First Prince William Poet Laureate to be announced on June 14

Deliberating Poet Laureate panel members, from left, included Alice Mergler, Parkside Middle School teacher; Mark Shaaber, CEO, SCS Integrated Support Solutions and Prince William Veterans Council Chairman; Cathy Hailey, Creative Writing teacher, Center for the Fine and Performing Arts, Woodbridge Sr. High School and  Dr. Eric Pankey, Professor of English and Heritage Chair in Writing, George Mason University. The 11-member panel reviewed nominees' poetry samples and proposed community projects before selecting Prince William’s first Poet Laureate. Photo by Northern Virginia Community College.

On Saturday, 14 local poets will go about their usual morning routine – reading the paper, drinking coffee, walking the dog. By 6:00 PM, one of them will be named the first Prince William Poet Laureate.

Guy Lambert of WPGC 95.5 is expected to make the announcement broadcasting live on Saturday, June 14 at the culmination of the “Poetry & Jazz on the Lake” event, 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM at Tackett’s Mill Lakeside, 2228 Tackett's Mill Drive, Lake Ridge, Virginia.

Emcee Lambert plans to introduce each nominee to the public and invite them to read their poetry live on the air, with jazz accompaniment by Common Ground. In the second hour, the first Prince William Poet Laureate will be announced. All 14 nominees will be honored as a newly-formed Prince William Poet Laureate Circle. DJ Double L is also providing music. Food and wine will be available for purchase. Admission is free to the public.

The Selection Panel

A panel of 11 prominent Prince William poets, scholars and business leaders met May 30 at Northern Virginia Community College’s Woodbridge campus, at the invitation of Provost Dr. Sam Hill, to make their selection after an individual review of 14 competitive nomination packets (poetry samples and proposed community projects with names removed).

Panel members included: Alirio Aleman, poet, novelist and Spanish-language journalist;  Lindsey Barszcy, student, and Cathy Hailey, creative writing teacher (Center for the Fine and Performing Arts, Woodbridge Senior High School); Carlos Castro, entrepreneur and founder of Todos Supermarkets; Dr. Constance Gilman, Director, Prince William Public Library System;  Marie Khalili Nasiri, author and business owner (State Farm Insurance, Manassas), daughter of Khalilullah Khalili (historian, poet, philosopher and statesman of Afghanistan);  Sergeant Major Michael Mack, Wounded Warrior Regiment, Marine Corps Base Quantico; Alice Mergler, English and drama teacher, Parkside Middle School;  Eric Pankey, poet, professor of English and Heritage Chair in Writing, George Mason University; Mark Shaaber, Chief Executive Officer, SCS Integrated Support Solutions, Manassas, and Founder and Chairman, Prince William Veterans Council; and LeeAnn Thomas, poet, Assistant Professor of English, Northern Virginia Community College’s Woodbridge Campus and board member of the Northern Virginia Review.

About the Laureate Position

The Prince William Poet Laureate is expected to promote local residents’ awareness of poetry and heighten appreciation of the art form, forge a meaningful connection between poetry and the community and undertake a project or series of projects that make poetry more available and accessible to people in their everyday lives. The Laureate will serve a two-year term and receive an annual honorarium of $500 from The Clearbrook Foundation, a non-profit soon to be taking space at the Tackett’s Mill Center. The Laureate is expected to participate in selected public gatherings in Prince William County, Manassas and Manassas Park. Plans will be made to engage new members of the Prince William Poet Laureate Circle, as well.

Prince William Poet Laureate to be Announced Saturday!

Come celebrate Prince William County's first ever Poet Laureate!  Enjoy poetry, music and more.

Getting to Tackett's Mill

• From I-95 North (Washington, DC)
• 1. I-95 Southbound to Exit 160, Lake Ridge
• 2. Left at Second Light onto Old Bridge Road
• 3. Left at Seventh Light onto Harbor Drive and the center is on your right.

