RED DIRT BOOK FESTIVAL OFFERS STUDENT WRITING WORKSHOP

With the theme “Imagine Oklahoma ,” Red Dirt Book Festival will take place November 6 and 7 in Shawnee , Okla. at the Heart of Oklahoma Expo Center and on the campuses of Oklahoma Baptist University and St. Gregory’s University.

Preceding the festival, popular author, teacher, and mentor Mel Odom will host a day-long workshop at St. Gregory’s University for new and aspiring writers. On Thursday, November 5, Odom will work with select high school writers nominated by their teachers and screened by a festival selection committee to earn a spot in the workshop. Selection was based upon the student’s academic record, samples of their writing, and demonstrated potential as a writer.

Odom said the workshop will be a “down-and-dirty guide” to novel writing, tailored specifically to new writers.

Odom’s workshop will also “touch on the whole world of commercial blogging for young writers who want…to rack up experience,” he said. Odom stresses the importance of blogging as it is a good way for a writer to get exposure and experience through a relatively new literary outlet.

Students selected to participate in the workshop will have all of their expenses paid by the Red Dirt Book Festival sponsors Paul Milburn and the Shawnee Junior Service League.

For more information about the Red Dirt Book Festival visit their website at www.reddirtbookfestival.org While online reservations for meal tickets has ended; everyone can register to attend the festival online or at the festival.

Support for the festival is provided by the Pioneer Library System, the Oklahoma Humanities Council, and the National Endowment for the Humanities, as well as community support including the Shawnee Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, Oklahoma Baptist University and St. Gregory’s University and many local donors and volunteers

BOOK SIGNINGS IN OKLAHOMA CITY

Blue Clark is reading and signing at Full Circle Bookstore Thursday, October 22 at 6:30pm

Diane Glancy is reading and signing at Full Circle Bookstore Thursday, November 5 at 6:30pm and she will be presenting at the Red Dirt Book Festival in Shawnee.

UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA PRESS ANNOUNCES NEW TITLES

Several titles from the University of Oklahoma Press Fall 2009 catalog are ones every library or collection should have:

Coach Tommy Thompson and the Boys of Sequoyah by Patti Dickinson (from Oklahoma)http://www.oupress.com/bookdetail.asp?isbn=978-0-8061-4070-4

Indian Tribes of Oklahoma: A Guide by Blue Clarkhttp://www.oupress.com/bookdetail.asp?isbn=978-0-8061-4060-5

Divided Hearts: The Presbyterian Journey through Oklahoma History by Michael Cassity and Danney Goble
http://www.oupress.com/bookdetail.asp?isbn=978-0-8061-3848-0

Pushing the Bear: After the Trail of Tears by Diane Glancy (lived in Oklahoma and graduated from UCO.
http://www.oupress.com/bookdetail.asp?isbn=978-0-8061-4069-8

WRITING OK HISTORY? ATTEND THE RED DIRT PANEL DISCUSSION

Red Dirt Book Festival scholar panel to discuss state history



The Red Dirt Book Festival in Shawnee on Nov. 6 and 7 will include many presenters, including best-selling professional authors, editors and publishers. Also attending will be a group of top scholars hailing from four different universities. These scholars will comprise a panel which will be the center of attention at the free Scholars Lunch in the Oklahoma Baptist University Geiger Center on Saturday, Nov. 7, 12:15 p.m.



The topic of discussion for the panel is “Opportunities and Pitfalls of Writing Oklahoma History.” This exploration of the state’s history will include different perspectives from the six scholars, all of whom have written Oklahoma history themselves.



This group of scholars will discuss many questions and issues, including significant elements of a collective Oklahoma history, and whether the Oklahoma experience makes a true difference in one’s writing. In accordance with this year’s festival theme “Imagine Oklahoma ,” the scholars will also discuss the question: how is Oklahoma imagined by different audiences – local/ national, and scholarly/popular?



The scholar panel discussion and luncheon is free; but a ticket is required. Sign up for the Saturday Panel Luncheon, and/or for other programs and presentations of the Red Dirt Book Festival on the website at http://reddirtbookfestival.org, in person at your local hometown library, by mail through a downloadable PDF form on the website, or on-site at the festival at designated registration tables. If a participant has signed up for Friday, Saturday, or both and want to attend the Saturday Scholar Luncheon, he/she must register to attend the Saturday Scholar Luncheon as well. The panel is sponsored by the Kirkpatrick Family Fund.



