Hope Is The Thing With Red Curls

Charlotte Kupsh

Hope enters my Zoom conference room sometime after 10:30 at night: red curls and a smile that breaks across a serious face. I’ve been alone in my apartment for four days, I’ve had a glass of wine and three (four?) Negronis, and rules have ceased to be relevant, so I’ve invited a man from an app on a digital first date. Hope is the way he sees I’m drunk but takes me seriously anyway, asking about my parents, how I’m doing, whether I want to take a walk tomorrow. 

A friend brings me lemon-infused simple syrup, fresh mint from her garden, and a purple, fragrant plant. “I’ve been buying plants to cope,” she says. We never meant to end up here, on this wide open plain where wind and weather and viruses rip across in what feels like only minutes. The syrup and the mint are to make gin cocktails. The plant is for me. 

Hope is driving out to 48th street and parking behind Mo Java, a coffeeshop that will close by this time next week. Red hair spirals out the front of a knit cap. A Columbia jacket, a soft, calm voice that talks and asks and prompts for three hours while we walk circles around the dilapidated houses north of Nebraska Wesleyan. Hope is the cautious space we hold between our bodies.

Text messages from loved ones beam through the sunny windows of my studio: “Tell me something happy about today.” “I’m worried about you.” “Call me!” A friend shows up at my door with groceries: eggs, almond milk, sweet potatoes. 

Hope is morning coffee in front of my laptop, red curls exploding across the screen. There are Halloween lights strung up in his background. He has a Cafe du Monde mug and I have Cafe du Monde coffee. I show him my map of Lincoln’s recreational trails, the ones I’ve run on colored in. He answers work emails, his face serious, twisting a mechanical pencil between his fingers. I draw anxious, angry characters and label them: “Day 8 of social distancing.” 

At times, especially at night, hope’s knees begin to buckle. “Can you talk? I need someone.” “I think I have a fever.” My mattress is wearing out from the way I roll across it over and over. “I feel alone.” We all cling tightly to its arms; we hoist hope up.  

Hope is setting up our camp chairs in the grass outside my apartment building, measured six feet apart by tape measure. We wrap up in fleece blankets and drink beer, the LED camping lamp my dad made me take “for emergencies” illuminating a red beard. It’s harder to hear his soft voice from this distance; I make myself quieter, stiller. We talk about breweries, bar hopping, and other things we might do one day, maybe. We listen to the birds and point out the bats, their rapidly flapping wings making jittery, uncertain trails across the sky.

Charlotte Kupsh is a teacher, writer, and doctoral student. Originally from the Driftless region of southwest Wisconsin, she now lives in Lincoln, Nebraska. Her work has appeared in Writing on the Edge, The Madison Review, Pleiades Book Review, and elsewhere. You can find her on Twitter @CharlotteKupsh.

Hope Is The Thing We Can’t Quarantine

B.J. Hollars

What if the vaccine was as simple as

freshly baked bread?

Or the cool side of the pillow? 

Or true moss on a rain-slicked rock?

What if the cure was discovered

not in the labs or the trials

but in the broken spine of your grandfather’s

favorite book?

When was the last time you felt a spider

web blossom across your body?

Or drank deep from the well water

Sprung forth from the rusty pump?

I am in search of familiar terrain

in the places I’ve forgotten:

in the frothy cream of coffee cups

and garden gloves worn away at their webbing.

Small comforts add up

if you let them.  So why hinder

something as elemental

as a sidewalk after a storm?  

If chemistry class taught me anything

it had something to do with covalence.

Those bashful electrons bumbling, hat-in-hand,

ever hopeful they possessed something worth sharing.

Not for their own sake, but for

the sake of one another.

Giving and receiving their blessings

as naturally as birdsong.

Look, I am as much scientist as mathematician,

so don’t trust me when I claim to

know the calculus of contagion.

Still.  I will show you my work

in the tree bark from the river birch

on the far side of the house

near the firewood where potato

bugs prepare for peace.

I won’t sugar-coat it:

Every day is its own devastation.

Yet somehow, the dog

still pulls at her leash.

B.J. Hollars is a writer, teacher, husband, father, and and dog walker.

"Hope Is The Thing": A Community-Wide Collaborative Writing Project

The Chippewa Valley Writers Guild has always been committed to connecting writers, however we can.  In this time of social distancing, we hope to do so virtually. 

To that end, today we’re pleased to announce a new community-wide collaborative writing project:

“Hope Is The Thing.” 

This project is open to all Chippewa Valley Writers Guild members and their friends.  Our goal is to provide a platform for writers to share what brings them hope in this time of crisis. 

Though our web presence generally focuses on interviews, writing advice, and event information, for the next month we hope to regularly publish creative work on this topic written by regional writers.  

May our art be the gift that helps us heal.

See below for all details related to word count, title, and how to send your submission.

Given the collaborative nature of this project, we will not consider submissions that do not conform to these guidelines.

Submission Guidelines:

• Please send 500 words or less of original work (poem, essay, story, experience) to chippewavalleywritersguild@gmail.com as an attachment or GoogleDoc link.

• The subject line should read: “Hope Is The Thing Submission.”

• The topic: What gives you hope in this time of crisis?

• Your title must conform to the following model (borrowed from Emily Dickinson): Hope Is The Thing [Insert Your Subject Here].

  • Examples: Hope Is The Thing That Blossoms, Hope Is The Thing That Moves Us, Hope Is The Thing We Do Together, Hope Is The Thing We Read.

• Ideally, your piece would then explore/examine/celebrate/etc. that “thing” which you have selected.

• Finally, include a brief bio (100 words or less) at the bottom of your submission.

• By submitting your piece, you are acknowledging that the work is your own and does not infringed upon the rights or work of others.

• SUBMISSION DEADLINE: MAY 6, 2020

Thank you for giving your gift. Let’s see what we’re capable of creating!

Looking Past The Noise: Poetry As An “Act of Attention” with Kimberly Blaeser

credit: Justin Patchin Photography

by Angela Hugunin

 We live in a noisy world. Threats of illness and uncertainty loom ahead, especially in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak. Distractions threaten to pull us away from what matters most, and what happens outside threatens to drown out what we experience beneath the surface. As writers, we’re sometimes left wondering how to make sense of all the chaos around us.

Kimberly Blaeser is aware of these distractions, yet as a poet, she regularly probes what lies beyond in search of what is deeper and more true. She has a breadth of experience in this realm; she has published four books of poetry: Trailing You, which won the first book award from the Native Writers’ Circle of the Americas, Absentee Indians and Other Poems, Apprenticed to Justice, and most recently, Copper Yearning. In addition to her writing, Kimberly is a professor at the University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee. She served as Wisconsin Poet Laureate from 2015-2016. Of Anishinaabe ancestry, Kimberly is an enrolled member of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe. She grew up on the White Earth Reservation in northwestern Minnesota and worked as a journalist before earning her M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Notre Dame.  

 I had the honor of speaking with Kimberly, this year’s poet-in-residence for The Priory Writers’ Retreat, which will take place from June 25-28.  Applications are now open for Kimberly’s workshop, “Poetry of Spirit and Witness.”

 Angela Hugunin: You recently released a moving book of poems, Copper Yearning. I’ve taken a long time to finish just because I’ve wanted to savor each and every poem! In the book, you explore individual and collective memory, as well as the experiences that linger with us. What is our responsibility as witnesses and writers?

 Kimberly Blaeser: In a world filled with surface, with distractions, we must learn to look past all that “noise.” I understand poetry as an “act of attention.” We cannot embody our world in writing, unless we first see clearly—witness fully. I believe part of that “seeing” involves recognizing the intricate relationships at work in the world, replacing the static picture postcards—the surface—with a deeper vision.  

 On a practical level, as writers we touch the tangible with our language—the jagged edges of broken glass, broken lives; spring kilting into blossom; whispered night litanies just now as coronavirus raises fears. To make experience intelligible, we first pull our readers into it imaginatively. Our responsibility cannot be mere reporting or analysis. Some readers may believe us, but they won’t truly understand our subject unless we allow them to “experience experience.” We must pass them sticky, bruised, solemn, turquoise reality—the truth braided into complexity.

AH: One of my favorite elements of Copper Yearning is the way you illustrate beautiful yet sometimes broken connections between people and place, humans and animals, and history and future. These subjects aren’t always easy to make tangible. How do you ground some of these profound subjects in your writing?

KB: I coax myself to allow the subjects their messiness. The relationships between humans and animals, for example, involves the alpha longings and complexities of interspecies belonging. Humans are animals.  They have survived partly because of their animal instincts. Yet, humans fear their own “animal nature”—and they fear losing it. We tell ourselves origin myths that link us with nonhuman creatures, write popular fictions about beings half human/half wolf, and value our “kinship” with wild creatures. Yet we have hunted species to their extinction.  These statements barely begin to trace the complexity of the human/animal relationship. If we remember no relationship has a simple through line, our tracing of the interconnections can then invoke both the beautiful and the broken in the same piece. This intermingling will inch toward a truth our readers may find more memorable than an easy, straightforward representation. 

AH: I had the pleasure of hearing you speak and share some of your work at a Chippewa Valley Writers Guild event last fall. Hearing words you’ve written from you in the flesh brought them to life for me and left me covered in goosebumps. For the Priory Writers’ Retreat, participants have the benefit of being there in person. What can in-person connection bring to writing?

KB: In a random conversation with someone I met last week, we discovered we had both been present at Woodland Pattern book center for a particular spell-binding performance by a Japanese poet. When my son was in utero, he began “dancing” at a Joy Harjo performance.  Poetry is by its nature musical; nothing can replace hearing it performed aloud. Priory writers will have the chance to experience both the song of poetry and dramatic prose performances.

But creating in a community setting has other advantages as well.  You have the time already set aside for writing intensively (living and sleeping with your writing, writing and revising and not cooking!) You will have the pleasure of exchanges with other people who value the power and beauty of language, who understand your preoccupations with image, the “right” word, allusion, even punctuation. Writers benefit from workshops on particular aspects of writing, and from discussions about individual works—your own and others. Instructors or other workshop members may model for you some aspect of the craft, inspire you to return to your own work with more vigor, or pull the veil back on some of the “business” aspects of writing and publishing.

AH: Your workshop for this retreat is titled “Poetry of Spirit and Witness.” For you, how are spirit and witness connected?

KB: Witness, the way I think of it, is both to see and to speak or “bear witness.”  The word "spirit" likewise brings together various ideas—everything from the soul to a notion of vigor. For me, the two terms come together in a kind of poetry that speaks truth,  that hearkens after understanding or enlightenment. Carolyn Forché talks about “poetry of witness” as a poetry “invested in the social.” Perhaps in my own practice the lens through which I refract experience involves justice.  The process includes vision and the Latin spiritus as in breath to speak.  But I also bring to it the sense of [being] inspired or soul and, therefore, a stance of an ethical and searching accounting.

 That sounds very hoity-toity.  On the most simple level, for me poetry of spirit and witness arise out of experiences that resonate and “mean” in a way beyond the ordinary moments. Oddly, that does not suggest they might not actually arise out of ordinary moments—an encounter with a pine marten, hearing a fiddle song, etc.. These poems might take as subject anything from war to lighting a cigarette, but what sets them apart is the significance embedded in the experience and the revealing of that deep understanding through the narrative details, language play, metaphors, and other tools of the poem.

AH: We’re approaching the application deadline for this retreat, and energy is already building! What are you most excited to share at the coming retreat? What are you hoping to see?