• From I-95 South (Richmond, Virginia)
• 1. I-95 Northbound to Exit 160, Lake Ridge
• 2. Left at Third Light onto Old Bridge Road
• 3. Left at Seventh Light onto Harbor Drive and the center is on your right.

Sheyna Burt, PWC Arts Council, on Arts Alive 2014

Arts Alive 2014 was a roaring success; I am so proud of this extraordinary collaboration between the Prince William County Arts Council and the Hylton Performing Arts Center.  

This year’s Festival had more than thirty performances on four different stages, literary and craft workshops, jazz and tango Masterclasses, fine art displays from local artists and participants in Action in Community Through Service, an open air market, plenty of art creation opportunities for kids, and gorgeous weather.  We ended the day with an exciting performance featuring the Donna Brown Jazz Trio and QuinTango, both accompanied by the Arts Alive Orchestra – it was impossible for the audience to avoid some serious chair dancing!  The Arts Alive Festival is about bringing the community together and we look forward to doing it even bigger and better next year on May 2, 2015.  

For those who can’t wait that long for their next dose of Prince William County culture, we invite everyone to join the Arts Council at Tackett’s Mill from 3:00 – 6:00 PM on June 14, 2014, for the presentation of the Commonwealth’s first ever County Poet Laureate.  

For more information about the Prince William County Arts Council and the upcoming events of it and its members, we encourage everyone to visit www.pwcartscouncil.org.

 

Sheyna Burt and Connie Moser Talk Arts Alive

PW COUNTY ARTS COUNCIL and HYLTON PERFORMING ARTS CENTER TO PRESENT FREE ARTS ALIVE FESTIVAL on MAY 3

Free Annual Arts Festival Features Local Performances, Artists and Musicians of PW County

Prince William County Arts Council and the Hylton Performing Arts Center of Manassas, Va. are hosting their fourth annual ARTS ALIVE Festival, a free, family-fun event that features local, Prince William County dancers, singers, artists, and performances, on Sat., May 3 from 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Hylton Performing Arts Center, at 10960 George Mason Circle Manassas, Va. Admission and parking are free. For a schedule of events, call 703-221-2150 or go to www.pwcartscouncil.org.

The ARTS ALIVE Festival features more than 30 indoor and outdoor events, workshops, displays, performances and children’s activities. Performances include: Gainesville Ballet, Showcase Dance, NOVA Youth Ballet, Asaph Dance Ensemble, Woodbridge Dance, Old Bridge Chamber Orchestra, Youth Orchestras of Prince William, Prince William Community Band, Manassas Chorale, Celebration Singers, New Dominion Choraliers, Osbourn High School Guitar Ensemble, Woodbridge Community Choir, Ben Lomond Community Center Dancers, Dance, Etc., Woodbridge Music, Castaways Repertory Theater, Bull Run Cloggers, Lou Rosgen, Magnificent Belly Dance, Old Bridge Quartet, Gainesville Middle School Drama Club, Creative and Performing Arts Center Sankofa Singers, Dumfries Elementary School Chorus, Shenandoah Sounds, Write by Rails writers, Coles Elementary Step Team, a Jazz Vocalist Master Class lead by Donna Brown, a Tango Master Class and Introduction by Quintango, Pied Piper Theater and the Bull Run and Unitarian Universalists Mime Troupe.

Fine art displays will be presented by: Center for the Arts at the Candy Factory, Manassas Warrenton Camera Club, Cabin Branch Quilters, Stone House Quilters Guild and Prince William Art Society.

ARTS ALIVE will showcase many children activities. The Center for the Arts at the Candy Factory’s lead actors of Pied Piper Theatre’s “Peter Pan, Jr.” will be performing and singing throughout the crowds, Cabin Branch Quilters leads the 4H ‘Make and Take’ quilting project, Edgemoor Art Studio offers painting. The onsite Open Air Market will also sell food, refreshments and crafts.

“The Prince William Arts Council is a melting pot of the great artistic talent living right here in our own backyard,” said Sheyna Burt, president of the Prince William County Arts Council of Manassas, Va. “It’s our goal to provide education, training and information about the rich and diverse artistic offerings Prince William County has to offer, from quilting and belly-dancing to orchestra and jazz, our artists are our neighbors, co-workers, friends and family, and ARTS ALIVE celebrates and debuts the best of the best in our area,” said Burt.

