If you are in the Albuquerque area this weekend, consider attending Chatter tomorrow, Sunday, August 20, at 10:30 am!

Hear an amazing Classical concert. And I will be the Spoken Word artist!

I will read for 10 minutes, selections from my newly released novel WILD CONVICTION. Here is the program for the hour-long event:

W.A. Mozart Clarinet Quartet in B-flat major, K. 317d (arr. Johann Anton André)
Edvard Grieg String Quartet no. 1 in G minor, op. 27

James Shields clarinet
Sarah Kwak, David Felberg violin
Vali Phillips viola
James Holland cello

Mary Dezember spoken word

The Chatter concerts are always first-class!

I am so honored to be included in this lovely event! Thank you, Don McIver and ChatterAbq!

Find out more and order tickets here:
https://www.chatterabq.org/product/august-20-2023/

I am honored to have one of my poems—”Rosalind Franklin Speaks”—featured on a radio program produced by T. A. Niles; T. A. has compiled poets reading what he calls “Message Poetry.”

The program will be aired on
Poetry Bread Presents with Sam Castello at KURU Silver City 89.1 FM/GMCR.org

Please tune in at this link (http://stream.gmcr.org:8000/gmcr) that should take you directly to the show on one of the following days:

Monday, September 12, 2022 at 10am mountain time and again on Sunday, September 18, at 4pm mountain time

Here is a link to T. A.’s blog post about the event with the bios of all the poets who contributed plus two poets whose work isn't featured on the program:
https://tapoetexpress.blogspot.com/2022/09/gmcrkuru-891-fm-912-poetry-bread.html.

Thank you, T. A. and GMCR.org/KURU 89.1 FM Silver City!

NOTE: “Rosalind Franklin Speaks” was first published in Still Howling: Poems by Mary Dezember (Create Space Independent Publishing, 2016)

Everybody Editor: Finding and Owning Your Own Voice

Do you belong to a writer’s critique group, or five of them? Have you ever trusted a friend or a pro to edit your prose or poetry? If the answer if yes, you’ve probably been awarded suggestions that didn’t sit quite right. How do you know what to strike from your pages versus hold strong, and let your unique creativity sing? This session explores the concept of being true to your own voice in revision. 

About Tara Maher:

An author of women’s fiction, Tara Maher is an accomplished aviation insider who spent over fifteen years in two roles at a major US airline: Inflight Services Instructor and Flight Attendant. 

Before her sky days, Tara attended the University of Colorado, Boulder, where she skied, hiked and received her B.A. in Communication. Upon graduation, she spent a year abroad immersed in European culture, traveling extensively and haunting centuries old bookstores.

Though she no longer wears wings, Tara embraces her aviation days through her characters which are now embedded in her work, including her new blog that showcases the life of a flight attendant. She also employs the varied locations she lived in and visited. During her fly years, Tara was based in Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and Chicago and lived in and traveled to many other cities worldwide. She’s spent chunks of time in both Paris and in many locales in Asia, giving her a broad range of settings for her short stories and novels. 

Tara has settled in the North Shore of Chicago on the shores of Lake Michigan. There, she supports other authors through her commitment as an anthology Developmental Editor for Off Campus Writer’s Workshop of Chicago, where she’s served on the board. She also bolsters peers by partaking in events at the Women’s Fiction Writers Association (WFWA) and belongs to several critique groups, one being multi-decade. She’s a lover of the sky and sea, chocolate and coffee and has a can-do, no grit, no pearl outlook. To find out more, contact tara@taramaherauthor.com. 

Event page for this event on Tara’s website is: http://www.taramaherauthor.com/events/

Images and photo courtesy of Tara Maher.

Creatives in Conversation presents Poet Don McIver!

Don will speak about "Poetry as conversation: poem replies to poem; poet dances with poet; poetics blind-dates poetics” and will read some of his poems on this topic.

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About Don McIver

Basic Human Needs Award winning poet, Don McIver is a six time member of the ABQ slam team as a poet and a coach, a host/producer of KUNM’s Afternoon Freeform, the author of The Noisy Pen and The Blank Page, and an editor of A Bigger Boat: The Unlikely Success of the Albuquerque Poetry Slam Scene. He’s performed all over the United States, produced, curated, and hosted poetry events big and small including the 2005 National Poetry Slam and presently curates poets for Ensemble New Mexico’s “Sunday-Chatter” weekly event.  He’s been published in numerous magazines and anthologies including Harwood Anthology, Shine On You Crazy Diamond: Poems by Teens and their Mentors, Earthships: A New Mecca Poetry Anthology, Poems from the Big Muddy: NPS 2004, Looking Back to Place, How to....Multiple Perspectives on Creating a Garden, a Life, Relationships and Community and Fixed and Free Poetry Anthology Volumes 1 & 3. He's presented at college conferences on Spoken Word and performed at the 2007 & 2020 Colorado Performance Poetry Festival among others. He's a teacher by trade at Central New Mexico Community College, where he also manages the tutoring center.

