A Mormon literary backcountry where words and place come together.

 

 

 

 

WIZ takes on two new marvelous creatures

Monday, January 9th, 2012

As Wilderness Interface Zone approaches its third birthday, it’s growing up a little.  Formalist poet Jonathon Penny has consented to join WIZ’s literary ecotone in the role of contributing editor. Jonathon has a keen eye for the belles-lettres.  Beside being a wonderful poet possessing a unique voice, he took his MA in Renaissance literature at [...]

WIZ announcements, perhaps of interest

Thursday, September 29th, 2011

WIZ readers and writers: Remember that the deadline for Torrey House Press’s Creative Literary Nonfiction Contest (2,000-10,000 words) is midnight, September 30th.  First Prize: $1000.  Second Prize: $250.  Third Prize: $100.  There’s a $25 entry fee.
Torrey House is offering a special arrangement for entrants who can present “reasonable evidence” that they’ve bought Torrey House’s first [...]

WIZ announcements

Tuesday, May 10th, 2011

While we’re teetering on the very edges of our seats gripping our arm rests watching the heated race for the Most Popular Poem Award, I have a few announcements I’d like to make.

Guest Post: Letulogy, by Mark Bennion

Friday, August 28th, 2009

Listen to Mark read “Letulogy.”
Uncle Howard,
At sixty, your traces stalk the hollows
of grocery stores from here to Snowflake,
Arizona. A thatch of curly gray hair
shuttles past the cash register, your cow-
milking hands pull a list out of an empty wallet.
You are forever in the next aisle over,
shaking a watermelon, picking at your
mustache, laughing with the manager
over [...]

Desert Sunflower

Wednesday, July 29th, 2009

by P. G. Karamesines
On the east rim the fire rose blossoms,
Its pink-gold tongues
Blushing rock and sand,
Licking up night’s tinajas.
In sand grains beneath me,
The coolness of stars—
Those winking violets
That glamour the shadow.
My face
Inclines to the light.
Hands soften, spread—
Blood blooms.
______________________________________________________
Originally published in Glyphs III: Poems and Stories of the Colorado Plateau, Moab Poets and Writers Inc. Regional [...]

Language, the planet, and ice cream sundaes

Tuesday, June 30th, 2009

Last Saturday I attended a meeting of SE Utah writers that the Utah Arts Council held in Moab.  This meeting followed a reading that the Moab Poets and Writers—a group specializing in nature writing—sponsored the night before, a reading in which yours truly participated.  It was a pleasant and interesting series of events all around, but something happened during [...]

Language as wilderness

Monday, March 23rd, 2009

This piece is more journal-like in its musings than most of my posts.  In fact, parts have been lifted from my hiking journal.  I hope this doesn’t render its structure or possible meanings confusing.  Also, this post plays around with several rather strenuous threads, like I do commonly when I’m out walking alone.  I thought I’d just throw these ideas out there [...]