The Prince William County Arts Council was established in 1992 as an arts advisory board to Prince William County government. The Prince William County Arts Council is a membership organization that serves the Greater Prince William area, including Prince William County, Manassas and Manassas Park, Va. It was created by the Prince William County Board of Supervisors with the vision to educate the community about the visual and performing arts offerings in Prince William County and be an information source about Prince William County’s arts’ programs and performances. It also provides training, networking, development and marketing opportunities for its members.  Call 703-221-2150 or visit www.pwcartscouncil.org, Facebook or Twitter. 

Call for nominations open for Prince William Poet Laureate

Nominations are now open for the first ever Prince William Poet Laureate, a two-year position to be selected and filled under an exciting new Laureate program of the Prince William County Arts Council. The program is being administered by a special committee of the Arts Council under the leadership of June Forte, a member of Write by the Rails, the Prince William Chapter of the Virginia Writers Club.

Nominations for the position, which will receive an annual $500 honorarium, are due by MAY 10, 2014. Guidance and forms for nominations are available for download below. Mail completed submission forms to: June Forte, 12702 Valleywood Drive, Woodbridge, VA 22192

Please distribute this information as widely as possible.

If you have any questions, please contact Laureate Program Chair June Forte at home1270@msn.com or 703-585-6396.

Download the nomination form here.



# # #

The Prince William County Arts Council is a membership organization serving the Greater Prince William Area, including Prince William County, Manassas and Manassas Park. Our mission is twofold: 1) To promote and support local artists and arts organizations and 2) To enlighten and educate audiences about the arts in the Greater Prince William Area. For more information about the Arts Council and its member groups and artists, visit www.pwcartscouncil.org or contact Sheyna Burt, Chair, Board of Directors, Prince William County Arts Council at 703-927-3999 or snburt@burtlaw.co.

Write by the Rails – 6.20.13 Meeting Notes (and updates)

OFFICERS: Cindy Brookshire – President/Treasurer; Linda Johnston – Projects Manager/Liaison to Virginia Writers Club; Katherine Gotthardt – Liaison to the PWC Arts Council; Carol Keily – Membership Coordinator

WRITERS PRESENT: Richard Barr, Helen Ellis, John Ellis, June Forte, Katherine Gotthardt, June Kilpatrick, Peggy Kimmey, Nancy Kyme, Tom Ligon, Jan Rayl, Dan Verner, Val Wallace, Liz Witt-Lee.

SPEAKER: Our speaker was Peggy Kimmey of Kimmey Training and Consulting, LLC, who spoke on “Do’s and Don’ts for Book Signing, Sales and Readings.” Her main points:

· It’s not about you—it’s about your audience

· Hook prospective readers into your display. Have props, make it inviting but not too bust. Stand up to pbring people in. Assess readers’ interests.

· Develop and use an “elevator speech” about your book. Make it interesting and to the point.

· Staying connected to your audience

o Use social media

o Build e-mail and mailing lists

o Use both “push” and “pull” methods to connect

o Be a “real person” to your readers

o Honor commitments

o Use the community of writers for support


CONTINUING BUSINESS:

Several writers had displays at the Rail Fest on June 1 and managed not to melt in the heat.

Elections end July 1. Nominees for offices are: President, Cindy Brookshire; Vice President, Ressurrection Graves and Dan Verner; and Treasurer, Carole Keily. No nominees have been made for Secretary.

We received the FY14 New Emerging Arts Grant in the amount of $850. The funds will be distributed after July 1 as soon as possible after the new fiscal year begins. Among the programming we proposed is a full-day writers conference for 60 writers in the July 2013-June 2014 time frame

June Forte has secured judges for the first tier of the Golden Nib Writing Contest, including educator Lillian Orlich, who has served the PWC Public Schools for 60 years, and Poet Laureate of Virginia Sofia Starnes. Deadline for entries is July 15. Contest rules have been posted on the chapter website and the Virginia Writers Club website.

