Check out this week’s lineup: jazz vocalist Nancy Wilson, Ottawa-based afrobeat band The SoulJazz Orchestra, and 13 versions of "Since I Fell For You" featuring Buddy & Ella Johnson, Joe Turner & Count Basie, Nancy Wilson, Andy Bey & the Bey Sisters, Stanley Turrentine & the Three Sounds, Gladys Knight, Chuck Brown, The Persuasions, John Holt, Jimmy Witherspoon & Groove Holmes, Whirimako Black, Mose Allison, Dinah Washington, Hank Crawford, and Mark Murphy.
Redemption Song / Rivers of Babylon Dedication to Haiti featuring Zulu Live from Colorado
Queendom: "Home is where the heart is" (Norway)
The Norwegian group Queendom is an Oslo based theatre group of five black women with backgrounds from Ethiopia, Nigeria, Uganda, Trinidad and Gambia. All the members of the group are professional theatre artists
Queendom came to the attention of the Norwegian public in 1999 after the premiere of the cabaret 'Queendom On The Rocks- the world seen through the eys of five Black women'. Since then Queendom has produced another two comedy shows, a satirical book, a TV mini-series and continues to compose new, inspiring music .
Queendom now tours and performs extensively as a popular world music band, around Norway and abroad. They have performed at numerous events hosted by commercial companies, festivals, state institutions and NGO's.Audiences include several Nobel Peace Prize laureates, ministers and members of the Norwegian royal family - as well as ordinary people of all ethnic backgrounds.
Queendom - "Home is where the heart is". Filmed in Bagamoyo, Tanzania August 2009 as part of TV-Aksjonen for NRK (Norway).
Offical website Queendom.
Win a £150 ($242) cash prize for your short fiction in this new spring 2010 competition!
Cash prizes totalling £300 ($485) can be won in the new spring round of the Writers' Village 2010 'Best Writing' competition for prose fiction in any genre up to 3000 words.
The first prize is £150 ($242), with a second prize of £30 ($48) and a third of £20 ($32). Ten further prizes of £10 ($16) each are on offer to writers whose short fiction shows the greatest originality, mastery of the craft skills of creative writing and power to move the reader.
The new round follows the great success of the Writers' Village 2009 'Best Writing' competition, entered by writers from all over the world. The 13 winners of the 2009 contest and their entries can be found here.
Entries will be judged by John Yeoman, MA (Hons) Oxon, MA (Res), MPhil Creative Writing, author of eight published books of humour and fiction, a university tutor in creative writing, and for forty years a successful commercial writer and publisher.
For further details, click here.
Competition
Meridian Writing is pleased to announce our spring short story writing competition is now open. We will accept stories of up to 3,000 words, and is open to both published and unpublished writers.
Please note that all entries must be accompanied by an entry form and correct fee.
First Prize £100
Second Prize £50
Third Prize £25
In addition to Prize Money, all winning authors will receive a firstwriter.com voucher worth $15/£10/€15, allowing them to take out a free subscription to firstwriter.com, providing access to details of hundreds of publishers, literary agents, writing competitions, and magazines. firstwriter.com will contact the winning authors directly.
Closing Date - 31st March, 2010
Competition Rules
- The competition is open to both published and unpublished authors writing in any genre, including children's fiction. Stories must not have been previously published elsewhere either in print or online.
- Authors must be sixteen years of age or older.
- Stories should be a maximum of 3,000 words in length, but there is no lower limit.
- The entry fee for each story is £5.00 GBP. There is no limit on the number of entries any one person may enter but no author may win more than one prize in any competition. Multiple entries may be made on one entry form with all stories listed.
- Each entry must be accompanied by an entry form (which can be copied from our website, or obtained from our contact address: please enclose a SAE) or the Online Entry Form.
- The Judges wish to make an unbiased decision on all entries, so please ensure that only the story title is printed on the story itself. Any entries which do not comply with this rule will be disregarded from the competition.
- The closing date for the current competition is: 31st March.
- The winners will be announced in April, with the winning stories being published on the Meridian Writing website, and in a planned annual anthology.
