THE CABIN IN THE COMMUNITY Carmen Morawski IrememberexactlywhereIwaswhenIfirstheardaboutTheCabin.Iwasstuckintraffic,whenaBSUradioannouncementcameontosaythatAndreiCodrescuwascomingtoBoisetospeakattheEgyptianTheatre.AsanavidNPRlistener,I’dlongbeenafanofCodrescu.HiswastheEasternEuropeanaccentedvoiceIlovedtolistentoontheradio.IboughtmyticketsassoonasIgothome.At theEgyptian, itwas exciting to see themanbehindtheradiovoiceIknew,andthentoactuallymeethimashesignedmybooks.IbecameanimmediatefanofTheCabin’s Readings&Conversations lecture series. Thatwas in2007.YetbeyondReadings&Conversations, Iknew little else about The Cabin. As the years went by I began to hear about other activitiessponsoredbyTheCabin,amongthem,summerwriting camps for kids anddrop-inwritingworkshopsforadults.Then,alittleoverayearagoafriendofmineinvitedmetoaneventwherehewouldbereadingfroma short storyhe’dhadpublished. Itwas in theWritersin theAtticanthology,apublicationsponsoredbyTheCabin tocelebrate theworkof localwriters. Itwashisfirstshortstorytobepublished,andI’msureitwon’tbehislast.Thethingis,I’dhadnoideaTheCabinwassoinvolvedinsupportingtheworkoflocalwriters. Foranyonewho’sbeeninvolvedwithTheCabinover the years, these activities will likely come as nosurprise.Yetsinceitsinceptionin1996TheCabinhasgrownandevolved.TheintentionofthisspecialprintissueofCABINistobothcelebrateandinformreaders

ofwhereTheCabinhasbeenandofhowTheCabinwillcontinue tomeet theneeds ofBoise’s growing literarycommunityinthefuture.

Why The Cabin? In the inaugural edition of its newsletter,founderAlanMinskoffwrotethathebelievedTheCabinwouldcombine“twoendeavorsthatdefinethecharacterofacity:preservingoldbuildingsandencouragingtheliteraryarts.”Whileit’sclearthatTheCabin’sactivitiesarededicatedtopromotingBoise’sliteraryculture,somereadersmaynotbeawareofthehistoryofTheCabin’srole in preserving an historic architectural landmark.Located just south of the Boise Public Library andwithinastone’sthrowoftheBoiseRiver,TheCabinislocatedintheheartofBoise’sculturalcenter,makingitaconvenientsiteforhostingmanyliteraryactivities. Yetitshouldcomeasnosurprisethatthebuildersof the log cabin structure that today houses Boise’sliterary center didnot originally intend for it to servethisfunction.TheCabinedificewasdesignedtoserveasanofficefortheForestService.Inpart,tocommemoratethe50thanniversaryofIdaho’sstatehood,itwasdecidedthat it should be constructed of native woods.To thatend,HansHulbeoftheBoisePayetteLumberCompanydesignedTheCabinwith its characteristic log exteriorofIdahoEnglemanSpruceandusedamixofyellowandwhitepines,redcedar,

andIdahoRedFirforitsinteriorspaces.AlthoughthebuildingalsofunctionedasanofficefortheDepartmentofLandsforashorttimeafterwards,theCityofBoisepurchased the building from the state in 1992 for$20,000. In need of a building, in 1996 the board ofthe newly formed literary organization that has sincebecomeknowasTheCabin,contracteda30yearleasefromthecitywiththeintentiontopreservethehistoricalstructure. Since then, not only has The CabinmadegoodonitsfoundingvisiontocreatealiterarycenterinBoise,butaccordingtoPreservationIdaho,TheCabin’smembersandsupportershaveraisedoverhalfamilliondollarstosupportbuildingrenovations,sothatitisnowonthenationalregisterofhistoricplaces. WhilethelogexteriorofTheCabinissymbolicoftheinterdependentrelationshipsthathavehistoricallyexistedbetweenwood,paper,andprintintheliteraryarts, recent technological innovationsmay sometimesmake it seem as though words and the content itcarries are somehow spontaneously generated, rightoutofthinair.Yetdespitetheinternet,thecreationoforiginalwrittencontent in the formofoneword thatis painstakingly placed beside another requires labor.Originalwritingisstillcreatedbyhumanbeings,peopleofrealfleshandblood,thatoccupyspace.ItisforthatreasonthatBoisewritersneedaplacelikeTheCabin,atangiblesitewherelocalwriterscangathertomeetforreadings,workshops,andsupport.

JOHN GREEN TO MARK TWAINFrances Shafer-CoffeyGrade8,2015

Youwroteofnatureandthewest.Youwroteofriversandthetruth.Beforeyouwrote,writingwasaformalthing,butyouchangedthatlikeIchangedthelovestory.

We’vecreatedaworldforreaderslike so many others thattellsthemoflifebluntandbeautifulasitis

fromyourbaby’sfirstbreathtotheepitaphonyourgravestone,

withallthein-betweenfromatempleto a shrine.

