Inde-Script-Able Places: Living Creatively in between Cultures and Conflicts on Thursday, March 6, 2008, 6 to 9:30 p.m. How now shall we live in this world where borders are disintegrating and cultures are colliding? This expressive arts workshop will explore how we can collectively re-frame local and global conflicts through an imaginative and engaged response. We will dive into the silent, hidden, challenging and "inde-script-able" spaces in between cultures and within conflicts that call for our undivided attention and embodied presence. Movement, music, art-making, poetic narrative and performance will become our shared social canvas for cultivating awareness, compassion and action. Through a variety of artistic encounters in the "gaps," we will collaboratively write new scripts for some of the most neglected personal, social and political spaces
in our world today. This will involve a dynamic exploration of how diverse worldviews, cultural identities and power structures influence conflict transformation both locally and globally. Join us for this innovative interplay with arts and social change as we invent, improvise and imagine how we can re-write current headlines and "in-habit" fragile spaces with sensitivity, dignity and creativity. There also will be an information session after the workshop on the Expressive Arts and Social Change Program at the European Graduate School in Switzerland (www.expressiveartsandsocialchange.org) Facilitator: Carrie MacLeod, Ph.D. candidate. Carrie has used an arts-based approach to education, advocacy and social change for over a decade. Internationally, she has worked within the context of peace and reconciliation programs with children impacted by war in Sierra Leone, West Africa; she also has worked on community health, education and environmental projects throughout India and Central America. In Canada, she designs and facilitates programs that combine the arts, film and multimedia with intercultural conflict resolution and global responsibility. She is on the faculty of the European Graduate School in Switzerland, and currently is the creative director of an arts and conflict resolution project at the University of British Columbia. Location: NYEA Studio, 4 Central Ave., 2nd floor, Albany (just west of the corner at Lark St.)
Fee: $25.00 (all proceeds benefit CAUSE Sierra Leone)
For more information: Visit the NYEA website or call (518) 434-2412. Labels: workshops
 Local poet Barbara Garro sent this in about a great resource for poets who want to share their work and get feedback from their peers.
Attention all Poets who want 45 minutes of sharing and critique in a professional setting! Saratoga Springs Poet, Barbara Garro, offers a monthly, Third Wednesday morning from 9 a.m. to Noon, Saratoga Poetry Focus Group for a maximum of four poets. The Group meets at Garro's studio at 205 Regent Street, Saratoga Springs, and attendees must call 518-587-9999 for their reservation. Poets are asked to bring 4 copies of each poem for critique and offer critique to other attendees. Directions: Those coming from the South, get off the Adirondack Northway at Exit 13N and proceed into Saratoga. When you see Saratoga's major intersection (Adirondack Trust, Post Office, City Hall), turn East onto Lake Avenue and follow Lake past the Fire House and make a Right onto Regent Street where the Lake Avenue School is located. 205 Regent is on the right in the block between Lake and Caroline. Make sure you park on the correct side of the street. Those coming from the North, get off the Adirondack Northway at Exit 15 and follow the above directions. Labels: poetry, workshops, writing
 It looks like the most recent post on Dan Wilcox's blog (about low attendance at the latest "Community of Writers" event sponsored by the Hudson Valley Writers Guild) has touched off a big discussion on the state of poetry and spoken word in the area. There are a lot of different ideas and thoughts on the local poetry scene and open mics as a whole. As of this writing, there are 25 comments on the issue.
Click here to read the post and the comments and feel free to add your own to the mix. After reading the comments and even adding some of my own, it got me thinking about a greater issue that I have been dealing with for a few months now since I started working on a project for OTHER:. The issue is, what is poetry to you? So, I am going to open it up to you, the poets, to let me know what poetry is to you. Go to the comments and speak your mind. Labels: open mic, poetry events, workshops
 This one day workshop will take place on Saturday, October 27 is sponsored by the Lake George Arts Project. The workshop will be held at the Arts Project Courthouse Gallery located at the side entrance of the County Courthouse Building on Main St. in Lake George Village from 10:00a.m. - 2:30p.m. with a short break for lunch. There is a $20 fee. Call the Arts Project at 518-668-2616 to register. Led by Susan Jefts.
