NORTH COAST, Calif. – The 24th annual Mendocino Coast Writers Conference, which will take place July 25-27 at the College of the Redwoods campus in Fort Bragg, has extended deadlines for scholarship requests, and applications for the Master Class in Short Fiction with Peter Orner.

The new deadline for all scholarship applications is Wednesday, May 15.

The conference offers both full fee and partial financial assistance to adult writers; and full-tuition aid to Five Under Twenty-Five, up to five young writers who live or attend school in one of five Northern California counties: Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, Mendocino or Sonoma.

Applicants for the master class now have until May 30 to submit their writing for consideration.

Author of two novels and winner of two Pushcart Prizes, Orner was a Guggenheim Fellowship recipient.

In describing his workshop in Short Fiction, he noted, “Short stories are a kind of high wire act in prose.”

He will focus on some of the elemental things that make stories vital: what gets us in the gut and the heart, as well as the head.

There are no changes in the May 15 deadline for the Registered Participants Contest.

The three-day conference offers outstanding faculty in all genres teaching the craft of writing at beginning and advanced levels.

For full details on workshops, scholarships and registration procedures, please visit the conference Web site at www.mcwc.org or contact staff by phone and leave a message at 707-485-4031.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Several years ago, Lake County Theatre Co. staged the world-famous “The Rocky Horror Show” to sell-out crowds which flocked to Lake County from all over the state.

“Rocky” is a cult classic which draws attendees of all ages and backgrounds and gives them a chance to get “wild and crazy.”

The audience becomes part of the show, complete with their own costumes and dance moves, a very unique theater experience. So what is the problem?

There is no problem, just an opportunity for the community to become even more involved.

LCTC is looking to bring “Rocky” enthusiasts together to begin their involvement early.

This is a call for all individuals who would like to participate in this show on a leadership basis. The company is looking for people who feel they know this show well enough to produce or even direct the production.

Tim Barns, director of the previous production, has offered his expertise as a consultant to anyone who would like to take on the challenges and fun of directing or producing this show.

He feels that there are many folks out there that know this show intimately and would like to be more involved in the next version of it.

The “The Rocky Horror Show” is scheduled for next fall so there is plenty of time to prepare, but not plenty of time to show interest in becoming the director or producer.

If you are intrigued with this opportunity, call 707-355-2272.

This column originates in Nebraska, and our office is about two hours’ drive from that stretch of the Platte River where thousands of sandhill cranes stop for a few weeks each year.

Linda Hogan, one of our most respected native writers and writer in residence for The Chickasaw Nation, perfectly captures their magic and mystery in this fine poem.

The Sandhills

The language of cranes
we once were told
is the wind. The wind
is their method,
their current, the translated story
of life they write across the sky.
Millions of years
they have blown here
on ancestral longing,
their wings of wide arrival,
necks long, legs stretched out
above strands of earth
where they arrive
with the shine of water,
stories, interminable
language of exchanges
descended from the sky
and then they stand,
earth made only of crane
from bank to bank of the river
as far as you can see
the ancient story made new.

American Life in Poetry is made possible by The Poetry Foundation ( www.poetryfoundation.org ), publisher of Poetry magazine. It is also supported by the Department of English at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Poem reprinted from Sing: Poetry from the Indigenous Americas, Ed. by Allison Adelle Hedge Coke, The Univ. of Arizona Press, 2011, by permission of Linda Hogan and the publisher. Introduction copyright 2013 by The Poetry Foundation. The introduction's author, Ted Kooser, served as United States Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress from 2004-2006. They do not accept unsolicited manuscripts.

The major studio release film for the week is Tom Cruise’s “Oblivion,” for which I never received a screening invite, and so it will not be reviewed.

From all accounts of hearsay and gossip, I may have dodged a bullet and spared myself a minimum loss of two hours never to be regained. Not to mention the drive time and waiting.

So let’s focus on the positive, which for now in our troubled times is increasingly difficult. But Turner Classic Movies (better known as simply TCM) has found a way to deliver joy, even if only for a long weekend.

In a short period of time, the TCM Classic Film Festival, held over four days in the heart of Hollywood, has established itself as the place where movie lovers from around the world can gather to experience classic movies.

Mark your calendar now, and make swift travel arrangements, to come to Los Angeles for Thursday, April 25, through Sunday, April 28.

In iconic venues like Grauman’s Chinese Theater and the Egyptian, you can enjoy great films as they were intended to be experienced: on the big screen, with the people who made them.

“Cinematic Journeys: Travel in the Movies” is the theme for the 2013 TCM Classic Film Festival, which will explore how movies can carry viewers beyond their hometowns to distant or imaginary locales, where they are transformed by great storytelling.

Bottom line is that the mode of travel may inspire films, or in most cases the trip itself serves as the central narrative, or what we would call the ever-popular “road movie.”

In that vein, “Road to Utopia” unites the legendary comedy duo of Bing Crosby and Bob Hope as former vaudeville performers who take a detour on their way to Alaska after discovering a gold mine map.

TCM will celebrate the 80th anniversary of “Flying Down to Rio” with a new print of a musical comedy about a band leader pursuing the woman of his dreams in Brazil. Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire made their on screen debut together in this one.

