Arts Day at the Legislature

Monday was Arts Day at the West Virginia Legislature and the West Virginia Writers were there with a booth to promote the state's many writers. A call went out earlier last month for readers, so I volunteered to read some of my poetry, using my lunch hour to do so. The Capitol was an exciting place, with many exhibits and artists of all disciplines on hand.

It was hard sometimes to tell who was in costume and who was not:

Clowns, cops and Civil War soldiers mingled above the "well," the center of the second floor of the Capitol's Rotunda, as they all looked down below to where Horace Mann Junior High School performed:

The acoustics were unfortunate; little was discernible on the second floor, but when I went down to the first floor I could hear this amazing little group very well. They played flawlessly, a testament to their teacher and school--and parents who after all must support any child's efforts in the arts.

This is an important event for west Virginia arts, as the artists have an opportunity to showcase their work and meet with their legislators to promote the arts and ask for support. In hard economic times, the arts generally suffer first and deeply, and it takes time to build back again when times are better. The support of our lawmakers is critical. Creative experiences in music, writing, theater, dance, painting and all the other arts is essential to a healthy, well-rounded and educated society. Failure to recognize the value of these endeavors is to impoverish or minds and removes much of the beauty and joy from our lives. Imagine a day without music! Or a library with no fiction or poetry, a world with no paintings, sculpture or dance. What  a sad, dreary existence.

I had a little time to wander around, talk to people and take a few photos.

This little guy must have been tired and stopped to rest a bit:

And Robert C. Byrd was there, supporting the arts:

Then it was our turn, and I took the mic and read a few of my poems.

It was good to see some of my writer friends, if only for a little while. And it made me look forward even more to next year, when I should have more time and can stay for the day to help with the booth.

Good News from Writing Friends

Recently many friends have shared good news happening in their artistic lives:

Eric Fritzius, who produced the podcasts with me a few weeks ago, will have one of his plays onstage at StoFest in Wheeling this weekend. For information about the festival, go to The WV Writers blog. Eric continues to produce podcasts featuring West Virginia's writers so be sure to check the blog often for new episodes.


Janet Smart, a member of my writing group Appalachian Wordsmiths, has a story included in the anthology Christmas Traditions: True Stories that Celebrate the Spirit of the Season. The book is available on Amazon.com and other sites. Janet was also recently accepted as a children's columnist for Two Lane Livin' so look for her first article in the October issue. And don't forget to check out her blog, Writing in the Blackberry Patch.







Another writing group member, Lois Casto, has a new book in print. Titled Bequest for Nathan, this book is the second in Lois' series about the Bandelow family. Azariah's Legacy, the first in the series, was published by Headline Books. You can read an interview with Lois online here.








Max Price learned recently that one of him poems will be included in the new book called Coal Country: Rising Up Against Mountaintop Removal. Max's poem was also included in Coal: An Anthology. Max is also a member of Appalachian Wordsmiths.

The film documentary of Coal Country has been opening to large crowds and good reviews. I hope to see it soon. The book is exciting two ways for me: Max's poem will be in it, and the book was authored by my friend Shirley Stewart Burns, wife of blogger Matthew Burns of Appalachian Lifestyles. Shirley also wrote the critically acclaimed Bringing Down the Mountains.

Matthew was featured this past Sunday on Dave Tabler's Appalachian History blog's podcast. Matthew's blog provides first-person history of the Pendleton County region of West Virginia, and includes folktales, ballads, family stories and folklore. You can still hear the podcast, so go listen if you want to hear some good storytelling.

Storyteller Lorna Czarnota has a new book hitting the shelves this week: Legends, Lore and Secrets of Western New York.

I am sure there are other friends I should have included. I am happy to know that so many are doing such good work, getting their work published and getting the recognition they deserve.

Congratulations to all!