October 1 Poetry at the Black Box Theater

Parking is free in any "B" Lot  after 4 p.m. 15200 Neabsco Mills Road,  Woodbridge, VA 22191. The Black Box Theater is in the new Arts and Science Building. You can reach that building directly from the sidewalk or the courtyard by the pond or by walking through the other building.

Write by the Rails Founder Katherine Gotthardt Named to Northern VA Poetry Post

The Poetry Society of Virginia, a statewide organization promoting the writing and enjoyment of poetry, has appointed Bristow poet Katherine M. Gotthardt Vice President of the Society's Northern Region. The Northern Region includes the D.C. Metro area, Stafford and Fredericksburg. As VP, Gotthardt will coordinate existing local programs, create new programs, raise the profile of the Society and recruit new members.

Gotthardt holds an M.Ed. with a writing concentration and has been writing and teaching for more than 20 years. A former community columnist for the News and Messenger, Gotthardt taught college level writing online and in the classroom and English as a Second Language (ESOL) at the Manassas Regional Adult Detention center. She currently freelances as a writer and editor, sets up websites and blogs, teaches blogging and writing and reports for Haymarket Beat.

Gotthardt's work has appeared in various online and text journals. Poems from the Battlefield, a collection of her Civil War themed poetry, original and archival photos and period quotes, was published in 2009. Gotthardt's illustrated children’s book, Furbily-Furld Takes on the World, an epic poem, was published in 2010. Approaching Felonias Park, a novel focusing on predatory lending, was released in 2011. Weaker Than Water, a second collection of her poetry, came out in 2013. Gotthardt expects to release a new collection of poetry in 2014.  Her full profile can be found on LinkedIn.

Gotthardt is a founding member Write by the Rails, the Prince William Chapter of the Virginia Writers Club. As part of an effort to bring more Poetry Society events to the Manassas/Prince William area, Write by the Rails will co-sponsor "Blogging for Writers," an introductory workshop to help writers improve web presence, credibility and branding. Open to the public, the workshop will be held Thursday, August 21, at Trinity Episcopal Church, 9325 West Street, Manassas, from 5-7 p.m. Gotthardt and social media expert Stacia Kelly will present. The seminar will be followed by the open, monthly meeting of Write by the Rails during which Gotthardt will discuss how to run a writing critique session. For more information, email kgotthardt@comcast.net.

The Poetry Society welcomes published and unpublished poets, as well as those who just appreciate poetry. For more information about the Society, visit www.poetrysocietyofvirginia.org.

Write by the Rails is a group member of the Prince William County Arts Council, which also recently named two Prince William Poets Laureate, Robert Scott and Zan Hailey. Gotthardt is one of a 15-member Prince William Poet Laureate Circle that was formed to support and fulfill the projects of the poets throughout 2014-2016, including Scott’s 10,000 Poem Project at www.pwcpoetry.com.

For more information about Write by the Rails, visit www.writebytherails.org.

Write by the Rails 2013-2014 Achievements

As a chapter of the Virginia Writers Club, we've had tremendous success, thanks to our active, vibrant members.  Here are some of the highlights from 2013 until now.

· Chapter member June Forte launched the Prince William Poet Laureate Program, working with PWC Arts Council, Tackett’s Mill and the Clearwater Foundation. On June 14 at the Poetry & Jazz on the Lake event, two Poets Laureate were named to a two-year term: Robert Scott and Zan Hailey.

· The 2014 VWC Scholarship winner and 8 of 10 Teen Golden Nib Contest Winners 2014 were students from Prince William County Public Schools

· Chapter member Pete Pazmino received the Claudia Mitchell Arts Fund award by the Rappahannock Association for the Arts and the Community ($2,100 for a month-long residency at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts in Amherst, Virginia)

· Chapter hosted a one-day Rising Writers Workshop for teens and young adults on March 29 using a grant from Prince William County. Presenters included Sara Robinson, Sarah Crossland, Robert Scott, Matt Iden, Katherine Gotthardt, Stacy Shaw, Kelly Harmon, Nick and Stacia Kelly and students and alumni of WSHS’s Center for the Fine and Performing Arts (CFPA) Creative Writing Program.

