Thorpe Menn finalists
Three finalists have been announced for the annual Thorpe Menn Literary Excellence Award.
They are Tasha Haas, author of “Certain Dawn, Inevitable Dawn”; Christie Hodgen, author of “Elegies for the Brokenhearted”; and Barbara Stuber, author of “Crossing the Tracks.”
The winner will be announced during the annual Menn luncheon, scheduled for noon Oct. 1 at the Kansas City Central Library, 14 W. 10th St.
Candice Millard, author of “The River of Doubt” and “Destiny of the Republic,” will serve as keynote speaker.
Tickets are $30, and the deadline to reserve seats is Friday. Call 816-728-1304.
‘Largest Poetry Event’
What’s called the “Largest Poetry Event in History” is Saturday.
Kansas City area participation begins at 1 p.m. at the John Brown statue at North 27th Street and Sewell Avenue in Kansas City, Kan.
The gathering is one of an estimated 600 such events in 95 countries, as claimed by a California organization, 100 Thousand Poets for Change. Fred Whitehead, local poet, historian and filmmaker, first heard of the event at the Albuquerque Cultural Conference last month.
“I didn’t want Kansas City to be left out of this,” Whitehead said.
The concept is “to seize and redirect the political and social dialogue of the day and turn the narrative of civilization toward peace and sustainability,” according to a news release from the California organization.
“I think it’s more of a celebration and gathering than anything else,” Whitehead said. “But I am a determined foe of provincialism, and I support breaking down our isolation.
“This is a modest way of doing that.”
Area poets are invited to bring folding chairs and read one or two selections of their work. Whitehead, who often has led tours of the 19th century abolitionist Quindaro townsite at Kansas City, Kan., thought the nearby John Brown statue an appropriate place for an international event.
“John Brown’s name is known around the world,” he said.
Those who want to participate are invited to call Whitehead at 913-342-6379.
For more information about the international event, go to www.100tpc.org.
Read more: http://www.kansascity.com/2011/09/17/3144987/books-events-thorpe-menn-award.html#ixzz1YHlyNRdY
