Coffee for a cause

*Originally published in Worcester Magazine on Aug 30, 2012

In a small storefront on High Street in Clinton sits Coffeelands World Gifts Café. More than just a coffee shop or gift store, World Gifts Café brings global initiatives down to a local level with fair and direct trade coffees, teas, foods and crafts from around the world. Its unique approach to business lies in the hands of the Polus Center for Social and Economic Development, a nonprofit organization in Clinton that designs and executes community-based programs across the country and in many parts of the world. Since its founding in 1979, the Polus Center has continued to create opportunities for people with disabilities to become respected and contributing members within their communities.

The Coffeelands World Gifts Café opened December 2011 and was born out of the Coffeelands Trust, one of the many projects that have been implemented by the Polus Center. The Coffeelands Trust provides support directly to people who have been impacted by the remnants of war in coffee-growing regions across the world. Coffeelands World Gifts Café also supports the families of these coffee growing regions by providing a market for their unique, handcrafted items in the café, with proceeds going directly back to these families as an alternative source of income. The funds that are raised through this initiative help pay for business grants, training, and the rehabilitation for victims of landmines. Locally, many of the proceeds from the café support people with disabilities that are living right here in Massachusetts.

Café Manager Michelle Miller explains that sometimes the connection between coffee and handmade gifts is not always an easy one to see, but that the community has been supportive of its mission since the opening. “There are a lot of great gift shops along this street; there is not one that combines gifts with coffee, and there isn’t another specialty coffee shop around. A lot of people have been relieved to have a place where they can come and have a meeting, they can have a different atmosphere, and where they can feel they are contributing to their community and to a broader goal.”

Worcester resident and Clinton native Colleen Fitzgerald has visited the café many times since its opening and makes certain to stop in whenever she is in the area. “I believe that it is an excellent way to support a great cause. Locally, selling fair trade merchandise and employing special needs adults gives the community a face to a population they wouldn’t typically get the chance to interact with,” says Fitzgerald. “It allows a small community to gain knowledge and experience on a face-to-face level and literally confront the issue with each visit. Globally, it shows that individuals are invested in these issues and are making strides to effect what is in their power.”

Selected items sold in the café also come from local artisans from Clinton and surrounding Worcester County. “My goal is to know the faces behind every product that I sell,” explains Miller. In an example of the direct trade that they participate in, Theresa Kane, who is the chief operating officer of the Polus Center, explains some of the lengths gone to in order to bring back wares that they can certify as directly traded. “I went for 18 hours to the Amazon Jungle and met with the Apus, the chiefs, and had them hand me some of the necklaces that are in the café,” she points out. Both Kane and Miller are proud that they have had the opportunity to be personally involved with many of the items that come into the café, and that they can vouch for the conditions under which these products were produced and contest to the fact that they are environmentally sustainable.

The café features fresh roasted coffee from Dean’s Beans, an organic and fair-trade coffee company out of Orange, Mass. Fresh lunches are prepared daily and regional musical acts perform on Thursday nights from 7 to 8:30 p.m. A good portion of the café’s directly traded products have come from many of the coffee-growing regions in South America and Africa, and some of the one-of-a-kind crafts sold include woodcarvings, purses, wallets, jewelry and scarves, as well as many other distinctive home décor items.

Visit the café at 50 High St., Clinton. For more information on the Polus Center and the World Gifts Café, visit poluscenter.org.

Movies on the common

*Originally published in Worcester Magazine on Jun 14, 2012

Wouldn’t it be great if there was an accessible outdoor location where you could enjoy great food, talented local music acts and a feature-length movie at no cost, all within the comforts of Worcester? For a group of Worcesterites, the initial concept of an urban drive-in behind the Hanover Theatre never quite reached full actualization but what did materialize was Worcester Film Works, an organization that will screen a series of movies on the Worcester Common on the third Thursday of June, July and August. “We talked amongst each other; what would be the best place? The common. Of course, such a central place,” says Gabriel Rollins, one of the volunteers who helped book the bands and artists that open up for the feature film.

