Young skolars for Rick Perry!

This goes back to a 2010 rally in Houston in which Ted Nugent and Sarah Palin were in town to support Rick Perry. Still, it's priceless.  Houston Press photo.

Call for applications: "Snow White Sessions" in Laramie

Works of Wyoming in Laramie is always up to new and interesting things. Here's another one: 

On Dec. 4, Ballet 7220 will perform the Brothers Grimm version of Snow White at the Laramie Plains Civic Center. Works of Wyoming, in partnership with the Laramie Dance Center, is inviting artists to attend rehearsals to document the making of Snow White through whatever media they choose.... painting, drawing, film, etc!

Selected works created during the "Snow White Sessions" will be on display in the Works of Wyoming gallery Dec. 2-Jan. 6. An opening reception will be held on Dec. 9. 

Download an application here.

5K walk raises awareness for PTSD after suicide by Fort Collins soldier who was treated at Cheyenne VA

Here's a sobering statistic from a story in the Fort Collins Coloradoan:

The Veterans's Administration Regional Medical Center in Cheyenne "in fiscal year 2011 (through July) had 1,954 veteran patients with PTSD, comprising 10.7 percent of the veterans seen, according to VA spokesman Andrew Ruben."

That breaks down to almost 200 patients a month being treated for PTSD. And that's only at one VA Center in our little corner of the world.

U.S. Army Spc. Nicholas Larson of Fort Collins was treated for PTSD at the Cheyenne VA. It wasn't enough. Larson, a 22-year-old Iraq War veteran, killed himself May 12, 2010, leaving behind a wife and son, among other loved ones.

Elizabeth Larson-Haag (sister) and Larson's mother, Monica Meisner, have since started A Soldier's Silent Cry, a petition for the U.S. military to require that troops who have served overseas undergo regular mental-health evaluations.

They are organizing a 5K run/walk that walk starts at 10 a.m. Sunday beginning and ending at Veterans Plaza at Spring Canyon Park in Fort Collins. Contributions benefit Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, which helps people who have lost loved ones in the military.

More staggering stats:

PTSD affects 11 percent to 20 percent of veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' website.

Ruben at the Cheyenne VA said veterans struggling with PTSD can find assistance at their local medical center, which can be found at http://www.va.gov or by calling the 24/7 Veteran Combat Call Center at (877) 927-8387.

For more information about registering for the walk or the petition, visit http://www.asoldierssilentcry.com or call (970) 581-7905.

After drinking all that tea, GOP not so grand anymore

Wyoming GOP will be bringing some monstrous Tea Party bills to the 2012 Legislature.Stay tuned... 

Civility & poetry & Wyoming

Civility Matters!

So does poetry.

Naomi Shihab Nye is "surprised by how kind people are when reciting and listening to poetry." She specifically is referring to secondary students, such as the ones she taught today at Casper's Star Lane Academy. "During nearly 40 years of working with kids, sometimes in very rough situations, I've never seen kids bully each other over their words."

Naomi Nye was in Casper Thursday night during the last stop on her "Civility Matters: Potlucks and Poetry" tour sponsored by the Wyoming Humanities Council. "Civility Matters" is a program funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities. Its goal is to "creatively engages the public in considering the meaning of civility, both in the context of our national democratic commitment to freedom of expression and in the context of an increasingly global world."


The award-winning Palestinian-American poet started her tour in Jackson and then moved on to Riverton for a potluck at the Native American Center at CWC. At each stop, people are invited to bring picnic dinners and enjoy an evening with Nye, who describes herself as a "wandering poet." Nye, the daughter of a Palestinian father and American mother, has appeared on NPR's A Prairie Home Companion and several times with Bill Moyers on his PBS poetry specials. 

Writing of all types is just one of the creative disciplines used to nurture public dialogue. "Writing is a grass-roots effort -- it belongs to everyone," Nye said.

Throw some food into the mix -- that adds to the community atmosphere.

Nye liked how her Wyoming hosts made her feel so much at home by putting food and poetry together. That's what you'd see in the Middle East," she said. Inhibitions are eased and pretty soon people are talking to each other.

"Civility is a matter of interest in another person and another person's perspective," she said.

Thursday night's event with Nye marked the beginning of the Casper College Literary Conference, which continues through Saturday. FMI: http://www.caspercollege.edu/events/lit

Cheyenne artist takes many pieces and creates a work of peace

Cheyenne artist Forrest King took these items from Sept. 11 ceremony...

...and constructed this work of art seen in background at International
Day of Peace ceremony in Herschler Building.

Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead penned a proclamation marking Sept. 21 at the International Day of Peace. At today's lunchtime ceremony at the Herschler Building honoring this day of peace, the Rev. Rodger McDaniel read the proclamation because the Gov was busy with the "lying in state" events for the late U.S. Sen Malcolm Wallop.

Gov. Mead's proclamation mentioned the United Nations many times. The International Day of Peace originated in the U.N. in 1981 and was first celebrated on Sept. 21 in 2002. I couldn't help but wonder how nuts the proclamation would make Gov. Mead's U.N.-hating Tea Party followers. They'll never read it, of course. But if they did, heads would be exploding all over Wyoming.

Sen. Wallop was no fan of the U.N. or of peacenik ways. He was a Cold Warrior, one of Ronald Reagan's staunchest supporters.  I doubt if the International Day of Peace ever deserved a ceremony, much less a mention, at Sen. Wallop's digs in Sheridan County.

My thoughts were not in keeping with the peace and justice ways of today's ceremony. But that's how it goes when you've spent two decades as an outlier in the reddest of red states.

Cheyenne's International Day of Peace featured fine words by Christian, Jewish, Muslim and UU leaders. Music too. And a work of art by local artist Forrest King.

At the Sept. 11 commemoration at the State Capitol, Forrest collected mementos from different faith communities. These items represented the brokenness of 9/11. Forrest was charged with bringing a sense of hope to these materials via his art.

And he did. Forrest is sending more photos. For now, the above images show the items from the Sept. 11 ceremony and the sculpture fashioned by Forrest. I'll do a more complete description of the work in future posts.

I leave you with the words that Rev. McDaniel left us with: "All in Peace. Go in Peace. Create in Peace. Live in Peace."

Shalom

SocialWyo: Take Three Point Oh!

Juliette Rule speaking to Laramie County Dems Monday evening. She's also putting on the SocialWyo conference. More info: SocialWyo: Take Three Point Oh!

One of Wyoming's major political parties to honor working people at annual dinner

It's too early for a wind-bending quiz  but I have one for you anyway.

Q: Which of America's major political parties is more concerned with creating jobs, extending unemployment benefits and preserving pensions than in continuing tax cuts for millionaires?

The clock is ticking. I'll give you another second.

Stumped?

Here's a clue:

The 2011 Jefferson-Jackson Banquet is set for Saturday, Oct. 1, at 7 p.m., at the Outlaw Inn in Rock Springs. 

Click here to learn more and to buy your tickets now. 

The theme of this year's event will be support for working people everywhere, including organized labor, nonunion workers, and those who are looking for jobs - especially in light of Republican attacks on unions and the unemployed in many states across the nation. 

The Outlaw Inn has offered us a discounted rate of $85 per night. You can reserve your room by calling the Outlaw Inn at 307-362-6623 and asking for the Wyoming Democratic Party rate. 

We are in the process of finalizing the details for our guest speaker for the evening, so check back here for that exciting news when we are ready to make an announcement. Also at the banquet, Wyoming Democratic Party Chairman Chuck Herz will announce the winner of our Party Builder of the Year Award. 

We look forward to seeing you at the Wyoming Democratic Party's annual fall rally as we lay the foundations for victory in 2012. 

Now do you know the answer?

Laramie County Democrats and Grassroots Coalition meet Sept. 27 to discuss uses of social media

From Linda Stowers:

A joint meeting of the Laramie County Democratic Grassroots Coaliton and the Laramie County Democrats will be held on Monday, Sept. 27, 7 p.m. at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Union hall. The speaker will be Juliette Rule and she will be discussing social media. Please plan to join 
us. The meeting is open to everyone.

From your blog editor:

Progressives in Wyoming have barely scratched the surface when it comes to social media. Come out and hear Juliette's talk. And get to know the people in your local progressive community. 

Grant Family Farms looking for band to play live music Sept. 24 at bus repainting party

This comes from Grant Family Farms in Wellington, Colo.:

BAND WANTED!

I'm hoping you all have heard about our bus repainting party this Saturday (Sept. 24). Well, to make this a fun day we would love to have some live music there! If you are willing to donate your time for a few hours ~9-12 please let us know. Would love to have you at the farm!

Go to http://www.coloradoan.com/article/20110917/NEWS01/109170393/Vandals-hit-Grant-Family-Farms-chicken-buses-Wellington?odyssey=tab

Cheyenne graphic novelist and librarian gets "Artist of the Month" honors

The growth of graphic novels in the past few years has been amazing. Some of my writer friends thinks that this is one of the signs of the decline of western civilization, or of civilization's general decline. But it's just the opening of a door to other ways of expression. 

