CALYX is 34 on March 11th

I'm not sure where the year is disappearing to, but March has arrived, and with it CALYX anniversary/birthday. March 11, 1976 is the founding date, and we will be celebrating with a party on Saturday, March 13th, 7-9pm at the Corvallis Arts Center (700 SW Madison). The reception including music, refreshments, and poetry readings is free and open to the public, so if you're in the area - come say hello!

The readings include the Oregon and Washington Lois Cranston Memorial Poetry Prize award winners: Linda Strever (Olympia, WA), Kathryn Graves-Messer (Salem, OR), Jennifer Richter (Corvallis, OR), and Toni Van Deusen (Eugene, OR). Linda's poem “How to Become the Oracle” received the 2009 Lois Cranston Memorial Poetry Prize judged by poet Marilyn Chin, and was published in our most recent issue. Kathryn's poem "Findings" is a 2009 finalist and is on our website http://www.calyxpress.org/Cranstonprize.html. Toni and Jennifer are finalists from previous years -- and we're looking forward to seeing all of them at our party!

As with other events, there is a bit of work that goes into creating this party - getting the word out, coordinating with poets and the location... and the last minute details seem to be falling into place. In a little less than two weeks, we'll have some photos to post up here, and wrapup of the event. How time flies!

-- Cathy

Signs of Spring

I know we shouldn't mention this, with the east coast buried in snow, and apparently snow in 49 of 50 states... but a few feet from the door of the CALYX office there are crocus, daffodils and snowdrops blooming! Spring has begun here in Oregon, and although we have had our "setbacks" before (notably a snow mid-April last year!), it's starting to feel like we're coming out of the winter! And if it's spring... CALYX birthday isn't far behind!

CALYX was founded on March 11, 1976, by four women with a vision to provide a publication that celebrates the excellence and diversity of women’s literature and art. It has continued to give opportunities to new and developing writers - more than 4,000, and we lost count a while ago!

A few writers who were published first or early in their careers include Julia Alvarez, Ellen Bass, Chitra Divakaruni, Molly Gloss, Linda Hogan, Natalie Goldberg, Barbara Kingsolver, Colleen McElroy, Sharon Olds, Nobel Laureate Wislawa Szymborska (the first English translations in the U.S.A.), and Eleanor Wilner. Did you know CALYX Journal was also the first U.S. publisher of color art reproductions of the work of the Mexican artist Frida Kahlo?

We will be celebrating CALYX' 34th birthday here in Corvallis, Oregon, with a party on March 13th that includes music, refreshments -- and of course, readings! More on that soon. But if you are inclined to celebrate with CALYX, you can have a house party of your own! We would be delighted to provide more information to you -- email us at: info(at)calyxpress(dot)org.