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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - 10-06-2015 - 4a 1 ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT Meeting Date: October 6, 2015 Action Agenda Item No. 4-a SUBJECT: Arts & Humanities Month — 2015 Piedmont Laureate James Maxey DEPARTMENT: Orange County Arts PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) No Commission ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT: Press Release Martha Shannon, 968-2011 PURPOSE: To introduce and hear a brief selection from Hillsborough resident and speculative fiction author James Maxey, the 2015 Piedmont Laureate, during National Arts & Humanities Month (October). BACKGROUND: The 2015 Piedmont Laureate Program is co-sponsored by the Orange County Arts Commission, the City of Raleigh Arts Commission, the Durham Arts Council, and United Arts Council of Raleigh and Wake County. Now in its seventh 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 20 events (readings or workshops at schools and public sites) and at least 5 media appearances throughout the three-county area during calendar year 2015. The 2015 application process was open to all speculative fiction authors residing in Orange, Durham or Wake counties who met the guideline criteria. In addition to the program sponsors, the selection panel included Samuel Montgomery-Blinn (Publisher, Bull Spec Magazine), Mur Lafferty (speculative fiction author) and Tony Daniel (Editor, Baen Publishing Enterprises). Two finalists were selected by the panel and interviewed by the program sponsors. James Maxey was chosen. As a free Halloween offering, Mr. Maxey will be reading his ghost story "Silent As Dust" at the Burwell School Historic Site in Hillsborough from 7-8 pm on Friday, October 30, 2015. FINANCIAL IMPACT: The Arts Commission's portion ($1,350) of the 2015 Piedmont Laureate's stipend & website (www. iedmontlaureate.com) expenses was paid from FY15 County grant funds. SOCIAL JUSTICE IMPACT: There is no Orange County Social Justice Goal impact associated with this item. RECOMMENDATION(S): The Manager recommends that the Board recognize James Maxey, the 2015 Piedmont Laureate. 2 01kANGE - COUI 1 NORTH C"AROLINA Media Contact Martha Shannon Orange County Arts Commission Phone: 919. 968.2011 mshannonn-oran ecountync. ov FOR RELEASE WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2015 Speculative Fiction Author James Maxey Selected 2015 Piedmont Laureate James Maxey, a Hillsborough, N.C.-based speculative fiction author, has been selected as the region's 2015 Piedmont Laureate. During 2015, Mr. Maxey will appear at workshops, reading programs and speaking engagements throughout 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 Orange County Arts Commission, City of Raleigh Arts Commission, Durham Arts Council, 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, short fiction in 2014 and speculative fiction in 2015. Speculative fiction is an umbrella term encompassing the more fantastical fiction genres, specifically science fiction, fantasy, horror fiction, weird fiction, supernatural fiction, superhero fiction, utopian and dystopian fiction, apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction, and alternate history in literature. As Piedmont Laureate, Mr. Maxey will receive an honorarium and serve until Dec. 31. His duties will include presenting public readings and workshops, participating at select public functions and creating at least one original activity to expand appreciation of speculative fiction. A schedule of the Laureate's 2015 activities will be posted on the sponsoring agency websites and on the Piedmont Laureate website at www.piedmontlaureate.com. 3 James Maxey writes fast-paced, action-driven pulp fiction with strong emphasis on character growth and world building, dealing with larger-than-life characters adventuring in exotic worlds. Readers who delve past the dragons and superheroes on the covers will discover stories that explore the deeper aspects of the human condition, from the highly personal—love, hate, grief, anger, faith and hope—to larger societal issues such as the balance between individual freedoms and social order, the inevitable conflict when society is built of unequal classes, and mankind's relationship with the natural world. In the course of entertaining readers with imaginary worlds, Mr. Maxey hopes to provoke them into thinking more deeply about our own world and our shared responsibility to improve it. Influenced by Carl Sagan, Stephen Jay Gould and Stephen Hawking, Mr. Maxey is a graduate of the Odyssey Writing Workshop where he studied with author-in- residence Harlan Ellison, and a graduate of Orson Scott Card's Literary Boot Camp. He honed his craft over many years as a member of the Writer's Group of the Triad and continues to be an active part of the Codex Writers' online community. For more information, visit www.jamesmaxey.net. For more information about the Piedmont Laureate program, visit www.piedmontlaureate.com; contact Martha Shannon, Director, Orange County Arts Commission, at mshannon @orangecountync.gov or 919/968-2011; or contact any of the other sponsoring agencies.