Hudson Valley Writers Guild Newsletter, September 2015

IN THIS ISSUE

Guild Announcements:

• Community of Writers Reading September 13

Member Announcements:

• Champagne Books to publish Traitor Knight by Keith W. Willis
• Upcoming events promote James Schlett’s A Not Too Greatly Changed Eden: The Story of the Philosophers’ Camp in the Adirondacks
• Pauline Bartel presents “Gone With the Wind’s Rocky Road to Atlanta” September 18
  
• “Your Body’s Autobiography: Movement, Massage & Memoir” September 25-27
  

Area Announcements:

• Call for Art: Pine Hollow Arboretum digital photography exhibit
• Caffè Lena to feature Alan Catlin & Bruce Bennett September 2
• Arthur’s Market and Cafe 2nd Wednesdays Poetry to feature Esther Willison September 9
• 2nd Sunday @ 2 Open Mic for Poetry & Prose launches 6th season September 13
• Writers in the Mountains presents 6-week workshop starting September 14: “Where does a play come from? And where can it go?”
• Third Thursday features poet Mike Jurkovic September 17
• Hudson River Coffee House line-up September 24
• Writers in the Mountains announces “Riting Myth, Writing Myth: Plotting Your Personal Story” September 25-27
• Arts Center announces new opportunities for artists to showcase their work & gain support
• Writers Institute Fall 2015 schedule of events
• Young adults (ages 19-30): Apply for a scholarship from The Chris Miller Fund

GUILD ANNOUNCEMENTS

Community of Writers Reading September 13
The Community of Writers reading series will feature readings by local authors Elizabeth K. Gordon, Julie Lomoe and James Schlett on Sunday, September 13, 2-4 p.m., at the East Greenbush Community Library, 10 Community Way, East Greenbush, NY. They will be reading and discussing their recent work, and their books will be available. The program is free and open to the public and is sponsored by the Hudson Valley Writers Guild.

James Schlett is an award-winning journalist whose feature and business writing has been recognized by the New York Newspaper Publishers Association and the New York State Associated Press Association. He is the author of A Not Too Greatly Changed Eden: The Story of the Philosophers’ Camp in the Adirondacks (Ithaca and London: Cornell University Press, 2015). His prose has been published in Songs of Innocence, New York Archives and the Mid-Atlantic Almanack, and his poetry has been published in Nomad’s Choir, The Literary Gazette, The Heron’s Nest, Acorn and Bottle Rockets.

Elizabeth K. Gordon was born in Queens, NY, and lives now in Cohoes. She is a Pushcart nominated poet and the author of Love Cohoes (CDD Books, 2014), which was a finalist for the Indie Book Awards. Her poems have appeared in PANK, Viral Cat, IthacaLit, Moonshot, Up the River and elsewhere.  She currently teaches writing at Northampton Community College and in community workshops. She discovered slam poetry in 2011 and has since then performed at The Individual World Poetry Slam, the National Poetry Slam and Women of the World Poetry Slam (where she placed 11th in a field of 72). She is a member of Albany’s 2015 Nitty Gritty slam team. For more www.ekg3.com.

Julie Lomoe brings a wealth of mental health and home health care experience to her mystery novels. Her work as an art therapist at a psychiatric hospital inspired her to turn to fiction as a creative outlet. She later founded and ran ElderSource, Inc., a licensed home care services agency in upstate New York. A vocal advocate for the rights of mentally ill and elderly consumers, Julie is a member of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill and of the Mental Health Players, an improvisatory theatre troupe. Her most recent novel is Hope Dawns Eternal, combining intrigue, soap operas & vampires.