KB: Sometimes we need to be led to break open our own experiences. I use various exercises that help writers recognize and unearth the richness of their life encounters. I like to spend the time in a writing retreat to allow participants to create drafts of new work there on the spot, but also in helping them create a “bank” from which they can draw once they leave the workshop. I also try in various ways to harness the energy of working with other writers by creating scenarios that encourage cross-pollination.

Among the things I hope for: Writers getting nitty-gritty feedback AND getting wilder “what-if” feedback that might push their work out of their comfort zone. Writers making connections that will continue beyond the retreat itself. 

AH: I know many of us readers are always eager to gather more books to read in the future (or right now!). We’re down to a few months before the retreat, so now is a perfect time for some of us to keep stretching ourselves in reading and writing. What have you enjoyed reading lately?

KB: I recently finished Carolyn Forché’s memoir What You Have Heard Is True, an amazingly powerful story of her experience in El Salvador, a book both lyrical and brutal. I followed that with the novel The Tilted World co-written by Tom Franklin and Beth Ann Fennelly. Against the backdrop of the great Mississippi flood of 1927 and prohibition, the novel tells a story of relationships that kept me reading way past my bedtime!  Now I am embarking on reading Natalie Diaz’s Postcolonial Love Poem—can’t go wrong there.

“Unlawful Assembly,” a picto-poem from Kim

AH: What makes this retreat a must-attend for writers, even those who aren’t sure they’re “qualified” to write poetry? What would you say to writers who are on the fence about applying?

KB: I would say, “Be fearless, come write with me!” Or I would say there are as many ways of writing poetry as there are poets. We, none of us, ever feel “arrived” as poets.  I do think we learn to have more fun as we go along, so there is no better time to jump into the fun than right now. If you have a moment or several that are asking to be written about, if you have witnessed something that changed you,  if you can’t find a way to say that unsayable thing that haunts you, this might be the workshop for you.

Join Kimberly Blaeser, Nickolas Butler, Tessa Fontaine, and Peter Geye at this year’s Priory Writers’ Retreat, from June 25-28 in Eau Claire. Click here for more information about the workshops and here to apply. We look forward to writing with you this summer!

Want a few more resources? Click here to hear Kim read, here for a new poem in collaboration wth the New York Philharmonic,



Looking To Art And Community For Hope: A Conversation With Poet Angela Voras-Hills

by Angela Hugunin

For Angela Voras-Hills, community—whether in person or through books—is essential. An accomplished poet and wearer of multiple hats, Voras-Hills finds community to be valuable to the artistic process and life itself. Currently, she is organizing the Midwest Poetry Festival. This year, she released her debut poetry collection, Louder Birds , which was chosen by Traci Brimhall for the Lena-Miles Wever Todd Prize. Her poems have appeared or are forthcoming in Kenyon Review Online, New Ohio Review,  Memorious, Rattle, Crab Orchard Review, and Best New Poets, among other journals and anthologies. She has been awarded grants from The Sustainable Arts Foundation and Key West Literary Seminar, as well as a fellowship from Writers' Room of Boston.

I recently had the pleasure of sharing an Angela-Angela chat with Voras-Hills. She shared insight into her inspirations, her outlook on the current state of the environment, the planet’s relevance to creativity, and the wonders of community. Voras-Hills was originally scheduled to be at an event celebrating National Poetry Month and Earth Day in April along with poets Kathryn Nuernberger and Claire Wahmanholm. However, the event has since been canceled in an effort to limit the potential spread of COVID-19. Nevertheless, Voras-Hills is an important voice for these times. Her work is honest and thought-provoking, and her responses to the following questions brought me hope in the midst of uncertain times. Through her wise responses, Voras-Hills offers meaningful encouragement, sharing insight and reading suggestions perfect for social distancing.

Angela Hugunin: You have multiple important roles, including poet, community organizer, and mother. What connections have you found between art and ecology? With that, what role do you see poets playing in sustainability?

Angela Voras-Hills: Poets have always looked to nature for answers. I mean, people have always looked to nature for answers (I’m thinking augury, astrology, bestiaries, etc.) and to understand life. Artists spend a lot of time observing the world, so it makes sense that we try to make sense of it while it shifts around us. Whether blatantly or not, I think most artists are ecologists to some extent.

As poets, I think we keep conversations about sustainability and the natural world moving forward. We call attention to the way things are changing, we create and depict potential futures based on the present, and we reimagine the past for guidance. While some people are reluctant to hear scientific data about how the natural world is changing, reading a book or poem in which the reader identifies themselves in this changing world can potentially help them understand their role and what is at stake. The more artists can connect with people, the more willing (I hope) people will be to see themselves as part of the world around them.

AH: As we approach National Poetry Month, I’d love to hear about which poets have most inspired you!

 AVH: My first loves were Wislawa Szymborska, Louise Gluck, Brigit Pegeen Kelly, and Linda Gregg. And then Jane Hirshfield, Laura Kasischke, Ada Limon. I mean, this list could go on for so long (and it would consist primarily of female poets), but these are the poets I turn to when I forget why poetry matters and how good it can be.

AH: Earth Day always brings a renewed energy to the environmental movement, yet lately, it feels like a lot of the news we’ve gotten about the planet has been discouraging. Last month, the Clean Water Act was weakened, stripping previously protected waterways of that protection. In the midst of this sort of news, where do you turn for hope?

AVH: Ugh. Hope can be so hard. Honestly, because I have kids, and because I had them in the face of this knowledge, I have to hold onto the silliest things. In my poem “Never Eat a Polar Bear’s Liver,” I say “I find hope in tending/red worms digesting scraps in a bin/beneath my sink.” It’s crazy, the little things I will do for hope. Composting. Recycling. Until there is big change, I’m not sure how much any of these small things really matter, but it is something I can do, and that’s better than doing nothing? And, to be real, the work of poets and writers and artists—knowing that I’m not alone in my hopefulness—that helps tremendously. 

AH: A lot of times, poetry is thought of as a solitary pursuit, yet I see you’re also a passionate community organizer and the founder of Arts + Literature Laboratory in Madison (which sounds like it could be an awesome cousin of the Chippewa Valley Writers Guild!). How have you seen creativity and community work in tandem, either through that organization or elsewhere?

AVH: YES! Community is my favorite! Before I found community, I was an avid journaler, an angsty, solitary scrawler of nonsense, and also a teenage mom. Being alone for so long is hard, and it’s nice to know there are other people out there thinking things you are thinking and doing things you want to do. And organizations that bring literature into the community/invite the community into literature make people see that writing and thinking and art are for everyone. Having a space where we can all exchange ideas and collaborate, where we are learning and creating together, really changes the shape of and conversation throughout a community. These are spaces that connect people who may not otherwise ever meet each other, and isn’t that so great? I’m looking forward to getting to know more of the people involved with the Chippewa Valley Writers Guild. Hooray, community!

 (That said, I think you can find community in books if that is who you are. But if you are not the kind of person who wants to Emily Dickinson their way through life, it’s so good to know other writers and readers.)

AH: You have a new poetry book out and I am intrigued just from the title, Louder Birds. Critics are already praising your ability to weave together Midwestern character with some of life’s biggest questions. Can you tell us a bit about what these poems collectively explore?

AVH: It’s funny, because a lot of people ask, “What is your book about?” and I never really have a great answer—it is decidedly not a “project book.” The book is definitely Midwestern. I was thinking a lot about home and what it means to be home (I started it while living in Boston), to come from a place. There is a lot of snow. There is a lot of blood. I spent so much of my childhood on my grandparents' farm and at my other grandparents' bar/resort, and this feeds a lot of the poems. During the time I was writing, my grandmother had Alzheimer’s, my Mom was diagnosed with breast cancer, my 8-year-old became a teenager, I had a baby. There is a lot of life existing alongside death. I'm into taxidermy. I'm terrified by climate change. A friend once said my poems are "the domestic gone feral," which I like. The collection is bleak, but I think hopeful, and maybe an argument for living, for seeing this mess through.

AH: Can you give us a sneak peek of what you hoped to share at the event?

 AVH: Sure! This was originally published in the Spring 2017 issue of Arkansas International.

Controlled Burn

The doe ran into the road, flipped

over our hood and dragged her back legs

across the highway into woods. The same day,

they were killing a man in Oklahoma

who wouldn’t die, they were deciding

when to try again, and men in masks

and bright orange suits set fire to the marsh—

the burning flesh of milkweed and switchgrass.

We are told to be fruitful. We are told

to rejoice. The next day, a hospital bed

is set up in the front room of the farmhouse

whose roof might collapse at any minute. As though

the heavens are aware of the weight

of a minute, as though each minute

responds solely to the sky. It’s illegal

to follow an injured deer

into woods with a gun,

but is it ok to tell a child about heaven

if you don’t believe it exists? Yes,

sing the chorus frogs,

who’d burrowed into the heart

of the marsh to escape the flames.

No, hisses the body

of a vole squashed flat,

perfectly filling

a crack in the blacktop.

AH: What are some words of wisdom you’d give to the aspiring poets out there?

AVH: I’ll yell again about community here, because finding people to support you feels so good. And read, read, read, read, read. Anything that speaks to you.

“Giving Away How An Act…Is Done Doesn't Make It Lose Any Of The Magic”: 5 Questions with Tessa Fontaine

Rome Alfonsas Balciunas

Some say that life is stranger than fiction.  It’s a claim that’s hard to dispute when one reads Tessa Fontaine’s debut memoir The Electric Woman, which recounts Tessa’s experiences performing in the last traveling show in America while simultaneously processing her mother’s declining health. Hailed as an “assured debut that doesn’t shy away from the task of holding the ordinary and otherworldly in its hand,” (New York Times Book Review),  “fascinating and heartfelt” (Booklist), and “ a behind-the-scenes peek at carnival life, and an ode to unconditional love" (Omnivoracious), indeed, the book has made quite a splash since its publication in 2018.  It’s gripping, poignant, and vivid in a way that fully embodies the undeniable beauty of nonfiction.

I had the honor of interviewing Tessa, who will serve as this summer’s nonfiction writer-in-residence at The Priory Writers’ Retreat. Apply now for Tessa’s workshop: “Beauty In Brevity: Finding Power In Flash Creative Nonfiction And Memoir.”

Rome Alfonsas Balciunas: Regarding the experiences in The Electric Woman, at what point did you realize you had to write about that time in your life?

Tessa Fontaine: As a person with a brain wired for writing, every experience has the potential to end up in a piece of writing, whether directly or indirectly. It was clear to me pretty early on that the stories of all the other sideshow performers were amazing, stories I wanted to record. I took copious notes while I was on the road, hundreds and hundreds of pages, but I had no idea what form it would take. I wrote short "Notes from the Road" essays while I was out there, and published them as I went. And then, when it was over and I had all these notes, I started sifting through them, trying to find some organizational principle. The more I reread all the moments, all the stories of the sideshow world, the more convinced I was I needed to try to write it out as a book.

RB: One of my favorite things about the book is how your descriptive language is vivid to the point of being visceral, and indeed hair-raising in some places. Reading your accounts of the different carnival acts made me feel like a member of the audience, witnessing the show with every one of my senses. How did you achieve such a hyper-realist style? Did any writers influence this style?