Laurel Shelley-Reuss is a comic author and illustrator living in Cheyenne. As is the case with many creatives, she has a full-time job -- hers is at the Laramie County Public Library. Her mother was a librarian in Cheyenne and has since moved on to greener fields in Colorado. In her teen years, Laurel was babysitter to my daughter on a several occasions. Laurel loved to draw and was an anime and manga fan back before most of adults knew what those were. She and my son are about the same age and they could talk anime until the illustrated cows came home. 

Laurel went to school at the well-respected Savannah College of Art and Design. She returned to Cheyenne to mind our library's books and to get to work on her own. Her first graphic novel, “Olive Peril,” was released by Arcana Comics in November of 2010, following the “Olive Peril” webcomic, which went live in late 2008. She’s been featured in the Sugar Ninjas Sugar and Spice anthologies in 2009 and 2010, a series of comics created by women artists working in the comic book industry and will be in the upcoming 2011 editions. She currently works on both the “Olive Peril” webcomic as well as a second webcomic, “Chorus of the Neverborn.” Her freelance work has included book covers, websites and logo design for private and non-profit organizations.

Laurel was featured in Sunday's Wyoming Tribune-Eagle as the Arts Alliance of Cheyenne's "Artist of the Month" (see image at the top of this post). Much deserved honor for a talented young person who is really going places.

Make all Americans pay their fair share

Today I stand with Pres. Obama

Pres. Obama draws the line against the Republican war on the middle class.

Laramie's Nancy Sindelar: Eat an apple for peace, ya'll

Nancy Sindelar, Veterans for Peace, Laramie

It may be a slight exaggeration to say that there would be no peace movement in Laramie without Nancy Sindelar.

A slight exaggeration.

Nancy, a military veteran, helped initiate Laramie's weekly downtown antiwar protests (still going strong) and is the point person for its Veterans for Peace chapter.

She has lots more in the works. The Peace House, for one.

The Peace House is a block from my place near downtown being set up for potlucks, house parties (films) and meetings. Space for a share garden. Great apple tree getting close to harvest.

I'll settle for an apple even though (like Duane) I usually eat a peach for peace.

And this is coming up:

Wednesday, September 21, on the International Peace Day, come see the film "The Day After Peace" at the Albany County Public Library in Laramie. At 7 p.m., Veterans for Peace Wyoming chapter 65, and the Wyoming Peace, Justice, and Earth Center, will be presenting the story of how one man managed to get the cooperation of all the factions in Afghanistan to stop fighting long enough to vaccinate 1.4 million children against polio.

Nancy has a fine calendar of events hat she distributes by e-mail. I regularly steal postings from it and you should too. To get on the list, drop me a line and I'll send it to her. To keep up with Nancy via Facebook, go to http://www.facebook.com/nancy.sindelar

Peace. And thank you for your service, Nancy.

Wyoming's first openly gay state lawmaker wows them at Denver gathering

WY Rep. Cathy Connolly (D-Laramie)

Ana's Political Page alerted me to this Denver Post story about one of Wyoming Fighting 14 Democrats:

Wyoming’s first openly gay state lawmaker wowed ‘em this weekend at The White House Project’s Go Run dinner in Denver, where more than 100 women attended a two-day political training seminar. 

State. Rep. Cathy Connolly is one of only 14 Democrats in the 90-member body, and the number of women isn’t much better. In contrast, Colorado has the highest percentage of women serving in the state legislature and Democrats control the Senate. 

When Connolly said she is the lone female on the joint education committee, the crowd murmured. The same when she said Wyoming doesn’t have state-funded preschool.

FMI: http://blogs.denverpost.com/thespot/2011/09/17/gay-wyoming-lawmaker-regales-white-house-project-attendees-in-denver/39698/


For a snarky exploration of the one-sided demographics of the Wyoming State Legislature, go to my previous post at http://hummingbirdminds.blogspot.com/2011/09/legislator-demographic-map.html

Grant Family Farms hosts painting party Sept. 24 to erase hate speech vandalism

From today's Denver Post:

Mobile chicken coops on the Grant Family Farm in Wellington were vandalized with messages of hate last week. Swastikas and anti-gay messages were scrawled on the sides of three buses the farm uses as mobile chicken coops. Sometime between Sept. 7 at 9 p.m. and Sept. 11 at 11 a.m. vandals entered the farm passing clearly marked private land and defaced the buses, said Angela Simon, chef for Grant Family Farms and representative of Boulder Community Supported Agriculture.

