WHAT IT IS: A six-week workshop that uses writing exercises and class discussion to help you explore, define, and most importantly write about religion and/or spirituality. The emphasis is on tolerance, support, and intellectual inquiry. The goal is to help you create a particular piece.
WHAT IT IS NOT: An attempt to indoctrinate or proselytize for any particular religion (or religion at all, for that matter).
WHO IT IS FOR: Writers of any genre, including fiction, nonfiction, poetry, drama, film, and TV. Writers looking to delve into their own faith (or lack thereof). Writers looking to create or finish a piece with a religious theme.
THE DETAILS: Wednesday evenings, 10/7 to 11/11, 7-9pm, at the Brewery in downtown
ABOUT THE TEACHER: Gordon Haber's fiction, criticism, and journalism has appeared in The Forward, Killing the Buddha, Zeek, the Nebraska Review, and Heeb Magazine. Gordon has taught writing at
Showing posts with label poetry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label poetry. Show all posts
September 09, 2009
WRITING YOUR RELIGION
August 22, 2009
grants
Guidelines Available for 2010 Funding Cycle of Pew Charitable Trusts' Dance Advance
Grants of up to $150,000 will be awarded to dance artists, companies, and presenters in the Philadelphia region working on program research and development, rehearsal, or production and presentation....
Posted on August 19, 2009
Deadline: September 16, 2009 (Letter of Intent to Apply)
Open Society Institute Seeks Entries for Moving Walls 17 Documentary Photography Exhibition
Emerging and veteran photographers who have completed work on a human rights or social justice issue will have their work displayed in the exhibit and will receive a $2,000 royalty plus travel expenses to attend the opening....
Posted on August 19, 2009
Deadline: October 23, 2009
Maine Theater Fund Accepting Applications From Professional and Community Theaters
Grants will be awarded to professional and community nonprofit theaters in
Posted on August 19, 2009
Deadline: September 15, 2009
South Carolina Arts Commission Invites Applications for Artist Fellowships
Four grants of $5,000 will be awarded to exemplary
Posted on August 19, 2009
Deadline: October 1, 2009
January 12, 2009
timothy karpinski
Thanks to Lauren Graham, I have recently been introduced to the work of Timothy Karpinski and have just fallen in love with the quiet, peaceful meditative qualities of his images. Perhaps it's my childhood in WV, but his paintings conjure those nights under the handmade quilts in your Grandma's guest bedroom. The nights when you slept peacefully and dreamt of snapping green beans, woke to the smell of pancakes and bacon.
Want to bring your attention to his website, paintings and installation work.
From his site, Timothy says:
From a young age ive always been making things. Building forts turned into building skate ramps which lead to building art installations. I love the art making process, from the initial spark of the "idea", the creation to the finished product. Art for me is very personal and everything i make is a direct reflection on my feelings about this world and my struggle and fascination with trying to understand it and find my purpose within it.
His artwork is available at:
Los Angles - Thinkspace Gallery: http://www.thinkspacegallery.com/
Portland - Together Gallery: http://www.togethergallery.com/
Or check out his website: http://www.timothykarpinski.com/
January 11, 2009
Rockefeller Foundation Accepting Applications for Bellagio Center Creative Arts Residencies
Deadline: February 11, 2009
The Rockefeller Foundation ( http://www.rockfound.org/) Bellagio Center creative arts residencies are designed to give composers, novelists, playwrights, poets, video/filmmakers, and visual artists time for disciplined work, individual reflection, and collegial engagement free of the usual interruptions of their professional and personal life.
Located on a peninsula adjacent to Lake Como, two hours north of Milan, Italy, the Bellagio Center typically offers one-month stays for no more than three to five creative artists at a time.
The foundation seeks applicants from any country in the world who are able to demonstrate a history of significant achievement in their respective artistic disciplines. Individuals from developing countries and young artists with significant accomplishments -- exhibitions, publications, performances -- are particularly encouraged to apply. Decisions are based on the quality of the proposed project, the ability of the applicant to articulate the project's purpose and goals, the professional qualifications and achievements of the applicant, and the suitability and value of the center for the proposed activity. Spouses/life partners may accompany the resident, or may apply for a concurrent residency. The center also offers collaborative residencies for two to four persons working on the same project.
Residencies are typically four weeks long; however, shorter periods may be available. Room and board are provided without charge to all residents and their spouses/partners. Residents and
spouses/partners must pay for their own airfare and local transportation to/from Bellagio. Assistance with round-trip economy airfare between the home country and Milan is available on a financial needs basis to qualifying residents and their spouses/partners from developing countries.
The February 11, 2009, deadline is for a possible residency occurring between mid-August through November 26, 2009.
For detailed program information, visit the Rockefeller Foundation Web site.
RFP Link:
http://fconline.foundationcenter.org/pnd/15016374/rockfound
For additional RFPs in Arts and Culture, visit:
http://foundationcenter.org/pnd/rfp/cat_arts.jhtml
The Rockefeller Foundation ( http://www.rockfound.org/) Bellagio Center creative arts residencies are designed to give composers, novelists, playwrights, poets, video/filmmakers, and visual artists time for disciplined work, individual reflection, and collegial engagement free of the usual interruptions of their professional and personal life.
Located on a peninsula adjacent to Lake Como, two hours north of Milan, Italy, the Bellagio Center typically offers one-month stays for no more than three to five creative artists at a time.
The foundation seeks applicants from any country in the world who are able to demonstrate a history of significant achievement in their respective artistic disciplines. Individuals from developing countries and young artists with significant accomplishments -- exhibitions, publications, performances -- are particularly encouraged to apply. Decisions are based on the quality of the proposed project, the ability of the applicant to articulate the project's purpose and goals, the professional qualifications and achievements of the applicant, and the suitability and value of the center for the proposed activity. Spouses/life partners may accompany the resident, or may apply for a concurrent residency. The center also offers collaborative residencies for two to four persons working on the same project.
Residencies are typically four weeks long; however, shorter periods may be available. Room and board are provided without charge to all residents and their spouses/partners. Residents and
spouses/partners must pay for their own airfare and local transportation to/from Bellagio. Assistance with round-trip economy airfare between the home country and Milan is available on a financial needs basis to qualifying residents and their spouses/partners from developing countries.
The February 11, 2009, deadline is for a possible residency occurring between mid-August through November 26, 2009.
For detailed program information, visit the Rockefeller Foundation Web site.
RFP Link:
http://fconline.foundationcenter.org/pnd/15016374/rockfound
For additional RFPs in Arts and Culture, visit:
http://foundationcenter.org/pnd/rfp/cat_arts.jhtml
October 06, 2008
short films needed for SATSANG
A note from producer Misi Lopez Lecube -
As most of you know I'm producing an ongoing new works performance series called SATSANG LOUNGE. We are moving into finalizing the line up for No. 2 -- which takes place on Oct 21 at 7:30. We had a great No. 1 and it's all very exciting stuff however, I'm coming up short on short film submissions.and I turn to you because either you may have a film (20 minutes or less) you'd like to show or know someone who has a short they may want to show at SATSANG.
SATSANG LOUNGE has landed at Theatre Theater in Los Angeles! No. 2 is taking place on OCTOBER 21. Friends and marvelous artists, join us! *Satsang Lounge is an on going new works
performance series where a diverse group of working Los Angeles artists are invited to exhibit,
explore and workshop new works in the company of other artists and an audience.
We had a our SATSANG LOUNGE No. 1 debut on September 23! The performances and film work were fantastic. It was a great success! Also, I have a new partner helping me make all this
happen and her name is Liz Kent! She’s great! We are putting the word out for No. 2 because we
still have a few spots open...
ATTENTION: actors, performers, musicians, filmmakers, dancers, writers -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!