MEMBER ANNOUNCEMENTS

Champagne Books to publish Traitor Knight by Keith W. Willis
Champagne Books (Alberta, Canada) will release Keith W. Willis’ debut fantasy novel Traitor Knight on September 8, initially in e-book format. Traitor Knight is a rollicking fantasy combining swashbuckling adventure, intrigue, a large dollop of romance and a dash of wit. Here’s a synopsis:

Morgan McRobbie will do anything to protect the kingdom of Kilbourne. Even betray it. When Morgan rescues a damsel-in-distress from an errant dragon, he expects she’ll swoon, murmuring “My hero!” Instead, Marissa has only loathing for the man everyone believes will betray Kilbourne. That’s fine with Morgan. A woman in his life would just complicate things. A high-level informer threatens the kingdom’s security, and Morgan is out to stop him. Posing as a turncoat himself, he walks a fine line between honor and betrayal. A single misstep could result in disaster, and his mission is fraught with distractions: the pesky dragon, a pair of conniving courtiers, a surfeit of spies and the disillusioned damsel who’s certain Morgan can’t be trusted. If Morgan’s going to save the kingdom, win the girl and manage to stay alive, he’ll need to step up his game. The traitor is lurking in the shadows, and his scheme calls not just for the betrayal of Kilbourne, but also the destruction of Morgan McRobbie.

To obtain a galley version (PDF, epub) for review or to coordinate an interview, contact knightsofkilbourne@gmail.com. To learn more about Champagne Books, go tohttp://champagnebooks.com, and to be notified when Traitor Knight is available for pre-order, sign up here.

Keith W. Willis graduated (a long time ago) from Berry College with a BA in English literature and a desire to tell stories. He lives with his amazingly patient, loving and supportive wife Patty in the upper Hudson Valley region of New York. Keith believes that those rumbling noises long attributed to Henry Hudson’s crew bowling are in actuality dragons grumbling. When Keith isn’t writing down fantastical tales from the land of Kilbourne, he manages a group of database content editors for a global information technology firm. Traitor Knight is his first published novel. Check out Keith’s website Writing@Knight or the Traitor Knight Facebook page. And be sure to follow @kilbourneknight on Twitter.

Upcoming events promote James Schlett’s A Not Too Greatly Changed Eden: The Story of the Philosophers’ Camp in the Adirondacks
The following Capital Region events the are scheduled for James Schlett’s book, A Not Too Greatly Changed Eden: The Story of the Philosophers’ Camp in the Adirondacks (Ithaca and London: Cornell University Press, 2015):

• September 13 at 2 p.m. — reading/signing at the East Greenbush Public Library, 10 Community Way, East Greenbush, for the Hudson Valley Writers Guild’s Community of Writers
• September 17 at 7 p.m. — reading/signing at the Altamont Free Library, 179 Main St, Altamont
• September 27 at 12:30 p.m. — signing at the Open Door Bookstore, 128 Jay St, Schenectady
• October 4 at 2 p.m. — presentation at the Albany Institute of History and Art, 125 Washington Ave., Albany
• October 7 at 7 p.m. — reading/signing at Caffe Lena, 47 Phila St. #1, Saratoga Springs.

Pauline Bartel presents “Gone With the Wind’s Rocky Road to Atlanta” September 18
Pauline Bartel, author of The Complete GONE WITH THE WIND Trivia Book, will present the program “Gone With the Wind’s Rocky Road to Atlanta” on Friday, September 18, from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the Clifton Park-Halfmoon Library, 475 Moe Road, Clifton Park, NY. The program is free and open to the public. A book signing will follow the program. “Gone With the Wind” will be shown at 1 p.m.

Many fans consider “Gone With the Wind” one of the most magnificent motion pictures of all time. But what most fans don’t know is that endless months of trouble and behind-the-scenes turmoil almost doomed “Gone With the Wind” to failure. Discover the real story behind the making of “Gone With the Wind,” including why Clark Gable balked at playing Rhett Butler, why the search for an actress to play Scarlett was a hoax, why the film had three directors and how “Gone With the Wind” changed the Academy Awards ceremony forever. Frankly, my dear, this is one program no “Gone With the Wind” fan should miss.

Pauline Bartel is an award-winning writer who has been a devoted “Windie” since the age of 16, when she first saw “Gone With the Wind” with her mother. She is the author of The Complete GONE WITH THE WIND Trivia Book (2nd edition), published to celebrate the film’s 75th anniversary. Bartel is the author of six other popular culture books and a member of the prestigious American Society of Journalists and Author. She resides in Waterford, NY.

