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Walter Bargen - Ashland
Walter Bargen has published twelve books of poetry and two chapbooks of poetry. His four most recent books are, The Feast (BkMk Press-UMKC, 2004), which was awarded the 2005 William Rockhill Nelson Award, Remedies for Vertigo (WordTech Communications, 2006), West of West (Timberline Press, 2007), and Theban Traffic (WordTech Communications, 2008). In 2009, BkMk Press-UMKC will publish Days Like This Are Necessary: New & Selected Poems.
Bargen's poems have recently appeared in the Beloit Poetry Journal, Poetry East, Seattle Review, and New Letters. He was the winner of the Chester H. Jones Foundation prize in 1997 and a National Endowment for the Art Fellowship in 1991. In 2008, he was appointed to be the first poet laureate of Missouri. www.walterbargen.com |
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Alec Bell - London, England
Alec Bell has been writing poetry and prose for little short of half a century. He has from time to time earned his living in the theatre (backstage), as a walking tour guide in London and as a teacher, at various times, of history, philosophy and creative writing. He has also taken part in poetry performances in a variety of venues (but never before in the open air).
While deeply interested in the personal lyric, he is also concerned, employing lessons learned from Brecht and Browning, to present the past as a present and living experience. In recent years he has become fascinated by the poetic potential of the English versions of Japanese verse forms.
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Russell Christenson - Clinton
Russ Christenson has worked as a speech-language pathologist for forty years. He began his career as a public school speech pathologist, but moved into the health care venue in 1975.
Russ began writing poetry in 1989. Two of his early works, 21st Century Strikeout and Ode to a Fattenin' Hog appeared in a book titled Local Lyrics & Lore, featuring writers and artists from Henry County, MO., published in 1990 by Strong Stock Press of Deepwater, Missouri. Another of his works More Talk Than Tears was included in a book of autobiographical short stories, titled The Eye Of The Squirrel (Strong Stock Press-1999). |
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Mable Fowler - Sedalia
Mable Fowler has been writing poetry since her teens. After retiring she started writing more seriously. Some poetry (and prose) were sent to small publications and were received with compliments. Mable has self-published a book of poetry and published a book of prose and poetry. This past fall she won first place in a Senior Citizen's contest in the short story category. |
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John Hardesty - Rapid City, South Dakota
John got his start writing poetry in grade school and has continued writing poetry and prose since. He much prefers free verse to strictly structured poetry forms. Rhyme is O.K., but slant rhyme is something he can't quite get his wits around, much less do.
A professional truck driver for 29 years, John has had many long hours to think - and he's found the time best spent putting into words what he saw, felt and experienced while driving to all points in the U.S.
John currently resides in Rapid City, South Dakota with his wife, Audra, and two cats, Pouncer and Zen. |
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Doug Kiburz -Sedalia, Missouri
Douglas Kiburz, M.D. has been an Orthopaedic Surgeon in Sedalia for 23 years where he lives with his wife, Connie as daughters Alice and Beth have sprouted wings and flown the coup. He matriculated from Doane College to the Univeristy of Nebraska Medical School through Kansas University Orthopaedics and on to the University of Virginia Fellowships before setting roots in the State Fair City on a horse farm where Connie rates him a fair hand and a faux cowboy.
His distractions include, cycling, scuba, skiing, hiking, copper tree design and photography while lending volunteer time at church, as a college trustee, public broadcasting and the Missouri State Orthopaedic Association where he is president elect. He has been penning rhyme for 15 years initially as tributes and eulogies and appreciates the opportunity to add an earthy, homespun and critterish edge to the festival through his selections.
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Deborah Mann - Sedalia, Missouri
Deb Mann has one less item on her "Things to Do Before I Die" list since the publication of her collection of poems: Beyond the Shaded Sanctuary. While the majority of her pieces are very short, she hopes they are not sweet. Good poetry always leaves her a little sad.
Deb lives and works in Sedalia, and visiting Maine is still on her check-list. |
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K. Michael Moore - Coralville, Iowa
K. MICHAEL MOORE studied theatre and writing at Winona State University. With such a potent professional pedigree, he presently works at a bank, where he does his level best every day playing practical jokes and making a general nuisance of himself. On the rare occasion his beneficent employer allows him to go home, he enjoys performing in local theatrical productions, writing poetry, dancing and taking photographs. He shares an apartment near Iowa City, Iowa, with his lord and master, Ramses the Cat. You can find more of his poetry and photography at www.hamletspants.deviantart.com.
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Hubert Neth - Lee's Summit
Hubert Neth publishes a poem weekly in the Friday edition of the Lee's Summit Journal. His work appeared regularly in Back Pages, a midtown Kansas City periodical that is no longer in print. It has appeared, also, in the Kansas City Star, Christian Century magazine, Spectrum, several local church publications and on a few refrigerators. He is addicted to panhandling down church aisles, which has been his vocation for many years.
