Runcible Spoon Poetry Series Poets Biographies 2003-2007

POETS BIOGRAPHIES

TO POETRY CALENDAR


5 Women Poets	The writing workshop, Five Women Poets, was begun in 1974 by Leah Helen May and Antonia Matthew, who had just completed a poetry course taught by Sandra Gilbert. Not wanting to lose the valuable feedack of other poets, they and several other women, began to meet once a month to read and discuss each other's work. the group did not acquire a name until 1984 when they published a chapbook, Five Poets. The number of members varies from year to year but the name has stuck. A second chapbook, Five Women Poets, speaking Out, was published in 1999 on the group's 25th anniversary. In celebration of 30 years, the group will release a CD "Diamond Celebration - 30 Years of 5 Women Poets" at their annual reading on October 2nd at the John Waldron Arts Center.

Joyce Adams	Joyce B. Adams was born in East Tennessee; grew up in Arlington, Virginia; has gone to colleges and universities in Ohio, Germany, Illinois, and Connecticut. Moving to Bloomington in 1991, she eventually earned another degree, this time from the IU School of Library and Information Science. When out of school, she enjoys puzzles, listening to chamber music, and reading about heroic feats of polar exploration. In 2002 she published the chapbook "Secret Swing".

Andy Alphonse	lives in Bloomington where he breathes and teaches high school math.

Abbie Anderson	is Curator of Education at the Mathers Museum and a member of the Bloomington Storytellers Guild

Mitch (Marianne) Aurich-Kane	has been writing for a lifetime, as I started making poetry as a kid. But my muse got buried in required professional writing, until I started doing Beth Lodge-Rigal's Women Writing for Change last Fall. I started that as a recuperation activity for brain surgery a year & 1/2 ago. Now my muse is in over-drive, even carrying over to other artistic pursuits like photography--& once again I feel so very blessed.

Jada B	Born and raised in B-town, Jada B has been performing since she was quite small when her mother made her recite, "The Night Before Christmas" at her preschool. She has been scared ever since and instead of getting a therapist she decided to write poetry. In October of 2001 in the ashes of 9/11 Jada B. founded Verbal Terrorism Productions as a response to the G Dub's plan for war & revenge. Verbal Terrorism is simply a space and the support to create art. In August 2005 she and some friends formed The Wina-Freds a punk/funk folk/rock band that has been hailed as "rather a good time," by her closest friends who have to say these things. Jada B. has read and preformed at colleges, churches, high schools, backyards, large theatres and basements from Chicago to Miami and once in a trailer.

Mark Beebe	is a painter and a graphic narrative artist. Living in Bloomington for over 25 years, his work has been featured at the Waldron, the SOFA gallery, the Bellvue and in the Ryder Magazine. He is also a longtime music programmer and volunter at WFHB. He recently received an Indiana Arts Commission grant to produce a book of one-page examinations of intriguing musical artists.

Aija Beldavs	Is a translater of Latvian poetry. She has a PHD in Ethnomusicology and is a Folklorist and Ethnograper specializing in eco-national forms of expression.

Bloomingtones Bluegrass & Old-Time Music with Janssen & Nicole Jones	Bluegrass & Old-Time Music - Janssen & Nicole Jones are an Old Time/Bluegrass acoustic string band that plays a wide range of country music from bluegrass and old-time standards to contemporary compositions and originals.

Cathy Bowman	Catherine Bowman is the Ruth Lilly Professor of Poetry and Director of the Creative Writing Program at Indiana University and the author of the poetry collections NOTARIKON, ROCK FARM, and 1-800-HOT-RIBS which was reissued in 2000 by Carnegie-Mellon University Press as part of its contemporary classics series. Her writing has been awarded the Peregrine Smith Poetry Prize, the Kate Tufts Discovery Award for Poetry, the Dobie Paisano Fellowship, a New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship in Poetry, and four Yaddo Fellowships. She was the recipient of a faculty teaching award and the IU President's Arts and Humanities Award. Her poems have appeared in six editions of BEST AMERICAN POETRY as well as many other literary magazines and journals, including The Paris Review, TriQuarterly, The Kenyon Review, River Styx, The Los Angeles Times, Ploughshares, Crazyhorse, Sycamore Review, Open City and Conjunctions. Her work has also been published in several anthologies including AN EXHALATION OF FORMS,THE EXTRAORDINARY TIDE: NEW POETRY BY AMERICAN WOMEN, INKING THROUGH THE SOUL: WRITERS ON WRITING, MOTION: AMERICAN SPORTS POEMS, ALOUD: VOICES FROM THE NUYORICAN CAFE, BLUES POEMS, REAL THING: POP CULTURE POEMS. She teaches at the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown. She is the editor of WORD OF MOUTH: POEMS FEATURED ON NPR'S "ALL THINGS CONSIDERED", an anthology of poems by poets she has reviewed and featured on National Public Radio's All Things Considered.

Hannia Burke-Aguero	is a member of the Bloomington Storytellers Guild

Glenda Breeden	has been writing songs, poetry, and stories since childhood. Some of her interests are : grand-mothering, gardening, hunting mushrooms, creating mobiles, working for peace and justice, singing, and spending time with family and friends. Glenda lives with her husband, Bill, in a small cabin surrounded by 40 acres of Owen County woods.

Denise Breeden-Ost	Denise Breeden-Ost lives near Bloomington, and grows vegetables with her husband and young son. She writes poetry, fiction and essays.

Tony Brewer	Tony Brewer - That guy. Not to be trifled with. Definitely not for the faint of heart. All that writing? It was never an option. And all this hype is just a hook.... By day a mild-mannered editor and typesetter at Indiana University Press, Tony is also a renowned sound effects artist, amateur lumberjack, and co-founder of and poetry slam-masterfor Matrix: www.matrixmag.com

Rob Burgess	doesn't really want to be a teacher, but he gets paid for it. Rob Burgess really wants to be a writer, but he doesn't get paid for it. Someday he hopes these will be switched.

