ART S | L I T SCENE
Second Wind readings allow creative writers to flex their skills MAZANA BOERBOOM
mazana.boerboom@umontana.edu
University of Montana creative writing graduate student Callie Atkinson reads an original short story at Kulture Kava Lounge on March 10, 2019. PHOTO | HUNTER WIGGINS
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March 20-26, 2019 montanakaimin.com
Sunday nights at Kulture Kava Lounge buzz with chatter among supporters of the Second Wind Reading Series. That is, until the reading begins. The words quickly enrapture the audience as the stories unravel, until only the voice of the reader is left. Master of Fine Arts students in creative writing are required to participate in the Second Wind Reading Series during their second year. After choosing a piece to share, they’re matched with an experienced writer from the university or community to join them on stage. The 50-year-old MFA program in creative writing at the University of Montana is nationally ranked and one of the oldest in the country. Among the many published alumni of the program are last year’s winner of the Pulitzer Prize in fiction (Andrew Sean Greer) and several New York Times best-selling authors. Callie Atkinson is a Master’s candidate in creative writing student with a focus on fiction. Her story, “Green Checks and Yellow Xs,” detailing a father-daughter bond, is told with descriptive brilliance and achingly heartfelt emotion, painting a picture of a distraught father who lost his daughter through divorce and missed connections. The idea sprouted from the first line, “She left lipstick on the orange juice carton,” Atkinson said. She hopes to someday be published and to teach creative writing herself. Writer and Assistant Director of composition at UM Amy Ratto-Parks followed Atkinson. Reading an excerpt from “Radial Bloom,” she unfurled a prose poem about a woman with a normal domestic life ruptured by a man shrouded in mystery, darkness and desire. Ratto-Parks said that she loves how everyone who reads her book
takes away something different. Barry Maxwell, Amelia Morand and Kylie Westerlind coordinated this year’s readings. The trio are all in their second year in the MFA program and are currently teaching creative writing classes. They chose to host the event at Kulture Kava Lounge on Higgins because they love the open space and spend a lot of time writing there. Many of the community readers and attendees are alumni of the program, and, over time, a camaraderie among writers in Missoula has grown. “Missoula is a writing town,” Morand said. “It has been for a long time.” Morand described an experience shared by Stephanie Land, the first community reader of the season. As an undergraduate at UM, Land attended the Second Wind readings and dreamed of doing her own — now she’s a New York Times best-selling author. Morand hopes that more undergraduates will attend the readings, as Land once did, and find their place among other writers. Westerlind said that there is already so much diversity in the writing scene here, and she hopes more people will find their place in it. She urges others to attend the event and see if it’s right for them. “Come support art, and maybe you’ll find your little avenue,” she said. All three coordinators find that while writing is often a solo activity, the support of the experienced writers in the community, and even their peers in the program, makes them feel like they have a handle on what they’re doing. “Sometimes the support of your friends is the only thing that makes you feel like you don’t totally suck,” Maxwell said. There will be three more readings this season, featuring writing from non-fiction, fiction and poetry writers. The event is free, and begins at 6 p.m. every Sunday, starting again after spring break on April 7.