SAMYAK SHERTOK IS ASPEN WORDS' WRITER IN RESIDENCE FOR AUGUST
Nepali poet will speak at a free event in Aspen on August 20
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Aspen, CO (July 29, 2019) – Poet Samyak Shertok will spend the month of August in Woody Creek, CO, as part of Aspen Words’ 2019 Writers in Residence program. Shertok, a 2018 Aspen Words Emerging Writer Fellow, will perform and discuss his work with poet and Aspen Words program coordinator Ellie Scott on August 20 at Hooch Craft Cocktail Bar (301 E. Hopkins Ave.).
Originally from the small community of Phalam Sangu in the Sindhupalchok district of Nepal, Shertok holds an MFA in creative writing from Arizona State University. His work has been published in The Cincinnati Review, Waxwing Literary Journal, La.Lit and “House of Snow: An Anthology of the Greatest Writing About Nepal.” In 2014 he was a visiting poet at the Mayo Clinic, where he wrote poems for palliative-unit patients as lyric medicine. After a devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake in his native country in April 2015, he founded the Healing Through Poetry: Nepal Earthquake Relief project and aided in the rebuilding of communities through creating and teaching poetry.
In 2018, Shertok was awarded an Aspen Words Emerging Writer fellowship, given to writers who demonstrate exceptional talent and promise. Fellows receive a full scholarship to the Summer Words writers conference and literary festival in Aspen. Of his desire to return to the local area for a residency Shertok noted, “Mountains, mystics say, embody the spiritual energy of the departed masters. I wanted to come back to this place and get to know it a little better and see what it does to my creative and mystical forces.”
During his time in Woody Creek Shertok plans to continue work on his first collection of poems, tentatively titled “A Sky Burial.” However, he says, “I want to live in the present as much as possible, which means being aware of what's happening around and within me, developing a relationship with the land I'm living on and taking notes. And sometimes the notes want to tell me a story I didn't know was there. I want to be receptive to the poems that might arrive in such manner.”
Following Shertok, September’s resident will be J.C. Hallman, whose writing combines memoir, history, journalism and travelogue. The complete lineup with author bios and event dates is available at aspenwords.org.
The Writers in Residence program is held in collaboration with the Catto Shaw Foundation.
Media partner: Aspen Magazine
SAMYAK SHERTOK EVENT DETAILS
WHEN: Tuesday, August 20 I 5:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m. | Doors open at 5:00 p.m.
WHERE: Hooch Craft Cocktail Bar I 301 E. Hopkins Ave.
THE EVENT IS FREE and open to the public. Donations at the door are encouraged.
Questions or requests for author interviews can be directed to:
Mallory Kaufman
Program Coordinator
Aspen Words | Aspen Institute
[email protected]
Phone: 970-925-3122 x 2
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Aspen Words was founded in 1976 as a literary center based in Aspen, CO. A program of the Aspen Institute, its mission is to encourage writers, inspire readers, and connect people through the power of stories. For more information, visit www.aspenwords.org.
The Aspen Institute is an educational and policy studies organization based in Washington, D.C. Its mission is to foster leadership based on enduring values and to provide a nonpartisan venue for dealing with critical issues. The Institute is based in Washington, D.C; Aspen, CO; and on the Wye River on Maryland's Eastern Shore. It also has offices in New York City and an international network of partners. For more information, visitwww.aspeninstitute.org.
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