Flash Fiction Slam

Posted on by Thor

On March 12th, There Will Be Words hosted its second annual Flash fiction Slam, in honor of March Madness.

How does a Flash Fiction Slam work? Well, competitors faced each other in a head-to-head format. Two authors read. The audience decides which story was better with applause One author moves on to the next round, the other cries in their drink.

There were three rounds, with eight authors competing. There were word limits for each round.

Round 1 – 250 words max

Round 2 – 500 words max

Final Round – 1000 words max

Flirt with the competitors at six, watch them beat each other to death at seven, take home the champion at eight. Seriously, these authors had been drinking so they might have needed a ride.

The first round featured Matt Pierce versus Trevor Frasier with Matt winning the audience roar. Raphael lost to Phil in the second round. Hannah Miller and Michael Pierre faced off with a fast paced “Rock, Paper, Scissors” match to see who would read first. It was at this point that I decided to add Hannah to my sketch. She was a strong contender and if she won, I would have two other chances to add detail to her in my sketch. I was pleased that she was indeed the evening’s champion, beating Matt Pierce in the final round by a narrow margin.

After the competition I joined Hannah and her entourage for a victory beer at The Falcon Bar. Multiple conversations crossed the outdoor table ranging from Stanley Kubrick films to art supplies. A high school friend of Hannah’s had just returned to Orlando and she was dipping her toe in the arts scene to try and rebuild her Orlando roots. I seldom hang out after an event so I was very happy to have lingered on this occasion.

PLAY it for ME! Cabaret To Benefit ME Dance

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On March 10th, Terry and I went to a fundraiser for ME Dance at The Sovereign Dance Academy (8060 Via Dellagio Way #210 Orlando, FL).  This was the first”PLAY it for ME” Fundraising Event.

This Live Cabaret was hosted by Jeremy Collins of J Productions and Jayne Trinette. It featured live music, singing, and plenty of dancing. I dressed up in a suit and tie, but the suit came off as I started sketching. I sketched what was essentially the performers “Green Room” where they rested prior to performing.

There was a short video where Marshal Ellis talked about the goals of his new dance company.  The performer in the African garb with the drums was Veryl Jones. He and many other performers came from the Lion King show down at Disney. He didn’t speak a word when he got on stage, instead he blew a whistle to communicate. His drumming was fast paced and primal. He started walking towards me and I was afraid he wanted me to join him on stage. He coaxed a woman seated behind me onto the stage. He would play an intricate beat and wait for her response. Several other audience members were called up to make an impromptu band.

My favorite dance performance was a piece called “Young Love”, which was a last minute write in on the program. The male and female dancers, from ME Dance,performed an intricate duet celebrating youth and love. She leaped into his arms and he caught her gracefully. ME Dance also presented a sneak peak to a World Premiere work that will be performed in upcoming production of Heroes (May 3-5, 2013)

Queen of Hearts Casino Night

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Jenny Coyle organized a Queen of Hearts Casino Night in the parking lot next to Maxine’s on Shine (337 north shine ave, Orlando, Florida). Jenny organized the event to help raise money for her independent film, “Perfect Love“. Terry wore all stripes looking like a zebra on steroids. I thought I would sketch her playing, but she wandered to the far table and I didn’t see her again.

Shelly Maxine introduced herself saying I had sketched her many years ago as she folded napkins in another restaurant. She was dressed up as the mad hatter and her wild red hair sprouted out from beneath a cougar skinned fur hat. She and her husband, Kirt, are the best possible proprietors at this amazing restaurant. A musician was performing inside and he had just released a CD. He was performing Beetles cover songs however so I didn’t get a taste of what his original music might be like. Jenny wore a bright pink queens dress. She said she felt like a five year old when she saw it.

As Jenny said, “Don’t lose your head, it’s only a party! 

There will be:

Blackjack, prizes, drinks, and live entertainment!

For just $10 you got your first drink and your first few thousand dollars in funny money for the casino. We’re making our money off of the buy in for the casino, and the silent auction items. Naturally this means we are trying to get as many people there as possible. 
Costumes aren’t required, but I might be inclined to give you some extra cash for the casino if you come out in an Alice in Wonderland themed getup.”

