There Will Be Words

Posted on by Thor

There Will Be Words produces a somewhat quarterly reading series called Saturday Night Special which combines prose and poets and a sporadic poetry slam called There Will Be Verse. The location of these shows rotates and proceeds generated from our shows go back to our featured writers.In this sketch Trevor Fraser is seated in a lounge chair prior to the event at Urban Think. Tod Caviness is at the mic reading one of his insightful and always funny tomes about Central Florida.

Jesse Bradley, the host, invites four writers each month receive ten minutes to read a work of fiction or non-fiction of their own creation. Authors read fiction and non-fiction between 1000-1500 words. The piece could previously be published elsewhere.

I enjoy going to sketch and I am always blown away by some awesome and unexpected story. Tapping into the creativity right here in Orlando is much more fun than wasting away in front of a TV.

Functionally Literate at Avalon Island Gallery.

Posted on by Thor

I went to “There will be words“, at The Gallery at Avalon Island (39 S Magnolia Avenue Orlando FL) to hear fiction read by local authors.  The evening was hosted by Jesse Bradley. An iPhone, mounted on a tripod recorded every reader. This event is always a great sketch opportunity. I get to see local art in the gallery and then listen to local authors reading their latest work.

The next “There will be words” happens on Tuesday, November 8 from 7 PM to 8:30 PM. This show will take place on the most important day
of the year: Election Day. And there will be writers who are reading
stories based on what the world looks like when you make a terrible
decision.

Glendaliz Camacho
John King
Rachel Kolman
Whitney Hamrick

Afterwards, all the authors will go somewhere and watch the votes being counted and hope that Florida doesn’t fuck this up for everyone.

There Will Be Words is Orlando’s Premiere Literary Reading Series

Posted on by Thor

On June 10th I went to The Gallery at Avalon Island (39 S Magnolia Avenue Orlando FL) to sketch There Will Be Words. The monthly event gives local authors a place to share their writing. The event is organized by Jessie Bradley and usually features up to five local authors. There are many poetry reading opportunities in town but this is the only regular event to feature fiction writing. On the walls were paintings that were a collaboration between Monte Olinger and Donna Dowless.

On this evening I focused on Stephanie R. Johnson. Her story was about the ghost of Truman Capote. He haunted a young woman’s apartment causing not fear, but a mild annoyance with his pretentious airs. Stephanie would shift into Truman’s personality on a dime. Truman’s flamboyant affectations eventually became unbearably and the living and dead needed to have a talk. Truman was quite used to always having his way  and spending money as he pleased but the two needed to reach an agreement. The story had me laughing the whole time. Stephanie’s performance added to the delight. This is why the arts will always thrive. There is magic in the moment when people gather to share stories. Watching an author read her own words is far more intimate than sitting passively in front of a tube. Discovering Orlando’s hidden arts scene can be fabulous darling!

There Will Be Words was named Orlando’s Best Literary Reading Series by the readers of the
Orlando Weekly in 2013, it showcases the best writers
Florida has to offer, on the second Tuesday of every month at Gallery at Avalon Island, 39 S. Magnolia in Downtown Orlando. Mark Your Calendar! This months event will be tomorrow night, September 9th. The show starts promptly at 7pm and runs until 8pm and is event is free.

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.

There Will Be Words

Posted on by Thor

On December 11th, I went to the final installment of “There Will be Words” for 2012 at Urban ReThink, (625 East Central Boulevard, Orlando).  Officially it was the end of the second year of these monthly readings by local authors. Jesse Bradley was the host.  The authors who read this month were,

Hunter Choate,
Rachel Kolman,
Jonathan Kosik,
and Leslie Salas

Flirt. 

I sketched from my perch on the second floor balcony.  I liked Jonathan Kosik’s story titled “Pensacola.” The story told was of pristine sand beaches turned into hazardous sites by thick merciless oil from a spill in the Gulf. Men in hazmet suits worked tractors that pushed the black sand up and down the beachfront.  Lifeguard stations stood empty. As the well spilled into the Gulf, the narrator tried to reach his wife by phone. There were irreconcilable differences. Lawyers sent papers that needed signing. 223 calls had been made. “A long drawn out period of litigation, mixed with harassment charges, would only delay the cleanup of what had turned into an ugly situation.” Experts believe the Gulf might restore itself in 50 years. For those who lived through the damage, the loss would last a lifetime.

