It’s kind of scary to think that a month and a half has passed since we first posted about Wordfest’s exciting postcard story contest, TumbleWord. Is June really half over? Is summer slipping away from us before it even officially starts?

Yes.

But that's ok. Before solstice sweeps us into a painfully short season of hailstorms, during which the Calgary Stampede will enjoy its 100th year, Wordfest is helping the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth celebrate with a "mini-festival" that launches this Monday, June 18, and runs through to June 20. It's Wild West Wordfest. For 3 days the festival known for bringing readers and writers together is gonna bring readers and riders together, and the lineup looks great...

(...all Wild West WordFest events are FREE.)

Wild West WordFest Launch

Monday, June 18

5:30pm, Motion Art Gallery, Eau Claire Market

Festival kicks-off with the winners of the TumbleWord writing contest and a reception. Hosted by Kris Demeanor.

Stories of the West - Tuesday, June 19

Noon, Community Room, Eau Claire Market

Spend your lunch hour with storyteller Anita Crowshoe and her amazing stories of our unforgettable heritage. Hosted by Dr. Yvonne Trainer.

Cowboy Wild - Tuesday, June 19

7pm, Art Gallery of Calgary

David Campion and Sandra Shields present from Cowboy Wild, a photography book that reflects on the myths of the Stampede and the meaning of the West. Introduction by Brian Rusted.

Nook Note* A book this beautiful might belong in your personal library, but just so you know, Cowboy Wild is available at the library... Click book cover to place your hold!

...and the grande finale, taking place right here at the Central library...

Cowboy Cabaret

Wednesday, June 20

7pm, John Dutton Theatre, Calgary Public Library

Doris Daley, Bob Dyck, Bruce Innes, Hannah Stilwell, Yvonne Trainer, Sheri-D Wilson and other special guests close out Wild West WordFest with a cowboy cabaret, featuring spoken word and song! Hosted by Donna Livingstone.

Please RSVP to news@wordfest.com

See y'all there!

Poetry is a mysterious beast that does something different for every person that discovers its magic. Whatever you want poetry to be, there it is, already waiting for you to make it your own. Also waiting for you, next Thursday at Fish Creek, is an award-winning writer who currently teaches at the University of Victoria – Madeline Sonik, for a fun exercise-based workshop. Whether you're already a poet or aspire to be one, this workshop will show you the fundamental tricks of the writer's trade…

Thursday, June 21

6:30 - 8:30 p.m.

Third floor - Meeting room

REGISTER

Madeline Sonik is an eclectic, award-winning writer and anthologist whose fiction, poetry and creative non-fiction have appeared in literary journals internationally. Her published book-length works include a novel, Arms, a collection of short fiction, Drying the Bones, a children’s novel, Belinda and the Dustbunnys, a poetry collection, Stone Sightings, and a book of personal essays, Afflictions & Departures, which was recently nominated for the BC National Award for Canadian Non-fiction and was a finalist for The Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-fiction. Her new poetry collection, The Book of Changes, has just been released. She holds an MA in Journalism, an MFA in Creative Writing, and a PhD in Education and currently teaches at The University of Victoria in British Columbia.

Click on book covers to find Madeline Sonik's work at the library...

If you are a young writer intent on getting a real solid head-start on mastering the craft of writing, or perhaps you know a talented young writer in the family who could use some extra stimulus over the melting drag of summer, look no further...

There isn’t much else I can say here that isn’t laid out at the Young Alberta Writers website (youngalbertawriters.com), which is where you will find Registration Forms, a very impressive list of instructors, and much more, but here is a heads-up on the dates:

Week 1 (for ages 12-14): July 8-13, 2012

Week 2 (for ages 15-19): July 15-21, 2012

Another thing I wish I’d done as a kid (other than go to a camp like this) is read the books of my writing instructors. It's the best way to know where they are coming from and to get the most out of their expertise. So if you are lucky enough to get out to Camp Kiwanis this summer for WordsWorth, check out some of the instructors’ books, available at the library...

Not sure how we missed the first two meetings of Shelf Life's 'Emergent Writer's Salon', but better late than not at all. This Saturday is the third installment of a 'series of afternoon events to introduce up and coming local writers' and it will feature Samantha Warwick and the library's former Writer-in-Residence Naomi K. Lewis.

from the Shelf Life website:

The (Second) Novel with Naomi K. Lewis and Samantha Warwick

The Calgary Association for Lifelong Learning & Shelf Life Books Present Emergent Writer’s Salon #3 with local authors, Naomi K. Lewis and Samantha Warwick.

