Robert Greer addresses NAACP banquet -- and signs books -- June 4 in Cheyenne

The multi-talented Robert Greer will come to the Cheyenne Holiday Inn on Saturday, June 4, to speak at the annual banquet of the Wyoming NAACP. His theme will be the contributions that African-Americans made to the history of the West. He will sign copies of his books from 6-7 p.m.. Dinner will follow, with Dr. Greer's speech at 8 p.m. Tickets are $35 per person, $50 per couple. You can purchase tickets for the event by calling Abe Stevenson at 307-634-8304 or Bennie McLaughlin, 307-634-5527.

When he's not writing, Dr. Greer is a professor of pathology, medicine, surgery and dentistry at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver. He also holds a master's degree in creative writing from Boston University and an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Miami University of Ohio, his alma mater.


Greer has lived in Denver for thirty years. In 1986 he founded The High Plains Literary Review and continues to serve as its editor-in-chief. He is the author or co-author of three medical textbooks and over 125 scientific articles. His short stories have appeared in dozens of national literary magazines and his short story collection, Isolation and Other Stories, published in 2000 by the Davies Group Publishers, is also wonderfully illustrated. 

Greer has been involved in cancer research at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center for more than thirty years. In 1983 his research group was the first in the world to report a synergistic link between smokeless tobacco use and human papillomaviruses in certain cancers of the mouth. That research foundation is the basis for the plot of his novel, The Devil's Hatband, the author's first novel featuring Denver bail bondsman and detective CJ Floyd. Several of his novels are set in Wyoming.


Spoon, Greer’s 2009 novel of the contemporary American West, won the Colorado Book Award for literary fiction. It also was a finalist for the Western Writers of America Spur Award and received the Rocky Mountain Farmers Union 2010 Media of the Year Award. Wyoming’s Craig Johnson, author of Another Man's Moccasins and The Dark Horse , had this to say about the novel: "With Spoon, Robert Greer tells the story of a modern-day range war in wildfire prose both taut and lyrical."

Greer also reviews books for a Denver National Public Radio affiliate, KUVO, and raises cattle on a ranch in Platte County, Wyoming. 

Wyoming PBS and UW hold free screenings April 20 of new film about the Civil Rights struggle

Zimbabwe performer Thomas Mapfumo visits UW for African Awareness Week

This comes from the University of Wyoming Office of Multicultural Affairs newsletter:

Wyoming African Student Association (WASA) will be celebrating African Awareness Week starting February 14 to February 19. It is a week long of events starting with helping you appreciate the ones you love on Valentine's Day, drumming in the Skyline Lounge on Wednesday between 11 and 1 pm, a symposium on Thursday with the theme "The role of women in African politics" with four professors on the panel and three WASA students in Yellowstone Ballroom from 6 to 8pm. Refreshments will be provided. On Saturday February 19 there will a play, dance and music performance by the legend Thomas Mapfumo from Zimbabwe in the Education Auditorium starting at 4 pm and this will be followed by dinner in Washakie from 7:15-8:30pm. A ticket is required for the dinner. Tickets will be given out at the Information desk in the union on Tuesday and Wednesday between 11 and 1pm (or until they run out). For any questions please feel free to email Darlington Darsaba at dsabasi@uwyo.edu.

Cleo Parker Robinson Dance offers free public performance Feb. 22 in Casper

The world-renowned Cleo Parker Robinson Dance of Denver will perform on Tuesday, Feb. 22 at 7 p.m. at Summit Elementary School, 2210 Waterford, Casper (this is the new school visible from Wyoming Blvd. near 15th St.).  The performance, sponsored by the Natrona County School District Diversity Task Force, is free and open to the public. Go to http://www.cleoparkerdance.org/.

"African American Life in Wyoming" exhibit at State Museum through March 31

In celebration of Black History Month, the Wyoming State Museum is featuring “African American Life in Wyoming,” a traveling exhibit on display through March 31.

Produced by the State Museum and State Archives, this photographic exhibit explores the daily life and many contributions of African Americans in Wyoming.

African Americans have long been a part of Wyoming’s history. The vast wilderness and natural resources of the frontier initially attracted mountain men, adventurers, and fur traders like James Beckwourth and Edward Rose.

Following the Civil War, blacks migrated west in search of better economic, social and political opportunities. Once here, they organized social organizations and cultural activities. They became homesteaders, cowboys, soldiers, businessmen, miners and politicians.

This photographic exhibit explores the daily life and many contributions of African Americans in Wyoming.

To inquire about this and other traveling exhibits available to museums, libraries, schools and other cultural institutions throughout Wyoming, please contact the Wyoming State Museum at 777-7022.

