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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - 10-07-2014 - 4aORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT Meeting Date: October 7, 2014 Action Agenda Item No. 4 -a SUBJECT: Arts & Humanities Month — 2014 Piedmont Laureate Carrie J. Knowles DEPARTMENT: Orange County Arts Commission ATTACHMENT(S): Press Release PUBLIC HEARING: (Y /N) No INFORMATION CONTACT: Martha Shannon, 968 -2011 PURPOSE: To introduce and hear a brief selection from Raleigh resident and author of short fiction Carrie J. Knowles, the 2014 Piedmont Laureate, for National Arts & Humanities Month. BACKGROUND: The 2014 Piedmont Laureate Program is co- sponsored by the Orange County Arts Commission, the City of Raleigh Arts Commission, the Durham Arts Council, United Arts of Raleigh and Wake County and Alamance County Arts Council. In its sixth year, the primary goal of this program is to promote awareness and heighten appreciation for excellence in the literary arts throughout the Piedmont region. The Arts Commission participates so that Orange County writers can apply and Orange County sites can host the Piedmont Laureate free of charge. The Piedmont Laureate is contracted for 25 events (readings or workshops at public sites) and at least 5 media appearances throughout the four - county area during calendar year 2014. The application process was open to all writers living in Orange, Durham, Wake or Alamance counties who met the guideline criteria. For 2014, applications were accepted from authors of short fiction only. The selection panel included the program sponsors and Karin Wiberg (Managing Editor, The Raleigh Review), Lindsey Alexander (Lindsey Alexander Editorial), Susie Wilde (Author and Columnist), Brenda Wilson (Burlington Writers Club) and John Valentine (Owner, Regulator Book Shop). Three finalists were selected and interviewed by the program sponsors. Ms. Knowles was chosen for the position. As her special project this year, Ms. Knowles has led a series of writing workshops on "Sense of Time and Place" at historic sites throughout the Triangle area. In Orange County, this workshop was held on September 5, 2014 from 1:30 -4:00 pm at the Burwell School Historic Site in Hillsborough. FINANCIAL IMPACT: Orange County's portion ($1,350) of the 2014 Piedmont Laureate's stipend and website (www.piedmontlaureate.com) expenses was paid from FY2014 State and County funds. RECOMMENDATION(S): The Manager recommends that the Board recognize Carrie J. Knowles, the 2014 Piedmont Laureate. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 3, 2014 Contact: Martha Shannon, 919/968 -2011 Author of Short Fiction Carrie Knowles Selected as 2014 Piedmont Laureate Raleigh author, writing coach, arts advocate and organizer Carrie Knowles has been selected as the region's 2014 Piedmont Laureate. During 2014, Ms. Knowles will appear at various workshops, reading programs and speaking engagements throughout Alamance, Durham, Orange and Wake counties. The Piedmont Laureate program is dedicated to building a literary bridge for residents to come together and celebrate the art of writing. Co- sponsored by the Alamance County Arts Council, City of Raleigh Arts Commission, Durham Arts Council, Orange County Arts Commission and United Arts Council of Raleigh & Wake County, the program's mission is to "promote awareness and heighten appreciation for excellence in the literary arts throughout the Piedmont region." The program focuses on a different literary form each year - poetry in 2009, novels in 2010, creative non - fiction in 2011, drama /screenwriting in 2012, children's literature in 2013 and short fiction in 2014. The literary form for 2015 will be speculative fiction. As Piedmont Laureate, Ms. Knowles will receive an honorarium and serve until December 31St, 2014. Her duties will include presenting public readings and workshops, participating at select public functions and creating at least one original activity to expand appreciation of short fiction. A schedule of the Laureate's 2014 activities will be posted in March on the Piedmont Laureate website at Ms. Knowles has been a freelance writer, arts advocate and organizer for 45 years. She has published dozens of short stories and three books: a memoir titled "The Last Childhood: A Family Story of Alzheimer's" (Three Rivers Press, 2000) and two novels, "Lillian's Garden" and "Ashoan's Rug" (Roundfire Books, 2013). Noted as one of the top books of 2013 by The Salisbury Post, "Ashoan's Rug" is a novel created from a series of 10 linked short stories. Ms. Knowles' short stories have won numerous awards, including the Village Advocate Fiction Contest, the Blumenthal Writers & Readers Series, the North Carolina Writer's Network Fiction Syndication and Glimmer Train's Very Short Fiction Competition. She was named twice as a finalist in other Glimmer Train competitions, was a finalist in the Doris Betts Fiction Contest, and received an honorable mention in the National Literary Awards. Ms. Knowles founded the Free Range Studio in Raleigh, providing office space to a wide range of writers and other creative people as well as coaching writers and 3 teaching classes. As an arts advocate, she has been a board member for the Symphony Orchestra Development Association, Carolina Wren Press, Raleigh Chamber Music Guild, Burning Coal Theatre Company and the American Forum. She served as a judge for the Raleigh Fine Arts Society's Annual Fiction Contest for eight years and was the co- coordinator of the Reader's Series at the Hardback Cafe in Chapel Hill with Paul Jones and Georgann Eubanks. She was founder and coordinator of the Boylan Heights ArtWalk from 1992 -2007 and founder and director of the Cary Cross Currents Festival from 2008 -2012. For more information about the Piedmont Laureate program, visit ® ; contact Martha Shannon, Director of the Orange County Arts Commission, at or 919/968 -2011; or contact any of the other sponsoring agencies.