This workshop will use poetry with autumnal themes to look at how poetic images and rhythms speak to the less explored places in us. Weather permitting, some time will be spent outside by the lake, observing and responding to autumn's sounds, scents and images. There will be opportunities to write and share. This workshop should prove stimulating for both beginner and advanced writers, of both poetry and prose. Labels: workshops
 Deepening Our Connections Through Poetry is a new workshop series that will be taking place on Tuesday evenings from October 23 - November 20, 5:30-7:00 p.m. in Saratoga Springs led by Susan Jefts, MS and published poet.
A group for exploring, through poetry, the depth and beauty of autumn, both in the external landscape and our own internal landscapes. What do we keep returning to? What is essential in our lives? We will explore the words, rhythms and images of a new poem each week, accompanied by music, and delve into these and other questions. Appropriate for both new and experienced writers, and for poets and prose writers alike. There will be a chance to write each week. The cost for this workshop series is $20 for each session. Call 232-6776 to register or for questions. Also, be sure to check out www.saratogapoetryroom.com for more comments about previous workshops and other information. Labels: poetry, workshops, writing
 The Adirondack Center for Writing has had a VERY busy season. Check out these upcoming programs. This fall is PACKED with outstanding literary events, and taking place all over the region. Visit our website, www.adirondackcenterforwriting.org, for even more listings.
October 14, 2007 - The Chronicle Book Fair
Annual book fair featuring regional authors, readings and panels. (Great opportunity for published authors to have a tabletop and sell their books!) ACW member, Kate Messner will be there signing her new book, Spitfire and ACW member, Ruth Lamb will also be there signing copies of, At the End of the Road: Reflections on Life in an Adirondack Valley At the Queensbury Hotel, Glens Falls, NY. For more information, contact Cathy DeDe, Arts Editor, The Chronicle. Tel: (518) 792-1126. October 19-21, 2007 - Facing Pages Literary Conference
Join the New York State Literary Community for a weekend retreat in Blue Mountain Lake. Every year the New York State Council on the Arts and several New York State literary organizations join forces to present an outstanding conference geared towards literary presenters, presses, writers, and teachers. This year the conference is being held in our own back yard-- Blue Mountain Lake! For a full conference brochure visit www.littap.org. Registration deadline is October 5th. The conference is free for locals; the only costs are for meals and lodging if you need it, but you must register so we have an accurate headcount. October 25, 2007 - NaNoWriMo in the Adirondacks
The Second Annual NaNoWriMo Kickoff Celebration is being held on Thursday, October 25, from 6-7 pm at the Town of Johnsburg Library on Main St. in North Creek. NaNoWriMo (pronounced Nan-Oh-Rye-Mo), is celebrated each year in the month of November. NaNoWriMo challenges each participant to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. It's the fun, zany, and crazy literary sensation that's sweeping the globe. Do you think you don't have time? Then you're the perfect candidate for NaNoWriMo. NaNoWriMo gathers adults, children, and teens in a supportive community to share the joys and agonies of the novel-writing process. Join us in North Creek as we kick-off our second November of non-stop novel writing, fellowship, and fun. Write-ins and read-ins will be scheduled during November at cafes, the town library, bookstores, and in area restaurants, wherever madly scribbling writers are tolerated. For more information, call Judith Harper at 518-251-3006 and visit the official NaNoWriMo website http://www.nanowrimo.org November 3, 2007 - ACW's Annual Publishing Conference
This year the conference will be held at Silver Bay, on Lake George just south of Ticonderoga. This popular day-long event features lectures, workshops, and manuscript critiques with editors and authors of both nonfiction and fiction. Visit out website, www.adirondackcenterforwriting.org, for a complete schedule and presenter bios. Contact ACW to reserve your spot today. Submission deadline for manuscript critiques is October 18th! November 29, 2007 - Andrea Barrett