“Your Body’s Autobiography: Movement, Massage & Memoir” September 25-27
So often we write about our thoughts, feelings and our connection to the divine, but rarely do we know what the body really wants to express. What story does your body want to tell?
 In this limited-enrollment workshop, we’ll use movement to access memories and stimulate imagination, then shape them into stories or memoir. Using gentle yoga, massage, meditation and music, we’ll write and bring stories to life and bring life to stories. Here are the details:

• September 25 – 27
• Pumpkin Hollow Retreat Center, 1184 County route 11, Craryville, NY 12521
• Fee: $345 includes workshop, vegetarian meals and dorm housing. Private and single rooms are extra.
• We are asking for a $100 non-refundable deposit. If for some reason WE cancel the workshop, then we’ll refund your deposit. But otherwise, it is non- refundable.
• To register, please call Elaine at (908) 655-5894 or email her at gratefulspirit33@yahoo.com or Gillian write2gillian@gmail.com

Gillian Kendall is an American-Australian writer who has lived in five countries and eight states. She does all sorts of writing: travel and nonfiction journalism, as well as fiction, essays and memoirs. Visit Gillian’s website at gilliankendall.org.

Elaine Boucher, LMT and Reiki Master, specializes in mind-body-spirit balance, facilitating client’s own awareness and healing. She offers holistic massage, polarity therapy and Reiki to private clients. She teaches workshops in Reiki, chakra and body awareness and also offers ongoing meditation classes. She is a trained facilitator, facilitating classes in a variety of topics for 25 years.

AREA ANNOUNCEMENTS

Call for Art: Pine Hollow Arboretum digital photography exhibit
Images of Nature will be on display during the month of October 2015. Curators for the exhibit are Alan Casline, John Berninger, Kay Abbuhl and Mark W. O’Brien. E-mail up to three images toACASLINE@AOL.COM. If selected you must be able to deliver framed photographs to the Pine Hollow Arboretum Visitors Center on the weekend of September 26-27 or by special arrangement with one of the curators. More details will be shared once your photograph is selected.

The theme for the show is meant to encompass all nature-oriented subjects and is not limited to just photos taken at the arboretum. Framed photos cannot have larger than 11” X 17” image size. Private sales of photos would be allowed but not facilitated by Pine Hollow Arboretum.<

The photography show opening will be Saturday, October 3, at 2 p.m. at the Pine Hollow Visitors Center, 16 Maple Avenue, Slingerlands.

Caffè Lena to feature Alan Catlin & Bruce Bennett September 2
On Wednesday, September 2, Caffè Lena will present poetry readings by Alan Catlin and Bruce Bennett. An open reading will follow. Doors open for sign-ups at 7 p.m., and the readings will start at 7:30. The host for the event will be Carol Graser, and the cost is $5. Caffè Lena, 47 Phila Street, Saratoga Springs, (518) 583-0022, www.caffelena.org

Bruce Bennett is the author of nine volumes of poetry and more than 25 poetry chapbooks. He was a co-founder and editor of Field: Contemporary Poetry and Poetics and Ploughshares, and his reviews of contemporary poetry have appeared in the New York Times Book Review, The Nation, Harvard Review and elsewhere. He was recently selected as the first recipient of the annual Writing the Rockies Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in the Teaching of Creative Writing.

Alan Catlin has been publishing for parts of five decades, which makes him feel like the answer to a baseball trivia question. During that time he has amassed thousands of credits which range from the obscure to semi famous, from Wordsworth’s Socks to the Wormwood Review. That, and a 10-trip bus ticket, will get you from where he lives in Schenectady to Saratoga.