TF: Thank you! I worked very hard on describing the acts as thoroughly as possible. Giving away how an act, like sword swallowing, is done doesn't make it lose any of the magic—I think understanding that a real person is really putting a sword down their throat makes it all the more magical. Lots of writers influenced my writing - a few people I read over and over again while working on the book were Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried, Lidia Yuknavitch's The Chronology of Water, Jesmyn Ward's Salvage the Bones, and poems by Li-Young Lee. All those writers are able to describe a world that I feel, as a reader, I get to fully inhabit.

RB: Your memoir does an incredible job of juxtaposing the difficulties of your mother's health and eventual passing alongside your experiences in the last traveling sideshow in America. When did you see these two strands of your story fitting together? Why did you choose to join the last traveling sideshow, as opposed to any other adventure?

TF: When I was first culling my notes, I thought I'd write a narrative nonfiction account of my time in the sideshow without my mother's story in it. Never in a million years did I expect to write a memoir. But as I was working on the draft, something kept falling flat—like, I wasn't being honest about what I was doing out there, or why. So it eventually became clear to me that I had to tell the whole story. As for why the sideshow—when I went down to Florida to interview the performers and watch the show, before I had any inkling that I'd join myself, I was amazed by these people who could stand on stage and perform away their fear, like their bodies were indestructible. And because I'd been watching my mom's body suffer so much, the sideshow performers seemed almost like they were outside suffering, or perhaps choosing how to suffer, to control their own pain. I wanted to do that myself.

“...when I went down to Florida to interview the performers and watch the show, before I had any inkling that I’d join myself, I was amazed by these people who could stand on stage and perform away their fear, like their bodies were indestructible.”

RB: What are you working on now?

TF: A novel!

RB: Your presentation at The Priory Retreat this summer will be about the beauty of extremely short creative nonfiction. What about flash nonfiction speaks to you in a way that longer styles of writing don’t?

TF: I think flash nonfiction offers us insight into being human through micro-experience - a moment, an object, a morsel. It allows for a super zoomed lens on something that then speaks for something else, much larger, almost the way a haiku can point to something so specific while also raising bigger philosophical questions. Also, it can be a delight for the eye. I love encountering white space on the page - literally, gaps between the text that force the reader to make some narrative connections herself. It allows for the great pleasure of juxtaposition and accumulation of imagery. I'm really looking forward to exploring this form with writers at The Priory Writers’ Retreat this summer!

For more on  Tessa’s course at The Priory, click here.



A Sneak Peek At “The Story of Your Life”; 6 Questions With B.J. Hollars On His Upcoming Event

Angela Hugunin

The past holds power. It pulls us toward reflection, helps us connect with others, and, somehow, also propels us forward. Yet it’s an elusive beast, one that can be difficult to catch while going it solo. How can we do it justice in our writing?

An upcoming event provides the perfect opportunity to refine our story-gathering skills. On March 10th, B.J. Hollars will give a craft talk titled, “The Story of Your Life: Writing Your Forgotten Past” from 6-7 p.m. at the L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library. The event is part of the Eau Claire County Reads series. Isa Small, programming and communication manager for the L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library, shared her excitement for B.J.’s event, connecting it to the protagonist’s journey in A Man Called Ove, this year’s selected title.  “It really is in sharing his past that Ove finds his future,” Isa said of the book. 

But in order to share our past in an engaging way, we could all use a guide. A seasoned storyteller in his own right, B.J. Hollars is the ideal leader for this sort of expedition. He’s the author of numerous books, including  Midwestern Strange: Hunting Monsters, Martians and the Weird in Flyover Country, The Road South: Personal Stories of the Freedom Riders,  Flock Together: A Love Affair With Extinct Birds, and From the Mouths of Dogs: What Our Pets Teach Us About Life, Death, and Being Human. In addition, he is an English professor at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, and the founder and executive director of the Chippewa Valley Writers Guild. He has made story an integral part of his life and loves exploring it with others.

I recently had the pleasure of chatting with B.J. about the upcoming event. He shared insight about the value of writing about one’s past and how that can spark important connections with others.

Angela Hugunin: In some of your recent writing, including a piece for the Washington Post  (congrats, by the way!), you noted that you want to share unforgettable experiences with your children while you can. In Midwestern Strange, you set out to explore legends shared by communities, some of which have a long history. How has writing helped you rediscover important parts of your own past that you might otherwise have forgotten? 

B.J. Hollars: Writing, for me, is a time machine that travels both ways.  Some days I’m digging deep into my forgotten past, other days I’m dreaming up a future I can barely imagine.  No matter which way I’m traveling, I’m always trying to create an experience that will be meaningful to others.  The best way to make that happen, I think, is to continually strive to connect with the human heart.  Sure, you always run the risk of sentimentality, but when you get it just right, you can open up doors that allow readers to explore their own pasts and futures. 

Of course, the past gives us the most material.  As Flannery O’Connor famously said, “Anybody who has survived his childhood has enough information about life to last him the rest of his days.”  There’s a lot of truth there.  The hard part is separating the sepia-toned version of a past event from the authentic version.  That’s where the hard work happens.  That’s where I grapple the most.  

AH: Some memories are fuzzy, faraway and tough to pinpoint. What tricks do you have for conjuring up the past?

BH: Throughout the craft talk, we’ll work through half a dozen writing exercises specifically geared toward conjuring past events.  The fun part about writing exercises is that you’re never quite sure which exercise will trigger which memory.  Some exercises seem geared toward recalling the tough times, others more toward light-hearted moments.  But often, things become messy in the memory.  I’m always astonished when a seemingly simple exercise helps me dredge up a forgotten memory.

One of my favorite exercises involves drawing a blueprint of one’s childhood home.  Then, I ask writers to label the rooms, and attach a memory or two to each space.  It’s amazing what you can remember about your childhood home’s laundry room, for instance, when you really stop to consider it.

AH: I’ve heard that smell and sound are strongly linked to memory. What’s a specific scent or song that sparks a special memory for you?

BH: I have so many!  Somewhere in my bathroom I still have some half-filled cologne bottle from high school.  When I really want to take a stroll down memory lane, I’ll start there...

As for songs, I have different ones for various eras or moments.  For instance, my reflective teenage days were once embodied by Dave Matthews Band’s “Crash into Me” (quit laughing, I’m being honest here!  Ha).  A recent trip to an island off the coast of Ireland is captured by Bon Iver’s “Jelmore.”  Sometimes I’ll create full playlists when working on a manuscript in an effort to get my brain in the time and place it needs to be to write the piece. 

AH: I’ve been lucky to gain awesome writing tips from you in classes at UW-Eau Claire. For this event, you’ll be bringing your teaching off campus, likely with folks of a different age group. What do you most enjoy about teaching in a setting like the L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library, where more community members are present?

BH: Well that’s awful kind, and here’s the 20.00 I owe you for saying so…JK.  More seriously, one of my favorite things about teaching in community settings such as the L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library is the opportunity to connect with all sorts of folks with all sorts of backgrounds and experiences, all of whom share a common interest in the written word.  Of course, such a community can be found in a college classroom, too, but the community courses tend to lend themselves to more intergenerational teaching, which I also love.  The more different we are, the richer the stories.  For instance, once, while a young student asked for help on an essay on the 1940 Chicago Cubs, a non-traditional piped in, “I went to all the games that season!”  The observation lit up the room.  I realized I’d probably never hear such a comment in a workshop again.  Ever since that moment, I’ve been doubly committed to creating experiences for community writers.  We’re all better when we can share our knowledge.

AH: Sometimes I hesitate to write about my life because I’m afraid it’s not exciting enough. What advice would you give to those who aren’t sure their stories matter?

BH: If you’re concerned about potentially “navel gazing,” so to speak, then there’s a good chance you’ll avoid it.  Often, the problem is when people don’t have any clue that their stories don’t resonate with others.  A mentor once told me that the most important lesson we can teach our students is that their stories matter, and that “they all flow into the same river.”  That last bit sort of puzzled me for awhile, but I think I know what he meant.  And I know he’s right, too. 

The writer Brian Doyle has an apropos quote which I think about often.  I’m paraphrasing, but the gist is “Writing is not about you, it’s about us.”  This is the thought I always carry with me.   It’s the safeguard that steers from away from the navel gazing.

AH: In your opinion, what’s the value of exploring one’s past?

BH: Self-reflection is how we get better.  It’s how I’ve become a better teacher, a better writer, a better husband, a better father, and a better human.  Of course, I still have a long way to go on all of these fronts.  In the same way athletes watch game tape, writers return to their pasts.  I don’t think we’re necessarily trying to analyze our errors as much as keeping an eye out for meaningful moments that, when skillfully rendered, might make meaning for others, too.   I guess that’s the trick of this, and something I look forward to chatting about during the craft talk: How do we take a personal moment and make it meaningful art for others?

Join B.J. Hollars at the L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library on Tuesday, March 10th from 6-7 pm for an evening of discovery, writing, and peering into the past!

What To Know "Before and After The Book Deal": An Interview with Courtney Maum

 by Elizabeth de Cleyre

One of my MFA professors once brought in a freshly-printed book deal and said, “One day, if you’re lucky, you might have one of these.” Aside from one hour in the presence of a contract, the two-year curriculum did not include a comprehensive guide to the ins-and-outs of publishing. Most graduate programs focus on the writing itself, not what happens after its written. And yet this naive graduate student had once hoped a book deal would be handed out with diplomas.

 Most writers cobble together an understanding of publishing and promotion through articles and books, lacking cohesion and leaving holes in one’s understanding. The often mystifying process feels that much more bewildering when discussed in bits and pieces. There are the known unknowns—that which we know we don’t know, like how advances actually work and how much to expect—and then there are unknown unknowns—all that we don’t even know we don’t know.

 Thankfully, Courtney Maum breaks down the mystifying process of publishing in promotion in her latest book, Before and After the Book Deal: A Writer's Guide to Finishing, Publishing, Promoting, and Surviving Your First Book. The comprehensive guide is equal parts entertaining and enlightening, informed by her own career as a novelist and extensive research and interviews with agents, editors, writers and authors.

 In November, Maum delivered the endnote address at The Loft’s Wordsmith Conference in Minneapolis, where she pointed out the precariousness of publishing and offered practical advice for redefining success.

 I ran into Maum at the elevator, and quickly blurted out how much I adored her chapbook Notes from Mexico, a slim book that stayed with me long after its publication in 2012. Her funny and heartfelt debut I Am Having So Much Fun Here Without You garnered praise from seemingly everyone, including Vogue, Vanity Fair, Elle, O Magazine The New York Times Book Review, Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal. In Maum’s second novel Touch, a trend forecaster for a tech company envisions people moving away from smart devices and back toward “in-personism;” I count the remarkably prescient and palpable book among my favorite novels. Her latest was published by Tin House in July of 2019, which Margaret Leonard of Dotters Books called, “a wonderful coming-of-age story, the heat of Costalegre makes it the perfect summer read.”

 Now in the depths of winter, Maum generously answered questions via email about her first work nonfiction, the importance of writing residencies and workshops, dispensing sage advice in her free newsletter, and running a collaborative retreat in Connecticut. 

Elizabeth de Cleyre: What inspired you to write Before and After the Book Deal: A Writer's Guide to Finishing, Publishing, Promoting, and Surviving Your First Book? 

