Category: Special Events

Writers in Residence

Idaho is graced with several Writers in Residence. (Note: If you know of others, feel free to let me know and I will add to this post as appropriate.)

  • The writer must apply and be evaluated.
  • The post is for a limited duration (from months to years).
  • The recipient receives a stipend.
  • The Writer in Residence is typically expected to present public events, speaking about their work and/or the craft of writing.

Idaho

Kerri Webster is the state of Idaho’s Writer in Residence for 2024-2025. She is the recipient of numerous prizes for her work and is the author of four books of poetry. She’s a former professor of poetry at Boise State University and has taught poetry at Boise’s The Cabin.

Other recent Idaho Writers in Residence include: CMarie Fuhrman, Malia Collins, Christian Winn, Diane Raptosh, Brady Udall, Anthony Doerr, and Kim Barnes. Read more about Idaho’s Writer in Residence program.

Hemingway House

The Community Library manages the Hemingway House Writer in Residence program which appears to have a shorter duration and is definitely by invitation only. Read more about it on these pages:

Boise

The City of Boise has just inaugurated a Writer-in-Residence program, as we mentioned in this post last July. This initiative is a collaborative program between the Boise City Department of Arts & History, Boise Public Library, and The Cabin.

The post is funded by the City of Boise is the initial six-month residency was awarded to Heidi Kraay and Natalie Disney, alumni and teachers at Boise State University (links to article detailing their background).

Natalie Disney is currently serving (Oct. 2023 through March 2024) and Heidi Kraay will serve Apr. 2024 through September 2024.

Heidi Kraay
Natalie Disney

Header image from the Punctuation Personified collection (circa 1824)

Test Your Lit-Wits

The Cabin is hosting a Literary Trivia Night on Wednesday, 13 September. The cost is only $10 (discount for teams) and it promises to be fun.

Join with other Lit-Wits (sorry; I can’t let it go) in the Treasure Valley for this fun event.

Location: Lost Grove Brewing, 1026 S. La Pointe St. in downtown Boise.

More on their website.

PETRICHOR is here – a new Idaho writers’ publication

Margaret Koger has written to let us know that the group Boise Spoken Word will shortly be coming out with a new chapbook featuring the work of several Idaho writers. You’ll find several of Koger’s poems, including: “The Muses Sing,” “The Rosebud,” “Who Called Himself Black Sheep,” and “The Shoemaker’s Ashes”.

Read more about Boise Spoken Word and their mission, and download their previous publication Home Grown: An Anthology of Local Voices from their website.

Mark your calendar for a celebration of the new chapbook at Clairvoyant Brewing (2800 W. Idaho St. location, in Boise) on Monday 28 August from 7 to 9 p.m. (MT).

Food & Family

The 2023 TREASURE VALLEY READS selection is Madhushree Ghosh’s Khabaar: An Immigrant Journey of Food, Memory, and Family.

A book which received much attention when it was released last year, it was published by University of Iowa Press (further reviews on that page):

Khabaar is a food memoir and personal narrative that braids the global journeys of South Asian food through immigration, migration, and indenture. Focusing on chefs, home cooks, and food stall owners, the book questions what it means to belong and what does belonging in a new place look like in the foods carried over from the old country? 

Join in with Treasure Valley Reads for 2023. Contact your local library for more information on any local events.

Khabaar is available at Rediscovered Books, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon.

Photos courtesy of the author’s website.

QUICK: Do This Survey

If you’re an independent (self-publishing) author who spends more than half their worktime on writing and publishing, ALLI (the Alliance of Independent Authors) is requesting your input.

Like right now. (Survey closes, I believe, in a matter of days.)

Here’s the survey link: SelfPublishingAdvice.org/survey23

If you want a bit more background, here’s more discussion on ALLI’s Self-Publishing News website.

Calling Writers & Readers!

Readers, mark this date: March 4 — And, indies: also February 18.

Nampa Public Library is hosting a Treasure Valley Indie Book Fair. March 4 is the date of the fair. February 18 is the last day for an open call — to all local indie writers, illustrators, and publishers — to submit an application.

Cue: EXCITEMENT!

Note that there’s no tabling fee for participants. NPL will provide 1 table and up to 2 chairs per vendor. There will be 1 hour to set up before the beginning of the fair.  All sales and proceeds go directly to the vendor.

Visit nampalibrary.org/bookfair to sign up and for more information. Be sure to pass this info along to anyone not on the Idaho Writers Update newsletter list!

Give, and Maybe: Get!

The Cabin, in Boise, is giving away three prize bundles. You’re automatically entered if you make a donation at TheCabinIdaho.org/give between now and the end of January. (Multiple donations would seem to indicate multiple entries!)

Each bundle includes a $25 Rediscovered Books gift card, a reusable Cabin tote bag, a comfy and warm Cabin beanie, a bundle of books, a Cabin bullet journal with a pen (trust us, we’re picky about our pens), and a handcrafted ceramic Cabin mug.

Treasure Valley Writer?

We want YOU.

A New Program in the Treasure Valley Solicits Writers

If you’re a writer, you might find it difficult to get your work into potential readers’ hands (and ears). Writers Read, a program in Star, addresses the problem by giving writers a chance to read their work in public.

Mark your calendar

Location: Ada Community Library, Star Branch

Free, starting at 5:30 p.m. MT

  • 17 January
  • 21 February
  • 21 March

Your participation will encourage the organizers to continue!

More about it

Every month we’ll meet, featuring up to four authors per event. Participants can read anything they’re working on:

  • fiction, poetry
  • memoir
  • children’s lit
  • nonfiction
  • graphic novels

Writers Read organizer Tina Johnson is looking for writers to read at upcoming events in January, February, and March. “We’re inviting writers with all levels of experience across the Treasure Valley and beyond. “We’re excited to hear from teen as well as adult writers,” she said.

Be the audience

The program also seeks audience members. “It’s a great event for listeners as well,” Johnson said. The program lasts about an hour and includes time to chat with authors around the refreshment table.

If you have any questions, contact Tina Johnson at: starwritersread@yahoo.com
To sift out spam, please use this subject line — Writers Read Firstname Lastname — for example, Writers Read Jane Smith

Lunch for Literacy 2023

It’s just 90 days (can you believe it?) until 2023’s LUNCH FOR LITERACY “where Learning Lab’s friends and supporters gather to celebrate the successes of students and the generosity of our community”. The guest speaker will be New York Times bestselling author Amanda Turner.

Show your support by purchasing tickets and watch for an upcoming SILENT AUCTION opportunity.

Read all about Lunch for Literacy 2023 on this page.