The reviews keep coming in!

Issue #20.05 :: 08/27/2008 - 09/02/2008
“Party Favors: A Novel of Politics and Greed”
Nicole Sexton with Susan Johnston
BY J. EDWARD SUMERAU

“Party Favors: A Novel of Politics and Greed” Nicole Sexton with Susan Johnston

AUGUSTA, GA - In the midst of a widely watched political campaign, which may very well dominate conversation throughout the fall, Nicole Sexton and Susan Johnston offers a brilliant novel explicating the savage nature of the political world.

A former fundraiser and served as the National Director of Finance for the National Republican Senatorial Committee from 2002–2005, Nicole Sexton has a marvelous collection of informative experience in the murky world of big time politics. Currently working for the ONE Campaign in the fight against aids, Sexton offers her talent and dry wit in a remarkable debut. Helped along the way by acclaimed entertainment writer and playwright Susan Johnston, Sexton’s “Party Favors” collects a witty narrative with a collection of inside information proclaimed throughout the fascinating story of a life in search of a calling.

Circling around the experiences of main character Temple Sachet, “Party Favors” is a wonderfully entertaining read composed with a fast pace, a slick dry wit, and a curious exposition of the brutality of the political world. A master party planner from her earliest days, Temple Sachet creates a career in the powerful world of politics with her ability to raise money, organize people, and shine for the right moments at the best of dinner parties until she finds herself trapped in a bubble with the President of the United States. Faced with a man she can’t support and a system she can no longer reconcile, Temple forages into her life story in search of meaning.

Buoyed by a quirky mother, a rock-star dating sister, a group of friends fit for the best of after parties, and the love of a good pet, Temple fights her way to the top of every mountain in search of success. Though the road is often filled with obstacles including betrayals and unforeseen renovations in the middle of the nowhere, Temple rises to every challenge with spunk and heart, and along the way she learns a lot about the world, the political system, and the realities of life.

Built upon a framework of experience, “Party Favors” is a fast-paced force of hilarity combined with an intelligent narrative and a main character worthy of adoration. Traveling between the fast-paced world of Washington D.C., the sultry sounds of New Orleans (pre- and post-Katrina) and the beauty of Italy, the adventures of Temple combine the best efforts of storytelling in a cathedral of entertainment perfect for the political season upon us.

Sexton, Nicole with Susan Johnston. “Party Favors: A Novel of Politics and Greed.” Guilford, Connecticut: The Lyons Press (An Imprint of Globe Pequot Press). 2008. 242pp. $24.95 Cloth. ISBN: 9781599214597.

Party Favors becomes today's Punch Pick

Punch Pick: Party Favors by Nicole Sexton

Awhile back I had mentioned the new novel by former GOP fundraiser/turned international activist, Nicole Sexton, called Party Favors: A Novel of Politics and Greed. At the time, Ms. Sexton was in town promoting her book. Fortunately, I got to read it and unfortunately, it ended. Don’t you hate it when a good story comes to its close?

Party Favors is for sure a “Punch Pick”, especially with the conventions and race heating up.
Yes, it’s a juicy tell-all, but in the way of fiction of course. It’s a tale of a young up and coming party planner in New Orleans named Temple Sachet, who takes her sharp mind, quick wit, smarts and people skills all the way to the Hill to make millions for her Party, the Republicans. With graceful humor and candor, Ms. Sexton presents her readers every emotion she probably felt when she lived that life. But don’t think this is all about the professional life Temple lives. The book offers us a well-rounded view of work, romance, personal and family life when succumbing to a world that the heroine did not quite expect.

Party Favors is found in most bookstores now and definitely online. Enjoy and share this Punch Pick.

http://www.pamelaspunch.com/punch-pick-party-favors-by-nicole-sexton/

a note from jim knable

Playwright Rocker Jim Knable sends us this link to his new video - Congrats Jim!

Dear Fandits,

We have been in hibernation putting the finishing touches on our new album... called...GOLDEN ARROW

Here's the lead track from it, recorded live at Ars Nova in June.

Just click and enjoy!

Modern Man

yours in banditry,
The Randy Bandits

director job

* Director
Cal Performances (California)
(date posted: 8/21/2008)
http://chronicle.com/jobs/id.php?id=0000570407-01&pg=e

call for proposals

International Conference "Performing Arts Training Today"
October 24-27, 2008
Bovec, Slovenia - in the heart of Julian Alps

The conference is open to professional performers, performing arts educators and teachers from all over the world interested in the research of topical questions and processes in contemporary performing arts education and training.

At the moment the Conference is accepting presentation proposals.

PRESENTATION FORMATS:
• workshop/master class
• work in progress
• performance fragment (not requiring any special technical conditions)
• reading/lecture
• any other way of demonstration to the presenter's discretion

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES & REGISTRATION:http://www.iugte.com/projects/conf.reg.php

ACCOMODATION & VENUE (Bovec mountain resort): http://www.iugte.com/projects/Bovec.venue.php

CONFERENCE INFO: http://www.iugte.com/projects/Conference.php

You are also welcome take part in the conference as a Participant and Observer!

If you are unable to attend the conference there is opportunity to send your promotional materials: booklets or flyers about your company, announcements of workshops, courses, performances and other events. All materials will be displayed at the main information stand and will be available to the delegates during the entire period of the conference.

arts writers grant

Creative Capital/Warhol Foundation Arts Writers Grant Program to Fund Work on Contemporary Visual Art
Deadline: September 22, 2008

The Creative Capital/Warhol Foundation Arts Writers Grant is an initiative of the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts ( http://www.warholfoundation.org ) as part of its broader Arts Writing Initiative ( http://artswriters.org/initiative.php ) and is administered by Creative Capital ( http://creativecapital.org ).

Dedicated to supporting a wide range of writing on contemporary visual art -- from general-audience to scholarly -- the program awards project-based grants to individual authors. In its 2008 cycle, the program will fund approximately 20 projects, in amounts ranging from $3,000 to $50,000 each, in the following categories: books; articles; short-form writing; and blogs/new and alternative media.

To be eligible, an arts writer must be: an individual; an art historian, artist, critic, curator, journalist, or practitioner in an outside field who is strongly engaged with the contem- porary visual arts; a U.S. citizen, permanent resident of the United States, or possessor of an O-1 visa; at least 25 years old; and a published author (specific publication requirements vary depending on grant category).

Please note: Writers wishing to apply for book projects must first submit a Letter of Inquiry. The 2008 deadline for the Book LOI has already passed. Applicants who advanced to panel in previous years are eligible to apply without submitting an LOI. The program is no longer accepting applications for article series, only for individual articles.

Visit the program's Web site for complete program guidelines and application procedures. RFP Link: http://fconline.foundationcenter.org/pnd/15014738/artswriters

For additional RFPs in Arts and Culture, visit: http://foundationcenter.org/pnd/rfp/cat_arts.jhtml

Screening: HAMLET 2

NYU TISCH WEST CINEMA CLUB PRESENTS
HAMLET 2 with special guest Director Andy Fleming (BFA, Film & TV, '85)

Starring Steve Coogan (Night at the Museum), Catherine Keener (The 40-Year-Old Virgin), David Arquette (the Scream movies), Amy Poehler (Saturday Night Live), and Academy Award nominee Elisabeth Shue. (110 min) The film is rated R for language including sexual references, brief nudity and some drug content. For more details, see http://www.filminfocus.com/hamlet2

August 16th
2:00 PM

AFI Mark Goodson Screening Room
2021 N. Western Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90027

$10 ticket includes screening, Q & A and reception

"The hit, the very palpable hit" of the 2008 Sundance Film Festival, HAMLET 2 is an irreverent comedy centering on one teacher's overzealous quest to mount a high school musical. The film is directed by Andrew Fleming from an original screenplay he wrote with Pam Brady (South Park: Bigger Longer & Uncut, Team America: World Police).