The Adirondack Center for Writing and Paul Smith's College present, Andrea Barrett, author of several novels, including Ship Fever, which won the National Book Award and Servants of the Map, which was short-listed for the Pulitzer Prize. Her newest book, The Air We Breathe, is set entirely in Saranac Lake. For more information on the Center, go to their website or call 518-327-6278 Labels: poetry events, workshops
 Palm Beach Poetry Festival, in partnership with Old School Square Cultural Arts Center in the heart of Delray Beach, Florida, is proud to present the fourth annual festival featuring six days of readings, lectures and workshops. From January 21 - 26, 2008 at the Old School Square Cultural Arts Center, a national historic site blocks from the beach at 51 North Swinton Avenue in Delray Beach, Florida
The lineup for 2008 includes Kim Addonizio, Claudia Emerson, Major Jackson, Thomas Lux, Campbell McGrath, Malena Mörling, Sharon Olds, and C.K. Williams. We will also welcome Florida poets Lola Haskins and Spencer Reece for a special reading. Roger Bonair-Agard and Marty McConnell will grace the stage for performances at our annual late-night Coffee House event. To register for the workshops and other events during this years festival, go to www.palmbeachpoetryfestival.org and click APPLY. The deadline to apply is October 31, 2007. Labels: poetry events, workshops
If you're a big John Ashbery fan, you won't want to miss the celebration at Bard College September 14-16. Details in this Bard College press release: On September 14–16, to celebrate Ashbery's 80th birthday and his remarkable career as a poet, critic, editor, and translator, Bard will host "This Feeling of Exaltation," a weekend of poetry readings, panel discussions, and music at the College. Among those scheduled to participate are poets Charles Bernstein, Peter Gizzi, Robert Kelly, Ann Lauterbach, Joan Retallack, Reginald Shepherd, Susan Stewart, and Cole Swensen; writer and editor Bradford Morrow; art critic Jed Perl; and literary critic and scholar Susan Stewart. Highlights of the three-day celebration include a concert by the American Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Leon Botstein, on Friday, September 14. All events are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted. Along with Frank O'Hara and Kenneth Koch, Ashbery is a central figure in what came to be known, in 1961, as the New York School of poets. His genre-breaking poetry and critical prose on the visual arts, music, film, literature, and culture have profoundly influenced artists, scholars, writers, and the public for decades. The recipient of numerous awards and honors, including the Pulitzer Prize, National Book Award, National Book Critics Circle Award, and Bollingen Prize in Poetry, as well as MacArthur, Guggenheim, and Fulbright fellowships, Ashbery remains today—more than half a century since the publication of his first book in 1953—one of the most innovative and defining voices of our times. John Ashbery's recent books include A Worldly Country (2007), Where Shall I Wander (2005), Chinese Whispers (2002), Selected Prose (2004), and Other Traditions (the Norton Lecture at Harvard, 2000). He received the Pulitzer Prize, National Book Award, and National Book Critics Circle Award for Self-Portrait in a Convex Mirror (1975). He was New York State Poet Laureate (2001–02), a chancellor of the Academy of American Poets (1988–99), and a MacArthur Fellow (1985–90). He received the Wallace Stevens Award from the Academy of American Poets (2001), Gold Medal for Poetry from the American Academy of Arts and Letters (1997), Robert Frost Medal from the Poetry Society of America (1995), and Antonio Feltrinelli International Prize for Poetry, Rome (1992), among other honors, and was made an officer of the Légion d'Honneur of the Republic of France by presidential decree (2002). He is currently Charles P. Stevenson Jr. Professor of Languages and Literature at Bard College. SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
"This Feeling of Exaltation"
Bard College Celebrates John Ashbery on the Occasion of his 80th Birthday
September 14–16, 2007
Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, N.Y. Friday, September 14
4:00–6:00 p.m. Poetry Reading
Charles Bernstein, Peter Gizzi, Reginald Shepherd, Susan Stewart, and Cole Swensen
Bradford Morrow, introduction
(This event is funded in part by Poets & Writers, Inc., with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency.)