Entry Details
- If you would like confirmation that your postal entry has been received, or the list of winners, please enclose a suitable SAE (either marked 'Received' or 'Winners'). Online entries will receive a confirmation email once we have determined the correct fee has been received.
- Your story should be clearly typed or printed in English (12pt, Times New Roman preferred) on one side only A4 paper, a word count included and double spaced. Include a 'header' which contains your story title and page number. Online entries will be accepted as an attachment saved as a .doc (or equivalent) file and mailed to our email Entry Address. Please ensure stories are emailed at the same time as the online form is submitted to avoid confusion.
- If someone else is paying for you via PayPal, please enter a note to this effect to avoid any confusion.
- Please refer to the 'Contact Us' page to see details on how to pay the entry fee.
- No stories will be returned, so make sure you keep a copy of your story.
- The winning and runner-up stories will be published on the Meridian Writing website.
- The Judges' decision is final, and no correspondence will be entered into.
- Winning authors will be required to supply a short (50 - 100 word) bio which will be published alongside their story.
- Copyright remains with the author, but Meridian Writing has the unrestricted right to publish winning stories online and once in any future planned anthology. Additional publishing of any stories will be made with the consultation and agreement of the author.
HAVE A STORY? WANNA GET PAID?
Well you are in the right place. Enter our quarterly competition for a chance to win yourself $100!
The deadline for this quarter's competition is March 1st, 2010.
Competition Information:
The XtremeTravelStories.com quarterly writing competition is a skill-based contest where participants submit either a travel story or free-lance report in any language, topic or category the author desires.
The finalists of each cash prize give-away are decided by you, the viewer. At the end of each deadline, our staff will multiply the number of votes by the average 5-star rating found under the story or free-lance report's tittle (5 stars is the highest while 1 is the lowest possible score). The points of this equation make a total score. (For example, if a particular story has 10 votes with an average 5-star score of 4, the author's total is, you guessed it, 40). The top three highest scored stories and/or reports will be reviewed by our team of professional editors to democratically decide which author deserves the $100 first place grand prize. If there is a tie amongst more than three stories and/or reports, then all will qualify as finalist.
The winner will be announced no later than ten (10) days after the deadline and will be notified through e-mail first before being displayed publicly on XtremeTravelStories.com. The 100 USD will be awarded to participant through PayPal, therefore it is necessary for the winning author to have a PayPal account.
"Xtreme" is loosely defined by the author and can constitute an array of meanings. Basically, our editors are looking for creativity, originality and good writers with unique styles. Keep in mind, XTS is a site dedicated to travel stories and reports that you won't find anywhere else. So, remember this when submitting stories and/or free-lance reports because it'll only increase your chances getting published or, perhaps more importantly, 100 dollars richer.
The XTS staff will coordinate with said winners to best accommodate payment transfer. By accepting payment, the author grants XTS permission to post the winning piece for a maximum of six months or until the conclusion of the next contest.
Poetry Contest - February 2010
*See all of our writing contests
Purpose: Have fun, enjoy the competition, and become a better poet by participating in our peer critique process for this contest.
Who Can Enter: This contest is open to all poets. All submissions must be posted and assigned critiques completed by February 28, 2010. Poems must be 50 lines or fewer. You may post additional poems to this site for critique, but only one poem will be eligible for this contest.
Subject Matter: Open, you choose. The poem should adhere to our content policy.
Prizes: The winner of this contest will receive $100.
How to Enter: It’s pretty easy
- Create a free account or sign in for existing members.
- Upload your poem; make sure you select Poetry Contest as the category.
- Submit your poem for peer critique.
- Complete your assigned reviews, this is discussed more below.
Decisions: There will be 3 rounds of judging.
- Authors from the Review Fuse staff will select the 10 best poems for Round 2.
- Of these 10 poems, Review Fuse management will select the 5 authors who gave the most detailed and well thought out critiques of their peer’s poetry for Round 3.
- The winner will then be selected by 3 creative writing and poetry professors.
Entry Fee: There are no entry fees or purchases of any kind required to enter and win the contest. After you submit your poem to the contest you will be required to complete assigned critiques of other poets (4 for free members and 2 for premium members). You will receive 3 critiques of your poem in return. Those who do not complete their critiques will not be eligible to win the contest.