Mr. Coogan portrays Dana Marschz; the last name is pronounced... oh, any attempt is close enough, really. Dana is a failed actor-turned-high school drama teacher. Shortchanged in the talent department, Dana still harbors ambitions and passions. At work, that is; his personal life, with his dissatisfied wife Brie (Ms. Keener) and their boarder Gary (Mr. Arquette), leaves much to be desired.

At Tucson, AZ's West Mesa High School, Dana sees himself as an inspirational teacher. But his adaptations of popular films, as performed by his top students Rand and Epiphany (Skylar Astin and Phoebe Strole, both stars of Broadway's Spring Awakening), are not resonating. When his latest - re-creating Erin Brockovich - is dismissed by the 9th grade drama critic and his department is targeted for closure, Dana must reach deep into himself for creativity.

After much perspiration, he conceives a sequel to Shakespeare's Hamlet - a musical-theater extravaganza that will disdain both political correctness and dramatic credibility. Rallying and rousing his class, Dana casts a wider net by recruiting transfer students like Ivonne (Melonie Diaz of Be Kind Rewind) for key roles. With rehearsals underway, objections from school officials and the community are soon raised, but Dana will not be denied his freedom of artistic expression. After all, "to thine own self be true." Dana gets unexpected support from ACLU attorney Cricket Feldstein (Ms. Poehler) and his favorite actress, Elisabeth Shue. Above all else, he fervently believes that his opus must be staged, and nothing can break his optimistic spirit.

HAMLET 2 opens nationwide Friday, August 22nd.

Andy Fleming '85 (BFA, Film & TV) (born March 14, 1963) is the director and co-writer of Dick, The Craft and the film Threesome, which he wrote, as well as the recently-released Nancy Drew.

RSVP: tischwest.cinemaclub@gmail.com for priority entrance and seating.

PLEASE ARRIVE EARLY. Seating is on a first-come, first-serve basis. THIS INVITATION DOES NOT GUARANTEE YOU A SEAT. THEATRE IS OVERBOOKED TO ENSURE A FULL HOUSE. THEATRE IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR OVERBOOKING. NO ADMITTANCE ONCE SCREENING HAS BEGUN.

NO RECORDING. This screening will be monitored for unauthorized recording. By attending, you agree not to bring any recording device into the theatre. Unauthorized recording will be reported to law enforcement and may subject you to criminal and civil liability.

Mediabistro hit for Party Favors

Check out our hit on Mediabistro Galley Cat today.

http://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat/party_hopping/former_gop_fundraiser_decides_to_tell_not_quite_all_91458.asp?c=rss

Former GOP Fundraiser Decides to Tell (Not Quite) All
Wednesday, Aug 13

One of the first things I asked Nicole Sexton just before the party celebrating the publication of her debut novel, Party Favors, was why the former Republican fundraiser had decided to transform her experiences into fiction rather than writing a memoir. "It was important for me to hold true to the integrity of the work that I did and to not expose people's personal secrets," she told me, "and I felt that the only way to do that was to tell a story based on the reality of what that world is like without divulging the characters who were actually in those situations or their reactions. The other thing is that I spent fifteen years in fundraising. That's a lot of people; it would've been A Man in Full," she said, holding her thumb and index finger as far apart as she could stretch them. "If we wanted to keep it down to a light beach read, which is what I was focused on at the time, I had to compile a lot of my characters together."

(On that front, Sexton has succeeded; her novel—cowritten with playwright Susan Johnston—reads like a Southern woman's coming-of-age novel with elements of big city chick lit mixed in.)
So then I wondered what prompted her to abandon GOP fundraising and want to tell her story?

"The 2004 elections left me a little cold," she recalled; at the time, she was the finance director for the National Republican Senatorial Committee. "We were on the heels of great victory... and I felt very alienated from that success, very distant from my colleagues. As I became more successful and began fundraising for larger groups of people, I became more anonymous in the process, and I didn't like that." The Bush administration's lackluster response to Hurricane Katrina brought the Louisiana native to a moment of clarity: "The reaction to that, and my disillusionment with the amount of money I was pouring into these candidates' races when there were people who were suffering so horribly was really the straw that broke the camel's back." These days, she's working with The One Campaign, combatting poverty worldwide.

As Sexton prepared to sign several stacks of books, I joked about how, after raising all that money for Republicans, she was having a book party at Michael's, the watering hole for the liberal media elite. She countered that the situations she described taking place in the fundraising community were bipartisan in scope. "This is a book for Republicans, it's a book for Democrats, it's a book for libertarians," she smiled. "For me, this book plays as well in New York as it does in California as it does in Washington as it does in Indiana."

Posted by Ron 08:00 AM Party Hopping

Misi Lopez Lecube Invites You to Submit Your Work

Satsang Lounge is landing at Theatre Theater in Los Angeles September 23, October 21, November (tba) & December 16, 2008.

Friends and marvelous artists- Join me!

*Satsang Lounge is an on-going new works performance series where a diverse group of talented Los Angeles based artists are invited to exhibit, explore and workshop new works in the company of other artists in a cabaret style performance setting.

The inspiration for Satsang Lounge came when I was looking for an “open door artist collective” where I could workshop the new material I was developing for my solo show. So I looked for an empty theater and invited other writers, artists, actors, musicians, dancers, poets, painters, filmmakers, magicians, storytellers, DJ'S and whomever else could fit their work in the venue, to play, present, and explore their newest works in front one another and an audience. From 1998-2003 I produced and hosted many successful *Satsang Lounge performance series in New York City at the historic West Beth Theater. Now I am in Los Angeles and I am putting the word OUT.

ATTENTION: actors, performers, musicians, film makers, dancers, writers (fiction, non fiction, poets, etc.) storytellers of all kinds- YOU - who’ve been developing new material and feel NOW is the time to try it out.

Here’s your opportunity! No age limit! Let’s go!

WHERE: Theatre Theater (5401 Pico off La Brea) will host our SATSANG evenings- it’s a fantastic theater venue that friends Jeff Murray & Nicolette Chaffrey own and have recently renovated with new sound and lighting! www.theatretheater.net

Performance: There will be 7 to 8 ‘acts’ per Lounge evening. Each act will have 12 - 25 minutes- depending on the genre. There will be one intermission. *Libations and snacks will be available for purchase before, during and after the show.

Promotions: I will list the *Satsang Lounge in local publications, there will also be a press release emailed three weeks in advance, and you will receive postcard invites to hand out- with your names listed on them, and by all means you can list us in your websites, blogs, etc.

If you are interested in participating in Satsang Lounge LA- you may contact me via email- shantibell@earthlink.net.

Submissions can also be sent to me- 2409 Hidalgo Ave LA. CA 90039.

Please pass this fantastic performance opportunity on to your friends!

*Satsang (Sanskrit sat = true, sanga = company): describes in Indian philosophy (1) the company of the "highest truth," and (2) company of persons who listen to, talk about, and assimilate the truth. This typically involves listening to or reading scriptures, reflecting on, discussing and assimilating their meaning, meditating on the source of these words, and bringing their meaning into one’s daily life.

~I have taken this term and extended it to a company of artists- where discussing, sharing, witnessing, creating, and being in the company of other artists will inspire more creativity, feed our artistic spirits, and contribute to the realization of our life’s work.

