James River Writers: Get Your Word On

Get Your Word On

News, views and more from James River Writers

February 9, 2010

In the words of NPR music-show host Karl Haas (may he rest in peace), hello everyone. I'm George Tisdale, freshly minted member of the JRW board. I attended my first board meeting a few weeks ago and left sans assignment thinking, "This is going to be pretty easy." "Not so fast," said the JRW Press Gang of Pye and Westrick the next morning and just like that I was the new editor of this newsletter. Now, unlike Karl I don't like to repeat myself, so in future issues I'll endeavor to whet your appetite in this space for what follows in the newsletter. (Yes, whet, I just checked.) For this issue, I'll plug two events: Writers Wednesdays and The Writing Show. The former is your chance to meet a few JRW members. Had you attended last month, you would have met a playwright whose work is being staged and a former Russian ICBM scientist. See what you're missing? And don't miss this month's Writing Show, an open-mic on an endearing topic: love. Read on, please, and discover some of what JRW has to offer.

Writers Wednesdays has a new location: Leave your fictional characters home and spend time with real-life characters at the next Writers Wednesdays: February 10 at our new location: GlobeHopper Coffeehouse & Lounge 2100 East Main Street 804-523-8083 Parking on both sides of 21st Street is suggested and free. Writers Wednesdays will be holding court in the front of the restaurant, right at the door, so you can't miss us. Writers Wednesdays is JRW's casual meet and greet for writers in every genre on the second Wednesday of every month, 5:30-7:30 PM. We'll be switching our location in March, so this is your chance to check out GlobeHopper with us!

The Writing Show: What's Love Got To Do With It? JRW's first-ever open mic dedicated to love found, lost and hopelessly unrequited. Reveal (in 3 minutes or less) your stories, poems, rants, soliloquies, lyrics, diary entries and steamy chat histories regarding the wildly misunderstood although highly desirable malfunction known as Love. With special host, poet T.S. Prunier. Email anne@JamesRiverWriters.org by February 18 to guarantee your 3-minute space for the evening. Write "February Open Mic" in the subject line. If time allows, sign ups for time slots will be available at the door. February 25, 6:30-8:30 PM The Pavilion Room The Children's Museum of Richmond 2626 West Broad Street $5 admission in advance or at the door For more information and online registration visit jamesriverwriters.org

News James River Writers welcomed ten new members to its Board of Directors in January 2010, and expanded the Advisory Board to eleven distinguished supporters. JRW Member Jody Rathgeb recently had three different stories accepted by three different publications: The Battered Suitcase, The Ink-Filled Page and Tongues of the Ocean. VCU Professor and JRW Member Kristin Swenson's book has just been released: Bible Babel: Making Sense of the Most Talked-About Book of All Time (HarperCollins). Richmonder Cheryl Pallant's newest poetry book, Morphs, is out from Cracked Slab Books. Her prose poem "Yonder Zongs" is included in the anthology, An Introduction to the Prose Poem, by Firewheel Editions, and Sentence Magazine recently published her poem "Emoting Force."

JRW Board Members Visit ARGS In January, JRW Board Members helped adjudicate student writings at The Appomattox Regional Governor's School for the Arts and Technology in Petersburg, VA. Pictured here (from left) are JRW Board Chair Virginia Pye, and board members Doug Blue and Cynthia Cros White with the, uh, remains of the day.

Donations Wanted James River Writers has a new office...and it could use a little TLC. We're looking for a rug (6'x9' or 8'x10'), some floor lamps, a chest or coffee table, and a set of 4 low chairs so that JRW members can stop by, kick back and put their feet up. If you have an item you'd like to donate to JRW, please put "office donation" in the subject line and email anne@jamesriverwriters.org. The Appomattox Regional Governor's School for the Arts and Technology in Petersburg, VA is seeking book donations from authors for the school's annual PTSA silent auction. Funds raised from this event provide vital support for ARGS and its programs, including its strong literary arts department. Donated books will be displayed online, in the auction, and in a list of items-great publicity! Please send your signed book by February 15 to: Patty Smith/Book Auction ARGS 512 W Washington St Petersburg VA 23803

Lit Picks by Cathy Allen Is love "just a second-hand emotion"? To get ready for JRW's first open mic at The Writing Show on February 25, read these books with all shades and sides of love: Robert Goolrick's A Reliable Wife shatters what matters in relationships. Kathleen Grissom "cooks up a mess" of family ties, tensions, and tragedies in The Kitchen House. Mair W. Conrad's heart-warming story of marriage and family, My Virginia Gentleman. For more faces and places, please visit JRW's online calendar.