Arthur’s Market and Cafe 2nd Wednesdays Poetry to feature Esther Willison September 9
Here are the details for this month’s “Poetry Open-Mic and Featured Poet 2nd Wednesdays:”

• September 9
• Sign-up – 7 p.m.; readings – 7:30
• Arthur’s Market and Cafe, 35 North Ferry St. (at the Lawrence Circle), Schenectady, NY  12305
• Hosted by Catherine Norr
• Beverages, food, hospitable atmosphere!
• As well, a regular gathering to workshop poems occurs at 6 p.m. at Arthur’s before the poetry reading.

Featured poet Esther Willison is a published writer of short stories, essays and poetry, and she won second place in the Pacific Northwest Writers Association Literary Contest for Memoir. Esther leads book discussions at various libraries in the Mohawk Valley System and works at the Open Door Bookstore on Jay Street, Schenectady.

2nd Sunday @ 2 Open Mic for Poetry & Prose launches 6th season September 13
The 2nd Sunday @ 2 Open Mic for Poetry & Prose is announcing its sixth season at the Arts Center on the following dates:

• September 13
• October 11
• November 8
• December 13
• January 10
• February 14 (Valentine’s Day)
• March 13
• April 10
• May 8 (Mother’s Day)
• June 12

We meet at 2 p.m. in the black box theater or the conference room as needed; please check at the front desk. Please bring 5 minutes of your prose or two poems to read. We will be launching our chapbook of writers’ work called “2” this season, published by A.P.D. press.

This is a volunteer effort, and we receive no funding. We are a community of writers dedicated to writing and to supporting each other. We thank the Arts Center for allowing us to hold our open mic there and are grateful for their support in the form of space.

All are welcome! Students and children under 16 should be accompanied by a parent, as we do not censor writers. Thank you!

Writers in the Mountains presents 6-week workshop starting September 14: “Where does a play come from? And where can it go?” 
Writers in the Mountains (WIM) will present “Where Does A Play Come From? And Where Can It Go?” a 6-week workshop with Amie Brockway at the Open Eye Theater, 960 Main Street in Margaretville, Mondays, 6 to 8 p.m., from September 14 through October 26 (skipping Columbus Day).

In this class, instructor and students will explore first impulses for writing a play and the creative process from page to stage. Participants will look at specific examples found in selected short plays and in excerpts from longer works. They will discover and examine their own creative impulses and see where they lead. There will be time for reading, listening, discussing and writing in each class. Students will be encouraged to begin and complete a short play or monologue over the course of the six sessions or to continue with a longer work already begun. And they’ll look at opportunities for a finished play -locally, regionally and nationally. This class is suitable for beginning and experienced playwrights.

To register call Jean Stone at (607) 326-4802, or e-mail her at jtstone@catskill.net. You may register online at writersinthemountains.org/registeronline. Class fee is $70 if you register and pay by August 24, and $85 after that.

Third Thursday features poet Mike Jurkovic September 17
Poet Mike Jurkovic will read from his work at the Social Justice Center, 33 Central Avenue, Albany, on Thursday,  September 17, at 7:30 p.m. Mike Jurkovic is the co-director of Calling All Poets in Beacon, NY, and producer of CAPSCAST, live recordings from the series. His most recent collection of poems is Eve’s Venom (Post Traumatic Press, 2014), which will be available for sale. Mike had originally been scheduled to read in June but had to be re-scheduled.

A reading by a local or regional poet is held each Third Thursday at the Social Justice Center. The event includes an open mic for audience members to read. Sign-up starts at 7 p.m., with the reading beginning at 7:30. The host of the readings is Albany poet and photographer Dan Wilcox. The suggested donation is $3, which helps support this and other poetry programs of the Poetry Motel Foundation and the work of the Social Justice Center. For more information about this event contact Dan Wilcox, (518) 482-0262; e-mail: dwlcx@earthlink.net.

Hudson River Coffee House line-up September 24
The following people will be reading on September 24 at the Hudson River Coffee House, 227 Quail Street, Albany:

• Robert Milby
• Christopher Wheeling
• Brian Dorn
• Harvey Havel

The reading starts at 6:30 p.m. and goes until 8:30 p.m.  Open mic follows.

