WiVLA's Mission: To provide an inspiring
forum for women to explore and advance their creative
development, to promote their work in the marketplace, and to
infuse the community with their spirit of cooperation and
invention.
First things
first. A big thank you to Pattie Berg for stepping up and
taking over as membership chair. She's already doing a fine
job and we're lucky to have her in the position.
Last fall, in an
article for the newsletter, I commented on my reluctance to
submit work to juried shows and made a commitment to submit
something to at least two shows in 2011. I also encouraged all
of you to take the plunge and send your work out. I have
already submitted to one show and am pleased to say that has
turned out well for me.
Show number two
for me will be "Finding Balance," the WiVLA Membership Show at
the Museum of Printing History. I urge all of you who work in
print media or photography (or who want to work in those art
areas) to enter "Finding Balance," too. This is a signature
event and one that got many of us - me included - into our
very first show. The deadline for entries is July 25. If you
need help preparing your entry, WiVLA members are here to help
you. Look at the newsletter article about the show for more
information on getting help.
Another signature
event for WiVLA is the Collaboration Show. I am pleased to
announce that the board decided, at our recent event, to hold
our next Collaboration in May 2012. Board members and other
friends of WiVLA will be hosting Soirees in September and
October to help you get to know each other better and to find
a partner for the show. See the Soiree article in the
newsletter for more information about that.
The board retreat
energized and invigorated your board of directors and we plan
to spread that energy and enthusiasm around. Watch for
exciting programs and events as the year progresses. Here is a
hint of what is coming - the return in December of those
fabulous Holiday Parties we used to have!
Warm
Regards,
Lane
WiVLA MEMBER SURVEY RESULTS
By
Lane Devereux
A
respectable thirty-nine percent of members responded to the
WiVLA Member Survey in May. Thank you so much for the
information you provided. It helped the board of directors
make the best use of our board retreat on June 4. We found
some interesting facts in your answers. Sixty percent of
respondents have been members for more than six years; another
twenty-six percent have been members for two to five years.
That is a great track record for longevity.
More members identified themselves
as both artists and writers (forty-eight percent), than either
artists (forty percent) or writers (fourteen percent). It
would be interesting to know how many of the artists/writers
started out as writers and then expanded their interests to
visual arts because of WiVLA's influence. I know that is what
happened to me.
Please
click here to read the article in its
entirety.
LETTER
FROM THE EDITOR
Hello
everyone,
We have a lot
to cover this month, from member survey responses and exciting
soiree sign-ups, to the upcoming "Finding Balance" Print and
Photography Show - just to name a few!
So, I will
simply leave you with a picture. A picture, after all, is
worth a thousand words.
A painting depicting a futuristic
view of Houston in 1980, as imagined by an unknown
artist in the 1920s or 1930s. Courtesy of Special
Collections, University of Houston Libraries. UH
Digital Library.
Here's to a
creative and productive month!
Best
Wishes,
Andrea
Waguespack
ANOTHER
COLLABORATION SHOW IS COMING
By Lane
Devereux
WiVLA has made an
art of collaborations between artists and writers - literally.
Over the years, we have regularly held Collaboration Shows
where members from different art areas get together and
complete a work of art that incorporates both visual and
literary elements. The last collaboration WiVLA held was the
fabulous "Altered Book" exhibition at Archway Gallery in 2009.
I am pleased to
announce that WiVLA will hold the next COLLABORATION SHOW in
May of 2012, with the opening set tentatively for Saturday,
May 5, 2012. We do not have details for you yet, those are
being worked on now, but we do know that you will want plenty
of time to find a partner or partners for the show.
To this end,
selected board members and advisory council members will host
a series of SOIREES starting in September where small
groups of WiVLA members can meet and discover each other's
talents and gifts. Soirees will be held at a variety of times
and places to give every member an opportunity to join in the
fun and camaraderie. More details about the Soirees follow in
a separate article.
Put it on
your calendar now: Collaboration Show in May 2012!
