For all of you who enjoy Thurber House author events!
OSU Rare Books & Manuscripts Library presents:
Frederic Tuten • Selected ReadingsTuesday, May 6, 2008 • 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.The OSU Faculty Club, Alphabet Room.
Frederic Tuten is the author of The Adventures of Mao on the Long March, Tallien: A Brief Romance, Tintin in the New World, Van Gogh's Bad Cafe, and The Green Hour, in addition to many stories and essays. Tuten in a Professor in the graduate fiction-writing program at the City College of New York and guest lecturer at The New School, and has received a Guggenheim Fellowship for Creative Writing. Mr. Tuten's literary archives are part of the Contemporary American Literary Manuscripts of the Rare Books and Manuscripts Library of The Ohio State University.For more information, please call (614) 292-5938.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
THURBER HOUSE EVENT - FREDERIC TUTEN, MAY 6th
Sunday, April 27, 2008
The Bio of James, AKA J.D., COWC Co-Founder
Like my Co-Founder and Partner-In-Crime Brad, I too was born in the summer of 1977. Born at Mt. Carmel West in Columbus, Ohio, the highlight of my birth was the moment when my father looked at my mother and said, "Well, I'm hungry, I'm going to go get some White Castles." By the time I was 7, both of my parents had remarried- my mom to a great stepfather for me (although we have had our share of differences over the years), my dad to my step-mother who's post retirement career has become keeping him out of trouble.
I was raised near Hilliard, Ohio by my educator mother and step-father, both of whom worked for Columbus public schools for over 30 years. Now they both consult and make a lot more money for a lot less hassle. Oh the horror of being retired.
As for me, I spent every year but kindergarten in the Hilliard City Schools, meeting Brad when he moved into my neighborhood and went to my elementary school sometime around 3rd or 4th grade. We spent time in the talented and gifted program together, and stayed friends (albeit with sometimes different interests and cliques) all the way up to graduation.
I went to college at Ohio University, in Athens, Ohio. I survived five Halloweens and many a weekend bender, and managed to get out of there with a Master's in Political Science and an intact liver. Contrary to what I had believed, I found that this degree made me infinitely qualified to work in retail establishments. After a brief case of law school (once again- oh, the horror), I ended up working as a lobbyist for Ohio State University. I left OSU at the end of 2006 as part of an "office reorganization", and tried to start my own consulting firm. Finally frustrated with politics, I'm now searching for a career that lets me do some good in the world while at the same time being able to look at myself in the mirror in the morning.
Tidbits of random information about me:
- I have been engaged twice- once to someone great but at the wrong time in both our lives, once to someone I thought was great, but who turned out to be one of the Seven Lords of Hell (and a hooker, but that's a story for another time).
- The first movie I can remember seeing is The Empire Strikes Back. I have had a fascination with all things science fiction ever since.
- The first real book I read was The Hunt For Red October. I read this on a plane ride to Florida in second or third grade. I wrote my first techno-thriller in 4th grade. I still have some of it stashed somewhere- I may post it one day if everyone asks nicely and wants a good laugh.
- My grandmother introduced me to the Lord of the Rings at a very young age, by showing me calendars and telling me all the stories. By third grade I was on my first run through these great books.
- I am a geek. I love science-fiction, fantasy, comic books, and all sorts of other weird and geeky stuff. Yes, I have played Dungeons and Dragons, but there are a bunch of other RPGs out there that are much better.
- I am fascinated with history, especially World War II and anything relating to war and politics.
That's enough rambling for now, but Brad and I are hoping that we get contributions from quite a few of our readers by the 13th of May. We look forward to seeing all of your work.
-
Thursday, April 24, 2008
**COWC LOGO IMAGE CONTEST!
Central Ohio Writers Collective (COWC) needs a logo image. Sure, J.D. or I could whip something up in Photoshop pretty quickly, but what fun is that? We would rather engage our burgeoning membership with the opportunity to go down in history (OK that may be a stretch)...to go down in COWC history (better) as the artist responsible for our COWC logo image.
Entries may be submitted starting immediately.
The winner of the COWC Logo Image Contest will receive, drum roll...