Events, We Got 'em 2/10/2010 5:30 - 7:30 PM: "Writers Wednesdays." Every second Wednesday JRW hosts a casual meet and greet for writers of all genres. This month at GlobeHopper Coffeehouse & Lounge, 2100 E Main, 804-523-8083. Free parking on 21st St. 2/11/2010 12 - 1 PM: Richmond Noir. Featuring editors Andrew Blossom, Tom De Haven, & Brian Castleberry, with contributors Laura Browder, Dennis Danvers, Dean King & Meagan Saunders. Free and open to the public. Limited free parking under the library. At The Library of Virginia, 800 E. Broad St, 804-692-3500. 2/11/2010 6:30 PM: Robert Goolrick reads and signs A Reliable Wife. At Fountain Bookstore, 1312 E. Cary, 804-788-1594. 2/12 - 2/13/2010 "WomanKind" Conference, with keynote speaker NYT best-selling author Anne Lamott. At St. James Episcopal Church, 1205 W. Franklin. For program details and costs see http://www.womankindrichmond.com/. 2/13/2010 10 AM - 12 PM: Virginia Romance Writers presents "Strong Writing, and the Myth of Writer's Block," with acclaimed guest speaker playwright & JRW Board Member Douglas Jones. Non-members welcome. At Central Library, 9501 Lori Rd, Chesterfield, 804-748-1603. 2/13/2010 1 PM: Lillian Lincoln Lambert signs The Road to Someplace Better: From the Segregated South to Harvard Business School and Beyond.At Barnes & Noble, Libbie Place, 5501 West Broad, 804-282-6704. 2/13/2010 5 PM & 8 PM: SlamRichmond's Poetry Slam Workshop and Open Mike. At Artspace Gallery, 31 E 3rd St, 804-232-6464. 2/17/2010 6:30 - 8:30 PM: "Writing Romance Novels," featuring author Mary Montague Sikes (Night Watch). At the monthly meeting of the Richmond Chapter of the Virginia Writers Club. Free and open to the public. At Gayton Library, 10600 Gayton Rd. 2/18/2010 12 - 1 PM: Dr. Katherine Clay Bassard presents and signs Transforming Scriptures: African American Women and the Bible. Free and open to the public. Limited free parking under the library. At The Library of Virginia, 800 E. Broad St, 804-692-3500. 2/18/2010 12 PM & 7 PM: Robert Poole presents his book On Hallowed Ground: The Story of Arlington Cemetery. Part of the Banner Lecture Series. Admission $5 Adults/$4 Seniors/$4 Children & Students/Free to VHS members. Free parking available. At The Virginia Historical Society, 428 N. Boulevard, 358-4901. 2/18/2010 6:30 PM: Richmond Noir. Featuring editors Andrew Blossom, Tom De Haven & Brian Castleberry, with contributors Dennis Danvers, Dean King, Howard Owen, Meagan Saunders & Anne Thomas Soffee. At Fountain Bookstore, 1312 E. Cary, 804-788-1594. Check Fountain Bookstore for possible venue change. 2/19 - 2/21/2010 "Christian Writers Retreat." Workshops and critique sessions. Cost: $175 includes lodging & meals/ $95 includes meals only if commuting. At Williamsburg Christian Retreat Center, 9275 Barnes Rd, Toano. For details please see http://www.hanoverwriters.org/christianwritersretreat or email Joanne Liggan at jliggan@verizon.net. 2/20/2010 2 - 4 PM: George Nixon signs his children's book The Boy Who Lived In Only Green Land. At Book People, 536 Granite Avenue, 804-288-4346. 2/20/2010 2 PM: Debbie Woods signs A Fit Life. At Barnes & Noble, Libbie Place, 5501 West Broad, 804-282-6704. 2/20/2010 3 - 5 PM: Alix Dobkin reads and signs My Red Blood. At The Gay Community Center of Richmond, 1407 Sherwood Ave, 804-266-4313. 2/20/2010 5 PM & 8 PM: SlamRichmond's Poetry Slam Workshop and Open Mike. At Artspace Gallery, 31 E 3rd St, 804-232-6464. 2/21/2010 2 - 5 PM: Richmond Christians Who Write meets on the third Sunday of every month. At Grove Avenue Baptist Church, 8701 Ridge Rd. For more information, contact Tom Lacy, 804-749-4050, revtcl@aol.com or Rebekah Robb, 804-527-0913, info@rebekahrobb.com. 2/23/2010 6:30 PM: Kathleen Grissom reads and signs The Kitchen House. At Fountain Bookstore, 1312 E. Cary, 804-788-1594. 