WHEN & WHERE: OCT 21, 7:30pm @ Theatre Theater (5041 Pico Blvd. off La Brea) is home to our SATSANG LOUNGE evenings- it’s a fantastic theater venue that owners Jeff Murray & Nicolette Chaffrey have recently renovated with new sound and lighting and AC! http://www.theatretheater.net/
Performance info: There are 7 to 8 ‘acts’ per Lounge. Each act will have 12 - 20 minutes depending on genre. *Each performer is required tobring at least 4 people to the show. As SATSANG LOUNGE is also an artists collective, performers are welcome to watch each other perform from the audience and are asked to stay for the entire show to enjoy and support and to participate in the group bow at the end. There will be one intermission. *We have an
amazing concessions situation catered by EVERYDAY FEAST so, libations and snacks are
available for purchase before, during and after the show. No need to grab dinner before hand!
Promotions & Business: We do our best to get listed in local publications and local web event
listings. There will also be a press release emailed three weeks in advance, Also, you will receive
postcards to hand out- with your names listed on them, and by all means we ask you to list us in your websites, blogs, etc.!!!
If you are interested in participating in Satsang Lounge LA- you may contact me via emailsatsanglounge@gmail.com
*Past performers and SATSANG LOUNGE Artists Collective Members-- please pass this performance opportunity on to those you know would appreciate! Please be our friend on myspace--- we're www.myspace.com/Satsanglounge.
About Satsang Lounge: The inspiration for Satsang Lounge came when I was looking for an open artist collective, where I couldworkshop new material I was developing for my solo show in NYC.
So, I found a theater and invited other writers, artists, actors, musicians, dancers, poets, painters, filmmakers, magicians, storytellers, DJ'S and who ever else could fit in the venue, to play, present, and explore their newest works in front of one another and an audience and from 1997-2002, I produced and hosted *Satsang Lounge in a community room at New York City's historic West Beth Theater.
*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 artistswhere 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
As most of you know I'm producing an ongoing new works performance series called SATSANG LOUNGE. We are moving into finalizing the line up for No. 2 -- which takes place on Oct 21 at 7:30. We had a great No. 1 and it's all very exciting stuff however, I'm coming up short on short film submissions.and I turn to you because either you may have a film (20 minutes or less) you'd like to show or know someone who has a short they may want to show at SATSANG.
SATSANG LOUNGE has landed at Theatre Theater in Los Angeles! No. 2 is taking place on OCTOBER 21. Friends and marvelous artists, join us! *Satsang Lounge is an on going new works
performance series where a diverse group of working Los Angeles artists are invited to exhibit,
explore and workshop new works in the company of other artists and an audience.
We had a our SATSANG LOUNGE No. 1 debut on September 23! The performances and film work were fantastic. It was a great success! Also, I have a new partner helping me make all this
happen and her name is Liz Kent! She’s great! We are putting the word out for No. 2 because we
still have a few spots open...
ATTENTION: actors, performers, musicians, filmmakers, dancers, writers -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!
WHEN & WHERE: OCT 21, 7:30pm @ Theatre Theater (5041 Pico Blvd. off La Brea) is home to our SATSANG LOUNGE evenings- it’s a fantastic theater venue that owners Jeff Murray & Nicolette Chaffrey have recently renovated with new sound and lighting and AC! http://www.theatretheater.net/
Performance info: There are 7 to 8 ‘acts’ per Lounge. Each act will have 12 - 20 minutes depending on genre. *Each performer is required tobring at least 4 people to the show. As SATSANG LOUNGE is also an artists collective, performers are welcome to watch each other perform from the audience and are asked to stay for the entire show to enjoy and support and to participate in the group bow at the end. There will be one intermission. *We have an
amazing concessions situation catered by EVERYDAY FEAST so, libations and snacks are
available for purchase before, during and after the show. No need to grab dinner before hand!
Promotions & Business: We do our best to get listed in local publications and local web event
listings. There will also be a press release emailed three weeks in advance, Also, you will receive
postcards to hand out- with your names listed on them, and by all means we ask you to list us in your websites, blogs, etc.!!!
If you are interested in participating in Satsang Lounge LA- you may contact me via emailsatsanglounge@gmail.com
*Past performers and SATSANG LOUNGE Artists Collective Members-- please pass this performance opportunity on to those you know would appreciate! Please be our friend on myspace--- we're www.myspace.com/Satsanglounge.
About Satsang Lounge: The inspiration for Satsang Lounge came when I was looking for an open artist collective, where I couldworkshop new material I was developing for my solo show in NYC.
So, I found a theater and invited other writers, artists, actors, musicians, dancers, poets, painters, filmmakers, magicians, storytellers, DJ'S and who ever else could fit in the venue, to play, present, and explore their newest works in front of one another and an audience and from 1997-2002, I produced and hosted *Satsang Lounge in a community room at New York City's historic West Beth Theater.
*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 artistswhere 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
September 26, 2008
grants
1) National Endowment for the Arts Announces Guidelines for American Masterpieces: Dance
Deadline: October 24, 2008
American Masterpieces: Three Centuries of Artistic Genius (http://nea.gov/national/masterpieces/index.html) is a major initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts ( http://www.arts.gov) to acquaint Americans with the best of their cultural and artistic legacy.
Through the initiative, reconstructions and restagings of significant dance works of the highest quality will be experienced by Americans in communities across the nation. The endowment
plans to support a variety of projects that are artistically, historically, and culturally significant and that reflect the breadth of dance forms, styles, and techniques in America.
Grants will be awarded in two areas: 1) for the reconstruction or restaging of significant American dance works and their performance at home and on tour by dance companies, presenters, and festivals; and 2) to college and university dance programs for the restaging, performance, and documentation of significant dance choreography in order to provide dance students with access to the legacy of American dance history.
All projects must be accompanied by related educational, interpretive, or contextual components. Substantial efforts should be made to engage and expand dance audiences by reaching underserved communities.
For dance companies, presenters, and festivals, grants will range from $15,000 to $150,000 each. For college and university dance programs, all grants will be for $15,000 each. All grants require a nonfederal match of at least 1 to 1. A grant period of up to two years is allowed.
Eligible applicants include nonprofit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3), U.S. organizations; units of state or local government; or federally recognized tribal communities or tribes.
Program guidelines are available at the NEA Web site.
RFP Link:
http://fconline.foundationcenter.org/pnd/15015176/artsemdow
For additional RFPs in Arts and Culture, visit:
http://foundationcenter.org/pnd/rfp/cat_arts.jhtml
---------------------------<<>>----------------------------
2) Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation Releases Guidelines for Artists & Communities Program
Deadline: December 1, 2008
The Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation ( http://midatlanticarts.org) has announced program guidelines for the 2009-10 cycle of its Artists & Communities program. This year, artists from any of the foundation's nine partner states are eligible to participate.
Artists & Communities supports artist residencies designed collaboratively by visiting artists and host nonprofit organizations that engage the public in the creative process. Artists and non-
profit organizations from Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Virginia, and West Virginia are eligible to participate
in the program.
Artists & Communities supports professional creative artists (choreographers, composers, poets, writers, filmmakers, media, and visual artists of all kinds) who partner with nonprofit
organizations on projects that result in the creation of new work. The program is specifically designed to support artists whose work is informed by or developed in conjunction with
community participation. Nonprofit organizations apply in partnership with the artist(s)
they wish to host. The project must be designed collaboratively by the artist and the host organization. The host organization must be a tax-exempt nonprofit corporation or a unit of government.
Artists & Communities grants usually range from $5,000 to $20,000 each and must be matched on a 1:1 basis. Grants funds may only be used toward the artist's stipend, long-distance travel and accommodations, supplies and materials used in the project, and documentation.
Visit the MAAF Web site for complete program information.
RFP Link:
http://fconline.foundationcenter.org/pnd/15015177/midatlanticarts
For additional RFPs in Arts and Culture, visit:
http://foundationcenter.org/pnd/rfp/cat_arts.jhtml
---------------------------<<>>----------------------------
3) New York City African-American and Latino Composers Invited to Apply for Van Lier Fellowships
Deadline: December 8, 2008
The Edward and Sally Van Lier Fund of the New York Community Trust provides support for talented, culturally diverse young people who are seriously dedicated to a career in the arts. Meet The Composer administers the Van Lier Fellowship on behalf of the Van Lier Fund of the New York Community Trust.
