Some days, it’s good to play in your own sandbox. Saturday was like that here in Cheyenne. Over the last week we celebrated the opening of our new library (pic) and the release of the Wyoming state quarter which features the legendary bucking bronc and rider capped with the reminder that we are “The Equality State.” Friday and Saturday brought us the Cheyenne Book Fest (yep, people out here read. It gives us something to do on those long stage coach rides.) I grabbed a bunch of bing cherries (no bananas!!!!) from the morning Farmer’s Market at Cheyenne Depot Plaza and was off to make the rounds.
Most of the event was staged around the State Capitol, Supreme Court Building (pardon our construction) and Barrett Building at the north end of the central district. Other events were held throughout downtown Cheyenne where a major facelift has been on-going for a decade and is still in progress.
Wyoming Poet Laureate, college professor and Fireants maestro David Romtvedt, (who would rather talk about traveling than anything else- my kind of guy!)
and UW Creative Writing professor and accomplished author Alyson Hagy, along with more than a dozen other 
authors, signed books and visited with friends and fans. When I was attending UW, I was too intimidated to sign up for a class given by David, but I enjoyed the heck out of his music while I played the role of “thorn in side” to the then new arrival Alyson. While chatting up Alyson one day about publishing, she looked at me in exasperation and said “You have to pay your dues first.” As a 46-year-old geezer-in-training who had just finished a 22+ year military career, among other accomplishments, I ridiculously believed I had paid my dues. But what did I know?
authors, signed books and visited with friends and fans. When I was attending UW, I was too intimidated to sign up for a class given by David, but I enjoyed the heck out of his music while I played the role of “thorn in side” to the then new arrival Alyson. While chatting up Alyson one day about publishing, she looked at me in exasperation and said “You have to pay your dues first.” As a 46-year-old geezer-in-training who had just finished a 22+ year military career, among other accomplishments, I ridiculously believed I had paid my dues. But what did I know?
Craig Johnson (author of three, soon to be four, Walt Longmire mysteries), Margaret Coel (creator of the long running Father John O’Malley mystery series) and C J Box (chronicler of seven, soon to be eight, adventures and mis-adventures of Wyoming Game Warden Joe Picket) talked to fans and “students” about writing mysteries set in the west. The panel was moderated by Bob Koeling, an English Professor at Northwest College in Powell, WY. (seated at far left- where else would you expect a college professor?) C J arrived fresh from the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers’ award ceremony Friday night where he received the “Writer of the Year” award.
In speaking of place as a contributor to - or character in- their books, they all agreed that the Wyoming landscape and culture are multi-layered, unique and critical to the development of their stories. Coel (a Colorado resident, but we forgive her of her sins) sets her series on the Wind River Indian reservation in central Wyoming. She talked about landscape space and says the characters “can’t go anywhere in less than 40 minutes.” Sure sounds like the Wyoming I know.
In speaking of place as a contributor to - or character in- their books, they all agreed that the Wyoming landscape and culture are multi-layered, unique and critical to the development of their stories. Coel (a Colorado resident, but we forgive her of her sins) sets her series on the Wind River Indian reservation in central Wyoming. She talked about landscape space and says the characters “can’t go anywhere in less than 40 minutes.” Sure sounds like the Wyoming I know.
Box (an outdoorsman in his own right) mentioned that the “hidden agendas” in small communities are more apparent than in urban settings.
And Johnson (a Wyomingite who did a stint as a NY cop) earned “understatement of the day” honors when he pointed out that “Things are more complex out here than may be immediately perceived.”
Another contributor to the discussion of place was Wyoming’s own Lynn Swanson who presented her outstanding impersonation of author Willa Cather (1873- 1947, My Antonia and so much more.) Ms. Cather tells us of how much she loved the farm in Nebraska, but how she could not write there so she was destined to be forever on the move, searching for a new home.
Yep, a writer does have to capture the feeling of the place where her/his characters play. That’s one of the tricks I haven’t fully mastered yet (which is why I’m sitting here writing this blat instead of resting up after a hard day of book signing and lecturing on the circuit with the above bunch.)
So, you ask (or maybe not) did MADWAA come away with any books?
Another contributor to the discussion of place was Wyoming’s own Lynn Swanson who presented her outstanding impersonation of author Willa Cather (1873- 1947, My Antonia and so much more.) Ms. Cather tells us of how much she loved the farm in Nebraska, but how she could not write there so she was destined to be forever on the move, searching for a new home.
Yep, a writer does have to capture the feeling of the place where her/his characters play. That’s one of the tricks I haven’t fully mastered yet (which is why I’m sitting here writing this blat instead of resting up after a hard day of book signing and lecturing on the circuit with the above bunch.)
So, you ask (or maybe not) did MADWAA come away with any books? Well, duh! It was a BOOK FEST and I’m addicted - probably (maybe) even more than the ever-present cigarette!
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The heck with inspiration- it was time for a change of pace. . .
And Cheyenne offered up such a change with the 2007 Cheyenne Greek Festival. This is an annual event that I try not to miss and it seems from the number of attendees that more people every year add this affair to their list of must-dos.
And Cheyenne offered up such a change with the 2007 Cheyenne Greek Festival. This is an annual event that I try not to miss and it seems from the number of attendees that more people every year add this affair to their list of must-dos.
The Greeks know how to have a good time-- food, booze and dance-- what more could a good-ole- monkey want?
My handler did a fine job of keeping me out of trouble here.
Below, the Cheyenne Greek Dancers perform the Syrto, while some young ladies from the Colorado Cretan Dance Group warm up outside.
And they have a sense of humor! My handler and I were enjoying the roast chicken dinner (with pasta, salad, drink and desert!!!) and some young boys (Jr. High school age, I imagine) were functioning as waiters extraordinaire . They made it their mission to ensure every diner had everything they could possibly ask for every two minutes. Finally, one of the young men came to our table and asked (agaaaaiiiiiinn) “Is everything all right?”
Before my handler could stop me, I blurted out “What if I said no?”
The young man, without missing a beat, said, “well, then, I guess I’d just have to ask you to get out” and he pointed to the door. That kid has a fine life ahead of him (maybe not in Wyoming customer service, but New York beckons!)
That concludes this week’s public service diatribe. Tomorrow I get crotchety.
That concludes this week’s public service diatribe. Tomorrow I get crotchety.
Now it’s time to perform the annual maintenance on the jacks that support MADWAA’s puc when it’s not on the truck. 
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