Theater Two, Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts
6:45 p.m. Preconcert Talk
Richard Wilson, American Symphony Orchestra Composer in Residence
Sosnoff Theater, Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts
8:00 p.m. American Symphony Orchestra*
Leon Botstein, Conductor
Johannes Brahms (1833–97), Academic Festival Overture, Op. 80 (1880)
Camille Saint-Saëns (1835–1921), Piano Concerto No. 5 in F Major, Op. 103 ("Egyptian") (1896)
Jacques Ibert (1890–1962), Quatre Chansons de Don Quichotte (1932)
Antonín Dvorák (1841–1904), Symphony No. 9 in E Minor, Op. 95 ("From the New World") (1893)
Sosnoff Theater, Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts. *Tickets are $20/$30/$35. Saturday, September 15
10:00 a.m.–noon John Ashbery: The Early Work
Charles Bernstein on Rivers and Mountains
Reginald Shepherd on Some Trees
Susan Stewart on Self-Portrait in a Convex Mirror
Peter Gizzi, Moderator
László Z. Bitó '60 Auditorium, Gabrielle H. Reem and Herbert J. Kayden Center for Science and Computation 2:00–4:00 p.m. John Ashbery: The Later Work
Robert Kelly on Chinese Whispers
Joan Retallack on Girls on the Run
Cole Swensen on Hotel Lautréamont
Peter Gizzi, Moderator
László Z. Bitó '60 Auditorium, Gabrielle H. Reem and Herbert J. Kayden Center for Science and Computation 4:00 p.m. Reading by John Ashbery
Ann Lauterbach, introduction
László Z. Bitó '60 Auditorium, Gabrielle H. Reem and Herbert J. Kayden Center for Science and Computation Sunday, September 16
11:00 a.m. "Off-Center Intensity: Reflections on John Ashbery and the Visual Arts"
A Talk by Jed Perl
Reception to follow
Avery Arts Center Theater
*All events are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted. Programs are subject to change. Labels: poetry events, workshops
 Writing from Art and Architecture at Albany City Hall, Saturday, September 8
Guided Tour by Assemblyman John J. McEneny from 10 AM - 11 AM. The guided tour is free and may be taken without attending the writing workshop; reservations suggested. Writing from Art & Architecture Workshop with Dan Wilcox from 11:15 AM - 1 PM. Fee for the workshop: $10 for members of the Hudson Valley Writers Guild, or the Historic Albany Foundation. $12 for non-members. To register or for more information, send an email cphilo@nycap.rr.com, or call 518-459-3266 Sponsored by Hudson Valley Writers Guild and Historic Albany Foundation and funded with an Albany City Arts grant Painters, Poets, Politicians, Saturday, September 8 There will be a reading and reception for the new exhibit, "Painters, Poets, Politicians" on Saturday night at the new Bad as Art Gallery (316 Delaware Avenue)from 6:00 – 9:00PM. The evening will feature work by Marcus K. Anderson, R. M. Engelhardt, Sid Stein, Matthew Klane, Ford McLain, Ben Ellis, Rebecca Rentz, More information can be found at www.badasart.com. Goshen Writers' Group, Saturday, September 8
Poets! Goshen Writers' Group on the cusp of Autumn...