Hip-hop duo Dead Prez on stage Jan. 21 for UW's MLK Days of Dialogue

Dead Prez, hip-hop duo and social activists, will perform a free concert at 9 p.m. Friday, Jan. 21, in the University of Wyoming Union ballroom.

Individually known as M-1 and stic.man, Dead Prez continues on the path of other politically minded artists such as Public Enemy, 2pac and KRS-One.

Dead Prez has released two albums, two underground mix-tapes and two solo albums of street-level political hip-hop that is heavily aligned with challenging the status quo.

"Dead Prez uses music not to lie about having expensive cars or girlfriends with big bottoms, but to rail against the inequities in American society. They do so with an insight and honesty that is rare in any art form, let alone hip-hop," stated London's Daily Telegraph.

This concert, part of the UW Martin Luther King Jr. Days of Dialogue events, is sponsored by Friday Night Fever, Panhellenic Council and the Interfraternity Council. To see other events associated with MLK/DOD visit www.mlkdod.com .

Individuals needing accommodations to attend this event should contact the Campus Activities Center at (307)766-6340 or cac@uwyo.edu .

Photo: Dead Prez, hip-hop duo and social activists, will perform a free concert at 9 p.m. Friday, Jan. 21, in the University of Wyoming Union ballroom.

"Decade of Diversity Through Dialogue" at UW

http://www.mlkdod.com

Hip-hop artist Common to perform at UW as part of Martin Luther King, Jr., Days of Dialogue

From a UW press release:

Hip hop artist and actor Common will be the keynote speaker at the 10th annual Martin Luther King Jr. March and Days of Dialogue (MLK/DOD) celebration Jan. 17-21, at the University of Wyoming.

Common's speech, at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 18 in the Wyoming Union Ballroom, is free and open to the public. The speech is only one of the varied activities for the week-long celebration.

"When charged with planning the 10th celebration of the Martin Luther King Jr. Days of Dialogue and March, we as a committee, felt that it was important to discuss as many pieces to diversity as possible. We are covering many issues including race, sexual orientation, veterans and religion," says Kate Steiner, MLK/DOD co-chair.

This year's theme, "A Decade of Defining Diversity Through Dialogue," recognizes and celebrates the 10 years of continuing emphasis on diversity through dialogue. UW community members honor the continuing impact of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his life and ideals through this celebration. The week of activities serves as a renewal of UW's commitment to making the campus and Wyoming a more welcoming and empowering place for people from different backgrounds, heritages, orientations or abilities, Steiner says.

Common, one of hip hop music's more poetic and respected lyricists, has recorded more than seven albums and partnered with Kanye West to produce albums resulting in four Grammy Award nominations. Additionally, they also were nominated for two MTV Video Music Awards including Best Hip Hop Video.

He launched the Common Ground Foundation in 2007, which is dedicated to the empowerment and development of urban youth. In the children's books he has written, the themes focus on utilizing the culture of hip hop to foster a better understanding of self respect and love. He also has begun a burgeoning acting career, staring in such films as Smokin' Aces, Street Kings, American Gangster, Wanted, Terminator Salvation and Date Night.

Many other activities are scheduled throughout the week.

An annual march from the Albany County Courthouse to the Wyoming Union kicks off the events at 4 p.m. Monday, Jan. 17. The Dr. Willena Stanford Community Supper follows at 4:45 p.m.

Another highlight of the week will be the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble performance at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 19, at the Laramie Plains Civic Center. The ensemble's ideal is to honor diversity and inclusiveness through a vision of dance as the universal language of movement that turns the world into a sanctuary transcending boundaries of culture, class and age.

"Different After War" tackles the topic of how and why military veterans are different after war and how that impacts daily living. Retired Army National Guard Major D.C. Faber will discuss the issue from 1-3 p.m. Friday, Jan. 21, in the Wyoming Union Family Room.

Known for its confrontational style, Dead Prez will perform at 9 p.m. Friday, Jan. 21, in the Wyoming Union Ballroom.

Other activities include student service projects, panel and book discussions, a master dance class, a conversation with the actors in The Race Show and a program with the Beehive Collective. All events are free and open to the public except The Race Show, which requires the purchase of tickets, available at the door. Individuals with disabilities needing accommodations in order to participate should contact Steiner at (307) 766-3296.

For a complete list of activities, visit the Web site www.mlkdod.com .

Photo: Hip hop artist Common is the keynote speaker during the 10th anniversary of the Martin Luther King Jr. March and Days of Dialogue celebration Jan. 17-21, at the University of Wyoming.