Worcester Film Works was created by Jim McKeag and Eric Kuczarski and is supported by approximately eight volunteers. “We had always talked about trying to do something downtown…and Jim had said, ‘I’d love to show some films’ and he took the initiative of getting a meeting of some people together and we kind of ran with it,” explains Kuczarski. “Jim is really passionate about making something happen downtown and the revitalization of downtown, as am I, and film was kind of an excuse to do something,”

With the support of Erin Williams at Worcester’s cultural office lending a hand with directions and guidance on the permit process, as well as support from the city managers office behind them, the permits were secured and the dates were reserved with the parks department. The third and fourth Thursdays of June, July and August are reserved, with the fourth Thursday acting as a rain date if needed. Last year, both the June and July dates went through as scheduled, but the weather had other plans for the August movie, which had to be moved to the following week.

From behind city hall, Image Production Services bring a trailer that is transformed into a stage, with surrounding structures to mount lights and audio equipment upon. The opening musical acts perform on the stage beginning at 5 p.m. and afterwards the stage is used to balance a large screen. The film is then projected onto the screen from behind. The movie begins at dusk. Last year’s films included “Back to the Future,” “Grease,” and “Spaceballs.”

This year’s vendors are still in the process of being solidified, but last year Theatre Café and Sweet Sister Ice Cream were on hand with dinner and snack options, both of which Kuczarski is hoping to see again this year.

Last year, roughly 500 people enjoyed the music, vendors and feature-length film each month on the common and this year the organizers are hoping that number grows. The event, whose main presenting sponsor is Hanover Insurance, has received a lot of positive support from many of the area businesses but especially from Hanover. “They are the ones last year that turned it from an idea into a reality and they were on board this winter, and they’ve been a huge supporter.” explains Kuczarski.

Some of the musical acts performing before the movies will include The Luxury, James Keyes, Big Eyed Rabbitand Airport with more to be announced in the coming weeks. The movies being shown will be “Raiders of the Lost Ark” on June 21, “Jaws” on July 19, and “The Princess Bride” on August 16. So mark your calendars and bring your blankets and chairs down to the Worcester Common for the seconannual Movies on the Common and don’t forget to check their website worcesterfilmworks.org for continuing up-to-date information.

Start Your Engines!

*Originally published in Worcester Magazine on Jul 5, 2012

It is that time of year again: time for the striking aroma of burnt rubber mixed with fried dough. It’s time for the weekend where clamorous rock ’n’ roll is heard but sometimes lost in the echo of hundreds of revving engines, which can be heard from Main Street to Green Hill Park.

The New England Summer Nationals are back July 5 through July 8 and promise to bring the largest vintage car show to Worcester for its 22nd year. “The New England Summer Nationals is the largest annual signature event held within the city of Worcester,” notes Donna McCabe, president of the Central Massachusetts Convention and Visitors Bureau. “This event offers continuous excitement and entertainment from morning to night for residents, tourists and motor heads.”

What began as a modest fundraiser organized by Bob Moscoffian for the Worcester Parks Department back in 1991 to support the Green Hill Park Petting Zoo, the event is now on the fast track to becoming the largest automobile show in the United States. In its first year, Moscoffian advertised the show all the way to the West Coast, and was blown away when on that first year 1,800 cars showed up. This year’s vehicle registration is 10 percent above the 5,500 cars that were registered last year, with the show now bringing guests in from as far away as England. “Twenty-two years with the city of Worcester has been an adventure. I’ve seen the city change in many ways. I just want to continue for another 22 years.” says Moscoffian.

Mike Cole, who is a member of the Street Freaks Auto Club, has been attending the Summer Nationals for the past 10 or 12 years. “It is a great thing to see everyone coming together to support the community with their love for the car scene,” says Cole, who has registered his 1990 Celica for this year’s show. “Great variety of cars. It is not your run of the mill type of show. There are all types of activities for all ages.”

The main attraction of the weekend are the antique and custom cars, but if you aren’t the type to stick your head under the hood of a few thousand cars, there will still be plenty to enjoy. This year, headlining the Green Hill Park stage at 4 p.m. on Saturday afternoon is Peter Tork, best known as bassist and keyboardist of The Monkees. The bands continue to perform until 8 p.m., which is also when the rest of the food and merchandise vendors begin to shut things down, but as the sun sets on Green Hill Park the 20-by-28-foot movie screen is raised for the Green Hill Drive-In, where vintage greaser movies including “Two Lane Black Top” will be shown on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights (watch the trailer below).