Saturday, September 8 at 7:00PM at the home of Ted and Jane Gill (83 Lower Reservoir Rd., Goshen, NY). Bring poems, very short stories, storytelling skills, an acoustic instrument or two, snacks to share, and your magnanimous selves. For more information call 845-294-5010 Presence and Possibility, Sunday, September 9 Presence & Possibility, a dance workshop taught By Sally Rhoades at The Yoga Loft , 540 Delaware Ave, Albany, NY. Four sessions beginning on September 9 and continuing October 7, November 11 and December 9 all from 2:00 - 4:00 PM. "We will discover together our tasks as human beings to bring presence into our lives. The possibilities that exist without our bodies are nothing compared to the possibility within us. Class consists of a vigorous warm-up of the muscles, joints, connections and a concentration on the spine and its purpose to not only hold us up but allow us to move. Each class is tailored to the group. Wear comfortable clothing, bring a journal or a drawing pad and a desire to discover." Cost for this workshop is $15. For more information, please e-mail lucy1299@aol.com or call 518-456-4993. Labels: poetry events, workshops
 Writing from Art and Architecture
Cosponsored by the Hudson Valley Writers Guild and and the Historic Albany Foundation
Saturday, September 8, 2007, 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM at Albany City Hall, Eagle Street, NY
The tour, which will take place from 10:00-11:00 a.m. (approximately) is free. The public is invited to attend the tour, independent of the writing workshop. Writing workshop - $10 for members of the HVWG or of the Historic Albany Foundation, $12 for non members. Reservations are recommended. To register email cphilo@nycap.rr.com or call 518-459-3255. This event will include a tour of the art and history of the building, completed in 1883, one of the most Romanesque designs of renowned architect Henry Hobson Richardson. The tour will be conducted by John J. McEneny, Member of the NYS Assembly for the 104th District. A former Albany County Historian, Jack McEneny is a well-known teacher and speaker on local history, ethnicity and related fields. Albany poet and photographer, Dan Wilcox, will conduct the writing workshop. The workshop will include discussion on different approaches to writing about history, art and architecture, writing exercises, and sharing of work. Novice writers as well as those who are published authors are welcome. This program is funded with an Albany City Arts Grant. Poetry and Performance with Elizabeth McKim and Steve Clorfeine
Hosted by the Hudson Valley Writers Guild and New York Expressive Arts
Saturday, September 15, 2007, 7:00 PM at 4 Central Ave., Albany, NY An engaging poet-performer and teacher, Elizabeth Gordon McKim works out of the oral tradition of song, story, and poem. For many years she has performed her poetry with Swiss musician Paolo Knill and she has worked with dancers, poets, visual artists, musicians and teachers in the U.S., Europe, Indonesia and Israel. She has written five books of poetry, the latest entitled "The Red Thread" (Leapfrog Press, 2003). McKim has worked with countless children and teachers, and expressive arts practitioners throughout the U.S. and internationally. She is a national faculty member at Lesley University in the Department of Creative Arts in Learning and Poet Laureate of the European Graduate School. "McKim's poems offer you immediate pleasure. Carry them home and take them into you." — Marge Piercy Steve Clorfeine has been writing, performing and directing theater pieces since 1975. His productions have been presented in theatres, public schools, libraries, senior centers and art centers throughout the United States and Western Europe. Steve is on the theater faculty of Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado. His latest collection of poems is "Field Road Sky" (2006). "Clorfeine's day to day experiences read like a series of prose haikus...there is a clarity in his writing...a habit of seeing the ordinary and the extraordinary, the marvelous in the mundane." —Woodstock Times For more information: Contact denie@newyorkexpressivearts.com or call the studio at (518) 434-2412. You can also contact the Hudson Valley Writers Guild at (518) 449-8069. Labels: poetry events, workshops
 Here is what is going on at the Albany Public Library in September. These events take place at the main branch of the library, located at 161 Washington Avenue, Albany.
Friday, September 7 - 9:30 am to 5:30 pm
Reverse Business Fair: Held by the National Association of Minority Contractors. Sunday, September 9 - 2:00 pm
Sunday Cinema: Hot Fuzz Wednesday, September 12 - 7:00 pm
Silent Film Spectacular: The Mark of Zorro. Revisit this classic silent film with improvised music performed live by local musician Eric Halder. Friday, September 14 - 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm.
