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Volume: 17.12 • The South Carolina Writers Workshop Newsletter • December 2006 |
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NEWS |
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Board BulletinsSurvey Seeks Member InputThe South Carolina Writers Workshop exists to serve its membership by facilitating their efforts in the literary arts. As a member, you can help us help you by taking a moment to complete our on-line survey. If you have not received an e-mail containing a link to the survey, or if you do not have e-mail, please contact SCWW Vice-President, Susan Boyer, by e-mail susan.boyer@charter.net or by phone 864-968-0673. We need your responses by December 10 in order to compile them in timely fashion. Please help us write a great new chapter in the history of SC Writers Workshop. We would love to have 100% participation. Here are the results as of press time:
Statewide SCWW Board of Directors for 2007As of January 1st, the members of the board will be...
Officers for 2007 will be elected at the first meeting of the new year. Please contact any of these folks with questions or comments. [From Printed Matters, Marcia Migacz, Editor] A Site to SeeAttention SCWW members! Please adjust your bookmarks and web links. The South Carolina Writers Workshop home page has moved to a new site with a new format: www.myscww.org Please check it out and pass your thoughts along to our new Webmistress, Sarah Cureton. And, if you have a web presence of your own, please make a link back to the SCWW site. This not only affirms your affiliation with our organization, it helps raise our rank in web search engines. There is also a page where you may post a link to your site to bring more traffic to you. Just another way we all work together. Chapter ChatterGot News?What's happening in your local chapter? Who's getting published? Who has the most impressive portfolio of rejection letters? Are there local events for writers in your area? Does your local chapter have its own newsletter or web page? Please submit you news to quilleditor@bellsouth.net Aiken
Anderson
Charleston
Columbia I
Columbia II
Dillon
Greenville
From Printed Matters Aimee Caruso has recently landed a position as News Assistant at the Greenville News. The Greenville News has an online element called YourUpstate.com, where individuals and organizations can post their news, calendar items and photos (this could include publicizing a book signing or advertising your publication.) Information goes up almost immediately. If anyone needs help posting to YourUpstate or has questions, Amy says she'd love to help. You can contact Aimee at The Greenville News — alcaruso@greenvillenews.com. Phil Arnold's Elvisblog climbs ever higher in the Google ratings by becoming a link on Scotty Moore The Official Website. Scotty spent 14 years as Elvis Presley's guitarist, was his first manager and Elvis' lifelong friend. As Scotty says, "Be sure to visit the sites of some of Scotty's friends, affiliates and supporters." Kevin Coyle's tenth publishing credit "Cleburne's Choice" hits the stands in issue #20 of the hard-copy science fiction publication, NOVA Science Fiction Magazine. This alternate-history story is Kevin's first "genre" tale and the first one he's actually being paid for. Once again, Bob Strother's work has been published in moonShine review. "The stories within this issue in large part center around relationships about mothers, daughters, fathers, sons, sisters, brothers, husbands, wives — and every combination thereof. And there's no holding back. Whether nostalgic, bittersweet, or downright demented, this issue sparks with a Southern voice that is at once proud and flagrant in its presentation." moonShine review sells for just $6 (plus $1.50 shipping.) To purchase a copy, make checks payable to THRIFT Press and mail to: THRIFT Press, Book Orders, PO Box 5424, Charlotte, NC 28299 or go to www.thriftpoeticarts.com. Irmo/Chapin
Lexington
Myrtle Beach
Rock Hill
Sandhills Writers Group
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OPPORTUNITIES |
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The Quill - Your NewsletterGot news from your local chapter? Got a helpful writers web site to share? Got a caution about a bogus publishing opportunity or contest? Let's network our knowledge to build a better newsletter. Deadline for submissions is the 21st of each month. Please send submissions to quilleditor@bellsouth.net either in the body of an e-mail or as an attached file in MS Word (DOC), Rich Text (RTF) or plain text (TXT) format. Articles accepted for publication will appear in The Quill and archived on the web. Writers retain all rights to their works. Submissions may also be made on floppy disk and mailed to:
Write on! Leland Beaudrot, Editor TO THE BOARD OF SCWW, AND TO THE EDITOR, THE QUILL:A writer learns many words, perhaps too many. When I first read my writing in the October 2006 CATFISH STEW, I was unprepared for its published form--published with an outrage of changes, none on which I had been consulted. So, do I see here an Opportunity, a Paradox, or a Mockery. My brother died and at his funeral to my amazement there at his grave he ended the paradox of the Vietnam War. Prepared months in advance his tombstone read "US ARMY - VIETNAM", loud, proud, and clear. So here we have a Paradox: a writers organization guilty of over-kill. The Opportunity I see is to stand in support of Intellectual Property. I remind the SCWW Board of the Moral Right of an Author, of the Right of Integrity, of the right to be accurately represented in the published copy. I became a member in good faith in 2002; therefore I discard the choice Mockery. Just as in other creative works, i.e., paintings and musical compositions, a writing is carefully assembled. Writers, like artists and musicians, differ in style and reference points, and the Anthology should respect this, not throw in a hundred commas, change a religious reference to a small letter, not add words the writer did not include, not delete or move words, nor change sentence structure to a more "homogenized" style, not add quotes when only the essence of a teaching is written. I offered my best to the SCWW; I expect your best.
Pat Graney, Editor of Catfish Stew, Volume IV, responds: "I am very sorry she is so upset. As editors, our aim was simply to produce the best possible Catfish Stew by editing in accord with the Chicago Manual of Style." South Carolina Arts Commission Literary BulletinDECEMBER LITERARY EVENTS AND DEADLINES: December 1 December 1 December 1 December 1, 2006 - February 1, 2007 December 2 December 3 December 4 December 8 December 8 December 10 December 11 December 15 NOTABLE EVENTS AND DEADLINES IN EARLY 2007: January 15 January 26-27 February 23-25 The South Carolina Arts Commission is the state agency charged with creating a thriving arts environment that benefits all South Carolinians, regardless of their location or circumstances. Created by the South Carolina General Assembly in 1967, the Arts Commission focuses on increasing public participation in the arts by providing services, grants and leadership initiatives in three areas: arts education, community arts development and artist development. Headquartered in Columbia, S.C., the Arts Commission is funded by the state of South Carolina and by the federal government through the National Endowment for the Arts. For more information, visit www.SouthCarolinaArts.com or contact Sara June Goldstein, Director of Literary Arts: goldstsa@arts.state.sc.us. Theresa J. Wallace (T.J.) The Literary Arts Partnership is a joint effort of the Humanities Council SC, the SC Arts Commission, and the SC State Library. 803.734.8639 (SC Arts Commission) The Poetry Society of South Carolina
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| 1. | Responsibility rests with each author for having entries in the hands of Contest Chair by the closing date. |
| 2. | Entries must be original, typewritten on one side of 8 1/2 x 11 inch paper. Do not use staples. |
| 3. |
An entry must consist of two parts: |
| 4. | No entry may exceed thirty-six lines unless otherwise stated. |
| 5. |
A competitor may submit only one poem in each competition. |
| 6. |
A poem may not be entered in more than one competition at the same time. A poem which has failed to win in a competition may later, after the results of the first competition have been made public, be submitted for any other competition for which it is suitable. |
| 7. |
Previously published poems are not eligible as entries (except for the student Skylark Prize). |
| 8. |
Prize winners grant the Poetry Society first publication rights for the prize-winning work. Authors retain all re-publication rights and are free to reprint the work in any publication subject to giving proper credit to the original publication in The Poetry Society of South Carolina Yearbook. The author guarantees that the submitted work has not previously been published elsewhere. |
| 9. |
The winner of a prize becomes ineligible for the same prize the following year. |
| 10. |
Entries must be received by Contest Chair, PO Box 1090, Charleston, SC 29402 by the closing date of the contest. |
| 11. |
At the discretion of the judges, one or two honorable mentions may be awarded in any contest. Honorable mentions are not published or awarded a cash prize. |
| 12. | Poems entered for contests cannot be returned. They will be destroyed after the awards are announced. |
| 13. | The Poetry Society reserves the right to withhold any announced prize. |
Note: An entry fee of $5 for each poem is required for non-members. Please make checks payable to The Poetry Society of South Carolina.