QUOTE
OF THE MONTH
Art, at
its best, is not a competition to outdo others or even
ourselves. The focus
is more appropriately channeled to reveal our
hearts and to hint at the illumination
of life that is mysterious
andlarger
inspirit than in any
single work of art.
-Gregory Packard
Have a
favorite art-themed quote? Send it to newsletter@wivla.org -
it could be our next Quote of the
Month.
MEMBERSHIP MEETING
- JUNE 21, 2011
By Connie
Buchanan
We
had a full house at the June meeting to hear Rita Mills from
Book Connection. She crammed an amazing wealth of information
into her approximately 20 minute talk -- I was kept busy
taking notes!
She
covered the various methods of publishing (traditional,
vanity, print on demand, ebooks, and ereaders), giving the
pros and cons of each method. She also stressed
the importance of using social media.She
emphasized you need to develop a database of contacts
regardless of which publishing method you choose.I am one of those people (rare, I understand) who
prefers to do my social networking face to face.Rita, however, says a website and Facebook page are the
minimum you should have.Fortunately I have
grandchildren who can help me!
Rita
will be offering a series of 4-hour workshops which could give
you all the information you need.If you
are interested, you can contact her at rita.mills@comcast.net.
If you would
like more information about The Book Connection, please click
here.
MEMBERSHIP MEETING
- JULY 19, 2011
Shelly Roth will be the guest
speaker at this month's meeting. Shelly is an author, trainer,
motivational speaker, sales executive, and life
coach.
In the months ahead, be on the lookout
for these dynamic speakers and their motivating presentations:
Spacetaker's Jenni Rebecca Stephenson and KC Scharnberg, and
the very talented editor/author Sarah Cortez. Also stay tuned
for the always-popular Circle of Five meeting, where members
share their work.
After each meeting, we will
go to Café Express
on West Gray, around the corner from the Museum of Printing
History, for our Dutch treat dinners and camaraderie. Please
join us!
LITERARY READING AT THE
PRINT & PHOTOGRAPHY SHOW
By
Elizabeth Earle
Opening
Reception
Museum of Printing
History
1324 West Clay,
Houston, TX77019
Thursday, September 1
from 6-8 p.m.
Call for
Entries:
Eligibility: All current WiVLA members as of July
15, 2011.
Theme:"Finding Balance" Our
busy and sometimes hectic pace can create a seesaw lifestyle
with a misplaced fulcrum.How do we manage
our daily choices to reflect the balance that is necessary to
maintain a fully realized life?We are
encouraged to submit work that employs an abstract, conceptual
or metaphorical approach to the subject. Newly written work or
an existing piece of written work that is thematically
appropriate may be submitted.
Entry Details:The written
work should be able to be read aloud in 3-5
minutes.Please
submit entries by attaching your manuscript to an email and
send by July 25, 2011, to Elizabeth Earle at eaearle@hotmail.com.Please include your name, title of the piece, and
genre.Writings may be from any
genre:poetry, fiction, personal essay,
nonfiction, memoir, or playwriting.
Pieces will be included in the program
on a first-come basis. Once enough entries have been received
to fill the entire program, further pieces will not be
included.WiVLA reserves the right to deny
submissions not related thematically.You
will be notified if you are to be included in the
reading.
Invitations:Invitations
will be available at the August 23 meeting or through the
WiVLA web site.
GOOD PLACES TO WRITE AND
DRAW
By
Cary Reeder
Heights
Ashbury Coffeehouse
242 West 19th Street, Phone: 713-862-7018
I
have been wanting to tell you about two good outdoor places to
write and draw for a while, but since it's 100 degrees as I
write this, and I don't want you to think that I am a common
loon, I'm staying indoors. Those columns will just have to
wait for the 3-5 days of good weather we are graced with each
year. Today I am at a swinging, groovy new 60s-themed joint,
Heights Ashbury Coffeehouse. Sure it doesn't have the sunshine
and fresh air of the outdoors but a bonus is that I am not
putting myself at risk of melting or spontaneously
combusting.
Please click here to continue Cary's review of
Heights Ashbury
Coffeehouse.