Writers in the Mountains announces “Riting Myth, Writing Myth: Plotting Your Personal Story” September 25-27
Spillian, a creative center housed in a 19th century Victorian mansion built by the Fleischmanns family, will present “Riting Myth, Writing Myth: Plotting Your Personal Story,” Friday through Sunday, September 25 to 27. The event is co-sponsored by Writers in the Mountains and Mythopoetry.com. Over the span of three days, participants will explore the study of mythology with Dennis P. Slattery, PhD, noted author and core professor at Pacifica Graduate Institute.

The weekend begins with a Friday evening lecture “Called to a Co-Hearant Life.” We are all called to a work that may focus on personal and/or professional growth. We might ask: What is the genesis of this call? What are its terms? Is being called a mythic instance in our life that may re-direct our trajectory? What are the consequences of its refusal? “Not now; call me back.” What part are we still to live out?

On Saturday and Sunday participants will engage in several imagination meditations through prose and poetry, drawing and body movement experiences. Through writing prose and poetry, drawing and body movement experiences, participants will engage in several active imagination meditations taken from Dr. Slattery’s book, Riting Myth, Mythic Writing: Plotting Your Personal Story, as well as additional meditations created since the book’s publication, to invite the voice and energy of our personal myth several conduits of expression. Participants will write cursively, so leave all laptops at home. Bring with you a journal, a favorite writing utensil and an open heart to the retreat in order to enjoy this interlude from your daily routines to reflect and write in a welcoming setting and to share, if you wish, some of your own insights and remembrances with others.

Workshop fee is $395. Eligible WIMers will receive a $50 discount. Workshop registration includes meals for the weekend from Spillian’s extraordinary chef Chris McGee, who offers cuisine that pays homage both to the elegantly rustic history of the Catskills and the extraordinary farmers in the region. Rooms are available upon need. To register, call (800) 811-3351. To find out if you’re eligible for a WIM discount, contact Jean Stone at (607) 326-4802 or jstone@catskill.net.

Dennis Patrick Slattery Ph.D., is a core faculty member at Pacifica Graduate Institute who helped shape the development of the mythological studies program. He has been teaching for 40 years from elementary to secondary, undergraduate and graduate programs. He has received the prominent rank of Distinguished Core Faculty at Pacifica Graduate Institute. His areas of emphasis include the poetic imagination, writing and reading as mythic activities; the relation of psyche, spirit and matter; and the place of contemplation within the academic setting. He is the author of several books including: The Idiot: Dostoevsky’s Fantastic Prince; The Wounded Body: Remembering the Markings of Flesh; Grace in the Desert: Awakening to the Gifts of Monastic Life; Harvesting Darkness: Essays on Literature, Myth, Film and Culture and A Limbo of Shards: Essays on Memory, Myth and Metaphor. With Lionel Corbett he has co-edited Depth Psychology: Meditations in the Field, as well as Psychology at the Threshold. With Glen Slater, he has co-edited Varieties of Mythic Experience: Essays on Religion, Psyche and Culture. With Jennifer Selig, he has co-edited Reimagining Education: Essays On Reviving the Soul Of Learning. He is the author of three volumes of poetry: Casting Shadows; Just Below the Water; and Twisted Sky.

Spillian is a place to revel in imagination so that you can remember your genius – and the genius of the world around you. Imagine past what you think is possible… world class workshops, events, weddings, corporate and personal retreats, all are designed to help you launch your dreams. Built as part of a family summer retreat by the Fleischmanns Yeast Family in the 1880s, Spillian is an extraordinary remnant of the Gilded Era, Catskills style. Since its birth, the house has been a place of celebration, of gathering and of sharing ideas, with clear pine paneled walls, extraordinary historic oil murals on many of the walls, fire places that take the chill off from mountain mornings and a porch that was made to watch the light change on the mountains. It is furnished with antiques, including a 1914 Steinway baby grand, oriental rugs and a feasting table that sits twenty under French chandeliers. Upstairs, there are eight bedrooms, each designed with a theme that would have captured the fancy of Victorian travelers. The mansion is tucked on 33 private wooded acres, with trails and meadows and evocative moss-covered ruins. Memory and imagination run deep here.