The scholars include: David Levy who began teaching history at the University of Oklahoma in 1967. Levy has written several books, including The Debate over Vietnam, and has also edited and co-edited collections such as FDR’s Fireside Chats. He is currently working on a three-volume history of the University of Oklahoma .



Also participating in the panel is Doug Hale, emeritus professor of history from Oklahoma State University , where he taught from 1963 until 1982. His focus in books such as Germans from Russian Oklahoma is the social and economic history of immigrants to the U.S.



Patti Loughlin from the University of Central Oklahoma has also written several books, including Hidden Treasures of the American West: Muriel H. Write, Angie Debo and Alice Marriott, which offers a concise examination of Oklahoma historiography and the place of women public intellectuals.



Native Oklahoman and OU graduate John Lovett currently works as the Director of Special Collections and Curator of Western History Collections for the OU libraries. Lovett is the author and coauthor of one book and numerous articles related to Oklahoma American Indians and pioneer photographers of Oklahoma , among other topics.



B. Byron Price is the Director of the University of Oklahoma Press . Price is also the author of many journal articles and has written several books including Fine Art of the West and Cowboys of the American West.



Linda Reese has also been involved with Oklahoma history through teaching and writing. Reese received her Ph.D. from OU and is the author of Women of Oklahoma : 1890-1920, in addition to articles and reviews in various history journals.

Support for the Red Dirt Book Festival is provided by the Pioneer Library System, the Oklahoma Humanities Council, and the National Endowment for the Humanities, as well as community support including the Shawnee Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, Oklahoma Baptist University and St. Gregory’s University and many local donors and volunteers.

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Another New Title from Molly Lemmons:

AS BRIGHT AND AS PURE AS THE DRIVEN SNOW is a study for teen girls of God's plan for sexual purity before marriage.

Storyteller and author, Molly Lemmons, reaches out to impress on young girls the value of their innocence in a time when everything from music to television challenges them to shed that treasure too early and too eagerly.

Molly Lemmons book is a reminder that true feminine equality is the ability to say "no" and " I respect myself too much at this point in my life."

Available from Amazon.com (click on the image for link)

Molly Lemmons New Title: SEIZE THE FLASHBACKS!

Well known as a delightful storyteller, Molly Lemmons is also an author of several well received books. She regularly does presentations and workshops related to these in addition to her storytelling programs. Seize the Flashbacks! is available from Amazon (just click the image for that page).

CHISHOLM TRAIL BOOK FESTIVAL OCT,. 24

Duncan, OK in the Simmons Center authors from several states will congregate to meet ehttp://www.travelok.com/mediaProf/oklaTravelWire.asp?id=2401ager readers.

RED DIRT AUTHORS SIGN BOOKS

Galyn Cresap , Public Relations Specialist
Phone 701-2674

Red Dirt Book Festival authors meet their fans during festival book signings

With the theme “Imagine Oklahoma ,” Red Dirt Book Festival will take place November 6 and 7 in Shawnee , Oklahoma at the Heart of Oklahoma Expo Center and on the campuses of Oklahoma Baptist University and St. Gregory’s University.

“One of the most popular events of the festival is always when the authors meet and greet their fans to sign their books and just talk. Friday and Saturday have times set aside for this in the festival’s Exhibit Hall and Book Store,” said Cindy Stevens festival planner. “The book store will have books written by each author for sale throughout the festival.”

Red Dirt Book Festival attendees will have an exciting chance to get up close and personal with many Red Dirt authors. On Friday, November 6, from 2-3 p.m. the following authors will host a meet and greet in the Heart of Oklahoma Expo Center: Dorothy Alexander, Michele Bardsley, Pamela Bracken, Nathan Brown, Jeanetta Calhoun-Mish, David Charlson, Margaret Daley, Jordan Dane, Mildred Dennis, Dayna Dunbar, Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, David Farris, Diane Glancy, Ken Hada, Bill Hagen, P.J. Hoover, Steven Hunt, Crystal Inman, Hannibal Johnson, Davis D. Joyce, Phil Kemp, Jennifer Kidney, Carolyn B. Leonard, Billie Letts, Patricia Loughlin, Vickie McDonough, Victoria Nourse, Stacy Nyikos, Mel Odom, Mark Robinson, Greg Rodgers, Randy Russell, Sharon Sala, Charles Sasser, Carol Dean Schreiner, Steven Schroeder, Sandra Soli, Gloria Teague, Tim Tingle, Larry Van Meter, Steve Wedel, KD Wentworth, and Dale Whisman.