Gus Brunsman

David Christman	teaches science, theatre and ukulele at Harmony School.

Patricia C. Coleman	has been writing most of her life. She is hostess and producer of the Runcible Spoon Poetry Series,founder of Green Dove Network, Inc.and its projects the Indiana Holistic Health Network and Local Food . She is a Reiki Master and practicing visual artist, activist and educator with works in collections across the US and in Europe- see some of her works at Hart Rock. "Peace Words", an open book, hangs in the IU Fine Arts Library, Bloomington. Patricia is a member of 5 Women Poets and a long time member of the Bloomington Storytellers Guild, she has ben telling stories for more than a decade. Patricia has been published in Sketchbook, Matrix Mag,"A Linen Weave of Bloomington Poets", PoetsAgainst the War, Voices In Wartime, and is Editor of "Beautiful Biscuits", a collection of local biscuit recipes, being updated to include biscuit poems and musings. In 2005 she published a limited edition chapbook "Fingers Breath".

Julia Heimer Dadds	decorates the fabric of space/time with social services work (Head Start, Non-Profit Alliance, etc.), mothering (3 boys), studying/practicing Buddhism and spritual service (offerings of gratitude to DGTL and the UU church) volunteering (WFHB) and writing--poetry first and foremost, essay-ish works, grad papers, grants, prayers. She has been published in the Jenny Kander compilations locally, and Branches Magazine. She lives within a geode's throw of Ramp Creek, here in Monroe County.

Jen DeRosa	writes for survival. Through her work as a poet, performer, filmmaker, playwright, and essayist, she weaves words and images that both express the consequences of surviving a toxic culture and envision a world transformed.

Adam Davis	is a naturalist at work and at play. He has conncted with nature through environmental cnsulting and geologic work and is currently studying for a PH.D. in Geoecology. He nurtures his health through spiritual and bodily connections with the land as well as through environmental service. Adam enjoys the feelings of community and the energy management challenges that come from relationships with other children of the earth.

Gladys DeVane	a storyteller, actress and retired IU professor will be reading her favorite poets and telling a story

James Dorr	James Dorr's fiction and poetry collection, STRANGE MISTRESSES: TALES OF WONDER AND ROMANCE, was published in 2001 by Dark Regions Press. His new book, DARKER LOVES: TALES OF MYSTERY AND REGRET, is expected to be out in late 2004 or early 2005.

Kyle Dargan	Kyle Dargan was awarded the 2003 Cave Canem prize by Quincy Troupe for his manuscript, The Listening. He is a Yusef Komunyakaa fellow in poetry at Indiana University, where he also serves as a poetry editor for The Indiana Review. Originally from Newark, New Jersey, Dargan's work has appeared in Callaloo, The Carnegie Mellon Poetry Review, Denver Quarterly and other venues.

Sara Elizabeth	In the past 18 months Sarah Elizabeth has toured in Europe and across the USA. She has recorded for four new CDs. HONEYSUCKLE VINE, her newest CD, has just been released. Her work has received crtical acclaim from round the world including praise from Jean Ritchie, David Amram, Mark Reese, Billy Bob Thornton, The Lord Mayor of Newcastle-on-Tyne, Paul K, The Courier-Journal and numerous others. Kentucky independent label A Nest of Eggs has asked to release her next CD. Billy Bob Thornton and Mark Reese have asked her to sing on upcoming film soundtracks. Shut Eye Records (Atlanta) has asked her to appear on their 2004 Alt.Country compilation. In 2004 she will be performing with Ron Whitehead throughout Europe and America. For more information or to book Sarah for a show email sarahelizabethky@yahoo.com or visit www.tappingmyownphone.com .

Dick Ferrer	Dick Ferrer holds a degree in Political Science with minors in Anthropology and History. He is a fine painter and illustration focusing on Native American themes. Dick has participated the Sundance and assist with ceremonies as a singer and drummer when asked. In his paintings and drawings he strives to depict an attitude or emotion rather than realism. The Ferrer Studio & Gallery is located at 61 W. Main St. 2nd floor, Nashville, Indiana.

Fleadh Circus	Fleadh Circus is a collection of musician friends from the Irish music open session that gathers every Friday evening at the Runcible Spoon. Fleadh Circus is: Mari Kermit-Canfield, fiddle; Matt Williamson, fiddle and concertina; Ron Nehrig, guitar; Tony Brewer, bodhran and bones.

Steve Gardener	Began writing poetry as a teenager, then went on to study music composition, and later became a part time Flutist and pianist. In his forties, he returned to poetry and had three chapbooks of poetry, drama and science fiction published by Matchooks Press. Two of his baseball chapbooks are in the Baseball Hall of Fame Library. From 1992-1995 he was the producer of the Bloomington Poetry/Music Series at the J.W.A.C., which combined poetry, live music, videos, performance art and painting. He has recently completed a Masters program in education.

Dorian Gossy	Dorian Gossy's book of short stories, "Household Lies," will appear this month from Winnow Press. She has received three fellowships from the Indiana Arts Commission, and lives part time in Bloomington and upstate New York. She's won prizes from the literary journals Willow Springs and Seattle Review, and published a dozen stories in many other magazines. She's originally from Los Angeles, where many of her stories are set.

Sarah Graub	Sarah Graub is a young poet/singer/songwriter that shares her insights and abilities primarily with her community--both in Indianapolis and Bloomington. She is a volunteer and organizer for the Center for Sustainable Living in Bloomington and for United States of Mind, which is an urban poet's cafe/drum shop/community center in Indianapolis. Sarah released her first album, Stories and Metaphors: Slightly Offtune, in 2003, and just began focusing on her next recording project.