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Deb Noland - Sedalia
Debbie Noland taught writing for 29 years at State Fair Community College in Sedalia, retiring in 2004. In 2002 she wrote The Legacy of Plywood U, A history of SFCC, and her Tractor Parts appears in Exposures: Essays by Missouri Women. In addition, she wrote a weekly Sedalia Democrat column, About Town, from 1990-92 and published an instructional article Let Your Students See You Write, in the Missouri English Bulletin. Her poetry publishing credits include Ozark Review, The Thornleigh Review, Envy's Sting, Jordan Creek Anthology, Turtle Magazine for Preschool Kids, Humpty Dumpty's Magazine, The Cape Rock, Beyond Doggerel, and, most recently, several pieces in the Mid-America Poetry Review.
For this festival she self-published a children's book, Sweet Dreams: A Bedtime Rhyme, illustrated by Billi Bracken Brown. Currently in progress are Rustic Seasons, a collection of haiku and Throw the Rock, a lifetime poetry collection. On her wish list is a publication combining original poetry and digital photography. Noland's poetry runs the gamut from serious to whimsical and from highly structured to free verse. This also pretty much describes her life.
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Linda O'Connell - Wellesley, Massachusetts
Linda O'Connell worked in her family wine business for ten years prior to taking time off to raise her two sons. She grew up enjoying varied athletic activities, especially tennis and golf.
Cooking has always been Linda's greatest passion - until she discovered poetry writing just a little over a year ago. Her love of poetry was ignited by a poem she wrote to help cope with the loss of her unborn child (the poem titled I Loved You). Once she started posting her works and receiving feedback on-line, she was hooked.
Friends have characterized Linda's poetry as versatile and always from her heart. She enjoys her new found friends from the poetry website, and is grateful for the feedback that she receives. |
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Christina Pacosz - Kansas City, Missouri
Writing most of her life, Christina Pacosz' most recent book is Greatest Hits, 1975 - 2001, Pudding House, 2002. Her chapbook, Notes from the Red Zone, originally published in 1983 by Seal Press has been selected by Ron Mohring of Seven Kitchens Press, as the inaugural chapbook to be reprinted in his ReBound Series. It will be available autumn, 2009.
Born and raised in Detroit, she has lived in New York City, the Pacific Northwest, North Dakota, Tennessee, the Carolinas, and Alaska. She has been a poet-in-the-schools and a North Carolina Visiting Artist. For a dozen years Christina has been living in Kansas City with her husband and teaching at-risk youth both sides of the Kansas-Missouri state line for most of that time.
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Mark Pearce - Warrensburg, Missouri
Mark Pearce is a broadcast veteran, having worked in public television and radio for over twenty years (KMOS-TV and 90.9 The Bridge). In 2003 he penned and posted a couple of poetic works, including Post Titled Poem # 1 which will be recited at this year's festival.
In 2007 Pearce established the web page www.marzguy.deviantart.com where he now has over two-hundred works and over 7,700 page views to his credit. Pearce describes his works as rhythmic and varied and said he attempts to present complex messages through overly-simplified verse. Sometimes it works.
Teaming with fellow Deviantartist James Kneece, Pearce produced the first Montserrat Poetry Festival in July of 2008. |
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Mary Kim Schreck - Osage Beach, Missouri
Mary Kim Schreck is an Educational Consultant for the Missouri Writing Project; Missouri National Education Association; school districts across the Midwest. She is the recent editor of Missouri Teachers Write, a publication of the Missouri Association of Teachers of English and has published four books of poetry-- Pulse of the Seasons, The Red Desk, Crystal Doorknobs and Body Language.
As a featured speaker and a keynoter at conferences across the country, Mary Kim speaks on creativity, poetry, effective teaching strategies and motivation. Her book, Transformers: Creative Teachers For The 21ST Century, will be released in June, 2009 by Corwin Press.
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Neal Torrey - Bolivar, Missouri
In high school Neal Torrey wrote skits for all-school assemblies with his buddy Bill Jackson. Bill wound up in syndicated, children's television shows. Neal went to the back side of the camera, creating TV commercials for national advertisers. After 20 years Neal moved to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, where he painted the Teton Range, cowboys, Indians, hunting scenes and horses. There, he was Captain of the Teton County Sherriff's Reserve, a 22-man search and rescue unit, he raised AQHA and Appaloosa horses and helped rancher friends with their cattle drives.
Along the cattle drive routes Neal heard many a tale and he began to record them in the form of cowboy poetry. Now a member of the Cowboy Poets Association, he has performed in venues around The West. Neal is author of the mystery thriller The Arcade Affair, and is a sidekick of Mossback Charlie.
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Alex Wales - Warrensburg, Missouri
Alex Wales is currently minister of First Presbyterian Church of Warrensburg. A native of New Jersey, he was educated at Rutgers and Princeton Seminary, and became was ordained in 1973. He also earned a Doctor of Ministry degree from the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary. He has written poetry since sixth grade when he had a piece published in a youth collection in a national review. Most of his poems have been written as his pastor's column for the church's newsletter - a rather small and select audience.
Alex is married to Barbara, a librarian at UCM, and is the father of Nathan, a graduate student at the University of Connecticut and Emily, a William Jewell graduate, working in Washington, DC - hoping to do graduate work in the near future. Alex is planning to do interim work as he brings more than 20 years in Warrensburg to a close.
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