· Chapter led workshops, gallery readings and book sales at Arts Alive! May 3, 2014 - Prince William County Arts Council at the Hylton Performing Arts Center.

· Chapter members Tee Morris and Philippa Ballantine led two workshops, “The Hybrid Author: Combining Traditional and Self-Publishing” and a master class on social media at the at James River Writers March Writing Show in Richmond on March 27-28, 2014. Pip Ballantine presented “Women in Steampunk” at the Library of Congress in April 2014.

· Chapter president Cindy Brookshire received a VWC Special Achievement Award

· Chapter member Patricia Daly-Lipe won the 2013 VWC Summer Shorts Contest (first place, nonfiction, for her essay, “A Journey into the Heart of Creativity”)

· Chapter member June Forte participated in the Woodbridge Writers Retreat

· Chapter hosted a Write by the Rails “Endless Possibilities” Blog Tour for 8 weeks; 16 members participated; a followup podcast outprocessed the experience.

· Monthly chapter meetings averaged 20 to 25 in attendance and featured a guest speaker, from “Couples Who Collaborate” with Tee Morris & Philippa Ballantine (steampunk) and Nick & Stacia Kelly (urban fantasy) to “Inspirational Writing” with Deborah Tompkins Johnson, author of How Did They Do That?

· Chapter’s open group on Facebook increased from 160 to 257 members; website and chapter news on Virginia Writers Club website were maintained and updated with current information on about open mic nights and readings, manuscript groups, opportunities through Northern Virginia Community College and George Mason University; chapter’s gmail account was monitored and queries were responded to; a regular enews was distributed and 1,000 business cards were shared with members.

· Chapter built community partnerships through active membership and participation in the Prince William County Arts Council (Author Nancy Kyme is council treasurer; poet Katherine Gotthardt served on the board two years and has been succeeded by freelance writer Jasmyn Oliver), the Prince William Chamber of Commerce and the Inter-Service Club Council of Greater Manassas.

· Community outreach included hosting weekly meet and greets at local coffee shops and restaurants in Manassas, Gainesville, Occoquan, Lake Ridge, Woodbridge and Haymarket; reading works in historic downtown Manassas at the Harris Pavilion and The Things I Love, leading a children’s journaling project at The Manassas Museum during the Manassas Civil War Weekend, talking to students about writing at the “Welcome Week Community Corner” day at George Mason University’s Prince William Campus, reading and talking about writing to children in schools during National Young Readers Day or at the afterschool literary club at Featherstone Elementary School in Woodbridge or in ESL class at Elizabeth Vaughan Elementary School in Woodbridge; teaching a one-day writing class to members of the Lifelong Learning Institute- Manassas at the Boys and Girls Club in Manassas; participating in a panel during the "You CAN Do Anything Too" Symposium! sponsored by the Neville Empowerment Network Inc.; helping to judge portfolios at the annual 4-H Presentation Night; leading a poetry workshop during National Poetry Month, participating in the Second Annual Local Author Fair at Bull Run Regional Library, and donating baskets of books to be auctioned to benefit local charities like the Rainbow Therapeutic Riding Center and the American Red Cross.

Selection Panel Names Two Prince William Poets Laureate

Dr. Robert Scott of Haymarket, Alexandra “Zan” Hailey of Manassas Share Honors

For the next two years, Dr. Robert Scott of Haymarket, a novelist, poet and English teacher at Osbourn Park High School, and Alexandra “Zan” Hailey of Manassas, an undergraduate at Virginia Commonwealth University will share the position of Prince William Poet Laureate.

The announcement was made by Guy Lambert live on WPGC 95.5 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.

According to the 11-member selection panel, both candidates simply blew them away with their individual creative strengths. For Dr. Scott, it was the project he proposed: using a website, a series of community seminars and a great deal of pavement pounding, Dr. Scott plans to encourage budding and seasoned Prince William poets to submit poems for inclusion into a permanent “10,000 poem exhibit.”
For Zan Hailey, it was the power of her submitted poems, such as “Around the Yellow House.”

Though still a college student, Zan has already published her work, garnered an award, mentored young writers through the Northern Virginia Writing Project and even created an on-line collection of poetry from all over, using Band-Aids® as a prompt. She is a graduate of the Center for the Fine and Performing Arts, Woodbridge Senior High School.