MAKE NEW FRIENDS AT A WiVLA
SOIREE!
By
Lane Devereux
A soiree is a rendezvous,
an intimate gathering of a small group of people. In France,
where soirees originated, they were evening parties, but for
WiVLA's purposes, they are being held at many different times
and locations. We want every WiVLA member to have the
opportunity to attend a soiree this coming September and
October.
WiVLA hosted soirees in the past and members
told us how much they enjoyed attending. It gave people a
chance to broaden their circle of acquaintances within WiVLA
and find out how other members expressed their creativity and
talent. This is particularly apt in light of next year's
Collaboration Show.
To find a collaboration partner, we
all need to know more people and be aware of their work. The
soirees are an excellent method to do this. The hostesses are
listed below with the date, time, location, and capacity of
their individual soirees. Their email address is also listed.
It will be up to you to email the hostess whose soiree best
meets your schedule and ask her to add you to the guest list.
Do
not delay; sign up for the soiree you want before it fills up.
Friday,
9/2 from 5:30-8:00 pm, hosted by Piyali Dasgupta in
the Houston 77007 area. Up to 15 guests. RSVP to
piyalidasgupta@hotmail.com.
Thursday,
9/8 from 7:00-9:00 PM, hosted by Lane Devereux in the
Cypress 77429 area. Up to 12 guests. RSVP to wivla.lanedev@comcast.net.
Sunday,
9/11 from 6:00-8:00 PM, hosted by Diana Weeks in the
Houston 77006 area. Up to 6 guests. RSVP to dianaweeks@att.net
Sunday,
9/18 from 4:00-6:00 PM, hosted by Cookie Wells in the
Houston 77005 area. Up to 8 guests. RSVP to wadsworth@sbcglobal.net
Wednesday,
9/28 from 7:00-9:00 PM, hosted by June
Russellin the Houston 77079 area. Up to
20 guests. RSVP tojrrbug@aol.com.
Tuesday,
10/4 from 7:00-9:00 PM, hosted by Jean Caslin &
Diane Gregory in the Houston 77008 area. Up to 4 guests. RSVP
to dianeggregory@gmail.com.
Friday,
10/14 from 7:00-9:00 PM, hosted by Corry Austin in
the Houston 77077 area. Up to 8 guests. RSVP to
corry@sbcglobal.net.
Friday,
10/21 from 7:00-9:00 PM, hosted by Cathy Lachin in
the Katy 77450 area. Up to 12 guests. RSVP tocplachin@yahoo.com.
Thursday,
10/27 from 7:00-9:00 PM, hosted by Jane Mulholland in
the Houston 77098 area. Up to 10 guests. RSVP to
mulholland.jane@gmail.com.
ACCOLADES
Cary Reeder's painting, Shadowplay, has been
selected for the Annual Student Exhibition at the Glassell
School of Art. The exhibition is on view through July 24.
Michele
Zack's clay sculpture/small scale installation work
Treasure Chest #6 was selected for The Big Show at
Lawndale Art Center. The guest juror was Larissa Harris,
curator at The Queen Museum of Art. The opening reception will
be held July 1 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. The Big Slide Show will be
held Wednesday, July 20 and Thursday, July 21 from 6-8
p.m.
Lane
Devereux's photographs, Blue Heron and
Available Light #5, have been selected for the
Archway Gallery Third Annual Juried Exhibition,
juried by Bert L. Long, Jr. benefiting the Houston Area Women's
Center.
GOOD SEARCH, GOOD SHOP
By Lane
Devereux
Help
speed our earning progress and garner WiVLA more money by
using Good Search as your search engine and by accessing your
favorite online stores through Good Shop. Good Shop partners
will not only donate to WiVLA, but they often give buyers
special offers, too. I made a needed purchase from Sears
online, got 20% off the price through Good Shop, and earned
WiVLA $5.35. It was easy, I got a deal, and WiVLA got a
donation. You can't beat that!
