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UP North TV has a feature with two Native American poets, Lois Beardslee and Eva Petoskey, reading poetry at Eyaawing Museum that you might enjoy.

The artwork to the right was created by Lois, and appears in a cool feature about her years ago by Jim Rink in our Northern Michigan Journal entitled Lois Beardslee, Daughter of the Earth. It was about her artwork, but I think it gives a great sense of Lois's dedication to the preservation of her culture:

...Beardslee is good at filling the gaps--she feels a strong responsibility in her role as a cultural emissary for Native Americans. Whether she's telling stories on paper or in person, the imagery she creates is the essence of life in the Ojibwe and Lacandon tribes into which she was born. Make no mistake--the myths and the legends she distills are for our benefit. Long part of an oral tradition, the spirit world of the past has been kept alive through a well organized underground. Only recently have these cultural icons resurfaced, as a soothing balm for troubled and restless times.

Beardslee has had her own share of troubles, and the gaps here are a little bit wider. Born into a family of nine siblings, her mother died when she was 10; her father at 15. But she has no complaints.

"I grew up around here, came from a rural background," she says. "We hunted, fished, farmed. I grew up in a privileged era--I remember ducks being piled on the table, each of us having our own duck for dinner. It was a time of plenty--a lifestyle that's disappearing."

by Holly Wren Spaulding

The renown writer, naturalist, and world explorer, Peter Matthiessen will offer a master class for readers and writers next Friday, October 29 from 10:30 AM-12:30 PM at Fountain Point, an historic resort on the northern shore of Lake Leelanau.  Co-hosted by the resort and Michigan Writers, the presentation precedes his appearance at the Opera House as part of the National Writers Series.

Join this iconic American author in a salon-like setting for a craft talk and discussion about the opportunities and particular challenges facing socially and politically engaged writers at this moment in American history and culture.  The discussion will address issues of craft—both for fiction and non-fiction writers—and include a brief question and answer session.  Coffee and light snacks will be provided.  Participants are encouraged—but not required—to RSVP by calling Fountain Point at 231-256-9800 or emailing info@fountainpointresort.com.  This event is free to members of Michigan Writers.  The general public is most welcome and free-will donations are gladly accepted.  Books will be for sale at this event.

Here's an interview with Peter Matthiessen by Charlie Rose.

(more...)

The Leelanau Community Cultural Center will host the Exposures 2010 exhibit to celebrate the art and creative writing of Leelanau County students in grades 7-12 chosen for this year's publication. The opening reception featuring original artwork, essay and poetry readings, and live music with be held on Friday, April 30-5:00-8:00 pm at the Old Art Building. Hors d'oeuvres provided courtesy of coordinator Martha Ryan and Leelanau County business owners. The exhibit continues Saturday, May 1- 10:00 am - 4:00 pm.

Exposures is a collaborative effort of volunteers from throughout Leelanau County. Deb Freed of Suttons Bay coordinates the project. “This year’s publication is an impressive showcase for the talents and hard work and creativity of our youth,” Freed said. “I think the community will find this issue to be amazing.”

In this year’s edition of EXPOSURES, 134 pieces of work produced by 112 students in grades 7-12 will be published. Will Case and Donna Popke are art editors, while Marie Hanis, Lynne Rae Perkins and Tina Ulrich are writing editors.

All students whose work is included in the book will receive a complimentary copy of Exposures 2010. Additional copies will be on sale at the Old Art Building and at area book stores for $5 per copy.

From the Glen Arbor Sun:

Tom Van Zoeren has published a new booklet about the Port Oneida Rural Historic District in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore north of Glen Arbor, titled The Thoreson Farm and Its Neighbors, which, Tom says “is based mainly on oral history recordings with Leonard Thoreson, and on his photo collection.”

The book starts with Leonard’s ancestors and the beginnings of the farm, continues through his boyhood there, the eventual sale of the farm, and its inclusion in the National Lakeshore (which is part of the National Park Service).

Thoreson Farm includes a few pages about the neighboring Fred & Ellen Miller Farm, the Watkins Cottage, and the Brunson Farm, and includes maps of all farmsteads based on aerial photos. The book also includes an audio CD with excerpts from Leonard’s interviews, so you can hear him tell stories with your own ears.

The Thoreson Farm and Its Neighbors costs $18 and is available at the Glen Lake and Traverse City Libraries, Laker Shakes, The Cottage Bookshop, Horizon Books in Traverse City or online at VZOralHistory.com. For more information, call Tom Van Zoeren at (231) 334-4608.