Around the Yellow House

The train passes—a heavy

heart—beating down the tracks.

A U-turning rickety pick-up,

matte black finish—brings dogs

to a bark across the block.

Afternoon planes fly—streaking contrails

that connect cumulonimbus clouds.

And a letter from an uncensored inmate

was left in my mailbox while I was out

walking a fuchsia petaled path,

where wild Dogwoods fade pink

with the gold of magnolias,

leaving a perfume alley trail.

A squirrel bats its tail like a duster

on a bookshelf—take in the day.

Open it slow—pocketknife blade

soundly tearing a slit—“Dear Wonderful.”

©2014 Zan Hailey

“The selection of Alexandra Hailey and Robert Scott speaks highly of the quality of education offered in Prince William County Public Schools,” said Eric Pankey, poet, professor of English and Heritage Chair in Writing, George Mason University who served on the selection panel along with poets Alirio Aleman and LeeAnn Thomas, business leaders Carlos Castro, Marie Khalili Nasiri and Mark Shaaber, teachers Alice Mergler and Cathy Hailey, library system director Dr. Constance Gilman, Sergeant Major Michael Mack, Wounded Warrior Regiment, Marine Corps Base Quantico, and high school student Lindsey Barszcz.

In fact, seven of the 14 poet laureate nominees are current or past teachers or students in the Prince William County Public School system. The 12 other poets will now form a Prince William Poet Laureate Circle to assist in joint community poetry projects. They are:

1.      Phebe Ciemny, Woodbridge: student, Center for the Fine and Performing Arts Woodbridge Senior High School

2.      Joe De Cesare, Woodbridge: marketing assistant, Fort Belvoir Federal Credit Union & stagehand, Hylton Performing Arts Center, Manassas

3.      Brittany Crow, Woodbridge: student, Center for the Fine and Performing Arts, Woodbridge Senior High School

4.      Melody Lane Ashtara De Furia, Manassas: Northern Virginia Community College, Woodbridge Campus Business Office

5.      John Dutton, Woodbridge: Language Arts teacher, Beville Middle School

6.      Paulette Garner, Manassas: Language Arts teacher, Parkside Middle School

7.      Katherine Gotthardt, Bristow: author, editor, blog and website developer

8.      Neil Hailey, Manassas: student, Center for the Fine and Performing Arts, Woodbridge Senior High School

9.      Bennie Herron, Manassas: educator

10.  Dora Muhammad, Woodbridge: author, editor and performer

11.  Renee Ordoobadi, Bristow: student, Center for the Fine and Performing Arts, Woodbridge Senior High School

12.  Heather Stevens, Manassas: author, artist and performer

As Prince William Poet Laureates, Scott and Hailey each will receive an annual honorarium of $500 from The Clearbrook Foundation, a non-profit soon to be taking space at the Tackett’s Mill Center. Each will participate in selected public gatherings in Prince William County, Manassas and Manassas Park. In their first joint decision, the laureates invited WSHS student Lindsey Barszcz, who served on the selection panel, to join the Prince William Poet Laureate Circle.

For continuing information on the Prince William Poet Laureate program, visit the Prince William County Arts Council website at www.pwcartscouncil.org and click on “literary arts.”

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.

Dennis Fargo to Speak at Write by the Rails Meeting May 15

Writer Dennis Fargo will be the speaker at the monthly meeting of Write by the Rails, the Prince William Chapter of the Virginia Writers Club, at 7 pm on Thursday, May 15 at Trinity Episcopal Church, 9325 West Street, Manassas.  Mr. Fargo served in five submarines during the heart of the Cold War, 1964-1991. His experiences included service as a Navy SCUBA diver, nuclear propulsion plant operator, strategic weapons officer, and attack submarine Commanding Officer. Mr. Fargo will relate two or three "sea stories" about submarine life.  

On the Agenda

Prince William Poet Laureate – The selection panel announcement at Bistro L’Hermitage, with special guest Sofia Starnes, Poet Laureate of Virginia, was covered by Prince William Living magazine, BristowBeat.com and El Imparcial newspaper; nominations closed May 10 and June Forte will give an update on the selection process at the May 15 meeting. SAVE THE DATE: June 14 announcement of the first Prince William Poet Laureate will take place at Tackett’s Mill Lakeside with these special features:

Family Arts Festival presented by Edgemoor Art Studio 12pm - 4pm June 14 

Bring the entire family out for a fun-filled afternoon of family friendly activities. Join local merchants, food vendors and beer/wine garden while enjoying the beauty of Tackett's Mill Lakeside.

