November 7, 2022
The English Department at the University of Montana Western is pleased to announce the return of its popular visiting writers series after a two-year hiatus.
UMW Professor Emeritus, Dr. O. Alan Weltzien, created and led the original series, formerly known as “Dances with Words” for many years up until his retirement. The first event of the academic year in the relaunched series, now titled the “O. Alan Weltzien Writers Series” in his honor, will be held on Thursday, November 17 at 7:00 p.m. at the Bulldog Lounge in the Student Union Building on the UMW campus and will feature Dr. Weltzien as the inaugural visiting writer.
Dr. Weltzien has published eleven books and four chapbooks over his long career. His recent book “Savage West: The Life and Fiction of Thomas Savage” (U. Nevada Press, 2020), is a biography of the neglected Montana novelist Thomas Savage, whose work has recently been rediscovered thanks to Jane Campion’s film adaptation of Savage’s best novel, “The Power of the Dog” (2021).
Dr. Weltzien has remained busy with writing even in retirement, and in 2022 alone he has published two chapbooks and one book: “Through the Basement of Time,” a poetry chapbook (Finishing Line Press), “When The Smiles Stopped,” a long prose essay (chapbook, FootHills Publishing), and “On The Beach: Poems 2016 – 2021” (Cirque Press). He will read selections from each of these at the event.
The event is free and open to the public and Dr. Weltzien’s publications will be available for purchase provided by Debbie Sporich from The Bookstore.
For more information, please contact Dr. Ashley Carlson, Division Chair of the Humanities and Social Sciences and Professor in the Department of English at the University of Montana Western: [email protected] or 406-683-7209.
