Poet Laureate Update

Where to begin after the busy spring? Wyoming Writers hosted a wonderful conference in June. With Tereasa Jordan, Hal Cannon, Johnny D. Boggs, M.L. Liebler , Matthew and Jennifer Mayo, and literary agent Anita Mumm, we enjoyed the varied presentations this faculty offered. 

Early July found me laid up with a broken leg. No hay crop at the ranch this year so if I had to break it, this was the time to do so. With walker in hand, I gave a reading to a Belle Fourche, SD sorority on July 30^th. Warm and gracious, these ladies made me feel right at home. 

In August came the announcement of finalists for the High Plains Book Awards. I was so fortunate to be among them for the Best Woman Writer. Much to my amazement came the announcement of the Women Writing the West Will Awards. Married Into It won the poetry category. I called for CPR!

On August 15^th I joined fellow writers at the Campbell County Library for a joint program with the Wyoming Department of Education and Wyoming writers. Fellow Bearlodge Writer Katie Smith, Chris Ellsworth, Darcy Accord, wonderful writer and organizer of the event and many others read from their powerful writings. I believe the experience was beneficial for everyone and I hope to become more involved with the schools in Wyoming.

On Saturday, September 8, 2012, Gaydell Collier and I were guests of the Books-a-Million store in Rapid City for book signings.  Gaydell pleased many readers with her book, Just Beyond Harmony, a book I highly recommend to everyone who loves a wonderful story filled with laughter among difficult times. Many fellow Bearlodge Writers stopped by as did friend Linda Hasselstrom, terrific author of twelve books of stories and poetry. Gaydell, Linda, and Nancy Curtis also edited the Wind Anthologies; Leaning Into the Wind, Woven on the Wind, and Crazy Woman Creek, Women Rewrite the American West.

 October 18, 2012 found Gaydell and I on the road to Albuquerque for the Women Writing the West Conference and acceptance of the Willa Award. This conference had a wonderful lineup of workshops by top writers, among them former neighbor and dear friend Page Lambert who delivered  The Yearning Factor workshop . The unforgettable Susan Tweit presented Writing with Heart and not a dry eye in the audience when she finished.  Writers Ann Hillerman, Laurie Wagner Buyer, Dawn Wink, three outstanding agents and four publishers rounded out the offering.  Met so many lovely people there and look forward to next year. I hope Gaydell joins me again; she is an exceptional traveling companion!

In the meantime . . . same weekend . . . Nancy Curtis of High Plains Press, publisher of Married Into it, generously attended the High Plains Book Awards where I was blessed with winning Best Woman Writer. So many blessings having a fabulous publisher and the beautiful art work of Sarah Rogers on the cover. They share the success of the book.  Another important part of this wonderful dream is the friendships made and meeting others who love poetry. 

Poet Laureate Journey

April 19, 20, 21, 22, 23

As many of you know Nancy is owner and publisher of High Plains Press in Glendo, WY. www.highplainspress.com. The three year wait to have Nancy Curtis publish Married Into It, was more than worth it. We were honored on April 21^st with the prestigious Wrangler Award for Best Poetry Book of 2011. Upon arriving in Oklahoma City The National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, (NCWHM) staff and guests gave Nancy and I a warm welcome.

The Jingle Jangle Mingle the Friday evening before the official ceremony, honored award winners and Hall of Fame inductees. Wonderful hors d’oeuvres greeted guests followed by an autograph session with literary, music, television/film winners, while listening to the wonderful music of Dan Roberts, this year’s winner of the Traditional Western Album.

We then hastened to the home of Linda and Lance Benham and their lovely family. This private reception found us feasting from a sumptuous buffet and enjoying the company of Western Heritage inductees, Wrangler winners, and special guests. Our hosts were the epitome of western hospitality.

The following day Nancy, my friend Toby Sprague King, and I enjoyed several hours of roaming the museum and grounds. A lively Q & A with Hall of Fame inductee Bruce Boxleitner followed. We returned to the Marriott Hotel to change into evening attire and found beautiful flowers and a precious note from my husband who could not be with me. Tears followed by laughter punctuated the “getting gussied up” for one of the biggest nights of my life. 

Following a press conference and second autograph session we joined honorees, family, friends, and guests for the evening’s festivities. Red carpet, crystal chandeliers, beautifully-draped stage, movie-sized screens on either side of the stage took my breath away. To our delight we were seated with Outstand Documentary recipients from Wyoming PBS. I heartily recommend their production Main Street Wyoming: Charles Bleden – Cowboy Photographer. Throughout our meal I practiced my two-minute speech

only to  the “deer in the headlight look” upon receiving the magnificent bronze from two of John Wayne’s grandchildren, Anita LaCava Swift and Brendan Wayne. I have no idea what I said. I do know I am humbly grateful to our award sponsors Harrison-Orr Air Conditioning  Inc., the NCWHM Directors, contributors, judges and staff who are responsible for this memorable weekend.