Additionally, the following authors will be hosting another book signing Saturday, November 7, from 2-3 p.m. on the first floor of the Oklahoma Baptist University Geiger Center: Dorothy Alexander, Michele Bardsley, Pamela Bracken, Nathan Brown, Jeanetta Calhoun-Mish, Connie Cronley, Jordan Dane, Mildred Dennis, Dayna Dunbar, Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, Diane Glancy, Ken Hada, Bill Hagen, Steven Hunt, Hannibal Johnson, Davis D. Joyce, Carolyn B. Leonard, Billie Letts, Patricia Loughlin, Romney Nesbit, Mel Odom, Linda Reese, Mark Robinson, Greg Rodgers, Randy Russell, Charles Sasser, Carol Dean Schreiner, Steven Schroeder, Sandra Soli, Gloria Teague, Tim Tingle, Larry Van Meter, Steve Wedel, and Dale Whisman.

The book store will be open in the Exhibit Hall of the Heart of Oklahoma Expo Center on Friday, November 6, from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and on the first floor of the Geiger Center at Oklahoma Baptist University on Saturday, November 7, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Support for the festival is provided by the Pioneer Library System, the Oklahoma Humanities Council, and the National Endowment for the Humanities, as well as community support including the Shawnee Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, Oklahoma Baptist University and St. Gregory’s University and many local donors and volunteers.

BRIAN YOUNG PUBLISHES 'DE CIVITATE SANGUINO'

De Civitate Sanguino

Description
John C. Malcolm was not prepared for his new line of work. He and three others were chosen by President Lincoln to infiltrate Indian Territory in the year 1865 to simply ‘cleanse’ it. Their orders loosely followed the procedure that all agents in the Department of Indian Affairs must use to fine and evict anyone that should not be in the designated region but was vague. Caught in the middle of the Civil War, John and his companions must enforce the Indian Intercourse Act of 1835 with special badges and paperwork and nothing more. Barely a hundred miles into the territory had the dysfunctional team of agents discovered that things are not what they should be. They find small settlements and a city that should not exist and the existence of strange cults, witchcraft and monsters. Each new discovery takes John and his team into a much darker and disturbing world of secret technologies and horror that Mankind does not know about. They are eventually lead on a bloody trail to the City of Immortals where another world seems to exist in private behind mighty walls and where the privilege of living at all is a rare luxury rarely granted by the Immortal lords within.

The startling revelations found inside the city’s walls will open up new eyes for the agents and begin a long nightmarish ride to survive. John and his companions will discover a secret society that has been in an ancient secret war against the Immortal inhabitants of the mysterious city and those elsewhere in the world and must help to wage the war. While dealing with their own personal issues, the agents fight to survive and discover the meaning of life and living and what it means to be Human in the end. De Civitate Sanguino is a tough, fast paced story about the mysteries in the world and the darker side to mortality and what the living will do to remain alive.

This is part one to the series of The Silent War that will cover various moments in global history during the 19th century and beyond from a fresh Steampunk Horror perspective.

Author Biography
Born in Okeene, Oklahoma in the early seventies, Brian was quick to get interested in the arts by the age of four. The two influences were watching the Godzilla cartoon and the band KISS; both gave his imagination the needed stimulus to begin drawing. These influences somehow fed on an over active imagination until one thing led to another and by the early eighties he was drawing fantasy and Science Fiction regularly, this love for warriors, dragons and wizards was fired strongly by the fantasy/medieval rock groups strong at the time.

Even school was no obstacle to get in the way of more ideas, concepts and themes. By Junior High his goal was to become a professional artist by his twenties. Taking on a job in radio in the late eighties, the fun and sometimes stress of show business was now common-place. The greatest influence was discovering role-playing games as a hobby in the early eighties, this outlet brought Brian’s mind into new places undreamed of before.