Charles Greer	Charles Greer commutes from a ridge top east of town to participate in the Bloomington Free Verse Poets. He's co-editor with Jenny Kander of SAY THIS OF HORSES: A SELECTION OF POEMS, University of Iowa Press, 2007.

Pamela Grenfell Smith	Storyteller, Pamela Grenfell Smith is your typical aging hippie grandma with Birkenstocks, titanium hip joints, and a lifetime collection of PEACE NOW buttons. She is a wordsmith from 'way back, but storytelling is how she intends to occupy her declining years.

Anne Haines	Anne Haines is a longtime Bloomington resident. Her poems have appeared in many journals both online and in print, including most recently Barn Owl Review and Best of the Net 2007. Her first chapbook, Breach, will be out this summer from Finishing Line Press. She is a member of the groups Five Women Poets and Source: Women Writers, and supports her poetry habit by working in the IU Libraries.

Elsa Harik	With deep roots in New England, I have lived in Bloomington almost long enough to be a Hoosier. I grew up in Massachusetts, attended Vassar College and have degrees from the University of Iowa (American Civilization), Harvard University (MA in international affairs), and Indiana University (MS in art education); I also studied Arab history as a Rotary Foundation fellow at the American University of Beirut. What did all this schooling prepare me for? To be a children’s author—and write about what interests me. Much of my work focuses on the Middle East, ancient and modern, fiction and nonfiction. Some of my recent books are Figs and Fate: Stories About Growing Up in the Arab World Today; The Ugly Goddess (a novel set in ancient Egypt); Women in the Middle East: Tradition and Change; and The Byzantine Empire. Totally different from anything else I’ve done is my latest book, Songs of Ancient Journeys: Animals in Rock Art. Inspired by a trip to study rock art in remote parts of southeastern Utah, this book consists of poems about animals depicted in rock art, with photos and notes about the ancient images and real-life animals. Currently I’m working on a historical novel closer to my own roots—about the first naval encounter of the American Revolution, in 1775 off the coast of Maine. My marriage to Iliya Harik, professor emeritus of political science at Indiana University and a native of Lebanon, has kept me in constant touch with the Middle East and helps explain my interest in writing about the Arab world. We have lived and traveled in several countries of that region and spend some time in Beirut every year. Bloomington has been our permanent home since 1964 and is always, always good to come home to. Our sons are Ramsay, a secondary-school teacher of religious studies; Amahl, who has a fitness training studio in Providence, RI; and Raif, a computer programmer in the Boston area. Our one grandchild, Amahl’s daughter, is Savannah, age 13; an all-round delightful young lady, she lives near Boston and is active in theatre and dancing. A new edition of her book FIGS AND FATE: STORIES ABOUT GROWING UP IN THE ARAB WORLD TODAY coming out from the IU Press in the spring. The new book will include three additional stories, plus notes on each story, and the new title is SANTA CLAUS IN BAGHDAD: STORIES ABOUT TEENS IN THE ARAB WORLD.

Brandy Hartman	Brandi Hartman is a member of the Bloomington Storytellers Guild. She first began storytelling as a child when her desperate elementary school teacher elicited tales from students "imprisoned" during recess by a week of snowy weather. Folktales from around the world, especially those featuring "wise women", are a large part of her repertoire. This program features: "Hermana Fox and Hermano Coyote", a Mexican-American story; "The Poppet Catches a Thief", from the Ozarks; and "The Young Head of Household", from China.

Tom Hastings

Joseph Heithaus	Joseph Heithaus won the 2007 "Discovery"/The Nation Prize for a series of poems called "Poison Sonnets." His poems have appeared or are forthcoming in many journals including Prairie Schooner, The North American Review, The Southern Review, and Poetry. Along with five other Indiana poets, he will have a poem featured on one of the stained glass windows of British Artist Martin Donlin for the new Indianapolis Airport opening in 2008. He is chair of the English Department at DePauw University and lives in Greencastle, Indiana where he and his wife are raising their four children.

Hester Hemmerling - aka Arbutus Cunningham	Storyteller Arbutus Cunningham AKA Hester Hemmerling. Arbutus has a new CD available at various locations around Bloomington and can be heard most Saturday mornings on WFHB.

Kira Homo	was born in South Bend, Indiana, grand ew up in Bristol, Indiana. She attended Hanover College, receiving her B.A. in Classics/Medieval-Renaissance Studies in 1999. She went to graduate school at the University of Toronto and was awarded and M.A. in Medieval Studies from the University of Toronto in 2001, where she also played on the varsity water polo team. She is currently enrolled in IU's Library Science program and plans to graduate in May.

Jacqueline Jones LaMon	Jacqueline Jones LaMon - is a yourth year MFA poetry student at Indiana University, Bloomington, where she is a Chancellor's University Fellow and Associate Director of the Indiana University Writers' Conference. Her poetry has been published in journals including Crab Orchard Review, WarpLand, Mosaic, and African Voices. She is a graduate fellow and former staff member of Cave Canem, a poetry conference and retreat for African American poets. Her first novel, In the Arms of One Who Loves Me was published by One World/Ballantine Books in June 2002.

Deborah Pender Hutchison	writes, makes music, meets with spiritual directees, cooks, dreams, and co-habits with spouse, dog and cat in a Brown County log cabin.

