Writers-in-Progress

Louise Erdrich Reading at Goucher College

Goucher will present a reading by Louise Erdrich — widely acclaimed as one of the most significant contemporary Native-American writers — at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, October 28, in Kraushaar Auditorium. This reading — presented by the college’s Kratz Center for Creative Writing — is free and open to the public. Tickets must be reserved in advance, however, by calling 410-337-6333 or e-mailing boxoffice@goucher.edu

Baker Artist Awards - Baltimore's Choice

http://www.bakerartistawards.org/

ONLY 15 DAYS LEFT TO ENTER. Details below.

WELCOME to the Baker Artist Awards.
Artists are invited to nominate themselves for the 2008 Baker Artist Awards consisting of the privately juried Mary Sawyers Baker Prize and the voter selected Baltimore's Choice. The process is designed to open the nominations to the broadest possible community participation using the Web. The William G. Baker, Jr. Memorial Fund intends the Baker Artist Awards website to be an ongoing exhibition, archive and definitive statement about Baltimore as a creative richness and vitality as place to live and community that values its individual artists.

Mary Sawyer Baker Prize

Mary Sawyers Baker established the William G. Baker, Jr. Memorial Fund in 1964 to honor her husband. In 2008, the William G Baker, Jr. Memorial Fund Trustees honor Mary Sawyers Baker for her long involvement with and devotion to the arts. Mary Sawyers Baker studied voice as a young girl in Paris, embraced her love of travel for travel and the arts throughout her life until settling into her role as one of Baltimore's early philanthropists. A significant prize to individual artists of any discipline, emerging and established artists in a given year, with no strings attached, is a statement with meaning. Mary Sawyers Baker knew that it is the artists who give institutions purpose. Up to three individual artists could be awarded the $25,000 prize. Jurors for the Mary Sawyers Baker Prize will consider the top finalists selected by voters in Baltimore's Choice.

Baltimore’s Choice Prize

Baltimore's Choice is an opportunity for the general public to vote and show their appreciation for the artists' work presented on the site. The more involved a member of the public becomes in exploring the various artists' projects on the site, then more votes can be earned and more votes cast. Votes can be cast for several artists and votes can be changed up until the deadline. Voting begins on November 1st and the prize or prizes will be awarded in January, 2009. Baltimore's Choice will award $5000 to artists from among the most popular selected by voters. Artists who receive the most votes in Baltimore's Choice will be among the artists considered for the Mary Sawyers Baker Prize.

The Selection Process

The selection process will be determined from among the best artists nominated online without regard to discipline. Except for Baltimore's Choice, jury selection process and deliberations for the Mary Sawyers Baker Prize will remain private. The jury will be suited to the multidiscipline nature of the ultimate pool of nominations. Public voting for Baltimore's Choice closes at 5PM on February 1, 2009. Finalists from among top vote getters in Baltimore's Choice will be considered for the Mary Sawyers Baker Prize.

Seeding process

You have 15 day left before the voting and nominations process are announced to the public. This seeding process is necessary to build content. A critical mass of artists in the site is essential so that the project is well received when it is launched to the public. There are no advantages to early participation. You are helping to make this project a success.

Who is Eligible

To be eligible, you must be an artist at least 21 years old and have been a legal resident of the Baltimore region since September 10, 2007. The Baltimore region is defined as: Anne Arundel County, Baltimore City, Baltimore County, Carroll County, Harford County and Howard County. The Baker Artist Awards are intended for individual artists, including groups of artists working as a collective. Organizations and venues are not eligible. Winners of the Baker Artist Awards will be required to provide additional proof of age and residency beyond information requested through the online nomination process.

The Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance is project partner with the William G. Baker, Jr. Memorial Fund in presenting the Baker Artist Awards.

All inquiries should be directed to 410-230-0200 or by email to GBCA@baltimoreculture.org

Governor's Recitation and Baltimore Screenwriting Competition

I was at the Governor's press conference this morning in Annapolis announcing the Poet Laureate search committee chair (Alice McDermott, who gave a very nice speech about poetry, for a fiction writer!), and we were treated to the unexpected pleasure of the Governor himself reciting a poem: On Raglan Road by Patrick Kavanagh, which I'll share here. He did a good job:

On Raglan Road on an autumn day I met her first and knew
That her dark hair would weave a snare that I might one day rue;
I saw the danger, yet I walked along the enchanted way,
And I said, let grief be a fallen leaf at the dawning of the day.
On Grafton Street in November we tripped lightly along the ledge
Of the deep ravine where can be seen the worth of passion's pledge,
The Queen of Hearts still making tarts and I not making hay
O I loved too much and by such by such is happiness thrown away.
I gave her gifts of the mind I gave her the secret sign that's known
To the artists who have known the true gods of sound and stone
And word and tint. I did not stint for I gave her poems to say.
With her own name there and her own dark hair like clouds over fields of May
On a quiet street where old ghosts meet I see her walking now
Away from me so hurriedly my reason must allow
That I had wooed not as I should a creature made of clay -
When the angel woos the clay he'd lose his wings at the dawn of day.

