{"id":93537,"date":"2019-06-12T10:15:00","date_gmt":"2019-06-12T16:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/southwest-writers-and-readers-at-cortez-literary-festival\/"},"modified":"2019-06-12T10:15:00","modified_gmt":"2019-06-12T16:15:00","slug":"southwest-writers-and-readers-at-cortez-literary-festival","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/southwest-writers-and-readers-at-cortez-literary-festival\/","title":{"rendered":"Southwest writers and readers at Cortez Literary Festival"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><!-- gallery:81cd2740-83a5-45b2-a079-78b45eb38f30 --><\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video wp-block-embed-youtube naviga-video-embed\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/4DOQtSDXjlU\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video wp-block-embed-youtube naviga-video-embed\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/h-1fHUb_73Y\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Popular Southwestern author Anne Hillerman on Friday kicked off the Cortez Literary Festival, encouraging writers and artists from the Four Corners Area to embrace serendipity but prepare for adversity.<\/p>\n<p>The inaugural festival, hosted by the Cortez Public Library, convened more than a dozen writers, designers and artists at the Cortez Public Library to share ideas and inspiration. Hillerman\u2019s keynote address and book-signing drew more than 100 people.<\/p>\n<p>The oldest daughter of popular Southwestern mystery writer Tony Hillerman, Anne took up her father\u2019s well-known detective series, set on the Navajo Reservation, several years after his death in 2008.<\/p>\n<p><figure class=\"wp-block-image naviga-inline-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/imengine.public.prod.dur.navigacloud.com\/?uuid=1be69b1f-dc5d-429c-b470-2b4b1cea51df&amp;function=cover&amp;type=preview&amp;source=false&amp;width=2000\" alt=\"Anne Hillerman discusses her books, writing process and challenges of taking up her father\u2019s popular detective series during the Cortez Literary Festival\u2019s keynote address Friday.\" class=\"naviga-image\" loading=\"lazy\"><figcaption><span class=\"caption\">Anne Hillerman discusses her books, writing process and challenges of taking up her father\u2019s popular detective series during the Cortez Literary Festival\u2019s keynote address Friday.<\/span><span class=\"credit\">Delsheree Gladden\/the Journal<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><p>Her keynote address delved into her books, her writing process, challenges she faced in renewing the Leaphorn and Chee series, and the role the Southwest plays in developing her books.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking of difficulties she faced in taking up her father\u2019s work, Hillerman discussed the challenge of plotting out a story when she had previously only written nonfiction.<\/p>\n<p>Quieting her inner critic also proved difficult when writing her first book as she struggled with her desire for perfection and the pressure of living up to her father\u2019s legacy. Overcoming each challenge took time and support from fans, family and friends.<\/p>\n<div class=\"naviga-element naviga-subheadline1\">Hillerman offers lessons learned from her father<\/div>\n<p>On Saturday morning, Hillerman kicked off a full day of literary workshops. She opened her workshop by telling the attendees that it was the first workshop she\u2019d ever been asked to teach and that she was glad it was only 30 minutes long.<\/p>\n<p><figure class=\"wp-block-image naviga-inline-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/imengine.public.prod.dur.navigacloud.com\/?uuid=20f1ca42-949f-4eb5-a86b-73c37121204e&amp;function=cover&amp;type=preview&amp;source=false&amp;width=2000\" alt=\"A crowd gathers for Anne Hillerman\u2019s workshop at the Cortez Literary Festival.\" class=\"naviga-image\" loading=\"lazy\"><figcaption><span class=\"caption\">A crowd gathers for Anne Hillerman\u2019s workshop at the Cortez Literary Festival.<\/span><span class=\"credit\">Delsheree Gladden\/the Journal<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><p>Speaking to a full room, with a group of children sitting on the floor and eager listeners crowded in and around the doorway, Hillerman shared lessons she had learned from her father.  \u201cPay attention to details \u2026 always have a plan for your book, and your life, but to be open to serendipity,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking to this, she told how a chance encounter or small detail turned into an important aspect in her latest book, \u201cThe Tale Teller.\u201d An early chapter had contained too much talking and needed some action, so she wrote in a young woman collapsing. Hillerman hadn\u2019t intended to mention the character again, but the incident inspired her curiosity, and she developed the character into an integral part of the plot.<\/p>\n<p>Hillerman also shared the hard lessons of the writing process and how the \u201cmagic only seems to happen for me when I\u2019m already working.\u201d Her advice encouraged listeners to work hard but have fun and not take their writing or themselves too seriously.<\/p>\n<p>She also advised writers to listen to critics but not to take suggestions without consideration, and not to let critiques hurt their confidence.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou can\u2019t please everyone and shouldn\u2019t want to,\u201d she said. \u201cWrite your heart out. \u2026 Like love, you should write each page as if it were your last.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"naviga-element naviga-subheadline1\">Workshops draw all ages and interests<\/div>\n<p>Other workshops Saturday spoke to a variety of literary interests, including research and children\u2019s books, drumming and singing.