Garage Bands in the Garage: Free after-hours music series with Swamp Baby and Ashley Pond. All ages are welcome. Sunday, September 16 - 2:00 pm
US – China Peoples Friendships Association: Bob Winchester will discuss his family's Chinese art collection comprised of more than 200 scrolls, prints and paintings done on silk and rice paper. Sunday, September 23 - 2:00 pm
Legends and Legacies: "Ebony Symphony" Donald Hyman presents two African American composers. Wednesday, September 26 - 7:00 pm
Reinventing Yourself in Retirement: Exploring Career and Life Options Workshop. To register or for more information contact the Main Library Reference Department at 427- 4303. Tuesday, September 18 - 7:00 pm
Spelling Bee: Feeling a little nostalgic for school days this September? Join the Readers’ Services Department for a spelling bee! We’ll be hosting a spelling bee for fun and prizes. So dust off your dictionary and thumb through your thesaurus and feel like a kid again. The Friends of APL Programs Tuesday, September 4 - 12:15 pm
Book Review: The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable by Nassim Taleb with reviewer Jonathan Skinner, PhD, Retired Biostatistian
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Tuesday, September 11 - 12:15 pm
Book Review: A Second Opinion: Rescuing America’s Healthcare by Arnold Relmen, MD with reviewer Richard Propp, MD, Chair, Capital District Alliance for Universal Healthcare Tuesday, September 18 - 12:15 pm
Book Review: Trout Fishing in the Catskills by Ed Van Put with reviewer John Rowan, author, fisherman and environmentalist Tuesday, September 25 - 12:15 pm
Book Review: Edith Wharton a new, definitive biography by Hermione Lee with reviewer Charlotte Goodman, PhD, Professor Emeritus of English, Skidmore College For more information you can call the Albany Public Library at 427-4303 or go to their website at http://www.albanypubliclibrary.org Labels: books, library, workshops
 Writers in Progress, the Valley's literary arts center, is pleased to offer a variety of weekly and one-day writing workshops this fall. Whether you are an experienced writer or just beginning, our workshops offer the inspiration, instruction on craft and professional editorial feedback to bring your projects to the next level. All workshops take place in our lovely Florence studio, include refreshments and are limited to 8 writing in your life this fall!
Weekly Workshops:
Writing From Life with Dori Ostermiller: This workshop will inspire you to make significant creative leaps in a supportive environment. Through exercises, group discussion and creative exploration, we will access life experience, generate fresh material and deepen our commitment to the writing life. Open to writers of all levels and genres. Professional manuscript critique included. Mondays, 6:00 - 9:00 pm12-week Fall Session begins September 17 ($450/ $405 WIP alums) The Craft of Fiction I & II, with Dori Ostermiller: Two10-week workshops designed to help fiction writers recharge and refine their craft. At each meeting, we'll engage in focused writing, explore an element of craft, and discuss members' work. COF I will cover narrative perspective, character development, dialogue, setting and plot. COF II will focus on the more subtle aspects of craft: voice, prose style, theme, mechanics and revision. Make substantial progress on your writing projects! Thursdays, 9:30 am - 12:30 pm
Craft of Fiction I starts September 27, 2007 ($425/$382 WIP alums)
Craft of Fiction II starts February 6, 2008 ($425/$382 WIP alums) Fall Poetry Workshop, with DM Gordon: This six-week workshop, open to poets of all levels, will give writers the opportunity to imagine, stretch, and generate new material for the first four weeks. Then, in the last two weeks, we'll come together for a thorough, supportive peer-editing workshop. Emphasis will be on the joy of writing and reading.
Thursdays, 6:30 - 9:30 pm
6-week Fall Session begins October 4 ($225/$202 WIP alums) One-day Workshops:
Creating Characters that Breathe, with Dori Ostermiller: Authentic characters that 'live and breathe' on the page are perhaps the most essential ingredients of good fiction. This fun, inspiring and supportive workshop will focus on the four fundamental methods of characterization. Come create someone new, or become more intimate with a character you've already met. Delicious lunch included.