Ikranagara	has lived in the US since the year 2000. He has written new poems and two short plays in English, performed his plays in the US and Canada. He has had a 30-year career in his native country, Indonesia, as a poet, dramatist (playwright, actor, director) and painter. His poetry and plays always had their world premières in The Jakarta Arts Center, then some of them he took to other cities in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, The Philippines, Taiwan, Papua New Guinea and the US. He has two books of poetry, two books of plays and several poems and essays in anthologies in the Indonesian language published in his country. Some of his English translated poems, plays and essays were also published in anthologies and the journal of South-east Asian literature "Tenggara." After teaching (playwriting, Indonesian theatre history, creative process) for eight years (1979-1986) in the Academy of Arts in Jakarta, he decided to stop being a professor in order to pursue his career as professional in theatre, TV, cinema, poetry reading; and as a short term instructor for a workshop "From Ritual to Theatre - a creative process" and a lecturer on the Indonesian contemporary theatre. He was awarded several grants: Fulbright (1979 and 1989-1990); Ford Foundation (1991); UN Development Program (1985); World Wildlife Foundation (1978); Netherlands's cultural grant (1977); The British Council (1977) and The Jakarta Arts Council's subsidy (1975-1999).

John Isbel	Born in Seattle, spent 20 years in Europe. Has taught French at IU for 8 years.

Jenny Kander	Jenny Kander's late-life mission is to bring poetry to people and have poets' voices heard. And so she's the producer of the WFHB radio daily poetry module The Linen of Words and WFIU's weekly module The Poets Weave. She's edited A Linen Weave of Bloomington Poets (available from local boookstores) and Celebrating Seventy (available from Howard's). Most recently Jenny has co-edited, with Charles Greer an anthology of horse poetry. "Say This of Horses" - currently being published by the University of Iowa Press - and is also co-editing with Charles "And Know This Place",Poetry of Indiana - in preparation for IU Press,and she loves her 3 cats, snow......and poetry.

Melissa Keller	Melissa Keller is an educator who, for most of her adult life, honed her writing craft in the development of lesson plans and school curriculum, then in women's writing groups for the past six years . She is currently on the special education faculty at Indiana University and volunteers as a board member of the Bloomington Women's Writing Center, co-facilitating girls' writing circles and summer writing camps for boys and girls. She lives in the Unionville area with her husband and two children, who daily remind her that there is more to life than teaching and writing.

David Keppel	is a Bloomington peace activist and writer, who moved here from Connecticut two years ago. He is working on a book, Creative Uncertainty, on the difference between life and machines and its implications for our politics and our lives. Some of his poems have been published in The New York Times and in Resurgence.

Joseph Kerschbaum	has performed his poetry at numerous venues around the country. He has been a featured performer at festivals such as the Bucktown Arts Fest, the Etheridge Knight Festival of the Arts, as well as Heartland Incantations, a reading series that celebrates Hoosier poets. Joseph is a member of the Bloomington Pie Cutters, a team of poets that competes within the Midwest Poetry Slam League as well as the Rustbelt Regional Poetry Slam. Joseph is also a member of the poetry troupe Stendhal's Syndrome with fellow poets Tony Brewer, Jenfish Superstar and Jason Ammerman. Joseph has also been a featured guest on such radio shows as WFHB's 'A Poet's Weave' as well WFIU's 'A Linen Weave of Poets'. A number of his poems have appeared in journals and magazines around the country (Bathtub Gin, Stirring, Facets, Poetry Motel, Eclipse, Stray Dog, Tipton Poetry Journal, Red River Review). Joseph published his first full-length collection of poems in 2002 titled, 'The Human Remains', in 2003 he released a spoken word Cd, '1 of 29' and in September, 2004 he released his second collection 'The Composer Steps into the Fire.'

Jacqueline Jones LaMon	is a third year MFA poetry student at Indiana University, Bloomington, where she is a Chancellor's University Fellow and Associate Director of the Indiana University Writers' Conference. Her poetry has been published in journals including Crab Orchard Review, WarpLand, Mosaic, and African Voices. She is a graduate fellow and former staff member of Cave Canem, a poetry conference and retreat for African American poets. Her first novel, In the Arms of One Who Loves Me was published by One World/Ballantine Books in June 2002.

Beth and Dan Lodge Rigal	have been playing music together for over 20 years. Beth is a writer of songs, poetry and prose and best known for her songwriting. Beth has produced 3 independent CD's and has worked with adults and youth in schools and songwriting workshops. Dan enjoys playing various instruments with a variety of musicians in theBloomington area.

Dory Lynch

Lost Shoestring Band	The Lost Shoestring Band with Mark Blackwell, Bill Breeden, Joe Langfitt, Rob Mills, Tom Yeiser, is an acoustic string band playing old-time music and fiddle tunes.

Dan Manchester	originally from Rhode Island, is now in his third year of IU'S MFA program in creative writing. He received his BA from Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, NY in 2000. His work has appeared or is forthcoming in Good Food Magazine, Mississippi Review, and Poet Lore

Carol Marks	Carol Marks has been writing poetry for awhile, and is finally getting serious about it. Her poetry has been published in Etchings, by the University of Indianapolis Press. She thinks that if more people wrote poetry and learned to knit, the world would be a better place.

Antonia Matthew	was born in England and has lived in Bloomington since 1968. She is a member of two writing groups, Five Women Poets and Free Verse Poets. She writes both poetry and fiction and has recently published, with Patricia C. Coleman's help, a chapbook, "Journey."

Helen May	is a native of Monroe County and feels strongly bonded to the land. She has been writing for many years. Helen recently retired from the family greenhouse business.

Jayne Marek	earned her M.F.A. in Creative Writing from the University of Notre Dame. She currently is associate professor of English at Franklin College, teaching literature, writing, and film studies. She has published scholarly work, poems, and stories. She also writes plays and had her one-act comedy-drama Katherine and Virginia, about the vexed friendship between Katherine Mansfield and Virginia Woolf, produced as part of the Love Creek Festival in New York City in 2002.