Sign
up with Good Search, Good Shop at www.goodsearch.com. Follow the online
directions and remember my tip from last month: uncheck the
box that makes Good Search your home page, but leave the box
checked that makes Good Search your default search engine. If
you have any questions or concerns about Good search, please
contact me at
wivla.lanedev@yahoo.com.
CALL FOR ENTRIES - LITERARY
ART
Anthologies:
Are
you a late bloomer? In love? In your career? In starting a
family? Editor of nonfiction anthology is seeking essays on
the experience of being or identifying as a late bloomer. 500
words or more. Email submissions along with a brief bio by
Sept. 15.
Manzanita
Writers Press invites you to submit your poetry, prose,
and art/photography for the new anthology, Wine, Cheese and
Chocolate: A Taste of Literary Elegance. Submit new and
previously published work electronically. Entry fee: $10.
Deadline: December 31. Click here
for more information.
Books:
Main
Street Rag is seeking novellas between 25k-50k works
and short fiction for themed anthologies up to 10k words.
Submission by email only until September 1. Click here
for more information.
Nine
Bridges Publishing, a new, small press, is looking for
unusual material across all genres. Now accepting submissions.
For more information, visit their website.
Magazines:
Anderbo.com
features writers in fiction, "fact," and poetry. They are
always looking for new voices. For submission information and
guidelines, visit their website.
ARS
Medica: A Journal of Medicine, the Arts and Humanities is
an international literary magazine which explores illness, the
body, healing, and the culture of medicine. Fiction, creative
nonfiction, memoir, and artwork are preferred. Click here
for submission and subscription information.
Bloodroot
invites high-quality submissions of unpublished poetry, short
stories, and creative nonfiction. Submit 3-5 poems, ranging in
length from 10 lines to 2 pages. There is a 5k word limit for
prose submissions. Submissions are read April 1 - September 1.
For more information, click here.
Changes
in Life newsletter is seeking personal essays from
women. For details and submission guidelines, visit www.changesinlife.com.
Chautauqua
seeks poems, stories, and essays for the 2012 issue. This
issue's theme is war and peace, broadly constructed.
Submission period is August-November 2011. Simultaneous
submissions are accepted, however previously published works
are not accepted. For more information, click here.
Cousin
Corinne's Reminder, Brooklyn's new literary and arts
journal, is accepting submissions of short
fiction, nonfiction, and poetry
for its fourth issue. The deadline is September 1. Email
submissions here. For more information, click here.
Ekphrasis
seeks poems, each based on a single work of art. No
simultaneous submissions. Previously publishes poems accepted
if credited. Send 3-5 original poems, bio, email, and SASE to:
Ekphrasis, Laverne, and Carol Frith, P.O. Box 161236,
Sacramento, CA 95816-1236. For more information, click here.
Inkwell
is seeking poetry, prose, and artwork submissions for both its
Spring 2012 and Fall 2012 issues. The Fall 2012 issue's theme
is "Living on the Edge." The Spring 2012 issue does not have a
theme. Reading period is August 1-November 15. For more
information, click here.
rFISHc
is a new online journal of arts and letters. The first edition
will go live January 2012. They are seeking poetry and fiction
that illuminates some aspect of the human condition. For
submission information, click here.
Email your submissions here.
San
Pedro River Review seeks poetry and art submissions
for its Fall non-themed issue. Submission window is open July
1-August 1. For more information, click here.
Spillway
is accepting poetry during July and August only for their
themed issue, "Crossing Borders." Submit 3-5 poems via email. For more information, visit their website.
Womenarts
Quarterly Journal seeks essays, fiction, poetry,
visual art, reviews and interviews by women. For submission
guidelines and more information, visit their website.
CALL FOR ENTRIES - VISUAL
ART
"Finding
Balance" WiVLA membership exhibition at the
Museum of Printing History. Deadline: July 25, 2011. The theme
of the show is "Finding Balance." Christine Jelson West,
Lawndale Art Center's executive director, will jury the
"members only" exhibition. For a copy of the prospectus, click
here.
The
Arts Alliance at Clear Lake is accepting entries for
their Body Image Invitational & Juried Exhibition. This
will be an all-media, any medium, two- and three-dimensional
exhibit. Deadline is Saturday, August 6. For more information,
visit www.taaccl.org.