The Cabin’s mission is to inspire a love of reading, writing and discourse. To encourage a robust reading and writing community, The Cabin offers a wide variety of programming accessible to all ages.

Idaho authors at the first CABIN FEVER event, December 2014.

2

FIRST DAY Anthony Doerr, 1999 Ourfirstdaywasafinehotdaybesidetheriverwith the crows shouting and sunpouring through thecottonwoods.Bytwo-thirtywehadlearnedeachother’snames, done a bit of warm-up writing, talked aboutstories and takena restroombreak.Already the youngwriters seemed comfortable–comfortable with eachother, with this odd mix of school and camp. Emily,to my right, a quiet writer with a purple Band-Aidonherankle,wasdrawingspiralsona sheetofpaper.Amberlayinadirtypatchof lawninherflower-printdress,smearingafloppyhamsandwichintohermouth,chewingloudly,smackingherlips.Hollystaredintothetrees,theschoolsofdriftingcottonseed. MomentsbeforeeachwriterhadheldoutafoldedsheetofpaperandIsplashedabitofinkontoit.Thentheyfoldedtheirsheetssotheinkwoulddryinafairlysymmetricalblotch,akindofdo-it-yourselfRorschachdrawing.The inkwasdrynow, and I explained that Iwould like each writer to name his or her ink-blotchand imagine it into a character,with a gender and anage and a job and ahost of characteristics.Whatdoesyourcharacterdoatnight?Whatisinyourcharacter’sgarbage?Whatkindofthingsdoesyourcharactercarryinherpockets?Howwouldyourcharacterasksomeoneonadate? Theexercise,Ihoped,wouldbeanimaginativecalisthenic, a way to show the writers that characterscouldcomefromanything,thateverythingandanythingwasworthyofattention.Attheendoftheexercise,whentheywouldbringtwocharacterstogether,theymightseethatnarrative generatednaturally from character, thatmakingastorywassimplyamatterofintroducingconflictintoacharacter’s life.Fundamentally, itwasdesigned,likeanycreativeexercise,toflextheimagination. Thekidsopenedtheirnotebooksandscribbledaway.Jessicadrewhercharacterbeforewritingabouther:astoutladyinblackpumps.Doughadfadedbehindusandwrotediligentlyaboutawell-paidgravedigger.Katiefoldedherkneestoherchinandwrotesecretively,asshewouldallweek,fillingpageafterpagewithfaintcursive.Jasonguffawedabouthischaracter,areggae instructornamed Charles Barkley who made a million dollarsaminute cleaning a workout gym after hours.Meganimagined a butterflynamedSkyla andHolly imaginedaladybug.ThomascreatedadetectivenamedColonelMustardwithasidekickpoochnamedMajorKetchup.Amberdeclaredthatshewasdonewriting,thatsheonlywroteduringthemornings,andthatshehadneverlostanargumentinherlife.Toverifythis,shesaid,Icould

askhermother orher sister. She sat awhilewithherarmscrossedoverherchest,thenbegantodraw. After awhile I noticed thatKylie, a tall sixth-graderwhosatawayfromthegroupinapatchofsun,hadwrittennothing.Shestaredatherink-blotch,thenlookedaway,towardstheroad. Herfacewaspinched,hercheekswerealmostoverhereyes,therewassweatonthebackofherneck. Writingisaterrifyingthing.Itcanfreezeyou,itcanruinyourday;ifitovercomesyouitcaninfectyourdaywithguiltandweakness.Itisafrigidblacklakeyouhavetojumpinto,eachtime,asystemshock,afreezingdarkwater, a fear, a dreadful plague.There are timeswhen you would rather have a gun to your head thanconfrontanotherawfulexpanseofblankpaper. Butthis,thisink-splashexercise,wassupposedtobeasfreeaswritinggets.ThiswasbytheBoiseRiver,onaperfectday,fornograde,withnothreatofcriticism,fornobodybut yourself,with a bluebird sky overheadandsoftgrassunderyou.Whatwastheretobeafraidof?Plenty.

Every summer The Cabin hosts kids in grades 3-12 for week-long, half-day WRITING CAMPS. Led by a professional writer, campers can learn about songwriting, how to write a play, become a journalist or write while hiking in the Foothills.

Writing Wild campers, Boise Foothills, 2015

continued next page3

WRITERS IN THE SCHOOLS (WITS) supports creative writing enrichment in 3rd-12th grade classrooms throughout the Treasure Valley. During the school year, The Cabin employs professional local writers—poets, novelists, playwrights, and journalists—to teach semester- or school-year-long writing residencies in schools, juvenile detention centers, and community learning centers.