The purpose of the fellowship is to provide financial and career support for New York City's African-American and Latino composers still in the early stages of their careers. Composers, improvisers, singer/songwriters and sound artists working in any style or genre of music and sound will be considered. Funds can be used for any purpose, including the creation of new work, the purchasing of music/tech equipment, travel, or research and development.
The fellowship is open to African-American and Latino composers thirty-two years of age or younger. Applicants must be a fulltime resident of New York City (any borough), show financial need, and not be enrolled in a degree-granting program at the time of application (i.e., no students).
The one-year fellowship award is $8,500. Additional monetary support will be provided if the composer develops and participates in an educational outreach program with students and/or youth groups. The educational component is optional. Two fellowships are awarded each year.
Guidelines and application forms are available at the Meet the Composer Web site.
RFP Link:
http://fconline.foundationcenter.org/pnd/15015178/meetthecomposer
For additional RFPs in Arts and Culture, visit:
http://foundationcenter.org/pnd/rfp/cat_arts.jhtml
---------------------------<<>>----------------------------
4) USArtists International Announces Global Expansion
Deadline: January 9, 2009; and May 4, 2009
With support from the National Endowment for the Arts ( http://www.arts.gov), the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation ( http://www.mellon.org), and the Trust for Mutual Understanding ( http://www.tmuny.org/index.html), the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation ( http://www.midatlanticarts.org) has announced a major expansion of USArtists International, a national initiative solely dedicated to promoting the work of American performing
artists abroad.
Formerly limited to supporting dance and music ensembles invited to perform at international festivals in Europe, USAI will now encompass festivals anywhere in the world outside the United States. The program also will be open to support American theater companies and solo performances in all performing arts disciplines.
Grants are available to American dance, music, and theater ensembles and solo artists that have been invited to participate in international festivals outside the United States.
Eligible applicants must be dance, music, or theater ensembles, including practitioners of folk and traditional forms, that work at a professional level; consist of a majority of members who
are citizens or permanent residents of the U.S.; and have 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization status or a fiscal sponsor with such status.
Eligible festivals must be sponsored or organized primarily by a non-U.S. based organization; be international in scope with representation from at least two countries outside the host country,
or have a U.S. theme with representation from at least three U.S. performing groups; reach a wide audience and be open and marketed to the general public; provide the applicant with a signed letter of invitation or signed contract to perform at the festival; and provide some support to the invited ensembles in the form of cash remuneration, paid travel-related expenses, or in-kind contributions.
Upcoming deadlines for the program are January 9, 2009, for projects taking place between March 1, 2009, and February 28, 2010; and May 4, 2009, for projects taking place between July 1, 2009, and June 30, 2010.
The USAI guidelines are available at the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation Web site.
RFP Link:
http://fconline.foundationcenter.org/pnd/15015179/usartists
For additional RFPs in Arts and Culture, visit:
http://foundationcenter.org/pnd/rfp/cat_arts.jhtml
Deadline: October 24, 2008
American Masterpieces: Three Centuries of Artistic Genius (http://nea.gov/national/masterpieces/index.html) is a major initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts ( http://www.arts.gov) to acquaint Americans with the best of their cultural and artistic legacy.
Through the initiative, reconstructions and restagings of significant dance works of the highest quality will be experienced by Americans in communities across the nation. The endowment
plans to support a variety of projects that are artistically, historically, and culturally significant and that reflect the breadth of dance forms, styles, and techniques in America.
Grants will be awarded in two areas: 1) for the reconstruction or restaging of significant American dance works and their performance at home and on tour by dance companies, presenters, and festivals; and 2) to college and university dance programs for the restaging, performance, and documentation of significant dance choreography in order to provide dance students with access to the legacy of American dance history.
All projects must be accompanied by related educational, interpretive, or contextual components. Substantial efforts should be made to engage and expand dance audiences by reaching underserved communities.
For dance companies, presenters, and festivals, grants will range from $15,000 to $150,000 each. For college and university dance programs, all grants will be for $15,000 each. All grants require a nonfederal match of at least 1 to 1. A grant period of up to two years is allowed.
Eligible applicants include nonprofit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3), U.S. organizations; units of state or local government; or federally recognized tribal communities or tribes.
Program guidelines are available at the NEA Web site.
RFP Link:
http://fconline.foundationcenter.org/pnd/15015176/artsemdow
For additional RFPs in Arts and Culture, visit:
http://foundationcenter.org/pnd/rfp/cat_arts.jhtml
---------------------------<<>>----------------------------
2) Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation Releases Guidelines for Artists & Communities Program
Deadline: December 1, 2008
The Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation ( http://midatlanticarts.org) has announced program guidelines for the 2009-10 cycle of its Artists & Communities program. This year, artists from any of the foundation's nine partner states are eligible to participate.
Artists & Communities supports artist residencies designed collaboratively by visiting artists and host nonprofit organizations that engage the public in the creative process. Artists and non-
profit organizations from Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Virginia, and West Virginia are eligible to participate
in the program.
Artists & Communities supports professional creative artists (choreographers, composers, poets, writers, filmmakers, media, and visual artists of all kinds) who partner with nonprofit
organizations on projects that result in the creation of new work. The program is specifically designed to support artists whose work is informed by or developed in conjunction with
community participation. Nonprofit organizations apply in partnership with the artist(s)
they wish to host. The project must be designed collaboratively by the artist and the host organization. The host organization must be a tax-exempt nonprofit corporation or a unit of government.
Artists & Communities grants usually range from $5,000 to $20,000 each and must be matched on a 1:1 basis. Grants funds may only be used toward the artist's stipend, long-distance travel and accommodations, supplies and materials used in the project, and documentation.
Visit the MAAF Web site for complete program information.
RFP Link:
http://fconline.foundationcenter.org/pnd/15015177/midatlanticarts
For additional RFPs in Arts and Culture, visit:
http://foundationcenter.org/pnd/rfp/cat_arts.jhtml
---------------------------<<>>----------------------------
3) New York City African-American and Latino Composers Invited to Apply for Van Lier Fellowships
Deadline: December 8, 2008
The Edward and Sally Van Lier Fund of the New York Community Trust provides support for talented, culturally diverse young people who are seriously dedicated to a career in the arts. Meet The Composer administers the Van Lier Fellowship on behalf of the Van Lier Fund of the New York Community Trust.
The purpose of the fellowship is to provide financial and career support for New York City's African-American and Latino composers still in the early stages of their careers. Composers, improvisers, singer/songwriters and sound artists working in any style or genre of music and sound will be considered. Funds can be used for any purpose, including the creation of new work, the purchasing of music/tech equipment, travel, or research and development.
The fellowship is open to African-American and Latino composers thirty-two years of age or younger. Applicants must be a fulltime resident of New York City (any borough), show financial need, and not be enrolled in a degree-granting program at the time of application (i.e., no students).
The one-year fellowship award is $8,500. Additional monetary support will be provided if the composer develops and participates in an educational outreach program with students and/or youth groups. The educational component is optional. Two fellowships are awarded each year.
Guidelines and application forms are available at the Meet the Composer Web site.
RFP Link:
http://fconline.foundationcenter.org/pnd/15015178/meetthecomposer
For additional RFPs in Arts and Culture, visit:
http://foundationcenter.org/pnd/rfp/cat_arts.jhtml
---------------------------<<>>----------------------------
4) USArtists International Announces Global Expansion
Deadline: January 9, 2009; and May 4, 2009
With support from the National Endowment for the Arts ( http://www.arts.gov), the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation ( http://www.mellon.org), and the Trust for Mutual Understanding ( http://www.tmuny.org/index.html), the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation ( http://www.midatlanticarts.org) has announced a major expansion of USArtists International, a national initiative solely dedicated to promoting the work of American performing
artists abroad.