The Main Street portion of the event includes more live music, vendors, and the annual beauty pageant. The central event each night is undoubtedly the burnouts, which take place inside the Lincoln Square tunnel, which Moscoffian boasts as a wild party in a controlled atmosphere. “When I have a party, I want to have that party; and when every one of my guests leaves, they leave happy and safe and that is how it has always been,” explains Moscoffian.

As in years past, you can enjoy all of the cars, burnouts, flame throwers and bike stunts for $12 and children younger than 12 are free when accompanied by an adult. For more information including the full schedule of events, live entertainment and vendors, visit summernationals.com.

Below, watch the trailer for “Two Lane Black Top,” showing on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights in Green Hill Park  at dusk as part of the weekend-long event.

Keep up your bright swords!

*Originally published in Worcester Magazine on Jul 12, 2012

The Worcester Shakespeare Company’s seventh-annual Worcester Shakespeare Festival, which has been held at the Green Hill Park Memorial Amphitheatre in the past, is making a move to bring Shakespeare to life this year on the Plaza at The Whitin Mill in Blackstone Valley starting Friday, July 13.

The Worcester Shakespeare Company’s seventh-annual Worcester Shakespeare Festival, which has been held at the Green Hill Park Memorial Amphitheatre in the past, is making a move to bring Shakespeare to life this year on the Plaza at The Whitin Mill in Blackstone Valley starting Friday, July 13.

The Worcester Shakespeare Company is comprised of professional actors from New York to Boston, as well as local acting, design, costume and makeup talent from right here in the community.

Alternatives Inc., the festival’s new organizer, is a nonprofit organization that provides services for adults with developmental and psychiatric disabilities. The renovated Whitin Mill hosts a theater and art gallery and partners with several theater groups. Working toward its mission of helping individuals with disabilities to find valued roles in the community, this effort provides opportunities for the people who Alternative Inc. serves to get to know community members and form reciprocal relationships.

Tom Saupe, director of community outreach, is very excited for this opportunity. “Alternatives is thrilled to have the Worcester Shakespeare Company performing on the Whitin Mill Community Plaza this summer. We host and partner with many groups to provide theater, concerts and gallery exhibits that people of all abilities can enjoy together,” adds Saupe.

“We will always be grateful to our Green Hill Park audience for the first nine years of the company. As far as I’m concerned, we will always be known as the Worcester Shakespeare Company. Worcester is our birthplace and our true home; no matter how far into nearby locations we travel,” says Mel Cobb, who is the producing artistic director and will also play the leading role of Othello.

The audience can expect a similar vibe to what they experienced at the Memorial Amphitheatre in Green Hill Park. That is, the glory of natural light, natural sounds and a setting that is truly integrated into the production of the play,” explains Cobb. “They can also expect a bit more comfortable environment when it comes to necessary facilities. Otherwise, they will experience the same quality and commitment to Shakespeare that Worcester Shakespeare Company has always provided.”

Othello was chosen as this year’s production for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it hasn’t been performed in the area recently; and secondly, because the new performance area will complement the period setting in which Othello takes place. In addition to the outdoor performance area, which is reminiscent of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, the Worcester Shakespeare Company will now have access to an indoor theater facility as well. The Singh Theatre is now at their disposal, just as Shakespeare had the indoor Blackfriar Theatre. The Singh Theatre is at the same location and can be used in case of inclement weather.

“Othello” opens on Friday, July 13, and will run every Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 7 p.m. through August 19. For a complete list of performance dates, directions, and box office information, visit worcestershakespearecompany.org.

How does your garden grow?

*Originally published in Worcester Magazine on Aug 2, 2012

Carmen Dejesus had never tended to a garden before, but learning to do so seemed like the best option to provide her family with fresh produce. “This garden means a lot to me,” says Dejesus, one of the residents who maintain a garden bed behind a Laurel Street complex within Plumley Village. “I come out and share it with everyone, and we all get together and help each other, and it gives us a sense of community.” To most residents, the sense of community within a 1,400 family residency is invaluable.

