Today I did a little follow-up and emailed Mark Ridolfi at the QC Times to see if he has heard anything about the printing. Dr. Malachuk is working to help get some funding to offset the out-of-pocket costs I have had for paper, copying, artwork reduction (.jpgs) and such. I am also waiting for one more literary contribution and then I will put this baby to bed.
I did not get as much writing as I had hoped, but I believe the project itself touched a nerve in the community. I have begun looking into funding, grants, etc., for "the next" issue, which I will be sure to do a lot more PR for! I really think this project brings a special gift to the people who participate, and as if it is spiritually driven--may it be blessed by the powers-that-be, and bless all who come out to play!
Stay tuned....
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Friday, April 4, 2008
Submissions Received
Today I picked up the submissions from our various locations. The response was not as large as I had hoped, but we did get some nice art work. I am still beating the bushes to get some more literary contributions--I have some friends who may be able to solicit more contributions.
I spent the afternoon and evening scanning artwork, typing biographies, and designing the magazine itself in Publisher. It is nearly ready to go, once we get some more submissions, and make one very large piece of artwork into a .jpg file at Kinko's. But all the design decisions have been made and it's looking good.
Despite the sparse return, I still believe in this project, and am hoping to do further research into a grant from the Iowa Arts Council for another issue during the summer months. I am also entertaining the idea of volunteering to teach a creative writing course at one or more of the shelters, helping others to find their literary voices.
One thing that the project probably needed, that I simply did not have enough time to give it on this first issue, was more publicity. For the next one, I need to get out into the homeless community, at the feeding locations, at the shelters individually and pass out flyers. If I can pull together just a few more submissions for this issue and produce this first one, I'm certain I can garner more support and greater media interest once we have a published issue to show.
There are also other ideas percolating in the back of my mind--getting someone to donate art supplies, and paper. Setting up a regular time at the Midwest Writing Center for folks to type their writings, maybe offer a basic computer skills seminar so people can learn to use Word.
My own experiences on the street have taught me that there are many talented people out there--in fact, one shelter director agreed with me that creative people are more likely to be homeless since they often have a difficult time fitting into our work-a-day world. Being creative, writing, making music, creating art, are activities that don't conform to strict schedule. Creativity needs freedom, time, and support in the form of supplies and encouragement. Perhaps this little project will grow into a greater movement empowering people to find their way out of homelessness and into lives that are rich in creative rewards.
I spent the afternoon and evening scanning artwork, typing biographies, and designing the magazine itself in Publisher. It is nearly ready to go, once we get some more submissions, and make one very large piece of artwork into a .jpg file at Kinko's. But all the design decisions have been made and it's looking good.
Despite the sparse return, I still believe in this project, and am hoping to do further research into a grant from the Iowa Arts Council for another issue during the summer months. I am also entertaining the idea of volunteering to teach a creative writing course at one or more of the shelters, helping others to find their literary voices.
One thing that the project probably needed, that I simply did not have enough time to give it on this first issue, was more publicity. For the next one, I need to get out into the homeless community, at the feeding locations, at the shelters individually and pass out flyers. If I can pull together just a few more submissions for this issue and produce this first one, I'm certain I can garner more support and greater media interest once we have a published issue to show.
There are also other ideas percolating in the back of my mind--getting someone to donate art supplies, and paper. Setting up a regular time at the Midwest Writing Center for folks to type their writings, maybe offer a basic computer skills seminar so people can learn to use Word.
My own experiences on the street have taught me that there are many talented people out there--in fact, one shelter director agreed with me that creative people are more likely to be homeless since they often have a difficult time fitting into our work-a-day world. Being creative, writing, making music, creating art, are activities that don't conform to strict schedule. Creativity needs freedom, time, and support in the form of supplies and encouragement. Perhaps this little project will grow into a greater movement empowering people to find their way out of homelessness and into lives that are rich in creative rewards.
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