The first author announced to participate in GMU’s Fall for Book Festival event at the Hylton Performing Arts Center on Sept 26 is Write by the Railer Claudia LaFeve, along with her chef husband who works at Market Salamander in Middleburg. Other authors and foodies to be announced.

Dues: Do we want to have them? If so, how much? (Survey to follow.)

WHAT’S GOING ON: Members shared progress with their writing.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

July 2 – 6 to 8 pm – WbtR reads at Tuesday Takeout at the Harris Pavilion. June Kilpatrick coordinates.

Aug 3 – VWC “Navigating Your Writing Life” Symposium at Piedmont Virginia Community College in the Dickinson Fine & Performing Arts Center, Charlottesville.

Aug 24 & 25 – Authors at Civil War at the Junction. Contact Doug Horhota, Manassas Museum, 703-257-8265.

WbtR Members, Learn How To Build Your Audience!

Calling All Families! Festival Approaching!

Write by the Rails will be there with a table and performances throughout the day.  Stop by and say hello!

Important Update on Arts Council Funding

The following letter is from Sheyna Burt, current chair of the Prince William County Arts Council, of which Write by the Rails is a new group member:

What a difference a day makes, fellow Arts Council members.

As you may have heard, late in the day on Friday of last week word emerged that the Prince William County Executive’s budget proposal would have 1) eliminated all funding for the Arts Council, and 2) eliminated the arts grant program, transferring those funds to the Hylton Performing Arts Center for its use in reducing performance fees paid by local arts organizations.  As we worked to separate rumor from fact, we forwarded information to the County Executive about the impact of these cuts and the worthiness of our cause. 

I am delighted to inform you that the noise generated by Arts Council members and others in the community on behalf of the arts has worked … for now.  This morning the County Executive communicated to us that after a series of very productive conversations, her proposal will include NO reduction in funding for the arts, meaning that she proposes that the Arts Council and the arts grant pool be funded at the same levels as last fiscal year.  Though the grant application process likely will be subject to review, the funding will not be diverted to the Arts Center.

Part of what is amazing about this is the level of outrage that emerged from the community in the face of these cuts.  I think the message is clear: Prince William County values the presence of local artists and arts organizations.  We’re doing something right, people.

Don’t dust off the champagne quite yet, though.  The County Executive’s proposal will be formally announced to the Board of County Supervisors on February 12 and will be adopted by the Board of County Supervisors on April 23 after a series of work sessions, a community meeting, and a public hearing.  It is critical that the Arts Council organize and mobilize to make sure that the arts are protected.  Accordingly, the Board will meet briefly on February 12 to discuss strategery before breaking into committees as previously planned.  The emergency, special meeting that I was beginning to plan for February 5 mercifully is no longer necessary.

BTW, I am personally indebted to Kathy Bentz who took a major role in funneling information to the decision makers.  Without her tireless efforts, we still would be in full-blown crisis mode. 

Saving my fire and brimstone emails for a different date,

Sheyna Nicole Burt, Chair, Prince William County Arts Council

Write by the Rails Joins PWC Arts Council

 Clockwise from left, Write by the Rails members Cindy Brookshire, Valerie Wallace, Claudia Lefeve, Leigh Giza, Mary Kay Montgomery, Nancy West and Dan Verner participated in a recent meet-and-greet at Panera’s on Liberia Avenue in Manassas.  Photo by Chip Deyerle.

On Jan. 8, the Board of Directors of the Prince William County Arts Council approved its newest member:  Write by the Rails, the Prince William Chapter of the Virginia Writers Club.

“This expands the Arts Council in a wonderful way,” said Kathy Bentz, PWC Arts Liaison. “For 20 years, the council has represented dance, music, visual art and theatre, but never literature. As soon as we opened membership to individual writers in January 2011, a small trickle became a gushing stream. We welcome their talents!”

