April 2009 Archives
Poet Craig Arnold, author of Shells and Made Flesh, a professor of Creative Writing and English at the University of Wyoming, has gone missing on the Japanese island of Kuchino-erabu. A search is underway, but may be ending soon.
Please read the following and write your congress-persons as well as the Japanese Consul in your city or area and urge them to continue the search until Craig is found.
For those interested here is a dedicated blog:
http://findcraigarnold.blogspot.com/
And here is a Facebook group for information:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=74254019683
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The poet Craig Arnold is currently in Japan with the U.S.-Japan Friendship Commission's U.S.-Japan Creative Artists Exchange Fellowship and has been missing since April 26th (evening Monday April 27th Japanese time).
He is the author of two volumes of poetry: Shells, chosen by W.S. Merwin for the Yale Series of Young Poets in 1999, and of Made Flesh (Ausable, 2008). His poetry has been anthologized in several volumes of the Best American Poetry Series, and his poems, articles, and translations from the Spanish have appeared in such publications as The New Republic, Paris Review, Poetry Magazine, Yale Review, and many more. He is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including a Fulbright Fellowship, the Joseph Brodsky Rome Prize from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the Alfred Hodder Fellowship in Humanities from Princeton University, an Amy Lowell Poetry Traveling Scholarship, and a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. Dr. Arnold did his B.A. at Yale University and received his Ph.D. from the University of Utah. He is presently an Assistant Professor at the University of Wyoming.
THE DETAILS:
Monday April 27th (Japanese time) he arrived with the 2:50 pm municipal ferry from Yakusima on the island of Kuchino-erabu and checked in to the local "Watanabe" inn, the only one on the island. He was with 2 Japanese tourists who had reservations. He did not have one. (They must have helped him check in.) He had traveled to the island to visit the volcano, as he has been working on a book on the subject of volcanoes for some time.
His plan was to stay only one night and leave the next day. (Craig has visited many volcanoes around the world in recent years as is very experienced with visiting them.)
He immediately left his 3 bags at the inn and departed around 3 pm on foot to the next village, taking only his walking sticks. He was wearing black or dark colors: long pants, a dark hat, a nylon jacket. His Japanese iPhone was on his person but has not been reachable due to inconsistent reception on the island. The exclusive provider of IPhone service, Softbank, has been contacted by the police in an attempt to utilize the built-in GPS capabilities of the phone.
At the village, someone with a car drove him to the entrance to the path leading up the mountain to the volcano. There are 4 paths to the volcano which are obvious and in good condition. He was taken to the entrance of a path next to a dam where evidence collected by the police suggests he ascended. His footprints have been found. The police have not found evidence of a return trip along that path. The area is densely forested until reaching the summit area, caldera, of the volcano where there is little vegetation.
The police stated that the path to that area is clear but that finding the path on the descent could pose problems so it is likely that he may not have found his way back to the path he entered by.
When Craig did not return to the inn by 8 pm, the inn staff searched for him by car, driving to the village. Unsuccessful, they returned to the inn and called the local fire brigade at 9 pm who responded immediately and searched until midnight.
Day 2 (Tues, April 28 JT) 5 police officers (under the direction of Mr. Kazuhara) arrived from Yakusima that morning with new assets: cars, search dogs, police persons, a helicopter. 40 total persons now working on this: 30 local fire reserve persons and 10 police persons and officials. They searched the trail he took but did not complete an exhaustive search of all 4 trails. One individual climbed all the way to the top. The area was circled several times by the helicopter and they also flew around the coastline. I contacted them directly at the end of the 2nd search day: 6:30pm. (5:30 am this morning, Wed April 29th U.S. time). They were debriefing and planning for day 3, with a plan to concentrate on the possible alternative paths down from the volcano that he may have taken by mistake and the surrounding area.
Day 3, the official required last day of the search, begins tonight. They are only required by law to search for 3 days. Extension procedures must be arranged with Mr. Kawahigashi and may require payment. Other than the helicopter, no higher level assets have been deployed at this time. Since the focus is on a "boots-on-the-ground" search and rescue (the forest makes visibility from the air limited) more people should be deployed immediately to assist.
ENVIRONMENTAL BACKGROUND:
Kuchino-erabusima (various transliterations possible shima, jima):
Volcanic island 14.5 square km. Spring weather conditions, temp drops at night but not to freezing. Has not rained since Craig went missing. Fresh water available.
Reachable by municipal ferry from Yakushima
Police based in Yakushima
Hospital on Yakushima
Airport on Yakushima connects to Kagoshima, major city.