2/24/2010 6:45 - 9 PM: The Virginia Screenwriters' Forum meets monthly (except July, August and December) at Art Works in downtown Richmond. VSF offers support and constructive feedback to screenwriters. Throughout the years, member scripts have been made into movies, a PBS documentary, and optioned by major production companies. Aspiring screenwriters are welcome. To attend email vsf@comcast.net. 2/25/2010 6:30 - 8:30PM: JRW presents their first-ever Open Mic "What's Love Got To Do With It?" at The Writing Show, with special host, poet T. S. Prunier. To participate onstage, email anne@jamesriverwriters.org with the subject "February Open Mic" on or before February 18th. Spectator/Participant admission: $5. At the Children's Museum of Richmond, 2626 W Broad St, 804-474-7000. 2/27/2010 DEADLINE for submissions to the Virginia Romance Writers "Holt Medallion" Contest. 2/27/2010 9 AM - 12 PM: "Nature Writing: Getting the Environment onto the Page." Workshop presented by Erika Howsare. Cost $55 members/ $60 non-members. At WriterHouse, 508 Dale Ave, Charlottesville, 434-296-1922. 2/27/2010 1 - 3 PM: Mair W. Conrad signs her memoir My Virginia Gentleman, sequel to On the Golden Stairs. At Book People, 536 Granite Avenue, 804-288-4346. 2/27/2010 2 PM: Tim Dorsey reads and signs Gator A-Go-Go. At Fountain Bookstore, 1312 E. Cary, 804-788-1594. 2/27/2010 2 PM: John Fenzel signs The Lazarus Covenant. At Barnes & Noble, Libbie Place, 5501 West Broad, 804-282-6704. 2/27/2010 5 PM & 8 PM: SlamRichmond's Poetry Slam Workshop and Open Mike. At Artspace Gallery, 31 E 3rd St, 804-232-6464. MARCH 2010 3/1 - 3/4/2010: 15th Annual John Tyler Community College Literary Festival, featuring esteemed Virginia poet and author Darnell Arnoult (Sufficient Grace). Free & open to the public. Please bring donations of gently used paperbacks for the Richmond Read Center. At JTCC, Chester & Midlothian Campuses. 3/2/2010 6 - 8 PM: Essayist Phyllis Theroux presents her memoir The Journal Keeper. Free and open to the public. Limited free parking under the library. At The Library of Virginia, 800 E. Broad St, 804-692-3500. 3/4/2010 12 PM: Michael Kranish presents his book Flight from Monticello: Thomas Jefferson at War. Part of the Banner Lecture Series. Admission $5 Adults/$4 Seniors/$4 Children & Students/Free to VHS members. Free parking available. At The Virginia Historical Society, 428 N. Boulevard, 358-4901. 3/4/2010 8 PM: Richmond Noir. Featuring editors Andrew Blossom, Tom De Haven & Brian Castleberry, with contributors X.C. Atkins, Clay McLeod Chapman, Dennis Danvers, David L. Robbins & Howard Owen. At New York Deli, 2920 W Cary St. 3/5/2010 7 - 9 PM: "Richmond Writer's Series." Wayne Dementi and Brooks Smith discuss Songlines of Richmond. At Richmond Public Library, Main Branch, 101 E. Franklin St, 804-649-0083. 3/6/2010: 3 - 5 PM: Langhorne Gibson, Jr. signs his memoir For the Love of Greenwood. At Book People, 536 Granite Avenue, 804-288-4346. 3/6/2010 5 PM & 8 PM: SlamRichmond's Poetry Slam Workshop and Open Mike. At Artspace Gallery, 31 E 3rd St, 804-232-6464. 3/7/2010 3 - 5 PM: "Book Swap." Meet, greet and talk books with fellow book lovers. At Book People, 536 Granite Avenue, 804-288-4346. 3/8/2010 7 - 9 PM:The Richmond Playwright's Forum meets monthly at the Barksdale Theatre Willow Lawn conference room. Members share works and discuss playwriting. RPF is open to all interested persons, and welcomes your participation as voice actors or active listeners. For more information, contact Margie Langston at margie.langston@yahoo.com.