Two Free Drinks of his/her choice at the COWC Kick Off Party on July 13th at Barley's Pub downtown!
- Image must involve a cow and our name, Central Ohio Writers Collective (at the very least our Acronym, COWC)
- Image must be a .jpg or .gif file formatted in at least two different scaled sizes for convenient use as online logo images on varied sites: LinkedIn, MySpace, craigslist.org etc.
- Entries must be sent via email to centralohiowriterscollective@gmail.com
- By submitting logo image(s) for this contest participants agree to relinquish all rights to said image(s) to the Central Ohio Writers Collective and its proprietors, J.D. and Brad
**COWC Kick Off Party & Upcoming Events!
After a meeting last week complete with beer, baseball and stogies (and a little bit of COWC planning on the side), J.D. and I set some deadlines and we are looking forward to kicking things off. How better to initiate a community/group endeavor like this than with a good, old-fashioned party, right?
The COWC Kick off Party has been scheduled for July 13th! There are a couple of reasons we are waiting until then. One, I am getting married in June, and I can't guarantee I'll have much time for COWC matters until after my honeymoon. Two, we want knowledge of and interest in the COWC to filter out into the community a bit so that we can actually expect one or two people to show up for the party.
That said, you need not wait very long at all to start interacting with COWC online. We will begin collecting submissions for our first Online Public Review event starting May 13th 2008. Also, J.D. and I will begin posting selections of our own work to the blog for public review in the next couple of days. Feel free to leave us your constructive criticism. We will appreciate it. Aside from that, we will be advertising for Central Ohio Writers Collective as best we can starting this week. So help us spread the word! Foreward our blog link (http://centralohiowriterscollective.blogspot.com/) to anyone you think may be interested in us. Thanks!
July 13th
**COWC, STATEMENT OF PURPOSE AND PLANNED ACTIVICITIES / EVENTS
Central Ohio Writers Collective (COWC) is a resource and a community for all Central Ohio area writers, from students to seasoned professionals. COWC was imagined and co-founded in April 2008 by writers, literature enthusiasts, and long-time friends, J.D. and Brad. We recognized an opportunity for us to create the kind of local community resource for writers in which we, as individuals with an interest in continued development as writers, would like to participate.
Central Ohio as a community is very supportive of the visual and performing arts as evident by events and venues such as Gallery Hop, Comm. Fest, The Palace and Ohio Theaters, just to name very few. However, outlets for community activity and participation with respect to the literary arts seems to be lacking by comparison. COWC hopes to provide momentum for at least one small step in the direction of increased community activity and involvement related to the literary arts in Central Ohio. COWC is intended to be a useful and interesting, online and live community resource for Central Ohio area writers from all walks of life. Any legal adult is welcome to participate in COWC events and activities, regardless of publication history, skill level, genre interests, race, gender, sexual orientation and so on.
Central Ohio Writers Collective exists to provide opportunities for writers in the Central Ohio area to collaborate, to develop, and to improve as writers in an environment of professionalism, respect, fun, and camaraderie. Association with and involvement in COWC events and activities is open to anyone and everyone who respects our goals and intentions as a group. There are no mebership fees, secret hand shakes, or passwords involved. Students, English/Lit. Teachers and Professors, established professional authors, journalists, regular Joes and Janes with little to no experience...all are welcome to get involved with COWC. Brad and J.D., your venerable hosts, intend to support events and activities that are beneficial and interesting to writers and writing enthusiasts of every make and model.
COWC will regularly host online submission & review events as well as various writing contests and so on. Helpful links to organizations, institutions, and events in Central Ohio related to writing and publishing are available in our bog. In addition, COWC will initiate regular live gatherings and community events for all those interested in book clubs, social/networking events, poetry readings, workshops and the like.
Please, stay tuned for more about our official launch, initiatives and events, how to get involved, and details about our online resources.
Thanks!
Brad & J.D.
