May 2012 Newsletter

Springfed Arts 2012 Writing Contest Finalists

Poetry winners
1st place:  The Two by Christine Rhein
2nd place:  Going to the Grave of Son House by Randy K. Schwartz
3rd place:  The Woman of a Thousand Worries by Patricia Barnes
Honorable Mentions:  
Joan of Arc by Mary Schmitt
A Small Girl by Lucinda Sabino
(Poetry contest judged by E. Ethelbert Miller)

Prose winners
1st place:  Lorna in Kinshasa by Jon Zech
2nd place:  Renaissance Man by Lori Eaton
3rd place:  Big In The Bars by Carol Carpenter
Honorable Mentions:  
Gut Wrenched in Barnstown by Linda K. Sienkiewicz
Before You Can Change Your Mind by Jenifer DeBellis
(Prose contest judged by Michael Zadoorian)
There were 77 total contest entrants (49 poets and 28 prose writers).
Winners will be invited to read at a Springfed Arts/Lido Gallery event this summer.


This Saturday, May 12, 6 pm - Springfed Arts Backyard Benefit
A Salute to Detroit Blues & Prose
Special guest appearances by Tino Gross of Howling Diablos, James Wailin of Reefermen, Rev. Robert Jones, Luther "Badman" Keith, Jeff "Baby" Grand, Brett Lucas, Stacia Petrie Ford, Robert Thibodeau. Acoustic Madness, the house band, features Bob Monteleone and Mitch Purdy.
Honored guests will be Detroit News Music and Feature Writer Susan Whitall and the staff of Big City Rhythm and Blues Magazine; Publisher and Editor Robert Jr. Whitall, Contributing Editor Shirley Mae Owens, and Graphic Design Editor Charlie Auringer.  We will serve food from Shield's Restaurant, handcrafted beer from Lily's Seafood and much more under the big tent.  Raffle prizes include Kindle Fire, iPods, Tiger Tickets and more.   Silent auction items are impressive.  The proceeds of the benefit go toward building scholarship funds for Springfed Arts' retreats, writing classes and showcases. It's our only fundraiser of the year and we depend on a portion of the proceeds for help with our operating costs.
The benefit is chaired by John D. Lamb, Executive Director of Springfed Arts, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts organization.  Tickets start at $50.  All donations less fair market value of any premiums received are deductible.  The Backyard Benefit is at Springfed Arts Headquarters, Royal Oak, MI.  
Tickets available online at www.springfed.org or by phone at 248-589-3913
Let us know if you plan to buy tickets at the gate.


The Lido Gallery Poetry & Music Series
Thursday, June 14, 7 pm
Angela Bowie, style icon, author, performer, former wife of David Bowie and role model for outsiders everywhere, will be reading from her new book, "Lipstick Legends."  Journeying from swinging London, to Japan, Los Angeles, New York, and Switzerland, Bowie shares her own personal voyage and along the way she channels some of the most exciting voices of the era of the Lipstick Legends.
Also appearing singer-songwriter Carolyn Striho, winner of the Outstanding National Independent Music Artist/Group in the 2012 Detroit Music Awards.
Sponsored by Lido Gallery and Springfed Arts. Hosted by John D. Lamb, this event is free and open to the public.
The Lido Gallery, 33535 Woodward Ave. (next to Woodward Camera), Birmingham, MI, 248-792-6248.

Springfed Arts Summer Writing Classes
Starts in June. Registration online or use form below.

Fiction Writing Workshop with Kelly Fordon (Summer mini-session):  Grosse Pointe Park Library, 15175 East Jefferson, Grosse Pointe Park, 48230, Wednesdays, June 6, 13, 20 & 27, 6:45 pm - 8:45 p.m.   Participants will submit short stories or excerpts from their novel-in-progress for peer review and constructive feedback.   Kelly Fordon’s work has appeared in The Kenyon Review (KRO), Flashquake, The Windsor Review and other journals.  In 2011, she contributed to Ghost Writers: Us Haunting Them, a Michigan Notable Book. Her poetry chapbook, On The Street Where We Live won the 2011 Stranding Rock Chapbook Contest and was published in February 2012. She is currently working towards her MFA in fiction writing at Queens University.  www.kellyfordon.com

Poetry and Prose with Carolyn Walker (Summer mini-session): 4 Friday Mornings: Big Boy, 6440 Dixie Highway, Independence Township, Friday mornings, June 1, 8, 15 & 22, 10 am - noon.  Carolyn Walker has an MFA from Vermont College of  Fine Arts.  Her memoir, Every Least Sparrow, is being circulated for publication by her agent.  She has been published in The Southern Review, Crazyhorse, The Writer's Chronicle, among others. One of Walker's essays has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize.  Walker won 1st place in Springfed Arts 2010 fiction contest.

The fee is $90/member or $140/nonmember (additional $50 makes you a member for 1 year).  Financial aid available. Writing classes are limited to the first 12 people who enroll.  
Register online at www.springfed.org or call 248-589-3913.
Please fill out the form below and send to:
John D. Lamb, Director-Springfed Arts,
PO Box 304, Royal Oak, MI 48068-0304.

Title of Workshop_________________________________ Fee________
If you are a new or renewing member add membership donation.
Total enclosed_______________________________________________
Name_____________________________________________________
Address___________________________________________________
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IMPORTANT: MAKE CHECKS PAYABLE TO SPRINGFED ARTS

3 blogs about Springfed Arts by John D. Lamb: A Kick in the Pants, Writers in Rogue Locations and Backyard Art.

Thank you for reading and writing,

John D. Lamb
Director-Springfed Arts
P.O. Box 304
Royal Oak, MI  48068-0304
248-589-3913
Springfed.org