 Courtney Maum: In America, there are tons of books that purport to teach you how to write well enough to get a book deal, and there are lots of classes and conferences you can attend for the same purpose. But when you actually achieve your dream and get that book deal? Good luck finding any advice! I wanted to write this book because it doesn’t exist and I felt it really needed to. What does life look and feel like as a published author? How do you navigate the very weird transition between being your book’s writer and then becoming its author (and its ambassador and social media manager and PR manager and…)

EDC: The experience of publishing and promoting a book about publishing and promoting a book seems so meta. Has the publishing and promotional experience been any different from your last four books? Was there anything you learned in the writing of this book that helped you with the publishing and promotion process? 

 CM: Meta indeed! This was a different kind of publishing experience, for sure. It’s my first book of non-fiction, and it’s also the first book of mine that has content that I can easily teach, so touring for this book has been an entirely different ball game. I’m working with students, teaching at writing centers, lecturing. There’s something of a built-in audience for Before and After the Book Deal, so I know when I do events that people will actually show up, whereas with novels, you never know what to expect. If you get five people, you’re super lucky.

 This year, I published two books: Before and After the Book Deal and Costalegre. I’ll never do it again, it’s honestly too much work having books six months apart, but one of the positives is that I haven’t had the free time to worry  about how either book is doing. I just do what I need to do and move on. There quite literally isn’t time to sweat the small stuff—that has been a positive for me, because you don’t get far in publishing when you are obsessed with control—so many factors are out of your hands, sometimes it’s just healthier to let go, trust your team, and see what happens.

EDC: In the section entitled "When the show goes on the road" you mention how audience members (usually men) will ask touring authors advice on how to get their own books, and you suggest directing them to the "'writing reference” section in the bookshop where they can find this book." How many times has this happened to you? Has it happened to you on this tour? 

 CM: Incredibly, this is probably the ONE tour where I haven’t had “that guy” ask this question. It’s amazing, right? Before, it didn’t matter which novel I was touring for, I always had someone who would be like, okay, I don’t really care what you’re saying, the real question is how can you help me? I guess having non-fiction out posits you as an expert in your subject. The questions during my Q&As (and they are actual questions! Not comments cloaked as questions) have been serious, thoughtful, savvy. The audience members, too.

 EDC: You recently mentioned that early feedback on the book idea was to self-publish. Why? Did you consider it? Why did you want to work with a traditional publisher? 

 CM: I didn’t consider it for an instant. I self-published a collection of short stories in my late twenties and it was a very positive experience that I considered a stepping stone to traditional publication. I don’t think that certain gatekeepers understood the shape this book was going to take when they were imagining it as a published object. They thought it was going to be an exposé about the industry or a memoir—my “publishing memoir.” (You can’t see me, but I’m laughing.) It wasn’t until I got the entire thing under their noses where they were like, oh, wow. Now we get it. This is actually a really empowering book.

 EDC: How long did it take you to find a publisher, and how did the connection with Catapult come about? 

 CM: It didn’t take long at all. Our submission list was really small and Catapult responded right away— Julie Buntin, my editor for this book, saw the value in the project immediately because she herself is both an editor and a writer. This being said, when it was on submission, it was only “After the Book Deal.” Catapult rightly argued that the book would find a wider audience if I added a “Before” section to it so that we could offer people a really comprehensive resource. I think that was a smart call.

 EDC: Before and After the Book Deal is easily the most comprehensive and compelling book on the publishing industry that I've read, one that should be required reading for all writers. You mentioned interviewing nearly 200 individuals for the book. How did you condense all that research? What was the process like? How did you decide how to structure it? 

 CM: Thank you! Gosh, it was such a great process. Usually the writing of a book is so lonely—not so with this book. From the get-go, I was in touch with authors and publishing professionals WAY above my station. So many people were so generous, giving me their time and sharing their knowledge before I even had a book deal for the project.

 I wrote the table of contents first. Then I did a beat sheet, basically, sketching out what my intro to each section would be about and putting placeholders for either the exact contributor I wanted or what kind of quote I wanted, then I’d find the right person to offer tonality of quote. I pulled from my own contacts maybe 40% of the time, and for the rest of the book, I asked people to recommend people—I wanted to make sure that I was talking beyond my circle of colleagues and friends. There really wasn’t anything cut from the book. Except my run-on sentences.

 EDC: Was there anything you came across in your research that really surprised you? Or did it feel like you were mostly affirming and structuring what you already knew or had experienced? 

 CM: I think what surprised me, as you intuited, was also an affirmation—what surprised me was how ready people were to talk about this topic, about what life is really like off of social media, behind the curtain, for the published writer. We are educated to be hashtag grateful all the time, and people were just so ready to say, you know what? Sure, publishing is a privilege but it is really hard. It makes us raw. It makes us vulnerable. Things don’t go the way we want. When they do go the way we want, we don’t know what to aim for any more. Success is always a moving target in this industry and that can be hard to sit with.

 EDC: Part of what makes the book compelling and hard to put down is the injection of humor. You've written witty columns for Tin House, taught online courses through Catapult on how to be funny on the page, and have an upcoming AWP panel on humor in fiction. Much of publishing advice is serious and a little stiff, so why did you decide to incorporate comic elements? Was it difficult, given the subject matter or publishing standards for this kind of book?

 CM: What would have been difficult would have been to write this book without humor. Writing is hard enough, who wants to read a somber guide about writing and publishing? I think that a sense of humor is the number one tool you’ll need in your survival kit if you want to be a published writer. There is just so little you can control, so many arbitrary things that happen, lucky strikes that come out of nowhere, terrible luck that ruins your book launch—if you don’t have a sense of humor about the whole thing, or learn to develop one, I am not exaggerating—you are going to have a nervous breakdown.

 EDC: You founded a collaborative retreat in Norfolk, Connecticut for people working in the arts. What was the inspiration for The Cabins, and how has it evolved? 

 CM: My husband is a filmmaker, and it was on the short film festival circuit that I first got the idea for The Cabins. I thought, gosh, isn’t this ridiculous, all these short film filmmakers who will never meet the short story writers whose work they are in a perfect position to adapt. Originally, I envisioned The Cabins as a collaboration between writers and filmmakers, but it turns out that filmmakers are impossible to pin down. Much like actors, they are in the gig economy and have to be able to drop everything at a moment’s notice.  It’s hard for them to commit to anything. So when I finally did create the program, I made it  truly interdisciplinary. It’s like an adult summer arts camp where everyone learns from each other. We get out of our silos. We learn things we didn’t even know we wanted to learn.

 EDC: In addition to writing books, you also lecture and teach at workshops like Tin House Winter Workshop and the Loft Wordsmith Conference, among others. Can you speak to the role or importance of writing residencies and workshops? 

 CM: Your success in the publishing industry is going to be largely based on your ability to forge and maintain relationships. Going to writing workshops and conferences teaches you how to be a good listener, it teaches you how to small talk, how to give feedback, how to take feedback. For many, the writing workshop is one of the first places where we get a glimpse of how our work will be received by the outside world. But perhaps more importantly, sometimes we meet someone at these things—even in passing—who changes our approach to writing. Or to life. I took a one-hour master class with Michelle Hoover back at the Wesleyan Writers Workshop in 2011 and I am telling you, it changed my writing. I started getting published. That one hour, with one great teacher, made me a better writer.

 EDC: What books are you reading and recommending lately? 

 CM: Thank you for asking! I just finished Jacqueline Woodson’s Red at the Bone. My God. I’ve never read such a gorgeous book. I just adored it. I am currently reading Sally Rooney’s Normal People. I wanted to wait until the hype died down to do so. I pre-ordered Jenny Offill’s Weather and I’m sure I’ll be a wreck when it arrives because I will wish that I could write a book like that. And I can’t wait for my friend Marie Helene Bertino’s Parakeet to come out this spring!

 EDC: What's next for you? What are you working on now? 

 CM: I’m excited about this newsletter I’ve launched called “Get Published, Stay Published.” People can sign up on my website CourtneyMaum.com – it’s free. I’m getting ready for the June edition of The Cabins, and I’m revising a memoir about depression. And I’m still promoting Costalegre and Before and After the Book Deal around the country.

Find more of Courtney Maum’s books on her website, https://www.courtneymaum.com/books

 Elizabeth de Cleyre is a writer and editor. Find her at cedecreative.com.

Chippewa Valley Writers Guild to Host The Priory Writers’ Retreat for Second Summer

credit: Justin Patchin

From June 25-28, 2020, the Chippewa Valley Writers Guild is thrilled to host The Priory Writers’ Retreat for a second year.  Retreat dates are June 25-28, 2020. 

Originally established as a monastery for Benedictine nuns in 1964, today The Priory serves as an ideal location for creativity to flourish.  Situated on 120 wooded acres just miles from downtown Eau Claire, the property features 48 single-occupancy dorm style, air-conditioned rooms, several common areas, and no shortage of natural splendor. 

This summer’s course offerings include:

• Tessa Fontaine’s “Beauty in Brevity: Finding Power in Flash Creative Nonfiction and Memoir"

• Nickolas Butler’s “Great Tales of Action and Adventure (and Horror, too…)”

• Kimberly Blaeser’s “Poetry of Spirit and Witness”

• Peter Geye’s “The First Chapter, the Last Chance: How The Opening Pages of Your Novel Can Make It Or Break It”

“This summer is poised to be our best yet,” said Guild executive director, B.J. Hollars.  “We’ve worked hard to bring participants our most unique offerings to date, including courses on flash nonfiction and memoir, action and adventure narratives, and more.  We hope there’s something for everyone.”

Hollars also noted that while the daily schedule will mostly remain the same (sustained creative time in the morning, workshopping in the afternoon, and celebratory readings, music and performances in the evening), the retreat will showcase some changes as well.  “We’ve overhauled our entire menu,” Hollars said, “and also secured partnerships with SHIFT Cyclery and Coffee Bar and The Brewing Projekt.  We want both local and out-of-town writers to enjoy some of Eau Claire’s local offerings.”

Additional sponsors include: the UW-Eau Claire Foundation, Pablo Center at the Confluence, Wisconsin Writers Association, Visit Eau Claire, Wisconsin Arts Board,  JAMF Software, and Write On, Door County.

In addition to robust writer-in-residence led workshops, participants will also enjoy craft talks from Nickolas Butler, Kimberly Blaeser, Peter Geye, as well as a keynote address from Tessa Fontaine.  On Saturday, June 27, The Priory Celebratory Reading will be held at Pablo Center at the Confluence.  Tickets will soon be available to the public.

Priory participant Erin Stevens recently commented on her experience during The Priory’s inaugural summer.  “What I love most about The Priory is the opportunity to learn from writers of all genres.  While I had signed up for and worked most closely with the essay group last year, it was incredibly beneficial to hear the craft talks from the fiction and poetry writers-in-residence.”

The cost is 480.00. This includes three-nights lodging, on-site meals and drinks, personalized instruction and critique, commemorative mug, craft talks and keynote address, bus transport to and from Pablo Center at the Confluence, complimentary ticket to the Writer-in-Residence Reading, and all other on-site events. For non-lodging participants, spots are available for 380.00.  Scholarships are available, including our “Writer Exchange Contest,” which provides a free stay at Write On, Door County’s retreat.

Applications open February 1.  To apply, prepare a 500-word writing statement, as well as a writing sample. For prose workshops (Nickolas Butler, Tessa Fontaine and Peter Geye), please submit no more than 10 double-spaced pages of a single piece (excerpts are fine) or multiple short pieces, if preferred.  For our poetry workshop (Kimberly Blaeser), please submit 3-5 poems. 

Be inspired, inspire others, and we hope to see you this summer!