With love. Misi Lopez Lecube

teaching the arts

* Assistant Professor of Dance
Mills College (California) (date posted: 8/11/2008)
http://chronicle.com/jobs/id.php?id=0000568603-01&pg=e

* Open Rank
Stanford University (California) (date posted: 8/8/2008)
http://chronicle.com/jobs/id.php?id=0000569106-01&pg=e

* Theatre Arts
Andrew College (Georgia) (date posted: 8/11/2008)
http://chronicle.com/jobs/id.php?id=0000568227-01&pg=e

* Faculty, Dance Department
Columbia College Chicago (Illinois) (date posted: 8/11/2008)
http://chronicle.com/jobs/id.php?id=0000568577-01&pg=e

* Chair, Theater Department
Columbia College Chicago (Illinois)
(date posted: 8/11/2008)
http://chronicle.com/jobs/id.php?id=0000568571-01&pg=e

* Department Head, Visual and Performing Arts
Purdue University (Indiana) (date posted: 8/11/2008)
http://chronicle.com/jobs/id.php?id=0000568408-01&pg=e

* Multiple, Full-time, 12-month Positions
Community College of Baltimore County (Maryland) (date posted: 8/8/2008)
http://chronicle.com/jobs/id.php?id=0000568677-01&pg=e

* Lecturer of Liberal Studies/World Dance
University of North Carolina at Charlotte (North Carolina) (date posted: 8/7/2008)
http://chronicle.com/jobs/id.php?id=0000569014-01&pg=e

* Ballet Technique and Choreography - Assistant Professor
University of North Carolina at Charlotte (North Carolina) (date posted: 8/7/2008)
http://chronicle.com/jobs/id.php?id=0000569009-01&pg=e

grants for performing arts

Doris Duke Charitable Foundation Accepting Letters of Inquiry for National Projects in Performing Arts
Deadline: November 1, 2008 (Letters of Inquiry)

An initiative of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation's ( http://www.ddcf.org/ ) Arts Program, the Fund for National Projects supports projects designed to strengthen the national infrastructure of the dance, jazz, presenting, and/or theater fields; or improve conditions for the national community of performing artists in dance, jazz, and theater.

During a two-year pilot phase, the fund will award a total of up to $1 million in grants to support key national projects in the dance, jazz, presenting, and/or theater fields. Grants will range from $60,000 to $200,000 and cannot exceed 40 percent of a project's total cost. National projects engage a broad national constituency, occur once (or periodically) rather than annually, and have the potential to significantly impact a field.

Organizations are encouraged to submit Letters of Inquiry for activities such as research projects assessing the national health of arts groups or of individual artists; special national convenings for entire performing arts fields (beyond traditional national annual conferences); and special projects that address unique circumstances that affect an entire field.

The fund expressly does not support the following types of activities: projects by single performing arts entities (e.g., national tours of a particular dance or theater work); individually produced conferences, performances, or symposia (e.g., a festival produced by a single organization or by a consortia of local groups in a specific city or locale); regranting programs; translations or commissions of new works (even if expected to have national impact); and production start-up activities.

Single nonprofit organizations and consortia are both eligible to apply. National organizations receiving core support from the DDCF are not eligible to request additional support from the fund for single-discipline activities.

Deadlines for Letters of Inquiry are November 1 and May 1, with full proposals (upon invitation) due no later than December 1 and June 1, respectively.

Visit the DDCF Web site for complete program guidelines and application procedures. RFP Link: http://fconline.foundationcenter.org/pnd/15014567/ddcforg

For additional RFPs in Arts and Culture, visit: http://foundationcenter.org/pnd/rfp/cat_arts.jhtml

UCLA Writers' Faire

Sunday, Sept. 7 @ 11AM-3PM
UCLA Campus - Young Hall Courtyard

This festive day features 24 free mini-classes and panel discussions in creative writing and screenwriting, hosted by fall Writers' Program instructors. Students get free writing instruction, chat with instructors, register for most fall courses at a 10 percent discount, learn more about the Writers' Program, discuss goals with advisors, and visit with graduate writing programs, professional organizations, and writing-allied businesses. Also not to be missed this year in the lobby of Boelter Hall: Writers' Program staff alum Cristina Markarian shows you how easy it is to take courses online and uber-friendly Final Draft representatives demonstrate their outstanding screenwriting software. The Writers Faire is held in the Young Hall Courtyard on the UCLA campus from 11 am- 3 pm.

The 2008 Writers Faire schedule is ONLINE NOW

STRATEGY for ACTORS- Pitching Yourself Powerfully

Mon. August 11 @ 7 PM
Stella Adler Conservatory

Wed. August 13 @ 7 PM
The Hart Studio

So, you're finally in front of the "right" person who can potentially support your career goals and get you work. It could be a casting director, producer, or an agent you have been after. Maybe it's at a networking event, a screening, a party or even at the grocery store. How do you approach this person effectively and start building a relationship? How do you go from Hello, to exchanging business cards? Often times, we hold ourselves back from approaching these people because we think we lack the proper words or experience to pitch ourselves powerfully. Through role-play, and structured technique games, we will teach powerful skills used in MBA programs and by business professionals that will give you the confidence and savvy to "close the deal" every time. For more information and to RSVP, please visit www.strategycoaching.info

COST: $30 for WIF members with discount code- please email events@wif.org to receive the discount code

Where & When
Stella Adler Conservatory
Hollywood, CA

Mon. Aug 11
7 PM - 10 PM
The Hart Studio
Van Nuys, CA

Wed. Aug 13
7 PM - 10 PM
RSVP for directions

DEADLINE POSTPONED!

WIFI Call For Entries
"A Night to Celebrate: Short Films by Indigenous People of the Americas"

ATTENTION INDIGENOUS FILMMAKERS OF THE AMERICAS!

Women in Film International Committee is accepting short film submissions for its upcoming event, "A Night to Celebrate: Short Films by Indigenous People of the Americas" being held at Barnsdall Gallery Theater in October, 2008. This exciting night will be the first of its kind for the indigenous communities in Los Angeles, and is sure to draw a large and diverse crowd.

Submission Information:

Filmmaker Diversity: The film can be about any topic, but at least one member of the production team (writer, director, actor, producer, cinematographer, etc.) must be of indigenous descent. This includes all native tribes from North America to Central and South America.

Film length: Minimum 1 minute / Maximum 30 minutes
Please do not send films that are longer than 30 minutes!

Submission format: DVD, Region 1 ONLY

Language: All entries must be either in English or contain English subtitles. Non-English entries submitted without subtitles or with supplementary printed translations will be automatically disqualified.

Deadline: All submissions must be received (not just postmarked) by SEPTEMBER 12, 2008. Late entries will not be accepted. We will be notifying all accepted films by SEPTEMBER 29, 2008

For more information and an application please Email NativeShortsLA@yahoo.com, or call 310-362-2695.

review in Venus Zine

Take a trip with the GOP
Party Favors provides a fascinating view into the private world of Republican fundraisers by a veteran insider

By Melissa Silvestri

Published: July 31st, 2008 11:30am

Party Favors is an interesting and intriguing new novel co-written by former Republican fundraiser Nicole Sexton and writer Susan Johnston. It follows a New Orleans woman’s rise to success in the insulated and cutthroat world of Republican fundraisers in Washington, D.C., competing to gain donors, big checks, organize lavish parties, and win elections for senators. It gives an insider’s view into an exclusive world that many are not privy to or aware of, being flabbergasted at how much money goes towards parties and senator’s campaigns instead of more pressing social issues.

Temple Sachet, the protagonist of the novel, always had an eye for competition, beginning in kindergarten. In campaigning to become Little Miss Valentine, she kisses boys during recess, gaining favor with each one she finds. She loses the election, but it instills in her a taste for victory and for striving to be the best. That drive will take her far, as she rises quickly from smooth-talking rich donors into writing checks for the Missouri Opera Gala to receiving a coveted internship at the White House to being named the Director of Finance for the National Republican Senatorial Committee. Here, with the help of her seasoned mentors, Temple develops very personal relationships with a variety of senators (some honest, some not), and forgoes her personal life and peace of mind to guarantee wins for her senators.

As Temple becomes a bigger wheel in the Senatorial Committee, her personal life falters and takes hit after hit. Her stepfather, a prominent St. Louis politician, suffers a near-fatal heart attack and is in traction, leaving Temple to feel guilty about continuing on with her work. She falls for men who either are in love with her but can’t relate to her world, or use her as a contact to lobby for a cause. She fears that she will suffer a heart attack or a brain aneurysm due to her stressful and taxing job, as it has befallen those before her. And when New Orleans is destroyed after Katrina and the Republicans are more concerned with lavish parties than immediate aid to the victims, Temple must choose whether her career is worth giving up in search of working for more honest and noble causes.

