SOMOS Winter Writers

Bring Cornucopia of Words

January 17, 2010

With a little help from their friends, SOMOS, the Society of the Muse of the Southwest, a Taos-based organization devoted to the oral and written literary arts and cultural diversity in the Southwest, survived a November-December financial crunch. The non-profit cut expenses and continued to book their 20th Winter Writers’ Series, held this year at the Mabel Dodge Luhan House on Morada Lane off Kit Carson Rd. SOMOS grew out of the Taos Poetry Circus that was founded in 1982, so the pioneers of the modern literary scene, almost 30 years on, host a new slate of writers this winter in the house of Mabel’s founding literary, musical and paint-sniffing scene of the 1920s.

January 22: Monique Parker, who teaches English composition, creative writing and yoga at UNM-Taos, returns with “The Mantra Business,� another installment from her hilarious collection-in-progress, “Mating on the Web: Internet Stories.�

David Perez, writer, editor, consultant and actor raised in the South Bronx of New York City, will read from one of his short stories, “New Life and Alien Life: A Journey Begins.� Both David and Monique are known for their literary wit, humorous style and authentic voices.

January 29: Lauren Bjorkman will read from her newly-published young adult novel, “My Invented Life,� a spirited and adventurous tale of teen angst, gender issues and relationships. Lauren grew up on a sailboat, sharing the tiny forecastle with her sister and the sail bags. She is currently writing her second young adult novel about “advice blog gone awry, friendship, Mini Coopers, fake IDs, unplanned pregnancies and fortune cookies.�

Martha Egan, who has written “Clearing Customs and Coyota,� will read from her recently published short story collection, “La Ranfla and Other New Mexico Stories.� She is also author of two nonfiction books, “Milagros: Votive Offerings from the Americas� and “Relicarios: Devotional Miniatures from the Americas.� She has been an importer and dealer of Latin American folk art since 1974 through her gallery, Pachamama, in Santa Fe.

Brooke Zanatell and Phillip Handmaker from Zanagroove will perform between the two readings. Both are singer-songwriters and, as part of their larger band, Zanagroove, released a CD of five songs in 2009, on the album “Taos Hmm….�

February 5: Poet and UNM-Taos instructor Anne MacNaughton will host the First Annual Teen Invitational poetry reading at the TCA (not the Mabel House). Annie and husband Peter founded the Taos Poetry Circus and she taught at Taos High for 17 years. She’ll read her own work and introduce talented youth poets from Taos High, Chrysalis, Chamisa Mesa, Vista Grande and Moreno Valley High School in Angel Fire.

February12: Special Valentine’s Day program, “Love in its Many Forms.� Mirabai Starr, noted translator/author of the works and lives of Christian mystics, will read her recently translated collection of love poems between St. John of the Cross and Teresa of Avila.

Sean Murphy, author of three novels and a nonfiction book, will read from his latest book, “The Time of New Weather,� which won First Place for Best Novel in the National Press Women Communications Awards of 2009.

Jenny Bird, veteran rich-voiced local songwriter and musician, will perform songs from her latest CD, “Mystic Muse,� between the readings by the two authors.

February 19: James Stevens of the Akwesasne Mohawk tribe is a poet living in Santa Fe. Stevens’ many books of poetry include “Bulle/Chimere,� “A Bridge Dead in the Water, Mohawk/Samoa: Transmigrations� and “Tokinish.�

Carolyn Gage, playwright and 2010 Wurlitzer Fellow from Portland, Maine, will perform her one-act play, “Parmachene Belle.� In the play she portrays Cornelia “Fly Rod� Crosby, a Maine hunting guide from the turn-of-the-century with a romantic crush on Annie Oakley. Gage is a lesbian feminist playwright, performer, director and activist. The author of 12 books, and 55 plays, musicals and one-woman shows, she specializes in non-traditional roles for women, especially those reclaiming famous lesbians whose stories have been distorted or erased from history.

February 26, the final night of Winter Writers 2010: dg nanouk okpik, an Alaskan Native (Inupiat-Inuit) from Anchorage, currently living in Santa Fe, will present a layered introduction to the Inuit spirit world through her poetry. She will read from “For-the-Spirits-Who-Are-Coming-Around-The-Bend� as featured in the Academy of American Poets’ “American Poet,� in which her work is introduced by Arthur Sze, former Poet Laureate of Santa Fe.

Cathy Strisik will read from her just-published book of poems, “Thousand Cricket Song,� reflective of her journey in Cambodia. Her poems observe her sense of place in the country of Cambodia and the flow of motherhood, grief and the Mekong River. Her work has appeared in “The Cafe Review,� “Northwest Review,� “Canteen,� “Comstock Review,� and “Studio,� and she has been awarded poetry prizes from “Peregrine,� “Comstock Review,� and the Southwest Literary Center. Strisik is also the author of the poetry manuscript, “Sinew.