For more information, visit http://spillian.com/events/riting_myth_writing_myth/.

Arts Center announces new opportunities for artists to showcase their work & gain support
The Arts Center of the Capital Region aims to support local artists and enhance the vibrant and growing local creative community and economy. Several new opportunities for artists to submit and showcase their work, as well as opportunities for local artists to apply for grant funding and a new financial literacy program, are now available.

Sunny da Silva, director of education at The Arts Center, notes, “These programs are essential in supporting local artists – the people who creatively contribute to our communities in so many forms – helping them to make a living through their art. It is our goal to continue to increase services and programs for local artists that foster independence, increase exposure and create opportunities for them to share their work and integrate into the creative community. We invite artists of all types and mediums to take advantage of and participate in these opportunities.”

The opportunities available for artists in all disciplines can be found below. Additional details and submission and application information can be found at our website: www.artscenteronline.org.

• Nuts, Bolts & BEYOND: An artist-focused entrepreneurial training program / The Arts Center of the Capital Region is collaborating with Art & Context and Liz Friedman Green Room Artist Development LLC to create a professional development program, generously funded by KeyBank, for all local artists in any field including but not limited to visual arts, performing arts, crafts and design. The “Nuts, Bolts & Beyond” program will take place over a 9-month period from October 2015 through May 2016. Throughout the course, artists will learn new ways to advance their economic self-sufficiency through education and access to resources to build and sustain self-employment. “Nuts, Bolts & Beyond” will provide education, professional development and networking opportunities with a focus on learning skills and gaining access to tools that will enhance business acumen. These trainings/seminars will be free of charge, and they will be tailored to the specific 12 artists chosen in their desired mediums. Deadline to apply for the program is September 18.

• Grant funding opportunities available for artists and arts organizations in Albany, Schenectady and Rensselaer counties / The Arts Center of the Capital Region is pleased to provide valuable resources through the distribution of grants to local artists and arts organizations through a partnership with the New York State Council on the Arts’ (NYSCA) decentralization grants program (DEC) since 1978. The DEC program through The Arts Center delivers grants to individual artists and non-profit organizations to create high quality arts and culture programs that engage the communities within Albany, Rensselaer and Schenectady counties. The grantees utilize funding to grow professionally and to enhance the cultural climate in communities and neighborhoods in our region. This past year we awarded nearly $80,000 in grants in the following categories: Community Arts, Arts in Education and Individual Artist Grants. This year the state has allocated more money for the DEC program in every county of New York State, so it’s a great time to apply. Throughout the grants process you are given the opportunity for guidance and technical assistance, so if you have never applied for a grant before, we will help you navigate through the process. The 2016 grant funding cycle opened on August 15. Visit our website for downloadable grant guidelines and to sign up for an informative seminar. Deadline to register your intent to apply is October 23rd. All new applicants are required to attend a free grant seminar. Final grant application deadline: December 5 at 12 midnight.

• Playmakers Space at The Arts Center of the Capital Region / The Arts Center is pleased to announce a new program to support the development of new work for the stage. The aim is to encourage, stimulate and support the creation of new work by providing an opportunity for creative expression and exploration in the performing arts medium. In this initial phase of the program, our goal is to help selected playwrights with a strong background in theatre to develop new work through readings and workshops. We will be seeking playmakers that are willing to explore the world of the stage in innovative ways and who are unafraid to take risks. Eventually this program will expand to include actors and directors, designers, musicians and puppeteers; and any art form that is interested in creating and collaborating on work for the stage. Deadline for submissions is September 26.

