We are grateful to the Discover Ames Community Grant Program for their support of the “Langston Hughes Project—Poetry Master Class” grant.
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Discover Ames
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Discover Ames
We are thankful for the Discover Ames Community Grant Award to support “Words Meet Art.”
Join the Ames Writers Collective at our
4th Annual Swift Literary Festival
at the Octagon Art Festival
Sunday, September 28th from 10 to 4 PM
Stop by, mingle, buy books, and contribute to our Community Story. We look forward to meeting you on the 28th.
Stephen Brayton—Fiction, A Cold New Year
Tina Cho—Youth Lit, God’s Little Oceanographer
Kelli Fitzpatrick—Captain Marvel: Carol Danvers Declassified
Douglas Myeong’il Gentile—Lessons Learned at a Buddhist Monastery: Hwadu Slogans
Lois Kennis—Women’s Fiction, Rise on Eagles Wings
Deb Kline—Memoir, Forgetting to Remember
Ana McCracken—I Found Myself at Lake Okoboji | Discovering words, wonder, dreams, and inspirations (An anthology)
Linda Skeers—Youth Lit, Women Who Dared
Miles Tritle—Horror/Sci-fi, The Warning in the Woods
Elise Wayland—Fiction, Rivals to Lovers
Denise Williams—Romance, Just Our Luck
J. Susanne Wilson—Historical Fiction, The Death and Life of Iphigenia
Seeking Art Submissions – Words Meet Art
Call for Submissions | DEADLINE Aug 15
The Ames Writers Collective is seeking “two-dimensional original art” submissions for an exhibition at Fifth Street Writers located at 612 5th Street in downtown Ames, Iowa.
Media can be oil, acrylic, watercolor, collage, or photography. Pieces chosen for the exhibition will be featured at Fifth Street Writers Art Meets Words events.
At Words Meet Art events, writers come together to write in community prose memoir or poetry in response to the art or photography submissions. A public event will feature both the art work and the writers reading their responses written at FIFTH STREET WRITERS. These in-person events will happen on Friday evening (writing), November 14th, Saturday morning (writing), November 15th, and an Open Mic featuring the writers and artists on Saturday evening, November 15th.
WE ARE ONLY ACCEPTING ART SUBMISSIONS AT THIS TIME – NO WRITING!
Words Meet Art is a literary arts event demonstrating through words how art evokes feelings, triggers memories and stories, and inspires conversations across divides and demographics.
Fall 2025 Exhibition date November 15th.
Each artist may submit ONE (1) PIECE for consideration.
Submission DEADLINE is AUGUST 15 at 5 PM.
Interested in submitting your 2-dimensional art. Click here to FILL OUT OUR SUBMISSION FORM.
Thank you, Discover Ames for your grant supporting our event.
Join the Ames Writers Collective at our
2nd Annual Swift Literary Festival
at the Octagon Art Festival
Sunday, September 22nd from 10 to 4 PM
Under our tent located in front of 409 Douglas Avenue, we will feature local authors. If you would like to be a featured author, click here to email us.
LOCAL AUTHORS TBD
10 to 11:30
11:30 to 1
1 to 2:30
2:30 to 4
ALL DAY
- Writing-prompt free-writes
- A chance to contribute to our Community Story
During the month of January, Central Iowa Youth were invited to attend three FREE poetry workshops held at the Ames Public Library. Caleb “The Negro Artist” Rainey taught the workshops, which built upon each other to prepare the young poets for a poetry contest. 15 youth attended the workshops and 12 submitted to a “blind read” contest. Ages ranged from 10 to 16 years old. Four poems were chosen and have been submitted to Dr. Ron McCurdy, the composer of the “Langston Hughes Project” for scoring. Rainey will perform the poems accompanied by Dr. McCurdy’s music to kick off the Stephens Auditorium performance on February 8th at 7 PM.
“It was truly amazing watching the youth poets interact with Rainey,” said Ana McCracken, founder of the Ames Writers Collective. “In a short time, he inspired the writers to write about topics and life circumstances that touched the core of their beings. The caliber of poems the poets wrote was beyond their years. I am so grateful to Tammy Koolbeck and Stephens Auditorium for offering this opportunity to the Ames Writers Collective, and to the grantors who funded this project and made it possible for youth writers to attend free of charge.”