IsquattedbesideKylieandtoldherthosethings.Iturnedherinkblotupside-down.Itlookedlikeafiercemoosetome,soItoldherthat,andItoldheritlookednow like a fierce moose-hunter, and could she writeabout him?A fiercemoose-hunter namedTyrell whowore amask when he huntedmoose.What did Tyrelllooklikeunderhismask,Kylie? She didn’t–couldn’t–answer. She didn’t evennod.Adropletofsweathungfromthetipofhernose.I scrapped the moose-hunter. What does the inkblotlookliketoyou,Kylie?Doesitlooklikeamonsteroraballerina?Doyouwanttogetoutofthehotsun,Kylie?She said nothing. Her face was badly pinched and Icouldn’t bear it. I urged her to abandon the inkblot,that itwasonlyuseful if it proved itselfuseful, and itclearlywasn’tprovingitselfuseful.Shecouldwriteaboutwhateverandwhomevershepleased.Shedidn’thavetowriteatall.Shesatrigid.

When I came back fifteen minutes later Kylie had

printed,thinly,inthetopcornerofthepage,“JohnSmith”and“bum.”Iapplauded this small start–wouldshetellmemoreaboutJohnSmith?Howdidhebecomeabum? Kylie started to cry. She said she didn’tunderstandwhatwashappening, that she just couldn’twrite,thatshedidn’twanttobeatWritingCamp. Creation is scary, nomatter what age you are,nomatterwhereyouare,nomatterwhatstakesyoufindyourselfcreatingfor.Already,atageselevenornineoreight,thewritersinourgroupexhibitedrealfear,inathousanddisguises,whenaskedtoputpenciltopaper.Creationiselusive,itismagic,itlivesontheoutskirtsofourunderstanding.Itisrarelysomethingthatcomeswhencalled. ForKylie,itturnsout,creationcomesunbiddeninthenight.Threedaysafterourfirstday,onThursday,Kyliesatinourcircleandreadthreepoemsshe’dwrittenthenightbefore,carefullyrevisedpoemsthatspoketrulyand without cliché. She was beaming. She was a newperson.

PONYTAIL GIRLEsperanceMarianPritchettHighSchool,2012

InAfricaIdidhavehairuntilmydadcutitshortlikeababy’s.InschoolinAfrica,boysandgirlshadtohaveshorthair,wealllookedlikelittlesoldiers,samehair,sameclothes.

IcametoAmericaatfourteen.Isawgirls’hair,soft,long,colorsoftherainbow.Iwasjealous.Iputstinkychemicalsonmyhairtomakeitstraight,fortwomonthsmyhairlookedlikeablackwaterfall.

Myhair,now,isalittlelongerstraightfromthemetaljawsIusetokeepitdown

Mymom’shairwascurly.Iwanttoputmyhandsinherhairandrollhercurlsaroundmyfingers.

Doyouthinkshehascurlyhairinheaven?

WITS reading, 2015

4

The Writers in the Attic Program, or WITA, is an annual publication contest for local writers, both emerging and established, to publish work related to a theme chosen by The Cabin. This publication is a stepping stone for new writers and a venue that showcases the talent in our community. Work is blind judged by a local literary notable and selected works are published as part of the Writers in the Attic anthology. Thirty-nine Idaho authors were chosen to be part of the fourth annual Writers in the Attic anthology book, ANIMAL, which will be released in September 2015.

TRUMPETER SWAN/BEAVER: 1/1/11Matthew James Babcock

Hereismyconfession.WhenIsaidIwasleavingtorunanerrandImeantwalkingtothecottonwoodstandbehindthetechnicalcollegetoseehowmanytwistedtrunksbeavershadtoppledsincelastsummergrounditselftosand.I’vedonethisforyears.

Snowmutedvacantlots.Rutsmarredtheplacewherebulldozersgougedupwildpoppieswefound.Coldspunbreathtolace.Lightgrazedmyface,cooledoncars.Iceburned.Fieldsandengineeringofficesblazedwithfrigidgoldinthingalleries.Thevividalwaysdisappears.

Asoundturnedme.Halfhonk,halfmanifesto.Sevenswans,snowyflamesfromtheriver.BigasA-10s,theyskimmedtreetops,solowamanwithasnowblowerheardthemcarvetheair.Intopalesuntheyveeredatthevelocityofwhite,throughthesky’scloudygears.

Everyconfessionisanerrand.I’vetriedtosaythissoyouunderstand.Theurgetobelieveisthespeechofbeaversperpetuallyunseen.Everyyearisaritualoflatearrivals,afutilereachforthebeautyofthefallen,thecrashthatstillsthethundernoonehears.