Saturday, August 25, 9:30 am - 4:30 pm ($120/$108 WIP alums) Performing Your Work for an Audience, With Mark Zeller: This popular all-day workshop will bring your writing to life through the spoken word, in a process that will surprise and inspire you. Drawn from his broad experience as an actor and theater director, Mark's exercises will allow you to subtly enhance the drama and energy of your prose, or clarify the meaning and spirit of your poetry as you learn to read effectively for an audience. Whether you have one reading in your future or many, this workshop will change the way you relate to your work! This is a brown bag workshop. Saturday, September 15, 9:30 - 5:00 with an hour for lunch ($120/$108 WIP alums) NEW: Writing Around the Corner - Setting Stories in Your Hometown, with Author Suzanne Strempek Shea: An enlightening, one-day workshop on working with familiar settings for your narratives. We'll explore some of the pros and cons of writing about the place - and people - you know best, whether you're a native or transplant. We'll also look at what other authors have done with setting: both in their own back yards and across the globe. This is a brown bag workshop. Saturday, October 27, 9:30 - 5:00 with an hour for lunch ($120/$108 WIP alums) NEW: Putting words in their mouths - making your fictional dialogue work, with Jacqueline Sheehan: Dialogue is essential to fiction, and successful dialogue should work on several levels-to bring your characters to life, create tension, reveal subtext, and move your narrative forward. In this one-day workshop, we'll play with a handful of techniques for making our fictional people talk so readers will listen. This is a brown-bag workshop. Saturday, November 3, 9:30 - 4:30 ($120/$108 WIP alums) For more information, contact dorio@writersinprogress.com, call (413) 582-0101, or visit www.writersinprogress.com. Labels: workshops
 Writing from Art, a popular program for five years, continues this Summer! Co-sponsored by the Hudson Valley Writers Guild and the Albany Institute of History and Art, the paintings of Albany native Stephen Hannock are featured, winner of an Academy Award and one of the country's foremost neo-romantic painters. There are two opportunities before the writing workshop to meet the artist and preview his work at receptions hosted by the Albany Institute of History and Art.
Opening Reception: Thursday, June 21, 5:30 - 7:30 FREE
Artist Talk and Reception: Thursday, July 19, 5:30 - 7:30 FREE
Open Mic Afterwards: Walk up the street afterwards to Third Thursday Poetry Night, an Open Mic hosted by Dan Wilcox and Poetry Motel Foundation at the Social Justice Center, 33 Central Ave.
The workshop, Writing from Art is for writers of all genres and levels will take place Thursday, August 9 Time: 2-4 pm. This program is inspired by the exhibition Luminosity: The Paintings of Stephen Hannock at The Albany Institute of History and Art, 125 Washington Avenue, Albany. Bring your creativity. We’ll provide the inspiration! The Institute's Education Director Erika Sanger will lead a discussion of the artist's landscapes, self-portraits, and paintings embedded with words. She will be followed by a multi-genre writing session with award winning local poet and writing instructor, Therese Broderick. Workshop $15 members of the Institute or Guild; $20 non-members
The Albany Institute of History & Art will open the new exhibition LUMINOSITY: Paintings by Stephen Hannock, on Saturday, June 16. The exhibition will showcase 20 paintings by, Stephen Hannock, including self-portraits, landscapes and four major works described by the artist as “Vistas with Text”. The exhibition also includes sketchbooks, photographs and two short films related to Hannock’s work. The opening reception for LUMINOSITY will be held on Thursday, June 21 from 5:30 - 7:30 pm during the June Third Thursday program.
One of the country’s foremost neo-romantic painters, Hannock was born and raised in Albany, and attended the Albany Academy. His paintings are multi layered in technique and meaning. In his more recent larger paintings, which the artist refers to as “Vistas with Text”, Hannock includes written commentaries or diaries embedded in the painting. Hannock describes these paintings “as woven fabrics of light combined with the recounting of anecdotes of people’s adventures celebrating the history of the times.” In 1998 Hannock won the Academy Award for “Special Effects” in the motion picture, What Dreams May Come. For the film, Hannock created more than 100 paintings that were used by the special effects team to create computer-generated images of heaven and hell.