Send Us Your News, Send Us Your Events

Send us something concisely written (no more than 150 words) that gives us the basics your English teacher wanted from you: WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE. Don't forget dates, times, cost (if applicable) or contact information, and include any Web URL. Send it along to: word@jamesriverwriters.org.

For events and calendar listings, see above paragraph, and send as far in advance as possible, but at least two weeks prior to the event, to: calendar@jamesriverwriters.org

For general inquiries and information, e-mail Anne@jamesriverwriters.org

Get Your Word On is produced twice monthly by James River Writers. Cathy Allen edits and maintains the calendar.

$10,000 For 10,000 Books in 2010

 

Books on Wheels Pledges to Donate 10,000 books in 2010! DONATE! Books on Wheels is very happy to have a space to call home located at 302 W. Brookland Park Blvd. Richmond, VA 23222. With this new addition to our organization, we will be able to reach more people, offer volunteers opportunities to help with our daily operations, and organize ourselves in order to grow and do a better job at providing free books and bicycle repair to the public. Our Spring/Summer 2010 season is approaching fast, and in preparing for a busy season, we want to make sure we can do the most good in our communities as possible. Since Books on Wheels is a publicly supported non-profit organization, we rely on the generous donations from individuals like you in keeping us literally running. So, we are launching a campaign to raise $10,000 to provide 10,000 books during 2010. For each dollar donated, you are guaranteeing that a child in need is getting a new or gently used book from Books on Wheels.  DONATE NOW! We are asking that everyone please donate to our safe, online fundraising sites NETWORK FOR GOOD Or PAY PAL. And, as always, you can visit our Donate Page on our website for more details. Thank you for your ongoing support. Please visit our website to see more about our donation campaign and we will keep you updated about the progress throughout the year! Sincerely, Shelley Briggs, MSW Co-founder, Books on Wheels http:\\www.booksonwheels.org mailto:booksonwheelsva@yahoo.co

 

African Dance @ The Richmond Public Library

 

 

 

Bring the children to see

Kusun Ensemble

at the Main Library

Thursday, February 11, 2010

10:00 a.m.

The Kusun Ensemble is an extraordinary group of musicians and dancers based in Ghana, West Africa. Come join us and bring the children to this exciting event showcasing Ghana's most powerful music and dance ensemble fusing innovative rhythms with jazz and traditional Ghanaian instruments.

Don't miss this electrifying performance sponsored by the Historic Jackson Ward Association, National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Virginia Commission for the Arts.

Free and open to the public.

Brought to you by the DNA [Downtown Neighborhood Association] on behalf of the Main Library. 

 

The Upper East Side Big Band @ Bogarts

(via email)
That's right! After a long hiatus, The Upper East Side Big Band is will be performing at the new Bogart's in the Fan next Friday, February 12th!
Keyboardist, Adrian Duke will be joining us on vocals. Also singing will be Allyson Mills-Steele and guitarist, Curtis Mills from The Mills Family Band. We'll be doing the oldies and pulling out the newbies.It'll be an iPod shuffle of Duke, Basie, Ray Charles, The Beatles (some Abbey Road), and Prince. Come on out, Richmond... we've missed ya!

- Samson

Pony Pasture Cleanup This Saturday

A message from Maureen Egan about the next Riverside Drive Cleanup.

FOJRP's next clean-up of Riverside Drive will be Saturday, Feb. 6th at 9 a.m. If you'd like to help, meet at Pony Pasture parking lot and wear shoes you don't mind getting mucky, and bring gloves and trash bags. A winter clean-up gives us the chance to go after trash that is usually hidden in the spring and summer by greenery. It's a bit like a treasure hunt, really. An hour and a half usually takes care of things, but any amount of time you can give would be much appreciated. Please let Maureen Egan know if you're coming: maureenLegan@comcast.net Hope to see you there.

Moruza - What's in a Name?

In this case, quite a lot. Moruza is a band, a name and a state of mind. Moruza is the family name of Leslie Moruza Dripps and the name of the band she leads and their self titled album. Moruza is also Puerto Rican slang for mish-mash, uncategorized, hither-thither, which is a good introduction to their music.

Moruza (the band and the album)is an evolutionary step from Leslie's solo debut album "All Eleven". It is a musical partnership between Leslie (piano and main vocals), Melissa Sunderland (violin and vocals), Brian Cruse (double bass), Kyleen Terrana (backing vocals) and Andy Blunt (percussion). The sound they create is one part pop, one part jazz and one part French cabaret.

Lonely Heart Road starts off with piano, drums and staccato violin tapping a musical question. The problem:

You don't feel so good today
How about this time next week
you'll feel better.
One foot Past the Other
toward One stepping Stone,
Two Back
You Try again ...

Then the chorus responds with a bit of hope:

Trudge on you Lonely heart Road
Lead on for a Single more Day
Go on you Lonely Heart Road
Off in the Distance the Sunrise Waits

building to a layered vocal sequence that lifts the heart. Hope, optimism and empathy abound in this song and are a consistent theme in Leslie's music, but the stories are not told with just lyrics and voice. Throughout Moruza the instruments take various parts in the discussion, sometimes agreeing, sometimes not. When they work out their differences the result is joyful crescendo. Joy plays a big part in this album, but so does humor along with a bit of melancholy.

