News
The Third Annual "Poetry in the Park"
March 30, 2012, from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. at the Zion National Park Nature Center. Co-sponsors, Utah State Poetry Society (UTSPS) and Zion Canyon Field Institute (ZCFI), invite all poets, beginning, or published, to register and enjoy a delicious and creative day.
“Pack a bag lunch, bring a camera, writing tools, and wear comfy walking shoes for a relaxing mid-day stroll with a naturalist. Be prepared for a feast of poetry, friendship, and nature's beauty,” said LaVerna Johnson, PIP Chairman.
Poet Budd Powell Mahan will be the featured presenter. Mahan, an inspiring poet, author, teacher, and a powerful voice for poetry, served as the 26th president of the National Federation of State Poetry Societies and as 16th and 19th presidents of the Poetry Society of Texas. His book, Witness, won the 2010 Morris Memorial Chapbook Contest. His 2005 book, Falling to Earth, won the prestigious Eakin Manuscript Competition. The prized 2006 NFSPS Stevens Manuscript Competition was garnered with his book, Harvest.
“That we may continue to offer a rich, personal learning experience for each poet, space is limited to 30 participants each year. Please register early,” said Johnson.
Registration for Poetry in the Park is $60. (UTSPS members qualify for a 20% membership discount or $48 fee.) New members are welcome--UTSPS membership: http://www.utahpoets.com.
You may register at http://www.zionpark.org/shopping/productDetails_1033.html; or by phone, please call ZCFI Director, Michael Plyer, 435- 772-3264 or 1-800-635-3959. Registration includes a free Zion Park pass for the day.
For writers wishing to also attend the 16th annual Redrock Writers Seminar the following day, please contact D. Gary Christian <viking@bajabb.com>.
Dixie State College Professor Publishes Book of Poetry
Dixie State College of Utah faculty member Candace Mesa has published a new book of poetry, entitled Summer Bird, A Journal of Discovery, which chronicles her life-changing experiences from this past summer in and around Cache Valley in northern Utah.
Mesa, who serves as Associate Professor of Developmental Composition at DSC, says that she did not intend to write a book, but when she returned to St. George at the end of summer, she saw that she had, indeed, accumulated a collection of detailed descriptions and self reflection documenting her rediscovery of self. She has been writing nature poetry and family stories for herself on and off for many years, but Summer Bird is her first "public" writing collection.
“Nature lovers, anyone who has ever visited or lived in Cache Valley, and readers who feel their lives stagnating will particularly enjoy this journal of discovery,” says Mesa.
Mesa graduated cum laude from the University of Redlands in California with a Bachelor’s degree in Comparative Literature and earned her Master’s degree in English at Northern Illinois University. She has been teaching at Dixie State College for almost 16 years. In addition to teaching, she was the DSC Faculty Coordinator of Service Learning for many years, as well as holding state-wide leadership positions in Utah Campus Compact. She has also been chairperson twice in the regional professional organization, TYCA West, as well as holding other leadership positions and giving numerous presentations over the years, many of them focusing on kinesthetic classroom activities.
Summer Bird is now available at the Dixie State Bookstore or online at Amazon.com. The DSC Bookstore will also host a campus book signing during its annual Christmas sale on November 28, 2011. In addition, Summer Bird will be featured at the Sixth-Annual St. George Book Festival on Saturday, Oct. 29th.
“Tomb Builder” Reveals the Story of Josrph of Arimathea
“The Tomb Builder”, a new novel written by St. George resident E. James Harrison was released recently by Bonneville Books, a division of Cedar Fort, Inc.
Lyle Mortimer, President of Cedar Fort Inc., sees the “The Tomb Builder” as an historical novel about Joseph of Arimathea, the man who removed Christ’s body from the cross and laid it in his tomb. “This is a touching account of love and sacrifice that gives the reader a unique perspective of the events immediately before and following Christ’s Crucifixion,” Mortimer said.
Harrison, who lived in Mink Creek, Idaho until about seven years ago, now lives St. George. During a recent interview he said, “This is one man’s story that needed to be told. It’s a story about an individual who sacrificed everything for his beliefs and is a perfect reminder to each of us to put our faith in God in all circumstances.” He went on to say, “It is fiction, of course, but I’ve intertwined so many facts that most readers will have difficulty separating the two.”
Although the book center’s around Christ’s death, according to Harrison, the book is an ideal Christmas gift. “Christmas is the time we celebrate Christ’s birth, but His purpose in coming to earth was to die for us. It is a poignant reminder that helps us focus on Christ’s mission.”
The book is available at Barnes and Noble as well as online at Amazon.com and numerous other outlets.
Dixie State College Professor Releases New Book
Acclaimed film director Andrew V. McLaglen is the subject of a new book by Stephen B. Armstrong, an associate professor of English at Dixie State College of Utah. Titled “Andrew V. McLaglen: The Life and Hollywood Career” (McFarland & Co., 2011), the book is the first of its sort, providing readers with a comprehensive survey of McLaglen’s experiences in the movies, television and the theatre.