·         Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting of Edgemoor Art Studio 12:05pm

·         Live music entertainment 

·         Kids craft artwork workshops and face painting.

·         Basketball shooting challenge

·         Tackett's Mill Lakeside professional photo booth

Poetry & Jazz on the Lake: Prince William County Poet Laureate 3pm - 6pm June 14 

Hosted by: Guy Lambert WPGC Radio        Featuring Live Music

Join us for an evening of poetry, community and jazz on the lake. Celebrating the selection of Prince William County's Poet Laureate, Poetry & Jazz On The Lake is our celebration of the arts community to recognize talented poets in our area.

·         Live poetry readings accompanied by the sounds of professional jazz.

·         Book signings from local authors

·         Meet exhibitors from local businesses and organizations

·         Tackett's Mill Lakeside professional photo booth

·         Plenty of food, wine and beer to pair with the beautiful atmosphere of Tackett's Mill Center

Community Partnerships.  Write by the Rails is now a member of both the Inter-Service Club Council of Greater Manassas www.iscc-manassas.org and the Prince William Chamber of Commerce www.pwchamber.org. We hope to increase our visibility and mutually benefit from these community partnerships by taking an active role in each.

ARTS ALIVE! at the Hylton Performing Arts Center - thank you to those writers who participated at the book tables, readings and workshops on May 3: Cindy Brookshire, Ellen Butler, Garrett Carlson, John DeDakis, Joe Geraci and his wife Terry, Leigh Giza, Katherine Gotthardt, Marv Josaitis, Stacia Kelly and Nick Kelly, Nancy Kyme, Belinda Miller and her husband Gary, Ron Rauss, Jan Rayl, Tamela Ritter, Janda Sample, Stuart Schadt and Dan Verner.

Advanced Title and Settlements has awarded Write by the Rails $928.60 through their “Advance Your Community Giveback Campaign.”  Our chapter was one of 15 local not-for-profits competing for votes in the campaign. In addition to the funds raised, PotomacLocal.com has agreed to donate 30 consecutive days of complimentary banner advertising on the website’s sidebar to each of the non-profit organizations who participated in the event. The offer amounts to a $300 value to each of the organizations involved.

Next Rising Young Writers Workshop: Thank you! An anonymous donor has given $500 to Write by the Rails for the next Rising Young Writers Workshop. A committee of at least 10 writers is in the process of forming to plan that workshop in 2014-2015.

Virginia Writers Club Symposium is Aug. 2. Early bird registration to the Fourth Annual Symposium, Navigating Your Writing Life: Finding Your Way is open for all active Virginia Writers Club members. The Symposium will be held on Saturday, August 2, 8:30am to 3:30pm at The Dickinson Fine & Performing Arts Center at Piedmont Virginia Community College in Charlottesville. The keynote speaker is Kathryn Erskine, author of Mockingbird, the winner of the 2010 National Book Award. Symposium participants will find presentations and panels including how to format an i-book; publishing and marketing your work; getting feedback; craft sessions on poetry, the short story, young adult fiction, mysteries and thrillers, and non-fiction; and memoirs and journaling. Early bird registration extends to June 15. The fee is $60, with lunch included. After June 16, the fee rises to $75. Please go to the home page on the website and follow the links to the registration form. Click on Early Bird Special and enter G4SFPFAQ. Don't miss out on the discount. We look forward to seeing you at the Symposium.  If you have any questions, please contact Sara Robinson, Symposium chair, or Betsy Ashton, president. (Note, Write by the Rails doesn’t charge chapter dues, but to be a member of the Virginia Writers Club, you need to go to the website and join ($15 for the first year) at www.virginiawritersclub.org.  Our bylaws state that in order to be a chapter, at least five of our chapter members must be VWC members, and we meet that requirement.)

