BCA is currently seeking nominations of individual artists in all media
to serve on the Bronx Recognizes Its Own (BRIO) Awards panels

The 2009 BRIO Application & Guidelines are now available online (click appropriate links to download). As in the previous year, the distribution of BRIO applications will be primarily online. Hard copies can be picked up in person at BCA’s main office and can be mailed (call 718-931-9500 x35). They will also be available at Bronx public libraries, BCA’s Writers’ Center and BCA’s Longwood Arts Gallery at Hostos Community College.

Panelists Sought for 2009 BRIO Awards: The Bronx Council on the Arts is currently seeking nominations of individual artists in all media to serve on the Bronx Recognizes Its Own (BRIO) Awards panels. Click here for detailed information and a printable copy of the panelist nomination form.

BCA Seeks Professional Individuals to Serve as Panelists
for their Re-Grants Programs

The Bronx Council on the Arts is seeking nominations of individuals to serve on the various panels conducted throughout the year. These panels represent a wide range of experience in arts management and arts disciplines. Click here for detailed information and a printable copy of the panelist nomination form.

RONA JAFFE FOUNDATION FELLOWSHIP FOR EMERGING WOMEN WRITERS: The MacDowell Colony (Peterborough, NH). The nation’s leading artist residency program and The Rona Jaffe Foundation have established a new Fellowship for emergent women writers who are citizens or permanent residents of the United States. At The MacDowell Colony, artists receive the exclusive use of a private studio, three meals a day, living accommodations, and the benefits of working within a dynamic multidisciplinary community of fellow artists on the Colony’s 450 acres in Peterborough, NH. MacDowell charges no residency fees. The Rona Jaffe Foundation Fellowship carries with it a $2,500 stipend, which may be used to defray travel expenses and replace lost income during the residency. Emergent writers are those who are as yet unpublished or who are just completing their first book. Application materials are available online at www.macdowellcolony.org. The application deadline is January 15, 2009, for the Summer 2009 residency period. In the future, the Fellowship will be open to eligible writers who apply by the September 15th deadline for the Winter-Spring residency period. Visit the Web site, call, or email for an application and complete guidelines. MacDowell Colony, 100 High Street, Peterborough, NH 03458. Phone: (603) 924-3886. admissions@macdowellcolony.org. Application Deadline: Jan 15, 2009.

PREGONES THEATER’S ASUNCION PLAYWRIGHTS PROJECT IS ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS: Pregones Theater's Asunción Playwrights Project showcases the work of Latino playwrights exploring issues of difference and transformation at the limits of queer identity. Through its own public readings and workshop production series, the project fosters fun and genuine dialogue between playwrights, theater-makers, LGBTQ communities, and a general audience. For the play competition component, Latino playwrights whose work explicitly addresses issues of gender and sexuality are invited to apply. The project especially seeks works that challenge normative straight/gay binaries. Submissions by women writers are encouraged. Both Spanish and English language manuscripts are welcome. Each year, up to four finalists are selected and given a public reading at Pregones Theater in the South Bronx. Readings are followed by an open discussion with the playwright, fellow artists, and audience members. A panel of jurors makes the final selection of the year's winning play. The winner receives a $500 award and the play is given a professional cast and a fully staged workshop production at Pregones' state-of-the-arts facility. Finalists and public reading schedule for the 2009 series will be announced in April 2009. Click appropriate link for guidelines and application. Application Deadline: Feb 28, 2009 (postmarked). Faxed, e-mailed, or incomplete applications will not be accepted.

PLAYWRIGHTS – CALL FOR SCRIPTS: Three Lions Stage is happy to announce its third Call for Scripts for the 2008-2009 Roaring Reading Series. Funding for Staged Reading programs have been drastically cut to nearly non-existent levels across America, silencing a generation of playwrights and performing artists who would otherwise bring life and voice to new works for the enrichment of the theater arts and enjoyment of audiences and communities everywhere. In response to this crisis, Three Lions Stage, Off-Broadway’s newest theatrical production company now in its third year is setting a new standard in revolutionizing the American Theater experience for artists and audiences alike, while cultivating a new generation of theater goers. Three Lions Stage's Roaring Reading Series is presented under an approved Actor’s Equity Association agreement. Criteria: Seeking full length plays or musicals from emerging playwrights, in particular minority playwrights of color to be presented as part of these monthly cultural celebrations: Hispanic Heritage Month (September/October), Black History Month (February), Women's History Month (March), Asian-Pacific History Month (May), and Gay Pride Month (June). Selected playwrights will be notified upon selection panel review. Scripts WILL NOT be returned, unless playwright indicates such and provides a self-addressed pre-paid postage envelope. To submit your play, download and complete the Playwrights Submission Form (found by clicking here) and mail (2) bound copies of your script along with the $15.00 submission fee (Check or Money Order Only). Scripts must be bound. Plays submitted by email will not be considered and will be immediately deleted. This Call for Scripts is open to all playwrights nationally, although we are particularly interested in New York City area based Playwrights. Playwrights of all races and origins are strongly encouraged to apply. You must provide (2) bound copies of full length play. Submission Fee: $15.00. Fee covers administrative costs associated with panel reviews, copy services and mailings. Make checks or money orders payable to Three Lions Stage, Inc. Mail to Three Lions Stage, Inc., 730 Columbus Avenue, Suite 2L, New York, NY 10025. Mark Envelope "RRS". Phone: 212-316-2211. Email: info@threelionsstage.com. Submission Deadlines: Asian Pacific History: Jan 30, 2009, Gay Pride: Feb 28, 2009, and Hispanic Heritage: Mar 30, 2009.