Alyce Miller	Alyce Miller is a professor in the English department at IU and is also an attorney with a special interest in animal rights law. Her collection of stories, The Nature of Longing, won the Flannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction, and was republished in paperback by W.W.Norton. Her novel, Stopping for Green Lights, was published by Anchor Doubleday. Recent poems, essays, and short stories have appeared in Iowa Review, Ascent, Glimmer Train, Story Quarterly, Seneca Review, and Fourth Genre. Her work has been widely anthologized, and has been the recipient of the Kenyon Review Award for Literary Excellence, the Lawrence Prize from Michigan Quarterly Review, and numerous honorable mentions and distinguished citations in Best American Short Stories, Best American Essays, and Pushcart Prize Anthology. She recently published a law review article on the plight of wild animals in captivity.

Troy McKinney	has been writing for most of his life, knowing this would be his calling. In his writing , he has progressed upon his spiritual path and continually seeks answers to the questions which have shaped his life.

Chris Million	Chris Million is a graduate student in Creative Writing at Indiana University. His poems have won prizes through the Academy of American Poets and the National Society of Arts and Letters. His first poem to be published will appear in the Spring issue of Mid-American Review. He is from Columbus, Ohio, the New World's third largest city named for the explorer.

Mark Minster	teaches English to engineering students at Rose-Hulman Institute of technology in Terre Haute. He likes them. He has a tendency to forget his keys in the front door lock, and then takes forever to find them. His favorite breakfast food at the Spoon is an omelet with colby, broccoli & spinach and he insists that the wait staff can't be tipped highly enough.

Roger Mitchell	Roger Mitchel's latest book, DELICATE BAIT,was picked by Charles Simic for the Akron Poetry Prize in 2002. Akron will be bring out his next book, HALF/MASK, next spring. He was a 2005 Fellow in Poetry from the New York Foundation for the Arts.

Matt O'Neil	is originally from Ireland. Most recently, his work appears in "Celebrating Seventy", edited by Jenny Kander. Matt is owner of the Runcible Spoon and co-owner of the Bloomington Cooming School.

Denise Breeden-Ost	writes both prose and poetry. She has called southern Indiana home for about 20 years, and currently lives in Bloomington with her husband and two-year-old son.

Roger Pfingston	From Evansville, Roger Pfingston has been hanging around Bloomngton since 1958 when he first appeared as a freshman under the influence of Jack Keroauc, James Dean, Dylan Thomas, William Carlos Williams, and the Lutheran Church. In the interim, he got married, had a family, taught school, retired, and still found time to carry on with that curious vapor sometimes referred to as the muse.

Quarryland Men's Chorus	The Quarryland Men's Chorus was founded in the summer of 2002 by a small group of Bloomington-area men seeking the opportunity to make music with fellow like-minded men. Since that time, the chorus has enjoyed slow but steady growth in membership while performing an eclectic and increasingly challenging repertoire. The group's concerts frequently feature soloists on voice and a variety of instruments, as well as small group performances. One recurring ensemble is the a-cappella quartet "Q to the Fourth." In addition to semi-annual concerts, the Chorus and its members perform throughout the community, thus fulfilling their purposes of reaching the general public and serving as cultural ambassadors to and for the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community. The Quarryland Men's Chorus today continues to offer that opportunity for men to make music together, regardless of previous experience, and remains committed to its mission of providing a positive performance-based community for gay and bisexual men and their allies in South Central Indiana. For more information about Quarryland Men's Chorus, visit http://quarryland.org.

Eric Rensberger

Beth Lodge-Rigal	With the release of her first full length CD, Follow Me (1997), Beth Lodge-Rigal emerged on the contemporary acoustic music scene as an engaging new voice and an exceptional songwriter. Each of the collections of songs released since that time -- Dreamtable in 1999, and Children On a Ride in 2003, show impressive growth and depth; a connection to the world and an uncluttered style of expression that cuts to the heart of matters which are at once personal and universal. Beth's strength is her vulnerability. You can hear it in her voice, "able to move in an instant from a Suzanne Vega whisper to a full-throated, bluesy growl". Her songs mine the territory of the heart and ponder the ambiguities, joys, sorrows, the work and play of everyday life. While she does not shy away from the darkest corners of her psyche, Beth maintains a positive outlook in songs full of compassion generosity, gratitude and hope. Growing up in Columbus, Ohio in the 60's and 70's, Beth comes from a family of educators where Gregorian Chant, top 40 radio, Broadway, Folk, and Classical styles provided a noisy backdrop for most of her early daily life. She studied piano, French horn, sang in choirs, and played in orchestras and bands from the time she was very young. Beth got her first guitar at 12 and, after being taught some basic chords by her mother, took it from there on her own and is largely self-taught. Her unique rhythmic "flailing" style of strumming and picking is all hers and is often commented on after gigs. She couldn't explain it if she tried. Beth's debut CD, Follow Me, embraced the talents of many accomplished artists with ties to the Bloomington area. These include Rounder Recording Artist, Carrie Newcomer, Jennifer Kimball (formerly of the group The Story), along with the best players in the region. Produced by Robert Meitus and engineered by David Weber at Airtime Studio, Follow Me received glowing reviews and is still a favorite. In her second recording, Dreamtable, Beth worked again with David Weber to create a stunning collection of songs which dug deeper into the territory of a troubled world and a searching heart. It was a richer, more complex aural experience, with bigger sounds and textures. Children On A Ride is already being touted as Beth's best work so far. It's a "no fluff" recording of 11 gorgeous tunes, finely crafted and presented with less adornment in order to allow the songs to take the spotlight. While not stripped completely bare, the hope was to allow the songs to breathe and build a bit…to choose textures and instruments to compliment and not overwhelm the tunes. This recording brings forth the talents of many of the same friends and musicians Beth has collaborated with in the past, most importantly, her husband, Dan Lodge-Rigal, whose keyboard work, and guitars are tremendous here. From the opening bars of Kaleidoscopic View, where subtle latin grooves back up the story of unlikely characters meeting and finding love …to the thundering Edna St. Vincent Millay, to the profound simplicity of Quiet as Snow, this is a recording that encourages listening in a quiet place, multiple times. There are some irresistible toe-tapping tunes here, there are hauntings and goose bumps, and there are literary and historical excursions along the long, crooked road Beth Lodge-Rigal travels. This CD is a wonderful ride! Co-produced with David Weber, this recording also demonstrates the phenomenal talents of Mr. Weber whose studio is home to many of the finest performers in the region. P.O Box 6657 * Bloomington, IN * 47404 * www.bethlodge-rigal.com * (812)333-7957