Map:
http://homepage2.nifty.com/erabu/sight.htm
PEOPLE IMMEDIATELY INVOLVED:
The following people only speak Japanese:
The search and rescue operation is being led by
Town Officer: Mr. Kawahigashi
office tel: 81-(0)997-49-2100
(last spoke with him 7:05 am NYC time) They were preparing to debrief from
Day 2 of the search and prepare their plan for Day 3.
Day 3 begins tonight, Wednesday April 29. (= morning Thurs, April 30 Japanese time)
The Yakusima police officer on the case: Officer Kuzuhara: 81-(0)997-462110
he is on the neighboring island Yakusima, not the island where Craig is lost.
THEY ARE ONLY REQUIRED BY LAW TO SEARCH FOR 3 DAYS. THERE IS A NATIONAL HOLIDAY HAPPENING RIGHT NOW. WE MUST APPLY ALL AVAILABLE PRESSURE TO MAKE THEM CONTINUE THE SEARCH AND TO CONVINCE THE U.S. CONSULATE TO ACTIVATE THE AVAILABLE AMERICAN ASSETS (OKINAWA) TO ASSIST WITH THE SEARCH AND RESCUE OPERATION ON THE GROUND.
The process is currently stalled at the Fukuoka Consulate level with
Mark Baron working under Margot Carrington
(Fukuoka Consulate office tel: 81-92-751-9331)
The Tokyo Embassy # is 81-(0)3-3224-5000 and the interim Charge d'Affairs is James P. Zumwalt
Local U.S.-Japan Friendship Commission Contact TOKYO:
Christopher Blasdel
blasdel@i-house.or.jp
81-3-3470-3211
Executive Director of U.S.-Japan Friendship Commission:
From: Eric Gangloff
Dr. Eric J. Gangloff
Executive Director
Japan-US Friendship Commission
1201 15th Street NW, Suite 330
Washington, DC 20005
(202) 653-9800
(202) 653-9802 fax
www.jusfc.gov
LOCAL AMERICAN ASSETS:
http://www.okinawa.usmc.mil/DoD%20on%20Okinawa/DoD%20on%20Okinawa%20Page.html
Kadena Air Force Base, Okinawa under the command of Pacific Air Force (PACAF)
http://www.kadena.af.mil/
NAVY: Commander Fleet Activities Okinawa:
https://www.cnic.navy.mil/Okinawa/index.htm
Naval hospital: http://www.med.navy.mil/sites/nhoki/Pages/default.aspx
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More information:
http://www.uwyo.edu/news/showrelease.asp?id=30881
http://wyominghumanitiescouncil.org/blog/
http://wyomingarts.blogspot.com/2009/04/uws-craig-arnold-missing-in-japan.html
http://slate.com/blogs/blogs/xxfactor/archive/2009/04/30/craig-arnold-missing.aspx
Copper Nickel recommends the Slash Pine Poetry Festival for our pals down south.
Organized by Joseph P. Wood (CN11), the festival includes several Copper Nickel contributors (and probably some future contributors too):
- Robin Behn
- Sarah Blackman
- Joel Brouwer
- Ryan J. Browne
- Alex Chambers
- Bruce Covey
- Molly Dowd
- Tim Earley
- Daniel Ereditario
- Kwoya Fagin
- Pia Simone Garber
- Shrode Hargis
- Matt Hart
- Brent Hendrick
- Matt Henricksen
- MC Hyland
- Bellee Jones
- Friedrich Kerksieck
- Jessica Fordham Kidd
- Caroline Klocksiem
- Jan LaPerle
- Hank Lazer
- Clay Matthews (CN8)
- Ashley McWaters
- Brian Morrison
- Daniela Olszewska
- Nathan Parker
- Kirk Pinho
- Nate Pritts (CN6)
- John Pursley III (CN4)
- Lee Ann Roripaugh (CN10)
- Curtis Rutherford
- Abraham Smith
- Peter Streckfus
- Ray Wachter
- Shanti Weiland
- Renee Wells
- Patti White
- Emily Wittman
- Joseph P. Wood (CN11)
Only 8 more subscriptions and Copper Nickel will have made its April goal of 30 subscriptions in 30 days and then will get quiet again for a while while you read your newest favorite journal. Just a few more, y'all: help us out...
The (occasionally amazing, occasionally annoying) 30-subscriptions-in-30-days-long-hyphenated-adverbial-adjective subscription drive continues.
Thanks to 15 of you, we're more than halfway there, and under NPR fundraising-drive rules we can stop the madness early if we can get fifteen more of you to part with a wallet-sized photograph of Andrew Jackson backed with a fine elevation of the White House.