Party Favors is a fast-paced, captivating novel that will educate readers on the inner workings of the Republican Senate straight from a seasoned insider. Meanwhile, this sharp and ambitious heroine manages to maintain her honesty and integrity in a world that often doesn’t value such morals.
—

ABOUT THE BOOK

Party Favors (The Lyons Press)

By Nicole Sexton with Susan Johnston

256 pages

$24.95

https://www.venuszine.com/articles/art_and_culture/reads/3969/Take_a_trip_with_the_GOP

theatre lab in sweden

International Physical Theatre Laboratory
under the direction of Sergei Ostrenko (Russia)

November 1 - 7, 2008 Ystad, Sweden

To apply for participation, candidates should send a CV (resume) and a brief letter of motivation to lab@iugte.com stating the title, dates and place of the event. The Lab will take place in Ystad, a historical Swedish town situated at the southern point of Sweden on the Baltic Sea.

During the Lab accommodation and meals are provided for participants. http://www.iugte.com/projects/performers.physicality.php

article in ny daily news today

Nicole Sexton's airing GOP secrets
Monday, August 4th 2008, 4:00 AM

Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens might want to bring "Party Favors" to jail with him, should he end up doing time on charges of hiding $250,000 in gifts from an oil company.

Top Republican fund-raiser Nicole Sexton wrote the thinly veiled novel after becoming disgusted with the greed she witnessed and jumping ship to Bono's liberal One Campaign.

The thirtysomething blond was finance director for the National Republican Senatorial Committee from 2002 to 2005, raising nearly $100 million in one year alone. She helped the campaigns of Sens. Bill Frist, Elizabeth Dole and George Allen, among others — but Sexton's not revealing the identities of her characters except her own: Temple Sachet. But readers in D.C. are already buzzing about which senator demanded sex just to agree to travel to a New York fund-raiser.

Sexton has said she felt "dirty," ultimately, involved in a process where politicians become more interested in the big bucks than the issues, and where the fund-raising director gets 10%-15%, easily making over $1 million from one campaign. And this, she told The Nation, is comprised of donations "from the guy that gives $50 and works at T.J. Maxx."

We asked Sexton if her incredible life transformation was a form of penance for playing such a key role in putting Republicans in power.

"I'm a strong fiscal conservative, but I've never been a social conservative," Sexton, who's still a registered Republican, told us. "And it must be noted, in terms of compassion, that this administration has done more to fight AIDS around the globe than any previous one.

"But I'm very dissatisfied with what Congress has been able to do, and what they haven't done."
Sexton, whose mother is New Orleans socialite Marlyne Sexton, says the "incredibly weak" government response to Hurricane Katrina was a turning point. "If I wasn't upset before Katrina, I certainly was after."

What goes wrong with politicians who start out as idealists? Sexton thinks that, "When they come to Washington, with power and money working hand in hand, and all that excess, it's hard for them to stay focused on why they came there, and to be true to the idea of public service."
Sexton's not the only one in the GOP to want change. At a packed fete for "Party Favors" at Michael's last week, where John Loeb, John McLaughlin, Somers Farkas and even Lauren Bush grabbed books, D.C. big Marina Ein took a presidential poll.

Barack Obama trounced John McCain, 31 to 17.

http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/2008/08/04/2008-08-04_nicole_sextons_airing_gop_secrets.html

teaching the arts

* Music Director
Savannah College of Art and Design (Georgia)
(date posted: 8/1/2008)
http://chronicle.com/jobs/id.php?id=0000568392-01&pg=e

* Multiple Positions: Faculty In Speech/Communication and Professional Staff Theatre Manager
Vincennes University (Indiana)
(date posted: 8/4/2008)
http://chronicle.com/jobs/id.php?id=0000567902-01&pg=e

* Assistant Professors of Acting and Directing
Denison University (Ohio)
(date posted: 8/4/2008)
http://chronicle.com/jobs/id.php?id=0000567818-01&pg=e

more pix from the party in nyc

back from ny book party

I'm back from the NY book party and excited to be hitting the ground running with our movie and tv pitches here in Los Angeles. We have a ton more press hits coming out next week and I'll try to keep this site updated as they come in.

huffington post hit today

The Huffington Post
July 24, 2008
Sam Stein
stein@huffingtonpost.com HuffPost Reporting From DC

GOP Insider Eviscerates Bush And Party: Just "Phenomenal Arrogance"

There is wide-spread acknowledgment, even within the party itself, that the Republican brand is currently poisonous. Faced with massive losses in November, GOP leadership has green-lighted a save-yourself mentality, allowing its endangered members to go against the party line if it means helping their electoral chances.

But if the situation seems bad on the electoral level, insiders warn that it's even worse when you get down to infrastructure and machinery. Facing an avalanche of losses, the GOP is stuck with an antiquated system of fundraising, a tired leadership, and a president many Americans loathe.

"There is a phenomenal arrogance like a fog that has clouded people's thinking and ability to see what is real," said Nicole Sexton, a longtime Republican fundraiser and former Director of Finance for the National Republican Senatorial Committee. "We have to go down in history as some of the worst messengers. And President Bush has been horrible. Everything he does deems calculated and insincere. The same was true with Bill Clinton but he at least had the ability to seem sincere. With Bush, people are throwing stones and tomatoes at him [and he hasn't changed]."

Sexton, the author of the new book, "Party Favors" (a fictionalized look at the life of a GOP fundraiser), offered a fairly dire assessment of the party in which she used to be a major figure. A native of New Orleans, much of her scorn was saved for Bush, who she derided for his ignorance of the scope Hurricane Katrina's devastation.

"He should have been in a row boat in the middle of the 9th ward, helping families," she said before adding, when prompted, "like Sean Penn... Instead, there were all these resources put to his press conference."

As the chief financial officer for the NRSC, Sexton did not put the blame for the GOP's current problems strictly at Bush's doorstep. She talked openly (later admitting that her former colleagues weren't too pleased with her frankness) about how political figures she had once admired had become consumed by the prospect of reelection.

"We need some new blood in the party," she said. "But the problem is that the younger candidates, like John Sununu, are real in danger of losing their seats."

The GOP's outreach is also aging. "We are a direct marketing and a direct mail party and that's a dinosaur in the fundraising world," she said. "Just look at our presidential candidates [this cycle]. Huckabee was the only one that came close to have an Internet presence like Obama. All his money came from the web and he was able to stay in the race till the final hour. Giuliani, I don't know if he was seeing straight... For McCain to literally have imploded twice and still be the candidate is a phenomenal statement about the party."

If anyone should know about the intersection of money and politics it is Sexton. Starting as an intern for the White House Office of National Service she quickly rose to prominence within the sometimes-sordid world of political fundraising. At her post at the NRSC from 2002 through 2005, she played an instrumental role in helping the GOP regain control of the Senate, only to grow disillusioned. "I realized I really didn't know these people," she said. "I was a cog in the machine and hadn't connected with any of the candidates I was helping elect."

She also grew wary of the role that fundraising played. Noting that politicians were spending disproportionate amounts of time raising cash, she called for the system to be scrapped in favor of caps on the amount candidates could raise as a whole (not to be confused with a cap on the size of the individual donations) and restrictions on the time period during which they could raise cash.

Now employed by the ONE Campaign, Sexton still is connected to, and eagerly following, the GOP. Before ending the interview she predicted that her party would lose five seats in the Senate this cycle -- an optimistic estimate in a down year. She also projected that McCain would eventually best Obama though her admiration for the latter's political prowess were clearly evident.

