Peauxdunqians in the world …

Posted on June 8, 2012 by tadbartlett

Another few weeks have passed since the last Peauxdunque update, and that means another few weeks’ worth of good news:

Peauxdunquian Liz Gruder has recently learned that her YA novel, Starseed, has been accepted for publication by WiDo Publishing. We’ll update as we learn more about the anticipated release date, but this is fantastic news about a fantastic project.
Arion Berger, who along with Tom Carson was recently published in Black Clock Issue No. 15, has also just had her work included in Gargoyle Issue No. 58!
Tom continues his work at GQ and The American Prospect, recently including this insightful look at the ratcheting down of print publication of the New Orleans Times-Picayune.
Emily Choate continues her incredible traveling ways, recently selected to attend the 2012 Sewanee Writers’ Conference.
L. Kasimu Harris continues his Parish Chic column for the now-incredibly-redesigned Oxford American website, including this beautiful and startlingly honest odyssey in seersucker. Kasimu also recently published this piece in the Times-Picayune.

More Peauxdunquian news is in the pipeline. Stay tuned for further updates!

Maurice Ruffin reading at NOMA’s “Where Y’Art” June 1st

Posted on May 23, 2012 by tadbartlett

On the evening of June 1st, with other members of the Melanated Writers Collective, Peauxdunquian Maurice Carlos Ruffin will read from recent work at the New Orleans Museum of Art’s “Where Y’Art” series. On June 1st at 7 p.m., Where Y’Art will feature A MelaNated Summer, hosted by Kalamu Ya Salaam and including readings by several Melanated Collective members, including Maurice. The Melanated Summer Reading Series will continue with readings at Cafe Treme on July 14 and JuJu Bag on August 2.

Protected: Contest wins, publications, and MFA news

Posted on May 10, 2012 by tadbartlett

Publications and more! By Peauxdunqians and Friends of Peauxdunque

Posted on March 30, 2012 by tadbartlett

Another month, another set of publications and other writing recognition for the fine folks of Peauxdunque and their good friends …

Terri Stoor and Maurice Ruffin have had work selected for the upcoming New Orleans By New Orleans book project, which should come out at the end of this month. Joselyn Takacs, currently in Baltimore working on her MFA at Johns Hopkins, has the Story of the Week at Narrative, “Flares of Little Warning.” Also, Arion Berger and Tom Carson both have stories in the latest issue of Black Clock. Tad Bartlett has been admitted to the MFA program in fiction at UNO’s Creative Writing Workshop, where he will begin this fall.

Friend of Peauxdunque L. Kasimu Harris has launched a new column, Parish Chic, at The Oxford American’s online site, using fashion as a lens to illuminate the human condition.

An update on competitions and publications

Posted on March 6, 2012 by tadbartlett

Peauxdunquian Maurice Ruffin’s short story “The Winter Lion” was selected as one of the top ten finalists in the 2012 Tennessee Williams Festival fiction contest. Many congratulations to Maurice!

Also, friend-of-Peauxdunque Susan Vallee has published an essay in VIE magazine entitled “A Writing Conference to Ruin the Rest,” (starts on page 64) about the Oxford American Summit for Ambitious Writers. An excellent essay, with great photos, including one of Susan along with friend-of-Peauxdunque Tom Franklin and Peauxdunquians Emily Choate, Terri Stoor, J.Ed. Marston, and Tad Bartlett.

Readings, seminars, and another Peauxdunque publication

Posted on February 3, 2012 by tadbartlett

More news on Peauxdunquians in the world: Foremost, another Peauxdunque publication, as Kimberly Clouse’s short story, “Hector Gets Taken,” is in Volume 1, Issue 9 of Fortyouncebachelors. Kimberly joined Peauxdunque in 2011, and is currently working on a collection of short stories for her thesis project in the UNO Creative Writing Workshop MFA program.

In readings news, TODAY, February 3, Peauxdunqian Helen Krieger will be reading at the Artfully Aware event at the New Orleans Museum of Art, which takes place from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Also reading at the event are friend-of-Peauxdunque and fellow Oxford American Summit alum Benjamin Morris, as well as New Orleans literary renaissance man extraordinaire, John Biguenet; Moira Crone; and M’Bilia Meekers. A number of other musical and visual art components will take place in conjunction with the readings.

In a final bit of Peauxdunqian-in-the-world programming news, beginning February 26, 2012, Hatchery Media‘s (and Peauxdunque’s) Helen Krieger and Joseph Meissner will conduct an eight-week master class in acting and directing actors for the screen, bringing together actors, writers, and directors to develop and hone their material in a hands-on workshop. The class will meet Sundays from 1-4 p.m., until April 22. Contact Joseph at Hatchery Media for information or registration.

