The Bemidji Community Art Center’s Spoken Word Committee is pleased to present poet and nonfiction writer Mark Chistensen for a special event on April 30th as a part of the Bemidji Legacy Destination Weekend, April 28th to May 1st.
Mark Christensen, a Bemidji native, has had a thirty-five career as an English teacher at levels ranging from junior high school to graduate studies. He has earned several degrees, published two books and scores of articles. For some years he maintained an occasional column in Bemidji’s Pioneer newspaper. He continues to teach, write poetry, creative nonfiction, and scholarly essays, as well as maintain interests in singing, acting, and photography.
WORKSHOP: ”Creating Nonfiction: Telling Truths Artfully”, from 1:00 to 4:00. Writers interested in generating creative nonfiction in forms such as memoir, biographical essays, or journalistic feature stories will received ideas and practice in beginning, drafting, and crafting revisions of specific pieces. Workshop members are encouraged to bring along a piece they might like to share, though that is not required. Workshop fees with be $35 - $20 for students. There is limited space for the workshop so please call the BCAC for reservations at 218-444-7570.
READING: from 4:00 to 5:00, Q&A to follow. A dedicated Professor of English at Bemidji State University, Mark also has many published works to his credit including a collection of poetry, Faith in Ice Time, and a textbook, The Familiar Essay. The reading will include short pieces of creative nonfiction and several poems, the contents of which will be accessible to readers who are teenagers or older. The 4:00 reading is free and open to the public and refreshments will be served.
The Legacy Destination Weekend program has been brought to Minnesotans through Minnesota Citizens for Arts, Conservation Minnesota and Explore Minnesota to share with our communities how Legacy grants have been used on a local level. We are honored to be one of 12 Destination Locations for 2011. Other partners for the Bemidji’s Legacy Destination Weekend are; Visit Bemidji, Bemidji Area Chamber of Commerce, Beltrami County Historical Society, Bemijdi Symphony Orchestra, City of Bemidji, Lake Bemidji State Park, Paul Bunyan PlayHouse, the Region 2 Arts Council, Minnesota Citizens for the Arts, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resouces, Conservation Minnesota, and Explore Minnesota Tourism.
For more information on the Spoken Word Series and upcoming writers visit the Spoken Word page.