"Usually the youth will go to politically rallies and concerts and never show up and vote and they certainly never contributed" she said of the Illinois Democrat's appeal to younger voters. "These people now are leaving college and giving to Obama. It is phenomenal. If you are giving up your beer money for three nights it means you are invested in the guy."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/07/24/gop-insider-eviscerates-b_n_114737.html

fundraiser for edinburgh shows in LA

3 by 1
A One-Time-Only Benefit Performance

Solo works by:
E. Amato
Esther K. Chae
Lucia Marano

Saturday, July 26th
3:30pm Show
4:30pm Reception

After-show Reception hosted by Judy Holiday
with performances by Joshua Silverstein, Sam Golzari

Tickets $20 cash at the door or via paypal to zestyfilm@yahoo.com (before Saturday 10am)
Additional donations may be made via paypal

Proceeds benefit the soloists' performances at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Unknown Theater
1110 Seward Street
Hollywood
Free parking corner of Seward and Lexington

For more info: zestyfilm@yahoo.com; http://myspace.com/eamato

party favors in variety blog today

Please check out the latest article in today's Variety Blog "Wilshire & Washington"

http://www.wilshireandwashington.com/2008/07/lifting-the-lid.html


Lifting the Lid Off the Money Trail

The plot of the new novel "Party Favors" doesn't seem so unusual when weighed against other fish-out-of-water tomes like "Devil Wears Prada": A young and ideal Midwestern woman who rises to the top of the world of D.C. fund-raising, then realizes what such a powerful world is really like.

But "Party Favors" is written by Nicole Sexton, who from 2002 to 2005 was at the GOP's money source: She served as director of finance for the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

The book is fiction, not a tell-all, but D.C. insiders surely will read the tome trying to connect the dots, for it's not a very flattering look at senators and their tactics for soaking up campaign dollars.

What's more, Sexton's alter ego, Temple Sachet, encounters a cast of characters that include a small army of closeted gay Republicans, and a 70-year-old senator who is also a pervert, and other lawmakers who seem to love being wined, dined and coddled by lobbyists. The most amusing of the figures is Senator Griswold, "old Blubberboy," an incompetent Ivy Leaguer who is dangerously overweight yet fancies himself as a "modern-day toupee wearing Roy Rogers." It doesn't take too much head-scratching to figure out who she's referring to when she writes, "People were whispering that Senator Ogburn had a penchant for public bathrooms."
But the book is really about the insanity of campaign finance, the endless drive for the next donor check and the overall corruption of the system.

"My intention was to entertain and to cast a light on this world," says Sexton, speaking by phone earlier this month.

She has since moved on to more altruistic circles as part of Bono's ONE campaign, but she says that her novel, written with Susan Johnston, has received "some negative rumble from a few fund-raisers who I worked with" who felt that it attacked the business of raising political money too broadly. Other fund-raising friends have told her they "cringe at how realistic and truthful you were." Among other things, Sexton is up front about how fund-raisers take a percentage off the top of each contribution --- 10%, even 15% in some cases --- often unknown to those donors who write a check.

"I saw the middle men, the gross waste and the overwhelming greed, and the blinders were really ripped off," she says. "I was angry with myself and disappointed and subsequently left."
It's clear from Temple's story that Sexton found herself lost in the world of campaign cash. As she says, the book attacks an entire sector of government that "is supposed to be based on reality and telling the truth, but there is a real clouded view of what should be and what matters."

It wasn't just that it became a "numbers game" and how many seats the GOP was winning rather than its ideological stances, as Sexton has said. In the book, Temple struggles with supporting a "party of 'family' when most of the senators were divorced (one on his eighth wife!) having affairs, or otherwise living by a different set of rules than they espoused."

Sexton supports some serious measures at reform: Limits on the time that candidates raise money and on the amount that can be spent, as well as requirements to that TV and radio stations provide free airtime to campaigns.

Although she would have liked to have seen Barack Obama participate in public financing for the general election, she's encouraged by his ability to raise huge sums of small contributions over the Internet, eliminating the middle man, and is anxious to see how his 1.5 million contributors translate into votes. "He didn't come in with this huge war chest and spend through it," she says.
"I think there is something to be said for your ability to get out your message and inspire people," she says.

And she notes the irony that John McCain, hobbled by dismal fund-raising throughout 2007, came out on the top of the heap, and that Mike Huckabee, who didn't even have a finance director, made it so far.

Still, she finds fault with the lack of disclosure of campaign bundlers. Campaigns aren't required to disclose their names, and although Obama and McCain have following a great deal of pressure, the information is still scant, she says. Also troubling are the 527 committees, the independent expenditure groups that amount to a campaign finance loophole, where individual donors can contribute unlimited amounts of money.

"There is a place for fund-raising," she says. "But fund-raisers have to be held accountable to the donors they raise money from and the candidates they work for."

Sexton says she sensed even back in 2004 that things were coming apart. She left right before Duke Cunningham and Jack Abramoff --- two of the most notorious scandals that preceded the GOP's loss of both houses in 2006. She believes that the GOP faces the loss of "a lot of house seats" and five Senate seats.

"That is a big reason why I wanted to get out," she says. "I could see it coming."

Her next step, naturally, is the "Prada" route: Selling the film rights to the book.

Posted by Ted Johnson on July 22, 2008 at 10:39 PM in Current Affairs Permalink

Book Signing for "Party Favor" Author Nicole Sexton

Check out this post about Nicole's upcoming book signing on Pamela's Punch:

http://www.pamelaspunch.com/book-signing-for-party-favor-author-nicole-sexton/

As someone who has lived in the Washington area since 1990, I am fascinated by books that are set in this community and expose it openly from all sides (which is one of the reasons David Baldacci is one of my favorite authors). There’s a feeling of familiarity, of "oh, I know where that building/street/restaurant/movie theater/dark alley is!" Certainly, I am not alone in that thought, as more and more talented authors are exploding out of DC to our delight.

One such author is Nicole Sexton. In her former life, she was the 2nd ranking GOP fundraiser. In her current and probably, if I may, cooler life, she now works for the Bono and just finished her first novel entitled "Party Favors". Thursday the 24th, she will be at Capitol Hill’s Trover (221 Pennsylvania, SE) from 12pm-1pm for a book signing.

The novel "Party Favors" gives readers a delicious taste of what it’s like to move up through the ranks on the Hill from intern to the most powerful fundraiser for the Right party and all the "hi-jinks" that go with that experience. As this was written with Susan Johnston, a published playwright, the book will certainly provide a juicy and fun summer read.

Just who is Nicole Sexton? She is quite the insider of Washington’s life, had been the finance director for the National Republican Senatorial Committee and several President’s Dinners, so she knows her stuff inside and out. Best of all, she can articulate it extremely well. Her book is already selling like ice cream on a hot summer day in DC and shhh… could eventually be seen on the silver screen (think major Hollywood studios, folks).

Nicole is currently a top executive at Bono’s global advocacy organization the ONE campaign. She splits her time between DC and NYC and has an East Side restaurant in NYC.

If you can’t make it during your lunch hour Thursday-so sorry-but you can pick up your copy at any local bookstore or online.

party favors cover story in the hill today

The sexy side of campaign finance
By Kris Kitto
Posted: 07/21/08 05:56 PM [ET]

Nicole Sexton made political fundraising look easy when she helped raise $95 million as National Republican Senatorial Committee finance director. It’s her post-NRSC endeavor that seems more like fitting a square peg into a round hole. Sexton has written a novel — not a how-to book, but a novel — about campaign finance.

The book jacket of Party Favors doesn’t feature a beastly man in tight, ragged shorts and work boots but a silhouette of the Republican elephant inside a sun-shaped silver ornament. Not exactly the stuff of tawdry romance, but Sexton’s book does promise to recount juicy stories of “politics and greed.”

Sexton acknowledges that “when you say campaign finance … people glaze over,” but that didn’t stop her from using her 15 years in political fundraising as inspiration for a story that follows protagonist and narrator Temple Sachet’s similar career track and personal life.

