NEA Award Winning Author to Offer Writing Workshop and Public Reading in Taos, New Mexico Award-winning author Melanie Sumner, a National Endowment for the Arts Literary Fellow, will make a special appearance in Taos for two events tied to the publication of her new novel, THE GHOST OF MILAGRO CREEK (July 2010, Algonquin).
On Friday, July 30, Sumner will read from THE GHOST OF MILAGRO CREEK as part of the popular SOMOS Summer Writers Series in Taos. Sumner’s new novel is narrated by the ghost of a curandera called Abuela, who is half Jicarilla Apache, half Tiwa. It follows a teenage love triangle as it takes a tragic turn in a fictional Hispanic/Native American barrio in Taos.
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Robert Olen Butler called THE GHOST OF MILAGRO CREEK “rich in character and landscape, daring in form and voice.” According to Publishers Weekly, “Sumner’s cast and a strong sense of Native American and Latino spirituality create a fascinating portrait of a community, wrapping issues of alcoholism, friendship, parental neglect, and conflicted identity around a multidimensional tragedy.” SOMOS (the Society of the Muse of the Southwest) is the leading literary nonprofit in northern New Mexico.
The reading will take place at 7:30 pm at the Rane Gallery, 214 Ledoux Street, in the historic district of downtown Taos. For information call SOMOS at (575) 758-0081.
Saturday, July 31, Sumner will teach DANCING WITH THE MUSE AND HAWKING HER STUFF: A WORKSHOP FOR WRITERS. This intensive daylong workshop is geared for writers who want to promote their work without losing their connection to its sacred source.
Sumner will help participants unleash their creativity and find solutions to the spiritual struggles writers face in “putting their work out there.” Sumner currently teaches Creative Writing at Kennesaw State University in Georgia.
DANCING WITH THE MUSE AND HAWKING HER STUFF: A WORKSHOP FOR WRITERS will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Rane Gallery, 214 Ledoux Street, in historic downtown Taos.
Pre – registration is $85 (until July 25), $95 thereafter; $10 off for UNM students. Contact Diana Rico at (575) 613-6491 for information and reservations. For more about Melanie Sumner:
To view the book trailer: http://www.algonquinbooksblog.com/2010/07/06/the-ghost-of-milagro-creek-–-book-trailer/
