April Announcements
From My Writerly World
spread art, not coronavirus
It’s a tagline I saw in a newsletter from the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts (VCCA), which temporarily closed its doors to fellowships and residencies for the first time in 50 years. Artists worldwide are experiencing repercussions from the Shuttering Effect (has that term been coined or did I just make it up?), but so many are responding creatively. If you’re feeling squirrelly (or financially freaked out) while cooped up, below are some creative outlets as well as economic resources. May you and your socially distanced circles be well!
Writing From Memory or Imagination
My 6-week writing workshop series at The Sitting Room (Feb. 26 – April 1) was a success ~ even when we switched midway, like everyone on Earth, to a virtual room on Zoom. Nearly everyone in our writing group plans to continue with another Wednesday series! In addition, I am offering a second Zoom workshop series: Thursdays, April 16 – May 21, from 10am–12:30pm PST. Cost is $150. Using the Amherst Writers & Artists (AWA) method, each 2.5-hour session combines creative prompts and positive feedback to bolster our writing practice. Space is limited. All writing levels and genres are welcome!
Here’s what some participants had to say:
“The workshop filled me with so much joy. AWA is like learning a new language.”
“Provocative prompts stimulate our writer’s brain. I’ve been branching out more in my writing.”
“Nicole provides a safe & encouraging environment to learn & grow.”
“I appreciate everyone’s positive input & willingness to share.”
“I have gotten so much from Nicole’s knowledge of writing & attention to the process.”
For more information: https://www.nicolerzimmerman.com/workshops/
Shut Up & Write!™ wine country: via Zoom
Drop in for an hour of virtual writing together on Tuesdays at 9:30am PST on Zoom. RSVP at Meetup. It’s free! Please arrive early for intros. The Shut Up & Write team has compiled an excellent list of best practices to help you stay on track with your writing (or for anyone now working, or studying, from home).
COVID-19 creative calls
Stories take on new proportions during a pandemic, including the opportunity to illuminate (and make meaning from) the mundane details of the everyday. Read Grace Segran’s “Find Everything You’re Looking For?” at Pangyrus and submit work to the lit journal’s online section, In Sickness & In Health: Life in the Pandemic and Beyond.
According to the editors:
“This is a time when shared voices matter. What's your story of social isolation, of flight of imagination, of outrage, of escape? What has been lost—and what gained—as ordinary life takes on extraordinary dimensions?”
Submittable also compiled this list of organizations seeking personal responses to the coronavirus pandemic.
“Writing and making art in response to current events can be a powerful antidote to fear and uncertainty.”
On that note, the J. Paul Getty Museum in LA, according to designboom.com, “is challenging people to recreate their favorite artworks using themselves as the subjects and household objects as their props.” Check out the photos for an emotional boost or as inspiration to create your own masterpiece.
living through lockdown with art supplies
Join Susie Stonefield Miller at Unfold Art for online art journaling sessions with her Creative Life Raft. I started going to her in-person studio six years ago. Last week, I worked from my kitchen table via Zoom. Susie writes on her website:
“Through the use of imagery, line, pattern, texture, color, and words, your deepest emotions can be expressed. In the pages of your art journal you can feel the freedom to go to the dark places—and to the light, as well—to release it all.”
Here’s the page I made from that very first day (I still feel like a happy preschooler playing with paint—yep, that’s me in the photo!) and one in black from last week:
Susie offers a variety of ways to pay, including $25 per session, sliding scale.
publication news
My essay “Politeness Will Not Protect You,” about teaching women’s self-defense twenty years ago, was a finalist in the 2020 Hypertext essay context. It will be published in the Spring/Summer print edition of the Hypertext Review and later online. Hypertext is “currently on the hunt for writing that presents the world in new and startling ways."
That same week, after several prior rejections, I learned that “Please Don’t Climb: Controversy at the Heart of Australia," was accepted for a themed issue on Practices of Hope by About Place Journal—published by the Black Earth Institute dedicated to re-forging the links between art and spirit, earth and society. I began research on this 3,800-word nonfiction narrative over a decade ago, but timely current events motivated me to dust off my drafts and get it done. The initially daunting process was rewarded with words every writer longs to hear: “We love it!”
This week I also learned that of two flash pieces I submitted to the annual Redwood Writers anthology, one was accepted while the other was rejected. It was helpful (and fascinating!) to see the judging rubrics used and read the three judges’ comments, particularly for the one declined:
“This is a great start to a story, but it’s only a beginning, without a middle or end. Does not stand on its own. The images are vivid, descriptions are intriguing. I feel cheated out of the rest of the story. Wanted to read more.”
As it turns out, I inserted the excerpt back into a travel essay I happen to be revising about the start of a 16,000-mile solo road trip around North America during the looming threat of Y2K. Some of the anxieties of that era feel familiar.
National Poetry Month
This year the Academy of American Poets offers activities, initiatives, and resources “so that anyone can join in online and at home and—hopefully—find comfort, resilience, and connection throughout the month of April and beyond.”
“More and more people are turning to poetry at this moment, because poetry and inspiring language can help bring solace and needed strength.”
The official poster features the artwork of Samantha Aikman, winner of this year's National Poetry Month Poster Contest for Students. Aikman's design was selected by judges Alison Bechdel, renowned cartoonist, and former U.S. Poet Laureate Juan Felipe Herrera. It features a line from the poem "Remember" by current U.S. Poet Laureate, Joy Harjo.
financial assistance for creatives
Starting today, small businesses and nonprofits can apply for Small Business Administration (SBA) loans and loan forgiveness via the CARES Act (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act). Starting April 10, independent contractors and self-employed individuals can also apply for assistance. In addition, check out KQED’s list of emergency funds for writers, including $500–$1,000 from PEN America.
support independence!
While you may consider reading material “essential,” Amazon doesn’t. Please help local independent bookstores stay afloat, such as Copperfield's Books in Sonoma County, which ships directly with reduced shipping prices. Book Passage (Marin) also offers virtual events including a free online event series called Conversations with Authors. You can also purchase audiobooks through their link to Libro.fm/bookpassage. And check out the Virtual Book Channel (VBC) at Literary Hub, which features original programming such as readings and book launches—from your couch. What books are by your bedside?