2009 ARTIST IN RESIDENCE PROGRAM: The Byrdcliffe Arts Colony / The Woodstock Byrdcliffe Guild, located in the Catskill Mountains, Woodstock, NY USA. Founded as an Arts and Crafts community in 1903, it has been a haven for visual artists, potters, writers, crafts people, musicians and theatre artists for almost a century. The Residency Program offers writers, visual artists and composers one-month residencies from June-September. The cost per 4 week session is $300. (Playwrights US citizens only may apply for the Handel Fellowship. Visual Arts Fellowships Available!) (Writers under the age of 35, who need financial assistance, may apply for a $100 scholarship from The Patterson Fund.) Application Fee: $35. Click here for more details and an application or call 845-679-2079. Application Deadline: Mar 2, 2009.

ARTIST IN RESIDENCE PROGRAM: The Woodstock Byrdcliffe Guild (WBG) offers two residency programs: one-month Artists-in-Residence (AIR) residencies in summer to visual artists and writers, and Ceramics Residencies for one to five months, May through October. Our goal is to provide solitude in community and undisturbed time in which to concentrate on independent, creative work in company of follow artists. Professional recognition is helpful for admission, but is not essential. Offers writers, visual artists and composers one-month residencies from June through September. Our goal is to provide solitude in community and undisturbed time in which to concentrate on independent, creative work in company of follow artists. Panelists in the past have included visual artists Joan Snyder, Portia Munson, Melissa Meyer and Donald Elder and literary panelists included Gail Godwin, Matthew Spireng, Martha Frankel (fiction), Olga Broumas (poetry), Gus Schulenburg, Evangeline Morphos (playwrights) and Rob Handel (Handel Award) and Nancy Golliday. Facilities: Residents are accommodated at The Villetta Inn, a spacious turn-of-the-century mountain lodge with communal dining and living rooms. Residency includes a private bedroom and separate, private studio space. Art studios are in separate buildings. Residents are responsible for providing their own meals in the large, well appointed community kitchen. Length of Stay & Fees: Each four week session is limited to 10 individuals. Please note: 2-week or partial week stays are not permitted! The cost per session is $300 USD. Candidates may apply for additional weeks if space becomes available. VISUAL ARTS FELLOWSHIPS AVAILABLE! (Writers under age 35, who need financial assistance, may apply for a $100 USD scholarship from The Patterson Fund). Session Dates: Session I: June 2 - June 29, 2009, Session II: June 30 - July 26, 2009, Session III: July 28 - August 23, 2009; Session IV: August 25 – September 20, 2009. The Bernard and Shirley Handel Playwright Fellowship was established in 2007 to encourage the creative development of playwrights by enabling them to set aside time to pursue their work in an unstructured atmosphere at the Byrdcliffe Art Colony in Woodstock, NY. The Fellowship annually provides a $700 stipend that includes tuition to the Summer Byrdcliffe Artist in Resident Program at the Villetta Inn. How to Apply: Applicants must submit a written application, support materials, and $35 USD non-refundable application fee by Monday, March 02, 2009. Residents are chosen by a selection committee of professionals in the arts. The major criteria for acceptance are the quality of work samples and an indication of serious commitment to one's field of endeavor. International applicants are urged to apply. Click here for more information and an application or call 845-679-2079. Deadline: Monday, Mar, 02, 2009.