Recognizing Hannock’s interest in Hudson River School artists Thomas Cole and Frederic Church, John Kensett, and George Inness, the Albany Institute is installing its collection of Hudson River School paintings in the adjacent galleries. Hannock studied art at Smith College with Leonard Baskin (with whom he apprenticed with from 1972-75), and received his B.A. from Hampshire College. In the beginning of his artistic career, Hannock experimented with Day-Glo paints, which required dark rooms and black lights to bring out the colors. He then began to experiment with phosphorous paints on canvas with external black lighting, and exhibited two paintings at the Albany Institute in 1982. Hannock’s style of painting was changed by an accident in the early 1980s, when he attempted to remove a sky on a canvas with an electric sander. The result of the rough treatment to the canvas had a surprising effect on the quality of light emanating from the work. The surface of the painting glowed with an inherent luminosity and soon became the artist’s trademark style.
To achieve a luminous look, Hannock has mastered and manipulated the use of electric sanders to polish in between the many layers of oil paint and resin to create a smooth surface infused with light and depth. Hannock’s work is represented in many private and public collections including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the National Museum of American Art, Washington D.C; Smith College Museum of Art, Worcester Art Museum, MA; Museum of Fine Art, Houston, TX; and the Albany Institute of History & Art. Several examples of Hannock’s Hudson River work will also be on view during the summer at Olana State Historic Site in Hudson, New York and the Berkshire Museum in Pittsfield, MA. Hannock divides his time between his studios in Williamstown, MA and New York City.
LUMINOSITY: Paintings by Stephen Hannock will be on display from Saturday, June 16 through Sunday, September 2. The opening reception will be held on Thursday, June 21 from 5:30 - 7:30 pm during the Albany Institute’s monthly Third Thursday Program Labels: workshops
 Here's what previous workshop participants have said about RANDOM WRITING:
"...A really comfortable workshop with no one person taking over." "Cheryl, you gave me what I needed- time, place, prompt and a kick in the ass. Thank you!" "[RANDOM WRITING] stimulated me with useful idea that provoked writing." "[RANDOM WRITING] was really for everyone at any level of writing." Longtime Hudson Valley poet Cheryl A. Rice continues her RANDOM WRITING poetry workshop series in Saugerties on June 23rd. Future dates in Kingston as well as other locations are pending. RANDOM WRITING, a poetry workshop for new or used poets, was developed by Rice to satisfy her own craving for a workshop that flexes writing muscles as well as offers honest, direct feedback on work in progress. Inspired by such poets as Enid Dame and Sharon Olds, Rice seeks to orchestrate a workshop which contains the basic elements of growing your writing-- inspiration, wordplay, text manipulation and peer response. RANDOM WRITING workshops include provocative prompts such as 'hot-button' topics drawn from personal experience as well as unexpected sources right under our noses. RANDOM WRITING workshops also include tips on marketing, self-publishing, and how to find out what's going on where in the thriving Hudson Valley poetry scene, and beyond. Rice has been published widely both locally and nationally, and has made live appearances on WDST-FM (Woodstock, NY) and WKZE-FM (Sharon, CT). She is the founder and host of the semi-annual 'Sylvia Plath Bake-Off', allegedly the world's only combination open mic/baked goods contest. The Dutch Arms Chapel, at 16 John St. in Saugerties will be the site of the session of RANDOM WRITING, on June 23rd from 1-3pm. Registration is limited; 17 and older, please. The cost is only $20, payable on the day of the workshop. To register for an upcoming workshop, schedule a RANDOM WRITING poetry workshop for your school, club, business or friends, or for more information, Rice may be contacted at (845) 339-8686. Updates can also be found online at: http://www.geocities.com/dorothyy62/flyingmonkeyproductions.html Labels: workshops
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