St. Louis Centennial Tribute to Tennessee Williams: There are benefits!

This is the 100th birthday year for Tennessee Williams (March 26, 1911-February 25, 1983). His childhood in St. Louis shaped his writing career, so let’s celebrate! Lana Pepper directs and produces an hour-long tribute. Six actors perform scenes from: A Streetcar Named Desire, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and The Glass Menagerie. WHEN? April…

Alton Senior High School Poetry Grant: We can do it.

Awhile back I funded an annual program that provided monthly guest presenters to talk to students in the creative writing class at Alton Senior High School. There was a fine line-up, including a presentation on the Kwansaba form developed by the Eugene Redmond writing club. The St. Louis Poetry Society administered the grant. I dedicated…

Judging the Poetry Out Loud Regional Contest–how I got through it

Once again this year I judged a regional Poetry Outloud contest. It’s sponsored by The Poetry Foundation, State art agencies, and the National Endowment for the Arts. It’s now in its sixth year of national competition. Melissa Crockett Mustain, director of The Jacoby Art Center in Alton, organized the event. I love that the students…

Family Stories Our Way: In Poetry, Prose, and Music

My father and I have given several workshops on family stories. Last year we presented a workshop called “Family Stories in Poetry, Prose, and Music” at the Hayner Library in Alton, Illinois. With my father, these three always go together. I set up a structure for the workshop on how to write family stories. Pop…

Editorial: “Wisconsin Solidarity,” by Jenny Hazard

Most recently on Riehlife we’ve heard from Jenny Hazard on art as the magic of the mundane. Jenny is a Mentor and Independent Consultant Supporting Survivors Through Mid-life and Beyond. She can be found at White Wave Consulting or Nanakoosasplace. Now she weighs in on the political situation in Wisconsin. For more information check Jenny’s…

What’s new with noted fabric artist Edna Patterson-Petty

I’m proud to call Edna Patterson-Petty a friend. She’s a phenomenal woman containing more creative energy than I can keep track of. For Black History Month Edna organized a group show at Southern Illinois University. She titled the exhibit “Inclusion.” Her artist statement defines inclusion as: “artists with different view points, ideas, and delivery come…

St. Louis Swap-O-Rama

Wendy Tremayne–one of my blogging buddies–has founded a wonderfully creative and fun community re-use program: Swap-O-Rama-Rama One will happen soon in St. Louis at the St. Louis History Museum. When: Saturday, March 5, 2011 12:00 PM Where: Missouri History Museum – 5700 Lindell Blvd St Louis MO Don’t miss out on the third annual Swap-O-Rama-Rama…

Al-Jazeera streams untold stories of people around the world

AJE – Al Jazeera–English version of the Arabic-language news network. Breaking news and features plus background material including profiles and global reactions. My friend Judy Tart says: For the past couple of weeks, I’ve been watching Al-Jazeera streaming on-line to get the latest and best coverage of the uprisings in the Middle East, and I’ve…

“Absaroka: Where the Auguish of a Soldier Meets the Land on the Crow,” by Joan Bochmann

Yet another new book out from Janet Muirhead Hill’s Raven Publishing. Author Joan Bochmann got the idea for this novel when studying the history of Wyoming. A group of activists in Northern Wyoming attempted to carve out a new state they called Absaroka that included parts of Wyoming, Montana and South Dakota. Of course it…