Bio provided by Don McIver.

6:45 Zoom room open

7:00 - 7:30 Invited poets – 5 minutes each

Mary Oishi, Rich Boucher, Mary Dezember

Merimée Moffitt, Bill Nevins, Susy Crandall

7:30 - 8:00 Featured Visiting Poet, Richard Vargas

8:00 - 8:30 Discussion and Q/A period, perhaps with a final poem or two from Richard Vargas

8:30 End of event

How A Civilization Begins by Richard Vargas

Blends Experience with Cultural Clarity

Author Richard Vargas kicks off the summer with his book release How a Civilization Begins (Mouthfeel Press, ISBN: 9780996724791).

Event Hosted by Billy Brown

Contact Billy Brown at welbert53@aol.com for the Zoom link.

Billy is suggesting a donation of $5 to attend the event.

Creatives in Conversation Presents A Life of Joy ... :-) with Billy Brown

A Life of Joy… :-)

Billy Brown is a Poet, Poetry Organizer & Publisher, Singer, Baker, Mathematics & Statistics Educator and will speak about A Life of Joy … :-)

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About Billy Brown

Billy Brown came to poetry late in life, after hating it for 35 years, having been humiliated in a HS English class.  He began writing poetry of grief twenty-five years ago, shortly after the death of his daughter Elizabeth, in a car crash at age 18.  In time his poetry turned towards happier themes such as love, celebration, nature, beauty and political activism.  For 15 years Billy has organized and hosted Albuquerque’s monthly Fixed and Free poetry readings, producing four Fixed and Free Poetry Anthologies 2011, 2015, 2018 and 2021 and recently publishing the inaugural issue of Fixed and Free Poetry Quarterly.  Billy has chosen to live a life of Joy … with poetry, singing, mathematics/statistics education, baking/catering, UNM faculty union leadership and family activities.  He holds a PhD in Mathematics from Dartmouth College and has taught/tutored Mathematics at the HS and College levels for 35 years, interrupted by a 12-year stint working at Intel in various automation positions.  His son Alex (40) and daughter-in-law Lake live in Los Angeles with their two daughters Nevada (6) and Dusty Rainbow (1); he has not yet seen or held Dusty Rainbow due to COVID.  Billy lives in Albuquerque with his gardener sweetheart Sandi, their cat Annie and her son Aaron’s music recording studio.  Billy still occasionally weeps for Elizabeth, and every new day is another opportunity to be Joyful!

Bio provided by Billy Brown

Student loan debt got you down? There's hope!

Dr. Mary Dezember is one of many women who took every chance she could to further her education - only to be weighed down by crippling loans and interest.

Fortunately, options do exist for help, including the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF), with a recent temporary waiver that helped Mary find debt cancellation.

A lifelong activist and educator, Mary is now working to help others who worked or have worked in public service learn how they might be able to get out from under the stress and burden of debt through the PSLF waiver.

In our convo, Mary will share her experience with the PSLF waiver, how she benefited from it, how others might benefit from this program, and how she found help with nonprofit organizations that support people in navigating these issues. Mary is advocating for REFORM for the entire student loan system, which is a broken system and what Mary calls “modern indentured servitude.”

All attendees are welcome to ask questions during the Q&A at the end of this 30minute conversation.

Click this link to find out how to attend via Zoom:

https://fb.me/e/4l0PRXMBC

https://www.facebook.com/events/734096301159635?ref=newsfeed

Sunday, May 29, 2022 at 2:00 pm MT

A note from Mary:

Rachael Himsel of Women with Guts Productions has designated me as a Gutsy Woman/Woman with Guts (thank you, Rachael!) and invited me to speak about my experience with student loan debt and how the temporary Public Service Loan Forgiveness waiver—with information provided by and support of non-profits, in particular the Student Debt Crisis Center—cancelled my remaining debt.

Women hold about 2/3 of student debt in our country, with Black women carrying most of that burden.

— https://usow.org/studentloans/
— https://www.marketwatch.com/story/i-cant-imagine-the-day-when-im-not-paying-black-women-are-being-crushed-by-the-student-debt-crisis-and-demanding-action-11635948623

Student loan debt is not like other debt—its high interest rates that accrue daily and steep penalties make it almost impossible to make a dent in the principal.

From the Federal Student Aid website:

“Unlike other forms of debt, such as credit cards and mortgages, Direct Loans are ‘daily interest’ loans. On daily interest loans, interest accrues (adds up) every day.”

https://studentaid.gov/understand-aid/types/loans/interest-rates

Education is important for careers and for a country of critical thinkers. Higher education should be available for all who want it without lifelong crushing debt, daily-accruing high interest, crazy penalties & no bankruptcy option.

I am advocating for REFORM for the entire student loan system.