Carmen Dejesus had never tended to a garden before, but learning to do so seemed like the best option to provide her family with fresh produce. “This garden means a lot to me,” says Dejesus, one of the residents who maintain a garden bed behind a Laurel Street complex within Plumley Village. “I come out and share it with everyone, and we all get together and help each other, and it gives us a sense of community.” To most residents, the sense of community within a 1,400 family residency is invaluable.

The Plumley Village Community Garden began as a resident-led initiative inspired by the Plumley Village Women’s Group to bring fresh produce to the Plumley Village neighborhood. Now in its second year, the community garden is in full bloom and residents are able to provide fresh vegetables, fruits and herbs to a neighborhood that lacks walking distance access to affordable produce. In neighborhoods like Plumley Village, not having access to nutritional produce is a rising concern. Without an affordable produce market nearby, many families have to make the hard choice of feeding their families lower quality foods in order to stay within their financial means, which often has devastating consequences on their health. According to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Worcester children are overweight at higher rates than the entire state as a whole. In information collected over recent years, 59 percent of Massachusetts adults were reported to be above a healthy weight versus an increased 63 percent in the city of Worcester alone.

The plan to take an underutilized space and turn it into a garden did not happen overnight. Sharon Lindgren, community relations literacy coordinator at UMass Memorial, started working with the Plumley residents five years ago when she began a parent and child program and many of the residents expressed a desire for more health-based programs. “There was no farmers’ market, or if there was a farmers’ market it was too expensive. They really wanted to grow their own produce,” notes Lindgren. When the need for access to fresh produce in the neighborhood was identified, it still took three years and the work of many organizations to increase their options for healthy alternatives and to create a garden that is shared by 24 families for their own personal use.

UMass Memorial has an overwhelmingly positive role within the community with its effort to combat obesity at a local level. Aside from its partnership alongside the Carpenters Union, Roots Project, Youth in Charge as well as many other organizations that have helped to establish the Plumley Community Garden, UMass Memorial has worked with City Manager Michael O’Brien to give children access to physical activity with the Wheels to Water program. Monica Lowell, vice president of community relations at UMass Memorial explains that trying to address a broadbased subject like obesity requires many organizations to work together. “This is a community effort, we cannot do it alone. You have the health center to serve the patient population. There are policies that the health department is going to be looking at and everybody needs to own this; we cannot solve this by ourselves.”

UMass Memorial has also collaborated with a number of organizations such as the Worcester Department of Public Health, Common Pathways and others to launch the City of Worcester Community Health Improvement Initiative. The aim of the initiative is to create a social, economic and health profile for the city and prioritize areas for health improvement in the community. This is known as the Community Health Improvement Plan— it is a community-wide, collaborative effort that will be significant for health improvement and to engage partners and organizations to develop, support and implement health-based goals.

The residents at Plumley Village are ready to take charge of their health and community. Maria Cotto, director of property management at Plumley Village, says that every year the list for a garden plot is growing and that now there is even a wait list to get one of the precious spots. In the short-term future, they will be looking at building a couple of other gardens around the property. “We’re trying to utilize a lot of the space so the residents can have a piece of their own,” explains Cotto. “People are more respectful, more concerned, more involved, and it is just positive all around.”

Recreating Worcester’s famous waterway

*Originally published in Worcester Magazine on Sep 6, 2012

On Saturday, Sept. 8, Worcester will celebrate the historic waterway that runs beneath the city’s most vigorously developing neighborhood with the seventh annual Canalfest. This year, Canalfest takes center stage in Kelley Square and promises to bring with it everything that makes it one of Worcester’s most anticipated annual street festivals.

In the early 1800s, the Blackstone Canal was a thriving waterway that connected Worcester to the sea by way of Providence, R.I. Even though much of the canal was concealed during the 1890s, the waterway still exists beneath Harding Street and has served as the central location of the festival in past years. Today, this neighborhood is fondly referred to as The Canal District and is home to many types of businesses including but not limited to restaurants, bars, retail stores, and additionally, is now able to offer new residential options.

Since the renovation of Union station and its reopening in 2000, The Canal District has seen a resurgence of activity and community improvements. One such undertaking is the proposed Blackstone Valley Replication Project, which would recreate a portion of the canal to add a centerpiece to the already flourishing neighborhood as proposed by the Canal District Alliance. “The idea is simple,” explains Bob Largess, owner of the Hotel Vernon and member of the Canal District Alliance. “We will recreate Lock 48, just out of Kelley Square, and we will rewater Harding Street; it’s the concept of recreating it and stimulating something creative and different, to show Worcester what happens when water is introduced to an old neighborhood.”