Five BIG Updates to The Priory Writers’ Retreat

B.J. Hollars

Our first summer at The Priory Writers’ Retreat was nothing short of magical.  In no small part, this was due to the perfect combination of committed writers, engaging writers-in-residence, and a comfortable setting.  But in the spirit of perpetual improvement, over the past six months we’ve listened to participant feedback and worked hard to make every suggested adjustment we can to the facility.  Thankfully, most of these fixes were quick and easy!  And they’ll make a world of difference!

We’re pleased to have partnered with UW-Eau Claire’s Camps and Conferences Team to bring these changes to next year’s retreat.   

1.)   A New and Improved Menu.  Food matters!  And because food fuels the work, we want to be sure to offer participants the very best.  This summer, we’ve dramatically overhauled our menu while keeping costs relatively the same.  Participants will now enjoy three hot meals a day. 

• Breakfasts include a variety of the following: croissants, hashbrowns, crispy bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs with cheddar, Garden vegetable quiche, mushroom and spinach quiche, donuts, breakfast breads, and more! 

• The lunch menu includes Chimichurri Flank Steak Sandwich, Buffalo chicken wrap boxed lunch, Spicy Italian Baguette Boxed Lunch, and cookies, chips and fruits. 

• Thursday’s dinner (“Little Italy”) includes Caesar Salad with Homemade Croutons, Vegetarian Antipasto Platter, Assorted Rolls and Butter, Sautéed Fresh Zucchini, Pasta Bar with Spaghetti, and Penne Pasta with Marinara Sauce and Pesto Cream Sauce, Home-Style Meatballs in Marinara Sauce, Traditional Chicken Cacciatore, Tiramisu, and more. 

• Friday’s dinner (“Asian Fusion”) features Asian Salad, Sticky Rice, Garlic Lemon Ginger Broccoli, Vegetable Lo Mein, Cilantro Breast of Chicken, Teriyaki Glazed Salmon Filet, Fortune Cookies, Coconut Lemon Almond Gourmet Bar, and more. 

• Saturday’s dinner will be on your own in downtown Eau Claire—with plenty of choices for every palate. 

• Vegetarian options are available.  And do let us know about any allergies!

2.)   Craft Coffee Brought To You Bright and Early. While paper and pen may be the traditional tools of the writer’s trade, let’s never, ever overlook the power of coffee.  Good coffee.  Great coffee.  Strong coffee.  The kind of coffee that will snap your eyelids back and send you soaring to the keys.  This summer, participants can enjoy 6AM freshly-brewed coffee courtesy of Shift Cyclery and Coffee Bar—Eau Claire’s premiere shop.  And enjoy your cup of joe in your very own, brand new Priory mug!  You can even take it with you as our gift to you.

3.)   New and Improved Classroom Space.  While there are no shortage of writing nooks at The Priory, last summer we did struggle to find ideal classroom spaces for all of our courses.  But not anymore!  This summer, a new classroom will be created to ensure that each of our four courses can have its own intimate space.  In addition to contributing to the overall audience, this additional space will also help manage acoustics. 

4.)   Decorous Occasion Social Hour.  Last year we were thrilled to have an evening of live music on Friday night.  This year, we’re excited to have MORE live music.  But rather than a sit-in-your-seats concert, this year it’ll be what we’re calling our “Decorous Occasion Social Hour.”  Following a lovely dinner, we’ll all gather in the main hall for live music, socialization, networking, and a cool drink of your choice (non-alcoholic options available, of course.)

5.)   Upgraded Towels, Sheets and Linens.  Your comfort matters.  This summer, we’re pleased to offer all our participants upgraded towels, bedsheets and linens.  Additionally, extra mattresses are available upon request.  Having said that, our on-site lodging participants should be aware that our rooms are of a dorm room quality.  Each private room has a desk and twin bed.  Participants are encouraged to bring whatever might improve your comfort: books, art, additional bedding, etc. Or, if you prefer, you can stay off-site.  In short, there are many options for your comfort.

This is only the beginning.  Over the next few months we’ll continue to work hard to curate the perfect experience for you.  When you’re at The Priory, your primary responsibility is to give yourself fully to your craft.  Let us ease your mind of the day-to-day tasks.  You’re here as our guest.  You’re here for your work.  Applications open February 1!

CVWG Receives Cultural Arts Grant!

The CVWG is thrilled to announce that we’ve receive a $1000.00 Cultural Arts Grant courtesy of Visit Eau Claire and the Wisconsin Arts Board! This money will be used to ensure that we can bring the best writers-in-residence to our retreat, while also keeping costs low for our participants.

2019 poetry write-in-residence Dasha Kelly

credit: Justin Patchin Photography

“Our retreat participants deserve guidance from the very best,” said CVWG executive director B.J. Hollars. “And thanks to the generous support of Visit Eau Claire and the Wisconsin Arts Board, we can now entice writers-in-residence from throughout the country to work closely with regional writers for three days this summer at The Priory Writers’ Retreat.”

credit: Justin Patchin Photography

The Priory Writers’ Retreat is a vibrant, inclusive, and collaborative writing community in the heart of Wisconsin’s Chippewa Valley.  Originally established as a monastery for Benedictine nuns in 1964, today The Priory serves as an ideal location for creativity to flourish.  Situated on 120 wooded acres just miles from downtown Eau Claire, the property features 48 single-occupancy, air-conditioned rooms, several common areas, and no shortage of natural splendor. 

Applications for the summer 2020 retreat open on February 1.

The retreat will be help from June 25-28, 2020.

For more information on Visit Eau Claire, click here.

For ore information on the Wisconsin Arts Board, click here.

For a personal reflection on last summer’s Priory Writers’ Retreat, click here.

If you or your business would like to become a 2020 sponsor, it’s not too late! Drop us a not at chippewavalleywritersguld@gmail.com to learn how you can help!

ANNOUNCING: The Writer Exchange Contest with Write On, Door County!

It’s a new year, and we’ve got a new partnership! The Guild is thrilled to collaborate with Write On, Door County, one of the most active writing communities in the region, to provide an incredible retreat experience for writers across the state.

In summer 2020, the Chippewa Valley Writers Guild and Write On, Door County will partner to host its first ever “writer exchange.”  One lucky Door County writer will enjoy a free retreat at The Priory Writers’ Retreat in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and in exchange, one lucky Chippewa Valley Writers Guild member will receive a free week-long stay at Write On, Door County’s writers’ residence in Fish Creek, Wisconsin.  (CVWG membership determined by social media following and/or free newsletter subscription.)

The Write On, Door County residence is on 40 acres of woods, orchards, and meadows between the water of Green Bay and Lake Michigan in beautiful Door Country, Wisconsin. For decades, writers have taken inspiration amid the landscape while avoiding the distractions that hound them at home.  Both spaces are committed to creating the conditions that allow writers to thrive.

“The Chippewa Valley Writers Guild has long admired the fantastic literary citizenship work taking place in Door County,” said CVWG executive director B.J. Hollars.  “In many ways, Write On, Door County is a model for what a thriving writing organization can be.  We’re so excited to share writing expertise with one another.” 

Jerod Stanek, artistic director of Write On, Door County added, “Wisconsin has such a rich, vibrant writing community. It's wonderful to develop a program that connects writers from different parts of the state and introduces them to new audiences." 

Each organization will be responsible for selecting the writer who will take part in the exchange.  The Chippewa Valley Writers Guild will host a contest which opens on January 1, 2020.  Applicants will be screened in a blind submission process and selected by a panel of three writers.  The winner will receive a residency in August 2020, though there is some flexibility, depending on availability.

Why should Guild members apply through the Guild? For one, the contest submission fee is half the Write On, Door County application price. And all proceeds help offset the cost of the exchange. Additionally, there’s far less competition. We know for certain that one of our Guild members will win!

To apply, click here.

Please find The Writer Exchange Contest rules below:

Rules:

• Our panel of three judges will read each blind submission to determine, in their opinion, which submission receives the highest ranking in terms of quality. Identifying information will only be visible to the contest organizer and not the judges.

• Submit up to 5 pages of poetry OR 10 double-spaced pages of prose through Submittable (click “Apply Now” above or below) between January 1, 2020 and March 1, 2020. Prose pages can be a selection from a larger work, or several short pieces combined into a single document.

• Do not include your name or any other identifying information on your submitted creative work. 

• Include your name and contact information on the Submittable page prior to uploading your submission. 

• Include a brief cover letter, including the title(s) of your creative work and a brief biographical statement in the provided space.  This will only be visible to the contest organizer and not the judges.

• Applicants must be at least 21 years old and members of the Chippewa Valley Writers Guild. (Membership is determined by social media following and/or free newsletter subscription.)

• The winner will be announced in mid-March 2020.

• Application Fee: $20.00 (half off Write On, Door County’s usual application fee)

5 Reasons to Give to the Guild This #GivingTuesday

credit: Justin Patchin

B.J. Hollars

Executive Director

 Another #GivingTuesday is upon us, which means—in additional to our humble plea for the financial gifts that will ensure a robust year of programming ahead—it’s time to take a moment to reflect on the work we do and why we do it. 

To my mind, there are dozens of reasons to give to the Chippewa Valley Writers Guild.  But in the interest of time (time is writing, after all!), I’ve narrowed the list to my top five reasons.

5.) People.  First and foremost, the Guild is all about people.  We’re here to connect you, collaborate with you, and build community with you.  We’re here to celebrate with you, commiserate with you, and be a present and positive force all year round.  Thank you for being you.  

Credit: Justin Patchin

4.) Programs.  Our wide array of programming is the best way to build our community.  We’ve got something for everyone: the Sound & Stories series, Writers Anonymous, 6x6: A Reading Series, Barstow & Grand, Oddly Enough, and a multitude of craft talks.  And have we mentioned our Weekend Writers’ Retreat at The Oxbow AND The Priory Writers’ Retreat?  Taken together, this is the most robust literary programming I’ve ever been a part of.  In their own way, each program contributes to our shared goal of improving our collective literary work.  Our testimonials speak for themselves, including this one, which we received on the final day of The Priory Writers’ Retreat: “I have been writing for many years.  I'm a college professor...and direct the writing center on campus. However, it was not until this retreat that I find myself as a writer, not just an academic. A writer! The type of writer I wanted to be when I was ten years old but lost sight of over time..." Welcome home, Writer! 

Credit: Justin Patchin

3.) Partnerships. An organization such as ours is only as strong as its partnerships.  As such, we make it our business to foster and grow our relationships with an array of literary-minded and arts-loving groups and businesses.  We are so grateful to our partners, just a few of whom I’ll name below: the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Foundation, Pablo Center at the Confluence, Wisconsin Arts Board, Eau Claire Community Foundation, JAMF Software, Royal Credit Union, Wisconsin Public Radio, Volume One, The Oxbow Hotel, Odd Humyns, Visit Eau Claire, Write On, Door County, Friends of the L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library, L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library, Chippewa Valley Book Festival,  Converge Radio 99.9, Brewing Projekt, Modicum Brewing Co, Shift Cyclery and Coffee Bar, Dotters Books, 200 Main, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire’s English Department, Chippewa Valley Technical College, NOTA, BANFF Film Festival, and more!  In addition, we’ve also been named to the Wisconsin Poet Laureate Commission, which provides us a seat at one of the most vital “literary tables” in the region.  These partnerships create possibilities: we’re better able to do what we do because they do what they do.  Thanks to all!