"It's a blunt reminder there are individuals who think that way and want to promote their message," Simon said.

The all-organic farm fosters an open community with a diverse staff, she said. The colorful buses add an element of mobile art with messages of peace and love to the utility as a chicken coop.

The buses are taken to different areas on the more than 2,000 acre farm to allow the chickens to roam free and help with fertilizing and weed control.

The Larimer County Sheriff's office is investigating the vandalism and trespassing as a hate crime, Simon said.

The chicken buses are decorated at painting parties hosted at the farm.

Sept. 24, there will be a painting party open to the public to cover up the vandalism and to paint two new coops.

Simon said she hopes they will have a gracious donor provide paint for the party. which will start at 9 a.m.

"It will take some work to cover it up," Simon said."We will do the best we can."

In July, Hummingbirdminds wrote about the 30th anniversary of the Grant Family Farms store here in Cheyenne. It's been a real boost to locavores and gardeners in southeast Wyoming. And my daughter had a summer job there two years ago. I'll be at a literary conference in Casper for the Sept. 24 (9 a.m.-noon) painting party. But if you're around, get down to Wellington and support Grant Farms. Activities will be happening at the field near Cuca's Kitchen, just to the west of the farm offices at 1020 WCR near Wellington. Wear your painting clothes, bring water for drinking and any extra house paint suitable for covering swastikas and anti-gay slogans.

Here's a better photo courtesy of towleroad at http://www.towleroad.com/2011/09/peace-loving-colorado-farm-hit-by-anti-gay-neo-nazi-vandal.html

Want to schmooze with real-live writers? Go no further than Casper & Cheyenne & Laramie

I'm a writer who, in my middle-class youth, never met a living breathing writer until I went off to college at University of South Carolina, met James Dickey at a campus gathering, and said, "Who are you?"

That was after his National Book Award and his stint as poet-in-residence at the U.S. Library of Congress but a few years before "Deliverance."

Pam Houston

Now I'm a writer who works in the arts. I learn something every time a writer speaks. I'm always amazed when people don't take advantage of meeting and hearing from real live writers. Great talents such as Naomi Shihab Nye, Pam Houston, David Madden, Margaret Coel, Lee Ann Roripaugh, Craig Johnson, Mark Spragg, etc.

Next weekend in Casper, you can schmooze with some of these cool writers for free and take some workshops with them for a nominal fee. Here are some details:

You're invited to a free reading by Wyoming Arts Council creative writing fellowship winners on Saturday, Sept. 24, 2-4 p.m., in the lobby of the Goodstein Foundation Library at Casper College. This is part of the three-day Casper College Literary Conference.

The event gets underway at 2 p.m. Saturday with a presentation by WAC fellowship judge Pam Houston, "A Reading and Conversation about Places and Moving Among Therm." Pam knows a lot about moving among places. Two days before she flies into Casper, she'll be returning from a trip to Hungary. After the conference, she goes off to Colorado and then California. Pam is author of two short-story collections, including "Cowboys are My Weakness." Her new novel, "Contents May Have Shifted," will be out in 2012. 

At 3 p.m., Pam will join me at the podium to introduce fellowship winners Sam Western, Sheridan; Kathy Bjornestad, Sundance; and Stefani Farris, Lander. They will be reading from their award-winning fiction submissions.

At 4 p.m. in the lobby, Kristen Elias Rowley of the University of Nebraska Press will talk about "Book Business: Publishing with a University Press."

At 5 p.m., there will be a free public reception in the library. Everyone is invited to stick around for food and beverages provided by Casper College President Dr. Walt Nolte.

At 9 p.m., the literary conference hosts its closing session -- a raucous open reading and poetry slam at Metro Coffee Company, 241 S. David in downtown Casper. Poet George Vlastos will serve as emcee. Bring your prose and poetry. Musicians are also invited to get up on stage.

There may be slots remaining in some of the workshops. For more info on workshops, contact Jill Hughes at 307-268-2383 orjhughes@caspercollege.edu. For general questions, contact Terry Rasmussen at trasmuss@caspercollege.edu or call 307-268-2480.

For full schedule, go to http://www.caspercollege.edu/events/lit

To RSVP, go to event Facebook page.

If you're in Cheyenne and can't get up to Casper, you will have three fine writers coming to town Sept. 30-Oct. 1 at Laramie County Community College. Margaret Coel, Lee Ann Roripaugh and Ben Mikaelsen will lead a free writing workshop on Friday at LCCC. They will lead a series of paid presentations on Saturday (lunch included). Book singing to follow.