After Terry lost all her chips and I finished my sketch, we went into Maxine’s for an appetizer. I ordered some Calamari and it was great, being baked rather than fried with a sweet vinegar drizzle on top. I took the waiters advice on a beer although I don’t recall the band. Maxine invited me back to sketch the restaurant interior and I will most certainly go back. The place is a real gem.

Riff Raff

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Larry Lauria who I work with at Full Sail told me I had to hear Dan Rafkin play guitar. He let me know that Dan would be [laying in Winter Garden in the Plant Street Gazebo on the evening of March 8th. Dan apparently has very fast fingers and his writes his own songs.

Downtown Winter Garden is a model for how a downtown can be am ideal place to gather. A pack of girl scouts rushed past me as I walked towards the gazebo. So much of Central Florida had developed into tasteless over developed strip malls. Plant Street maintains an old town feel with historic old brick buildings and a newly built public gathering place in the street’s central median.

I arrived a bit early but Dan Rafkin and the band had already set up and were ready to start their first set. The band was called Riff Raff. They sang old country cover tunes from musicians like Merl Haggard. I never got to hear any of Dan’s original material. This wasn’t what I expected but the crow ate it up. Larry, His wife and daughter and her son showed up and they hunted for a restaurant to eat supper. There were lines and an hour wait wherever they went. Before they got back, I finished my sketch and headed home.

Natura Coffee and Tea

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When I work till 9PM at Full Sail I tend to go out and sketch Jazz which pops up all over town. Natura Coffee and Tea is a hole in the wall coffee shop right near UCF (12078 Collegiate Way Orlando, FL). The front window proclaims, “Self expression welcome.” The place offers music, art and film. All the clientele are young college aged kids. Students smoked hookahs on a couch to the left. An older woman got a whole cup of hot coffee spilled in her lap. There was quite a commotion to get her cleaned up.

The jazz was lively but I never caught any of the musicians names. The guitarist just told me that he and Reagan on the keyboard had gotten the group together for the night.  I desperately want to return to sketch the students smoking the intricate and ornate hookahs. I may have to work late next month so I might be back.

Jazz at Taste

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Taste Restaurant (717 W. Smith Street in College Park) is where I go to sketch on a slow Monday if nothing else if going on around town. Musicians gather at the bar and around 8PM the Jazz begins. Who ever gets to the stage first starts off the set. Frank Walter was on trombone, Miguel Alvarodo was on Tenor Sax, Tom was on drums. The place was so packed that I couldn’t find a table with a view. Instead, I sat in the entryway to the restaurant.

The music flowed and swelled. sporadic and spontaneous solos ignited and then  the other musicians joined in when the moment felt right. Sets can extend forever or be over in a flash, so I tend to sketch frenetically to catch the moment before it is gone. Monday night Jazz is always a good time so it is always on my calendar as a fall back option.

Maitland Art Center Mayan Courtyard

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This is the rare case of a sketch done in the quiet time between events. I had an hour to kill before the Art Critique and Conversation began at the Maitland Art Center, (231 West Packwood Ave. Maitland, FL). I wandered into the Mayan Courtyard. I’m sure that countless wedding vows have been exchanged in this outdoor garden paradise. I sketched the entry to the chapel. The Art Center was founded and designed by architect and artist J. Andre Smith in 1937. The intricate Aztec-Mayan sculpted motifs cover every surface. The Art Center is one of the few surviving examples of “Mayan Revival”
or fantasy architecture in the Southeast. The Center is recognized by
the State of Florida as an historic site and is entered on the National
Register of Historic Places as of 1987.

A plaque outside the entry read, ” I stood at the gate of life and said give me a light that I might go safely into the unknown. And a voice replied, go out into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God, that will be to you better than a light and safer than a known way.”

Artist Critique and Conversation

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Tonight, March 26th, between 6Pm and 8PM, I will be a guest panelist at the Art and History Museums of  Maitland, Artist Critiques Evening held in the Art and History Museum’s Germaine Marvel Building. The event is free and open to the Public.  The Artist Critique and Conversation series, is a professional development series that offers artists the opportunity to have their work reviewed. Held on the 4th Tuesday of every month at 6 pm at the Maitland Art Center, the critiques are led by artist and arts writer Josh Garrick, along with guest panelists Thomas Thorspecken and Camilo Velasquez. Each evening is meant to be both entertaining and informative with audience participation encouraged.