Sexton’s book released earlier this month; she signs copies at the Trover Shop Thursday from noon to 1 p.m.

Sexton left her post at the NRSC in October 2005 after three years in the position, and while she was reflecting on the career she walked away from, a plotline emerged.

“I didn’t really start off to write a book,” she says. “It was about cataloguing or keeping together some sort of memory or journal of experiences that had been poignant for me. As I was going through that process, it became apparent to me that I had a story to tell,” Sexton says.

She conquered the first hurdle of writing on a topic that might elicit yawns by adopting a tone that conjures a happy-hour blab session among girlfriends.

“Donors love themselves some houses,” reads one of the opening passages, which describes a fundraiser at a fictitious Senate majority leader’s residence. “They will pay out the a-double-s to see if there’s a hamper with dirty clothes, if the fridge is covered in family pictures.”

Sexton, 38, says the chatty tone fits the main character, Temple, who is based on her and fits the style in which she would relay the story. There’s a point in the novel where she gets stuck in a closet with the president of the United States while he is waiting to get presented at a fundraiser.
"At the core of it, below the layers of [Temple’s] physical comedy and her embarrassing moments and her tragic love life, is a look at a very serious subject. If we’re going to be able to draw people in enough to pay attention, it had to be really light and entertaining,” she says.

Sexton, who now works in government relations for Bono’s ONE campaign, says she sees a great need for reform in political fundraising. She left a year after she hit a nadir, on election night 2004, and hopes her book will open other people’s eyes to her belief.

“I would like for there to be a real shakeup, and I have no delusions that my book is going to do that,” she says, adding: “But maybe there’ll be some conversations around dinner tables.”
Another obstacle was turning Sexton’s real-life memories into a fictitious plot that wouldn’t compromise the people or situations that served as inspiration.

The book opens with a note to readers explaining that the story’s contents to be purely fiction and that any likenesses to real-life events or people are “coincidental.”

This balancing act was the hardest part of writing the book, Sexton says. “It was OK for me to give as much of myself to Temple’s character,” she says, but she didn’t want to expose anyone else to that kind of scrutiny.

Overall, Sexton says, friends, family and former colleagues have received the book warmly, but some have registered complaints with her.

“They worry that the book will have an impact on fundraising and candidates’ ability to raise money, and frankly, that was the whole point,” she says.

http://thehill.com/cover-stories/the-sexy-side-of-campaign-finance-2008-07-21.html

press for party favors

Check out the PARTY FAVORS shout out in the Asbury Park Press (New Jersey):
http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080720/ENT/807200316/1031

ACROSS THE TRANSOM
By DAVE WILLIAMS • Books Editor • July 20, 2008

Books that caught our eye in passing:

"Santa vs. Satan: The Official Compendium of Imaginary Fights," Jake Kalish, Three Rivers Press, $13.95. Think Batman vs. Superman is interesting to debate? Try Han Solo vs. Indiana Jones. Or Barbie vs. Ken. Or Aunt Jemima vs. Uncle Ben.

"The Man Who Forgot How to Read," Howard Engel, Thomas Dunne Books, $18.95. A novelist has a stroke that destroys his reading ability, starts over from scratch, and emerges triumphant (that's not a spoiler — he's the guy writing the book, so it's not hard to guess how it comes out).

"Party Favors," Nicole Sexton and Susan Johnston, Lyons Press, $24.95. GOP fundraiser Sexton's first novel (you know what they say about first novels) spins a yarn about a GOP fundraiser (told you so) and her adventures in Washington.

"Swan Peak," James Lee Burke, Simon & Schuster, $25.95. The cover says all you need to know: "A Dave Robicheaux Novel." New twist: the New Orleanian detective is in Montana this time out.

"Girls Who Like Boys Who Like Boys," edited by Melissa de la Cruz and Tom Dolby, Plume, $16 (paperback). A collection of essays described as a "literary celebration of one of the most important relationships in a straight girl's life — her gay best friend."

"The First Queen of England: The Myth of "Bloody Mary,' " Linda Porter, St. Martin's Press, $27.95. British scholar Porter tries to salvage the reputation of the monarch who (Porter says) paved the way for Elizabeth I's highly regarded reign.

vitality productions call for submissions

Dear Friends,

We at VITALITY Productions are starting a Monday night reading series. We are in search of new work by playwrights, actors, producers, gymnasts, trash truck drivers and anyone who would like to hear their work read aloud by a group of deliciously dope actors. Not only are we looking for our next theatrical / cinematic production, but are excited at the idea of coming together with a fresh ensemble every week to keep the muscle warm and expose ourselves to innovative artists who are trying to "make it happen."

If you have a play, a screenplay, a one-person show, a short, a narrative or are interested in participating as an actor and/or listener, please let us know. This Monday night will be our second reading. Even if you're on the other coast or in the middle of the country, we'd still love to read your work aloud and give you feedback on the experience.

Thank you in advance. Hope you're all well.

With gratitude,

Nick Mills
nickmosesmills@gmail.com

teaching the arts

* Director of the School of Theater
Ohio University (Ohio)
(date posted: 7/21/2008)
http://chronicle.com/jobs/id.php?id=0000565363-01&pg=e

* Lecturer/Costume Shop Supervisor
Dixie State College of Utah (Utah)
(date posted: 7/16/2008)
http://chronicle.com/jobs/id.php?id=0000566576-01&pg=e

Reading: HOW CISSY GREW

Please join us this August, for an advance look at

HOW CISSY GREW
a new play
by Susan Johnston

directed by Casey Stangl

starring:
James Denton
Erin J. O’Brien
Stewart Calhoun

scheduled for a world premiere production at
The El Portal Theatre
in October 2008.

One-night only.

Monday, August 4, 2008

7:00 pm Reading
8:30 pm Reception

The El Portal Theatre
11206 Weddington Street
North Hollywood, CA 91601
(street parking on Lankershim Blvd.)

Limited seating.
Industry welcome but no reviews.

RSVP required:
caseystangl8@aol.com or 310.902.0516

FREE.

How Cissy Grew was developed while in residence at The MacDowell Colony. It received developmental readings through The Echo Theatre and NYU Writer’s Lab West and a development workshop was provided by The NYU Grad Actors Collective.

December 2008 Artist Application

Artists of 2D, Mixed Media, Photography and Sculpture are invited to apply to The Artist Project, December 4-7, 2008.

The $1500 booth package includes:

- Approximately 100 square foot booth
- 8' High hard walls
- Interior Lighting
- Drayage costs

Please apply by September 15, 2008. All applications will be reviewed by The Artist Project selection committee (members to be announced in July) and notification will be sent by early October.

http://www.theartistproject.com/artistapplication/?source=nyfav

Congrats to Lucy Wang!

Lucy writes:

Just a quick note to let you know "The Art of Bullfighting" has been released for print. It is currently available via the JAC Publishing website, http://www.jacneed.com/JAC/One-Acts/Wang_ArtOfBullfighting.html as well as on Amazon.com (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1605130117).

Playwrights Talk About Writing For Film and Television

Thursday, July 24th at 5pm
The Public Theater, 425 Lafayette Street, New York, NY
Free Panel Discussion

This panel, part of our Careers in Theatre series, will look at the challenges and dynamics that playwrights face when writing for film and television. Produced by the Summer Play Festival and the NYC Mayor's Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting, this discussion will provide unique insights into different mediums, disciplines and industries.

Playwright Panelists

The panel features:

Adam Rapp (TV: "The L Word"; Film: Blackbird; Theatre: Red, Light Winter; Essential Self Defense)
Beau Willmon (Film: Farragut North; Theatre: Lower Ninth; Farragut North)
Keith Bunin (Film: A Home At The End Of The World; Theatre: The Busy World Is Hushed, 10 Million Miles)

Limited Tickets Available - RSVP Today!