“Newpeoplewillcomeandbepartofthisloveofreadingandwriting.Togetherwearebuildingsomethingsignificant.Iwasn’tjokingtheotherdaywhenIinstructedmyfamilytomakecertainthat,whenthetimecomes,myobituary mentions that I was a charter member oftheLogCabinLiteraryCenter.That’ssomethingofwhichtobeproud.” – Jan Alden, 1999

5

“IjustcamefromagreatArtisticAdvisorsmeetingatTheCabinandmybrain’sonfire.Theyhavesomanyboldandexcitingthingsplannedtohelppromotereading,writing,anddiscourseinIdaho.Asitshouldbe.Thesefolksgetitbigtime!OurgreatmeetingleadmetothinkingabouthowmanydiscussionsI’vehadovertheyearshaveinsomewayassertedthatconversationsandeventsaboutreadingandwritingneedtobequietandstaid,likewe’restillatthelibraryandthelibrarianisshushingus.Ithinktherearesomanyselfsameassociationswithbooksthathindertheirproperplaceinourcommunities.Imean,Ialwayshatedtobeshushed,andiflibrariesarequietthat’snotbecausebooksareinherentlyquiet.BooksareloudandthrillingandangryandrecklessandmakemeswoonandcheerandlaughtillI’mcrying,makemehateandcontemplatethisworldandotherworldsand

fillmewithtremendoushope.I’vethrownbooksagainstthewall.I’veheldbooksclosewhilesleeping.Onatleastoneoccasion,Ithoughtabookwashaunted.And...sometimesbooksmakemewanttobequietandstill,too.ButeventhenIdon’tfeellikecelebratingbooksquietlyordaintily.Sodon’tletyourselfbeshushed,people!Wethinkbooksareamazingandimportantandtotallyfreakingcoolandweneedtoshoutthatoutsoeveryonecanjoininthefunorwonderwhythehellwe’remakingsomuch noise.” – Alan Heathcock,2013

STORYFORT is an annual event presented as part of the Treefort Music Festival. The Cabin partners with other word-centric organizations to propel and inspire lit-love in Boise. Storyfort brings together an eclectic group of writers, readers, historians, musicians to plumb the depths of Boise’s stories — everything from its musical heritage to fiction it has inspired to its deepest, most personal secrets.

THANK YOU 20 years of programs, 20 years of support, 20 years of success = more names than we can list here. The Cabin staff and board extend heartfelt gratitude to each and every member, ticket holder, camp parent, program participant, teaching-writer, grantor, writer, reader, donor, and Leadership Circle member that has encouraged The Cabin to thrive. We look forward to sharing another 20 years with you!

Special thanks to the City of Boise, Nagel Foundation, Idaho Commission on the Arts, Idaho Humanities Council, Idaho Community Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, Idaho Statesman, and the Idaho Women’s Charitable Foundation.

Alan Heathcock and Christian Winn at Storyfort, 2015

6

Established in 2003, READINGS & CONVERSATIONS brings internationally acclaimed thought leaders to our community. See the world through the eyes of bestselling authors, award-winning writers, and literary movers and shakers.

“Perhaps,aboveall,theCabinhasgivenourcommunityaplacewherethewrittenwordischerished,worksoftheimaginationhonoredandtheinteractionamongthosedevelopingtheirownvoicesisstimulated.”– Alan Minskoff, 1998

7

ALAN MINSKOFF Founding Chair of The Cabin and Working Writer Carmen Morawski Founding chair of The Cabin board, AlanMinskoff servedactivelyon theboard for somefive toseven years before his teaching commitments at theCollege of Idaho grew so as to prevent his continuedactively participation as board member. Nevertheless,Alan’s commitment to The Cabin continued, as hisadministrativeroleontheboardevolvedtobecomethatofanactiveworkingwriter.Assomeonewhohasalwaysidentifiedhimselfasawriterofpoetryandnon-fictionthisisn’tsurprising.Infact,youcouldsaythatwritingwas an important part of what first brought Alan outWest from his nativeNewYork in the early seventies.AlansaysthatwhenhefirstcametoIdahohewasstruckbyhowthelandscapeofthis“newterritory”wouldbeawonderfulplaceforsomeonewantingtowrite.Despitethepredictionsofthefriendshe’dleftbackEastwho told himhe’d be back in two years, it was twelveyearsbeforehereturned.AlanhasspentmostofhislifeinIdaho,andit’sbecomehishome. Alan spent most of his early writing career asa journalist working as a magazine editor. Beginningin the ‘70swhenheworkedas theeditorof theIdahoHeritage,hisfirstmagazine,AlanwentontoforBoiseMagazine,theBoiseJournal,andArtIdaho.Itwashisunique combination of interests in both writing andpreservationthatledtoTheCabinfounding.Asawriter,Alanwasamemberofawritinggroupthatusedtomeetmonthlyduringthemid-eighties,oftenintheGardenCityhomeofRuthWright.DuetohisinvolvementwiththeBoisepreservationcommunity,hewasalsointouchwith key members of the Boise arts and preservationcommunity. One evening, after a phone call with GaethaPaceoftheHeritageTrust,AlanarrivedatthemonthlywritinggroupmeetingarmedwithGaetha’snewsaboutBoiseCityplanstoexpandtheMainlibraryintothelandoccupiedby thehistoricLogCabin.Although the cityplan didn’t entail demolition of the structure,Gaethawasopposedtotheirplantomovethebuildingfromitsoriginal siteandhadstressed theneedtomobilize thecommunitytopreservethestructureinsitu.AccordingtoAlan, the idea formaking theLogCabin a literarycenter cameup that evening atRuth’shomewhile thegroupdiscussedpreservationoptions.Inpassing,Alanproposedthat“maybetheyshouldturnitintoaliterarycenter,”thusplantingtheoriginalseedforTheCabin.