Formerly limited to supporting dance and music ensembles invited to perform at international festivals in Europe, USAI will now encompass festivals anywhere in the world outside the United States. The program also will be open to support American theater companies and solo performances in all performing arts disciplines.
Grants are available to American dance, music, and theater ensembles and solo artists that have been invited to participate in international festivals outside the United States.
Eligible applicants must be dance, music, or theater ensembles, including practitioners of folk and traditional forms, that work at a professional level; consist of a majority of members who
are citizens or permanent residents of the U.S.; and have 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization status or a fiscal sponsor with such status.
Eligible festivals must be sponsored or organized primarily by a non-U.S. based organization; be international in scope with representation from at least two countries outside the host country,
or have a U.S. theme with representation from at least three U.S. performing groups; reach a wide audience and be open and marketed to the general public; provide the applicant with a signed letter of invitation or signed contract to perform at the festival; and provide some support to the invited ensembles in the form of cash remuneration, paid travel-related expenses, or in-kind contributions.
Upcoming deadlines for the program are January 9, 2009, for projects taking place between March 1, 2009, and February 28, 2010; and May 4, 2009, for projects taking place between July 1, 2009, and June 30, 2010.
The USAI guidelines are available at the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation Web site.
RFP Link:
http://fconline.foundationcenter.org/pnd/15015179/usartists
For additional RFPs in Arts and Culture, visit:
http://foundationcenter.org/pnd/rfp/cat_arts.jhtml
July 11, 2008
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
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
May 08, 2008
poetry for character development
Once again, we experiment with brevity in order to cut to the core of our characters and their desires. What happens if your characters have to sum up their entire story in the form of a haiku? What do you learn? What do you miss? What do you wish you could still say? What do you not need?
DAILY CREATIVE EXERCISE:
Poetic Form: Haiku
Using the traditional Japanese haiku, a three-line poem with seventeen syllables, write in a 5/7/5 syllable count. Often haikus focus on images from nature and emphasize simplicity, intensity, and directness of expression.
5
7
5
DAILY CREATIVE EXERCISE:
Poetic Form: Haiku
Using the traditional Japanese haiku, a three-line poem with seventeen syllables, write in a 5/7/5 syllable count. Often haikus focus on images from nature and emphasize simplicity, intensity, and directness of expression.
5
7
5
May 01, 2008
poetry for character development 7
Your characters have suffered loss at some point in their lives. They've lost a parent, they've lost a love affair, they've lost a job, they've lost a loved pet.
Maybe they are currently in the process of deciding to break up. Maybe they were just dumped. Maybe they have not yet made any decisions and are weighing all the risks.
Whatever the circumstances, have your lead character speak to you in an Elegy to fill you in on the details of that particular loss. If your lead character is untouched by loss, then explore a supporting character to find out how a specific loss has informed their current pattern of behavior.
DAILY CREATIVE EXERCISE:
Poetic Form: Elegy
Elegy mirrors three stages of loss. First, there is a lament, where the speaker expresses grief and sorrow, then praise and admiration, and finally consolation and solace.
Elegy on Toy Piano
by Dean Young
For Kenneth Koch
You don't need a pony
to connect you to the unseeable
or an airplane to connect you to the sky.
Necessary it is to love to live
and there are many manuals
but in all important ways
one is on one's own.
You need not cut off your hand.
No need to eat a bouquet.
Your head becomes a peach pit.
Your tongue a honeycomb.
Necessary it is to live to love,
to charge into the burning tower
then charge back out
and necessary it is to die.
Even for the trees, even for the pony
connecting you to what can't be grasped.
The injured gazelle falls behind the
herd. One last wild enjambment.
Because of the sores in his mouth,
the great poet struggles with a dumpling.
His work has enlarged the world
but the world is about to stop including him.
He is the tower the world runs out of.
When something becomes ash,
there's nothing you can do to turn it back.
About this, even diamonds do not lie.
Maybe they are currently in the process of deciding to break up. Maybe they were just dumped. Maybe they have not yet made any decisions and are weighing all the risks.
Whatever the circumstances, have your lead character speak to you in an Elegy to fill you in on the details of that particular loss. If your lead character is untouched by loss, then explore a supporting character to find out how a specific loss has informed their current pattern of behavior.
DAILY CREATIVE EXERCISE:
Poetic Form: Elegy
Elegy mirrors three stages of loss. First, there is a lament, where the speaker expresses grief and sorrow, then praise and admiration, and finally consolation and solace.
Elegy on Toy Piano
by Dean Young
For Kenneth Koch
You don't need a pony
to connect you to the unseeable
or an airplane to connect you to the sky.
Necessary it is to love to live
and there are many manuals
but in all important ways
one is on one's own.
You need not cut off your hand.
No need to eat a bouquet.
Your head becomes a peach pit.
Your tongue a honeycomb.
Necessary it is to live to love,
to charge into the burning tower
then charge back out
and necessary it is to die.
Even for the trees, even for the pony
connecting you to what can't be grasped.
The injured gazelle falls behind the
herd. One last wild enjambment.
Because of the sores in his mouth,
the great poet struggles with a dumpling.
His work has enlarged the world
but the world is about to stop including him.
He is the tower the world runs out of.
When something becomes ash,
there's nothing you can do to turn it back.
About this, even diamonds do not lie.
April 24, 2008
using poetry for character development 5
Forcing our characters to keep their thoughts succinct, brief, helps to solidify exactly what is important to them. It cuts to the core of their motivations and desires.
DAILY CREATIVE EXERCISE:
WRITE A TANKA
Tanka is an ancient form of Japanese poetry believed to exist for the last 1300 years which makes it older than haiku. As a form, the tanka poem consists of 31 syllables arranged in a metric pattern of 5 – 7 – 5 – 7 – 7.
In Japanese, tanka is written in one straight line with no stresses and no rhyme scheme though the sounds and words are meant to resonate emotionally as in contemporary American free verse.
In English, we usually divide the lines into the five syllabic units:
5
7
5
7
7
Use this form to explore the driving motivation behind all of your characters actions. You can choose a theme such as OBSESSION or LOSS and have each of your characters write a tanka to express their "take" on it.
Use the below poems as a guide for structure and form. Tankas often deal with how nature is reflective of our inner emotional states. How a tree can symbolize our own growth, how the weather express our moods. Let your characters grow nostalgic, self-reflective. Let them wallow a bit.
Lying alone
my black hair tangled
uncombed,
I long for the one
who touched it first.
-- IZUMI SHIKIBU
Did he appear
because I fell asleep
thinking of him?
If only I'd known I was dreaming,
I'd never have wakened.
-- ONO NO KOMACHI
DAILY CREATIVE EXERCISE:
WRITE A TANKA
Tanka is an ancient form of Japanese poetry believed to exist for the last 1300 years which makes it older than haiku. As a form, the tanka poem consists of 31 syllables arranged in a metric pattern of 5 – 7 – 5 – 7 – 7.
In Japanese, tanka is written in one straight line with no stresses and no rhyme scheme though the sounds and words are meant to resonate emotionally as in contemporary American free verse.
In English, we usually divide the lines into the five syllabic units:
5
7
5
7
7
Use this form to explore the driving motivation behind all of your characters actions. You can choose a theme such as OBSESSION or LOSS and have each of your characters write a tanka to express their "take" on it.
Use the below poems as a guide for structure and form. Tankas often deal with how nature is reflective of our inner emotional states. How a tree can symbolize our own growth, how the weather express our moods. Let your characters grow nostalgic, self-reflective. Let them wallow a bit.
Lying alone
my black hair tangled
uncombed,
I long for the one
who touched it first.
-- IZUMI SHIKIBU
Did he appear
because I fell asleep
thinking of him?
If only I'd known I was dreaming,
I'd never have wakened.