For tickets to this free event, please email rsvp@spfnyc.com with your name and the number of tickets.

grants

Manhattan Community Arts Fund Offers Funds for Local Arts Organizations and Artists
Deadline: September 23, 2008

Administered by the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, the Manhattan Community Arts Fund supports local arts organizations and artists that have little access to other government funding sources. MCAF seeks to provide small grants for arts projects and local artists serving Manhattan communities. An MCAF grant is often one of the first grants an artist or group receives and can help recipients to eventually leverage financial support from other sources.

The program is designed to prepare applicants for the process of obtaining public funds. The program awards grants ranging from $750 to $5,000 each to individual artists or nonprofit organizations. LMCC will award approximately $250,000 in total grants through MCAF this year. LMCC expects to award approximately 150 grants.

Last year the average grant amount was $1,200. Applications will be accepted from Manhattan-based individual artists or nonprofit organizations. To be eligible to apply, organizations must have had an operating budget of less than $100,000 for two of the last three fiscal years, and individual artists must live in Manhattan. First-time applicants are required to attend an information session. Returning applicants are also encouraged to attend to help them develop strong applications.

See the LMCC Web site for dates and locations of information sessions ( http://www.lmcc.net/grants/infosessions.html ).

Program guidelines and application materials are available at the LMCC Web site. RFP Link: http://fconline.foundationcenter.org/pnd/15014143/lmcc

---------------------------<<>>----------------------------

Mockingbird Foundation Offers Support for Children's Music Education Programs
Deadline: August 1, 2008 (Letters of Inquiry)

The Mockingbird Foundation ( http://www.mbird.org/ ) offers competitive grants to schools and nonprofit organizations in support of music education for children. Mockingbird is particularly interested in projects that encourage and foster creative expression in any musical form (includ- ing composition, instrumentation, vocalization, or improvisation), but also recognize broader and more basic needs within conventional instruction.

The foundation encourages applications associated with diverse or unusual musical styles, genres, forms, and philosophies. Education may include the provision of instruments, texts, and office materials, as well as the support of learning space, practice space, performance space, and instructors/instruction. The foundation is particularly interested in projects that foster self-esteem and free expression.

Mockingbird is interested in targeting youth 18 years old or younger, but will consider projects that benefit college students, teachers, instructors, or adult students. Mockingbird is particularly (though not exclusively) interested in programs that benefit disenfranchised individuals, including those characterized by low skill levels, income, or education; by disabilities or terminal illnesses; or living in foster homes, shelters, hospitals, prisons, or other remote or isolated situations.

Grants, which range in size from $50 to $5,000 each, are typically made only to nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations, to organizations that have a sponsoring agency with 501(c)(3) status, or to public schools.

Visit the foundation's Web site for complete application information. RFP Link: http://fconline.foundationcenter.org/pnd/15014144/mockingbird

For additional RFPs in Arts and Culture, visit: http://foundationcenter.org/pnd/rfp/cat_arts.jhtml

teaching the arts

* Entry Level Assistant Professor-Dance
California State University at Sacramento (California)
(date posted: 7/14/2008)
http://chronicle.com/jobs/id.php?id=0000565104-01&pg=e

* Choral Music Educator
Chapman University (California)
(date posted: 7/14/2008)
http://chronicle.com/jobs/id.php?id=0000565028-01&pg=e

* Assistant Professor of Music, Percussion
Chapman University (California)
(date posted: 7/14/2008)
http://chronicle.com/jobs/id.php?id=0000565038-01&pg=e

* Assistant Professor of Music Education
Glenville State College (West Virginia)
(date posted: 7/11/2008)
http://chronicle.com/jobs/id.php?id=0000566109-01&pg=e

GRAPHIC DESIGNER NEEDED

I'm in need a graphic designer to create the flyer for the show in Edinburgh. If you have any leads, I'd be very grateful! Need someone deadline-respectful and reasonably priced with a good eye.

Thanks!
Beth
eamato@mac.com

JOB OPP

Diane sends us this opp:

Letting you know of a way to make money for an excellent cause, if you are feeling energetic and are gifted at sales.I am the Event Director for Celebrate Ballona!, a year long festival being organized by Ballona Institute to celebrate the public acquisition of the Balllona Wetlands near the Marina and LAX. We need salespeople to find folks to buy images in this gorgeous, collector's edition tribute book showpiece Ballona Institute is creating about the wetlands. People or companies who buy images will have their name elegantly printed beneath their photo. All proceeds from the book will go toward offsetting legal fees from helping to save the wetlands and toward ongoing stewardship, advocacy, and educational programs about Ballona.

In case you don't know, 91% of California's wetlands have been destroyed, a greater percentage than any other state in the nation. So Ballona is a real jewel--right in Los Angeles.There is no salary, but there is a 12% commission for all deals sealed by the salesperson from start to finish. And there are a ton of beautiful images to sell, ranging in price from $1000-$20000 a piece.So if you need some work and have the salesperson's touch, give me a shout! .

Xo
Diane
todiane4@yahoo.com

SPACE NEEDED FOR FUNDRAISER FOR 3 OF OUR LADIES!

In preparation for our performances in Edinburgh, and in order to raise some funds to help us with the trip, Esther, Lucia and I are planning to do a one-night fundraiser! We'll each be performing a section of our solo show and there will be a reception afterward with performance.

We are looking for a space. We'd like a space with 80-100 seats, that is available one night during the last week of July (roughly 24th - 31st), or possibly beginning of August. We're hoping it will have a theatre space as well as a space for a reception. If you know of any spaces, would you pass the information along to us? We'd really appreciate it! Feel free to contact any of us!

Esther- contact@estherchae.com
Lucia - lucestella@mindspring.com
Beth - eamato@mac.com

We also hope you'll be able to come out and support us and send us on our way!

Thanks so much!
Beth

check me out on GMA Now

Check out "Good Morning America Now" this Wednesday morning at 9am and 2pm, July 9th. The lovely host Taryn Winter Brill did an entire seven-minute segment interviewing my former roomie Stephanie McWilliams who is now the host of HGTV's "Fun Shui" which airs every Friday. The segment features two feng shui success stories -- it's not to be missed!

Here's the official blurb:

Joan Gugliotta, the super-star single mother from the "Fun Shui" series, talks about her experience over the past year since her living room redesign--and how her home, body and spirit have all blossomed throughout the process. Her inner transformation has been truly breathtaking to watch over the past many months--she's a feng shui inspiration if I've ever met one!

Susan Johnston, co-author of the new hit book "Party Favors", discusses her more recent feng shui transformation as her love life and finances got an overnight boost through her dramatic home makeover. Swept up in a sudden romance whirlwind, as well as an unexpected income-avalanche, Susan's barely had a moment to catch her breath from all the exciting changes happening in just the past 3 weeks!

If you don't happen to get the "Good Morning America Now" program through your cable company or mobile device, just go to http://abcnewsnow.com to find out how you can catch the segment in your area. You can also click on "Good Morning America Now" to watch the clip online.

a passionate cause in Laos

Leilani Chan writes:

Dear Friends,

As you many of you know Ova and I have been working passionately with Legacies of War to raise awareness about the UXO's (unexploded cluster bombs) in Laos and advocate for their removal. We are excited to be joining Legacies in August on a learning trip that will take us to view the areas still affected by UXO's where 1 in 6 are amputees as a result of touching or being near an accidentally detonated cluster bomb.

I am writing to ask for your support of an exciting campaign that Legacies of War has undertaken. The Schools Not Bombs Campaign aims to build preschools for children in impoverished Laotian villages which have been affected by unexploded cluster bombs. Our goal is to raise enough funds to cover the cost of building a preschool in one of the affected areas before we arrive in Laos.