Protected: Successful 2012 Writers’ Camp

Posted on January 30, 2012 by tadbartlett

New post about old but good news

Posted on January 24, 2012 by tadbartlett

For awhile now, we have known about the Peauxdunque performance in the 2011 William Faulkner-William Wisdom Writing Competition, held in conjunction with the annual Words and Music Conference, but now the Words and Music folks have updated their website with the official announcement of winners and finalists.

Of course, at the top of the Peauxdunque heap is Terri Stoor, who won the gold medal in the short story category for her story “Bellyful of Sparrow.” Judging the short story category was Harper Collins editor Michael Signorelli, who said of Terri’s story:

“A Bellyful of Sparrow” balances the horror of life with the humor. The mute, immobile, terminally ill narrator wryly observes the life around him, while also inspiring unexpected attention from friends and family. But what could be a dirge is instead quietly mirthful. The story upends expectation and strikes for the elusive territory between bemusement and solemnity. And carried by the strength of its naturally engaging prose-voice, it succeeds.

Terri was also named second runner-up in the essay category of the competition for essay “Bird Dog.” Joining her in placing as finalists in the competition, Maurice Carlos Ruffin was a finalist in the short story category for his “Ten Stories”; J.Ed. Marston was a finalist in the poetry category for his “Voyage of the Limit Perfected Fish”; and Tad Bartlett was a finalist in the poetry category for his “new century/old century: three acts.”

Terri with her gold medal, with Jeff Kleinman, agent and founding partner of Folio Literary Management

Other placings in the competition by Peauxdunqians include: Sabrina Canfield on the short list for finalists in the novel-in-progress for “To the Place Where They Go”; Sabrina was also on the short list for finalists in the essay category for “Spring Sparks Sure Shot”; Tad and J.Ed. cowrote a manuscript on the long list for finalists in the novel category, “Kites, Quite Tall”; Sabrina also had a manuscript on the long list for finalists in the novel category, “Birds of Paradise”; J.Ed. made the semi-finalist list in the short story category with “No Accidental Fall”; and Tad joined J.Ed. on the short story semi-finalist list with “The Non-Artists.”

Peauxdunquian update: publication and residency

Posted on January 23, 2012 by tadbartlett

Maurice Carlos Ruffin‘s short story, “The Pie Man,” will be published in the South Carolina Review in fall 2012. “The Pie Man” was previously awarded with the 2011 Ernest Svenson Fiction Award in the University of New Orleans’ Creative Writing Workshop; and an earlier version of the story was named first runner-up in the short story category of the 2010 William Faulkner-William Wisdom Writing Competition.

Peauxdunqian Emily Choate has been selected for a residency in the ISLAND Hill House Artist Residency program, supported by the Institute for Sustainable Living, Art & Natural Design in Michigan.

End-of-year plaudits roll in for Friends of Peauxdunque

Posted on January 12, 2012 by tadbartlett

Here in Peauxdunque, we are not just a bunch of navel-gazing narcissists (though we do not deny the charge), but we also want to celebrate the great fortune of our friends (hereafter “Friends of Peauxdunque” or “FOPs”)! The end of 2011 brought much in the way of good news for our various friends, auxiliaries, benefactors, etc. (NOT hereafter “FABFEs”).

Tom Carson‘s novel, Daisy Buchanan’s Daughter, was named to the Washington Post‘s “Notable Fiction of 2011” list; and was also included in a Vanity Fair article discussing trends in genre-bending.

Mat Johnson‘s Pym also appeared on the WP “Notable Fiction of 2011” list, as well as Salon.com’s Best Fiction of 2011 list. It was also featured in Vanity Fair’s list of “The Best Books of 2011 You Haven’t Read” (which listing might be a mixed blessing, come to think of it). Actually, it might be easier to try to compile a list of the “Best of 2011” lists that Pym isn’t on. A small sampling of additional lists includes The Houston Chronicle, The A.V. Club, and Library Thing. Recall that Mat, winner of the 2011 Dos Passos Literature Prize, came and read at Peauxdunque’s Yeah You Write literary concert at Tipitina’s this past fall.

Tom Franklin, in whose workshop several Peauxdunqians landed during last summer’s Oxford American Summit for Ambitious Writers, has garnered a passel of awards for his novel, Crooked Letter Crooked Letter, including toward the end of 2011 the Crime Writers Association’s Golden Dagger.

Great work, folks. Peauxdunque’s glad to know you, and hopes 2012 brings even more of the same!