Artists of every medium and skill level are encouraged to participate in the critiques.  Each critique will review up to 9 artists, and all artists MUST sign up in advance. Interested artists can sign up in advance for one of the nine slots.  Each artist can only sign up for one of the nine slots every three months.

This sketch was done at the January Critique. A nocturnal painting by Deloris Habencorn is on the easel.  Marion DeJong showed five paintings depicting life in Siri Lanka. She has just recently taken up painting and the pieces which had a folk art flair were quite accomplished. Lorain Del Wood showed several of her fashionable women in large hats. She has been offered a licensing agreement which she is quite excited about. The guest panelists that night were Martha Joe Mahoney and Dr. Victor Locas.

Greg Nielsen showed several small paintings of clouds. Martha liked the pieces but she encouraged him to be bold and work very large. That way he would be more physical in the creative process and perhaps bolder. She wanted him to consider the luscious quality of the paint working fat into lean, with thick juicy strokes. He took in all she said but when asked what he thought of the idea, he said, “The notion of working that large would probably scare my wife.” Everyone laughed.

Dedication of the Morgan & Morgan Hunger Relief Center

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A new 10,0000 square Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida foot distribution center, (411 Mercy Drive Orlando FL), has just opened it’s doors. I went to the dedication ceremony on March 6th. Several hundred people toured the huge facility and watched the dedication ceremony. Mayor Buddy Dyer was there and he joked that John Morgan’s home was as cavernous as the warehouse. John Morgan of Morgan and Morgan Law, addressed the crowd. He mentioned that as a teen he had worked at Disney World dressing up as Pluto. He was miffed that Pluto wasn’t to be found on the huge Disney mural behind him. He said that most people might say that donating the money to build the food bank was easy. Well it wasn’t easy and don’t be calling him for any donations soon.

A woman took the stage and spoke about her family’s struggles after her husband lost his job. Being proud, it was a long time before she could admit they needed help. When she finally did turn to the food bank, she was amazed at the healthy quality food they received. Now her husband is working again and they are back on their feet.  The needs in the past four years have grown by 75%.

Second Harvest Food
Bank of Central Florida is a private, nonprofit organization that
collects and distributes donated food to more than 500 nonprofit partner
agencies in six Central Florida counties: Brevard, Lake, Orange,
Osceola, Seminole and Volusia. Learn more about how you can donate. If you’re interested in becoming a partner agency, click here.

Vision: A Hunger-Free Central Florida

Mission: To Fight Hunger in Central Florida

  • Providing access to food and other grocery products in order to meet the need.
  • Promoting and supporting the development of our partner agencies’ ability to fulfill their missions.
    Mobilizing leaders and communities by bringing visibility to the invisible problem of hunger and poverty.
  • Developing more holistic and county-specific solutions to hunger in Central Florida.

Volunteers Build a Children’s Playground in 1 Day!

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On a cold and blistery Saturday,  March 2 between 8AM and 3PM, volunteers helped build a Children’s Park at Fleet Peeples Park in 1Day! The Friends of Fleet Peeples Park partnered with City of Winter Park Parks and Recreation Department to build the Children’s Playground. Having won a grant by being ranked as 1 of the top Fun Cities in America by Dr. Pepper and Snapple, the materials were provided by the Kaboom Organization. The construction of the park was finished using an all volunteer force of 150 local volunteers under the supervision of trained Kaboom Park experts. Breakfast and lunch were be provided to all volunteers.

When I got there round 1:30PM, construction was close to being complete. Some lengths of fencing were being finished and a couple of workers were on the Jungle Jim tightening bolts. The biggest thing happening was that a line of volunteers were moving a mountain of sand using wheel barrels. Erin Volz was there with her 8 month old son. She had been working in the morning, but with her son on her hip it was hard to maneuver a wheel barrel. This is the type of project that really makes me believe that anything is possible in any community if people work together. A huge palm frond crashed down next to me because of the wind. It was time to get in the car to warm up. Sketching doesn’t burn as many calories as moving sand.