Dick Kerr, longtime owner and publisher of the Leelanau Enterprise, was known for this fiery editorials, which often targeted public officials. Kerr has turned his recollections and stories into a book, "Of Cabbages and Kings."

He transformed a traditional but rather sleepy weekly newspaper into a true source of local news, reports theRecord Eagle in a February 27 article.

Readers loved it. Most local officials didn't mind the scrutiny, and even appreciated the coverage.
But some hated it, particularly if they were on the wrong end of one of Kerr's sharp edits. A handful of Leelanau powerbrokers complained long and loud about Kerr and the Enterprise. They verbally attacked newspaper staffers in public settings, pulled advertising, and urged others to do the same. It wasn't unlike what the Record-Eagle went through a few years ago when a Grand Traverse County string-puller campaigned against us to our then-corporate board, an effort designed to scare the paper away from doing its job.

Another article in the Grand Traverse Insider says about Of Cabbages and Kings,"

Kerr’s memoir is filled with the excitement of meeting important personages and celebrities of the day, both in Leelanau County and in his two decades as a journalist in the Ypsilanti area. “Being in on” area happenings, and reporting on the events and people that shaped the character of the areas he served have made for an exciting career. But most of all, Kerr cites his having made friends with “many, many fine, great people” as that which has brought him the most satisfaction.

Copies of Dick Kerr’s memoir, “Of Cabbages and Kings,” are available for purchase at The Business Helper and Known Books in Suttons Bay, Leelanau Books in Leland, and the Cottage Book Shop in Glen Arbor.

Photo credit: Dick Kerr by Kristine Morris of the Grand Traverse Insider

The National Writers Series and Doug Stanton Present - A Special Valentine’s Evening With Amy Alkon, the Advice Goddess!

Lively, witty and hilarious conversation about Love, Lust and Bad Manners!

NATIONAL WRITERS SERIES, Traverse City's year-round book festival, KICKS OFF ITS SECOND SEASON FEATURING AMERICA'S BEST STORY TELLERS AND WRITERS.

Following on the heels of the National Writers Series' evening with Elmore Leonard and Peter Leonard last Fall, Amy Alkon leads the 2010 season with an evening on the Opera House stage, February 11, 2010. Doors open at 6 p.m., Event begins at 7 p.m.

Amy will answer, in her famous light-hearted way, questions from the love-lorn, love-struck, and loveless in a lively dinner party format at Traverse City's downtown City Opera House. Don't be shy! You won't have to say anything at all to have fun.

In addition to the great conversation, the evening's guests will enjoy chocolates, Indian music, free tarot card reading, and delicious Indian food compliments of Wellington Street Market (and included in the ticket price). The night's festivities are capped off with a reception (cash bar will be offered by Stella Trattoria) and personal book signing with Amy. Amy's books will also be for sale at the Opera House.

Amy Alkon is nationally syndicated advice columnist, author, journalist, and blogger with a wild wit. She is well-known to Northern Michigan through her popular weekly column in Northern Express in which she talks straight about love and lust. Her advice column runs in more than 100 other newspapers across the U.S. and Canada. Her New York Daily News series won a first place award in the Southern California Journalism Awards. She has appeared on numerous television and radio shows, including Good Morning America, The Today Show, NPR, CNN, MTV, Entertainment Tonight, Dennis Miller, Politically Incorrect, and Biography Channel, where she was featured in "The Advice Minute, with Amy Alkon."

The evening will culminate with a special auction of treats only the energetic and witty Amy can provide. In fact, auction items include Amy herself-- so to speak. Winners will be delighted with their prizes, including attending a sumptuous brunch (February 12) with Amy.

The prize of the evening, however, may be Amy's offer to record a special voice mail greeting on your phone. Feeling bullish with callers? Amy can oblige. Want to sound like Scarlett O'Hara? Amy can do that.

New York Times best-selling author Doug Stanton will share the stage with Alkon, as Amy talks romance, manners, humor, and the writer's life. Amy's new book is I See Rude People, One Woman’s Battle to Beat Some Manners Into Impolite Society. She also co-authored Free Advice -- The Advice Ladies on Love, Dating, Sex, and Relationships.

This is the first event in the new season of the National Writers Series. The Series, now in its second season, will bring best-selling authors, journalists, and storytellers to Traverse City in 2010. Founded in 2009 by Doug Stanton, New York Times best-selling author, Traverse City attorney Grant Parsons, and Northern Express writer Anne Stanton, the Series hopes to raise $50,000 in five years for aspiring writers to pursue writing in college.

The mission of National Writers Series is to support young writers through college scholarships, and inspire writers of all ages.