Credit: Justin Patchin

2.) Projects.  We’re not just in the business of educating, we’re also in the business of creating!  Some of our most rewarding experiences have come by way of community members reaching out and saying, “So I’ve got an idea…”. From there, the idea grows into reality!  Barstow & Grand is a fantastic example.  When B&G editor Eric Rasmussen first approached the Guild with his plan to create a regional literary journal committed to professionalizing our region’s writers (while also providing a great publication opportunity!) we jumped at the chance to join in.  For the past three years, Eric’s overseen every aspect of the journal—from building a team of readers, to providing internship opportunities for students, to creating, promoting, and marketing three beautiful issues.  (Buy yours today!). We couldn’t be prouder of the projects we’ve created together.

Credit: Luong Huynh

1.)   Because this Guild is YOUR Guild.  Without people, there are no programs, no partnerships, and no projects.  Simply put, this Guild is yours, and everything good that comes from it is thanks to you. As such, we are all responsible for its financial stability.  Let today be the day you give to our shared organization.  If everyone reading this became a 5.00/month sustaining member, we would be able to meet our target goals for the coming year.  Which include: creating a summer retreat scholarship for writers of color, enhancing our craft talk series, subsidizing ticket prices for all our paid events, and providing honoraria for our webmaster, editors, series leaders, and interns.  All of this is possible with your help. 

Here at the Guild, every member counts.  And since we refuse to collect dues, we rely on your generosity, instead.  Please prove that we can thrive on this model.  Let’s keep it free by giving today!

In closing, a humble thank you for giving today. Let’s grow the Guild for all.

Be inspired, inspire others,

B.J. Hollars

DMITRI’S DREAM: DISCOVERING THE ALPHABET OF THE UNIVERSE – A CONVERSATION WITH STEPHANIE TURNER

Rebecca Mennecke

Dimitri Mendeleev had a dream. 

Literally, a dream. 

After writing his book, Principles of Chemistry, Mendeleev (or, by his Russian name: Dmitry Ivanovich Mendeleyev) sought a way to organize the elements. According to legend, Mendeleev was so exhausted by his efforts that he fell asleep on a train ride after spending three days straight trying to develop an effective system of classification. 

Mendeleev recalled, “I saw in a dream, a table, where all the elements fell into place as required. Awakening, I immediately wrote it down on a piece of paper.” 

This discovery, as it turns out, was what we now know as the periodic table of the elements. 

Faculty and students from UW-Eau Claire’s art, sciences, English, theatre, and other departments are celebrating the 150th anniversary of this historic discovery in “Dmitri’s Dream: Discovering the Alphabet of the Universe” – an event that will be celebrated at 7pm on Tuesday, Dec. 3 at the Pablo Center.

I had the chance to chat with Stephanie Turner, a fantastic professor of English at UW-Eau Claire, who has been “ground zero” in assembling the audio and visuals for the event – a learning curve that has been fun for her, since she enjoys visuals and problem-solving with technology. 

Rebecca Mennecke: First, can you tell me a little bit about yourself? I notice on your Blugold profile that you specialize in rhetorics of science! How did you get to be a part of this event?

Stephanie Turner: I'm drawn to this sort of event because my teaching and research typically crosses disciplines. I teach science communication and visual rhetoric, and my writing focuses on animals in visual culture and artists' response to biodiversity loss. I'm interested in how people learn about and use scientific knowledge to make practical decisions. Plus I really like the people involved in this Art AND Science group! I've been involved with their events in previous years. For example, I was one of the readers in a readers theatre production of excerpts of four science-related plays. That was my first experience with doing readers theatre, and it was a lot of fun.

RM: Technical writing is one of your specialties, and part of that comprises taking language within science and communicating it to specific audiences in a way they understand. How can we take a cue from Dmitri in finding new ways to not only integrate science into art, but also communicate that intersection to specific audiences?

ST: Dmitri was a teacher as well as a researcher, and his challenge was trying to teach his chemistry students about the elements. In addition to the story that he had a dream in which he envisioned the periodic table, another story has it that he developed the table that became the basis for the modern periodic table in trying out different ways to teach chemistry. He knew that to really understand something, it's important to teach it. 

RM: Why is the 150th anniversary of the periodic worth celebrating?

ST: Dimitri's contribution to chemistry is that he recognized the periodicity of the elements. In other words, they are predictably related by atomic weight and atomic number, and this can be represented in a systematic way. In fact, I think he used the word "system" to describe his table. In recognizing this underlying system, Dmitri was able to predict the existence of elements that had not yet been empirically demonstrated. That's what we are celebrating with the 150th anniversary.  

RM: Why is art a great way to represent the periodic table? Furthermore, how does science and art interact in this event?

ST: The periodic table is an ongoing human development. Like any other history, the history of chemistry is populated with great moments of insight, loads of everyday problem-solving, and smart, driven people. So the art of story-telling is very much involved in the history of chemistry. Something that fascinates me in particular, though, is the fact that the periodic table itself has been represented in so many dozens of ways. This raises the questions of whether there is an "optimal" periodic table and whether aesthetic considerations can be involved in science. These questions reflect an important divide between realists and instrumentalists, between theory and practice, that until this semester I hadn't really appreciated as an issue in chemistry. Another challenge in representing the elements is that, though they are real physical "things" that exist in the world, like copper and hydrogen, they don't all lend themselves easily to being visually represented. Visual artists love challenges like that, and their attempts to represent the elements and they ways they interact can be both educational and entertaining. 

RM: What makes the story of Dmitri Mendeleev worth sharing?

ST: Well, for one thing, it's got tons of pathos. I won't spoil it for you (you'll have to come to the show!), but the story of how he managed to get into school to learn about chemistry in the first place involves great loss and tremendous effort. You can't help but be on his side when you find out about his early years. 

 RM: What can we learn from Dmitri Mendeleev’s story or from him as an individual?

ST: Find a passion and keep putting one foot in front of the other – you will be rewarded.

RM: What are you looking forward to with this event? What are you hoping to see?

ST: I'm looking forward to seeing how the efforts of so many people involved in this event – faculty and students in chemistry, astronomy and physics, English, and art and design – manage to pull off a cohesive set of images and text. I'm hoping to see audience members find something to wonder and smile about. 

RM: Why is this a must-attend event for students of all disciplines?  

The elements are the very stuff the world is made of. There is no facet of life that they aren't involved in. And there are probably still a few we haven't identified yet. Who doesn't love a good mystery?

*

This isn’t the first event that the arts and sciences have collaborated to produce. Paul Thomas, a professor of physics and astronomy at UW-Eau Claire has been doing outreach projects for quite some time, he said. 

In November 2017, professors Jack Bushnell (English), Jim Rybicki (Physics and Astronomy), and Jill Olm (Art) presented a show at the Foster Gallery on the theme of “Color” as a part of the “Art AND Science” program – which “Dmitri’s Dream” blossoms from. This event, like “Dmitri’s Dream,” included faculty presentations, poetry readings, and drama presentations by students from various departments. It was coordinated with the “Ask a Scientist program,” and over 1,000 people attended both events, Thomas said. 

Last year, Jewell presented the movie “Let There Be Light,” a film about the development of nuclear fusion energy, at the Woodland Theatre in the Davies Center.  Afterward, Dr. Carey Forest, a researcher in the field of fusion energy, presented a brief talk and hosted a Q&A. More than 100 people attended this event. 

This year, “Dmitri’s Dream” is sure to be a hit! It’s coming up quickly, so grab your tickets now! 

Tickets are $5 and are available here.

Keeping The Wheels Turning: Jan Carroll Continues 6x6: A Reading Series

by Rebecca Mennecke

The rules for 6x6: A Reading Series are simple – Six readers. Six minutes. No repeats. 

Jan Carroll began the reading series after initially thinking of doing something similar with friends. When she pitched the idea to BJ Hollars, he said he had been thinking of doing something similar, and 6x6 was born! 

“Several people came to the first reading out of curiosity and to support those first six readers, and people really enjoyed it,” Carroll said. “It hasn’t really lost that momentum. It’s always fresh because each time features six new readers – not to mention a different theme. Also, it’s fun to be able to attend a reading where six quite different readers will be presenting their work. We try to include a variety of ages, backgrounds, and writing-experience levels.” 

On Tuesday, Dec. 10, the legacy of 6x6: A Reading Series continues with Kaye Henrickson, Maddie Gray, Barbara Arnold, Jay Gilbertson, Marty Wood and Pamela Livingston, all of whom will read original work on the shared theme “Wheels.” 

Carroll brainstorms each theme for the event by thinking about things that can have multiple interpretations.

“A variety of takes on the subject makes a more interesting reading, in my opinion,” Carroll said. “Then I try to keep the theme something that most people can relate to, rather than assigning a really narrow idea.” 

Barbara Arnold said she considered numerous elements in her interpretation of “Wheels.”

One of her daily writing practices is “morning pages,” which Julia Cameron recommends in her book, The Artist’s Way. 

“The practice is you start writing whatever comes into your head as soon as you wake up in the morning,” Arnold said. “For me, that can be 3am or 4am – I call it the ‘bewitching hour,’ as I’m not totally awake nor totally asleep. Sometimes I’m still in a dream-like state. You write at least three pages, long-hand cursive – not on an electronic or digital device. I spend an hour or two writing this way every day – whatever comes into my head – in notebooks I’ve bought for this purpose.” 

She continued her “morning pages” practice, along with contributing to Volume One, when Carroll invited her to participate in 6x6. 

She said that Ken Burn’s recently released Country Music series inspired the piece she’ll perform, thanks, in part, to the story of The Carter Family and Johnny Cash and June Carter. 

“Can The Circle Be Unbroken (Bye and Bye) by the Carter Family in 1935,” Arnold said. “A circle is like a wheel. Ring of Fire by June Carter Cash and sung by Johnny Cash in 1963. A ring is like a wheel. Roseanne Cash shared in an interview how her father worked out his problems on stage by singing and playing his music. And I realized a connection of sorts as I was doing the same through my Morning Pages.” 

After viewing the series, she began searching for words that had “wheel” in it, then reviewed the list for inspiration. 

At the least expected moment, “up bubbled a memory” from when Arnold visited a Daoist/Taoist temple in Hong Kong in 2012. There, she learned about the Dharma Chakra from a daoshi – or a Daoist/Taoist priest. “Chakra” means “wheel” in Sanskrit. 

That’s when the piece took on a life of its own.

“Both are metaphors for life,” Arnold said. “And that’s where I landed… I created an interactive poem where the audience can ‘play’ along for a longer presentation. The piece is not likely to ever be the same.” 

She said it took about six months of thinking, researching, and letting her ideas percolate before—after a few weeks of writing and editing—she reached her final version.

“With the 6x6 piece, I went through six versions during two weeks. I also read what I write out loud – sometimes in front of a mirror – to make sure it sounds natural,” she said.

Past themes of 6x6 event have included: work and play, Earth, Home, and so many more!  

As a part of 6x6, Carroll hopes for a variety of genres, different tones, and that each reader is “true to their own voice.” 

“I hope each time that each reader is learning something about their writing and about themselves,” Carroll said. 

All local writers are welcome! Writers don’t have to be a part of the Chippewa Valley Writers Guild or have had any work published. If interested, just shoot an email to chippewavalleywritersguild@gmail.com. 

“I’m delighted to be part of 6x6, and if only once and forever, that’s wonderful!” Arnold said. “Perhaps this experience will lead to other opportunities to share my writing at gatherings like this.” 