This hobby was a means to explore many limitless genres of ideas: Sci-Fi, horror, historical and obviously fantasy. From this hobby came a catalyst to so many other outlets such as reading novels, script-writing, etc. One of the earliest attempts at writing was during this period as the multitude of ideas were almost unstoppable and had to be put to paper in some form, unfortunately these early projects never flowered. The possibilities for stories, unusual characters and settings now grew into a plethora of endless ideas due to the gaming influence. By the early nineties a friend had published a role-playing game and Brian was able to submit artwork into it making him into a professional artist as hoped.

This began a long trek of producing many works; at first strictly fantasy based but later Celtic. His artwork was shown and many times sold out at Science Fiction/Fantasy conventions across the state of Oklahoma. Brian’s interest in Celtic studies was initially started by owning a few role-playing games that shared that theme. From the early nineties on Brian’s interests became completely Celtic. This lead to curiosity about King Arthur and a life-long study in the field culminating in earning the world’s first Masters of Arthurian Studies from the University of Wales Lampeter in the summer of 2007.

The research of Celtic languages, mythologies, history, and art was now academic and by 1998 Brian illustrated and wrote the book ‘Lyver-Lywans Bukkyas Keltek’. The world’s first tri-lingual Celtic language book, though directed towards children for the sake of coloring, it was a project new to the world. He took an active part in helping the Cornish language scene in writing and participating in journals and organizations as well working towards becoming a teacher to further educate on the vast subject.

By the Fall of 2001 Brian has earned a BA in History from NWOSU and later that next spring started working at a local TV station. The six month stint at the TV station was the birthplace of his horror shows that are still going strong since 2002. Changing stations in the Fall of that year the show ‘The Mysterious Lab of Dr. Fear’ was born. Being inspired from watching the Oklahoma legend Count Gregore in his youth, now Brian and his friends and family film campy horror skits while playing old horror classics and not so classics every Saturday night for fans everywhere.

Gradually this inspired Halloween events locally and taking part in many related events from Enid to Oklahoma City. By the end of the six month stint Brian became a professor teaching the Humanities at a local college, a job that he is completely happy with and loves to this day. The TV show itself gave birth to a radio incarnation called ‘The Mysterious Hours of Dr. Fear’ which airs every Sunday night and plays the weirdest mix of horror, Halloween and Gothic music and is streamed online worldwide for all to hear now. Because of the constant exposure to all things dark and gothic along the way Brian started to look at the horror scene, in both movies and books and naturally wanted to contribute in some way more. The old writing bug struck again by the end of the nineties and Brian composed several scripts for film projects, out of that a trilogy inspired from the Celtic tales of Arthur were made. The first story is now a novel that is soon to see print after some dedicated time re-tooling it to make it worthy of publishing.

Ten years later and almost a hundred TV episodes done, the need to write returned and the present Steampunk Horror series was inspired late in the summer of 2008. This story idea was inspired partway because of his dislike of how the vampire is portrayed in the current trends of Young Adult literature, and because so many other factors brought the notion of the series together. Now after so many years doing illustrations and everything else but writing, Brian is devoting time to making sure that his thousands of ideas can see fruition in print. With many Arthurian and Steampunk Horror literature projects coming together, he also has plans on writing and publishing many serious academic works centering on Celtic studies. Shortly the process will begin of being a candidate for a PhD in Celtic Studies to round out and complete the academic journey.

The Silent War series is planned to be written so long as there are devoted readers of this unique style literature. Beginning in 1865 and ending with the end of World War II, this series will explore a ‘hidden’ history to recent world events that deals with weird sciences, conspiracies and horror but laced with plenty of gripping action. Mr. Young’s greatest literary influences are Robert E Howard and H.P Lovecraft with some Tolkien and L. Sprague D. Camp. Being a ‘nerd’ has kept Brian free from the vices and difficulties that others must deal with in life allowing him to spend time honing his craft. Though his professional life is academic, his world is one filled full of imagination and wonder and thrives on originality and innovation daily. Aside from the earlier authors as influences Brian makes it a strict rule to never read other peoples’ work if he can help it because it will taint his own original ideas. Originality and the ability to see things in a different way mean all the difference in his myriad of projects and concepts.

Source: www2.xlibris.com

ISBN: 1-4415-6544-2 (Trade Paperback 6x9) ; ISBN13: 978-1-4415-6544-0 (Trade Paperback 6x9)

Pages : 224

Book Format : Trade Book 6x9 ; Subject : FICTION / Science Fiction / General

TULSA INDIE BOOK FESTIVAL

The Tulsa Literati Indie Book Fair on Sat. Nov. 14 still has booths open at $40 each. The booths have 6’ tables, so partnering up with another author could make this a VERY affordable event.

