Literary Arts

Big Mouth Café

Join us at the Big Mouth Café Stage for some of Utah’s finest wordsmiths. Located just southeast of the City County Building, the Big Mouth is a great place to indulge in poetry slams, fiction maestros and all kinds of literary shananigans.  View the Big Mouth Café Schedule.

The Word Ecstatic!

The Word Ecstatic encompasses the Utah Arts Festival's entire literary arts program, which includes Festival events. In partnership with Salt Lake Community College’s Community Writing Center, we are offering a variety of opportunities to take workshops, enter a writing competition, participate in a Poetry Slam or just enjoy readings from local authors and poets.

Just Write a Minute!

Got a minute? Drop by the SLCC Community Writing Center any time during the Festival to add 60 seconds of your best words to our community writing project!

Wasatch IronPen Literary Marathon and Ultra Marathon

Artists of the written word face off in a 24-hour writing competition. Participants can enter in one of three categories (Fiction, Non-Fiction and Poetry) or can take on the Ultra IronPen challenge and write in all three! Writers of all genres and experience levels can register for the marathon beginning on June 1, 2009 at the SLCC Community Writing Center (located at Library Square) or at CWC website. After receiving the writing cue on Friday, June 26th at 6:00pm, writers will have exactly one day to write. All submissions Must be on paper (no electronic files will be accepted), and must be turned in to the SLCC Community Writing Center by Saturday, June 27 at 6:00 p.m. Winners will be contacted Sunday morning, June 28, and will be encouraged to read selections from their piece that afternoon at the Big Mouth stage. For more information, call us at 801-957-4992 or check out our website (www.slcc.edu/cwc).

• Registration fees: IronPen: $10.00 Ultra IronPen: $30.00
• Registration closes on Friday, June 26 at 5:55 p.m.
• Youth and Adult competitions judged separately.
• Submissions (paper only) must be delivered no later than 6:00 p.m., on Saturday, June 27.
• Awards are subject to change based on submissions and judges' discretion.

>> REGISTER ONLINE NOW FOR WASATCH IRONPEN.

SLCC Community Writing Center Performances and Workshops

Workshops and performances are held at the east end of Library Plaza.

Thursday, June 25, 3:30-4:30 p.m.
Mini Workshop: Positive Hip-Hop for Teens--Writing Responsible Lyrics
In this workshop, teens will learn the elements of positive hip-hop creation: including rhyme schemes, substance, reality vs. rationality and commonality. Teens will learn about being responsible musicians by writing lyrics that promote positive messages for listeners.
Presenter: Wordlife Entertainment is a group of musicians, dancers, comedians, artists and other lovers of art who support and motivate people who wish to express themselves through the performance arts.

Thursday, June 25, 5:00-6:00 p.m.
Mini-Workshop: Personal Interviews, Personal Narratives
Join the CWC to learn about interviewing friends or loved ones and then turning those interviews into written personal histories or family stories...and then share your narratives at the Personal Interviews; Personal Narratives Reading at 7 p.m.
Presenter: Andrea Malouf, CWC

Thursday, June 25, 6:00-7:00 p.m.
Community Reading: Concrete Jungle Reading, Youth Diverse City Writing Group Join us for an evening of new perspectves. Teens from the YDWS writing group will address serious issues, such as gangs, music, and culture through their writing. Reading from their Teen Zine, Concrete Jungle will share with us their experiences and insights growing up on the west side.

Thursday, June 25, 7:00-8:00 p.m.
Community Reading: Personal Interviews. Personal Narratives
Come listen to the spoken word transformed into writing. Community writers from our Personal Interviews; Personal Narratives workshops will read their work.

Friday, June 26, 3:30-4:30 p.m.
Kids' Mini-Workshop: Someone Mentioned--Visual Art and Poetry
Kids five to 15 will enjoy pairing Picasso paintings and stories with their own poetry masterpieces in this fun and interactive workshop. Parents are welcome to attend the mini-workshop just for parents during the same time.
Presenters: Former schoolteacher, LaJuana Taylor and Lana Taylor conduct this fun and interactive workshop.