Four of those original individual writer members, Pete Pazmino, Sheila Lamb, Katherine Mercurio Gotthardt and Cindy Brookshire, founded Write by the Rails, a networking group for writers in Prince William, Manassas and Manassas Park.  Their first gathering at Okra’s in Old Town Manassas in August 2011 brought 12 writers together, and the group has rapidly grown to 150 members through a Facebook group and the website www.writebytherails.org.  Group members host bi-monthly “meet and greets” throughout the county, pool money to rent book sale tables at community events and promote book signings, manuscript groups and write-ins on the website’s calendar. 

Since earning the Virginia Writers Club’s charter, Write by the Rails hosts monthly meetings at Trinity Episcopal Church, 9325 West Street, Old Town Manassas on the third Thursday of each month at 7 pm.  The Jan. 17 speaker is William Golden of PrinceWilliamLife.com, who will talk about setting up author websites and blogs.  The group also honors VWC’s mission to engage young writers by spreading the word about the state club’s 2013 Teen Golden Nib Contest, which has a deadline of March 1.

Members currently review books for Prince William Living magazine’s online “Book Nook” column.  Twenty-two members are featured in New Departures, an anthology formatted by Manassas author Claudia LeFeve, who, in 2012, sold 7,700 ebook copies of her first three Travelers series books (PARALLEL, PARADOX and PARADIGM) on everything from Amazon Kindle to Barnes & Noble Nook and Apple iBooks and iTunes.  LeFeve explained indie authors are estimated to sell, on average, only 100 to 200 books a year.  Even traditionally published mid-list or debut authors can expect to sell between 1,000 to 5,000 copies.

One of the authors featured in New Departures is Robert Bausch, an NVCC-Woodbridge professor who is planning to lead his third annual Woodbridge Writers Retreat on May 15-18 with his brother, novelist Richard Bausch and Tom Zoellner, author of Uranium: War, Energy, and the Rock That Shaped the World. The cost is $650 and only 18 slots are available. More information is available at www.robertbausch.org.  Another author featured in the anthology is Gainesville writer June Pair Kilpatrick, whose memoir, Wasps in the Bedroom, Butter in the Well: Growing Up during the Great Depression, will be the subject of a Book Talk at The Manassas Museum on Sunday, Jan. 27 at 2 p.m.

There are no dues to join Write by the Rails, however all local authors are encouraged to join the Virginia Writers Club to amplify their local art to the state level.  For more information, email writebytherails@gmail.com.

Arts Council Members: Marketing Workshop Upcoming!!

Dear Arts Council Members:


Based on input we received from the membership at our annual meeting this summer, we have planned a half-day workshop designed to help you "Take Your Marketing to the Next Level." The workshop will be held from 9 a.m. to noon (coffee and networking from 8:30 a.m. to 9) on Saturday, October 27, in the McCoart Building's Board Chamber. Detail is in the attached flier.

A couple of important notes:

- This free workshop is open to all members of the PWC Arts Council--individual artists, non-profits and for-profit arts organizations. Please feel free to forward this invitation to your board members, volunteers or anyone who assists with your marketing and outreach.

- If you plan to attend, please RSVP to me before October 21 so we can have sufficient handouts and resource materials available.

We hope to see you on the 27th! This promises to be an engagine workshop where you can learn and share ideas about how to market the local arts.


Kathy Bentz

PWC Arts Liaison

kcbentz@aol.com

703-856-3402

Turning the Page: We Need Your Opinion

Write by the Rails is at the point of a vote:

Do you want Write by the Rails to remain a loosely-organized local networking group?

Or, do you want Write by the Rails to organize as “Write by the Rails, the Prince William Chapter of the Virginia Writers Club”?

Please cast your vote by Friday, Sept. 21.

June Forte, President of the Virginia Writers Club, met with 12 of us on Sat., Sept. 15 at Trinity Episcopal Church.  She gave us a chapter startup kit, application and a great presentation of the requirements and benefits.

The requirements to become a chapter: we would need to have five people join the Virginia Writers Club at $30/year dues (two of our group are already members).  We would elect officers, establish bylaws and have two representatives drive to Charlottesville or Richmond to meet with the club each year.