THURBER HOUSE PRESENTS: AUTHOR JOANNE HARRIS, 4/28
Don't miss bestselling author Joanne Harris and The Girl with No Shadow
Joanne Harris will read from her brand new novel, The Girl with No Shadow, the long awaited sequel to her bestseller, Chocolat. The reading is on Monday, April 28, 7:30 p.m., at the Columbus Performing Arts Center in the Shedd Theater, 549 Franklin Avenue.The New York Times bestseller Chocolat was made into an Oscar-nominated film starring Johnny Depp. The eagerly-anticipated sequel, The Girl with No Shadow, is a dazzling urban fairy tale set in Paris five years after Chocolat. Harris is the author of several novels including Blackberry Wine, Holy Fools and The French Kitchen: A Cookbook, and her books have been published in 40 different countries. She lives in England with her husband and daughter.Tickets for this event are $18 in advance, and $20 at the door, with discounts for students and seniors. Purchase your ticket by calling 614-464-1032 or by clicking on the link below.
Order your ticket(s) online.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
BIO. - BRAD, COWC CO-FOUNDER
"I was born a poor black child..." -Steve Martin, The Jerk
Great movie. Anyway, I was born in Kansas City, MO. in the summer of 1977, The Summer of Sam. Another great movie. I am the middle child and only boy of three siblings. My family moved in and out of six different houses, all in the Kansas City, MO. area, by the time I was 5 years old. Some of these moves were necessary downgrades, some were upgrades. I'm not sure what my father did for work during the first few years I was alive, but I know he worked and my mother stayed home. In '82 we moved to Miami, Florida and lived there for about 2 years. I know my father worked in Insurance at that time.
What I remember about Kansas City from those days is the different houses I lived in: The Brown Townhouse, The Red House, The White House, The Other White House, The Pink House, and The Green House; in that order. My fondest memories from Miami are my scantily clad, Puerto Rican neighbor, Maria, and her scantily clad Puerto Rican daughters who used to feed me spicy food that my palate was not prepared for. That, and the time when my older sis and I were home alone and I pulled a knife on her when she wouldn't let me play with her and her friend. Ha! She was so pissed.
In 1985 my dad got a promotion and family moved to Columbus, Ohio where I lived, worked, and played from 3rd grade through high school. Full of idealism, anti-establishment angst, and creative passion, I went off to study Theatre in College at Graceland University in southern (middle of nowhere, cornfields and pig farms) Iowa. I focused on Acting and Management. Graceland is a Liberal Arts institution and requires that its students study a core curriculum of general education courses, which I appreciated. After earning my B.A., I went off to work in professional theatre and live the life of the prototypical starving artist for 2+ years before starting grad. school at New York University in NYC. I earned my M.A. in Education as well as my teaching license in 2004. I am currently licensed to teach K-12 in both NY and Ohio.
After grad. school, I accepted a full-time, salaried position in The Office of The Associate Dean and Special Projects in the Kanbar Inst. of Film, Television & New Media, Tisch School of the Arts, N.Y.U. I really loved this position because of the students, faculty, and administrators I worked with and the wealth of knowledge and experience I gained about the Film Industry during my 2+ years in that role. I assisted Dean Antonio and her Assistant, Patti, with a variety of tasks; event planning, managing a summer high school filmmakers camp, coordinating film award contests, filing, correspondence, even editing the Grad and UG department websites.
While in NYC from 2002-2006, I also worked on a number of Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway, Independent, and Student theatre projects in the city as either an actor, director, assistant director, stage manager, or production assistant. It was during my time in NYC, surrounded by so much history, assortments of cultures, egos, and energy that I began taking my writing 'hobby' to the next level. As a creative, open-minded, adventurous, and extremely reflective and analytical person, NYC was an ideal place for me to live during my mid 20's. I highly recommend it. However, I had always intended to move back home to Columbus to "settle down" after I had gained some palpable work experience in NYC.
I moved back home to Columbus, Ohio in August of 2006, a year or two earlier than planned, after meeting the woman of my dreams and developing the kind of relationship with her that I had previously concluded was not possible. I bought a 15 passenger van for $500. off of some band in Brooklyn that was upgrading their wheels. I loaded into said van all of my worldly possessions and, with the help of my man Jay-V, drove that rickety bitch all the way to C-bus. I had no apartment, no job, and less than 2 grand in the bank on which to live and pay bills until I could sort out employment. I have been doing "contract" (temp.) work, substitute teaching, delivering pizza part-time, doing freelance online writing/editing work, and applying to every single salaried employment opportunity for which my level of education and work experience should qualify me every day since.
