I had a wonderful time at Scissortail Creative Writing Festival, at East Central University in Ada. Even taking time out to teach my Friday classes, I managed to hear twenty-five poets, novelists, short-story writers, and essayists. Here’s a list, with a few notes and links, of authors I heard over the course of the three day festival:
1. Shirley Hall
2. George McCormick (reading an absolutely brilliant short story).
3. Ken Hada (reading from Spare Parts, a finalist for the Oklahoma Book Award).
4.Alan Barecka (reading from Remembering the Body).
5. Rilla Askew (first chapter of a new novel!)
6. The one and only Jim Spurr, of Shawnee
7. Jason Poudrier (Jason is an Iraq War veteran, whose poetry offers a powerfully affecting view on the war).
8. J. Don Cook
9. Me (reading from Elegy for Trains).
10. Jane Vincent Taylor (a smart and engaging poet)
11. Jeanne Dunbar-Green
12. Arn Henderson
13. Carol Hamilton (reading from Umberto Eco Lost His Gun, another finalist for the Oklahoma Book Award).
14. E.K. Mortenson (reading from The Fifteenth Station, a very powerful cycle of poems).
15. Mark Walling
16. Larry Thomas (former poet laureate of Texas and author of, A Murder of Crows and many other books).
17. Nathan Brown (reading from Letters to the One-Armed Poet).
18. James Brubaker
19. Sarah Webb
20. Patrick Ocampo (who has a new book out from Mongrel Empire Press).
21. Tara Hembrough
22. Dan Wilcox (all the way from Albany, NY.)
23. Dean Rader (reading from Works and Days).
24. Ron Wallace (reading from Oklahoma Cantos, yet another finalist for the Oklahoma Book Awards).
25. And the grand finale: Billie Letts.
I also picked up a number of new books I hope to review on this blog soon.
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