Asitturnsout,manyofthepeopleinthewritinggroupthatmetinRuth’shomethateveningwerealsomembersof the Snake River Writers. Alan was the City ArtsCommissionchair at the time,and togetherwithPaulSchaeffer,whoAlan says was his “comrade in arms atthetime,”theybegantoworktowardsmakingtheideaareality.TogetherwiththeSnakeRiverWriters,theywereabletosuccessfullylobbytheBoiseCityCounciltosavethe Log Cabin. AlansaidthattheCityCouncilgavethem“averyaffordable rent” of a dollar per year on the conditiontheycommit torestoringandrenovating thebuilding,and raise the money to do it. With that, The SnakeRiverWriterssoonbecamethetitulargroupcommittedtosavingthecabin.Tohelpraisethenecessarymoney,theybegancreativefund-raisingprograms,amongthemareadingseriesthatbroughteminentwriterslikeAlanGinsbergtoBoise.Theyputtogetherafoundingboard,and John Bertram, currently of Preservation Idaho,wroteaplanforthegroupthatbecamethetemplateforhowtheCabinwasrunandhowmoneywasraised. Although Alan has been teaching at the College ofIdahoforsomefifteenyearsnow,he’smaintainedhisinvolvementwithTheCabinovertheyears–primarilyas a teacher. He’s taught for The Cabin in both theWITSprogramaswellasintheSummerWritingCampsprogram. As an adjunct professor at the College ofIdaho,hewasabletosupplementhisincomeforthreeyears by teaching one day a week forWITS.He’s alsospent ten yearsor so teaching in theSummerWritingCamps, most recently in 2014. He says the SummerCampstransformTheCabininto“avitalandvigorousplaceinthesummer.”AlancreditsKristinTucker,wholater became the director of theWashingtonSateArtsCommission, with the original idea for the SummerCamps. So perhaps it’s not surprising that Alan’s twofavorite programs areWITS and the SummerWritingCamps. He believes they reach the most people areimportant because “it gets kids started writing.” He’sevenseenhisSummerCampstudentsgoontobecomewritersinnationalmagazines. When asked what The Cabin does best, Alancameupwiththefollowinglist:1. Itbringsliteraturetothecommunityinavarietyofways.2. Itprovidesahomeforpeoplewhowanttowrite(viaworkshops).3. It helps to start young writers ( maybe mostimportantly).

8

4. Itprovideswork for localwriters (the teachingwriters). Hesaid,“That’salotforoneorganization.” Asawriter,Alanbelieves in the importanceofpublication. In fact he sees it as an important part ofwhatmakes theSummerWritingCamps so successful.By following the basic model: Writing/Reading/Publication, students come together for an intenseweekofwriting, thenread theirwork to a communityofwriters, andfinallyget to see theirworkpublished.Currently, The Cabin’s print publications areWritersintheAttic,Cambia,andthevariousWritingSummerCamppublications.AlanwouldliketoseetheseexpandedtoincludeTheCabin’soriginalvision,onethatincludeda regular literary journal. “If I had my druthers, theCabin would have a regular journal. Maybe quarterlyor bi-annual… something like the original issues” ofCABIN. As for itsmission,Alandoesn’t seeTheCabinashavingchangedmuchovertheyears.“It’salwaysbeena literary center with a focus on readings, teaching,limitedpublicationsandaplacethatprovidesahometowritersandclasses…“ Asforfutureimprovements?“Itwouldbeniceifthey’dfinishthebuilding.Ithinkitwillhappen.”ways.2.Itprovidesahomeforpeoplewhowanttowrite(viaworkshops).3. It helps to start young writers ( maybe mostimportantly).4. It provides work for local writers (the teachingwriters). Hesaid,“That’salotforoneorganization.” Asawriter,Alanbelieves in the importanceofpublication.Infactheseesitasanimportantpartofwhatmakes theSummerWritingCamps so successful.Byfollowingthebasicmodel:Writing/Reading/Publication, students come together for anintenseweekofwriting,thenreadtheirworktoacommunityofwriters,andfinallygettoseetheirworkpublished.Currently,TheCabin’sprintpublicationsareWriters in theAttic,Cambia,and thevariousWritingSummerCamppublications.Alanwould like to see these expanded to includeTheCabin’soriginalvision,onethatincludedaregularliteraryjournal.“IfIhadmydruthers,theCabinwouldhavearegularjournal.Maybequarterlyor bi-annual… something like the original issues” ofCABIN. Asforitsmission,Alandoesn’tseeTheCabinas

havingchangedmuchovertheyears.“It’salwaysbeenaliterarycenterwithafocusonreadings,teaching,limitedpublicationsandaplacethatprovidesahometowritersandclasses…“