Today, nearly two years later, I am less than two months away from being married to my aforementioned dream girl, I start work full-time at OSU next week, and I am excitedly developing the Central Ohio Writers Collective with a buddy of mine from grades 3-12, JD. I hope you will take an interest in the online resources we are initiating for Central Ohio writers and that you will come out and have some fun with us during our live COWC group events and activities.
All the Best,
Brad
HAPPY EARTH DAY!
Monday, April 21, 2008
WRITERS CONFERENCE AT CSCC THIS WEEKEND
The 5th Annual Columbus State Writers Conference and Workshop
April 25 - 26, 2008
Conference fee $60 ($20 for students with ID)
In our global village where news can travel instantly and anyone can be a "citizen reporter," it's important to stop and examine the modes, methods, and mechanisms in the 21st century writer's toolbox. This year's conference will give writers the opportunity to experiment with these tools and put them to work.
Here you'll find information about our Friday evening keynote speaker, Sonia Shah, and a list of the workshops that will be offered during the Saturday sessions. For more information, please email janderso@cscc.edu. To register for the conference, simply complete and send our printer-friendly registration form.
EVENT TO FOCUS ON CREATIVE CAREERS
Event to focus on creative careers
Sunday, April 20, 2008 3:14 AM
By Jeffrey Sheban
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
The Downtown facility where the symposium will take place
Attracting young arts professionals to Columbus and building the city's creative economy will be topics at a symposium sponsored by Ohio State University.
The 2008 Barnett Symposium, starting at 9 a.m. Friday and open to the public, also will explore career issues for arts professionals; arts enterprises being developed in central Ohio; and the creative work environment.
Those experienced in the arts -- as well as those just out of school -- will be front and center.
Speakers will include Susanne Jaffe, executive director of Thurber House; Mike Reed, a central Ohio artist and founder of the Couchfire Collective of emerging visual and musical artists; Thomas B. Schorgl, president and chief executive officer of the Community Partnership for Arts & Culture; Tom Hawk, director of Hawk Galleries; and Beverly Bethge, founder and chief creative officer of Ologie, an agency that works to boost brand recognition.
"These are people who are artists and leaders of creative enterprises, and we want to give examples of what is possible," said Wayne Lawson, director emeritus of the Ohio Arts Council and a professor in the Department of Art Education at OSU.
Ologie, founded in 1987 as Bethge Design, has managed branding campaigns for clients such as Nationwide Insurance, Limited Brands, Limited Too, Monsanto and the Cleveland Clinic. The 60-employee company relies on recent graduates to help maintain a creative work environment, Bethge said. "We find that students come out of school and they're ready to go," she said. "They don't come to the table with bad habits, which are really hard to break after five to eight years." Another way young people contribute to a creative workplace is by keeping everyone abreast of trends in communication and entertainment. "The way people communicate changes about every six months, and this generation gets it," Bethge said. "Companies like mine need that information and really value their opinions and their insight."
The symposium will take place in the OSU Urban Arts Space, 50 W. Town St., in the former Downtown Lazarus building. The cost is $25, or $10 for students, and includes meetings, lunch and a closing reception from 5 to 7 p.m. To register, visit www.arts.osu.edu/barnett08 or call 614-292-7183 before 5 p.m. Monday. The event is hosted by the OSU College of the Arts, Department of Art Education and graduate program in arts policy and administration.
jsheban@dispatch.com
Friday, April 18, 2008
Nocturne
Just an FYI- This story has gone through three or four variations since I first wrote it back in my Ohio University days. I'm still not happy with it, but let me know what you think.
-James
The dreams had started some weeks ago, and had been occurring ever since. John always found himself walking in the same barren landscape. The ground was muddy and gray, strewn about with rocks and a few gnarled, leafless trees. Fog lay at his feet as he trudged along. Blood red clouds swirled above him, carried on a moaning wind.