Black Violin redefining the music world -- one string at a time. Next stop: Sheridan

Black Violin performs Wednesday, Feb. 2, 7 p.m., at the WYO Theater in downtown Sheridan. Tickets are $15 Adult/$13 Senior & Military/$8 Student/$5 12 and under.

From the WYO web site:

To most people, jazz, hip-hop, funk, and classical are musical genres. But to revolutionary music group Black Violin, they're nothing but ingredients.

Combining a daunting array of musical styles and influences to produce a signature sound that is not quite maestro, not quite emcee, this group of two classically trained violinists and their DJ is redefining the music world -- one string at a time. With influences ranging from Shostakovich and Bach to Nas and Jay-Z, Black Violin breaks all the rules, blending the classical with the modern to create something rare. A sound that nobody has ever heard, but that everybody wants to feel.

Sponsors: Children's Educational and Family Series with additional donations from Sheridan College & Sheridan Physical Therapy. Also supported in part by a grant from the Wyoming Arts Council with funding from the State Legislature and National Endowment for the Arts.

Cleo Parker Robinson dancers, "The Race Show" and veterans' voices at UW MLK Days of Dialogue

Calendar of events for the 2011 Martin Luther King, Jr. "Days of Dialogue" at the University of Wyoming. This year's theme: "A decade of defining diversity through dialogue:"

Monday, January 17th
10:00 am - 4:00 pm: National Service Day, Laramie Plains Civic Center
- Restoration Projects

4:00 pm - Martin Luther King Jr. March and Supper, Albany County Courthouse
- The March will start at the Courthouse and continue to the Wyoming Union where soup will be served. WASA and Ballet 7220 will be preforming.

Tuesday, January 18th
12:00 pm - 1:30 pm - ECTL Book Discussion, "War and the Soul: Healing Our Nation's Veterans from Post-traumatic Stress Disorder" - Union East Ballroom.
Registration required. Click here.

12:15 pm - GLBTQ Cultural Panel Discussion, "Commonalities Across Culture: GLBTQ Life in Various Cultural Communities" - Union Family Room
* Pizza Provided *

7:00 pm - MLK/DOD Keynote Speaker, Common - Hip Hop artist and activist. Union Ballroom

Wednesday, January 19th
12:00 pm - B.E.A.U.T.Y. Panel Discussion, "Standing at the Crossroads of Identity" Union Family Room
* Pizza Provided *

3:00 pm - 4:00 pm - Panel Discussion "Interfaith Dialogue: Spritual Wholeness In a Fractured World" headed by Dr. Sally Palmer. Union Family Room

4:00 pm - Film Screening: "The Calling" Union Family Room

8:00 pm - Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble, Laramie Plains Civic Center
* sponsored by the Student Activities Council, transportation from and back to campus provided by SAFE RIDE. *

Thursday, January 20th
10:00 am - 11:30 am - Master Dance Class with Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble - Union Ballroom
* No prior dance experience required.

4:00 pm - Ethnic Idenity and Voice in N*GGER WETB*CK CH*NK -A conversation with the actors - Union West Ballroom

7:30 pm - N*GGER WETB*CK CH*NK: The Race Show - A & S Auditorium
* UW Student Tickets $10.00
Non-Student Tickets $27.00 *

Friday, January 21st
1:00 - 3:00 pm - "How and Why We Are Different When We Come Back: A Veteran's Perspective" Union East Ballroom

2:00 pm - A Program with The Beehive Collective Union West Ballroom

6:30 pm, 9:00 pm, 11:30 pm - FNF Movie: "The Messenger" Union Family Room

9:00 pm - Dead Prez Concert, Union Ballroom
* Hip hop music, sponsored by Friday Night Fever *

Wyoming State Archives podcast looks back at 1969's "Black 14" controversy

The October 23 football game between the University of Wyoming and Brigham Young brings back memories of the 1960s stand-off between some of the football players and their coach in the proposed protest by the players against the LDS church's then-policy to keep African Americans from holding certain high level positions in the church heirarchy.

The Wyoming State Archives looks back on one of the darkest periods of that history with a podcast featuring a series of interviews revisiting the Black 14 incident of October 1969. The podcast includes comments by long-time Wyoming broadcaster, the late Larry Birleffi; members of the Black 14; and other Wyoming officials.

Birleffi, in an interview conducted during the early 80s, describes to interviewer Mark Junge the social climate of that time, the man that was Coach Lloyd Eaton, and his interpretation of the darkest period of Wyoming football.