Here is a link to their website with more information:http://www.indiebookfair.com/index_files/page0009.htm

Contact the event coordinator or sign up through their site. Make sure you let me know you’ve registered so we can get it on our calendar of events. The event is free to the public, so turnout should be good!

WARR ACRES HOSTS 'GHOSTLAHOMA' AUTHORS

Tuesday, October 13, 2009, 7:00pm- 8:00pm
Location: Warr Acres Library
Adults

Join Tonya Hacker & Tammy Wilson, Oklahoma's very own Ghost Divas as they talk about their book Ghostlahoma. They will discuss conducting a paranormal investigation and the importance of documenting the history and stories of people and places.

Enid Hosts Paranormal Authors

The Enid Public Library will host three of Oklahoma's own authors of the paranormal : Cullan Hudson, author of Strange State: Mysteries and Legends of Oklahoma, and its soon to be released sequel, Stranger State (Spring 2010); Tammy Wilson and Tonya Hacker, authors of Ghostlahoma and hosts of the talk show Ghosts Divas!

The program will be at .

BILLIE LETTS TO BE KEYNOTE SPEAKER AT RED DIRT BOOK FESTIVAL

The Red Dirt Book Festival in Shawnee , Okla. on Nov. 6 and 7 will be a multi-faceted event, with author-presented programs and workshops, panel discussions and a banquet. But one particularly special event of this year’s Red Dirt will be author Billie Letts’ keynote address on Saturday, Nov. 7, 11 a.m. in the Raley Chapel on the campus of Oklahoma Baptist University .

Billie Letts is a native Oklahoman, born in Tulsa . Letts discovered the joys of reading and writing at a young age, but it wasn’t until she was 55 that Letts tentatively showed a literary agent some of her work. At the time, Letts had three full grown sons with husband Dennis and was teaching at Southeastern Oklahoma State University . Letts sent the agent a short story that grew into her first novel, Where the Heart Is, which was published in 1995.

Where the Heart Is tells the story of Novalee Nation, a pregnant 17-year-old girl who was abandoned by her boyfriend at a Wal-Mart store. Novalee lives in the store for several months and eventually even gives birth there. The book takes places in the small town of Sequoyah , Okla.

In 1998, Where the Heart Is was chosen as an Oprah’s Book Club selection, changing Letts’ life and career forever. The book went on to sell more than 3 million copies and in 2000, it became a major motion picture starring Natalie Portman and Ashley Judd.

Letts’ second novel, The Honk and Holler Opening Soon, was published in 1998 and was chosen by Oklahomans as the first Oklahoma Reads Oklahoma selection in 2004. Oklahoma Reads Oklahoma was a statewide program that was held for several years leading up to the state’s centennial. The Honk and Holler Opening Soon also took place in Sequoyah. Shoot the Moon was published in 2004, a novel that takes place in the fictional Oklahoma small town DeClare. Featuring the Oklahoma town of Hugo , Made in the U.S.A. was released in 2008, and both of these titles became New York Times bestsellers.

Join Letts and other Red Dirt Book Festival authors in the OBU Geiger Center at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 7 for photos and book signings. Books will also be available for purchase at this time.
Program times, descriptions and locations and author biographies are available on the Red Dirt website at http://reddirtbookfestival.org/.
Support for the festival is provided by the Pioneer Library System, the Oklahoma Humanities Council, and the National Endowment for the Humanities, as well as community support including the Shawnee Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, Oklahoma Baptist University and St. Gregory’s University and many local donors and volunteers

Cullan Hudson Presented at the Honobia Bigfoot Conference

Author of the popular Strange State: Mysteries and Legends of Oklahoma, Cullan Hudson tours the state beginning Oct. 2 in Ponca City at the Public Library, Oct. 3 at the Honobia Bigfoot Conference and Oct. 10 in Enid at the Garfield County Public Library. Here he is shown at the booth and with another presenter at the conference, the noted Dr. Jeffrey Meldrum.

He has been doing presentations about his book and promoting its sequel, Stranger State, due out in Spring 2010. Visit his highly popular blog on ALL things strange at the Strange State Blog.

Orders can be placed via PayPal there or to contact him email strangestateok@yahoo.com.