The drive to and from Oklahoma City was most enjoyable with Nancy but we are glad to be home, back to our normal routines, and in our normal working clothes.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the stunning art work of Sarah Rogers of Sundance, WY whose painting Caballos Pintados graced the cover of the poems. To our delight Nancy and I found out on the way home that the cover of the book is one of the six winners recognized by the Da Vinci Eye selected from over 1000 entries. The Da Vinci Eye is one of the branches of the Eric Hoffer Awards.

Who can ask for anything more joyful?

April 26

The K-12 school in Kaycee, WY invited me to join their students, teachers, and guests to celebrate Poetry Month. Katie Smith, writer, fellow Wyoming Writer’s board member, and long-time friend and I, were entertained by student vocalists and poetry readings and fellow poets. Tom Spence, another fellow board member, joined us and we shared information about the organization’s forthcoming conference. I was most honored to read from my work, share stories, terrific food and fellowship with this wonderful community. Being Wyoming Poet Laureate has so many blessings; I will never be able to count them all.

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Travels With Pat

I want to share my journey as Wyoming Poet Laureate.  

On March 4^th and 5^th the Wyoming Poetry Out Loud Competition was held in Cheyenne. Judges for this year’s competition were Jim Coppoc, performance poet and musician from Ames, Iowa; poet and educator Diane Panozzo, and me. What a delight to listen to eleven students from across the state of Wyoming recite their chosen poems.

Sara Ellingrod of Arvada-Clearmont High School in Sheridan County was named winner of the Wyoming Poetry Out Loud finals held in Cheyenne on Monday. As champion, Sara receives an expenses-paid trip with a chaperone to Washington, D.C. where she will represent Wyoming at the Poetry Out Loud finals, May 14-15.

March 7th, I had the honor and privilege to share two poems before the Wyoming Legislature followed by a brief visit with Governor Mead. Rita Basom of the Wyoming Arts Council and Wendy Madsen of the Legislative Service Office guided me through the Capital and introduced me to a number of warm and wonderful people who keeps our Wyoming Capital running smoothly. Milward Simpson, Director of the Wyoming Department of State
Parks and Cultural Resources was also kind enough to join us for the readings. My gratitude to all.

On April 4^th, in celebration of National Poetry Month, I was delighted to present a reading at Fulmer Library in Sheridan. My thanks to Debbie Iverson, Program Director of the library for a well-planned event and Aaron Holst, a fellow poet who suggested my visit.

Old friends and new faces warmly received readings from Delights and Shadows by former National Poet Laureate, Ted Kooser and Margot Liberty, one of the wonderful poets included in Graining the Mare edited by Tereasa Jordan, and selections from my newest book, Married Into It.  I then enjoyed a wonderful stay with Aaron and his lovely wife Donna at their home which faces the magnificent Big Horn Mountains. My appreciation to all who made it a memorable visit to Sheridan.

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Wyoming Poet Laureate Patricia Frolander reads at Poetry Out Loud

Art Perspectives - Wyoming Poet Laureate Patricia Frolander from Indie Media: The New Journalism on Vimeo.

BLW members participating in the Writer's Digest November PAD Chapbook Challenge

Bearlodge Writers members Pat Frolander, Maureen Blake, Amanda Fall, and I are participating in the Writer's Digest November Poem-A-Day Chapbook Challenge. Each day in November, Robert Lee Brewer, poet blogger for Writer's Digest, is giving a prompt, and those of us taking the challenge then write a poem tied to the prompt.

Participants can post their work, or not; all four of us have been posting our daily poems. The poems are to be written after receiving the prompt, not previously written work.

The chapbook challenge comes into play after the November prompts have concluded. All participants will have the month of December to revise and organize their November poems into manuscripts of 10-20 pages, emailing the manuscript to Brewer by midnight January 5, 2010. He and his wife, poet Tammy Foster Brewer, will announce a winner on Groundhog Day.

Check out our poems, and those of many other poets, at http://blog.writersdigest.com/poeticasides/
(after linking through to the comments page, use your browser's "find on this page" function to locate our names easier; most days have had well over 100 poems posted in the comments)

We are enjoying the process, though it is a bit scary to post poems that have had little (if any) editing. And very interesting to see how the prompt materializes in the poem from each writer.

For me, this is a personal challenge, too, writing on demand to a particular idea--trying to craft a poem on the fly, and create something worthwhile.

Wish us luck! Jeanne Rogers

Open House\Book Signing for Pat Frolander

All are invited to an open house and book signing honoring award-winning Sundance poet Patricia Frolander on Monday, October 26 at the Community Room of the Crook County Library in Sundance, Wyoming. The event, which will run from 4 p.m. until 7 p.m., is hosted by Bearlodge Writers and friends of the poet, and will debut Frolander's new chapbook, Grassland Genealogy (Finishing Line Press, July, 2009).

Frolander, who promises to entertain those attending the event with poetry about raising children, weathering ranch life, and life in general, is celebrating more than a new book. She was recently notified that her poem, "Father, when You call," was named the 2009 winner of the 17th Annual National Senior Poets Laureate Competition. Sponsored by Amy Kitchener's Angels Without Wings Foundation, the competition draws entries from all over the United States. Picked as best from more than 700 entries for this year, "Father, when You call" brings its author both prestigious recognition and a cash award.