“The quality of the poetry was quite high, especially given the limited time the poets must have had to work on them…all the poets showed promise. Thank you for organizing what must have been such an amazing experience for all those involved. It was also a wonderful experience for the judges,” said Marc Drexler. Maggie Westvold and Marc Drexler from the Third Stanza poets judged the youth poetry.
For more information about Ron McCurdy’s Langston Hughes Project A Multimedia Concert Performance of Ask Your Mama: 12 Moods of Jazz, Thursday, February 8, 2024 at 7 PM, Stephens Auditorium, Ames, IA, click here.
THE AMES WRITERS COLLECTIVE
thanks the following organizations for their support:
ARTIST BIOS
Dr. Ron McCurdy, is a Professor of Music in the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California, where he served as chair of the jazz department for 6 years. Dr. McCurdy is a consultant to the Grammy Foundation educational programs including serving as director of the National Grammy Vocal Jazz Ensemble. Guest artists he has worked with include Joe Williams, Rosemary Clooney, Leslie Uggams, Arturo Sandoval, Diane Schuur, Ramsey Lewis, Mercer Ellington, Dr. Billy Taylor, Maynard Ferguson, Lionel Hampton, and Dianne Reeves.
Caleb “The Negro Artist” Rainey is an author, performer, and producer. He hails from Columbia, Missouri, and holds a B.A. in English (Creative Writing) from the University of Iowa. His debut book, Look, Black Boy, became Amazon’s #1 new release in African American poetry, and was awarded first prize in the North Street Book Prize. His second book, Heart Notes was published in 2019 and featured on Iowa Public Radio. He released two spoken word albums, a studio version of Look, Black Boy, and a performance album titled, Heart Notes Live! He co-founded the literary magazine Black Art; Real Stories, was published in Iowa’s Best Emerging Poets – 2019, the Little Village Magazine, and wrote a monthly column for The Real Mainstream. For three years in a row he was named Best Poet/Spoken Word Performer in Cedar Rapids & Iowa City.
CONGRATULATIONS POETS
Four Swift Youth Writers poets were chosen from a “blind read” contest after attending three poetry writing workshops led by Caleb “The Negro” Poet Rainey in January. The poetry contest winner’s poems will have original score written to them by Dr. Ron McCurdy, who is the composer of the Langston Hughes Project. To kick off the performance at Stephens Auditorium on February 8th at 7 PM, Rainey will perform the selected poems, accompanied by Dr. McCurdy’s music.
1st Place
“Demon Tongue” by Adela Solana Osmundson
2nd Place
“What Is It Like To Be Mixed” by Vienna Rossmanith
Honorable Mention
“Memories” by Sophia Driest
Honorable Mention
“You Can’t Fly on Borrowed Wings” by Nora Nabushawo
THE AMES WRITERS COLLECTIVE
thanks the following organizations for their support:
ARTIST BIOS
Dr. Ron McCurdy, is a Professor of Music in the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California, where he served as chair of the jazz department for 6 years. Dr. McCurdy is a consultant to the Grammy Foundation educational programs including serving as director of the National Grammy Vocal Jazz Ensemble. Guest artists he has worked with include Joe Williams, Rosemary Clooney, Leslie Uggams, Arturo Sandoval, Diane Schuur, Ramsey Lewis, Mercer Ellington, Dr. Billy Taylor, Maynard Ferguson, Lionel Hampton, and Dianne Reeves.
Caleb “The Negro Artist” Rainey is an author, performer, and producer. He hails from Columbia, Missouri, and holds a B.A. in English (Creative Writing) from the University of Iowa. His debut book, Look, Black Boy, became Amazon’s #1 new release in African American poetry, and was awarded first prize in the North Street Book Prize. His second book, Heart Notes was published in 2019 and featured on Iowa Public Radio. He released two spoken word albums, a studio version of Look, Black Boy, and a performance album titled, Heart Notes Live! He co-founded the literary magazine Black Art; Real Stories, was published in Iowa’s Best Emerging Poets – 2019, the Little Village Magazine, and wrote a monthly column for The Real Mainstream. For three years in a row he was named Best Poet/Spoken Word Performer in Cedar Rapids & Iowa City.
