Sherry Chandler

Need a break from all Ho! Ho! Ho! all the time?

David Cazden and I will be reading at Third Street Stuff on Friday, December 15, 8:00 p.m.

Please save the date for us.

Update: I should tell you that Third Street Stuff is on Limestone at Third Street in Lexington (Kentucky). It’s a quirky art store and café. I found this neat Flickr set, At Third Street Stuff, that will give you some idea of the ambience.

from the Lexington Herald-Leader:

Legendary bluegrass musician and instrument maker Homer Ledford, whose work is displayed at the Smithsonian Institution, died Monday afternoon.

…

Mr. Ledford was born Sept. 26, 1927, in the Tennessee mountains.

At an early age back in Tennessee Mr. Ledford started making musical instruments, according to his band’s Web site.

At 18, he was given a scholarship to attend John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, N.C. He later attended Berea College, but transferred and graduated from what is now Eastern Kentucky University in 1954.

Mr. Ledford worked as a high school industrial arts teacher in Jefferson and Clark counties and became a full-time instrument maker.

He completed an estimated 5,776 dulcimers, 475 banjos, 26 mandolins, 26 guitars, 18 ukuleles, and four violins, among other instruments, the Web site said.

Mr. Ledford has samples of his craft in the Smithsonian Institution, including a fretless banjo, an Appalachian dulcimer, and a dulcitar, an instrument of his own invention, which he patented.

KSPS Top Ten Reasons for Kids to Write Poetry

10. It’s like rap
9. You can impress your friends
8. Its a challenge to play with new words
7. Poetry is a rhythm thing
6. Hey, it doesn’t have to rhyme
5. Some of the most famous people in the world write poetry
4. It’s a great way to express your feelings
3. It’s the language of love
2. Poetry is cool
1. And the number one reason to write poetry? .. You can win CASH.

Each of the poetry categories listed below carries a cash prize for first, second and third place winners. Honorable mentions, presented at the discretion of the judge, will be recognized with a certificate. First, second and third place winning poems will be published in the student edition of Pegasus, the official publication of the Kentucky State Poetry Society and winning poets will be invited to read their winning poem at the KSPS convention held in October 2007.

As a special treat, winning poets will receive a t-shirt
Transfer saying, “I’m a Winner, Kentucky State Student Contest 2007.”

1. THROUGH A CHILD’S EYES — Grades 1-2 only
Prizes: $15/10/5 — Any subject, any form.

2. ON BOOK TRAILS — Grades 3-4 only
Prizes: $25/15/10 — Any subject, any form

3. ON GOLDEN GALLEONS — Grades 5-6 only
Prizes: $35/20/15 — Any subject, any form

4. JUNIOR HIGH POETS — Grades 7-8 only
Prizes: $45/25/20 — Any subject, any form

5. HIGH SCHOOL POETS — Grades 9-12 only
Prize: $55/30/25 — Any subject, any form

KSPS 2007 STUDENT CONTEST RULES

1. All poems submitted must be

• The original unpublished work of the student
• Not currently submitted elsewhere or received a cash prize in any other contest
• Titled except for haiku. Do not use the category name as the title of the entry
• Typed, photocopied, or computer generated on 81/2 X 11 plain white paper We will accept submissions that are clearly hand-written or printed.
• Single spaced one side of the page

2. LINE WIDTH: 56 characters (including punctuation and spaces)
3. LINE LIMIT: 32 lines or less
4. Students may enter only ONE poem

HOW TO SUBMIT POEMS

1. Send two (2) clear copies of each poem.

• On BOTH copies, place category name & number in upper left corner.
• On 2nd copy ONLY, in the upper right corner, place poet’s NAME & ADDRESS, AGE, GRADE, SCHOOL NAME and ADDRESS and TEACHER NAME. List email if available. (This is to permit us to contact/notify teachers and students of contest results.)

2. Mail all entries to

Carol Schwope
Student Contest Chair
PO Box 24
South Shore KY 41175
Phone #: 740-778-3214
Email: cjschwope@earthlink.net

3. Entries will not be returned.

4. Be sure KSPS guidelines have been followed in order to ensure eligibility.

The 2007 Kentucky State Poetry Society Student Poetry Contest is open to all Students.

Contest Deadline: March 1, 2007

Winners will be announced in April.

First, Second and Third Place winners will be published in the Student issue of PEGASUS, the official journal of KSPS.