If you have student loan debt or know someone who does or if you are just interested in hearing my experience with and thoughts on what I call “modern indentured servitude,” find out more and about how to join us this Sunday at this link:

https://fb.me/e/4l0PRXMBC

You can also find out more here:

https://www.marydezember.com/events/2022/5/29/women-with-guts-productions-presents-women-student-loan-debt-get-out-from-under-it-with-mary-dezember-phd

Creative Collaboration: Writing and Recording Poems 

Join poet Hiram Larew and narrator & producer T. A. Niles as they discuss how they worked together to produce the audiobook version of Larew's newest collection, Mud Ajar (Atmosphere Press, 2021). Hiram will also read poetry and discuss projects he has founded: Poetry X Hunger and the Voices of Woodlawn poetry collective.

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Join us! Find out more here.

Illustration of Hiram Larew by Donna Luhrs. Courtesy of Hiram Larew.

Photo of T. A. Niles, seen below, courtesy of Hiram Larew.

Bébé La La ~ A Wonderful Series of Unexpected Events

New Mexico's Award Winning Musical Duo Bébé La La, featuring singer-songwriters Alicia Ultan and Maryse Lapierre, will perform and speak about their musical journey, collaboration and upcoming release.

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Photo above by Laura DiMauro

If you are in the Albuquerque area on Sunday, April 3, please join us at Chatter for

“New Scenes from an Old World” featuring Emanuele Arciuli, piano, performing:

Claude Debussy Preludes (excerpts)
William Duckworth Time Curve Preludes (excerpts)
Peter Gilbert Piano Sonata “New Scenes from an Old World” (American premiere)

With Mary Dezember, Poet.

10:30am MT at 912 Third, Albuquerque, NM

More information and ticket information, click on link below:

https://www.chatterabq.org/product/april-3-2022/

Voices of Woodlawn

A Reckoning by Four Poets of America’s Slave-Holding Past
In Tribute to Black History Month
and A Conversation with Poets of Witness

4:30 pm PST, 5:30 pm MST, 6:30 pm CST, 7:30 pm EST (75 min. program)

After the conclusion of February as Black History Month, also referred to as Black Future Month,  Voices of Woodlawn, Poets of Witness, continue the recognition of brave and forgotten lives and continue to honor Black heritage and Black lives past and present.

On March 2, 2022—Creatives in Conversation joins Voices of Woodlawn
in honoring Black lives.

A Creatives in Conversation event not to be missed!

There will not be an open mic for this evening’s hour-long moving, inspiring and impactful special event. There will be a 15 min Q & A.

A Conversation with Poets of Witness

• Poets Diane Wilbon Parks, Patrick Washington, Sylvia Dianne “Ladi Di” Beverly and Hiram Larew with Cliff Bernier on harmonica will present and discuss poems, music and artwork about America’s history of slavery.

• Join us as we try to imagine the voices of those who were enslaved at Historic Woodlawn Plantation Estate in Fairfax, VA – and what their enslavement means to us today.

• Artwork is “Royalty” by Diane Wilbon Parks. Courtesy of Diane Wilbon Parks

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Please join us for a poetry and music celebration to close out John Barney's two month long art show at the Thirsty Eye from 3 to 5 pm MT on Sunday, February 6, 2022.

The show begins at 4 pm MT with a performance MC'ed by Mary Dezember that will feature John Barney and David Felberg, violinist and Creative Director of Albuquerque Sunday Chatter, and a number of local poets and musicians, including Bill Nevins, Kira Jones, Nate Maxon, Mari Simbaña, Richard Wolfson, Teresa E. Gallion, Jacques Dorier, Sean Ritch, Denise Crouse and Jody Vanesky!

Score: Art as a Performative Practice

Visual Artist, Poet & Performance Artist John Barney with musician & composer Levi Raleigh Brown!

John’s presentation—Score: Art as a Performative Practice—
will be an improvisational chatauqua that includes selections of his paintings, photography and poetry
with music composed by and performed with Levi Raleigh Brown.

The first three Creatives who zoom in at 5:20 pm MT on February 2
can sign up to read poetry or excerpts from fiction or non-fiction,
sing, dance, perform music, present their visual art
or present on other creative projects and endeavors.
5 minute limit per presenter.

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Get Surreal!

A FREE “From Dr. Dezember’s View” event via Zoom.

Join me, Dr. Mary Dezember—Author, Poet, Arts Scholar & Educator—for a fun hour discussing one or two Surrealist paintings then playing Surrealist games!

If you enjoy creative writing, you’ll find out in this event how Surrealist game “thinking” can help you with your writing! Or, just enjoy the information and fun!

Registration is required by signing up for my newsletter to receive the Zoom link. Once you are signed up for the newsletter, you receive zoom links to any of my free events, such as Creatives in Conversation.

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Event is one hour. 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm Mountain Time.

Photo credit: Morning Art from My Balcony, January 8, 2022 by Mary Dezember