John always walked alone through this land, not knowing where he was going or why he was there. He'd been alone that is, until Wednesday night. Then He had come.
Now, once again, John walked through the dreamscape. He looked around, desperately trying to see if anything in the reddish gloom was different this time, if anything had changed. Nothing had.
John felt a tug on his pants leg. He spun around, startled. It was Him again. He was a small boy, about seven years old, dressed in a navy blue business suit, with a briefcase in his right hand. He looked up at John, his dark eyes devoid of expression.
" Who are you? " John asked, "And why are you here? Are you going to tell me this time? "
The boy nodded, reaching into his pocket and withdrawing a business card. He handed it to John, who looked at it with a puzzled expression. It had one word printed on it:
John looked at the boy, terror building up inside of him. Part of him wanted to run, but there was something in the boy's gaze that held him there.
" Wait a minute, " John thought out loud, "nightmares are things, not a person."
The Boy shook his head and sat down on a rock. The child patted the rock beside him, motioning for John to sit down. As John sat down next to the boy, he realized that something was horribly wrong. It was then that he noticed that the rocks weren't rocks at all, but tombstones.
"What's going on?" John asked, as his voice began to tremble.
The Boy smiled at him, pointing down into the fog. John cast shifted his eyes nervously downward, as the cold sheen of sweat appeared on his forehead. A pale hand was starting to close around his ankle. He let out a gurgling scream, jumping up and running away as fast as his horrified legs could carry him, The Boy's cold gaze on his back.
He made it about twenty yards before a tree limb reached up, seemingly out of nowhere, and sent him into a frantic stumble. He put a hand to the ground to steady himself, only to feel a cold iron grip slip around his wrist. With a shout he pulled away and started running again.
Icy fingers gripped his ankle and he heard a sickening snap as pain seared up his leg. He fell facedown on the muddy ground, trying desperately to crawl free of the hand wrapped around his shattered ankle. But it was futile. More thin fingered hands swarmed out of the ground around him, like strange white spiders, gripping his limbs and loose clothing. He screamed again as he felt himself being pulled down into the mud. He tried to scream once more as the mud covered his face, but it oozed into his mouth and down his throat, then it reached his eyes and he saw no more.
The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end as a child's sing-song, taunting voice said from the foot of his bed, "Not quite, John. We’re just getting started."
Checking In
Hello Everyone!
I'm James, also known as J.D., and I'm the other guy behind the COWC curtain. I'm new to this whole blog thing, so please bear with me while I overcome my luddite tendency to shy away from this new-fangled world wide web stuff. Look for a couple of short stories to be posted by me over the course of the weekend. Brad and I are really excited to have COWC off the ground, and we look forward to meeting some like minded individuals who want to share their work and ideas with the world.
Nugget of wisdom for the day: Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition.
Brad & Crystal's Impromptu Mac's Napkin Poem
On a lighter note...Crystal and I wrote this impromptu napkin poem at Mac's in the Short North last night (Thanks for the tip BTW, JD). We used a system I've always liked where you take turns writing one line at a time and covering what you just wrote by folding the paper/napkin so the other can't see what you have written. Then, once you've reached the bottom of the page/napkin, one of you reads the finished product out loud. The result is usually a terrible poem that makes absolutely no sense. But it is always good for a laugh. It's a fun way to wait for your food to arrive. Here's ours from last night:
B- All the smoldering sex-appeal of 1000 years of abstinence
C- And the leaf slowly, melodically floated down to teeter on the edge of the cliff
B- Abuse me Vomit all over me Just look my way
C- Secret (Crystal's mangy cat) purred lovingly into his right ear
B- In your casual wake, I drift with no guiding star
C- 51 days and your life is over as you know it
B- I am throwing cases of bottles into your sea
C- Salt and Pepper makes it better
B- The messages are gibberish, written in tongues of desire
C- Please don't joke about things like that
B- Blugaska mjya ludeee!
C- Sexalicious
B- Unrequited
There's no need to comment with constructive criticism here, as this poem is not to be taken seriously.