-- ONO NO KOMACHI
April 23, 2008
poetry for character development 4
I find it is unusually helpful to have a character of the play tell me the entire story of the play from their perspective. They only see the plot elements that directly impact their lives. They don't know the underlying motivations of the other characters or they may have STRONG opinions about how things SHOULD be happening.
A great way to get this information out of your characters is a story poem.
DAILY CREATIVE EXERCISE:
WRITE A STORY POEM
To get started on a story poem, begin by quickly writing down a sequence of events that happens to one of your supporting characters, from beginning to end. USE THEIR VOICE - NOT YOURS! You might be surprised how a peripheral character knows so much about your structure and plot!
You may want to write this out first as prose, then add line breaks and stanza breaks when you complete your first draft. Or you may choose to mimic the structure and form of the poem below to give yourself a road map.
Whatever you do, just write.
TOMATOES
- by Stephen Dobyns -
A woman travels to Brazil for plastic
surgery and a face-lift. She is sixty
and has the usual desire to stay pretty.
Once she is healed, she takes her new face
out on the streets of Rio. A young man
with a gun wants her money. Bang, she’s dead.
The body is shipped back to New York,
but in the morgue there is a mix-up. The son
is sent for. He is told that his mother
is one of these ten different women.
Each has been shot. Such is modern life.
He studies them all but can’t find her.
With her new face, she has become a stranger.
Maybe it’s this one, maybe it’s that one.
He looks at their breasts. Which ones nursed him?
He presses their hands to his cheek.
Which ones consoled him? He even tries
climbing onto their laps to see which
feels most familiar but the coroner stops him.
Well, says the coroner, which is your mother?
They all are, says the young man, let me
take them as a package. The coroner hesitates,
then agrees. Actually, it solved a lot of problems.
The young man has the ten women shipped home,
then cremates them all together. You’ve seen
how some people have a little urn on the mantel?
This man has a huge silver garbage can.
In the spring, he drags the garbage can
out to the garden and begins working the teeth,
the ash, the bits of bone into the soil.
Then he plants tomatoes. His mother loved tomatoes.
They grow straight from seed, so fast and big
that the young man is amazed. He takes the first
ten into the kitchen. In their roundness,
he sees his mother’s breasts. In their smoothness
he finds the consoling touch of her hands.
Mother, mother, he cries, and flings himself
on the tomatoes. Forget about the knife, the fork,
the pinch of salt. Try to imagine the filial
starvation, think of his ravenous kisses.
A great way to get this information out of your characters is a story poem.
DAILY CREATIVE EXERCISE:
WRITE A STORY POEM
To get started on a story poem, begin by quickly writing down a sequence of events that happens to one of your supporting characters, from beginning to end. USE THEIR VOICE - NOT YOURS! You might be surprised how a peripheral character knows so much about your structure and plot!
You may want to write this out first as prose, then add line breaks and stanza breaks when you complete your first draft. Or you may choose to mimic the structure and form of the poem below to give yourself a road map.
Whatever you do, just write.
TOMATOES
- by Stephen Dobyns -
A woman travels to Brazil for plastic
surgery and a face-lift. She is sixty
and has the usual desire to stay pretty.
Once she is healed, she takes her new face
out on the streets of Rio. A young man
with a gun wants her money. Bang, she’s dead.
The body is shipped back to New York,
but in the morgue there is a mix-up. The son
is sent for. He is told that his mother
is one of these ten different women.
Each has been shot. Such is modern life.
He studies them all but can’t find her.
With her new face, she has become a stranger.
Maybe it’s this one, maybe it’s that one.
He looks at their breasts. Which ones nursed him?
He presses their hands to his cheek.
Which ones consoled him? He even tries
climbing onto their laps to see which
feels most familiar but the coroner stops him.
Well, says the coroner, which is your mother?
They all are, says the young man, let me
take them as a package. The coroner hesitates,
then agrees. Actually, it solved a lot of problems.
The young man has the ten women shipped home,
then cremates them all together. You’ve seen
how some people have a little urn on the mantel?
This man has a huge silver garbage can.
In the spring, he drags the garbage can
out to the garden and begins working the teeth,
the ash, the bits of bone into the soil.
Then he plants tomatoes. His mother loved tomatoes.
They grow straight from seed, so fast and big
that the young man is amazed. He takes the first
ten into the kitchen. In their roundness,
he sees his mother’s breasts. In their smoothness
he finds the consoling touch of her hands.
Mother, mother, he cries, and flings himself
on the tomatoes. Forget about the knife, the fork,
the pinch of salt. Try to imagine the filial
starvation, think of his ravenous kisses.
April 22, 2008
poetry for character development 3
Your characters have a way that they do things that may be a very different approach than you would take as a person yourself or as a writer trying to fix script issues. Sometimes, it's best to get out of the way and let them fix the problems themselves.
DAILY CREATIVE EXERCISE
WRITE A "HOW TO" POEM
In the voice of your lead character, address an obstacle blocking your lead from getting what they want. Maybe your lead wants to seduce his/her lover. Write a "how to seduce" poem in their voice. Maybe your lead wants to kill his/her enemy. Write a "how to get rid of so-and-so" poem.
Use the form and structure of the below poem as your guide.
How to See Deer
by Philip Booth
Forget roadside crossings.
Go nowhere with guns.
Go elsewhere your own way,
lonely and wanting. Or
stay and be early:
next to deep woods
Inhabit old orchards.
All clearings promise.
Sunrise is good,
and fog before sun.
Expect nothing always;
find your luck slowly.
Wait out the windfall.
Take your good time
to learn to read ferns;
make like a turtle:
downhill toward slow water.
Instructed by heron,
drink the pure silence.
Be compassed by wind.
If you quiver like aspen
trust your quick nature:
let your ear teach you
which way to listen.
You've come to assume
protective color; now
colors reform to
new shapes in your eye.
You've learned by now
to wait without waiting;
as if it were dusk
look into light falling:
in deep relief
things even out. Be
careless of nothing. See
what you see.
DAILY CREATIVE EXERCISE
WRITE A "HOW TO" POEM
In the voice of your lead character, address an obstacle blocking your lead from getting what they want. Maybe your lead wants to seduce his/her lover. Write a "how to seduce" poem in their voice. Maybe your lead wants to kill his/her enemy. Write a "how to get rid of so-and-so" poem.
Use the form and structure of the below poem as your guide.
How to See Deer
by Philip Booth
Forget roadside crossings.
Go nowhere with guns.
Go elsewhere your own way,
lonely and wanting. Or
stay and be early:
next to deep woods
Inhabit old orchards.
All clearings promise.
Sunrise is good,
and fog before sun.
Expect nothing always;
find your luck slowly.
Wait out the windfall.
Take your good time
to learn to read ferns;
make like a turtle:
downhill toward slow water.
Instructed by heron,
drink the pure silence.
Be compassed by wind.
If you quiver like aspen
trust your quick nature:
let your ear teach you
which way to listen.
You've come to assume
protective color; now
colors reform to
new shapes in your eye.
You've learned by now
to wait without waiting;
as if it were dusk
look into light falling:
in deep relief
things even out. Be
careless of nothing. See
what you see.
April 18, 2008
using poetry for character development 2
Your characters often know alot more about each other than you know as the writer. Often, when we allow them to speak about the people that surround them (without the confining walls of our current project) we discover that they have juicy details and hidden secrets they need to share.
Poetry takes us out of our comfort zone and allows us to play for just a moment and hopefully, trip on new information.
DAILY CREATIVE EXERCISE:
Write a One-Sentence Poem
Write a poem that is atleast six to twelve lines long and contains only one sentence. Write this poem in the voice of your lead character talking about their enemy and/or lover and the topic is jealousy.
Use this poem as an example of the form but feel free to run longer.
The New Dog
by Linda Pastan
Into the gravity of my life,
the serious ceremonies
of polish and paper
and pen, has come
this manic animal
whose innocent disruptions
make nonsense
of my old simplicities—
as if I needed him
to prove again that after
all the careful planning,
anything can happen.
