Hello everyone!
July is one of my favorite months, and not just because it’s the middle of summer. July is when Heard hosts the writing contests with our partners at the Alexandria and Arlington County Detention Centers! We host them simultaneously because it’s easier and less time-consuming than holding the contests at two separate times. Of course, the end of July gets quite busy when we receive all the entries, make our annual trek to Staples to copy them, then mail them out to our judges.
And the best part? Reading the insightful, honest, sometimes brutal, and sometimes hilarious fiction, non-fiction, and poetry penned by the incarcerated. Their stories will show you their humanness, their love for their children and family, their isolation, and their dreams. As the stories are posted on our website in late summer or early fall, you can find them here on our Heard website, and here for poetry. I invite you to take a look.
Our diverse judges have been part of our contest event since we began in 2018, and include the past and present Alexandria poet laureates Wendi Kaplan and KaNikki Jakarta, and Arlington County poet laureates Hollynd Karapetkova and Katherine Young, Mary Wadland from Alexandria’s local, community-loving media outlet The Zebra, Jenny Sullivan, editor of Arlington Magazine, author and community leader Sly Young, and one of my favorite Georgetown teachers and best-selling author, Mike Long. This year I’m thrilled to add writer, genealogist, and Alexandria Living Legend Char McCargo Bah to our judging team too!
Meanwhile, we’ve been quite busy! We are slowly starting our classes onsite again, which has done wonders in the sharing and connection that is so vital to our work! Some highlights include holding a virtual (we’re still Zooming with some partners) dance and spoken word class through the City of Alexandria LGBTQA Task Force for Pride Week, returning to the Alexandria and Arlington County Detention Centers for art and creative writing, and starting programming with Space of Her Own (SOHO), a mentoring program for tweens.
How’s our funding? So glad you asked! Thank you again for your amazing generosity during Spring2ACTion, and I’m thrilled to announce that Heard received $4,500 from the Commonwealth of Virginia Commission for the Arts! We can bring so much creativity to those that need it the most with this kind of support.
To all of the Marie Force fans out there: This NYT, USA Today, and WSJ best-selling author donated to $1,000 to Heard during her annual Readers' Weekend last month! Yes her COO is one of our board members, and we'd also like to believe it's because as an author, Marie understands the importance of artist compensation. Thank you for your support, Marie! That means the world to us, and I hope it inspires our clients to believe in themselves and their art, just as you have.
Below you will see some art, poetry, and other works created by those we serve. Please enjoy.
Talk soon,
Jane
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Creative Corner - experience our clients' creations
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Our visual arts classes are still virtual at the Alexandria Detention Center, but that doesn't stop us! Recently Sharmila led a "Make your Superhero" class where the inmates created their own superhero. So please meet "Pain Relieving Octopus whose tentacles can heal you upon touch!
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In our first event with new partner Space of Her Own, our art teacher Alison led a group of preteen girls through her She-Art project. Two hours later, the girls (plus a few adults) had created their avatar and their favorite motivational phrase, which they glued onto a 6" x 6" tile. Now these girls have a daily reminder that they are strong, creative, kind, compassionate, and any other positive, descriptive phrase that they chose for themselves. Girls rule! But we already knew that.
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"My journey began when I was young & new.
I was gullible & He knew.
He took me through ups and downs
good times & bad.
In the beginning it was fun & a lot of laughs.
We went everywhere together
I had his back & He had mine.
One day I knew it was too good to be true.
My journey was taking me on lefts
when I was supposed to go right
& rights when I was supposed to go left.
The sunshine & rainbows were fading away
along w/the good times & laughs..."
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Ok so we admit that it's not the best photo you've ever seen, but taking pictures of a dance class over Zoom requires a finesse that this editor doesn't have. So, please appreciate the spirit of this photo of our dance teacher, Tina Kantiano, as she led us through a one-hour dance workout as part of the City of Alexandria's LGBTQ Task Force Pride event. Want to know more about Tina? Read on: |
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Tina Rae Kantiano has taught thousands of young dancers for over 25 years, mentoring and encouraging them along the way. Her students have danced with P. Diddy and Ludacris, and performed in movies, Cirque De Soleil, and the traveling company of Cats.
A former NFL cheerleader for the Baltimore Ravens and an NBA dance coach, Tina has danced professionally with Patti Labelle, Savion Glover, and Gregory Hines. During the past 10 years, she has been a volunteer teacher of youth hip hop and adult English while living in Central and South America.
Tina lives in McLean, Virginia, where she is also a writer and marketing consultant, and is learning to master vegan recipes in her free time. Her first book, Living the Dream, offers her wisdom and insights into daily life.
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Tina also is a cut-throat motivator who will stop at nothing to move someone beyond their perceived limitations. |
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People are talking about us! Here is some feedback we have received lately that we just had to share with you:
From our clients:
This [creative writing] class let our creative side shine, thank you to the teacher [Solveig Eggerz] for bringing us new things to do every week (with a heart, smiley, and peace emoji)
“She [Wendi Kaplan] was a wonderful teacher who inspired me to continue on with my personal writing. Thank you so much.”
"The class was an excellent opportunity to express all that is on the heart and mind and a strengthening of self-confidence. I hope to continue it and move to higher levels in writing. Thankful and grateful for the distinguished professor and writer, Nina Sichel.”
From our program partners:
"Nina [Sichel], It was a privilege to be a part of your session today. I wrote and wrote and listened and learned; what a fantastic opportunity."
"Yesterday’s [poetry]workshop was AWESOME! I loved everything you shared, C [Thomas, our spoken word artist] – your words, your poetry. I loved the prompts. I love that you got me to write a poem (I never do that) and took us all into a different headspace. I love that M***** wanted to send hers to you even though she felt too shy to read it during the workshop. It feels good to be in your presence – even over zoom. Thank you for radiating welcoming and positive energy. We appreciate you and the Heard Program so very much!"
From the Commonwealth of Virginia Commission for the Arts:
"The community it [Heard] serves is lucky to have such committed people trying to make a difference in someone who thought they would never rise up from where they are."
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This program is funded by:
City of Alexandria Arts Grant Program
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and generous donors like you! |
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Your donation supports our artists, who foster creativity, confidence, self-worth, and life skills to adults who are underserved, unknown, and unheard by offering them artistic expression through experiential instruction and participation. We are grateful for your support. Donate online through our secure website.
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Select Heard as your Amazon Smile charity, and 0.5% of your eligible purchases on Amazon are donated to us! Just click on the logo.
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