Megan Edwards's Blog, page 2

On the Way Home from Elko: A Poem

I’ll never own a pony, and I’ll never brand a calf.

I’ll never try to yodel, even for a laugh.

Perhaps I shouldn’t even try to write some cowboy verse.

Is it fake ‘cause I’m no cowboy? Or maybe something worse?

Like cultural appropriation, theft, or just plain rude?

Will a cowboy get offended by the rhymes of city dude?

 

Please take them as the compliment I mean these lines to be

A paean to the artists whose works surrounded me

For three full days in Elko. As I sat engulfed in craft

That conjured prairie, man, and horse, I cheered, I cried, I laughed.

And when the last guitar was stowed, and the cowboys all departed

I drove home too, still filled with awe, still humming, still full-hearted.

 

I’ll never live the cowboy life. I’ll never rope a cow.

I’ll never gentle mustangs, but I’ll tell you anyhow,

I took home something priceless from Elko’s great event.

Some cowboy brilliance I will treasure. So, so glad I went.

 

 

For more about the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering, click here.

 

The post On the Way Home from Elko: A Poem appeared first on Megan Edwards.

Las Vegas Writes Project 2018

The Las Vegas Writes Project and the editors, publisher, and contributors of LIVE THROUGH THIS: AN ANTHOLOGY OF UNNATURAL DISASTERS, launched the book at the Clark County Library on October 18th with a panel discussion. In the photo above (from left to right) are David G. Schwartz, publisher Anthony Curtis, editor Geoff Schumacher, Andrew Kiraly, yours truly Megan Edwards, John Hay, editor Scott Dickensheets, F. Andrew Taylor, Jarret Keene, Kristy Totten, Kim Foster, Jason Scavone, and C. Moon Reed. Not pictured is Lissa Townsend Rodgers.

You might think that a panel of twelve might be unweieldy, but Geoff and Scott did a masterful job of moderation, and contributors all got a chance not only to read an excerpt but also to pontificate a bit.

Half short stories and half essays, the book reflects the theme of unnatural disaster. Some authors chose to delve into history, others focused on the present, and some created scenarios of a possible future. As a whole, the pieces portray an authentic Las Vegas, the city I once thought I could get to know in “a couple of weeks.” Now that I’ve been here nearly two decades, I realize I will never truly know my adopted hometown completely. So I keep exploring, listening, observing. And sometimes, as we all did a year ago, I cry.

This book is like a choir singing in harmony to produce a single work. Like a mosaic, a textured image emerges as you read through it. I felt as though I started at “Vegas Strong.” When I finished, not long after this new October 1, the revised motto seemed to fit a little better: “Vegas Stronger.” The pen is not only mightier than the sword — it also heals.

If you’d like to see what I mean, you can get a copy of LIVE THROUGH THIS on Amazon in either print or ebook format.

The post Las Vegas Writes Project 2018 appeared first on Megan Edwards.

Save the Date! Las Vegas Writes Project 2018

You’re invited!

Please join me and the editors and authors of LIVE THROUGH THIS: AN ANTHOLOGY OF UNNATURAL DISASTERS for a book launch and conversation on Thursday, October 18th at 7:00 p.m. at the Clark County Library Theater, 1401 E. Flamingo Road, Las Vegas. LIVE THROUGH THIS is a collection of stories and essays by eleven Las Vegas writers: Kim Foster, John Hay, Jarret Keene, Andrew Kiraly, C. Moon Reed, Lissa Townsend Rodgers, Jason Scavone, David G. Schwarz, F. Andrew Taylor, and Kristy Totten. The book was edited by Geoff Schumacher and Scott Dickensheets.

Here’s a brief description: “Las Vegas was built on billions of intimate unnatural disasters — bad turns of luck, unfortunate rolls of the dice. In both fiction and essays, this wide-ranging anthology extends the dynamic of unnatural disasters beyond the gaming parlors and into the streets, homes, and other eccentric spaces of Las Vegas.”

My contribution, “Requiem for Mr. Slow,” is a story about one big unnatural disaster and another tiny one. It’s fiction, but I was inspired by real events.

You can buy the book online, of course, but seriously — do you want a copy without autographs? Of course not, so please join us. I’ve heard there may be cookies.

The post Save the Date! Las Vegas Writes Project 2018 appeared first on Megan Edwards.