Gala Literary and Documentary Celebration
Date/Time
Date(s) - 11/23/2024
12:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Location
Ironstone Vineyards
Categories
Manzanita Writers Press Presents: A Gala Literary and Documentary Celebration
Showcased will be excerpted historic video conversations, readings by writers in the Voices program from their new anthology, authors reading from their new books, and a festive fondue prepared by Judy Creighton, Cheeselady extraordinaire.
A two-year-long grant from California Humanities in 2022 began the journey of capturing the voices and stories on film of elders in our county who have lived in our region at least 30-40 years, most of whom came from long-standing Calaveras historical families with roots in the Mother Lode. These videotaped conversations tell of a bygone past that will live on in historical records and archives, and on the new Manzanita YouTube channel. Grant partners, project partners, interviewees, poets in the new anthology, and writers and artists with the Voices program, are invited to come and be recognized and share in the festivities and celebration.
The program on Saturday showcases excerpts from these hour-long conversations. The videos in their entirety will be shown on the new Manzanita Writers Press YouTube channel, open for viewing the day of the event. The scope of the grant included weekly classes of Voices senior writers, 50-plus, ongoing and funded 2022-2024, the program being in its eighth year, smartphone trainings and classes in 2023, training for filming and interviewing, as well as editing. It also encompassed some funding for the Gold Rush Writers Conference with Tommy Orange as a featured guest and instructor in 2022, a Poetry Festival and public reading at Calaveras Big Trees in Summer 2023, and a Poetry Festival in Murphys featuring poet laureates from multiple California counties. The grant also helped us obtain needed equipment and software for recording and filming, and editing, as well as train personnel. This project was made possible with support from California Humanities, a partner of the NEH. Visit www.calhum.org.”
Calaveras Community Foundation funded the publication and production of two books – Keepers of the Words: Language and Culture of the West Point Miwuk Community, edited by Linda Toren, and Voices of the Grove, edited by Linda Toren and Monika Rose, a project of memoir by senior writers in the Voices of Wisdom free writing program for the public.
Schedule:
12 – 1 pm Gala Reception – Judy Creighton, cheese expert of the Mother Lode and beyond, presents a special fondue to taste – Manzanita and Ironstone Vineyards offer no-host wine and beverages by the glass
1-2:30 pm – Film program (interviews of elders in our county) – videography by Sarah Lunsford, Aaron Cameron, Sarah Garner, with interviews conducted by Lydia Cameron, Linda Toren, and Monika Rose, and CCTV studio assistance by Sarah Garner and volunteers. A shout out to the Creator Content Hub for resources and training ongoing.
3-5 pm – Voices senior writers read from the new anthology, Voices of the Grove, a literary and memoir collection of writing and art by our county’s seniors involved in the Voices Program
There will be writers reading from the books published, and authors who have just released their books with Manzanita Writers Press will also read from their new books. Gary Thomas, poet in Modesto, just released his book of poems, O Yes We Breathe. Brenda Cumberlege, a Calaveras County native, released her new book of prose and poetry, Steal Away. And Monika Rose showcases her new children’s book, Moths on a Limb. Linda Toren’s edited anthology, Calaveras Poets, will also be available.
The gala celebration is free to the public. Manzanita Writers Press invites community partners of Manzanita Writers Press in the 2022-2024 Gold Country Oral History grant to attend with friends and family to help us celebrate.
- “This project was made possible with support from California Humanities, a partner of the NEH. Visit www.calhum.org.”
Manzanita thanks the Calaveras Community Foundation, who not only funded the two historical books being released, Keepers of the Word, and Voices of the Grove, but have granted Manzanita Writers Press funding for 2024-2025 to continue the Gold Country Oral History and video project of conversations with the elders in our county.
If people have family members who have lived in the county for at least 40 years, we encourage them to contact Manzanita Writers Press for documentary filming of family members and friends in conversations about the good old days. Contact Monika Rose, Director of Manzanita, or Lydia Cameron, Interview Project Leader at manzanitawp@gmail.com and website: manzapress.com