A real madcap comedy treat will be the screening of “It’s A Mad Mad Mad Mad World,” a 1963 film with an all-star cast that gets involved in a wild chase to retrieve stolen loot.

Sadly, Jonathan Winters, one of the greatest comedians, recently passed away. He had been scheduled to appear at this film presentation. The good news is that Carl Reiner and Mickey Rooney will be on hand for a discussion about director Stanley Kramer’s comic gem.

On the dark side of road movies is the world premiere restoration of writer/director Terrence Malick’s landmark true-crime-based tale in “Badlands” of doomed lovers on a cross-country crime spree, starring Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek.

To be sure you get a large enough dose of road trip crime sprees, “Bonnie and Clyde,” starring Faye Dunaway and Warren as the legendary criminal couple, is the ultimate Depression-era film of criminal infamy.

Interestingly, “Bonnie and Clyde” was at first consigned to B-movie release at drive-ins and second-run theaters, until noted critic Pauline Kael gave it a rave review, as opposed to others that panned the film.
   
Positive word of mouth grew, and Warner Bros. reissued the movie with a big ad campaign trumpeting “They’re young … they’re in love … and they kill people.” I guess this was the precursor to “Natural Born Killers.”

On a lighter note, it will be a treat to see Mel Brooks in person as he leads a discussion about one of his early works, “The Twelve Chairs,” a warm-hearted farce about an impoverished Russian aristocrat, a priest and a con artist searching for a dozen chairs that may contain a hidden treasure.

Between his more famous films “The Producers” and “Blazing Saddles,” Mel Brooks’ “The Twelve Chairs” starred Ron Moody and a young Frank Langella as a faded Russian nobleman and a handsome young beggar who join forces to search for a fortune in jewels.

“The Twelve Chairs” is an overlooked jewel for a film in which director Brooks inserted classic vaudeville and burlesque humor into his satire of the Soviet Union. Fortunately, Mel Brooks will personally offer his insights.

A midnight screening of “Plan 9 From Outer Space” is an homage to director Ed Wood’s low-budget sci-fi cult classic about extraterrestrial creatures planning to resurrect the Earth’s dead.

“Plan 9 From Outer Space,” a veritable cheesy classic, is a film so bad that it is actually good. Yes, a cinematic oxymoron, if you will.

Frankly, there are too many good movies on hand at the TCM Classic Film Festival, including Greta Garbo in “Ninotchka” and James Dean in “Giant.”

You just have to show up in Hollywood, as this is now a must-see event for film lovers.

Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The deadline is quickly approaching for the Congressional Art Competition.

Submissions are due Monday, April 22.

The Congressional Art Competition, which Congressman Mike Thompson (CA-5) announced last month, showcases the artistic talents and abilities of students in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. territories.

The 2013 competition is open to all high school students in California’s Fifth District.

“Be sure to get your submissions in before the deadline,” said Thompson. “This competition is an excellent opportunity for our community to support our student artists, and I encourage all eligible students to apply. Every year our office receives outstanding submissions from talented artists all across our district. I look forward to seeing all of this year’s artwork.”

Since 1982, the Congressional Art Competition has given Members of Congress the opportunity to encourage the artistic talents of their young constituents.

Each Member of Congress hosts a competition among high school students in his or her district. The winning artwork from each district is then displayed in the United States Capitol for one year.

In addition, the grand prize winner will be flown with a guest to Washington, D.C. to attend an awards ceremony in June.

An oil portrait on canvas titled “Erin,” painted by last year’s winner, Julian Gordon of McKinleyville, is currently on display in the Capitol.

A panel of judges will select the winning entry and their decision will be announced in early May. All artwork must be submitted by April 22 to Congressman Thompson’s district offices: 1040 Main St., Suite 101, Napa, CA 94559; 985 Walnut Ave., Vallejo, CA 94592; and 2300 Country Center Dr. Suite A100, Santa Rosa, CA 95403.

Guidelines for the Congressional Art Competition include the following:

• Artwork must be two-dimensional.
• Each piece can be no larger than 28 inches high, 28 inches wide, and 4 inches deep, including the frame.
• Artwork cannot weigh more than 15 pounds.

Acceptable media for artwork are as follows:

• Paintings: oil, acrylics, watercolor, etc.;
• Drawings: pastels, colored pencil, pencil, charcoal, ink, markers;
• Collage;
• Prints: lithographs, silkscreen, block prints;
• Mixed Media: use of more than two medias such as pencil, ink, watercolor, etc.;
• Computer-generated art;
• Photography.

All submissions must be accompanied by a completed student information/release form, which can be found here: http://www.house.gov/content/educate/art_competition/pdf/student-information-release-form.pdf .

Complete contest guidelines are here: http://www.house.gov/content/educate/art_competition/pdf/student-information-release-form.pdf .

Students and teachers interested in the Congressional Art Competition may contact Melissa Rodezno in Congressman Thompson’s Napa office at 707-226-9898 for further guidelines and information.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Art House Gallery will hold its Third Friday Art Gala this Friday, April 19.

The event takes place from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the gallery, 15210 Lakeshore Drive, Clearlake.

There will be a new art show to view, refreshments, live music and a chance to meet and mingle with artists.

This is Clearlake's only art gallery, so come out and support the arts by attending.

The gallery is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Visit the gallery online at http://thearthousegallery.net/ .

For more information call 707-994-1716.