In the meantime, the Canal District Alliance began discussing the possibility of celebrating the canal with a festival. “The idea was to keep the idea of the canal alive, but also promote the idea that there could be life on the street in Worcester,” explains Allen Fletcher, member of the Canal District Alliance.

Canalfest offers a little bit of something for the entire family. Street performers entertain festivalgoers throughout the day, while children can participate in age-appropriate arts-and-crafts projects, and the whole family can take a journey out through the district on a horse-and-wagon ride, where you’ll learn much about the neighborhood’s history while traveling the streets surrounding the Kelley Square festival site. The main attraction, as in years past, will be the 75-foot long segment of the canal that is recreated and filled with more than 4,500 gallons of water. Kayak rides will also be offered along the canal reformation. The Hanover Insurance Company, who is an active promoter of the Worcester community, will be one of the participating sponsors this year. “The Hanover proudly supports Canalfest, sharing the commitment of the Canal District Alliance to this vibrant Worcester neighborhood,” says Jennifer Luisa, assistant vice president of community relations. “The Canal District represents the exciting vitality that characterizes the City of Worcester, and we are pleased to take part in this cultural event.”

On hand throughout the day at various booths and tables will be The Ecotarium, Worcester Art Museum, Worcester Historical Museum, Worcester Cultural Coalition, Worcester Earn-A-Bike and VegWorcester. Ziti’s Italian Trattoria on Harding Street will provide outdoor seating and some of the restaurants that you can expect to see serving up food that day will include Gumbo, Bocado Tapas, and Wings Over Worcester, among many other local favorites.

The Canal District’s strides to become a destination within Worcester have become more successful each year, and Canalfest helps to achieve this. This rain-or-shine festival is free to the public and parking is available for one dollar at the Union Station parking garage.

For more information, visit blackstonecanalfest.org.

Step aside Sundance

*Originally published in Worcester Magazine on  Oct 18, 2012

Worcester may not be known as a filmmaker’s mecca, but the city and surrounding areas have a flourishing movie scene that will be showcased over the next year. The cooperative group Future Focus Media has been providing urban youth with lessons in photography and videography. Out of this, came the idea to bring a film festival to Worcester.

Worcester may not be known as a filmmaker’s mecca, but the city and surrounding areas have a flourishing movie scene that will be showcased over the next year. The cooperative group Future Focus Media has been providing urban youth with lessons in photography and videography. Out of this, came the idea to bring a film festival to Worcester. “We have an opportunity to teach kids about documentary filmmaking, movies, music videos, commercials; but there is nothing [to showcase the work] in Worcester,” explains founding member of the Central Mass Film Festival Dee Wells. If you look a little further outside of Worcester County, you can find film events taking place in Western Massachusetts, Boston, and Providence, R.I., but nothing in the heart of the commonwealth.

Leading up to the festival, which will take place next September, local filmmakers from Worcester County and beyond will be provided with an opportunity to highlight their featurelength and short films in a series of screenings that will take place each month. Each screening will include discussions, and question-andanswer sessions with the filmmakers, and will strive to engage potential filmmakers and film viewers alike.

“You aren’t just going to the theater, watching a movie and then walking away,” explains Kristen Lucas, a committee member of the film festival and producer of her company Goldilocks Productions. “Depending on what movie is shown, actors might be there, the director might be there, the crew might be there, and I think that personally, there are so many aspiring film makers and video makers and story tellers that don’t know where to start, and when they get to talk to somebody who did it, it is another educational piece.” With the lack of a specialized film school in Worcester County, presenting the opportunity to speak with other filmmakers could provide aspiring filmmakers with the educational tools to develop their ideas and eventually see them unfold on the big screen.

The Central Mass Film Festival’s first screening will be Saturday Oct. 20 at the Cantina Bar and Grill, 385 Main St., in Worcester and will feature “The Muse” written and directed by Rufus Chaffee. Chaffee’s passion for filmmaking began at a young age. “The Muse” is his second feature-length film.