Frolander has also recently been notified that U. S. Poet Laureate Ted Kooser (2004-2006) selected her poem, "Denial," for use in his weekly column, American Life in Poetry. Kooser's column is supported by the Poetry Foundation and Frolander's piece will be used in the June, 2010 publication.

This poet, who admits to digging deep when she pens her lines, is definitely on a roll. Determined to keep the momentum going, she's submitting more—-already has a new manuscript making the rounds—-and is also on the schedule for a reading and workshop (with fellow Sundance poet Jeanne Rogers) at the Campbell County Library in Gillette, and other upcoming events. Her work has appeared in a number of anthologies, newspapers, and magazines, and she often speaks to the joys and problems of Wyoming ranch life when she shares her lines at gatherings throughout the region. One recent event was an old-fashioned parlor reading in Glendo, Wyoming, with fellow poets Katie Smith and Jeanne Rogers.

Grassland Genealogy will be available for purchase at the signing. You may also pick up a copy from the author or from your favorite local bookstore, or order it from Backpocket Books, 364 Farrall Road, Sundance, WY 82729 (307-283-2665) for $14 plus shipping and handling. It is also available from the publisher, Finishing Line Press, at http://www.finishinglinepress.com/NewReleasesandForthcomingTitles.htm.

Please join us October 26, 2009, at the Crook County Library meeting room from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. to celebrate poet Patricia Frolander and her new chapbook, Grassland Genealogy. (We'll be serving some fabulous refreshments, too!)

Cancellation of open house-book signing for Pat Frolander

The open house-book signing event scheduled for tonight, Monday, September 21, 2009, from 4:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m. at the Crook County library meeting room has been cancelled. Pat is very, very ill.

We will reschedule for a Monday in October, but no date has been selected yet.

Sponsored by the Bearlodge Writers, the event will be a celebration of the publication of Pat's first chapbook, Grassland Genealogy. Please check back for further information.

National award for Pat Frolander

Pat Frolander is the 2009 winner of the 17th Annual National Senior Poets Laureate Competition sponsored by Amy Kitchener's Angels Without Wings Foundation headquartered in Monterey, California. Her award-winning poem, "Father, when You call"--selected from over 700 entries--also garnered a cash award.

Congratulations, Pat!!

Patricia Frolander's Grasslands Genealogy

Now Available:

Patricia Frolander's Grasslands Genealogy

The distance between Bearlodge poet Patricia Frolander's Boston, Massachusetts childhood experiences and her life as a Wyoming ranch wife must be counted in more than miles. It is a cultural revolution of sorts, a self-development that is more than simply "a growing up." It is the story of a woman not afraid to dig deep . . . a woman willing to take a hard look at the grassland she loves . . . a woman who will readily admit she is not in absolute control of her life.

In her newly-published Grassland Genealogy (Finishing Line Press, July, 2009), Frolander shares forty years of ranching, raising children, and poetry. Her lines sing "a heart-deep melody." They capture the essence of the land and its people, revel in the blessings of close friends and closer family, and reflect upon hardships caused by unpredictable weather, markets, and livestock.

Frolander's authenticity evokes laughter . . . and tears. With it she plays the reader's life experiences by sharing hers. She coaxes, nurtures, calls us out past that safe zone we build around our memories; she makes us see that everything, including life's smallest mishaps, must be engaged. Robert Roripaugh, Wyoming Poet Laureate 1995-2002, sums up Frolander's poetry when he says it will "develop a reader's appreciation for her understanding of the subtle strands of heart and mind that tie humans and animals to each other and the grasslands they share."

Grassland Genealogy, a paperback, is Pat Frolander's first book. It is available for $14.00 plus shipping and handling from Backpocket Books (click on "Books" on this website) or from your favorite bookstore. You may also purchase a copy from the publisher, Finishing Line Press, P. O. Box 1626, Georgetown, KY 40324, or check their website,
http://www.finishinglinepress.com/NewReleasesandForthcomingTitles.htm for ordering information.

BLW members presenting program

Visit the Bearlodge Writers

On Wednesday, April 8, Pat Frolander and I will be presenting the April Brown Bag program at Matthews Opera House in Spearfish to help celebrate National Poetry Month. We will be reading and discussing our poetry, working in tandem to showcase the similarities and disparities in our work.

http://www.spearfishartscenter.org/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=180

The Brown Bag will begin at noon and conclude at 1:00 p.m. at the Opera House at 612 Main Street in Spearfish, South Dakota.

The Bellman Brown Bag series is a humanities program designed to explore ideas, history, literature, art, and culture. Programs are presented on the second Wednesday of each month, noon to 1:00 p.m. at the historic Matthews Opera House. Designed to begin and end within the lunch hour, patrons are invited to bring their lunch, or simply enjoy an hour of learning and entertainment. (from the Spearfish Arts Center web site: www.spearfishartscenter.org/)

Please join us! Jeanne Rogers