Net proceeds will be donated to a National Writers Series scholarship fund benefiting college-bound writing and arts students that attend Grand Traverse Region schools. Winners will be published in the Midwest's best literary review, The Dunes Review, and receive their awards at a special reading multi-day gala event also featuring nationally prominent writers.

The evening event is supported and/or sponsored by FIM Group, Beia Family, Copy Queenz, Courage Project, Crema, Debbie Sparks, Horizon Books, IRONKEEP, Lakehouse Publishing, Oryana, Porterhouse Productions, Realtor Marsha Minervini, Stella Trattoria, and Wellington Street Market.

Advance tickets* are $15, Seniors $10, Students $5. Tickets at the door are $20.

TICKETS ON SALE at the Traverse City Opera House box office at 106 East Front Street, or online at: www.treatickets.com or www.cityoperahouse.org.

* Advance ticket price does not reflect outlet or on-line handling fees.

For more information: www.nationalwritersseries.org

Looking for some things to do? Check out The Bay Select Film Series – Seraphine or a Free Presentation on Citizen Journalism. Or on Febrary 14, plan on attending the . The Winter Wine Wonderland committee is still taking submissions for artists. Also starting this week is the Father Fred Frostbite Food Drive. We had a special guest post this week, Houdek Dunes by Rory Price. This is originally from the Beechnut Review, the online literary magazine of Leland School. And our Photo Friday was Leland Sunset by dancingfrogz.

Jan 12: Cloudy & 31 with 24" of snow(33/31)
Jan 11: Snow & 27 with 24" of snow (27/20)
Jan 10: Partly cloudy & 19 with 24" of snow(28/9)
Jan 9: Partly cloudy & 11 with 24" of snow (21/1)
Jan 8: Partly cloudy & 21 with 24" of snow(24/17)
Jan 7: Partly cloudy & 24 with 24" of snow(26/22)

Post your comments about the week's news, observations of the weather or the natural world or events below!

You'll also want to check out the Leelanau Calendar and the latest news and features from Leelanau, Traverse City and the surrounding area in our blog! Here's the January 2009 archive, and Leelanau Almanac Week of Dec 23 - Dec 30.

Photo: Tis the Season by Jackson Thomson

Here's a guest post from the Beechnut Review, the online literary magazine of Leland School.  Beechnut has been online since 1995, and in  December 2009 it switched formats to become an ongoing blog, with new stories on a regular basis.

The bees buzz quietly by the stairs, attracted to the scent of lady slippers. Sand is lightly dusted across each worn wooden step, making my running shoes slide as I jog. The leaves of the birch trees rustle in the slight afternoon breeze and a morning dove’s call fills the air. The trail is covered with twigs and fallen leaves, and the path descends sharply downhill. I run at an even pace, taking care not to trip on any hidden roots. The sun rays are filtering through the boughs of the trees, warming my shoulders.

It is the perfect summer day, and I am in the perfect place: Houdek Dunes hiking trail. The path opens up into a heavenly meadow. Knee-high ferns stretch into the distance for an acre, and the path is nearly invisible, almost completely covered by foliage. As I wind through the field, the tips of the ferns lightly graze my legs. After a steep incline, I have reached the sandy part of the trail. The temperature is noticeably higher here because of the lack of tree cover, and if I squint just right, I can pretend that I am in the middle of the Sahara. I sink into the dune, my pace becoming slow and laborious, and my shoes filling with sand. I crave a cool drink, but no such thing is available out here.

The looping trail leads me back to the shade of the forest, and I am grateful for the break from the hot sun. After rounding a sharp corner, I reach a tree that is easily as tall as a two-story building, and over one-hundred years old. Beneath its ancient limbs rests a smooth wooden bench, donated by some charitable soul. But there is no time to rest today: I bypass the welcoming bench, and continue on home.

If you have comments, please share them here and on the original post.

The Spring 2009 edition of the Beechnut Review is now online.

It's the online literary magazine of Leland High School that features the best of staff and student writing.

Click the fish to read it!

Greg Mortenson, humanitarian and noted author of Three Cups of Tea will give a special presentation about his non-profit organization's work building schools in remote areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan at the Dennos Museum at 7:30 next Tuesday (January 13). The Dennos talk is sold out BUT they are still selling tickets so that you can view live at a remote location and attend the reception.

Following the presentation, there will be a reception and book signing at the museum for Mortenson's book Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace ... One School at a Time. Tea and sweets will be provided by Light of Day Organic Tea and Grandview Catering.

For a no-waste event, please bring your own teacup!