Rights: All poems remain the sole property of the author. After we have selected the winner we will seek permission from the author to publish the winning poem on our blog. The author is under no obligation to allow this.
Notification: The prize winner will be notified by email on March 13, 2010. We will announce the prize winner on our blog on March 15, 2010.
Authors > Staceyann Chin > Author Revealed
Staceyann Chin Staceyann talks about her Memoir The Other Side Of Paradise with Adam Rothberg...
CLICK LINK BELOW TO LISTEN TO INTERVIEWListen to author Staceyann Chin discuss her new book on Off The Shelf, Simon & Schuster's radio program!===============================Photo Credit: Melissa MahoneyStaceyann Chin
Staceyann Chin is a fulltime artist. A resident of New York City and a Jamaican National, she has been an “out poet and political activist” since 1998. From the Nuyorican Poets' Cafe to one-woman shows Off- Broadway to acting in Julie Taymor’s... Read full bio
Author Revealed:
A. Jamaican-born woman, activist, writer, performer, New Yorker. Q. What is your motto or maxim? A. If we do not speak, who will? Q. How would you describe perfect happiness? A. A good book- or a good episode of Law & Order, or a good, sad movie. A cold night. Hot tea- maybe a glass of red wine. Someone who is comfortable with both silence and noise. Repeat throughout my life. Q. What’s your greatest fear? A. Being left; it doesn't get better as I age. Being left sucks. Q. If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would you choose to be? A. At home, with a little person who calls me mummy. Q. With whom in history do you most identify? A. A long list of women who have struggled with issues of race, sex, class; Zora Neale Hurston, Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, Nanny of the Maroons, Virginia Woolfe, Nina Simone...the list is endless. Q. Which living person do you most admire? A. Too many to list. Alice Walker. Dorothy Allison. Frances Goldin. Bell Hooks. Q. What are your most overused words or phrases? A. Negotiate. Navigate. Notion. With particiular reference to... Q. What do you regret most? A. I regret moments where I have been unkind to people. I try to go back and apologize for those moments when I can. Q. If you could acquire any talent, what would it be? A. To see into hearts. Q. What is your greatest achievement? A. Remaining sane. Q. What’s your greatest flaw? A. I can be inflexible if I think I am right- which may be too often. Q. What’s your best quality? A. I am forgiving- and quick to apologize. Q. If you could be any person or thing, who or what would it be? A. A well written book. Q. What trait is most noticeable about you? A. I'm argumentative. Q. Who is your favorite fictional hero? A. Anne of Green Gables, Harry Potter... Q. Who is your favorite fictional villain? A. Voldemort Q. If you could meet any historical character, who would it be and what would you say to him or her? A. I would ask Harriet Tubman how she managed to keep going- no matter the black-out spells, the dogs they sent, the unwilling and frightened slaves- she kept going. I would want to know how she stayed on course. Q. What is your biggest pet peeve? A. Food garbage in my bedroom or office garbage can. Q. What is your favorite occupation, when you’re not writing? A. Playing scrabble. I can do that for hours. Q. What’s your fantasy profession? A. For brief moments I wonder what it would be like to be a waitress on a highway restaurant. I would love the cast of characters I might meet on an average day. Q. What 3 personal qualities are most important to you? A. Loyalty, honesty, and kindness. Q. If you could eat only one thing for the rest of your days, what would it be? A. Sushi. Q. What are your 5 favorite songs? A. Hmmm. Too many to list. I like angsty, radical women like Ani Difranco, and Tracy Chapman. I like vulnerable boys singers like John Mayer, Peter Cetera and Prince. I like boy bands like Collective Soul, and Smashing Pumpkins. I like risky passionate singers like Tina Turner and Nina Simone.