The
Serie Project is accepting applications for 2012. The
organization offers a non-profit Artist in Residence (AIR)
program, with the mission to promote Latino artists as well as
to grant access to the serigraphy technique. The deadline is August
26, 2011. For more information, click here.
Avenue
CDC's 15th Annual Art on the Avenue with Avenue
Community Development Corportation is accepting entries. Entry
deadline is September 1, 2011 for Art on the Avenue Silent
Auction. The event will be held Saturday, November 12, 2011.
To participate, complete the form.
The
2012 Materials Hard & Soft, National Contemporary Craft
Competition and Exhibition in Denton, Texas is
accepting entries. The deadline is September 9, 2011. The
exhibit will be held February 3-March 30, 2012. For more
information, visit www.dentonarts.com. The prospectus can be
found here.
18
Hands Gallery is accepting entries for "Interwoven
III," a juried exhibition that will be held October 22-30,
2011 in conjunction with the International Quilt Show in
Houston. All areas of fiber art are eligible. Deadline is
September 15, 2011. For full details, visit http://18handsgallery.com.
FiberPhiladelphia
2012 is accepting entries through October 31, 2011.
The Outside/ Inside the Box Exhibition, held March/April 2012,
will showcase fiber/textile art. The online application can be
found here.
For more information, click here.
Joe
Bertuglia is looking for one or more artists to
display their work at his restaurant, Main 101, in La Porte
for the month of July. If you're interested, contact Joe at
281-470-8484 or main101@sbcglobal.net.
General
Websites for artist exhibition Calls for
Entry:
Maryann
Gremillion is facilitating a workshop in
collaboration with TrueYou Creativity Studio on Saturday,
September 24 from 9:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. This workshop is an
exploration for women on how writing and art stimulate the
creative process. For information and registration,
visit www.trueyoucreativity.com.
You
are cordially invited to Sanctuary of Healing, an
artist's reception for Rebecca K. Kveton,
MA., on Saturday, July 9, 2011 from 3-5 p.m. The
reception will be held at Paulie's, located at 1834 Westheimer
Road. The exhibition will be on view until August 31,
2011.
Lane
Devereux cordially invites you to the opening
reception for Archway Gallery's Third Annual Juried Art Exhibition,
benefiting the Houston Area
Women's Center, on Saturday, July 9 from 5 to 8 PM. Archway
Gallery is located at 2305 Dunlavy. The exhibition will be on
view from July 1 through August 4, 2011.
SAVE THE DATE: CULTURED
COCKTAILS
By
Jennifer Watson
Save
the Date: Thursday, September 22, 2011 5-10 p.m.
On
September 22nd, WiVLA will be the featured organization of
Cultured Cocktails, a fundraising and marketing event created
by Spacetaker to support local arts organizations. A portion
of the proceeds from the evening benefit WiVLA programs and
services - so the more people you invite, the merrier! Join us
as we raise a glass (or 2) to the women of WiVLA!
The
event will be held at Boheme Cafe and Wine Bar, located at 307
Fairview at Taft. For more information, click here.
See
you there!
SUMMERTIME WRITING
SUPPORT FOR
WRITERS
By
Diana Meade
Hey WiVLA Writers! Come join your WiVLA friends on
Tuesday mornings from 9 a.m. until noon as we get together
with our pointy pencils or our clack-ity keyboards to find out
what amazing stuff is in our heads. Sometimes you never know
what is whirling around up there until you see it on the
page.
Beginning the first week in July and continuing
through the last week in August, we will meet in the
air-conditioned comfort of the SOSA Community Center of Spring
Branch at 1414 Wirt Road, Houston, Texas 77080 to come
together to write. There will be no lessons or classes and
alas, no internet wi-fi. No one will look over your shoulder
or try to copy your work and there will be no head-banging
music playing in the background to annoy you.