Shana Ritter	Shana Ritter is a recipient of an Indiana Individual Artist Grant, and is currently working on a new chap book of poetry that explores the landscape of middle age. A long time Bloomington resident she lives out in the country with her family and works with schools on diversity and equity.

The Swingin' Beets	The Swingin' Beets formed in Nov. 2004 as Mitch Rice and Wade Van Orman joined forces to spread the sheer, jumpin' joy of early jazz spiced with a little mento. Playing at Roots restaurant and the OtterFest, the boys honed their sound, and with Joe Hickman on bass as of Dec.05, the Beets' style continues to evolve. From "The Flat-Foot Floogie" to "Breezin' Along", from "Wabash Blues" to "Touch Me Tomato," the Beets take the listener on a whimsical, toe-tapping musical journey.

Jade Sylvan	was born in Evanston, Illinois in 1982. Her love of poetry began when her father read her Paradise Lost as a bedtime story before her first birthday. Since then, she has actively pursued the art form, finally producing work she considers to be good within the past year or so. This May, she received her BA from Indiana University Bloomington. Currently, she constitutes one half of the local art collective, the Marriage of the First Person and the Hollow Horn. She makes a bit of money by tutoring teenagers in English literature, and is now putting the finishing touches on her first novel. She loves people, art, eating, drinking, and being merry, and finds writing about herself in the third person somewhat disconcerting.

Marsha Roberts	Is involved with "Women Writing for a Change". She movd from Boise, ID to Bloomington, IN. Her fiction and poetry has appeared in several NW journals.

Pedro M. Roman	Born in Madrid, Spain. Married, living in Bloomington since 1999. He has studied law, economics and engineering, worked in the private and public sector both for Spanish and European institutions. Currently he is working as a volunteer with several organizations in the area, specially involved with Latino and civil rights issues. Current Executive Director of the Latino Center. My passions...my wife, my books my cigars and my coffee

Jennifer Scaife	is in her second year of the MFA program in Creative Writing at IU.

Barb Schwegman	Barb Schwegman, a local elementary teacher, has also been a writer for over thirty years. She credits her friends and family for nurturing her writing, particularly her mother, her aunt and members of Source: Women Writers and Spirits Autobiography II. She has lived in Bloomington for 27 years.

Chi Sherman	is a poet and essayist whose work has appeared in nidus and VENT, among other publications. She is currently at work on a spoken word CD containing selections from her chapbooks amative and beneath this skin, with plans to release the CD in late 2004. Sherman is currently taking graduate courses at IUPUI and looks forward to pursuing an M.F.A. degree in the near future

John Sherman	He frequently reads and discusses his poetry in high school English classes and participates in readings in bookstores, libraries, and museums. His third book of poetry, "Marjorie Main: Rural Documentary Poetry", provides rich details of his childhood on an Indiana farm. He has just received a Creative Renewal Arts Fellowship from the Arts Council of Indianapolis which I am going to use to return to Nigeria to lecture, visit places I worked during the civil war, etc., and, out of that experience, will come more poetry, etc. I will expect to lecture on my book, War Stories: A Memoir of Nigeria and Biafra, which was based on a diary I kept during the civil war.

Michael Simmons	H. Michael Simmons was born in Nacogdoches, Texas on April 1, 1947. He is a historian of religions specializing in Zoroastrianism and has studied atSouthern Methodist University, Yale University, Indiana University, and theUniversity of Esfahan. For fifteen years he served as director of the Center for Zoroastrian Research in Bloomington, Indiana, where he now lives with his wife, Jane, and his children, Alexandra, Claire, and William. He is currently the administrator of People's University and the coordinator of the community gardening program for Bloomington Parks and Recreation. His poetry has appeared in journals and anthologies both in the United States and abroad.

Denis Sipe	Denise Sipe has been writing poetry since he was a senior in high school in 1977. It kept him alive that year and each year since. He's had almost forty jobs and only been "let go" once. And that, he says, was just as well. He loves to fly fish, but it is the stringing of words, not fish, that he could not live without. He and his wife Sheila recently welcomed their third child, a girl named Denali Rose.

Mike Smith	Mike Smith's debut novel "Tell Christian I'm Sorry is about a young English major who becomes a Math teacher just months after his high school graduation. He attempts to maintain a professional image while dealing with below-standard resources, disturbed students, insane colleagues, disinterested parents, and inept administrators, while he himself is navigating the transition from teenager to young adult.

Jennifer Solomon	Jennifer Solomon is an MFA student in the IU Creative Writing program. She is currently completing her first novel as her thesis project. She is the recipient of the Lois Davidson Ellis fellowship and the Guy Lemmon Award for Public Writing. Her first published piece is the winner of the 2005 Fineline competition and is forthcoming in the Mid-American Review Fall issue.

Sara Jane Stoner	studies poetry and prose at IU, and edits and reviews both genres for Indiana Review. Her poems, stories, and an essay can be found in Goodfoot, Phoebe, DIAGRAM, and The Santa Clara Review.

