JL KATO'S POETRY NOTEBOOK: A collection of news and items about poetry and other literary events.

BEST BOOKS OF INDIANA: Finalists in four categories (including poetry) were to have been notified by Friday, July 18. As of the end of the day, no public announcement had been made, and my messages to the Indiana Center for the Book went unanswered. You can check this link for updates: http://www.in.gov/library/2315.htm. In the meantime, if you were one of the finalists, or if you know someone who is, reply to this post and let me know what's going on. (added July 18)

KAY RYAN is the new U.S. poet laureate. In college, her application to a poetry club was rejected: http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/07/17/arts/17poet.php (added July 18)

NEW ANTHOLOGY: The Indiana Historical Society Press will publish And Know This Place: Poetry of Indiana, edited by Jenny Kander and Charles Greer. "The book will, most likely, come out in the spring of 2009, or soon thereafter," according to Kander in an e-mail message. (added July 17)

LES CRANE DIES: Tucked away recently on the obituary pages of The Indianapolis Star is a brief article about maverick TV host Les Crane, whom it was noted recorded the inspirational poem "Desiderata" in 1971.("You are a child of the universe …") What The Star and other newspaper articles failed to mention was that the poem was written by Max Ehrmann in 1927, a lawyer from Terre Haute. At the time, the poem's origin was lost in the folk belief that it was "found" in an old church in Baltimore : http://www.fleurdelis.com/desidera.htm. As a final note, here is an interesting comment in Crane's obit in The New York Times: "In 1971, his recording of the inspirational poem 'Desiderata' became a cultish hit and even won a Grammy for best spoken-word recording. A cross between flower-child naïveté and New Age dreaminess, it hit a chord at the time, but by 1987, Mr. Crane had changed his tune. 'I can't listen to it now without gagging,' he told The Los Angeles Times." (added July 16)

ROBERT OLEN BUTLER : The Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist (A Good Scent From a Strange Mountain) will be the keynote speaker at the Oct. 18 annual Gathering of Writers and Readers, sponsored by the Writers' Center of Indiana . This year's theme is "From Where You Dream." Other planned activities: workshops taught by local published poets and writers' an opportunity to participate in a Master Class taught by Robert Olen Butler' an open mic' a chance to pitch your manuscript to an agent. Writers' Center members will receive complete information in the fall newsletter which will be mailed in August. (added July 15)