Rivals Of Babel - By Brad for Public Review
Rivals of Babel
Putrid fog hangs thick and rank down in the alleys
During undue surgeries for the perfectly well above
Parties pills and masked debaucheries persist
Pretty and proud
High above all toil
Magically sentient walls of flame
From ages forgotten
Barricade view and passage from below
How royals pass no minion may know
Facetious structures are built to fall
To be remade by the low
Murder and squabble for crusts of bread
Head down
Gaze fixed
Survive
Backs of nations break
On which founders rest
Their perfumed feet
Unconcerned
To reach the heights
Sacrifice
Pride body and the memory of smiles
Design a structure of men and women
To rival Babel’s fame
That God may topple just the same
Wailing choking and wretched
Climb this aching mound of bone and back
Pull on hair
Step on necks
Climb pile support the next
Plummet to be crushed and free
Still
Mounds of the fallen can overwhelm all else
Stack and stench
The powers that be
And barriers will fail to restrain those killed
A ghostly testament
The prize is the Universe’s size measured
In an infinite echo of cries
Bradley T. Essex - All rights reserved.
Please, feel free to comment on this piece with constructive criticism and/or appreciation. That is the reason it is posted. Thanks!
Coffee House - By Brad for Public Review
Coffee House
Pistachio and chocolate biscotti in the same glass jar
Non-traditional muffins overflowing their cylindrical, hand-cut, paper wrapping
A variety of croissants lined up in two wicker trays
Brooklyn Weisse, Brooklyn Lager, and Pilsner Urquell branching from one brass pole tap in need of a wipe
15 black cans of exotic teas
Bottles of wine and champagne in dark wood cubicles above pints and snifters on shelves
A counter top for stainless steel coffee pots
A black rotary phone
A two headed espresso machine
Mechanical cash register
A mysterious, ceramic, pressure-spouted jug
Four types of sweetener in a small white bowl
Booths, tables, and chairs
Lamps and stools
A French infused menu swathed in Americana
An ambiance of hipsters’ homey reminiscence
Rusty scooters and driftwood ice cream churns in the display window
Artists with children united in the name of brunch
Two thin, redheaded waitresses; one with a mohawk, one with a light-brown birthmark on her cheek And sad piano jazz, like a lone, saddled horse indifferently ambling along the shoulder of a busy stretch of state highway
Bradley T. Essex - All rights reserved.
Please, feel free to comment on this piece with constructive criticism and/or appreciation. That is the reason it is posted. Thanks!
Thursday, April 17, 2008
AGORA 2008, THIS WEEKEND
Agora is an immersive event that brings artists and art patrons together to celebrate Central Ohio's diverse and talented creative community. Agora guests have the opportunity to view and purchase hundreds of works of art, wander through fifty working artists' studios, experience performance acts, enjoy a variety of musical guests, and participate in seasonal activities. The event is designed to be enjoyable for guests of all ages. Everyone is invited to be a part of the experience.
Fri Apr 18 Preview, 6pm
Sat Apr 19 Main Event, 3pm
http://www.agoracolumbus.com/spring2008/
Again, COWC has no plans to attend this event as a group at this point. Perhaps next year. I may check it out on my own though. I saw an article about Agora 07 last year and I thought about going, but I didn't. If you go, post a comment and tell us all about it.
-Brad
POETRY WORKSHOP IN WORTHINGTON - SATURDAY, APRIL 19
The Worthington Library has announced a great poetry workshop for this Saturday afternoon, April 19. David Baker of Denison College will present "Poetry from the Inside Out," from 2:00 - 4:00p.m. at the Griswold Senior Center (777 N. High St.). The workshop is free, but you'll need to register by calling 614-807-2626. For more information, go to their website.
I just thought I'd post this for anyone who may be interested in attending. COWC has no plans at this time to attend this event as a group.
-Brad
**COWC LOGO IMAGE CONTEST!
Central Ohio Writers Collective (COWC) needs a logo image. Sure, J.D. or I could whip something up in Photoshop pretty quickly, but what fun is that? We would rather engage our burgeoning membership with the opportunity to go down in history (OK that may be a stretch)...to go down in COWC history (better) as the artist responsible for our COWC logo image.