<\/p>\n<p>Fred Blackburn, author of \u201cThe Wetherills, Friends of Mesa Verde,\u201d spoke about how to research before writing history and the importance of transforming a chronological list of events into an interesting story. He advised historical writers not to \u201cwaste time on the snoozer material\u201d and to \u201cwrite the gem\u201d when writing about historical events and life histories.<\/p>\n<p><figure class=\"wp-block-image naviga-inline-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/imengine.public.prod.dur.navigacloud.com\/?uuid=3c2e2c90-7871-480e-bf25-16525ca3f52c&amp;function=cover&amp;type=preview&amp;source=false&amp;width=2000\" alt=\"Award-winning author Nancy Bo Flood discusses what makes a children\u2019s book good during the Cortez Literary Festival.\" class=\"naviga-image\" loading=\"lazy\"><figcaption><span class=\"caption\">Award-winning author Nancy Bo Flood discusses what makes a children\u2019s book good during the Cortez Literary Festival.<\/span><span class=\"credit\">Delsheree Gladden\/the Journal<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><p>Nancy Bo Flood, an award-winning children\u2019s book author, shared her thoughts on what makes a good children\u2019s book and emphasized that \u201ceverything we experience is helpful in writing children\u2019s books.\u201d She discussed the importance of character, setting and motivation in children\u2019s fiction and urged writers to use all five senses when writing for young readers.<\/p>\n<p>The power of place in fiction was the focus of author Dennis Medina\u2019s workshop. He discussed how place can be used to inform readers about how a character thinks, feels and views the world. Medina encouraged writers to put themselves in the character\u2019s place when describing setting. He reminded attendees that a writer\u2019s job was to get the reader to see, feel and think the way the character does in order to allow readers to \u201ctruly experience the story.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Art Goodtimes, a poet and writer from Telluride, discussed Dolores LaChapelle\u2019s life, writing and philosophies and coaxed participants in his workshop into sharing their favorite poems, each taking their turn with the passing of a gourd.<\/p>\n<p>Goodtimes described poetry as a \u201cmaking of words\u201d and discussed the process of how words are constructed into a poem, deconstructed to be understood and reconstructed to recreate the energy or feeling a reader experienced. Closing out his workshop, Goodtimes made use of his deep voice and drumming to share a song he learned from LaChapelle before her death in 2007.<\/p>\n<p>Rounding out the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/events\/cortez-public-library\/cortez-literary-festival\/2358651511126419\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">festival<\/a> were workshops with DeEtta Johnson, Renee Podunovich, Philip Duke and William Pitt Root, as well as kids activities with Wendi Silvano\u2019s Turkey Time for kids and MaryAnne deLany\u2019s storytelling and read-aloud session.<\/p>\n<p>When not in workshops or activities, attendees had the opportunity to meet more than 30 authors, artists and vendors set up throughout the library in nearly every available space not taken by bookshelves.<\/p>\n<p>Those who could be pulled away from the workshops and vendors were able to step outside and take a lunch break with The Farm Bistro and Sweetwater Gypsies Wood-fired Pizza.<\/p>\n<div class=\"naviga-element naviga-subheadline1\">Festival comes to life through art<\/div>\n<p><figure class=\"wp-block-image naviga-inline-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/imengine.public.prod.dur.navigacloud.com\/?uuid=46f94e40-be42-44ee-91ec-74e22109b48f&amp;function=cover&amp;type=preview&amp;source=false&amp;width=2000\" alt=\"Graphic recorder Heather Martinez captures guest authors\u2019 lectures as art at the Cortez Literary Festival.\" class=\"naviga-image\" loading=\"lazy\"><figcaption><span class=\"caption\">Graphic recorder Heather Martinez captures guest authors\u2019 lectures as art at the Cortez Literary Festival.<\/span><span class=\"credit\">Delsheree Gladden\/the Journal<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><p>During Hillerman\u2019s workshop and all the workshops Saturday, graphic recorder Heather Martinez captured each lecture visually. Using Nueland markers, Martinez\u2019s handlettering skills turned talking points, imagery and memorable phrases into works of art. The library and Martinez will display the posters around the library before collaborating to turn the artwork into a book.<\/p>\n<p>When asked whether the library planned to make the festival an annual event, Marketing and Outreach Assistant Cassandra Leoncini couldn\u2019t speak to future plans for a repeat festival but was encouraged by the community support and interest in the event.<\/p>\n<p><em class=\"mwc_shirttail\"><a href=\"mailto:dgladden@durangoherald.com\">dgladden@durangoherald.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Anne Hillerman fill library for opening night reception<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":93538,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5736,5735],"tags":[21,638,1443],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-93537","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local-news","category-news","tag-cortez","tag-library-and-museum","tag-literature"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93537","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=93537"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93537\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/93538"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=93537"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=93537"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=93537"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=93537"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}