On display at ReThink was a black dress on a manikin made entirely of plastic garbage bags.  The plastic was folded into ornate roses that decorated the bust and lower skirt of the dress. Dina Mack pointed out that the dress had a zipper in back and, if you were thin enough, you could wear it. I imagine it would get rather hot especially in the Florida sun. The International Academy of Design and Technology assigned groups of students to design the dresses. They were on display at various Thornton Park businesses. The schools slogan is “You imagine, we get you there.”

The next “There Will be Words” will be on February 12th at Urban ReThink. Authors mingle around 6PM and the readings begin around 7PM. You never know what stories might surface or sink beneath the black waves.

Flash Spooktacular Spoken Word #2

Posted on by Thor

I went to Urban ReThink, (625 E Central Blvd, Orlando), on October 9th, for readings by local authors.This edition of There Will Be Words featured eight writers reading horror stories or ghost stories that are 500 words or less. The event is held on the second Thursday of every month starting at 7PM.  Jesse Bradley was the moderator so I sketched him since he stepped up to the mic between readings. 500 words fly by mighty fast when you are sketching. Authors included, Karen Best,
Teege Braune,
Arnie Ellis,
Brendan Earl,
Whitney Hamrick,
Sam Lamura,
Rafael Lancelotta, and
Michael Pierre. John Hurst, a former Disney Feature Animation colleague, entered the event wearing a knitted beard and mustache. Walked up to a redheaded man with a beard and cap. They looked like twins. Everyone laughed as they posed for pictures together.

A small iPhone was on a tripod recording the authors. Some stories were funny while others were downright gory. One author imagined what it was like to be eaten alive. In this agonizing moment, he hoped they wouldn’t ruin his looks making it hard for him to pick up zombie chicks. One of the more horrifically truthful stories was written a half hour before the event. The author went back into his family history to talk about an uncle who was murdered by a male lover. There was little consequence for the crime. Handmade, limited edition chapbooks featuring prose from each
night’s readings are sold on site for $5 to support the event and its
authors. Burrow Press will soon be selling 5 box sets of the There Will Be
Words’ first year of chapbooks, all copies signed by the authors, as a
fundraiser for future book projects.  After the event, John invited me out with his red headed buddy for some Mexican food. My sketch was done, and I felt I should get home, so I thanked him for inviting me, and then slipped away into the night.

There Will Be Words

Posted on by Thor

On the second Tuesday of every month authors gather at 7PM at Urban ReThink, (625 East Central Boulevard), for a literary prose throw down called There Will Be Words. The event is hosted by J. Bradley and judged by three unsuspecting audience members picked at random. Most of the people who pack the audience for There will be Words are authors who are themselves competing. It is an event that I am now addicted to, since listening to stories told live seems far more interesting to me than watching reruns on TV or watching movies where computer effects are the star attraction.

On this evening, I sketched James Fleming,  who read a highly entertaining and funny story called, God Damn Bears. It was an excerpt from a memoir called Too Much Sunshine, Memories of a Boyhood in the Age of Regan. You should listen, it really is hilarious. Warning however, it wasn’t very politically correct. It is a strange story in which fear becomes legend in a small rural town. Bears, get a bad wrap.

Authors spared head to head in heated literary heats until at the end of the evening, a victor was announced. I didn’t really follow the scoring, anyone who listens in, wins. As the light outside faded the stories gained heft and weight. If I remember right, J. Bradley won that night. I don’t see the point in judging. It is simply enough to expose the creative culture that continually bubbles to the surface here in Orlando.

There will be Words

Posted on by Thor

The spoken word competition called “There Will be Words” at Urban Rethink got off to a late start. When I arrived, three authors were talking sports and politics in the lounge area. I listened in for a bit then wandered upstairs to start my sketch. Eight authors went head to head trying to win the votes of three audience members who were picked at random. The judges were picked when three wadded up balls of paper were tossed into the audience. Whoever picked up the paper became a judge. I sketched when Tod Caviness read. I figured I would get a chance to sketch him when he went onto the next round. Surprisingly, he lost in this first round. Eight competitors were reduced to four, then two who battled for the coveted bragging rights. The winner turned out to be Trevor Fraser the author seated in the blue chair. It was a fun night with some really quirky stories. I’m hooked.