wichita Falls), Tarleton State (the Texans from Stephenville), Texas A&M-Commerce (the Lions), Texas A&M—Kingsville (the Javelinas--formerly the Hoggies), West Texas A&M (the Buffalos from Canyon), Cameron (the Aggies of Lawton, OK), Northeastern (the Riverhawks from Tahlequah, OK), and Central Oklahoma (the Bronchos of Edmond, OK) a bunch that has collectively beaten up the Tigers on the football field in recent years (we were winless last year).

You must say this for East Central's new as-yet-unnamed conference: our mascot names (Boll Weevils, Wonderboys, Reddies, Muleriders, the Savage Storm) are far more interesting than those of most larger football conferences as well as those of the Lone Star (with apologies to the Javelinas and the Riverhawks).


Thursday, July 8, 2010

Hugh Tribbey has a new book out!

Mime Box has been recently published by Chalk Editions at http://chalkeditions.co.cc.  Congrats, Dr. Tribbey!