Second novels have been known (and joked about) throughout history as being the most difficult book a writer will negotiate. Is this true? If so—why? In this interview-style presentation, Naomi and Samantha will discuss the process, challenges, highs and lows of writing their first novels as compared to their second. They will give short readings from their first and second books and answer audience questions about the writing process.

SATURDAY MAY 26.

2 – 4 p.m.

Naomi K. Lewis is an award-winning fiction and nonfiction writer. She was writer in residence at the Calgary Public Library throughout the fall of 2011, and her short story collection, I Know Who You Remind Me Of, will be published by Enfield & Wizenty in fall, 2012. For more info on Naomi, please visit http://www.naomiklewis.com/.

Click here to find her work in the library catalogue.

Samantha Warwick's work has been broadcast on CBC Radio and has appeared in various literary and commercial magazines including Geist, Event, Room and FASHION. Her first novel, Sage Island, follows nineteen-year-old Savanna “Savi” Mason, who—after a string of bad luck in New York—finds herself competing in the real-life Wrigley Ocean Marathon of 1927, a 22-mile swim race from Catalina Island to Los Angeles. Samantha is also the Southern Alberta Program Coordinator for the Writers Guild of Alberta. www.samanthawarwick.com.

Click here to find her work in the library catalogue.

Shelf Life Books in on the corner of 4th Street & 13th Avenue SW, in Calgary.

Click here for full information on the library's wonderful Writer-in-Residence services!

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HAIKU 101

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Saturday June 2

Central Library, 4th Floor Writer's Nook

11:30am - 1:00pm

Join the Magpie Haiku Poets for an introduction to haiku poetry. Then put your new knowledge and skills to the test and write a little haiku poetry for yourself!

REGISTER!

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For a headstart on your mastery of the form, check out these titles available at the library...

If you’re here you know there is one and only one piece of advice that anyone seeking to improve their writing must regard, and it’s pretty simple: READ!

Makes sense. If you wanna be really good at something, you gotta get to know what that something is from top to bottom, best to worst, to the very last page. Professional athletes, for example, devote their entire lives to a sport. Eat, sleep, breathe. All day every day. One hundred and ten percent. There’s no reason to think we can sit down and produce the masterpieces buried deep in our guts without years of training, practice, and study.

So, we read.

(There's even a 'Nook blog dedicated entirely to this topic from Oct. '11. Read it!)

If you’re anything like me you’ve got an infinitely growing backlist of ‘Want-to-Reads’ that will easily outlast your lifetime. And as a passionate, aspiring writer you’ve also got to keep up with the latest greatest trends within your market. That’s why I’m a big fan of NEXTREADS. The library has recently subscribed to this wonderful monthly booklist service and when I opened up my first newsletter I was pleasantly surprised to see that NextReads always features brand new titles in its lists.

It works real smooth. All you gotta do is sign up, wait for the next newsletter to appear in your inbox, open it, and you will be up to date on the recent releases within your selected ‘topics’ (there are 25 to choose from!) and you will undoubtedly discover brand new authors, as well as unique featured booklists. If you're looking for NextReads without this conveniently linked blog, click 'Books & More' off the library's homepage.

Get fed.

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STEPS TO NOWHERE

by Eleanor King Byers

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Thursday, May 10

Memorial Park

7:00 – 8:30 p.m.

Join us for the launch of a new book in which a mother shares her thoughts and feelings on the death of her son, a victim of alcoholism, as her family unites in love to begin their healing journey.

Click here to find a copy of 'Steps to Nowhere' at your local library.

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WHISTLER'S MURDER

by Joan Donaldson-Yarmey

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Monday, May 14

Central, Main Floor

6:00 – 7:30 p.m.

Joan Donaldson-Yarmey reads from her latest mystery novel in The Travelling Detective series, set in Whistler, B.C.

Click here to find a copy of 'Whistler's Murder' at your local library.