Cabin Publications: Writers in the Attic Carmen Morawski Fromthebeginning,itwastheintentionofTheCabintopromoteandsupportlocalwritersandto showcase their writing by putting it in print. Asanyonewhowritesknows,thereisnobiggerthrillthanseeingyourwritinginprint.Althoughwritersdowriteto express themselves, they also want to be read, andpublished.ToaddressthatgoalTheCabinhasrecentlyinitiated an annual publication series called Writersin the Attic, The Cabin’s literary journal intended tocelebrate the work of Idaho poets, fiction writers andnon-fiction. Since2011,eachyearTheCabinhassentoutacalltoIdahowritersofpoetry,fictionandnon-fictiontosubmit theirworktoTheCabin’sannualcompetition.For those unfamiliar with the publication, the 2012inauguralissue,Rooms:writersintheatticisstillavailablefor purchase on Amazon.com. This densely printedslim volume features theworkof32writers exploringtheirinterpretationofthetitletheme,“Rooms,”withinthe spaceof 148pages.Since then thewriting themeshavevaried.“Detour”wasthethematicpromptforthesecondcompetition,while“Nerve”wasthethemeforathirdanthologyfeaturingtheworkoflocalpoets.Thisyear’scompetitionisopentoallwritinggenresandwillencompass Gem State writers’ interpretations of “AnAnimal.” Although today’s Writers in the Attic programisrelativelynew,therootsofthisprogramwerevisiblesince the beginning of The Cabin’s history, in AlanMinskoff’s short article called, “All the Lit that Fits.”Already,intheWinter/Spring1997editionofCABIN,Minskoffwrote“TheCABINstaffwelcomes,encouragesand desires poems, short stories, memoirs, excerptsandessays.Currently,wepublishtwiceperyear;…Weintend this publication to includewriters at all levels:work generated at ourworkshops,writers’ groups andfromthegreatercommunitywillfinditsplacehere.” Indeed, as inspiration to other writers withinthepagesof thatearlypublicationwerepoems,storiesandmemoirsbymanyIdahowriterslikeDianeJosephyPeasvey,JylHoyt,WilliamStudebakerandDianeRaptoshwhosenamesarestillfamiliar.Duetoit’s largeformatthatearlyissueevenhadroomforafivecolumnexcerptfromanovelbyMitchWieland,thefoundingeditorof

9

the IdahoReview, and aprizewinningfiction author.AccordingtoMitch,AlansolicitedhimtocontributeanexcerptofhisworkafterhearingMitchreadatoneoftheWritersandReadersRendezvousbeingheldinMcCall. In a recent conversation with Alan Minskoff,hetoldmethattheinitialvisionforCABIN,theprintnewsletter,wasforittonotonlyserveasasameansofkeepingreadersappraisedofupcomingliteraryevents,but to also serve as a community basedpublication toshowcasetheworkoflocalauthors.Inthisregarditcanbe considered as a precursor to today’sWriters in theAttic. Unfortunately, a combination of fundingand priorities resulted in scaling back Alan’s originalvision for CABIN. The need to inform The Cabin’sreadership of upcoming literary events in a formatthat lent itself to timely communications necessitateda newsletter that could be publishedmore frequently.This need was initially addressed with a small-formatquarterlynewsletter thatcouldstillaccommodate localwritingsubmissions,usuallyofpoetry.Thesequarterlynewsletters were supplemented with a thin monthlypublication called, CABINHappenings. According toJanEnglish,thesesmallernewsletterswerepublishedinhouse,with a laser printer.As internet access becamewidespread, over time the communications functionofthenewsletterwastransitionedtoTheCabinwebsiteandtheprintnewsletterwasdiscontinuedintheWinterof2007. With The Cabin’s new annual publication,WritersintheAttic,theoriginalgoaltoputlocalauthor’swriting intoprint isonceagainrealized. In fact, it’s atestament to the consistency of The Cabin’s missionovertimethatAlan’soriginalvisionforapublicationtocelebrate Idaho authors is back in placewith this newannualpublication.

Readings and Conversations Carmen Morawski

The popularity of this annual lecture series issuchthatit isoftenthefirstpointofcontactwithTheCabinfornewcomerstotheBoisearea.Assuchitservesas an importantoutreachprogram topromote greaterpublic awareness of literature by providing access torenownauthorsandthinkersthroughpublicreadingandspeakingevents.Inprovidingthisservice,theReadingsandConversationsprogramsuccessfullyfulfillsthefirstiteminthelistofTheCabin’sfoundinggoals.WithitsrootsintheoriginalSnakeRiverWritersReadingSeries,theReadingsandConversationsprogramcontinues to

