Common Ground - Minnesota headwaters writing conference segment

Hi, I'm John Parsons and this Lake Bemidji. I'm here on the campus of Bemidji State University for the Minnesota Northwoods Writers Conference. There are in fact no less than five workshop tracks for participants to chose from. There are two poetry tracks, translation, fiction and the workshop we're looking in on creative non fiction. I'm Rob Held, high school english teacher from St Francis. I've come up to Bemidji State University here to participate in the creative non fiction sessions. I've long been interested in coming up here. John: Tell me a little bit about why we have this conference again this year after five years when we didn't have it. We have the conference because the current chair of the English department, Larry Swain approached me about starting the conference up again. It went into hiatus in 2008. It restarted this year after a 5 year hiatus I believe.PPGetting the brochure in theppmail at school and I'm going hey that's going to be my summer retreat. John: The workshops are taught by published authors. Each evening those authors take turns to read a piece of their own work. I've come to hear Furhman University professor Joni Tevis who is leading the creative non fiction workshop and we're just in time for the introduction. Applause "That was professional huh." I hope you are all enjoying this conference as much as I am. Tonight I am just delighted to have the honor of introducing Joni Tevis whose debut collection of essays The Wet Collection, draws on her experience as a park ranger, factory worker, funeral plot saleswomen and world traveler. So I'm going to read an essay from my new book and I'm excited I've never read this one before. I mean I've read it, laughter but I've never read it to other people before. This is an essay about a journey and we take these trips. Sometimes we get more than we bargain for along the way. And sometimes surprises come. Alright Here you go. Sympathetic Magic. It starts off with an epigraph. I will say to the north give them up. And to the south do not withhold. Bring my sons from far away and my daughters from the end of the earth. Isaiah 43 Oh you know Isaiah is good. laughter Waiting outside the Fairbanks train station I had the feeling the whole thing could fall through. When our guide Carl showed up we shook hands, slung our gear into his van and headed up the haul road before anyone could stop us. I tried to prepared, trained, researched gear, plotted distances. But yet as the little plane surfed and dropped in the thermals, I saw that it wasn't enough. What made you want to visit the refuge. Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, northern Alaska. What made you want to visit the refuge the pilot asked. And my throat closed. Cliffy mountains on either side and below. Snow caught in their creases and marks were hooves had struck stone. Got a bee in my bonnet I said. What we're doing in class each day we're focusing on a different aspect of collecting collecting the material which includes research. I wanted to go to the refuge to see what the deal was. It was very hard to get a clear answerppfrom either side and I wanted to go have an honest experience there while I still could, because I knew it would be hard to get there. It would be expensive to get there, I was lucky to get some grants to be able to do it. And I just, I wanted to see what it was like. And I was not prepared for this thing beyond reason. Kind of magical quality that the land had. We are non fiction writers, so researching is part of this process. And that's she really enjoys researching, she would admit that She spent alot of time researching and having been a park ranger she has a natural interest in those that outdoor stuff. The environmental and everything and she just incorporatesPPthat really well in herppwriting. It comes across quite clearly. In the cockpit the locket swung from a *** and a picture of the pilots kids covered a dial. He belonged here not me. But the truth was I had to see the refuge for myself. If we waited I knew somehow that it would be too late. The writers I have pulled together here for this conference are people who have been recognized nationally. I pull people who are teachers. Who are also excellent writers, excellent teachersPPand excellent writers. That'sppwhat we look for. It so happens that I'm lucky enough to know those people. John: How did you get these folks to show up? PPI mean did you pick up theppphone and ask them or tom or what did you say? I sent an email the subject line big favor. You know I'm trying to put together a conference would you consider coming? I crawl out of the tent to fill my water bottle stepping over the mountain alpinas growing just outside.PPA small plant with a whiteppdaisy like flower that often means good camping. And legend calls it the blessed herb which stops the devil from entering. Flora and fauna as you mentioned, we talked about that in class today. Learning about the specific names of plants and animals and flowers. Instead of just a flower you name it. That's an important part of making a story more real. Here's home for a while a dry place on the tundra. We share it with wolves. One of whom surprises me as I crouch by the river.He locks eyes with me. evaluates and decides to move on and lopes easily away along the gravel bar. In the pause after he's gone, I hear the hum of billions of mosquitoes on clings to the tent screen clapping her front legs. Brooding over these things eyes scanning the tundra. I sense something strange taking root deep within myself. An insistent PPriddle of thought. I dare notppspeak aloud. The last third of the story was a real transition, unexpected and the whole audience, the whole place man everybody in that place was just and of course you got that emotion welled up and which was great. And she granted herself that afterwards. She said that's okay isn't it. It certainly was because that whole room was just captivated. I don't want to say more about any specifics but it was captivating. applause applause applause Thanks you guys. Hello, Rob: "That was awesome and a half." Joni:"Thank you Rob." Rob: "The closing just wow. It was remarkable." Joni: "Thank you." Rob: "Where do you do this one or the next one."ppJoni: "I think the next one." Rob" You have much experience with that?" ppJoni: "I like that one." Rob: "Just so you know here my notes from your tonight. I started here but Sympathetic Magic but then I jumped across with a few items" Joni: "Oh Wow oh Yeah" Rob: "I'll share it with you tomorrow maybe. I'll let you know because I'm sure I know I would be interested in somebody charting some of the memorable and stand out stuff." Joni: "What did you glean? Rob: "Thanks alot." Joni: "Thank you Rob I appreciate that." I've interviewed lots of people, but never before have I conducted a television interview over Skype. I'm John Parsons from Lakeland Public Television, I'm doing a little piece for our Common Ground Series about the writers who and um going to do a little tiny interview with you off of Skype. John: Catherine what is it like doing a writer's school over Skype? Catherine: Well it's total fun. I am a real participant in the classroom. Even though I'm not drinking coffee or I'm not running in and out of the room with everybody. I'm having a great time. I can hear everyone thingPPthat's going on. Joni: How areppwe in Wisconsin Catherine: Hey I think I'm starting to hear you that's good. Joni: Oh good oh good. John: Last night was the first time I heard them talkingPPabout Wisconsin I thought itppwas a joke. I realized they were talking about you. She's a participant who applied and got in lovely writer but after we accepted her we found out that she was unable to physically attend the conferencePPso we had to makeppaccommodations for that. We've been using Skype and now we talk about her attending certain events even. Where we bring an Ipad, a tripod to the readings and she is on a laptop sitting on a desk in the workshop with everyone else. And she interacts with them. Catherine : You can subscribe for free. PPJoni: Yes they give you tenppfree issues I mean ten free articles a month. Catherine: Okay Thank you. I physically could not beppin the room and Bemidji State University has done this for me very open hearted I think.