It’s a beautiful day out. Birds are singing, sun is shining, dogs have been walked, petted, fed, and mollified. Cats have new kitty litter. All is good. Though, I had to laugh when I read Kristopher Reiz’s post this morning, which involves dogs and dead deer and the various naughty things that can happen when the two are combined. I, too, have been the recipient of such unwanted gifts. I think I told this story once before, but I was out walking about two years past, and I saw Lucky running toward me from the woods. He had something in his mouth. Looked like a big stick. I said, “Aw, isn’t that cute,” and I kept saying that, grinning like an idiot—until he got close enough for me to realize that it was not a stick in his mouth, but a sawed off deer leg, hoof still attached.
Hunting season. Gotta love it.
Lucky, sweetheart that he is, wanted to share. Suffice to say, I did not. Eventually, he ran off and buried the leg. I saw bits and pieces of it for a few weeks after. Not in the house, though. There’s a reason Lucky is not an indoor dog, and that Daisy is. Poodles wouldn’t be caught dead hauling body parts. Though, Kris? My hat goes off to you, man.
***
Writing opportunites from Funds for Writers:
KUMU KAHUA THEATRE PLAYWRITING CONTEST
http://www.kumukahua.org/
—
Kumu Kahua Theatre is a nonprofit theatre company affiliated with the University of Hawaii at Manoa (UHM) Theatre Department. Each year Kumu Kahua Theatre co-sponsors a playwriting contest with the UHM Theatre Department in its effort to bring new and exciting drama to the stage. The playwriting contest is offered in three separate categories. One prize will be offered in each category. All plays must be original and must not involve adaptation form any copyrighted source. For the Hawaii Prize ($600), which is open to residents and non-residents of Hawaii, the play must be set in Hawaii or deal with some aspect of the Hawaii experience. For the Pacific/Rim Prize ($450), which is open to residents and non-residents of Hawaii, the play must be set in or deal with the Pacific Islands, the Pacific Rim, or the Pacific/ Asian American experience. For the Resident Prize ($250), which is open to the residents of Hawaii at the time of submission, the plays may be on any topic, and of any length. Deadline January 2, 2007.
=====
THE ELLEN MELOY FUND
http://www.ellenmeloy.com/
—
The Ellen Meloy Fund for Desert Writers endeavors to send willing and talented people out to the desert to write. This annual grant assists writers with expenses related to spending creative time in a desert environment. The anticipated benefits are huge: enriching writers with the enduring powers of the desert and providing readers with knowledge of and a passion for desert places. That education is the meat of protection. No law, regulation, claim or movement proceeds without the stories that promote and inspire. Applicants for the 2007 award of $1,000 are asked to submit the Application Cover Sheet, a Project Description, and a Biographical Statement, along with a copy of a Writing Sample not to exceed 10 pages. Deadline December 31, 2006.
=====
CODY INSTITUTE FELLOWSHIP
Dr. Robert B. Pickering
CIWAS, BBHC
720 Sheridan Ave.
Cody, WY 82414-3428
http://wyospcr.state.wy.us/CR/ARTS/WEB/htdocs/Litmail.html
—
The Cody Institute for Western American Studies (CIWAS) at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody invites proposals for its Resident Fellowship Program. Research on any aspect of the American West. They carry a stipend of $5,000 and a residency requirement of up to five months between June 1, 2007 and May 31, 2008. Fellows may pursue field research in the Cody area or work in the BBHC collections. Deadline March 19, 2007. Submit a c.v. and a proposal (no more than three single-spaced pages).
***
Congratulations to Rochelle and Kayla for being pulled from the Christmas hat!