Friday small press reception at Firehouse Books:
Writers, readers, Lowcountry authors, and small press representatives will attend this free-to-the public reception, to enjoy and explore the changes in the literary marketplace, and the value of small press books.
Saturday Manuscript Critiques at the Cuthbert House Inn:
Writers meet in private with a small press representative for a manuscript critique geared towards publishing book-length work; $35. Manuscript submission deadline is November 10, 2006, Call 843-379-6607 or visit http://www.eatgoodbread.com/iodine.html for details.
Deadline & Notification: Applications must be postmarked by February 16, 2007. You will be notified of your status by April 1, 2007.
Eligibility: The HUB-BUB.com Residency Program is an 11-month opportunity for motivated pre-professional and emerging artists who create high-quality work to live rent-free in order to focus on the creation of their work.
The residencies are open to one creative writer and to three artists working in all forms of visual art; however, our facilities will limit certain applicants like welders, potters, and glass artists who require excessive space or special tools. The live/work spaces will be best suited to artists who work in genres which do not require major equipment, such as, but not limited to, painters, bookmakers, paper artists, filmmakers and computer artists. Photographers are welcome to apply; however, there is no dark-room facility in the complex. Artists are responsible for all equipment that they do require (i.e., film artists must provide editing equipment, etc.).
All residents must be between the ages of 20 and 30 upon application. The ideal candidates for this program are challenging, progressive artists who are self-directed, motivated, and passionate about creating new art. Applicants are judged solely on their application and the quality of their work, and not on the basis of previous education. This is a nationwide search, so both artists in Spartanburg and artists from outside the area will be considered.
Please note that due to space accommodations, privacy protection, and vigorous work schedules, pets, roommates, spouses and children are not permitted to live in the apartments.
Submission of Work: All applicants should include with their application:
Visual Artists: Please include 10-15 good quality images of your original artwork presented on a CD readable by both MACs and PCs. Label the CD with your name and label each image with the title, medium, size and the date created. Video artists should submit a 5-minute segment on DVD.
Writers: Please include EITHER a writing sample of prose no longer than 15 pages OR 10 poems. All work should be typed, 12-point font size, and double- spaced. Please provide a COVER SHEET with your name, email address, and title(s) of the work(s).
Send Application To:
HUB-BUB Artists in Residence Program
149 S. Daniel Morgan Avenue, Suite 2
Spartanburg, S.C. 29306
Yearning to travel I browsed through the coffee table book with photographs of exotic locales. Indian markets, swirling sandstorms, snow peaked mountains, tranquil beaches in gorgeous color met my eye and then I became conscious of something else. There were close-ups of people, of faces looking directly into the camera. Some of these people sang with happiness, while a considerable number looked down, avoiding contact. With pleading eyes others begged, questioning the life that had been given them. In silence I closed the book, gently.
The question was a good one. No land, no jobs, no water, no food, no housing--who could bear it. Some truly have nothing, not even the basic needs at the bottom of the pyramid formulated by Maslow. We, however, have everything, yet in all our riches, we too question our life, we too know the pain of unhappiness, loneliness, fear, suspicion. In our depression how frequently do we need a reminder from someone actually in prison how precious this day is, how much liberty truly is at our disposal. The sad faces in the book of the world, though, shame us: how dare we whimper in despair. We recognize also the hatred and ugliness in some faces, we see it here among us too. The meanness in the cheeks, the shrewdness in the eyes, the unkempt clothing, the idle companions, the trashy environs, disorderly homes, the lack of transportation, it is here, not only in the photos of the world.
We do not know the plan of the World. Although some teachings caution, many individuals disregard the tenets, choosing ease rather than the exertion of the hour. And so we come to this moment, the face in the photo. Regret and unbelief are there. We wonder, was it because one turned away from the example of the parent, the teacher, the priest, the friend? Did one jest and joke and ridicule, twisting every moment into a farce, or play the bully, hectoring from the moment one had muscles. No matter. Each does or does not; each is responsible for the day of life. Some, however, love the good; these enjoy Tomorrow as well as today.