NOW FOR THE BALTIMORE SCREENWRITING COMPETITION INFO:
For media inquiries only
October 9, 2008 contact: Tracy Baskerville
Dionne McConkey
410-752-8632

THE 4TH ANNUAL BALTIMORE SCREENWRITERS COMPETITION
EARLY SUBMISSION DEADLINE: Friday, November 21, 2008
FINAL DEADLINE: Friday, January 9, 2009

The Baltimore Film Office at the Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts, in conjunction with Morgan State University’s Film and Television Writing Program and Johns Hopkins’ Film and Media Studies Program, is seeking aspiring film writers for the fourth annual Baltimore Screenwriters Competition. The competition is designed to create awareness of screenplay as a literary art form and to encourage new screenwriters into the entertainment industry. The early submission deadline is Friday, November 21, 2008 with a $35 application fee, and the final deadline is Friday, January 9, 2009 with a $50 application fee.

Interested writers can submit applications and original feature length screenplays that must be set in or can be filmed in Baltimore. Materials can be mailed or delivered to the Baltimore Screenwriters Competition, Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts, 7 East Redwood Street, Suite 500, Baltimore, Maryland 21202. The Screenwriting Competition is project of Mayor Sheila Dixon and the Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts’ Division of Film, Video and Television and sponsored by Municipal Employees Credit Union of Baltimore (MECU), Maryland Film Festival, Baltimore Theatre Alliance, Baltimore Area Convention and Visitors Association and the Creative Alliance at the Patterson.

All eligible scripts will receive coverage by local screenwriters, and final scripts will be judged by film industry professionals. Participating judges will be announced at a later date. Winning prizes include cash and all access passes to the Maryland Film Festival.

To download the Baltimore Screenwriters Competition application, visit www.baltimorefilm.com or call 410-752-8632.

The F. Scott Fitzgerald Literary Conference

THE F. SCOTT FITZGERALD LITERARY CONFERENCE, INC.

Professional Literary Advice from Top Editors and Consultants

Many writers—from the aspiring to the established—already know about the impressive highlights of the F. Scott Fitzgerald Literary Conference coming up this October 25 in Rockville, Md. Registrants will have the opportunity to learn from such pros as Elmore “Dutch” Leonard, Susan Cheever, George Pelecanos, Laura Lippman, and many others. Writers can participate in workshops with subjects ranging from novel structure to the relationship between authors and publishers.

For the first time, the Fitzgerald Conference offers writers the opportunity of a one-on-one meeting with a literary magazine editor (Gettysburg Review, Narrative, Blackbird) or literary consultant Amy Holman. This is an opportunity for aspiring authors to sit face-to-face for 20 minutes discussing your manuscript in a scheduled appointment.

How it works:
· once you’ve registered for the conference, you can sign up for an appointment with the consultant of your choice for only $30.
· you’ll have the opportunity to submit your manuscript (Fiction 12-15 pages; Poetry 5-7 pages) – the deadline is Saturday, October 11.
· during the conference, you’ll sit down with the literary consultant and discuss your work.

It’s that easy. This is a rare opportunity to get face time with a professional. The consults will be offered during the morning and afternoon workshop times, so no one will miss Elmore Leonard, Laura Lippman, Michael Dirda, George Pelecanos, or Susan Cheever.

Participating editors include …

· Mark Drew of The Gettysburg Review
· Gregory Donovan of Blackbird
· Patricia Schultheis of Narrative.
· Mary Flinn of Blackbird
· Amy Holman, literary consultant

Space is limited, so what are you waiting for?

Register today at www.montgomerycollege.edu/potomacreview/fscott/ or call (301) 309-9461.

These consultations are first come, first scheduled—so act now. First register for the conference, then your manuscript must be received by October 11 (Fiction 12-15 pages, Poetry 5-7 pages).

F. Scott Fitzgerald said, “Action is character.” Take action now to participate in this exciting event. Learn more about the literary consultants below and choose the best fit for you.