VLP Poetry Slam Nov. 19; VLP Writing Group Nov. 16

November 14, 2009 by English

Two upcoming Vermillion Literary Project activities:

• VLP Reading & Poetry Slam – Join us Thursday, November 19, 7 p.m. at the Coffee Shop Gallery (24 W. Main Street), Vermillion, for the VLP Reading & Poetry Slam. Our featured reader this month will be Ed Allen. Allen has published two novels: Straight Through the Night, and Mustang Sally, which was made into a film, Easy Six (retitled in a Showtime DVD release as Easy Sex).  He is also the author of The Hands-On Fiction Workbook. His fiction and poetry have appeared in The New Yorker, GQ, Story, Prairie Schooner, The Indiana Review, and River Styx. His collection of short stories, Ate it Anyway, won the 2002 Flannery O’Connor Award for Short Fiction. His first collection of poetry, the sonnet sequence 67 Mixed Messages was published by Ahsahta Press in 2006. He has been a contestant on Jeopardy and was once on the same Delta flight as Tiny Tim. He currently teaches in the creative writing program at USD.
• Join an exciting new writing community, EXORCISE YOUR WRITES! on Monday, November 16, 7 p.m. at the Washington Street Arts Center, 202 N Washington, Vermillion. Exorcise Your Writes is a community writers group that brings area writers together on the third Monday of every month to free themselves from the usual “anti-writing” spirits: The evil voice of the inner ear (self-censoring), the mind eraser (writer’s block), the blinding blank page, the floating fingers that lure writers to the web, and the spring in the chair that causes writers to pop up and make coffee. EVERYONE is welcome! Whether a published writer or just starting out, come to this supportive, inspiring, creative group to exorcise (and exercise) your writing, to share and receive feedback from your peers, and to listen to other creative spirits.  Bring your poems, scribbles, chapters, scenes, sketches, drafts, characters – or just come and listen! For more information, contact group organizer Sandra Kern Mollman at Sandra.Mollman-AT-usd-DOT-edu. Sponsored by the Vermillion Literary Project (VLP) http://orgs.usd.edu/projlit.
  

 

USD Alumna Sally Read publishes second book of poetry

May 20, 2009 by English

Sally Read, a writer who graduated from the University of South Dakota in 2000, recently contacted Professor Brian Bedard to let him know that she has published her second book of poems, Broken Sleep. The first book, out in 2005, is called The Point of Splitting; it was shortlisted for the Jerwood Aldeburgh First Collection Prize. Both books were published by Bloodaxe Books, a British publisher known for publishing contemporary poetry of merit. Both books are available for sale on Amazon.com.

 

VLP Poetry Festival Feb. 28, followed by 24-Hour Comics Contest Feb. 29

February 21, 2008 by English

Everyone is welcome to attend the Vermillion Literary Project 2008 Poetry Festival Thursday, February 28. This annual event, organized and run by University of South Dakota student volunteers, will feature professional writers sharing their work with the general public. You can attend free readings throughout the day and also register for a small fee for morning and afternoon workshops, in which you can get help with your own writing. And, of course, there's the fabulous VLP poetry slam, a competition for poets, in the evening. For details, visit http://www.usd.edu/orgs/projlit/poetryfestival .

But the fun doesn't end there. You can also participate in the VLP's first ever 24-Hour Comics Contest, which begins on Friday, February 29, the day after the festival. For more information, see http://www.usd.edu/orgs/projlit/comics .

 

VLP Events: Sept. Meeting, Poetry Slams, and a Youth Writing Camp

August 03, 2007 by English

The Vermillion Literary Project, an award-winning student organization at the U., invites students of any major, undergraduate or graduate, to join. No experience is required, and members can participate in one activity or several. The VLP publishes an annual literary magazine, publishes electronically (via a website, weblog, and podcasts), runs a creative writing camp for high schools students, hosts monthly poetry slams, and holds a three-hour short story contest and other literary events, most of which are open to the general public. And the VLP has a good time doing it. The first meeting of the 2007-08 school year will be held Friday, September 7th, at 4 p.m., in Dakota Hall 201 (English Department, Writing Center). Come and learn more about the VLP!

 

Of course, the VLP has been busy over the summer. On the last Thursday of each month, they've held poetry slams, competitions for poets, in downtown Vermillion. You can catch the next two VLP poetry slams on Thursday, August 30 and Thursday, September 27, at the Coffee Shop Gallery, 24 W. Main Street, at 7 p.m. Everyone is welcome to come and slam, including newbies--prizes are awarded! Poets who plan to slam should bring at least three poems. There will also be a featured reader to start off the event each month. A good time will be had by all. These slams are free and open to the general public. For more information about the VLP, visit http://www.usd.edu/orgs/projlit.

The VLP and the Dakota Writing Project, a local teachers' organization affiliated with the National Writing Project, are holding the Sorcerer's Apprentice Creative Writers' Camp, a one-day camp for high school students, on Saturday, September 22nd, in Old Main. There will be workshops on fiction, poetry, revision, and performance, followed by a 4:30 p.m. reading by the participants for the general public. For more information and a registration form, visit http://www.usd.edu/orgs/projlit/camp.