Past Lake County Poet Laureate Carolyn Wing Greenlee will be one of the judges selecting the new Poet Laureate for 2010. Courtesy photo.

LAKE COUNTY – Jan. 15, 2010 is the deadline for applying to be the next Lake County Poet Laureate, and one of the judges selecting the candidates will be Carolyn Wing Greenlee, Poet Laureate from 2004 to 2006.

Asked what she is looking for in a candidate, she said she will be looking for someone who knows how to write poetry.

“First I'm looking for superbly crafted poetry – not journaling with line breaks,” she said. “I like compression, deft use of the sound and texture of words, well-wrought images and fresh insight.”

Greenlee also will be looking for a person who is comfortable speaking about challenging subjects in public.

“I want the poet to be able to present himself/herself well – not just read engagingly, but express ideas articulately and with depth,” she said.

Greenlee has published more than 12 books. Her most recent book is “A Gift of Dogs: Living with Blindness and Making Friends.”

Any Lake County resident can apply for the position of Poet Laureate, or nominate someone they think would do a good job.

Here is how to apply:

• Collect up to eight of your original poems (10 pages maximum);

• Ask another poet to write a letter of recommendation for you;

• Write a statement describing how you have served Lake County’s literary community in the past, and how you’d like to serve the community as Poet Laureate;

• If any of your poems have been published, list their titles, and the names of the publications and dates they were published.

Send five copies of each of these items in one package to Mary McMillan, P.O. Box 1236, Kelseyville 95451. Send your application before Jan. 15, 2010.

If you don’t want to apply for the position yourself, you may nominate someone. Just send a letter or email with the following information about the person you are nominating: the person’s contact information (name, address, phone number) and a short statement about why you are nominating them. Send this information in an email to Mary McMillan, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , or in a letter to the post office box above.

For more information, write an email or letter to Mary McMillan at one of the addresses above.

Saperston will be available following for questions.

After college, Saperston bought a 1971 Volkswagen Bus, took his golden retriever, Jack, and set out to follow The Grateful Dead and work a ski season in Aspen.

While out on the road, he called up some of the most powerful people in the world and asked them out for a cup of coffee. Saperston directs this amazing journey to ask the age old question in life, "What do our elders have to pass down to us?"

Calpine Geothermal Visitors Center is located at 15500 Central Park Road in Middletown. There is plenty of parking, restrooms, great sound and a great screening room.

Tickets are $10 at the door and $5 for kids 16 and under. Fresh popcorn and concessions will also be available.

Coyote Film Festival is a fundraising arm of EcoArts of Lake County, a 501(c)3 nonprofit arts organization dedicated to bringing visual art opportunities and ecologic stewardship to the residents and visitors of Lake County.

For information visit: www.EcoArtsofLakeCounty.org or www.CoyoteFilmFestival.org .

'A Christmas Carol' will be performed once again this December at the Soper-Reese Community Theatre. Courtesy photo.

LAKEPORT – Auditions for the second annual, onstage radio drama, “A Christmas Carol” will be held at the Soper-Reese Community Theatre at 6 p.m. Monday, Nov. 9, and Wednesday, Nov. 11.

The show will be preformed live on the stage and broadcast on public radio station KPFZ on Dec. 19.

Everyone interested in providing voices for the characters of this well-known story of universal redemption should come to the theater prepared to read from the script provided.

There are openings for eight to 10 people, male and female.

The roles are primarily vocal and memorization of the script is not essential. A good speaking voice and diction is what is needed. Please come be a part of this gift to the community from the Soper-Reese, your community theater.

For more information, please call Bert Hutt at 707-263-6016.

Off to Plymouth Rock by Dandi Daley Mackall. Illustrations by Gene Barretta.

(Nashville TN: Tommy Nelson Inc, 2003. 32 pp. $12.99, ISBN 1-4003-0473-3)

Ages 4-8

A perfect book to read to the family as you gather for Thanksgiving, “Off to Plymouth Rock” will appeal to ages 4 to 8 as well as the young at heart.

Shared in rhyme to engage young minds, Mackall tells the story of the first Thanksgiving without talking down to her young audience.

The story begins with the pilgrims’ flight from their European homeland:

Pilgrims flee!

Sail the sea,

Knowing there’s no guarantee.

Leaving, grieving,

Still believing …

Off to Plymouth Rock!

The story continues by telling the tale of their perilous voyage, the terrifying winter after their first arrival, and the compassion of Massasoit, the Indian chief, who moved by their suffering helped the pilgrims to survive.

“Off to Plymouth Rock” describes Squanto teaching the pilgrims about native crops such as corn and the joy of the first harvest. As it concludes with the first Thanksgiving we are reminded how different the first Thanksgiving was from our gatherings and yet we can see the seed with which they began.

Humble living,

First Thanksgiving –

Here at Plymouth Rock.

The illustrations are also particularly worth noting.

Gene Barretta engages the reader with his drawings of two young girls throughout the story. Fear, hope and wonder can be seen in their faces as their lives begin to intertwine.

The final illustration of the book shows the girls playing together under the table near the feet of immigrant pilgrims and native Americans.

One sees it is not only a look back but also a prayer for our future – that one day we may all get along and welcome one another to the table.

The edition I reviewed included a read-a-long “Activity” CD which was a disappointment, but the book is charming and will be a welcome addition to any Thanksgiving gathering.

So, what are you waiting for? Let’s be on our way,

Off to Plymouth Rock!

Geri Williams is a local book fancier.