We will take breaks! The community center is a
pleasant space that has a refrigerator and microwave we can
use. They will allow food in the room if you want to bring
your own snack or your morning coffee. There are lots of
electrical outlets in the room for computers, but you might
want to bring an extension cord.
Some
Possible and Perhaps Dubious Benefits of Joining
Us:
Writing is lonely work. Having a weekly place
to go hang out and write with like-minded women is
priceless. You will feel more writerly. Besides, it's too
early to drink.
You will feel more disciplined and motivated to
honor your writing commitment if you know your WiVLA friends
are expecting you and will hunt you down if you are a
no-show.
Someone will probably start bringing snacks to
share and then there will be talk of having a potluck until
you are surrounded by food. Then if you can't think of
anything else to write, at least you can use the time to
write down recipes.
You will get to know your WiVLA Writer Friends
better so you can more consciously avoid them or embrace
them. However, there are some very experienced writers in
WiVLA who hopefully will show up so we can watch them
squeeze blood out of a turnip just like the rest of
us.
Let's face it - a lot of people don't "get"
writers. A lot of these people are related to you. They
won't be there.
I give up. Think up your own benefits for
showing up, like owning that you are a by-God Writer and you
write whenever there is an opportunity. This is a great
opportunity.
Did I mention that it is free?
Come kick a little writing butt. This offer is only
good from July 5-August 30. Your results may vary. If you miss
that week, please join us the following week!
We are tentatively scheduling an evening writing
group beginning in September through October on Monday
nights at the same location so that those who can't come
during the day will have the same opportunity.
I hope to see you there. Any questions, feel free
to email me at dianameade2@gmail.com.
Mark your calendars: Tuesdays, July 5-August 30,
9am-noon.
Where: SOSA Community Center, 1414 Wirt Road,
Houston, Texas 77055-4917, 713-932-9573
Directions from downtown: Travel west on I-10
towards San Antonio. Exit Wirt Road and turn north onto Wirt.
Travel north until you cross over Westview at the first stop
light. SOSA Community Center is on the right-hand side of the
road just past a Valero Convenience Store on the
corner.
WRITING SUBMISSION
OPPORTUNITIES
By
Elizabeth Earl
The
Dream Quest One Poetry & Writing Contest is open
to anyone who loves expressing innermost thoughts and feelings
into the beautiful art of poetry or writing a short story that
is worth telling everyone! And to all who have the ability to
dream... Write a poem or short story for a chance to win cash
prizes. All works must be original.
Guidelines:
Write
a poem, thirty lines or fewer on any subject, style, or form,
typed or neatly hand printed.
And/or
write a short story, five pages maximum length, on any subject
or theme, creative writing fiction or non-fiction (including
essay compositions, diary, journal entries and screenwriting).
Also, must be typed or neatly hand printed.
Multiple
poetry and short story entries are accepted.
Jul 31, 2011 (All
day)
$10 per short story/$5 per
poem
Prizes:
Writing
Contest First Prize is $500. Second Prize: $250. Third Prize:
$100.
Poetry
Contest First Prize is $250. Second Prize: $125. Third Prize:
$50.
We are currently accepting
submissions of short scenes, one-person shows and monologues
for our annual Museum of Dysfunction. Pieces submitted
for consideration should run no longer than 15 minutes, and
should require no more than 5 actors (doubling is
fine). We are especially looking for unusual or
insightful pieces expressing or exploring the innate
dysfunction of the human condition.
If
you would like to submit a script for the next Museum of
Dysfunction, please e-mail a copy of your script to our literary
manager, Zachary Doss. Submission deadline for the next Museum
of Dysfunction is August 15, 2011.
Wordsmyth
Theater:
Wordsmyth
Theater is now accepting One Act or Two Act plays for a New
Play Reading Series for 2012.
Six
plays will be selected, with one slot reserved for a Houston,
TX playwright and another slot reserved for a Spanish/English
bilingual play. Each selected playwright will be paired with a
director and cast. The play will then be read in front of an
audience and the audience will be invited to stay after for a
moderated discussion of the play. Please refer to
www.wordsmyththeater.org and click on the submissions tab for
submission guidelines.