Spurs that jingle jangle jingle. Broncos bucking. Parading parades. Giant mechanical arms swing screaming laughing people through the air…

I know – it’s a bit early to be talking Stampede, but this year is different. This year is #100. It's special and as Calgarians we gotta make it the greatest greatest outdoor show on earth. Wordfest wants to get us in the mood by throwing a special literary series celebrating the Calgary Stampede Centennial - Wild West Wordfest. From June 18 - 20 the mini-festival will celebrate the "expression of cowboy culture through word, music and art in an effort to engage all sectors of the arts community for a city-wide commemoration. Events will include children’s programming, visual art, storytelling and spoken word programming."

A month and a half away from Wild West Wordfest, you may wonder why I bring it up... there's a writing contest involved, and the deadline is May 14.

TumbleWord– Writing Contest Call for Submission!

CLICK HERE FOR FULL CONTEST DETAILS, (including the 5 images we have to work with).

New to the 'postcard' form? Check out these titles for a sample:

WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR BEST WRITING DONE?

We can probably narrow it down to a few generalized stereotypes. Is it a coffee shop? They’ll make you buy their coffee! Is it at home? That’s too homely and there is probably something on tv or a bed to get in. Is it on a park bench under the sweeping branches of an oak tree? Birds and insects are a nuisance, wind blows, and you can’t put on sunscreen or your fingers’ll get too greasy to grip a pen so you’re sure to be sunburnt.

Is it wherever inspiration randomly strikes?

Is anyone writing at the library?

Pretty much everyone, actually, unless they’re reading.

Any of Calgary’s 18 library branches are truly ideal places for a writer to get lost in their work. There is always space at a desk within reach of a laptop plug-in. There is endless inspiration lining every shelf of books. There is friendly reference staff to get you through any research difficulty slowing you down. And have you seen our new program guide?... Here is a small sample of the offerings we have from May to August.

CREATIVE WRITING CLUB

Meet aspiring writers, engage in fun exercises and share your writing.

Central Library. Mondays, May 14, June 11, July 16, and August 13, 6 - 7:30pm

HAIKU 101

Join the Magpie Haiku Poets for an introduction to haiku poetry. Put your new knowledge and skills to the test and write a little haiku poetry for yourself!

Central Library. Saturday June 2, 11:30am - 1pm.

AUTHORS IN AUGUST

Join bestselling authors Kevin J. Anderson (Science Fiction), Kelley Armstrong (Romance), Anthony Bidulka (Mystery), and Young Adult author Rebecca Moesta as they read from their latest books. Co-presented with “When Words Collide : a Festival for Readers and Writers.”

Central Library. Friday August 10, 12 - 1pm.

FOUND POETRY WORKSHOP

Join the People's Poetry Festival (http://peoplespoetryfestival.com) for a hands-on found poetry excursion. Explore the library's vast collection to pull lines from books, music, magazines, advertisements, news clippings, photographs and more to create your own found poetry piece.

Central Library. Saturday August 18, 11am - 12:30pm.

Stay tuned for much more!

The 9^th annual Calgary Spoken Word Festival goes into full swing this weekend, featuring several events that take place right here at the Central Library. For a complete list of the festival events, click here. And here are the events the Central library is thrilled to be hosting in the John Dutton Theatre:

Saturday April 21 - SLAM CHAMPS PG

This is the winner circle sublime! National and International Slam Champs will raise the roof and rock the stage. If you want to Slam or you know someone who does or you just want to see the best in action—this event could change your life.

ARTISTS:

Truth Is (Ottawa)
Ian Keteku (Ottawa)
Mike McGee (Portland)
Mary Pinkoski (Edmonton)

MC:

Regie Cabico (Waskington,DC)

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Sunday April 22 - LEAGUE OF POETS & FRIENDS READING

A Balanced Brunch - Celebrating the 14th Annual National Poetry Month, four talented Calgary area poets will share their perspective on this year's theme of "balance" – culturally, creatively, linguistically, personally, socially, playfully, politically, poetically, or perhaps even musically! Coffee, tea and muffins will be served.

ARTISTS:

Vivian Hansen (Calgary)
Richard Harrison (Calgary)
Micheline Maylor (Calgary)
T.B. Perry (Calgary)

MC:

Dymphony Dronyk

Click book covers to find titles in the library catalogue!

Following the League of Poets & Friends Reading, starting at 2:30 (arrive at 2 if you want to compete!), it is your chance to shine... SNAP JUDGMENT - STORY SLAM COMPETITION Hosted by Regie Cabico

"This is your chance. Arrive at two bells. Sign up. Tell your five minute story. Two rounds. Winner takes all."