Poetry takes us out of our comfort zone and allows us to play for just a moment and hopefully, trip on new information.
DAILY CREATIVE EXERCISE:
Write a One-Sentence Poem
Write a poem that is atleast six to twelve lines long and contains only one sentence. Write this poem in the voice of your lead character talking about their enemy and/or lover and the topic is jealousy.
Use this poem as an example of the form but feel free to run longer.
The New Dog
by Linda Pastan
Into the gravity of my life,
the serious ceremonies
of polish and paper
and pen, has come
this manic animal
whose innocent disruptions
make nonsense
of my old simplicities—
as if I needed him
to prove again that after
all the careful planning,
anything can happen.
April 16, 2008
using poetry to create character
My weekly writing group most recently began using poetry to create raw material for other written work such as plays, screenplays, etc. This is a method I've used many times to discover my characters, uncover plot and to further examine the relationships between my lead character and his/her enemy or lover.
Often, my poems end up as monologues or as scenes within a play. The poem itself gets transposed into dialogue, which helps heighten the style and language of the piece without any "effort" - very often a poem can tell a writer, in so few words, what the essence of a scene actually is. It "cuts to the quick" and resonates with emotional truth.
Poetry creates the "aha" moment - which always leads to good drama.
DAILY CREATIVE EXERCISE:
"WRITE A PHOTOGRAPH"
Write a poem that captures your character like a photograph. See them in a specific fleeting moment. See them as another character saw them. Freeze that image in time. Flesh out the specifics, explore the details.
Use this poem as your inspiration. Steal its structure and make it your own. Copy the form or reject the tone. Use this poem as a launching pad for your own exploration.
Grammar
by Tony Hoagland
Maxine, back from a weekend with her boyfriend,
smiles like a big cat and says
that she's a conjugated verb.
She's been doing the direct object
with a second person pronoun named Phil,
and when she walks into the room,
everybody turns:
some kind of light is coming from her head.
Even the geraniums look curious,
and the bees, if they were here, would buzz
suspiciously around her hair, looking
for the door in her corona.
We're all attracted to the perfume
of fermenting joy,
we've all tried to start a fire,
and one day maybe it will blaze up on its own.
In the meantime, she is the one today among us
most able to bear the idea of her own beauty,
and when we see it, what we do is natural:
we take our burned hands
out of our pockets,
and clap.
Often, my poems end up as monologues or as scenes within a play. The poem itself gets transposed into dialogue, which helps heighten the style and language of the piece without any "effort" - very often a poem can tell a writer, in so few words, what the essence of a scene actually is. It "cuts to the quick" and resonates with emotional truth.
Poetry creates the "aha" moment - which always leads to good drama.
DAILY CREATIVE EXERCISE:
"WRITE A PHOTOGRAPH"
Write a poem that captures your character like a photograph. See them in a specific fleeting moment. See them as another character saw them. Freeze that image in time. Flesh out the specifics, explore the details.
Use this poem as your inspiration. Steal its structure and make it your own. Copy the form or reject the tone. Use this poem as a launching pad for your own exploration.
Grammar
by Tony Hoagland
Maxine, back from a weekend with her boyfriend,
smiles like a big cat and says
that she's a conjugated verb.
She's been doing the direct object
with a second person pronoun named Phil,
and when she walks into the room,
everybody turns:
some kind of light is coming from her head.
Even the geraniums look curious,
and the bees, if they were here, would buzz
suspiciously around her hair, looking
for the door in her corona.
We're all attracted to the perfume
of fermenting joy,
we've all tried to start a fire,
and one day maybe it will blaze up on its own.
In the meantime, she is the one today among us
most able to bear the idea of her own beauty,
and when we see it, what we do is natural:
we take our burned hands
out of our pockets,
and clap.
March 31, 2008
an artist inspires another artist
Poet turah cadillac was so moved by a performance she saw, she wrote and emailed this poem for us to feel, hear and experience for ourselves. ENJOY.
SOMETHING SO NECESSARY I CALL IT HOODOO ART
by turah cadillaclast night i saw one of'um them spirits gave the big load to carry
bill t jones
his art
his art his art his art...
weighed and measured in movements given to those who have joined his troupe of
ambidextrous interpreters of the show nuff
color coated garblers shakin up saltthey bend their bodies till time stands still
rewinds to the place where art took the crash route
a father who kills his daughter for her breath to carry her own words
a psychotic rampager doin another kind of family intervention
rust colored headline news given the healing oils by this shamanic circle
medicine torsos twistin the deformed puzzlers riddle
doin whatever it takes to get at the holy tip
liftin dark magic gone awry see some shine
yeah
through the art of dance they spoke about the killin' spirit
not in glorifying misspent energy but to recognize it as a source of
power and might
a place where the soul travels to know the worth of life has value
is necessary as art
as art as art
as song as story as movementas song
as story as movement
After they tamed the roar after the audience had been filled with the rise up
bill t jones gave even more
he opened up the floor to the audience
yes!
i have finally found my hoodoo beggin' room
i know if he don't hear me full ways at least i did my very best
yes! i do have a question the scribe gives nothing until ink flows to the paper- i must write
it first cause if i don't out pops the gibberish heart thumpin babbler
dancin' the winged doll tourettes tongue jumpin up makin soup splash through the roof
the audience would laugh as i hunt for the strange vocabulary that
just flew out my mouth which will make all of me work up a sweat sure
to be some news story about a river over flowin in a town called yak
"mr. jones-where do u think the energy that your work exudes would go
if you
were not placing it- containing it in the dance the movements and the
story?"
"thats a great question- i don't know I think i would go mad..."
his voice his truth echos past this showcase
pleasure is an odd bird-to find the place where the hereafter speaks the sky torn in two can soothe the wildest woodworkers -to have discovered the art of the arts -to know and see and hear'um speak thebig winds- say to me "chile u think we really came here and picked cotton for hundreds and hundreds of years and not know who runs nature-umph umph umph...tell our stories daughta tell our stories"
between the cacaphony of dance and exploding music i kept rubbing my beaded bracelet saying to them hoodoo ridin' me urging me to hurry and get the loot to do their stories-i say: well yall there it is insteadof takin yaselves cross this cotton and flower field nation...out body
jumpin
fire startin
plane crashin where i can
see ya! there it is! mr. bill t jones done figured out how to make it
work so gowan bother him! ok fine hollywood wanna keep ya in the unknown slave catagory but here this fellow carryin' hoodoo good-obviously his juice is the true shine-gowan now follow him!
of course as usual when i get my hoodoo chant goin strong all they say is:
SCENICVILLE TEXAS SCENICVILLE TEXAS SCENICVILLE TEXAS
its the only way daughta its our song its our story its our place to let freedom ring - we came here cause we wanted to we came knowin ain't nobody told our stories daughta aint nobody told our stories cause we gave'um to u to tell'um until then we ride the winds we body jump we make art daughta we make art...
September 12, 2007
very important poetry contest
GotPoetry is seeking submissions for a chapbook length book of poetry about violence, survival and hope. The book, Beth's Legacy, will be published in memory of Elizabeth Spence Cann of Norton, MA, who was murdered by her ex-boyfriend, and all proceeds will benefit Brittney and Danielle Cann, her daughters, who were critically injured in the attack that killed their mother.
Beth's Legacy
On the morning of August 27, 2007, Elizabeth Spence Cann was found shot to death in her own bed. Two of her daughters, 12 year old Brittney and 15 year old Danielle, were found on the floor of the hallway leading into her room. Both girls had been shot in the head and left for dead. The shooter, Beth's estranged boyfriend, took his own life early that morning.By some miracle, both Danielle and Brittney survived the senseless attack, but both face a long, long road to recovery. A third daughter, their oldest sister Amanda, was not home at the time. She faces a future of questions and grief.The girls are a part of Gotpoetry's extended family.