LCCC's Literary Connection got its start a decade ago when faculty member Leif Swanson arranged an appearance by Robert Bly who, in Red-State Wyoming, had a few choice things to say in public about Dark Lord Dick Cheney, wars of convenience and reactionary dimwits in the Republican Party, among other things. Never shy, Robert Bly. He also led a writing workshop for a small group of 300 souls.

Ain't public funding of the arts a glorious thing?

Ed Roberson

Here are a few other upcoming Wyoming events that feature real live writers:

On September 19, at 5 p.m., the UW MFA program in creative writing in Laramie will host a reception welcoming poet Ed Roberson to campus, followed by a reading by Roberson at 5:30 p.m.  The reception and reading will be held at the UW Art Museum. This event is free and open to the public, and will be followed by a book-signing. Tonight, Roberson is giving a reading in Jackson sponsored by the Teton County Public Library. In February, Roberson’s residency will be followed by that of nonfiction writer John D’Agata. D’Agata’s non-fiction book, “About a Mountain,” was one of the best books I’ve read in the past ten years. FMI: Visit the MFA website at www.uwyo.edu/creativewriting or contact Gwynn Lemler at cw@uwyo.edu or 766-6453.

The Laramie County Public Library Foundation’s annual Booklovers’ Bash will be host to mystery writer Craig Johnson. The Bash, to be held on Friday, October 28 at Little America and includes dinner and silent and live auctions. For a preview of Johnson’s books, please visit his web site at craigallenjohnson.com. Craig also will be featured at the Central Wyoming College Library Open House in Riverton on Nov. 2, 4 p.m.

I have enough experience as an arts administrator and arts presenter and writer to know that you can't make people attend arts events.

Craig Johnson

But there is one thing you can do. You can keep creating and arranging and planning. Doing is in the doing, ya'll. The audience does eventually arrive. When that prize-winning poet from Georgia walks in the door to talk about his craft, you might ask, "Who are you?"

He just might answer: "Sit yourself down. Open your mind. You might learn something tonight."

Read a few of Dickey’s best poems at http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/james-l-dickey

Wyoming Country Party hates those darn federal and state gubments

The Wyoming Country Party has been floating around the state since spring. Its mission looks suspiciously like that of the Wyoming Republican Party, or maybe a hybrid of the WY GOP and the WY Libertarians.

Anyway, they want to get the darn state and federal gubments off of our backs. Same 'ol, same 'ol. Their logo is kind of clever (see above). Their message as old as the Know Nothings of the 1850s, the John Birch Society of the 1950s and the Tea Party of today.

Here's a taste:

The Wyoming Country Party is a new political party that will nominate, support and elect candidates to the Wyoming legislature who will reduce the size and scope of government. 

We embrace these fundamental principles that Judge Andrew Napolitano speaks of so eloquently:
  that government is best which governs least
  the people are entitled to a government that stays within the confines of the Constitution
  the Constitution was written to keep the government off the people's backs 

The Wyoming Country Party advocates reducing taxes on Wyoming citizens, reducing state government spending, and reducing Wyoming's dependence on the federal government. The party believes that the federal government has grown too large and powerful, and will work to elect Wyoming citizens to the Wyoming legislature who will reclaim, through legal and peaceful means, state responsibility for education, land management, wildlife management and other government functions that were reserved to the states or to the people by the 9th and 10th Amendments to the Constitution.

Lest we forget about Big O's victories (and ours)

Celebrate the end of Don't Ask Don't Tell and hard-fought battles for LGTB equality in The Equality State

From Jeran Artery, Director of Social Change, Wyoming Equality:

Dear Wyoming Equality Members and Allies,

In case you hadn’t heard September 20th marks the official end of the Military’s “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy. This is a huge milestone in our fight for LGTB equality across this country. We think that calls for a celebration!

What’s more, over the last year we’ve seen marriage equality arrive in New York State. President Obama’s Administration has decided to stop defending DOMA, and right here in Wyoming we defeated two very ugly anti-LGTB bills. We’ve accomplished many great things over this last year and we want to throw a party to say thank you for helping us fight the good fight.

So, drum roll please… On Tuesday, September 20, from 6-10 p.m. at the Historic Plains Hotel in Cheyenne we will be hosting this celebration. The cost of admission is free. Wyoming Equality will provide some tasty snacks, and a cash bar will be available for you to enjoy a cocktail or two.

We will be having a silent auction on a handful of nifty items to help offset the cost of the event, but mostly we just want you to come and celebrate with us! Save the date and I hope to see all of you Sept. 20.