 6x6 is shaking things up and hosting the event at 200 Main Art and Wine Gallery. Space is limited, so nab a ticket ahead of time. Check out more info here! 

Sound and Stories Sneak Preview: 7 Questions With "Joy to the Word" Performer Samantha Kobs

Samantha Kobs / Photo credit: Justin Patchin

Rebecca Mennecke 

Samantha Kobs knows a thing or two about joy – she experiences it with many of the things that keep her busy. She’s served as a Fulbright fellow in South Africa where she taught English for a year. Additionally, she worked in Mauritius – a small island country near Madagascar – and Rwanda for a start-up university. She eventually came back to Eau Claire to work part-time for a year at Delong Middle School. Now, she happily works as an English teacher at Stanley-Boyd High School. 

Besides being an adventurer of sorts, Samantha is also a prolific writer. Her recent piece, “Star Stuff,” was originally written for a 6x6 reading and is now featured in the third issue of Barstow and Grand. She’s also a Volume One contributor, where she says she’s a “meticulous” writer. She records each of her interviews and transcribes them, which she says makes her feel like Katie Couric – or something. 

“I guess I mostly do it to feel cool,” Kobs said. “I don’t have quite as quick of a turnaround with the other creative writing opportunities, and my focus with those is more on storytelling and connecting than relaying important information. Now that I’m thinking about it, my creative writing pieces are written more for my own personal feelings of accomplishment than for the readership’s pleasure. Or are they? Actually, I really don’t know anymore!” 

I had the immense pleasure of chatting with Samantha about an upcoming event in which she’ll be featured: “Sound And Stories Presents ‘Joy To The Word.”—an evening of holiday stories, humbug, good tidings and good cheer.  On December 16, she’ll be performing alongside storytellers and writers Tom Barland, Jan Larson, Bruce Taylor, and B.J. Hollars. All of this, alongside the musical stylings of The UKE Klub!

Rebecca Mennecke: The title of the event is “Joy to the Word,” so I have to ask—how does storytelling bring joy to the world?

Samantha Kobs: First of all, what isn’t storytelling? Movies, songs, video games – it seems like they all tell a story. It’s human nature to turn towards stories for comfort and entertainment. I think humans just want to know that their individual experiences – good or bad – are also experienced by others. That’s why I love going to different events, no matter where I’m at – in Eau Claire, out of town, or abroad. I’m always touched by the things that people share, and it is a great way to build relationships with people. 

RM: What are you excited to bring to this event?

SK: Well, I have no idea what anybody else is bringing to the event, but I’m hoping that I can offer a unique piece that is both reflective and relatable to the audience. My piece is a story, of course, but my writing is usually a strange form of talk-therapy. Often, when I write about moments in my life, I don’t really know why the moment is significant to me. At some point in the writing process, it usually hits me—it’s like this a-ha moment in which the entire memory makes sense. I’ll realize that the memory serves a purpose and tells me something about myself at the time of the experience that I may not have been aware of. It’s pretty cool, actually. And I’m hoping that the audience can experience that with me.

RM: What is it like to prepare a piece to read at this event?

SK: Writing for these local events is such an awesome opportunity. The theme is always pretty loose, which gives me a lot of creative freedom. At the same time, I’m given a time limit and a deadline, which is exactly what I’ve found I really need in order to create a solid piece. When I write in my own time without a particular event in mine, I often feel myself floundering with so many ideas or a complete lack of focus. I usually table those pieces because I just don’t know which direction to take them. With events like this, I’m given restrictions. As a person who loves a good challenge, it’s the best way for me to produce something!

RM: What is the best part of the holidays in the Chippewa Valley?

SK: I love the holiday season in the Chippewa Valley because there are always so many different events going on. During the summer, I take advantage of free music and the beautiful bike trails and parks, but it’s during the holiday season that I find myself wanting to get out of the house so much more, so I attend more readings, live music performances, or other events. It’s a great time to explore new places, especially when it helps to cure the cabin fever that so many of us get from being cooped up inside. Last winter, the snow was so high and the paths so narrow around my neighborhood that going for walks felt just as stifling as being at home. The different events around town really help combat the winter blues and remind me of how lucky I am to live here!

RM: Do you have any unique holiday traditions in your family that you would be willing to share?

SK: As much as I wish I could say that my family always rents a cabin in Duluth or that we sing carols by an open fire, none of that is true for us. I grew up in a low-income home, and some of my family still continues to work paycheck-to-paycheck to make ends meet. We don’t do holiday-themed family photos or decorate a tree together. Some years, we just bake Great-Grandma Sylvia’s signature sugar cookies or see if we can get a snowmobile or other random vehicle to start so we can rip around the yard (side note: my parents live on a junkyard). My sister and I usually try to squeeze into these retro snowsuits that belonged to my grandpa back in the day, I think. Last year, she blew out a leg zipper and had to duct tape it closed to keep the snow out. It felt very much like a typical holiday celebration to us – nothing Hallmark worthy by any means, but definitely full of laughter and the occasional non-life-threatening injury. I think my family holidays are so much more fun than holidays I’ve spent with friends or significant others. There isn’t any focus on the food being perfect or people being satisfied with the gifts they get. We just hang out until we’re tired, cold, and crabby, and it’s awesome!

RM: Do you have any tips on writing about the holidays?

Ken Szymanski / Photo credit: Justin Patchin

SK: My most frequently used writing tip comes from the wise and underrated Ken Szymanski, local English teacher and creative writing guru. He used to really stress the importance of moments, and he’s right. There are individual moments that stand out. Brief memories. Detailed visuals that we can’t seem to forget. I think it’s these things that make the best writing material. Again, the big question to ask yourself is this: why is this moment or image so important? If you’re like me, you might not know until you’ve been writing about it for a while. Sometimes something that seems insignificant can make the best damn story, and those are my favorite pieces as both an audience member and a writer. 

RM: What are your hopes for this event?

SK: To put it simply, I hope this event is just as awesome as the previous “Sound and Stories” events. I love how different each reader’s words are, and I’m hoping that our pieces all tell individual stories that collectively reach everybody in the audience in some way.

Join Samantha, Tom Barland, Jan Larson, Bruce Taylor, and B.J. Hollars as they celebrate words with good tidings and cheer at 7pm on Monday, Dec. 16 at the Pablo Center! There will be festive tunes from the UKE Klub.  This event has been generously sponsored by Royal Credit Union.

Support Your Artists, and Support the Arts, Too

B.J. Hollars

According to a newly-released study from the Bureau of Economic Analysis and  the National Endowment for the Arts, in 2015, America’s arts and cultural sector brought in over 763.6 billion dollars to our national economy. 

That’s billion with a b.

The study further notes that the arts “generated 4.2% of the overall U.S. GDP, with roughly 4.9 million Americans working in the sector in 2015…”

Those 4.9 million Americans do everything: from showcasing the art, to selling the art, to marketing the art, and on and on.  Simply put, it takes more than artists to contribute to the artistic community and its economic impact.

But at the same time, we can’t forget the artists, either.   Here’s a difficult truth: only a small sliver of that 763.6 billion ever actually makes it to the artists.  It’s discouraging, but it’s true. 

Here in Eau Claire, I’m regularly greeted with warm smiles from well-wishers who inform me just how much they love supporting “the arts.”  Of course, I always thank them for their support.  And perhaps I’d be better off stopping there.  Yet I can’t help but ask what, for me, seems like the logical follow-up question: “So how do you support the artists?” 

This question is usually met with an uncomfortable silence, mostly because people assume that when they support “the arts” they’re supporting “the artists” too. 

They’re not wrong.

Yet for many, supporting “the arts” begins and ends with buying a ticket to a show.  While that’s a great first step toward supporting the arts, it’s important to understand that only a small fraction of that ticket sale ever makes it into the hands of the artists.  Budgeted within each ticket sale are a variety of other expenses: staff, marketing, heat, electricity, not to mention the cost of the space itself.  This is not a criticism of the business model; it’s merely the way of things.

Every time I talk about the importance of supporting “the arts,” I worry that such a claim sounds much too nebulous.  What I mean to say is that we ought to support the artists—the writers and dancers and painters and sculptors and singers and strummers, all of whom have mortgages and medical bills and car payments just like everyone else. 

Here at the Chippewa Valley Writers Guild, the vast majority of our budget goes directly to supporting artists.  If you give a craft talk, you can expect a paycheck.  Or if you perform at one of our ticketed Sound and Stories events, then you know that every penny of those ticket sales goes directly to you and the ticketing fee. 

The Guild takes no cut of the profits.    

It makes for a difficult business model: how can we provide free and low-cost programming year-round when most of the money is immediately distributed back to the artists? 

The answer is you. 

 Help us do away with these fundraising requests forever by becoming a 5.00/month sustaining member today.  If everyone did, we’d be on fantastic financial footing for the long haul.  Equally exciting, we’d be able to dedicate more time to creating great programming for you.  Or if you prefer to make a one-time donation, we’d be grateful for this support, too.

I’ll be the first to admit that the CVWG isn’t quite bringing in billions of dollars just yet.  However, we are proud to contribute nearly $30,000.00 annually to our local creative economy.  Not only that, but we’re contributing to the regional writing community as well by being a member of the Wisconsin Poet Laureate Commission, and by collaborating with various regional partners: from the Wisconsin Writers Association to Write on, Door County, and more.

Simply put, we are currently poised to do more than ever.  But we need your gift more than ever, too.   Please take a moment to make your tax-deductible gift today.  

Let’s support the artists.  And by doing so, let’s support the arts.

Be inspired, inspire others,

B.J. Hollars

A Sneak Preview on Elizabeth Evan's Craft Talk "From Acorn to Oak: On Editing, Agenting, and Nurturing Your Literary Work from Idea to Published Work"

B.J. Hollars

Last June, while strolling the streets of Homer, Alaska during a break from The Kachemak Bay Writers’ Conference, I had the great pleasure of befriending editor and former agent Elizabeth Evans. As we watched the fisherman haul in their halibut, we discussed writing, publishing and beloved books. Immediately, I knew we needed to bring Elizabeth—and her expertise!—to the Chippewa Valley. On November 12 at 6PM, Elizabeth and I will be in conversation on a talk we’re calling “From Acorn to Oak: On Editing, Agenting, and Nurturing Your Literary Work from Idea to Published Work” at 6PM at the L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library. We’re grateful to the library for co-sponsoring this event.

During this event, Elizabeth will provide insight on the vital role of editors and agents, as well as “live critique” previously submitted query letters written by local writers. This is not to be missed!

Elizabeth and I recently had the chance to catch up. Read the complete interview below!

BJ Hollars: Tell us about how you found your way into the world of agenting and editing?

Elizabeth Evans: In my early 20s, I was living in San Francisco, and poking around the writing world in various ways. SF is a wonderfully literary city. I went to the Litquake festival, and to author readings all the time. I interned for the literary magazine Zyzzyva, which gave me a first taste of the submissions process and how editors select works for publication. And then I joined the MFA program at the University of San Francisco. It was there I met a wonderful writer and instructor, Judy Greber, who helped me find an internship with a local literary agency. The internship was a dream. I couldn't believe my job was to read all day. Before I graduated from my MFA program, I was agenting my first projects.

BH: Tell us about some of the books you were most excited to work with. What made those projects exciting?