WRITING WORKSHOP: The Secret Life Of Fiction -- A two-day writing workshop with author and BCA BRIO winner Peter Selgin in the Catskill Mountains. This weekend writing workshop is for both fiction and non-fiction writers who are either just beginning or want to sharpen their storytelling skills. Whether our narratives are inspired and informed by memory (memoirs and personal essays), or by imagination (novels and short stories), the same tools apply: dialogue, character development, description, and theme. The workshop is designed with the specific goal of helping students create work that is publishable. Participants’ manuscripts will be scrutinized and discussed, with an eye toward preparing them for submission. A limited group of participants will turn in manuscripts ahead of the workshop, where each work will be discussed in detail. Also, participants will get written editorial notes and have individual consultations with the instructor. In addition to a full nine hours of workshop sessions, there will be seminars on specific topics (see below). Participants will also receive advance manuscript drafts of my new book on writing, The Secret Life of Fiction: 199 Meditations on Works-in-Progress, in which the lessons culled from critiques of thousands of student manuscripts are distilled, collated, and arranged. Visit Peter's Website for to learn more about him and for details on this and other workshops. Workshop Location: Lazy Pond Bed & Breakfast, 79 Old Loomis Road, Liberty, New York. Costs: $600. Includes meals, lodging, workshops, and seminars. Enrollment limited to 8 participants. Reserve your place with a non-refundable $200 deposit. Workshop Dates: May 16 - 17, 2009 (arrive Friday evening, May 15).

CALL FOR ENTRIES FOR SUMMER FELLOWSHIP: Constance Saltonstall Foundation for the Arts (Ithaca, NY). Artists and writers who live in New York State are invited to apply for summer residencies at the Saltonstall Arts Colony in Ithaca, New York. The 2009 Summer Fellowship categories are: Poetry, Memoir/Creative Non-Fiction, Photography, Painting/Sculpture/Visual Art. There will be four month-long session in 2009, from mid-May through September. Five artists are in residence in each session. For more information please visit our website. (listed: Dec 12, 2008)

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS AND PHOTOGRAPHERS SOUGHT: Bronx Latino (www.bronxlatino.blogspot.com) is seeking volunteer writers and photographers to contribute to this blog, highlighting anything and everything Bronx Latino. Bronx Latino, launched in April 2008, is an English lifestyle online publication aimed at a bilingual and bicultural audience. Writers and photographers retain copyright of their work. Bronx Latino prefers original content that has not been published anywhere else. If you are interested in contributing or for more information, drop me an e-mail at bronxlatinoblog@yahoo.com. Clarisel Gonzalez, Editor, Bronx Latino. www.bronxlatino.blogspot.com.

SHORT TERM ART STUDIOS AVAILABLE IMMEDIATELY: EFA STUDIOS, located in Midtown Manhattan has a limited number of studios available for month-to-month rental for visual artists. All studios are private with individual climate control. Wide range of sizes and configurations available from 200 to 600 square feet. Affordable, close to Time Square & all subway lines, 24 hour access, security on premises. This is a great opportunity in a safe and friendly building. Studios are for workspace only and are not to be used as living space. Short-term rental is separate and independent from the EFA STUDIOS membership program. Please e-mail Short Studios for an application and more information. EFA Studios is located at 323 West 39th Street New York, NY 10018. Phone: 212-563-5855 x119; Fax: 212-563-1875. (listed: Dec 12, 2008)

WOMEN's STUDIO CENTER FOR WRITERS & ARTISTS: Located in Long Island City (21-25 44th Avenue), the Women’s Studio Center, is a not-for-profit fine art studio and writing room offering visual arts and writing classes and events. The center was founded in 1998 on the principle that artists and writers need a safe, nurturing, and professional environment in order to make the best art possible.

• The Writing Room is equipped with a conference table for meetings and workshops, high-speed wireless internet access, a growing library (including books on publishing, reference and grammar, criticism and theory, and books by women authors), as well as comfortable reading chairs. We also have subscriptions to Writers Digest, The Writer, Poets & Writers, The New Yorker, and The Paris Review.
• The Main Room (1000+ square feet) encapsulates the center’s ideal of a “professional environment” for artists to make you feel as if you were working in your own personal studio or even your home.
• The Instructors will work wit you on your level -- whether you are just entering the creative realm or have been making art or writing for years.

Learn more about the center by calling 718-361-5649, e-mailing wsc586@aol.com, or visiting www.womenstudiocenter.org.

CALL TO WRITERS FOR SUBMISSIONS: Sofrito For Your Soul invites you to become part of our cultural revolution once again. As we begin to rebuild some of the archives that have blessed these pages over the last 10 years...we once again open the doors to hear your voz! Sofrito For Your Soul is a reality because of people like you who contribute and help us grow. We are looking for articles, columns, short stories, music, written and spoken word poetry, video as well as all kinds of artwork to document the evolution of our culture in the United States. If you are interested in submitting your work for publication please submit by sending your submission via email at SofritoSubmissions@gmail.com. We have been contacting past contributors to update previous content posted on our website so that we can validate the relevance to the author and their current projects. If you were previously published by us...do not hesitate to reach out as you continue to be welcome en nuestra casa. www.SofritoForYourSoul.com.

READING & WRITING WORKSHOPS: Poets & Writers, inc, a nonprofit organization, provides information, support, and guidance to creative writers. Visit the website to find out about funding for readings and workshops, a comprehensive listing of grants and awards, a 'top ten questions that writers ask' section, and links to other writers' resources. Click here to visit their website.

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