Julia Story	Julia Story is from West Lafayette and received her MFA in poetry from IU last May. She is a Pushcart Prize nomineee and her work has appeared in journals such as Salt Hill, Verse, Iowa Review, The Mississippi Review, and Painted Bride Quarterly. Her manuscript, A Part, was a finalist in the University of Wisconsin Press' Brittingham Prize Contest.

Allison Strang	I believe art exists as an expression while we find our directions within life's labyrinth, and that our best teacher is experience. This past August, I was one of 8 Bloomington residents to participate in a delegation to Israel and Palestine. My poems are inspired by what I lived while in Israel and the West Bank.

Paul Swanson	Originally from Boston, Paul moved to Indiana after graduating from school in Ohio. He worked at Sun Circle farm in Paoli before falling in love with Bloomington. When not otherwise occupied, he spends his time writing poetry, telling stories, playing music, and pursuing a Masters in Education at I.U. Paul is a member of the Bloomington Storytellers Guild.

Wesley Thomas	is an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation and resides in northwest New Mexico and in Bloomington, Indiana. He is an Assistant Professor in the Departments of Anthropology and International Studies at Indiana University (IU), Bloomington, IN. Also, he is the Director of the First Nations Cultural Program, which includes organizing the annual IU First Nations Pow Wow held in late March. Dr. Thomas earned his Ph.D. (1999) degree in cultural anthropology from University of Washington in Seattle, where he also earned his MA (1996) in cultural anthropology and a BA (1994) in anthropology. His specialties are Navajo culture/language, Indigenous gender/sexuality/ ethnic identity issues and various Native health issues. The latest work he is pursuing is on Europeans obsessions with American Indians and has visited pow wows held in Germany and other European countries. In addition, he is a frequent guest lecturer in academic and non-academic settings in the United States and abroad and is a consultant to various museums. Dr. Thomas is a Navajo textile weaver, poet and photographer.

Thomas Tokarski	Thomas Tokarski lives and writes in a rural area near Bloomington. He has published poems in Bathtub Gin, Indianaannual 5, Snowy Egret, and wind. In 1993 he won first prize for poetry in a writing contest sponsored y the Ohio Valley Writers Guild. Recently one of his poems was selected to ride a public transit bus in the Words On Wheels project in Bloomington. "My poems are condensed from a profound interest in, and respect for, this complex, beautiful, fragile planet and all the strange creatures that inhabit it, including us. It is the only home we will ever have."

Two Tones - Beth Brown and Tom Yeiser	Beth Brown and Tom Yeiser - Two Tones - Acoustic duet ranging from progressive folk, country to old timey music. Beth Brown is a massage therapist.

Bronislav Volkova	Bronislava Volková (see also Bronislava Volek) was born in 1946 in Czechoslovakia. She grew up in Prague where she studied Slavic and Spanish linguistics and literature and received her Ph.D. at Charles University, Prague in 1970 in Slavic and General Linguistics. In 1974, she left Czechoslovakia for political reasons. After a two year stay in West Germany, where she taught at the University of Cologne and Marburg, she emigrated to the United States, where she taught at Harvard, University of Virginia, Charlottesville and she is currently a Professor of Slavic Languages and Literatures at Indiana University, Bloomington as well as a Director of the Czech Program and an Adjunct Professor of Comparative Literature. Bronislava Volková is an author of nine books of Czech poetry. Her selected poems in English were published under the title Courage of the Rainbow by Sheep Meadow Press, New York in 1993. Volková's poems appeared in Czech, as well as in English, Spanish, Polish and French translations in publications in the United States, England, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, France, West Germany, Poland and Spain. Apart from poetry, Bronislava Volková's scholarly works include Emotive Signs in Language and Semantic Functioning of Derived Nouns in Russian (John Benjamins, Amsterdam, 1987). It was partially translated into Russian. Her next extensive book, A Feminist's Semiotic Odyssey through Czech Literature appeared by Edwin Mellen Press, Lewiston, N.Y. in 1997 and some of its chapters were translated into Czech. During the last few years, she has produced a series of bilingual books of poetry, such as Motáky do uší peny/Prison Notes Smuggled into the Ears of Seafoam (Edwin Mellen Press, 1999), Promeny/Transformations (Explorer Editions, 2000), Vstup do svetla/Entering Light (2002, ibid), Jistá neprítomnost/A Certain Absence (2003, ibid), and Ze tmy zrozená/Born out of Darkness (2004-2005, ibid) illustrated with her own color collages. She has also produced two multimedia performances of her work with dance and music. More information see on her website: bronislavavolkova.com