Birleffi’s comments along with more recent interviews with others involved with the Black 14 incident are available on the Wyoming State Archives website. They include Dr. Willie Black, then chancellor of the Black Student Alliance; Judge James Barrett, then Wyoming’s Attorney General; and Dr. Michael C. Robinson who was a UW history student, who protested for the football players’ right to protest and then went on to join the LDS church in later years.

Log onto http://www.wyoarchives.org/ and click on “oral histories.” The oral history project is funded by the Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund.

Robert Greer launches new CJ Floyd novel with signings in Denver and Wheatland

Platte County author Robert Greer has a new book featuring Denver African-American bailbondsman/detective CJ Floyd. Entitled First of State, it's a prequel to Robert's seven other CJ Floyd mysteries, set in 1971 after CJ returns from Vietnam and is learning the bail bond business from his uncle. Much of the action takes place in Denver's historic Five Points neighborhood.

Robert Greer will discuss First of State in Denver at the Tattered Cover (Colfax) on Thursday, October 21, 7 p.m., and at Murder By The Book on Tuesday, October 26, 5:30 p.m.; and in Wyoming at The Wheatland Mercantile Book Nook on Friday, November 12, 6 p.m.

Great review of the book by Jenny Shank at New West. Read it at
http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/first_of_state_shows_denver_pi_cj_floyd_earning_his_stripes/C39/L39/

FREE BIRD!

From a University of Wyoming press release:

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame powerhouse Lynyrd Skynyrd and special guest Dierks Bentley will perform Friday, Sept. 17, at 8 p.m. in the University of Wyoming Arena-Auditorium in Laramie.

Reserved tickets go on sale Friday, Aug. 6, at 8 a.m. at the Arena-Auditorium ticket office and box offices at the Wyoming Union and Fine Arts Center. Tickets can also be purchased online at http://www.wyomingathletics.com/ or by calling 1-800-922-9461. Ticket prices are $35, $45, $65 and $125.

"The University of Wyoming is thrilled to have two amazing musical performers on campus in conjunction with the Cowboys hosting Boise State the next day. This will be a concert that no Pokes fan will want to miss," says Paul Gallegos, lead student programmer for the Concerts and Convocations Committee.

"We booked these two great bands so that everybody, those from different generations and with different tastes in music, could enjoy a wonderful night of entertainment," he says. "We kept the ticket prices as low as possible so everyone has an opportunity to attend."

Photo: Rock and Roll powerhouse Lynyrd Skynyrd perform Sept. 17 in the University of Wyoming Arena-Auditorium. Tickets go on sale Friday, Aug. 6.

UW Visiting Professor explores "African/Black Resistance" at today's History Dept. Colloquium

Edward P. Jones is new eminent writer in residence at UW MFA Program

One of the top contemporary African American writers, Edward P. Jones, will read and sign his books Thursday, Feb. 18, at 5 p.m. in the University Wyoming Union ballroom.

His Wyoming visit is sponsored by UW's Master of Fine Arts Program in Creative Writing Eminent Writer in Residence Program. During his residency at UW, Jones will teach a writing workshop, visit numerous university classes and offer readings on campus and elsewhere in the state.

Novelist Dave Eggers writes, "Jones' short stories have the ability to stun on every page; there are too many breathtaking lines to count."

Jones' first collection of short stories, "Lost in the City," won the 1993 Pen/Hemingway Award and was short-listed for the National Book Award. His novel, "The Known World," won the 2004 National Book Award, Pulitzer Prize for fiction, the National Book Critics Circle Award, the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award and the Lannan Literary Award.

His most recent collection of short fiction, "All Aunt Hagar's Children," was a finalist for the 2007 Pen/Faulkner Award. Jones also publishes regularly in The New Yorker.

The Eminent Writer in Residence Program is funded by the Excellence in Higher Education Endowment. For more information, visit the MFA Web site at www.uwyo.edu/creativewriting or e-mail Associate Professor Beth Loffreda at loffreda@uwyo.edu.

Liberian-American spoken-word artist on stage tonight at MLK/DOD

A few more events on tonight's schedule for Martin Luther King, Jr., Days of Dialogue at UW in Laramie:

Movie and Discussion: “Higher Learning”6:30 pm • Wyoming Union Family Room

Spoken Word Open Mic with Liberian-American spoken-word artist e.g. bailey, 9 pm • Wyoming Union Gardens

Movie: “American Violet”9:00 & 11:30 pm • Wyoming Union Family Room.

All events are free and open to the public.Individuals with disabilities needing accommodations in order to participate should contact Kate Steiner at (307) 766-3296.