It's easy with Paypal at http://www.copper-nickel.org/buy.html.
If you're already a subscriber, tell a friend, and you'll get an extension of your current subscription (be sure to have your friend tip us off).
Why be a subscriber? You're the kind of person who doesn't always like things the way they're "supposed to be." You like things a little mixed up --- a little chocolate in your peanut butter, a little cayenne pepper in your coffee --- which is why you read literary journals and support an alternative economy. You're interested in a real "value-added product," so you ask us to take 100 sheets of 65# paper and apply some ink to reveal good writing you just won't find anywhere else.
And don't forget, we've got t-shirts now. They're American Apparel, snug-fitting T's that show off your semicolons...
Our very own Teague von Bohlen, senior editor, will be participating in the first installment of Literary Death Match Denver, sponsored by Opium magazine, on Saturday April 11th at 7pm at the Mercury Cafe in downtown Denver.
Join us, with some of our colleagues from Colorado Review, Denver Quartery, Upstreet, and Wazee, for a panel discussion on literary editing and publishing this Saturday, April 11th, at 10am, at Tattered Cover LoDo. This discussion, entitled "Fine Print," is presented, as always, by our friends at Lighthouse Writers Workshops. We hope to see you there.
You've asked us, "Where can we get one of those hot green buffalo nickel t-shirts you're all wearing? You know the ones with the copper-colored buffalo nickel design on the front, all off-center cool?"
The answer, at last, is right here in our storefront or whatever you want to call it.
These are extremely comfortable shirts, all American Apparel, olive green, with the buffalo-nickel image inked in metal-flecked copper that is slightly reminiscent of 1970s t-shirt design but oh-so-2009.
These shirts were put together by our friends at Vital Industries who are always hard at work on the next cool thing you need to have.
They're available in men's Medium, Large, and Extra-Large. As usual, the American Apparel shirts run a little slim, but the extra-large accommodates a senior editor's 200-pound frame nicely, so everyone should find something to fit.
And, as usual, if you use Paypal, it should be easy, but if it doesn't work out, just drop us a line.
The 30-Subscriptions-in-30-Days readership drive proceeds apace—indeed, ahead of pace. We've received 11 orders (from 11 wonderful people!) this month, and under NPR rules, we only need to find 19 more new subscribers until we cool it and let people read something other than these e-mails and web postings.
So, thanks to all of you who've already buoyed us, and thanks to those who are getting read to...
Poet Mark Yakich will visit the University of Colorado Denver on Thursday, April 16th, under the auspices of the University of Colorado President's Fund for the Humanities.
Yakich, author of Unrelated Individuals Forming A Group Waiting to Cross and The Importance of Peeling Potatoes in Ukraine and contributor to Copper Nickel 11, will read from his work at 7pm that evening in North Classroom 1130. This event is free and open to the public.
We're continuing our 30-subscriptions-in-30-days reader recruitment drive to mark National Poetry Month. We've got three SIX new subscriptions, and we need 27 24 more to make the goal.
If you haven't subscribed yet, it's easy, affordable, and rewarding. Just browse over to http://www.copper-nickel.org/buy.html where you'll see that you can get a year of Copper Nickel for only $20, which includes postage, over 33% off the newsstand price.
And if you're already a subscriber and you refer a new reader to our rolls, we'll extend your subscription by one issue!
Help us make the goal!
We've had such a successful Spring, from our Bookfair efforts at the Chicago AWP Conference to our Issue 11 release, we'd like to keep it going, and during National Poetry Month, we'll be hosting a subscription drive — 30 subscriptions in 30 days.
If you're a regular reader or visitor to this website, you'll know that we're working hard to make our print issues self-sustaining, and we've made significant progress toward that goal over the last several months, but we still have a way to go. With the summer ahead, we're hoping to rest a little during the non-air-conditioned Denver summer, and we can do that with your help.
Just navigate over to our storefront — http://www.copper-nickel.org/buy.html and check out our subscription specials. It's only $20 for a year, which brings two quality issues right to you, wherever you are.
If you're already a subscriber, tell a friend or colleague about our drive and help us get a firmer footing.
Copper Nickel will host poet Mark Yakich on Thursday, April 16th, at 7pm in North Classroom 1130 on the Auraria Higher Education Campus in downtown Denver. This event is free and open to the public.
Yakich is the author of Unrelated Individuals Forming Groups Waiting to Cross (a National Poetry Series winner), The Making of Collateral Beauty, and The Importance of Peeling Potatoes in Ukraine.
This event is funded through a University of Colorado President's Fund for the Humanities Grant.
Yakich will read at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs campus on Friday, April 17th. More details to follow.
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