To make a donation in support of Ova and I please go to https://secure.groundspring.org/dn/index.php?aid=17379 and select "Legacies Preschool in Laos" when making your donation. We would like to make a total donation to Schools Not Bombs of $1000. Please help us make this goal by donating today. For more information please read more below. Thank you all so much for our continued support of our work.

Me ke aloha,
Leilani & Ova

***A new generation of Laotians continues to suffer from the enduring legacies of cluster bombs leftover from three decades ago, when Laos became the most bombed country in the world. Preschools will replace bombs on land that have been cleared, providing a safe environment for children and educational opportunities to overcome the barriers of poverty. Through this campaign, we seek to transform a tragic past into a hopeful future for the people of Laos.

For more information about Schools Not Bombs Campaign, visit http://www.legaciesofwar.org/news-room/news-releases/333.

We are working with Give Children a Choice(www.givechildrenachoice.org), a nonprofit organization that has built 18 preschools in Luang Prabang, Laos to help us identify the village for our first school. Our inaugural school will be in Xieng Khoang Province, one of the most heavily bombed areas and the origins of the historic illustrations featured in the Legacies of War National Traveling Exhibition www.legaciesofwar.org.

The school will be in Lathsene Village, home to 500 people and 80 families, with preschoolers who are descendents of bombing survivors.We have already raised $12,500 of the $17,000 needed to build a preschool in time for the new school year this fall. Please help us to meet our fundraising goal of $4,500 in the next month to build the school. Nearly 100 people have given – from $1 to $7,500. Every dollar raised is one step closer to helping Laotian children have a safe environment to learn and grow. Send a check or Donate on-lineEvery dollar raised goes towards the school. Your name will be listedas a generous donor on our website and in the school.--

Leilani Chan
Artistic Director
TeAda Productions
www.teada.org

free reading at black dahlia theatre

Dear Friends,

After a short break, we are back with our monthly readings at the Black Dahlia Theatre! We'd like to invite you to:

BOMBS IN YOUR MOUTH
By Corey Patrick
Starring Tasha Ames and Bill Heck
Sunday, July 13
7 PM

Black Dahlia Theatre
5453 W Pico Blvd (at Hauser)

As always, this reading is free and open to the public, but seating is limited, so reservations are required. RSVP to: Literary@thedahlia.com

Hope to see you there!

Ruth McKee
Literary Manager

ARC Grant

THE DURFEE FOUNDATION

ARC: ARTISTS' RESOURCE for COMPLETION Grant
Third Quarter Postmark Deadline is Tuesday, August 5, 2008.

ARC grants provide rapid, short-term assistance of up to $3,500 to individual artists who live in Los Angeles County. Funds must be used to enhance work that is near completion and scheduled for presentation between September 9, 2008 and February 3, 2009.

Artists in any discipline mayapply. Applicants must have a secure invitation from an established organization to present their work. There are four grant cycles per year.

For more information, application, or guidelines visit: http://www.durfee.org/programs/arc/index.html

party favors ad debuts at national review

The first ads for PARTY FAVORS are starting to go up and you can check out our banner ad that is in rotation on the National Review website: http://www.nationalreview.com/

teaching the arts

* Director of Choral Activities
Chapman University (California)
(date posted: 7/7/2008)
http://chronicle.com/jobs/id.php?id=0000564550-01&pg=e

* Technical Director-Theatre
North Dakota State University (North Dakota)
(date posted: 7/7/2008)
http://chronicle.com/jobs/id.php?id=0000564835-01&pg=e

back from ny

Was in NYC for the last week plus but am now back and will be posting more regularly, promise. Check back later this week for more grants, jobs, shows, etc.

party favors hit the bookshelves on tuesday

Ladies and Gents:

Let the fun begin.

We are officially launched as PARTY FAVORS hit the bookshelves on Tuesday. I saw us in the Union Square Barnes & Noble and actually jumped up and down like a teenager. What an amazing feeling to have a tangible, hard-cover book in hand after almost two years of work and near isolation in front of a computer screen!Now, it's in the ether and what we need is buzz. Which is where YOU come in. I need your help.

Help, you say? But Susan, whatever can I do? So glad you asked. Try one of these simple steps to help make PARTY FAVORS a best-seller.

1. Go to Amazon and write a review of us, rate us, buy us, create keywords, etc. Here's the link:http://www.amazon.com/Party-Favors-Nicole-Sexton/dp/1599214598/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1214927178&sr=8-1

2. Add us to your Facebook READING NOW section or your MY SPACE page.

3. Blog about us. Tell your blogger friends to blog about us.

4. Put us on your TV show! (Some of you are bigwigs - throw a girl a bone!) Contact: Marina Ein, Ein Communications: maein@aol.com or 202.775.0200

5. Call your local bookstore and ask them to stock the book. Or walk into random bookstores and ask for them to order it.

6. Buy the movie or TV rights! (A whole other bunch of you are bigwigs too - you know you want it!) Contact: Maura Teitelbaum at Abrams: maura.teitelbaum@abramsartny.com or 646.486.4600. We're taking meetings at end of July in LA.

7. Pitch us as a magazine story to your editor. Pitch us as a segment on your website. Pitch us, pitch us, pitch us!

Okay, enough from me.
For more information, check out our website: http://partyfavors2008.com

If you need press kits, copies of the book, etc, see Item 4 and call Marina. If you need book copy for rights, see item 6 and all Maura. Tell both of them Susan sent you.

THANKS IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR ENERGY BEHIND THE BOOK.

I am eternally grateful for all of your support as I continue down my path as an artist and a woman pursuing JOY!

male voice over - lighting designer

VOICE-OVER
Looking for a male (any age), who could record some lines for me within the next week. He should be familiar with reading lines off a page, ideally someone whose done some VO work before, and able to sound like the voice-over narration in the old film noir movies, without going over the top.The recording should take about an hour, and I can offer a small compensation for his time.

LIGHTING DESIGNER
Looking for a lighting designer interested in recreating some film noir mood lighting for a dance performance. Load-in/tech on Monday, June 30th with evening shows Thursday, July 3rd - Sunday, July 6th and Thursday, July 10th - Sunday, July 13th. Pay involved.For info on the show, see "Eleven Missing Days" at: www.unknowntheater.com

CONTACT:

Mikki del Monico
mikkidel@att.net

interview for the examiner

More blog coverage pre-book launch for Party Favors. Check out this article at:

http://www.examiner.com/a-1411646~The_3_minute_interview__Nicole_Sexton.html?cid=rss-Washington_DC

The 3-minute interview: Nicole Sexton
Bill Sammon, The Examiner
2008-05-28

WASHINGTON - Nicole Sexton became disillusioned with her job as a political fundraiser, so she quit and wrote “Party Favors,” a novel about her former line of work, due out next month. She is currently working for the ONE Campaign, Bono’s global advocacy group.

What turned you off about political fundraising?

The more I rose in my career, the more I was surrounded by people who did less personal investigation before they signed on to a candidate. It became more about the job and their own salaries. There are a lot of fundraisers who do not have a real grasp of what their candidates stand for. And I think that’s a very, very dangerous thing.

How do you think your tell-all novel will be received?

The fundraisers probably won’t be too happy. But I’m hopeful that everyone will gain some insight into the fundraising industry. Maybe that will start some positive dialogue about an industry that really needs some regulation and some oversight.

How is life different now that you’re working for a charity?

The biggest difference is a feeling of satisfaction and emotional fulfillment working for people who have no voice.

Sounds like you sleep better at night, despite the pay cut.

Yes, I sleep better at night. Life is about choices. You come to crossroads and you make decisions about what matters. And it’s not always about the money.

What do you find hopeful about Washington?

There seems to be a lot of people who share the same angst and discomfort that I have with the way things are done and the way people look the other way and don’t say anything about injustices. There are a lot of people who feel a little lost here. And it may sound odd, but I find some hope in that, because people aren’t comfortable with politics as usual. So when there’s that level of frustration, when it bubbles and builds enough, perhaps there will be radical change.