EE: It sounds corny, but every book I repped was exciting, because as an agent you have to truly believe in the potential of every book you represent. My first sale was Glenda Burgess's The Geography of Love, a devastatingly beautiful memoir, and each moment of progress, from the cover reveal to the first glowing reviews, was special. Another one that stands out is Ella Frances Sanders's Lost in Translation, which was one of my first books to hit the bestseller list. It was such fun to call Ella to share the good news. My role as an independent editor is exciting in a different way. Often what's most rewarding is seeing the ways in which a manuscript improves between drafts, and feeling you've played a small part in the evolution of an exciting work.

BH: What's the most challenging part of being an editor?

EE: Managing a writer's expectations can be tricky. There are certain realities of the world of traditional publishing that most writers aren't aware of. The need for a platform in nonfiction, for example. I approach every project with enthusiasm, and never want to deter a writer from pursuing their dream, but it's important to me that my clients go into the process with eyes wide open and a clear understanding of the challenges they might encounter in a notoriously difficult industry.

BH: What don't most writers understand about the publication world?

EE: So much is expected of writers beyond the writing. Authors must be proactive partners to their publishers. There's a lot of hustle that's required, even once the manuscript is final and off to the printer. It's a full time job. There's never really any down time.

BH: If you could recommend one book that we should all read this minute, what would it be and why?

EE: Oof! Hard question. Like so many, Toni Morrison has been on my mind lately, and I don't think I've ever had a more powerful reading experience than I did with Beloved. That book is a force. It changed my ideas of what was possible in writing. It absolutely blew me away.

See you at 6PM at the L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library on Tuesday, November 12!

A Sneak Peek at "Toil and Trouble": An interview with Dan Lyksett and Sarah Jayne Johnson

It was a dark and stormy night in Lake Geneva, Switzerland, with four friends huddled next to a crackling fire, when one of the friends challenged the others to a ghost story competition. This friendly literary camaraderie between Lord Byron, Percy Bysshe Shelley, John Polidori, and Mary Shelley led to one of the greatest pieces of gothic literature ever — Frankenstein. 

Although this is Wisconsin, not Switzerland, literary masterminds still gather for a night of “spine-chilling stories and spooky sounds” with the Chippewa Valley Writers Guild’s Sound And Stories Presents “Toil and Trouble” event on Oct. 29. 

This event will feature the “ghoulish” works of Elan McCallum, Ken Szymanski, Sarah Jayne Johnson, Dan Lyksett, and Deb Peterson with the dark music of Peter Phippen, Victoria Shoemaker, and Billy Krause. 

I had the chance to chat with Lyksett and Johnson about this spooky event and why folks should be on the edge of their seats about this storytelling and music event. 

Rebecca Mennecke: The “Toil & Trouble” event is coming up quickly! What are you most excited about? 

Dan Lyksett

Dan Lyksett: I’m honored to be asked to share that time with such a fun and talented crew. The audience is going to witness skilled writers and inspiring musicians collaborating to present singular moments. The words are known, but much of the blending of music to those words will be spontaneous. The night will be a singular combination of heart and mind.

Sarah Jayne Johnson: It's great to have any type of event that allows local talent to show their work. Whether it's writers, musicians, artists, etc., Eau Claire is bubbling over with people wanting outlets to show off their chops – "Toil & Trouble" is absolutely just that. I'm also excited to be surrounded by a room of weirdos who are (looking) to get a little spooked close to Halloween. Who doesn't like a lil' scare?

Sarah Jayne Johnson

RM: What are some of the ways you make your writing spooky? 

DL: My piece is perhaps less spooky than disconcerting. The title is “Death Trip: A True Story,” and there is sadness, and there is consolation. I’ve tried to make it relatable to anyone who has suffered loss, and, because of that, each member of the audience will bring their own experiences to the piece.

SJJ: I'm probably a little too into a lot of creepy stuff (scary videos, paranormal stories, true crime, etc.) so I get a lot of inspiration from different short stories and podcasts I listen to. It's easy to know what scares you but to try and pinpoint what scares other people is a whole other realm. When I'm writing scary stories, I try to take myself out of it and instead convey it in a way that will linger with people even after they're done reading/listening to it.

RM: Even if a spooky story isn’t really that spooky, we as writers can still make it sound scary. What are some of your top scary storytelling tips? 

Musicians Victoria Shoemaker and Peter Phippen

DL: Whether you’re telling a scary story or trying to make someone laugh, “place” is key. The more familiar your characters and their circumstances are to the audience, the more your entire story will ring true. If your story then takes them to a “place” they’ve never been – meeting a spirit, for example – it’s all the easier for them to follow and place themselves there.

SJJ: Honestly, letting other people read and listen to it is the best way to make something scarier. We are all in our own head when it comes to pieces we create, so giving it to an audience – even if it is just one other person – is going to make all the difference in how it is conveyed. Deb Peterson, one of the other speakers at the event, gave me some really positive feedback about pace, pausing, and tone of voice that I wouldn't have been able to hear on my own. I would say that if you ever get the opportunity to workshop your piece, do it. It's a little bit nerve-wracking, but it's worth it.

RM: For folks who are new to this event, what is the number one thing they should know about “Toil & Trouble”? Is it actually a lot of toil and trouble? 

DL: To borrow a cliché, “They’ll laugh, they’ll cry.” There is toil and trouble, but there is also humor and a sharing of important personal experiences and quite a bit of “Well, I didn’t see that coming!” And again, there is the amazing collaboration between musicians and writers that makes this type of event special.

SJJ: Anyone coming to this event should anticipate some very different stories set to some truly impressive music. The combination of scary stories and eerie sounds is sure to fill the room with some very tantalizing tension. Anyone who wants a pre-Halloween spook should definitely consider coming. Maybe there will even be a real ghost! Who are we to know? 

Ready to get into the literary Halloween spirit? “Toil & Trouble” will be from 7-8:30pm on Tuesday, Oct. 29 at the Pablo Center. 

Attack of the Fifty-Foot Centerfold: 10 Questions With Dorothy Chan

Rebecca Mennecke 

For Dorothy Chan, the newest assistant professor of English at UW-Eau Claire, writing is a non-stop process; she writes as often as she can. Her reading from her recent collection of poetry, Revenge of the Asian Woman, will be a highlight of the Chippewa Valley Book Festival at 6PM at the L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library on Oct. 23.

In anticipation of her latest book, we thought we’d familiarize ourselves with her previous book, Attack of the Fifty-Foot Centerfold. Described by poet David Kirby as “steam punk on steroids… plutonium-powered and neon-lit,” Attack of the Fifty-Foot Centerfold explores themes like feminism, Asian culture, food, and sexuality in a fresh way. 

I had the opportunity to chat with Chan about some of the themes she has explored in her writing since the very beginning. 

Rebecca Mennecke: What inspires you to write a poem? 

Dorothy Chan: Lots of things but mostly food, sex, fantasy, fetish popular culture, and Asian American identity. Oh, and power. I think it's important to surround yourself with interesting people. That way, you're always inspired. Sometimes, one of my close friends will say something funny, and the next thing you know, I'm typing up notes on my iPhone. At certain points of the year, I'll have over 200 notes on my phone just from things I overhear, fantasies I have, dreams from the night before, etc. It's the poet's job to always remain awake, alert, ready to take in new ideas.

RM: How on Earth do you title a poem (or a book) that explores so many different elements? Specifically, I’m super interested in your poem “Ode to Psychics, Hookers, Shark Bone, and Free Iced Tea.” How did you decide on the titles that appear in the final version of your book?
DC: This is what I tell my students: aim for titles that are five words or more. Excess. Create full titles that tell stories – that are full of dimension. Back in my MFA, my poetry uncle, Alberto Ríos taught me that "The best line of the poem is the one that I am reading. And that does not exclude the title."

RM: How do titles and the poems themselves work together to create meaning in your work?
DC: Titles should tell stories in themselves. When you open a book of poetry, I think it's important to first fall in love with the titles. Look down the page at the table of contents. Make observations. And then of course, once you read the poems themselves, more meaning is created and observed.

RM: Feminism. Asian culture. Food. Sexuality. How do you weave and intertwine each topic so seamlessly?
DC: I believe all these topics are naturally connected. Intersectional feminism is the way I live my life. It's the way I structure my classes and choose my reading lists. And intersectional feminism is of course linked to sex positivity, along with culture. Food is also this common language for the world. I'll leave this open-ended, but I think you can tell a lot about a person based on the food they eat, the food they prepare, the food they order, and the food they try.

RM: You write a lot about food! It makes me hungry just reading your work. What’s your go-to writing snack?
DC: And Rebecca, you win the award for best interview question of all time! I love Pocky, Koala's March, jalapeño chips, and salt and vinegar chips. If I had all the money in the world, I'd be eating Jean Philippe pastries and macarons while writing. I also love green tea and iced black coffee.

RM: In Attack of the Fifty-Foot Centerfold, you explore some complex relationships with your parents and your family. How do you recommend writers explore complex relationships with people who are important to them through the writing process?

DC: I'm bad, but I'd say don't worry about it.  I find that many times, young writers worry too much about writing about a family member, especially a parent. Again, don't worry about it. Your feelings are valid. 

RM: You write a good number of sonnets in this book. How did you come to like this type of poem? Was there a specific poem or poet that inspired you to use this form?
DC: I could go on and on about the sonnet for days, but I believe the sonnet is the perfect form. Think about it: fourteen lines, ten syllables per line – it's really the amuse-bouche of poetry – it's that palate teaser that makes you want more and more, makes you go on and on. I fell in love with the sonnet during my undergraduate at Cornell. There, I worked closely with Lyrae Van Clief-Stefanon. In Lyrae's classes, we not only wrote sonnets, but we also wrote sonnet crowns (7 sonnets in a row). Then, over the years, I experimented with this form, from my chapbook Chinatown Sonnets, to what I like to call my specialty – the triple sonnet.

RM: You also break up your poems in this book into three sections.  How did you decide the different sections?
DC: A triptych is just so romantic. It reminds me of the years I studied art history. When writing a book of poems, I think about the overarching narrative, along with the speaker's development.

RM: In your poem, “My Mother the Writer,” you talk about how your mom is a writer too. You also dedicate this book to her! How did your mom help shape your writing?
DC: She's always been undyingly supportive of my career as a writer.

RM: What writers or writings have inspired you?
DC: A lot! I will first say my mentors, Norman Dubie, Lyrae Van Clief-Stefanon, Alice Fulton, and Alberto Ríos. I'm currently reviewing Rae Gouirand's The History of Art and Lee Ann Roripaugh'sTsunami vs the Fukushima 50 – these are two gorgeous collections. Of course, I'm currently reading my poetry sister, Taneum Bambrick's debut, Vantage, which won the APR/Honickman Prize. I love everything in the Spork Press catalog. I love Richard Siken's poetry. I've been recommending the novella, Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata to everyone I know, since the summer. And, I'm excited for E.J. Koh's forthcoming memoir, The Magical Language of Others, along with my Spring 2020 course reading lists, which include Vantage, along with Mess and Mess and by Douglas Kearney, Tender Data by Monica McClure, Are You My Mother? by Alison Bechdel, Sour Heart by Jenny Zhang, The Seven Necessary Sins for Women and Girls by Mona Eltahawy, and Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless Girls: A Memoir by T Kira Madden.

RM: You also have strong female and Asian representation in your poetry. What impact do you hope your perspective has on future writers?
DC: Always practice and preach intersectional feminism. 

Be sure to hear Dorothy read from her latest work from 6pm-7pm on Wednesday, Oct. 23