Paper Mache
Ernest Hemingway is credited with having said, “There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed,” although other writers may have spawned an earlier version. Of course, these days it is more a matter of sitting down at a computer.
I still miss the sounds of the keys on the old Smith Corona. More to the point, the task of writing something even as deceptively simple as a weekly 300-word column can be daunting. The deadlines, the thematic and word limitations add to one’s stress level. I now feel a connection to that quote like I never have before.
The literary arts are high on Yuba Sutter Arts & Culture’s agenda. Our annual Poetry Out Loud and Scholastic Writing Awards programs are just getting underway in the high schools, although this year we will be working within the confines of a virtual world.
Poetry Out Loud involves students reciting poems chosen from an online collection of 1,000. We host competitions for both counties and send our two champions on to compete at the State level. The Scholastic Writing Awards encourage students to submit their own original writing in any one of a dozen genres including poetry, prose, critical essay, journalism, and science fiction.
Yuba Sutter Arts hosts two virtual literary events each month; a Spoken Word Open Mic event hosted by Tom Galvin and Poetry Square hosted by Diane Funston. The first provides a forum for all writers to share their work in a safe, constructive environment and the second brings in poets from around the state and the country to share their work.
The Acting Company recently put out a call for original scripts for its 2021 virtual season and possible in-person productions when allowed. Writers are being asked to submit full scripts along with production details. So, writers, opportunities abound. Sit down and bleed a bit, metaphorically speaking, and keep writing!