Friday, June 26, 3:30-4:30 p.m.
Parents' Mini-Workshop: Write Your Way through Parenting
Bring your kids to the "Someone Mentioned--Visual Art and Poetry" mini workshop and stay to pick up some ideas on how to write your way through parenting!
Presenter: Suzy Gehring, CWC

Friday, June 26, 5:00-6:00 p.m.
Mini-Workshop: Shorter than Short: Writing Micro-Fiction
Don't have much time? Join us in this mini-workshop to learn how to write the shortest of short stories, and then write one to read at 7:00pm!
Presenter: Ken Simin, CWC

Friday, June 26, 6:00 p.m.
Wasatch IronPen Literary Marathon and Ultramarathon START!
Get to the CWC for a Rules Meeting and your Visual Cue to start writing your 24-hour masterpiece! (If you can't make it to the CWC, get to www.slcc.edu/cwc for all the information and visual cue on our website, starting at 6:00pm.)

Friday, June 26, 7:00-8:00 p.m.
Community Reading: Shorter than Short--Micro Fiction
Come listen to the shortest of short short stories written by participants in our Micro Fiction workshop, just one hour before!

Saturday, June 27, 2:00-3:00 p.m.
Multi-cultural Storytelling for Kids: Nino Reyes
Step into the world of the Native People through dance, story, and music. A brief description of the regalia, and Utah Native Tribes will be highlighted during this interactive presentation
Presenter: Nino Reyos is a member of the Northern Ute and Laguna Pueblo Indian Nations, he has performed throughout the United States showcasing his Native American Traditions to audiences all ages.

Saturday, June 27, 3:30-4:30 p.m.
Kids' Mini-Workshop: DaDa Poetry--Playing with Words
Children will learn about reading and writing by playing with randomly selected words and phrases to create their own poems. Silly words, glue sticks and glitter abound in this workshop to create the ultimate Dada masterpiece.
Presenters: Maya Miro Johnson and Andrea Malouf, CWC

Saturday, June 27, 3:30-4:30 p.m.
Parents' Mini-Workshop: Write Your Way through Parenting
Bring your kids to the "DaDa Poetry" mini-workshop and stay to pick up some ideas on how to write your way through parenting!
Presenter: Suzy Gehring, CWC

Saturday, June 27, 5:00-6:00 p.m.
Mini-Workshop: Beat Brain Block: Get Started Writing
Want to write but can't get unstuck? Join us for this mini-workshop to learn tried-and-true strategies to get started writing!
Presenter: Shannon Bell, CWC

Saturday, June 27, 6:00 p.m.
Wasatch IronPen Literary Marathon and Ultramarathon END!
All submissions due at CWC. Paper copies only, due at the CWC by 6:00pm. No electronic submissions will be accepted.

Saturday, June 27, 7:00-8:00 p.m.
Community Reading: DiverseCity Writing Series
Join the community writeis in the CWC's DiverseCity Writing Series as they share with us writing that makes us all human.

Saturday, June 27, 8:00-10:00 p.m.
Wasatch IronPen Judging
CWC closed for Wasatch IronPen Judging

Sunday, June 28, 2:00-3:00 p.m.
Multi-cultural Storytelling for Kids: Tommie St. Cyr
Cajun storytelling and dancing for kids of all ages!
Presenter: Tommie St. Cyr is a Cajun from South Louisiana who has been telling Cajun jokes and stories and teaching Cajun dancing for 40 years!"

Sunday, June 28, 2:00-3:30 p.m.
Wasatch IronPen Winners Reading at Big Mouth stage
Celebrate the winners of the Wastach IronPen and Ultra IronPen!

Sunday, June 28, 5:00-6:00 p.m.
Mini-Workshop: Does it Have to Rhyme?: Playing with Poetry
Come learn the rules of poetry, and then break them all, in this introduction to poetry mini-workshop!
Presenter: Robbi Poulson, CWC

View all Literary Arts events by stage/venue on the UAF Calendar.

Literary Arts Coordinator
Melissa Bond

SLCC Community Writing Center
Tiffany Rousculp