“I think any film festival is important because it gives filmmakers opportunity to show and promote their work. It’s great for Worcester because there are a lot of Worcester area fi lmmakers that can now not only show their films locally but also see other films and work, meet other filmmakers and get more immersed in the industry and inspired,” explains Chaffee. “Through ‘The Muse,’ I have gone to a couple festivals and won some awards. To have somebody else recognize you and tell you you’re good at something that you’ve worked so hard on and care so much about is always incredibly rewarding.”

Monthly screenings, that will be free of charge, will lead up to the festival. The first screening on Oct. 20 at 7 p.m. will feature a short film “Cat Scratch” at 7:30 p.m. and “The Muse” at 8 p.m. followed by a question-and-answer session with the filmmaker and an after-party to provide participants with an opportunity to network. The Central Mass Film Festival will be held Sept. 12-15, 2013. Each day of the festival will feature two to three films and workshops to educate people in the many areas involved in acting and filmmaking.

For up to date information of the screenings that will take place each month leading up to the festival next year, visit cmf2.org.

Submission Ideas

So, I’ve basically got three publications in mind for my submission. These are three personal favorites that I believe are very accessible reads, and fortunately, have pretty simplistic guidelines.

First off – the piece that I plan on submitting is Why you should ditch your digital files and venture over to vinyl

I know that there are some edits that need to be made to it. I’d likely remove the subheadings and maybe change things so that there is more of an element of discussion while I recall the conversation. I’m not super pleased with all of the sentence structure, but it was written quickly and figured…you know…it’s only a draft.
 

1) Paste (online Music/Art/Culture Site)

Paste is really clear with what they want – and even include a style guide for folks who don’t do this for a living. They are primarily looking for feature profiles of artists, essays of a personal, humorous or opinionated nature, trend stories, and reviews. Submissions are taken on a rolling basis – and they let your words speak for themselves…no resume or prior work is needed…just email it off to their contact person. Personally – since they are looking for essays I think this would be my top choice, and a place that I would seriously consider submitting to.

2) No Depression (Quarterly Print Publication about Music)

After reading a bit more about what No Depression is looking for in terms of content, I don’t think this publication would be suitable unless I re-worked the angle of the piece…it wouldn’t be impossible, but might compromise the feeling of the piece. For the print publication, they just want a story synopsis and a writing sample emailed to their editor. For their online site, they allow you to create a login where you can put your article and see it live on their within minutes.

3) Pitchfork (online Music/Art/Culture Site – considered slightly more academic)

This publication will take unsolicited pieces, but seems hesitant to publish anything by a person that they don’t have per-existing relationship with. If they are interested in your writing – they might be inclined to let you review an album or two before taking on any long form articles or stories.

I think that after cleaning my piece up, I’d totally be interested in sending it to Paste. It’s a reputable publication that I feel best aligns with my piece, and would require the least amount of re-writing which would allow it to stay more true to form.

Am I Wise Enough To Know The Sound Of My Own Voice: A Self Reflection

I was mortified to find out that we would be writing under pseudonyms this semester. In part, because I STRONGLY believe in putting your name on your work and standing by your words – even if they are inflammatory or unpopular. I think that, because I struggled with the concept of writing under a name that was not my own, my writing became uncomfortable, stiff and lifeless. The thought of having to stick to one subject all semester was also stressful – I’ve never been able to stick to anything in my life…hell, its a damn miracle that I didn’t switch majors at any point through college. I suddenly felt really boxed in…trapped in a small space along side a person I didn’t recognize, who was about to ruin a topic I love, in a voice that I couldn’t stand. It was going to be a long seven weeks.

This person I created…well…she actually does exist. That is, did exist. Frances C. Perkins (ha, get it?) spent a large majority of her life here in Worcester and served as the U.S. Secretary of Labor from 1933 to 1945 and was the first woman appointed to the U.S. Cabinet. She was a badass. In a time when women had only had voting rights for a decade, here she was in the US Cabinet. I wanted to channel some of that…but the truth is, I’m not that…I’m just me and that’s cool too.