Beth was the niece of Gotpoetry staffer Deb Powers, and deeply loved cousin of regular member and contributor Cara Powers. In the week that followed the shooting, the Gotpoetry community reacted to the news with an outpouring of sympathy, love and support for which the family is extremely grateful. Many also privately asked if there was something more, something tangible, that they could do to show their support for the family and the injured girls. There is.
Gotpoetry is seeking submissions of poetry for a chapbook length anthology to be called "Beth's Legacy". We're especially seeking poems that speak to surviving loss, recovering from violence and ending domestic abuse. There is no restriction on form or length. All styles of poetry are welcome, though poems of less than 60 lines will be more likely to be accepted.The selection committee for Beth's Legacy will include the staff of Gotpoetry and representatives of Beth Cann's family.
The finished book will be available for purchase through Gotpoetry and a variety of other outlets, with all proceeds from the sale contributed to the Cann Family Hope Fund set up for the support and aid of Brittney and Danielle by Beth's church in Norton, MA.
Deadline for submissions is September 30, 2007.
Submit up to three poems for consideration in the body of an email to :bethslegacy@onlythebest.info by September 30.
Please submit only original poetry to which you hold the copyright.Because the book is a fund raiser, we can not pay for the poems accepted, but we will make the book available for download to any poet whose work appears in Beth's Legacy. Your submission to Beth's Legacy grants to us one-time print publication rights to your submitted work. You retain all other rights to your work.
If you would like to make a donation directly to the fund, you can do that by sending your donation to:
Danielle and Brittany Cann Hope Fund
Bank of America
574 Foundry Street
South Easton, MA 02375
Beth's Legacy
On the morning of August 27, 2007, Elizabeth Spence Cann was found shot to death in her own bed. Two of her daughters, 12 year old Brittney and 15 year old Danielle, were found on the floor of the hallway leading into her room. Both girls had been shot in the head and left for dead. The shooter, Beth's estranged boyfriend, took his own life early that morning.By some miracle, both Danielle and Brittney survived the senseless attack, but both face a long, long road to recovery. A third daughter, their oldest sister Amanda, was not home at the time. She faces a future of questions and grief.The girls are a part of Gotpoetry's extended family.
Beth was the niece of Gotpoetry staffer Deb Powers, and deeply loved cousin of regular member and contributor Cara Powers. In the week that followed the shooting, the Gotpoetry community reacted to the news with an outpouring of sympathy, love and support for which the family is extremely grateful. Many also privately asked if there was something more, something tangible, that they could do to show their support for the family and the injured girls. There is.
Gotpoetry is seeking submissions of poetry for a chapbook length anthology to be called "Beth's Legacy". We're especially seeking poems that speak to surviving loss, recovering from violence and ending domestic abuse. There is no restriction on form or length. All styles of poetry are welcome, though poems of less than 60 lines will be more likely to be accepted.The selection committee for Beth's Legacy will include the staff of Gotpoetry and representatives of Beth Cann's family.
The finished book will be available for purchase through Gotpoetry and a variety of other outlets, with all proceeds from the sale contributed to the Cann Family Hope Fund set up for the support and aid of Brittney and Danielle by Beth's church in Norton, MA.
Deadline for submissions is September 30, 2007.
Submit up to three poems for consideration in the body of an email to :bethslegacy@onlythebest.info by September 30.
Please submit only original poetry to which you hold the copyright.Because the book is a fund raiser, we can not pay for the poems accepted, but we will make the book available for download to any poet whose work appears in Beth's Legacy. Your submission to Beth's Legacy grants to us one-time print publication rights to your submitted work. You retain all other rights to your work.
If you would like to make a donation directly to the fund, you can do that by sending your donation to:
Danielle and Brittany Cann Hope Fund
Bank of America
574 Foundry Street
South Easton, MA 02375
July 30, 2007
brooke berman writing workshop in nyc
dear writers or friends of writers:
i'm putting together a kamikaze writing workshop this august inbrooklyn. the workshop(s) will be split between exercise writing andpage-sharing. i've just done a similiar model with anne garcia romero in LA and found the mix to be quitesuccessful. while the workshop will be probably have a playwriting focus, it wlll be open to writers of other forms and accessible anduseful to poets, fiction and memoir writers, screenwriters, etc.
it's my general belief that this kind of exercise-writing can work foranyone and that the way we will discuss each other's work will be useful, as its primary goal is to encourage the writer to write more.
location: brooklyn (address to come)
dates: august 18 and 19, and again, august 25 and 26
noon to 2 sat/sun (this may turn into 1-3 if people need that extra hour in the morning!).
4 sesions total, saturdays for exercises and sundays for pages.
cost: 150 for both weekends. 100/per weekend if you just do one and a discount if you bring a second student (ie if you refer someone, andthey register for the class, you get a ten percent discount...)
rsvp.and feel free to spread the word.
no one turned away for lack of dough.
BROOKE BERMAN's work has been produced across the US (The SecondStage, Steppenwolf, The Humana Festival, The Play Company, SPF) andread and workshopped across the US and the UK (very recently atPentabus Theatre in Shropshire, UK, also, the Royal Court in London,The Royal National Theatre Studio in London, WIlliamstown TheaterFestival, Cleveland Playhouse, Naked Angels, 2 consecutive summers atThe O'Neill, The Ohio Theater, Clubbed Thumb, and others). She has been teaching playwriting and creative process workshops for nearly 10 years in both New York and Los Angeles. Her play HUNTING AND GATHERING will be produced Off Broadway at Primary Stages in early 2008.
For more info: call or email Brooke 917-586-6744 brookeberman@gmail.com
i'm putting together a kamikaze writing workshop this august inbrooklyn. the workshop(s) will be split between exercise writing andpage-sharing. i've just done a similiar model with anne garcia romero in LA and found the mix to be quitesuccessful. while the workshop will be probably have a playwriting focus, it wlll be open to writers of other forms and accessible anduseful to poets, fiction and memoir writers, screenwriters, etc.
it's my general belief that this kind of exercise-writing can work foranyone and that the way we will discuss each other's work will be useful, as its primary goal is to encourage the writer to write more.
location: brooklyn (address to come)
dates: august 18 and 19, and again, august 25 and 26
noon to 2 sat/sun (this may turn into 1-3 if people need that extra hour in the morning!).
4 sesions total, saturdays for exercises and sundays for pages.
cost: 150 for both weekends. 100/per weekend if you just do one and a discount if you bring a second student (ie if you refer someone, andthey register for the class, you get a ten percent discount...)
rsvp.and feel free to spread the word.
no one turned away for lack of dough.
BROOKE BERMAN's work has been produced across the US (The SecondStage, Steppenwolf, The Humana Festival, The Play Company, SPF) andread and workshopped across the US and the UK (very recently atPentabus Theatre in Shropshire, UK, also, the Royal Court in London,The Royal National Theatre Studio in London, WIlliamstown TheaterFestival, Cleveland Playhouse, Naked Angels, 2 consecutive summers atThe O'Neill, The Ohio Theater, Clubbed Thumb, and others). She has been teaching playwriting and creative process workshops for nearly 10 years in both New York and Los Angeles. Her play HUNTING AND GATHERING will be produced Off Broadway at Primary Stages in early 2008.
For more info: call or email Brooke 917-586-6744 brookeberman@gmail.com
June 06, 2007
nyfa listings - june deadlines for artists
Shih Chieh HuangDin Dong (2006)
Mixed media installation
Shieh Chieh is a 2007 NYFA Artists' Fellowship winner in Computer Arts
June 11
NYFA’s upcoming “Managing An Artistic Life” conference is focused on dancers, choreographers, and the dance community. Along with Dance/NYC, Dance Theater Workshop, Joyce SoHo, and The Field, the conference will offer practical, financial, and goal-setting advice while providing space to think critically and talk openly about what members of the dance community need to support their vision. NYFA offers a variety of professional development workshops, panels, and conferences for artists working in all disciplines. The workshops provide artists at all experience levels with professional development on a wide variety of aspects concerning their life, art work, and professional career in the arts. The conference will take place in New York City and admission is $25 per person. For more information on how to register, call 212.366.6900 x338 or visit www.nyfa.org/learning.