Entries may be submitted starting immediately.
The winner of the COWC Logo Image Contest will receive, drum roll...
Two Free Drinks of his/her choice at the COWC Kick Off Party on July 13th at Barley's Pub downtown!
- Image must involve a cow and our name, Central Ohio Writers Collective (at the very least our Acronym, COWC)
- Image must be a .jpg or .gif file formatted in at least two different scaled sizes for convenient use as online logo images on varied sites: LinkedIn, MySpace, craigslist.org etc.
- Entries must be sent via email to centralohiowriterscollective@gmail.com
- By submitting logo image(s) for this contest participants agree to relinquish all rights to said image(s) to the Central Ohio Writers Collective and its proprietors, J.D. and Brad
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
**COWC Kick Off Party & Upcoming Events!
After a meeting last night complete with beer, baseball and stogies (and a little bit of COWC planning on the side), J.D. and I have set some deadlines and we are looking forward to kicking things off. How better to initiate a community/group endeavor like this than with a good, old-fashioned party?
The COWC Kick off Party has been scheduled for July 13th! There are a couple of reasons we are waiting until then. One, I am getting married in June, and I can't guarantee I'll have much time for COWC matters until after my honeymoon. Two, we want knowledge of and interest in the COWC to filter out into the community a bit so that we can actually expect one or two people to show up for the party.
That said, you need not wait very long at all to start interacting with COWC online. We will begin collecting submissions for our first Online Public Review event starting May 13th 2008. Also, J.D. and I will begin posting selections of our own work to the blog for public review in the next couple of days. Feel free to leave us your constructive criticism. We will appreciate it. Aside from that, we will be advertising for Central Ohio Writers Collective as best we can starting this week. So help us spread the word! Foreward our blog link (http://centralohiowriterscollective.blogspot.com/) to anyone you think may be interested in us. Thanks!
July 13th
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
**COWC, STATEMENT OF PURPOSE AND PLANNED ACTIVICITIES / EVENTS
Central Ohio Writers Collective (COWC) is a resource and a community for all Central Ohio area writers, from students to seasoned professionals. COWC was imagined and co-founded in April 2008 by writers, literature enthusiasts, and long-time friends, J.D. and Brad. We recognized an opportunity for us to create the kind of local community resource for writers in which we, as individuals with an interest in continued development as writers, would like to participate.
Central Ohio as a community is very supportive of the visual and performing arts as evident by events and venues such as Gallery Hop, Comm. Fest, The Palace and Ohio Theaters, just to name very few. However, outlets for community activity and participation with respect to the literary arts seems to be lacking by comparison. COWC hopes to provide momentum for at least one small step in the direction of increased community activity and involvement related to the literary arts in Central Ohio. COWC is intended to be a useful and interesting, online and live community resource for Central Ohio area writers from all walks of life. Any legal adult is welcome to participate in COWC events and activities, regardless of publication history, skill level, genre interests, race, gender, sexual orientation and so on.
Central Ohio Writers Collective exists to provide opportunities for writers in the Central Ohio area to collaborate, to develop, and to improve as writers in an environment of professionalism, respect, fun, and camaraderie. Association with and involvement in COWC events and activities is open to anyone and everyone who respects our goals and intentions as a group. There are no mebership fees, secret hand shakes, or passwords involved. Students, English/Lit. Teachers and Professors, established professional authors, journalists, regular Joes and Janes with little to no experience...all are welcome to get involved with COWC. Brad and J.D., your venerable hosts, intend to support events and activities that are beneficial and interesting to writers and writing enthusiasts of every make and model.
COWC will regularly host online submission & review events as well as various writing contests and so on. Helpful links to organizations, institutions, and events in Central Ohio related to writing and publishing are available in our bog. In addition, COWC will initiate regular live gatherings and community events for all those interested in book clubs, social/networking events, poetry readings, workshops and the like.
Please, stay tuned for more about our official launch, initiatives and events, how to get involved, and details about our online resources.
Thanks!
Brad & J.D.