bring outstanding writers and literary figures to theBoiseareaeachyear. Over the years, the list of national andinternationalwritersthatTheCabinhasbroughttoBoiseis impressive. Early writers sponsored by The CabinincludeauthorsofpopularnovelslikeSnowFallingonCedars by David Guterson in 1998, and well knownAmericanpoetslikeBillyCollinsin1999.AsearlyinitshistoryasMarch311999,TheCabinwasinstrumentalin bringing the internationally renown poet, YevgenyYevtushenkotoBoise.Sincethenthelistofauthorwhohavegivenpublicreadingsisasvariedasitistoolengthytolist,butitincludesnameslikeDavidSedaris,SandraCisneros,IraGlass,FrancesMayes,LuisAlbertoUrrea,AbrahamVerghese,andofcourseAnthonyDoerr. In an effort to expand the demographic thisprogram serves and to inspire younger readers in thesame way it does adult readers, this year The Cabinbrought Markus Zusak, the internationally acclaimedAustralianauthorof the youngadultnovel,TheBookThief, to Boise. The Cabin’s success in bringingprovocativeandinspiringwriterstoBoisecontinuestomakethisprogramoneofTheCabin’smostpopular. Tickets for the2015 –2016 season are alreadyavailable. This upcoming season promises to be evenmore exciting than last year’s as The Cabin bringsPulitzer Prizing winning author Anthony Doerr toBoiseinaspecialengagementonOctober6,2015.ThisfirstreadingwillbefollowedbyDanielJamesBrownonNovember 17, 2015, RozChast on February 4, 2016,George Saunders on March 2, 2016, and JacquelineWoodsononApril13,2016

Summer Writing Camps Carmen Morawski Did you know that this year’s Pulitzer Prizewinningauthor,AnthonyDoerr,wasalsoonceaSummerWritingCampinstructoratTheCabin? WhileReadingsandConversationsmaybeTheCabin’sbest knownprogram, it’s theSummerWritingCampprogramthatisamongthemostpopularforlongtermstaffmemberslikeJanEnglishandfoundingboardchair, Alan Minskoff. Why? Perhaps it’s because theyrecognize the important role of TheCabin’s SummerWritingCamps in transformingevenreluctantreadersandwritersintothenextgenerationofwriters. These weeklong summer workshops for kidsingrades3-12are ledbyprofessional teaching-writerswhousetheirgenreexpertiseinpoetry,drama,fiction,memoir,andjournalismtodesignchallengingcreativewriting enrichment inCamps thatmeet in June, July,

10

andAugust each year. Jan English says that she’s seen“kidswhoweretherereluctantly,andbytheendofcamp,theyloveit.Theylovewriting;theywanttocomeback.” This ringing endorsement of The Cabin’sSummer Writing Camps is in large part due to thestructure and focused intensity of theCamp sessions.It’s what makes them so effective. Through hands-onexploration,campstudentspracticethetoolstheyneedinordertowritewell.Studentsencounterchallengingprompts andwrite lots of newwork, then receive in-depth critique toward revision. At the end of camp,students share their writing at a public reading andpublisharevisedpieceinTheCabin’send-of-summerprintanthology,CampFire. TheCabin’sSummerWritingCampshelpignitealifelongloveofreadingandwriting,andgivesstudentspracticaltoolstoapplytheirlife’spassionstoawritingpracticeonthepage.TheCabinisdedicatedtobringingcreativewritingenrichmenttoallstudents.Forthosethatqualify, scholarship fundsarealsoavailabledependingonfinancialneed. Who knows? Your Summer Writing Campinstructor may well be on their way to not only becoming one of America’s next Pulitzer Prize winners, butinspiringeachoftheirstudentstoalsobecomeone.

Jan English: Office Manager and Heart of The CabinCarmen Morawski It’snoteveryliterarycenterthatcanboasthavinga Pulitzer Prize winning author among their crew ofSummer Writing Camp teachers, but it’s secrets likethesethatoftenonlyliveinthememoryoflong-timestaffmemberslikeJanEnglish,theformerofficemanageratTheCabin.According to JanEnglish,AnthonyDoerrhasnotonlybeenanimportantsupporterofTheCabinthrough his work as a board member, his generousdonations and his readings, but during the 1990s, hewasalsotheSummerWritingCampteachingwriterofsomeluckySummerWritingCampstudents. JanwasincrediblymodestaboutherimportancetoTheCabin,butasanyonewhohasworkedinanofficeknows, it’s the office manager who is key in keepingan organization together and on track. Tidbits ofinstitutionalmemory,likethefactthatAnthonyDoerrwasonceaSummerWritingCampteacherarejustoneofthethingsthatcomewiththissortofthebehind-the-scenesjob. Jan moved to Boise in 2001 from the townof Kenwood, near Santa Rosa, California when thecompany she worked for at the time moved their