Born in 1920, Andrew V. McLaglen emigrated to the United States as a young boy, after his father, the British actor Victor McLaglen, relocated from London to Hollywood. From an early age, Andrew expressed an interest in directing motion pictures. In 1945, he landed a job as a production clerk at Republic Pictures. Over the next ten years, he found work as an assistant director, a unit production manager and a producer. Among the movies he worked on during this period were several classics: “The Quiet Man,” “Hondo” and “The High and The Mighty.”
In the mid-50s, McLaglen began to direct movies himself. One of his earliest pictures was a Western called “Gun the Man Down,” which featured James Arness in the lead. Arness at the time was starring as Marshal Matt Dillon on the “Gunsmoke” TV series. Upon Arness's recommendation, McLaglen was invited by CBS Television to direct for “Gunsmoke.” He would subsequently helm more than 250 television programs, working on not only “Gunsmoke,” but also “Have Gun, Will Travel,” “Perry Mason,” “Banacek” and “The Wonderful World of Disney.”
By the mid-60s, McLaglen had come to be recognized as one of the most talented directors working in television. His success led to numerous offers to direct feature films. A favorite of both John Wayne and James Stewart, he had hits with the pictures “McLintock!” and “Shenandoah” in the mid-60s. Later he worked with stars like Doris Day, William Holden, Richard Burton and Roger Moore. McLaglen retired from filmmaking in 1989 with more than 30 credited feature films.
An associate professor of English at Dixie State College in St. George, Utah, Stephen B. Armstrong grew up in Annapolis, Md. He earned his Ph.D. in English (Creative Writing) from Florida State University in 2004. His articles and reviews about the cinema have appeared in numerous publications, including “Film Score Monthly,” “Classic Images” and “Film Quarterly.” His first book—“Pictures About Extremes: The Films of John Frankenheimer”—was published by McFarland & Co. in 2008. Armstrong is also the director of “Return to Little Hollywood,” a documentary about the history of motion picture production in southern Utah.
Armstrong spent nearly three years writing “Andrew V. McLaglen: The Life and the Hollywood Career.” “I’ve always like McLaglen’s movies,” Armstrong said. “When I was a boy, I remember being deeply moved by “Shenandoah,” a Civil War movie. And as a lifelong fan of Westerns, I’ve always thought that pictures like “The Undefeated” and “Chisum” were great.
“I started thinking about writing a book about McLaglen after I saw a picture he made in Texas and Utah called “Bandolero!” Dean Martin and James Stewart play the leads in this wonderful movie—which is thrilling, funny and very sad all at the same time. Anyway, as I watched more and more of Mr. McLaglen’s movies, as well as his television work, I realized that he is one of Hollywood’s most undersung directors. And so to remedy that, I wrote this book.”
Copies of “Andrew V. McLaglen: The Life and the Hollywood Career” can be purchased directly from the book’s publisher, McFarland & Co., as well online through Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
Calendar
There are two writing groups in the St. George Area:
Red Rock Writers Guild
On the 2nd Thu of each month, from Sep – Jun, the Redrock Writers sponsor a poetry reading at 7pm at Barnes & Noble Book Store, Red Cliffs Mall.
Heritage Writers:
Improvement Group - Weekly Wed Writing Workshop - 1:30-3:30 pm, Library, 88 West 100 South, St. George – visitors welcome.
Monthly
Meeting: 2nd Tue - 6:30pm - Downstairs - Washington County Library - 88 West 100 South - St. George
The Illustrated Journal
9 am
Zion National Park
Zion Field Institute
Awaken your senses and create pages that are a rich and meaningful record of your experience—a touchstone for remembering your connection to Zion.
Reading
Washington County Library
St. George Main Branch
88 West 100 South
St. George
(435) 634-5737 Hours
10 am to 8 pm Mon to Thu
10 am to 6pm Fri and Sat
Santa Clara
1099 North Lava Flow Drive
St. George
(435) 986-0432 Hours
10 am to 7 pm Mon to Thu
10 am to 6 pm Fri and Sat
Hurricane
36 South 300 West
Hurricane
(435) 635-46211
10 am- to 7pm Monday to Thu
10 am to 6 pm Fri and Sat
Springdale
126 Lion Blvd
Springdale
Phone: 435.772.3676
10 am to 7 pm Mon toThu
10 am to 6 pm Fri
Noon to 5 pm Sat
Enterprise
393 South 200 East
Enterprise
(435) 878-2574
10 am to 7 pm Mon to Thu
10am to 6 pm Fri
10 am to 3 pm Sat
New Harmony
34 South 2900 East
New Harmony
(435) 867-0065
10 am to 7 pm Mondto Thu
Closed Friday
10 am to 4 pm Sat
Washington
220 North 300 East
Washington
(435) 627-2706
10 am to 7 pm Mon to Thu
10 am to 6 pm Fri and Sat