On Books and WritingQ. How did you come to write Other Side of Paradise? A. Apart from the obvious rags to riches story(abandoned by both parents, left with my poor, deaf grandmother in a Third World Country with a history of violent homophobia, coming out as a lesbian, and having to finally flee that country) I began my writing/performing career with autobiographical material. I gained some notoriety through being an activist: I was a poet on HBO's Def Poetry Jam, then I was co-writer and original performer in the Broadway Show Def Poetry Jam, Then I did three or four one-woman shows downtown Manhattan. I was approached by a few agents and editors about writing a memoir. I declined the offers, but began penning some episodes- fleshing out the stories referenced in the poems and the theater peices. By the time I met and signed with my agent, Frances Goldin, I was ready to meet an editor who would help me craft the odd, disconnected memories into a book. Alexis Gargaliano, who knew my work from my performance poetry, seemed a good match. I liked her immediately. The book we have now is the product of a journey we took together; it wasn't always smooth sailing, but it was never boring. Her insight and her ability to see beyond badly written pages made it possible for me to contine writing after my grandmother passed, and relationship after relationship ended- Under her encouraging gaze I discovered that I was able to tell my most personal stories without dying.
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Happy Birthday Nina Simone
February 21st
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Happy Birthday Nina Simone
Eunice Kathleen Waymon was born on February 21, 1933 in Tryon, North Carolina and was one of eight children and the daughter of a Methodist minister. Nina was surrounded by music growing up and learned to play the piano at a young age. Simone's mother took a job as a maid and when her employer saw Nina's talent they sponsored classical piano lessons for her. By the time Nina was in high school her incredible talent was realized and her she enrolled at Julliard School of Music instead of her last year of high school. Nina had planned to enroll at the Curtis Institute to study piano but was not accepted due to her race. Instead she moved to Philadelphia with her family and began giving music lessons.
When Simone discovered one of her students was making more money performing at bars that she was giving lessons, Nina decided to give it a try. In 1964 she began playing in Atlantic City and changed her name to Nina Simone due to her parents religious beliefs and the disapproval of playing music in bars as a result. Not after long Nina found herself performing in the Greenwich Village scene in New York City and drawing large audiences who were falling in love in her. Simone recorded her first album in 1957 called 'Little Girl Blue' and while it sold well the contract she signed was heavily in favor of the record company and they retained the rights to her music. Her nest album was 'The Amazing Nina Simone' on the Colpix label and this album helped spread her music much further.
In the 1960s Nina became heavily involved in the Civil Rights Movement and much of her music during this period expresses the pain of dealing with the racism and horrible treatment of Black people in America. Some of her best known songs that express that pain are "Mississippi Goddamn" written after the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing and the murder of Medgar Evers as well as "Backlash Blues", "Old Jim Crow", "Four Women" and "To Be Young Gifted and Black". Nina's songs "Four Women" and her cover of Frank Sinatra's "My Way" also became anthems for the Women's Rights Movement. After the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, and the death of two of her close friends Langston Hughes and Lorraine Hansberry, Nina could stand America no longer and decided to move to Europe. Simone spent time in Barbados, Liberia, Switzerland and Paris while raising her daughter and performing when and where she could.
Simone returned to America in 1985 and was able to revive her career before returning to Europe for good in 1991 and ending up in the South of France. She published her biography "I Put A Spell on You" and continued to perform until she passed away in 2003. Two days before Nina passed the Curtis Institute, who denied her admission for college due to race, gave her an honorary diploma. In her life Simone recorded over sixty albums and composed over 500 songs and was the first woman to win the Jazz Cultural Award. Nina continues to inspire new generations of people and musicians to find and express themselves and what is meaningful to them in their lives. Her contributions will live on and were sorely needed.
"There's no other purpose, so far as I'm concerned, for us except to reflect the times, the situations around us and the things we're able to say through our art, the things that millions of people can't say. I think that's the function of an artist and, of course, those of us who are lucky leave a legacy so that when we're dead, we also live on. That's people like Billie Holiday and I hope that I will be that lucky, but meanwhile, the function, so far as I'm concerned, is to reflect the times, whatever that might be."
"I had spent many years pursuing excellence, because that is what classical music is all about... Now it was dedicated to freedom, and that was far more important."
"Slavery has never been abolished from America's way of thinking." - Nina Simone
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d-kennedy@law.northwestern.edu