• Artist in Residence Program at The Arts Center of the Capital Region / The Arts Center is proud to announce opening of submissions for our 2016 Artist in Residence program. Each residency will run for three months and will offered three times during the calendar year. Residencies will begin on January 6th, 2016, in the private 553 square foot studio at The Arts Center. The Artist In Residence will have full use of the dynamic and diverse facilities, studios and talented instructors at the Arts Center. One lucky artist will also have full access to the maker space at The Tech Valley Center of Gravity in addition to The Art Centers resources, made possible by a generous partnership with The Center of Gravity. The main goal of the AIR program is to focus support for local creative talent within the Capital Region, allowing artists of all mediums to explore, create and grow within their practice. We want our artists to go beyond their usual surroundings and immerse themselves in The Arts Center and the local creative community, and this program will allow a unique cross-medium platform for the artist. Deadline for applications is October 26.

• Submissions for BraVa! A unique event benefiting women / Planning is underway for a first-of-its-kind event to benefit female residents of the YWCA of the Greater Capital Region, Inc., based in Troy. The Arts Center will be hosting “Brava!” a fundraiser seeking to provide new bras (an item often in desperately short supply at the YWCA-GCR) to women at the YWCA-GCR. The event will feature 12 talented writers from around the region who will read jury-selected poems and essays or perform songs and monologues on the subject of bras in their lives. The pieces will touch on the subject from many viewpoints and range from poignant to hilarious.  Deadline for applications is October 1.

Writers Institute Fall 2015 schedule of events
The Writers Institute Fall 2015 schedule of events offers a rich variety of genres, from poetry to science writing to fiction to history to memoir to filmmaking and theatre. The upcoming series will even include a food writer — New York Times columnist and bestselling cookbook author Mark Bittman, whose work has been described by PBS as a “bible of basic cooking for millions of Americans.”

The series will showcase two extraordinary former students at UAlbany — journalist Tom Junod, who holds the all-time record for National Magazine Award nominations (11!), and Edward Burns, director, actor, and one of the most prolific and influential independent filmmakers currently at work. Burns will present his new memoir, Independent Ed (2015), about which Matt Lauer of “Today” said, “Every young, hungry, creative person should view this as a textbook…. It’s a how-to.”

Other guests will include Oscar-nominated documentary filmmaker Rachel Grady; young adult novelist Jason Reynolds, winner of the American Library Association’s Coretta Scott King Award; major American short story writer Ann Beattie; Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Adam Johnson; bestselling horror novelist Peter Straub; National Book Award finalist Mary Gaitskill; “Best New Documentary Filmmaker” at the Tribeca Film Festival, Sean Dunne; trail-blazing neuroscience writer Casey Schwartz; Vonnegut biographer Ginger Strand; and major American dramatist Tina Howe.

For more on the Visiting Writers Series, visit:  http://www.albany.edu/writers-inst/webpages4/programpages/vws.html#.VdXvw1_D_s1

For more on the Classic Film Series, visit:  http://www.albany.edu/writers-inst/webpages4/programpages/cfs.html#.VdXwQF_D_s0

For more information, visit us online at http://www.albany.edu/writers-inst or call us at (518) 442-5620.

Young adults (ages 19-30): Apply for a scholarship from The Chris Miller Fund
When Arts Center faculty member Donna Miller’s son died in a car crash three years ago, Donna and her husband Harry felt a need to do something in Christopher’s memory – something that would both reflect his spirit and benefit others. They turned to The Arts Center – a natural fit – and created The Chris Miller Creative Arts Scholarship Fund.

“Chris was a very creative person who communicated most eloquently through the arts. He was also very proud of the fact that I am a writer,” says Donna. “The arts are an important part of this family.” It seems an appropriate and moving tribute that the Millers created a vehicle to allow other young adults an opportunity to experience the joy of creative expression, regardless of experience or economic status.

The Chris Miller Creative Arts Scholarship Fund was created to help young low-income adults, ages 19-30, engage in or explore the creative arts at The Arts Center of the Capital Region. The Fund provides tuition support for creative and expressive arts classes in writing, drawing, painting, pottery, printmaking and digital arts. In keeping with The Arts Center’s policy, all scholarships are awarded on the basis of financial need. Scholarship prospects must complete a scholarship application, and all scholars are encouraged to pay a portion of the costs, if they are able. Applications (available here) take at least two weeks to process, so please be prompt with your request.