Ron Whitehead	Ron Whitehead is Poet, Writer, Editor, Publisher, Organizer, Scholar, Professor. The son of Edwin and Greta Whitehead, he grew up on a farm outside of Centertown in Ohio County, Kentucky's fifth largest county. He graduated from Ohio County High School in 1968. He attended Georgetown College, Western Kentucky University, The University of Lousville, and Oxford University. As undergraduate and graduate student he was the recipient of numerous scholarships, grants, fellowships, awards, and prizes including The English Speaking Union's Oxford Scholar Award plus the Joshua B. Everett Oxford Scholar Award. At Oxford he studied with Dr. Valentine Cunningham, Head of English Literature, at Oxford's International Graduate School. As poet and writer he is the recipient of numerous state, national, and international awards/prizes. Ron has taught college for eleven years at The University of Louisville, Spalding University, Jefferson Community College, and St. Catharine College. He has presented talks and lectures around the world at colleges, universities, and institutions which include Trinity College (Dublin, Ireland), The University of Iceland (Reykjavik, Iceland), The University of Braga (Braga, Portugal), The University of Nijmegen (Nigmegen, The Netherlands), New York University (New York, New York), Hofstra University (New York, New York), University of Louisville (Louisville, Kentucky), University of New Orleans (New Orleans, Louisiana), and many more. He has presented papers and chaired sessions at over 60 national and internatioanl Literature, Culture, and Arts Conferences. He is presently Writer-in-Residence and English Professor at St. Catharine College in Springfield, Kentucky. This is his fourth and final year in that position. Ron is founder and Director of The Global Literary Renaissance, a non-profit organization, supporting the global literary community, which he founded in 1993. Ron has produced over 900 music and poetry events throughout Europe and the USA. He has edited over 600 titles and published over 350 titles including work by The Dalai Lama, President Jimmy Carter, Nobel Prize Winner Seamus Heaney, Jack Kerouac, Diane di Prima, Allen Ginsberg, John Updike, BONO, Yoko Ono, Andy Warhol, Amiri Baraka, Rita Dove, David Amram, Thomas Merton, Wendell Berry, Edvard Munch, William S. Burroughs, Hunter S. Thompson, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Douglas Brinkley, Jim Carroll, and many others. Ron's work has been exhibited round the world from New York City to Louisville to New Orleans to San Francisco and from India to Czech Republic to Italy to Portugal to Ireland to The Netherlands to Iceland and beyond. The UN/UNESCO "Poetry On The Peaks" program selected The Dalai Lama/Ron Whitehead "Never Give Up" message/poem poster as its theme for 2002. 300 copies were sent to cities and mountain communities round the world. At the beginning of 2004 Ron is busier than ever. For the past two years he has toured the USA and Europe with his group, The Viking Hillbilly Apocalypse Revue. During that time ten new CDs and several books have been released including his KENTUCKY SUITE: BEAVER DAM ROCKING CHAIR MARATHON (books 1 & 2), KENTUCKY ROOTS (CD), KENTUCKY: poems, stories, songs (CD with Sarah Elizabeth), KENTUCKY BLUES (with David Amram, www.davidamram.com). Other new books include EVE & THE OPHIDIANS, EXTERMINATE NOISE (with Charlie Newman), and TWELVE KENTUCKY POETS. Other new CDs include I WILL NOT BOW DOWN (with Icelander Michael Pollock), EXTERMINATE NOISE (with Charlie Newman), ALLO, NOT MUTE, FROM ICELAND TO KENTUCKY & BEYOND, OFF THE CUFF. SWAN BOATS @ FOUR (with Paul K), THE SHAPE OF WATER (with James Walck), and THE VIKING HILLBILLY APOCALYPSE REVUE. Ron is the author of nine books. He has work on over twenty CDs. He works with musicians, from around the world, in all genres of music. Ron has presented over 4,000 readings of his own creative work round the world. For over ten years he has been Director of The Global Literary Renaissance about which a documentary is being produced by NYC filmmaker James Walck. Hollywood filmmaker Mark Reese is producing a film of Ron's autobiographical and award-winning book THE BEAVER DAM ROCKING CHAIR MARATHON. Billy Bob Thornton is also interested in producing a feature film based on the book. In 2004 Ron will be performing/touring/presenting his work across the USA, Europe, and in China. When not traveling Ron lives in Kentucky and Europe. For more information on Ron visit his official website, www.tappingmyownphone.com, which is presently receiving over 50,000 hits per month. www.tappingmyownphone.com www.insomniacathon.org

Crystal Wilkinson	is a native of Kentucky and the author of two collections of short stories, BLACKBERRIES, BLACKBERRIES (Toby Press, 2000), named Best Debut Fiction by Today's Librarian Magazine, and WATER STREET (Toby Press, 2002), honored as a finalist for both the United Kingdom's prestigious Orange Prize for Fiction as well as the Zora Neale Hurston/Richard Wright Legacy Award for Fiction. WATER STREET was also chosen as the July 2003 Main Selection for The Utne Reader's Book Club. Wilkinson was also the recipient of the 2002 Chaffin Award for Appalachian Literature and is a member of the writing collective, The Affrilachian Poets, based in Lexington, Kentucky. Her creative writing, both fiction and poetry, has appeared widely and is included in several anthologies

Denise Yoder	Denise Yoder has been a lover of words ever since she made her parents wear out "Good Night Moon" with nightly readings in their Goshen home. Fed nearly equal parts of Arnold Lobel, Dr. Seuss, and Scripture, she soon grew into the creation of her own stories and poems. Denise graduated with one of the first few Creative Writing majors at Anderson University, and was published in several literary art magazines while there. Now a resident of Bloomington for five years, she is driven to pen for the beauty of it - in other words, she's been too lazy lately to seek more avenues of publication. But she brings what she can't hold in to share with you.

Terry Wisniewski	writes to meet her feelings and find out what motivates them. She grew up outside of Washington, DC and came to Bloomington in the summer of 1992, where she entered the Creative Writing Program at Indiana University and earned a Master of Fine Arts degree. In 2000, she co-founded an educational publishing company, New Learning Concepts, Inc. Her book, For a Moment, for a Lifetime, is available there. Terry's poems appear in two anthologies compiled and edited by Jenny Kander, A Linen Weave of Bloomington Poets and Celebrating 70 and in the occasional poetry journal as well.

Ray Zdonek	is a Bloominton poet back in town after living for manyyears in San Francisco and other places. Influenced by Robert Bly, James Wright, the Beat poets, as well as Eastern poetry, Ray is an occassional reder at the Runcible Spoon series and participant in the Bellevue Gallery's "Literary Inspirations" shows.

This program is produced and hosted by Patricia C Coleman of Hart Rock from September through July and hosted by the Indiana Holistic Health Network. Send questions to poetry(at)hartrock.net