The benefits include a 501c3 designation, the ability to apply for mini-grants from the state club (and perhaps the Prince William County Arts Council, if they accept Write by the Rails as a member group), listings on the state website’s bookstore for all authors who join, and for those of us who offer editing services; also writing contests, educational programming, and more.

If you need more information, check out the state website at www.virginiawritersclub.org and follow the links to the other nine chapters to see what they’re doing.

Thank you to June Forte; thank you to Chip Deyerle for drafting bylaws and thank you to everyone who attended the summer meetings exploring this issue. 

Now it’s time to VOTE! 

Stacia Kelly is sending a survey link to the e-list.  If you haven’t received it by Monday, Sept. 17, send an email with your name and email address to writebytherails@gmail.com and Stacia will send you the survey.  Or, click here to access the survey.

Learn About the Arts Council

Arts Council 101

Mission:          1) To promote and support local artists and arts organizations

                        2) To enlighten and educate audiences about the arts in the Greater Prince William Area

Role:                An advisory body to the Prince William County Park Authority (soon to become the PWC Department of Parks and Recreation).

Membership:  Open to individuals, non-profit and for-profit arts organizations, civic groups and business advocates based in Prince William County, Manassas or Manassas Park.

                        Associate membership available for organizations based outside Prince William Area.

                        Members represent the breadth of local arts – dance, theater, chorale, orchestra, band, painting, photography, creative writing, etc.

                       

Activities:       Implement new Strategic Plan for Arts Council.

                        Host annual Arts Alive festival.

                        Present annual Seefeldt Awards for Arts Excellence.

                        Host workshops to assist members.

                        Implement activities to broaden visibility of the arts.

                        Offer Technical Assistance Grants as funds are available.

                       

Structure:       Board of Directors manages organization.

                        Board consists of 17 to 25 Directors.

                        8 Directors are appointed by Prince William County. Remaining Directors are elected by Arts Council membership.

                        All Board of Directors’ meetings are open to the public.

Committees:   Program Committee – coordinates membership program and materials, membership workshops, Arts Alive planning.

                        Marketing Committee – coordinates all marketing-related activities for the Council.

                        All members of the Arts Council are encouraged to participate in one of the standing committees.

Member Involvement:         

Vote at the annual meeting

Actively participate in Program and/or Marketing Committees

Contribute to Arts Council Facebook page and website

Attendance at workshops

Participate in Arts Alive

Submit nominees for Seefeldt Awards

Volunteer to serve on Board of Directors, as appropriate

Prince William County Arts Council

FY12 Annual Milestones

• Development and Adoption of First Strategic Plan
  
  
• New Mission and Vision
• Goal 1: To make the Arts Council a structurally and financially sound organization by 2015.
• Goal 2: To expand the visibility and awareness of the PWC Arts Council.
• First steps in new fiscal year: Assess alternatives for organizational structure.

• Membership Expansion
  
  
• Membership Brochure Finalized and Printed – distributed at PWC public buildings and available at www.PWCArtsCouncil.org
• 17 new members:
• 11 Individual Artists, many of whom are writers
• 3 Non-Profit Arts Organizations
• 3 For-Profit Arts Organizations

• Arts Alive 2012
  
  
• 2^nd annual festival
• New location at Hylton Performing Arts Center
• Estimated attendance: 1,200 to 1,500
• Live entertainment on three stages
• Visual and creative arts represented
• Indoor and Outdoor activities
• More interactivity needed
• Possibility of a community art project

·         Marketing and Outreach

o   Launched Facebook page.

o   Initial work on www.PWCArtsCouncil.org

o   Presentations made:

§  Board of County Supervisors

§  Park Authority

§  Chamber of Commerce Council

§  Leadership Prince William

§  Lake Ridge Lions

§  Women’s Club at Heritage Hunt

§  LET US KNOW IF THERE ARE OTHER GROUPS

o   Media – esp. Prince William Living Magazine