Essentially an acoustic quartet, Moruza is capable of putting out a surprisingly dynamic sound. Near Miss, starts out almost orchestral and returns to this energetic theme reminding us that the disappointments in our life may just be preparing us for better things.

Near miss glad that it’s over
Near miss glad that you’re gone
One look over my shoulder
Making room for the right one

Psychic Say is a moody tune, asking the question,
Psychic say, what do you see? ... knowing that

All she says is what she sees
knows your type, she knows your needs
tell me tell me tell me please
what i already know

Bad Man counter poses an uptempo melody against a grim tale, but the combination works. There's a tricky ending that makes you wonder just what did happen to the "pretty little bride".

High above the river moat
pretty little bride, she watches close
bides her time and she’s no ghost

Butterfly Over the Freeway could be the most beautiful song on the album. It takes you on a musical day dream with the smallest of creatures.

Butterfly over the freeway
fluttering over the fray
carry me over the distance
carry me all of the way

Leslie's soft voice, the delicate melodies, violin and piano all work together. The drums add just the right touch. The soaring harmonies will pierce your heart. Moruza changes moods throughout, moving from the wistful Psychic Say to the optimistic anthem Over The Wall, which will leave you smiling. Either way Moruza takes the light touch and invites you to listen again and again. At heart, this is a singer songwriter showcase for Leslie. There are times where she carries the music with her voice and piano, but she works so well with her band mates that the whole is always greater than its parts. She never tires of telling the worth of living and that a strength greater than ourselves that can pull us through. A careful listen reveals the source of that strength.

I know a power soft enough
It soothes the sharpest stake
I know justice fair enough
I'll give it my whole heart to break

She invites us to find that faith for ourselves. You may not escape life's difficulties, but with equal parts optimism, hope and humor, you can find your way through it.

When not tending her husband Daryl and one year old son Xander, Leslie spends her time rehearsing and directing City Singers, a youth choral group dedicated to "bringing together youth of the greater Richmond area in a joyful appreciation of their ethnic, religious, and cultural diversity."

Moruza will be holding their CD release party this Sunday, January 31st, at the Camel. To learn more about Moruza and listen to their music visit,

http://www.moruza.com/
http://www.myspace.com/moruzamusic

Lights Up @ CenterStage

Lights Up: "CELEBRATING YOUTH AND THE ARTS AT CENTERSTAGE

Come celebrate a weekend of youth and the arts at the Genworth BrightLights Education Center at Richmond CenterStage. All programs and performances are free, but registration and tickets are required.

'Lights Up' presents over 30 workshops, master classes, lecture-demonstrations and live performances featuring the Resident Companies of Richmond CenterStage:

• Richmond Symphony Orchestra
• Richmond Ballet
• African-American Repertory Theater
• Richmond Shakespeare
• Theater IV/Barksdale Theatre
• Virginia Opera
• SPARC (School of the Performing Arts in the Richmond Community)
• Elegba Folklore Society

The weekend also features the Latin Ballet of Virginia, Richmond Boys Choir and Friends of City Dance.

Genworth BrightLights Education Center
Richmond CenterStage
600 E. Grace Street,
Richmond, VA 23219.

• FREE Family Festival and Open House - Saturday, January 23, 2010
  
  12 to 5 p.m. – Education Workshops, Classes and Lecture–Demonstrations (Registration opens at 10:30 a.m. and continues throughout the day in the Carpenter Theatre Lobby. Registration is on a first come, first served basis.) Workshop Descriptions & Schedule
  
  7 p.m. – 'Lights Up' Performance in the Carpenter Theatre featuring young performers of Resident Companies.
  
• Sunday, January 24, 2010
  3 p.m. – 'Lights Up' Performance in The Carpenter Theatre featuring young performers of Resident Companies."

Sunday Selections

There are still some choice picks to choose from this Sunday.

• The Richmond Symphony is performing Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exposition Sunday at 3:00 PM at Richmond CenterStage. Tickets range from $17.00 to $72.00.
  
• The 17th Annual Freedom Classic takes place tomorrow at the Richmond Coliseum. Doors open at 4:00 pm. The Game between Virginia Union and Virginia State starts at 5:30. The Freedom Classic “Big Throw Down” Drum Line Competition will feature the best high school drum lines in the Richmond area!
  
• City Singers is performing their Winter Concert at Ginter Park Presbyterian Church. The show is also at 3:00 PM and is free. To learn more about City Singers and their mission, visit the City Singers website.
  
  Here's a sample of the City Singers performing the national anthem at a VCU basketball game.