headquarterstoPennsylvania.WhilestillnewtoBoise,shewasscanningtheIdahoStatesmanjobadsoneday,whenshefoundacallforvolunteerstohelpTheCabinoutwithitsSummerWritingCampthatyear.BothJanandherhusbanddecidedtoanswerthecall,andsignedupasvolunteers.Jansaysshewassooncaughtupwithher assignedCampduties and got startedworking forPaul Shaeffer, The Cabin’s Executive Director at thetime.ThatinitialvolunteerexperiencewithTheCabinconvincedJanofitsvalueasacommunityliterarycenter.Both Jan and her husband, Bill English became newmemberssoonafterwards. Months later, in November of 2001, Jan wasstill in search for a job and found another Statesmanclassified ad for The Cabin, this time for a full-timestaffposition.Sheapplied,andwashiredasTheCabin’snew office manager. When I asked Jan what her jobat The Cabin entailed, she said she was in charge ofkeepingTheCabinrunning.Herearlyresponsibilitiesin the position ranged from things like taking care ofmemberships, paying bills and ordering things, tohelpingwithSummerWritingCamps.Over time, thisJill-of-all-trades,positionevolvedsothatsheeventuallywas in charge of most of the financial work. She wasalso in charge of taking the orders for Readings andConversations,andassigningeventseating.Duetothepopularityoftheprogram,shegottoknowthepreferredseatingofmostlong-timeseasonticketholders. AlthoughJanisanavidreader,shewon’tcommitto naming her favorite book – she says it’s always thelast one she’s read.But she’smuch less reticent aboutnamingherfavoriteprogramatTheCabin.It’sWITS.“I really thinkWITS is a fabulous program… It doesso much good.” She’s also a big fan of the SummerWritingCamps, “thewritings that these kids comeupwithisjustunbelievable.”AlthoughsheenjoyedgettingtomeettheauthorsthatcameintotownforReadersandConversations, she found theWITS and the SummerWritingCampsmuchmoregratifying.“SummerCampis integrating the outdoors, hiking around, and goingdowntown…allthesedifferentexperiences…it’sreallyhelped kids to write and to put down their thoughtson paper.” She also emphasized how important it wasin fulfilling The Cabin’s mission “to make sure wesupportedwriters, andonewaywas tomake sure theyget decent pay.” BothWITS and the SummerWritingCampsmakethatpossible. Jan’s decision to leave her position with TheCabincoincidedwiththatofhercoworkerLarryTierney,withwhomshesharedanoffice.WhenLarry,whohad

11

FOUNDING BOARD JanAldenKentAndersonRickArdingerHelenCoppleWilliamsonChuckGuilfordBevHaradJylHoytStevenMayfieldMikeMedberryAlanMinskoffDianeJosephyPeaveyRitaRodriguezDianeRonayneJudithRootGinoSkyJudithSteeleRuthWrightDriekZirinskyAmyStahlPaulShafferKrisTucker

BOARD PRESIDENTSAlanMinskoffJanAldenKathyBarrettVinceHannityScottGipsonKarenBakerMichaelSpinkJackHartyRussStoddardPatriciaJohnsonByronJohnsonMarshaSmithScottGillKarlaBodnarAlexDavisKarenBaerlocher

801 S. Capitol Blvd. Boise, ID 83702(208) 331-8000

info@thecabinidaho.org www.thecabinidaho.org

The Cabin is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization. Federal Tax Identification Number: 82-0488067

INVEST IN THE CABIN’S FUTURE Donateto20-for-20!$20,000for20yearsofreading,writinganddiscourse.EverydollardonatedwillbeMATCHEDsoyourdollarscangoevenfurtherinservingyourcommunity’scenterforreadersandwriters! Kickusoff toward another20 yearsofWriters in theSchools,Readings&Conversations,WritingCamps,Storyfort,WritersintheAttic,workshopsforadults,scholarshipprogramsforyoungwritersandcountlessfreeprograms.

NAME(S)_______________________________________________________________________________________

Email: ______________________________________________________ Phone: ____________________________

Address: _________________________________________ City:________________State: ____ Zip:__________

o Yes, I would like to donate! o $____________ o Other $____________ oYes, I would like to become a Cabin member! o Household membership - $75 o Individual membership - $35 LEADERSHIP CIRCLE o $5,000 o $2,500 o $1,200oPlease contact me about opportunities to make a charitable bequest

PAYMENT OPTIONSo Credit Card o Check (payable to The Cabin)

Card #:__________________________________________

Exp: ____________________ Security code: ___________

beenTheCabin’sgrantwritersinceabout2007decidedtomovetoNewOrleans,tofollowhisloveofjazzinApriloflastyear,Jandecided shewas also ready to retire,saying that she didn’t want to hold TheCabin back. She believes recent staff changesatTheCabinhavebroughtmanypositivechanges.Amongtherecentimprovementsshe listed were: the updated website,revamping the drop-in workshops, and

theefforttobroadenthetargetagegroupfor Readings and Conversations withauthorslikeMarkusZusak. After working at The Cabin forthirteenyears,Jancarrieswithhermuchirreplaceable institutional memory. Infact, inmany ways she was the heart ofThe Cabin. Her last day as The Cabinoffice manager was April 28, 2014. Wewish her the best in her retirement.

11