June 15
The Bitter Oleander publishes writing indicative of 21st century consciousness and perception. Winners of The Bitter Oleander’s poetry contest receive a $1,000 cash award and publication in the Fall 2007 issue. There is a $10 application fee. For details on how to apply, visit www.bitteroleander.com.
New England Writers has three upcoming awards for writers in the categories of free verse, short fiction, and nonfiction. First place winners in free verse and short fiction receive $300 and publication in the Anthology of New England Writers. The winner of the nonfiction award receives publication and $200. Each competition charges a small fee. For more information on each competition, visit www.newenglandwriters.org.
June 16
Squeaky Wheel/Buffalo Media Resources is an artist-run arts center supporting new media art. The Buffalo-based organization oversees two upcoming residency programs. Its Local Artist Access Residency offers equipment access residencies to media artists living in Buffalo or Erie County. Residents receive 40 hours of free access to digital editing systems and two free days of access to a full production kit. Squeaky Wheel’s Digital Filmmaker Residency awards one month of unlimited access to 16mm production and post-production systems, the G5 Final Cut Pro digital editing system, and digital video cameras. Travel costs and housing are covered by Squeaky Wheel. A $1,000 stipend is made available to all residents, who should be experimental filmmakers interested in using new technology but lacking funding to do so regularly. Terms of residency include teaching a workshop and curating a screening. To apply, visit www.squeaky.org.
June 30
Held once every three years, the Carmine Caruso International Jazz Trumpet Solo Competition was created by the International Trumpet Guild to honor a man that was one of the world's greatest brass teachers. The grand prize is $10,000. All trumpeters under the age of 31 are eligible to apply. There is a $50 application fee. For an application, visit www.trumpetguild.org.
To search for additional deadlines for the month of June and beyond, visit http://www.nyfasource.org/.
May 29, 2007
write a story poem
To get started on a story poem, begin by quickly writing down a sequence of events from beginning to end.
For this poem, try one of the following:
1) Write about something that happened within the past week. This doesn't have to be a major, life changing event. Just start right in and write through a quick draft to get started.
2) Write about something that happened at least five years ago. Pick an event you've had time to reflect on, something that stands out now as playing an important part in who you are today. As you write, don't tell why this event is important, just concentrate on getting your reader into the feel of actually being there. Provide plenty of concrete, specific details to make the story come alive.
Whichever of the above options you choose, keep the poem short, compressed, to the point--no more than 24 lines as an absolute maximum. You may want to write this out first as prose, then add line breaks and stanza breaks when you complete your first draft.
Maybe you can combine the two to find the similarities or differences between the two events.
A beautiful example of a story poem:
TOMATOES
by Stephen Dobyns
A woman travels to Brazil for plastic
surgery and a face-lift. She is sixty
and has the usual desire to stay pretty.
Once she is healed, she takes her new face
out on the streets of Rio. A young man
with a gun wants her money. Bang, she’s dead.
The body is shipped back to New York,
but in the morgue there is a mix-up. The son
is sent for. He is told that his mother
is one of these ten different women.
Each has been shot. Such is modern life.
He studies them all but can’t find her.
With her new face, she has become a stranger.
Maybe it’s this one, maybe it’s that one.
He looks at their breasts. Which ones nursed him?
He presses their hands to his cheek.
Which ones consoled him? He even tries
climbing onto their laps to see which
feels most familiar but the coroner stops him.
Well, says the coroner, which is your mother?
They all are, says the young man, let me
take them as a package. The coroner hesitates,
then agrees. Actually, it solved a lot of problems.
The young man has the ten women shipped home,
then cremates them all together. You’ve seen
how some people have a little urn on the mantel?
This man has a huge silver garbage can.
In the spring, he drags the garbage can
out to the garden and begins working the teeth,
the ash, the bits of bone into the soil.
Then he plants tomatoes. His mother loved tomatoes.
They grow straight from seed, so fast and big
that the young man is amazed. He takes the first
ten into the kitchen. In their roundness,
he sees his mother’s breasts. In their smoothness
he finds the consoling touch of her hands.
Mother, mother, he cries, and flings himself
on the tomatoes. Forget about the knife, the fork,
the pinch of salt. Try to imagine the filial
starvation, think of his ravenous kisses.
For this poem, try one of the following:
1) Write about something that happened within the past week. This doesn't have to be a major, life changing event. Just start right in and write through a quick draft to get started.
2) Write about something that happened at least five years ago. Pick an event you've had time to reflect on, something that stands out now as playing an important part in who you are today. As you write, don't tell why this event is important, just concentrate on getting your reader into the feel of actually being there. Provide plenty of concrete, specific details to make the story come alive.
Whichever of the above options you choose, keep the poem short, compressed, to the point--no more than 24 lines as an absolute maximum. You may want to write this out first as prose, then add line breaks and stanza breaks when you complete your first draft.
Maybe you can combine the two to find the similarities or differences between the two events.
A beautiful example of a story poem:
TOMATOES
by Stephen Dobyns
A woman travels to Brazil for plastic
surgery and a face-lift. She is sixty
and has the usual desire to stay pretty.
Once she is healed, she takes her new face
out on the streets of Rio. A young man
with a gun wants her money. Bang, she’s dead.
The body is shipped back to New York,
but in the morgue there is a mix-up. The son
is sent for. He is told that his mother
is one of these ten different women.
Each has been shot. Such is modern life.
He studies them all but can’t find her.
With her new face, she has become a stranger.
Maybe it’s this one, maybe it’s that one.
He looks at their breasts. Which ones nursed him?
He presses their hands to his cheek.
Which ones consoled him? He even tries
climbing onto their laps to see which
feels most familiar but the coroner stops him.
Well, says the coroner, which is your mother?
They all are, says the young man, let me
take them as a package. The coroner hesitates,
then agrees. Actually, it solved a lot of problems.
The young man has the ten women shipped home,
then cremates them all together. You’ve seen
how some people have a little urn on the mantel?
This man has a huge silver garbage can.
In the spring, he drags the garbage can
out to the garden and begins working the teeth,
the ash, the bits of bone into the soil.
Then he plants tomatoes. His mother loved tomatoes.
They grow straight from seed, so fast and big
that the young man is amazed. He takes the first
ten into the kitchen. In their roundness,
he sees his mother’s breasts. In their smoothness
he finds the consoling touch of her hands.
Mother, mother, he cries, and flings himself
on the tomatoes. Forget about the knife, the fork,
the pinch of salt. Try to imagine the filial
starvation, think of his ravenous kisses.
May 25, 2007
WRITE A TANKA
Tanka is an ancient form of Japanese poetry believed to exist for the last 1300 years which makes it older than haiku. As a form, the tanka poem consists of 31 syllables arranged in a metric pattern of 5 – 7 – 5 – 7 – 7.
In Japanese, tanka is written in one straight line with no stresses and no rhyme scheme though the sounds and words are meant to resonate emotionally as in contemporary American free verse.
In English, we usually divide the lines into the five syllabic units:
5
7
5
7
7
TANKAS BY IZUMI SHIKIBU
Lying alone
my black hair tangled
uncombed,
I long for the one
who touched it first.
The bamboo’s
old root
hasn’t changed at all –
Is there even one night
he sleeps at home? No.
In Japanese, tanka is written in one straight line with no stresses and no rhyme scheme though the sounds and words are meant to resonate emotionally as in contemporary American free verse.
In English, we usually divide the lines into the five syllabic units:
5
7
5
7
7
TANKAS BY IZUMI SHIKIBU
Lying alone
my black hair tangled
uncombed,
I long for the one
who touched it first.
The bamboo’s
old root
hasn’t changed at all –
Is there even one night
he sleeps at home? No.
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