Soulfege on stage at UW on Jan. 20

From a UW press release:

The hip-hop/reggae/funk underground sensation Soulfege returns to the University of Wyoming in Laramie on Wednesday, Jan. 20, at 8 p.m. in the Wyoming Union ballroom as a part of Martin Luther King Jr./Days of Dialogue activities.

The free performance features Johnathan Gramling and Derrick Ashong (aka DNA). The "brothers in song" met while attending Harvard University and soon realized they wanted to take their good education and make some cash, which led to the formation of the band Soulfege.

The Student Activities Council sponsors the performance. Individuals with disabilities needing accommodations contact the Campus Activities Center at (307) 766-6340.

Take 6 to headline Kinser Jazz Festival Feb. 9

A cappella powerhouse Take 6 are the winners of 10 GRAMMY Awards, 10 Dove Awards, one Soul Train Award and two NAACP Image Award nominations. The influential sextet – Mark Kibble, Claude V. McKnight III, Dr. Cedric Dent, David Thomas, Alvin Chea and Joey Kibble – headlines the 2010 Kinser Jazz Festival at Casper College.

Their recent album. The Standard, showcases a new jazz-influenced approach for the group.

“While we sing lyrics that always exemplify our spiritual and moral convictions, what we really are at the core is a jazz vocal group,” says David Thomas, a member of the Take 6 lineup since 1985. “So we decided to do an album of jazz standards, a record that will stand up as the jazz vocal album for all time.”

Take 6 co-founder Claude McKnight also stands behind the ambitious claim. “We go into every project saying it will be the best,” he says. “At least the best we’ve ever done, and depending on the concept or the genre, it may be the best that’s ever been done by anyone. When we take on a project or step into a new phase of our career, we’re not afraid to say, ‘Hey, let’s move some mountains.’”

General Admission tickets to the Take 6 concert on Tuesday, February 9, 7:30 p.m., in the John F. Welsh auditorium at Natrona County High School are $15 each and are available by calling (307) 268-2021.

Ilyasah Shabazz to deliver keynote address at MLK/DOD Jan. 22 at UW

From a UW press release:

Ilyasah Shabazz, an author, lecturer and daughter of slain Muslim leader Malcolm X, is the keynote speaker at the eighth annual Martin Luther King Jr. and Days of Dialogue (MLK/DOD) celebration Jan. 18-22, 7:30 a.m., at the University of Wyoming Union Ballroom.

"Poverty, Politics and Race" is the theme of this year's event. MLK/DOD renews UW's commitment to making campus a more welcoming and empowering place for people from different backgrounds, heritages, orientations or abilities. UW events celebrate the continuing impact of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s life and ideals.

Author of the book "Growing Up X," Shabazz is committed to developing educational programs that foster self-empowerment; expanding the role of government to teach individual responsibility for improving society; and capitalizing on the arts and entertainment to encourage the understanding of history, culture and self expression.

She is the third daughter of Malcolm X, an African-American Muslim minister, public speaker and human rights activist. To his admirers, he was a courageous advocate for the rights of African Americans, but his detractors accused him of preaching racism, black supremacy and violence. Malcolm X has been described as one of the greatest and most influential African Americans in history. Shabazz was only 2 years old and present when her father was assassinated in 1965 in New York.

Shabazz produces "The WAKE-UP Tour," her exclusive youth empowerment program designed to inspire young people to think and act critically to safeguard their futures. She also is corporation president and trustee of her parents' legacy, The Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz Memorial, Educational and Cultural Center, Inc. at The Audubon, the place of her father's assassination.

Among other highlights of MLK/DOD are the annual MLK March and Willena Stanford Supper; panel and book discussions, observation of National Service Day, movies, art reception and entertainment.

For a full list of activities, visit the MLK/DOD Web site at http://www.mlkdod.com/mlk2010/or contact Kate Steiner at (307) 766-6790 or e-mail ksteiner@uwyo.edu.

Negro League's Mack Pride visits Casper as part of library's baseball exhibit

"Pride and Passion: The African-American Baseball Experience" will be at Natrona County Public Library in downtown Casper through Jan. 15. It's open to the public during regular library hours.

Mack Pride, one-time pitcher for the Kansas City Monarchs and Memphis Red Sox, came to Casper Thursday at the opening of the traveling exhibit which chronicles African-American participation in baseball from the Civil War era through integration and into modern times.

The exhibit is co-sponsored by the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., and the American Library Association. The Casper exhibit is funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

The dramatic re-enactment of Jackie Robinson's Life will be resented at the library on Wednesday, Nov. 18, 6:30 p.m., by actor Gregory Gibson Kenney.

FMI: http://www.natronacountylibrary.org/