A writer can do much for mankind. The magnificent Leo Tolstoy, born Russian in the time of czars and serfs, author of the epic WAR AND PEACE, laboured for fifteen years to compile a book of daily readings, quotations of wisdom, because he recognized the plight of his countrymen. Sifting through writings of many nations, many religions, he gathered and refined quotations which inspire and build character, which tell how small kindnesses bring golden joy, possible for anyone of any means. This treasure he produced for his kindred fellow beings.
It was not enough for Tolstoy. He kept revising this book, simplifying it to reach ever more people, those less educated. That was his example to us who seek to improve our world.
As an example closer to home, the public library itself is established for that very end, to foster the well-being of each member of the community. Vast and diverse in its collection of materials, the library welcomes each individual, no matter, its staff printing pamphlets regularly to alert patrons to its holdings and to the universe of the Internet. For in this world each member of the community is valued, and we all need companions. Yet for those in difficulty we must help, in community projects sponsored by government, agencies, church, or out-of-pocket. And for others, those individuals in need, we must point to the guides. Then, alone, that self takes the step out of misery. While outsiders can bring improvement to the community, it is only the individual who can produce his own well-being. In turn it is all humanity who reap the benefit.
Who could solve the riddle of the world. We remember the Chinese, the great Tao and Confucius: as in the home, so in the village; as the man, so the government. The Hindu is simpler: if this, then that. And the Christian, the peace of God that passeth all understanding. Leo Tolstoy wanted that better life for each individual and the energy of the community that comes with it. He wrote, "Kindness enriches our life; with kindness mysterious things become clear, difficult things become easy, and dull things become cheerful." Peace.
[Editor's Note: Thaleia, the Muse of Comedy, is busy fielding emergency calls for the NaNoWriMo help desk, so this month we offer thoughts from SCWW member Dell Isham.]
In September I spent a week in California. I was supposed to be on vacation, but I could not help myself. I had to do a little environmental investigation too.
I knew I was in a different place when I heard politicians arguing over who was the better environmentalist.
If California were a country it would be the eighth largest economy in the world. Californians know a great deal about causing pollution. But they are now taking the lead in environmental restoration. Governor "Terminator" just signed a bill to terminate global warming.
While I found myself grid-locked on a 12-lane highway (proving you cannot build your way out of congestion), I also rode on the most impressive light-rail system anywhere.
In Visalia, California, I saw hay bales being used as construction material to build two new police stations. It is a cheap and effective form of insulation, I was told.
In the Central Valley I saw farmers using power from solar panels to pump water to irrigate their crops.
In the largest confined animal feeding operation in the world they have no manure lagoon. Animals are rotated around to a number of pens so no one area gets too polluted. The corrals that do not have animals are used for growing animal feed.
Three of the tallest trees in the world were recently discovered in California on private property. The logging company that owned the land chose not to cut them down.
One day I observed a resident finding a dead bird on his roof. He called the Health Department and they were there within two hours to take it away in a plastic bag for examination.
I also found time to challenge my fear of heights by climbing a rock taller than any point in South Carolina. I was more than a little concerned that an earthquake or puff of wind may knock me from the narrow trail into the valley 2,000 feet below. Since I am writing this article, you may have guessed that I survived.
Finally, I made it to Yosemite National Park and received some of the same inspiration as Sierra Club's founder John Muir.
Fifty years ago California was an idyllic place to live. They are fighting hard to preserve the best of what is left. It is far too congested and sprawling by South Carolina standards. We cannot imagine getting up at 4:00 in the morning to commute 75 miles to work.
Lack of planning made it that way. Our lack of planning in South Carolina could have the same result. The next time you see a politician, ask them how we a preparing for the million new residents in our state twenty years from now.
The Quill is the newsletter of the South Carolina Writers Workshop.
Copyright 2006 by Leland Beaudrot, Editor. Contributing writers retain all rights to their work.