Lunch and Learn in Occoquan. Writer Elizabeth Marine is interested in organizing a “Lunch and Learn” in Occoquan at Rockledge Mansion with box lunches by Georgetown Caterers sometime this summer. If you are interested in helping Elizabeth organize this venture, which will require a fee to participate, please send an email to writebytherails@gmail.com with “Lunch and Learn in Occoquan” in the message line.

Who Will Decide Prince William’s First Poet Laureate? Here’s the Answer!

The Prince William Poet Laureate Selection Panel was introduced to the media at a reception at Bistro L’ Hermitage, 12724 Occoquan Road in Woodbridge, Virginia on April 29 by representatives of the Prince William County Arts Council - June Forte, steering committee chair, Write by the Rails; Nancy Kyme, representing the program’s corporate sponsor Tackett’s Mill Lakeside; and Sheyna Burt, PWC Arts Council Chair.

The selection panel includes eleven (11) prominent poets, scholars and business leaders in the Prince William community. Selection panel members are:

1.      Alirio Aleman, poet, novelist and Spanish-language journalist;

2.      Lindsey Barszcy, student, Center for the Fine and Performing Arts, Woodbridge Senior High School;

3.      Carlos Castro, entrepreneur and founder of Todos Supermarkets;

4.      Dr. Constance Gilman, Director, Prince William Public Library System;

5.      Cathy Hailey, creative writing teacher, Center for the Fine and Performing Arts, Woodbridge Senior High School;

6.      Marie Khalili Nasiri, author and business owner (State Farm Insurance, Manassas), daughter of Khalilullah Khalili (historian, poet, philosopher and statesman of Afghanistan);

7.      Sergeant Major Michael Mack, Wounded Warrior Regiment, Marine Corps Base Quantico;

8.      Alice Mergler, English and drama teacher, Parkside Middle School;

9.      Eric Pankey, poet, professor of English and Heritage Chair in Writing, George Mason University;

10.  Mark Shaaber, Chief Executive Officer, SCS Integrated Support Solutions, Manassas, and Founder and Chairman, Prince William Veterans Council; and

11.  LeeAnn Thomas, poet, Assistant Professor of English, Northern Virginia Community College’s Woodbridge Campus and board member of the Northern Virginia Review.

Special guest Sofia Starnes, Poet Laureate of Virginia, spoke, as she often does around the Commonwealth, about the importance of poetry in community life and read a selection of her poems. Starnes, a Williamsburg resident whose term ends in 2014, discussed her Poet Laureate project, The Nearest Poem Anthology, which is a compilation of readers’ responses from around the state to poems that have touched them deeply. The essays of two Write by the Rails members, Kristy Feltenberger Gillespie, a school guidance counselor at Marstellar Middle School in Bristow, and June Forte, a lecturer at Northern Virginia Community College’s Woodbridge Campus, are featured in the book.

The deadline for nominations for the Prince William Poet Laureate position is May 10. Nomination guidance and forms are available on the Prince William County Arts Council website at www.pwcartscouncil.org (click on “news”).  

The election panel will meet in late May at Northern Virginia Community College, Woodbridge Campus, to select the Prince William Poet Laureate.  The announcement of the first Prince William Poet Laureate will be made on June 14 at Tackett’s Mill Lakeside.

###

Media contact: June Forte, Prince William Poet Laureate Committee Chair, at home1270@msn.com.

Nominations Open for Prince William Poet Laureate

Nominations are 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.

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.

Help Write by the Rails Fund a Poet Laureate!

Through Advance Title & Settlement's "Advance My Community Give Back" program at Potomac Local, 30% of their sales commission will be donated to local charities until Nov. 4, 2013 by 11:59 p.m. Local non-profit charities will receive their percentage of the campaign funds raised based on the percentage of total votes they obtain by Nov. 4.

Help us by casting your vote as often as you can! Any winnings will be put towards sponsoring an area Poet Laureate--the first ever--creating a new tradition in Prince William County, Manassas and Manassas Park.   The Poet Laureate will help spread the joy and beauty of poetry to the area by working with youth and adults through organizations dedicated to education and the arts.

*** Homeowners looking to sell, buy, refinance or short sale, contact advancemycommunity@closeithere.com

*** If you are a Realtor or mortgage professional, contact advancemycommunity@closeithere.com