Something about having to sit down to write under a deadline made me want to sit down and write for myself. So I did and came up with ‘A Masterpiece‘ and for the first time all semester, I could hear myself again. It was a serious version of myself…but it was recognizable. The only time I think I came close to writing like myself was in the Devils Advocate piece, and I didn’t know how to bring that voice to the surface in other pieces, but I think it will be easier from here on out. I feel like the voice in my last handful of pieces have been more successful than when I started. In part because I finally realized that I could write like ME and not feel like I had to write like someone else. A name doesn’t have to define a writer or their voice – it’s up to the writer to create and define it for them self.

I think if there were a couple of things I learned/re-learned this semester:

  • I still write better when I’m under pressure…those 11pm submissions on Sunday nights were not accidental or due to poor planning…quite the opposite.
  •  Writing is easier with inspiration, because for me – inspiration can be encouragement. Sometimes that means reading a short story, or listening to well-written song, or looking at articles/pictures/blogs. This is the first class that I was able to read for pleasure through and it helped a lot to be able to get lost in a story and walk away feeling like I could do the same one day.
  • It feels…good (maybe?) to be vulnerable in your writing sometimes, and that is okay.

Next? Well, keep writing I guess. Maybe make it a goal to write something on (at least) a weekly basis. I don’t know…I always wanted to try to publish a book of short stories. Maybe that’s a thing I could go back to thinking about. In retrospect, I would have ditched the pseudonym for something more generic…I was so hellbent on having some deep ‘Worcester connection’ that I created a person who already existed, that I obviously wasn’t going to be to craft that into something too original. I did the best I could with it…I wouldn’t do it again. I’d likely just use my own name in the future. The blog name stays though…I’ve got a terrible habit of buying URL domains for you know…just in case I ever want to use them. I bought www.theworcestersauce.com a few years ago, so I (at the very least) would have a place to put my online ramblings.

I don’t think I would have chosen another beat…I started the semester thinking I was going to create an internet resource for event reviews and gallery openings. There was one issue with that…summer is the SLOW season for exhibits. There has been just one in the past couple of months…my big plan had to be revised almost immediately as the semester started. Its a well known fact that the best writers write about what they know. I think I started there and will continue on that note.

Where do we go from here? I really don’t know…but I think this was a good learning opportunity to put me back in tune with my own voice…so I think I’m just going to go out there and make some noise.

Re-write: In Defense of Art & Culture

Worcester is a fun place to live and a place that, despite its population of nearly 200,000 people, has a way of creating a really town-like atmosphere at times and I think a lot of that has to do with the people who make it their purpose to build a sense of community.

This has it’s drawbacks…actually, a lot of them. Everyone in the A&E scene knows everyone else, which makes it very difficult to find unbiased writing when it comes to A&E events. We’ve got one weekly publication that emphasizes the arts, and their one A&E writer tends to only write about their friends. I’m not kidding – I’ve even put this to the test. Over the past 6 years, in a city of 200,000 he has only found about 10 people worthy of profiling from time to time.

I hate playing those games where you reach out and keep in touch with certain people only to make sure that they remember your name in hopes of one day being chosen for the spotlight that they control with a fickle fist.

Screw their spotlight…I’ll make my own.

Honestly, I really do try to remain as neutral of a party as I can, while still forging relationships with gallery owners and artists. For someone like myself that shudders at the thought of networking, it has become a necessary evil which I find that I have to deal with constantly. But through this, I’ve familiarized myself with the type of art, the mediums in which they are produced, and the overall caliber that is customary in the area.

I’m vice chair of the Worcester Arts Council, and despite the fancy title, it just basically involves reviewing grant applications that artists and cultural event coordinators submit in order to get a sweet slice of the money that the state budget puts in our hands to allot to people in the community. This puts me in a unique position because it allows me to see a broad range and cross-section of artists in all types of mediums, and then follow their project up to its public display. Because of this process, I’ve found that I’m uniquely capable of seeing beyond what I find attractive and make judgments based on merit and public benefit rather than just on whatever I think is ‘cool’ at that moment in time.

I think that everyone’s experience is unique and that there is plenty of room for a few more voices. I’m no critic, but I know what I like and what I don’t like, and that I have stories that I can share about people, and places and about the things that make my city interesting, and quirky, and well…feel like home.

At least, that is where I’m going to start. Who knows exactly where I will end up from here.