Open Mic night a vocal success

In honor of National Poetry Month, 20 members and guests gathered on Thursday, April 8, to hear member and guest readings, and special presentations by AMP (Art, Music & Poetry open mic night every last Monday of the month) emcee Brian Duncan, from Studio620, and Aleshea Harris, from the Blue Scarf Collective, perform cell-phone and spoken word poetry. (Here's Brian reading one of his 'cell phone' poems.)

And Aleshea Harris performing one of several spoken word pieces.

Another way to tell a story, and these were great ones! It was a fun night, and I would recommend open mic to any author who wants to get more comfortable speaking in public. These types of events are always supportive of the speaker, and there are several venues around the Bay area that hold regular nights. Thanks to Brian, Aleshea, and all those who brought out their poetry and shared with the group.

Thanks,
John

Digital Storyteller Carolyn Handler Miller Captives March Audience

Carolyn Handler Miller, Sunny's close and long-time friend visiting from New Mexico, held an audience of almost 30 FWA members and guests spellbound with her presentation on digital storytelling on March 11. Miller, a former Emmy-nominated screenwriter, has worked on many projects, including Where In the World is Carmen Sandiego? She teaches and works in this relatively new field, and expounded on the unique challenges of writing for games and interactive websites full of rooms and avatars.

One of the biggest was coming up with so many alternate scenes and plot lines to allow for the user making different choices. Mrs. Miller handled questions from the group throughout her presentation, and everyone left with a better understanding of another option in the writing world.

This meeting  marked our first use of the microphone and screen. We thank Sunny for tracking down a projector that we could use, and the microphone improved the listening experience, and will be used in future meetings.

[Ed. note: Why so late? My apologies as I've fallen behind a bit on keeping up here. I'll post last night's meeting review this weekend, and want to remind all those procrastinators that not only are taxes due this coming week, but it's also the deadline for the Mystery In a Month workshop registration. We'd like to see your registration in the mail by Tuesday (with synopsis emailed by Tuesday so we know you're coming) in order to prepare for your presence.]