Winter Is Hot at Studio Roanoke

Studio Roanoke will premier "Ashville" next week and writer Lucy Thurber will be in from NYCity to see how it goes. Lucy is a young writer with seven plays to her credit.

When I mentioned to director Todd Ristau that she may be accomplished, but she still can't spell "Asheville," which is my hometown, he pointed that this is a different place (in New England) than I have in mind. Sorry, Lucy.

The play runs Feb. 9-14 at Studio One (8 p.m. each night, 2 p.m. matinees Saturday and Sunday) on Campbell Ave. in Roanoke. Tickets are $15 general admission and $12 for students and old guys like me. You can find out more here or by calling 540-343-3054. Remember that this theater only has about 40 seats, so get your tickets.

It is a "dark, sat little comedy about a blue collar, small town America, mothers, daughters, drug dealers and love. The kind of Valentine's Day card you'd expect from Studio Roanoke." That's what the promotional copy says and, frankly, I don't know much more than I did before reading it. But I do know I get to be there Monday night for the dress rehearsal (I'm soooooo special) and I'll report back to you on that.

Lucy has a long resume, mostly secondary stuff you've not heard of yet, and she has taught at Columbia University (graduate playwriting) and Sarah Lawrence College and she runs an after school theater project for teenagers in NYC.

My guess is that if the play's as good as the poster, every night will be a sellout. Spelling or no spelling.

Football Baby Names for 2010

I've become something of a junkie for college football recruiting and National Signing Day, which ranks just behind Christmas as an anticipated event. What that means is that I have to learn a whole lot of names of young guys I didn't know before and most of whom I'll never hear of again.

It occurred to me, in following all these names, that there are an unusual number of odd--unique in some cases--names here. Some look like spelling errors. Others attempts at shadowing the classics without benefit of having read them and others a simple effort at being different and owning a name that belongs to one person in the world.

And, so I'm compiling my own baby names book starting with the following (of real top-level prospects who signed with big-time football schools Tuesday):

Da’Rick, Ean, Kenarious, Kendrum, Kolton, Markeith, Rajaan, Rajion, Shynjyn (somebody spilled the Scrabble set), Tai-Ler, Telvin, Seantrel, Dejor, Jakhari (Jack and Harry got married), Taveon, Martavius, Kadron, Michaelee, Tunde, Juwan, Jermarcus, Roszell, Tauheed, Owamagbe (OK, he's an African and that doesn't count), Kony, Devonte , Toquavius, Ferlando, Dequan, Tyrann, Tre’Vante, Anterio (and his brother Posterio, perhaps), Latwan, Trovon, Tharold.

Pick one. Or more. Or, better yet, make one up. The kid will love it. Or not.

In Honor of Ann Masters' Big Heart ...

The word today is "heart disease." Uh, wordS, I guess it is. Anyhow, my late friend Ann Masters' daughter, Sam, told me that if we're going to support some awareness of women and heart disease--not to mention men and heart disease, who have a longer history with it--we need to wear red today.

The Pendleton shirt I'm wearing here was one of Ann's favorites ("You're so sexy in red, Smith," she'd say, getting me ready so she could ask me to do something for her). My mother died of heart disease and my grandpa, bless his heart, died on his way to church of a heart attack. My brother Sandy lay on an operating table about two years ago while a physician held Sandy's heart in his hands. Sandy was a college athlete who exercises regularly and doesn't have a bad diet that I'm aware of. But we have those genes.

I have discovered since Sandy's heart episode that all my siblings have cholesterol and blood pressure problems (and I have them, too, in addition to the diabetes thing that came on because of my lard ass). So, we've looked into all this and settled on our individual plans, which do not include cashing in soon.

I suggest you do that, too. Heart disease just lurks there in the darkness, waiting for that stress situation or that one more little particle of cholesterol to clog your arteries before it smilingly kills you.

Swinging Low With the Golden Voices

And if you're looking for a little music to go with your snow, consider the Tuskeegee Golden Voices Choir, which will perform March 3, 7 p.m. at the Calvary (not to be confused with Cavalry) Baptist Church in downtown Roanoke.

This internationally known choir will sing for free.

A Pause To Consider Tweeting

The New Yorker's George Packer, who writes with marvelous authority, wit and in this case, sense of loss, takes on response to his recent Twitter criticism here (and the original post that started it all here). It is a thoughtful piece by a writer and journalist with considerable insight who sees change that is not always good in the way we consume news ("read," as he so quaintly calls it).

Here's a key passage that will make those of us who tweet idly in grunts and belches , distorting real communication with pieces of our attention, pause for a moment. Then return to the screen.

"Just about everyone I know complains about the same thing when they’re being honest—including, maybe especially, people whose business is reading and writing. They mourn the loss of books and the loss of time for books. It’s no less true of me, which is why I’m trying to place a few limits on the flood of information that I allow into my head.

"The other day I had to re-shelve two dozen books that my son had wantonly pulled down, most of them volumes from college days. I thumbed idly through a few urgently underlined pages of Kierkegaard’s Concluding Unscientific Postscript, a book that electrified me during my junior year, and began to experience something like the sensation middle-aged men have at the start of softball season, when they try sprinting to first base after a winter off. What a ridiculous effort it took!

"There’s no way for readers to be online, surfing, e-mailing, posting, tweeting, reading tweets, and soon enough doing the thing that will come after Twitter, without paying a high price in available time, attention span, reading comprehension, and experience of the immediately surrounding world. The Internet and the devices it’s spawned are systematically changing our intellectual activities with breathtaking speed, and more profoundly than over the past seven centuries combined. It shouldn’t be an act of heresy to ask about the trade-offs that come with this revolution. In fact, I’d think asking such questions would be an important part of the job of a media critic, or a lead Bits blogger."

Sadly, George's side of this argument, stated eloquently, is being drowned by the clicking of the keyboard as tweeters try to figure one more way to condense sentences into all but unintelligible blips of data.

Grandin Alternative II: Mixed Media on Steroids

Simon Nolen, a teacher at Community High School in Roanoke and a film and media arts graduate of Temple University, has put together a ... uh ... something. I’m not quite sure what to call it, but it sounds literate, engaging, entertaining and, well, unusual. In a nutshell, it looks like this: local bands, a famous writer, a vampire--presented in a church.

It’s called "Jack Pendarvis & Nosferatu, Scored by Rootstone and Magic Twig’ and it sounds local, international, fascinating and certainly creative, which is the entire point of the Marginal Arts Festival, of which it is a part.

It is scheduled Friday, Feb. 12, 7:30-11:30 p.m. at the old church building on the corner of Church and 5th St, across from the Kirk Family YMCA. (An aside here: This is the church where a judge once sentenced me to attend AA or go to jail after being busted for drunk driving. I picked AA.) Here’s what Simon says (heh, heh) about his production:

“All right here is the deal: Marginal Arts Festival is all about mixed media, and man do I have a doozie. Imagine if you had access to a really gifted author, Jack Pendarvis.

"Now consider German Expressionism, in the form of Murnau's classic silent film ‘Nosferatu.’ Also imagine if you could expose an audience to the inner-workings of the concept of score.

"This is what I have planned, featuring the best group of musicians in Roanoke, The Magic Twig Community along with The Rootstone guys. I think this along with the venue will offer our city a chance to view literature, film, and music in a social atmosphere.

"I am expecting quite an event. One of the things that I am fascinated by at the moment, is how venue influences cinema. I enjoy new locations and different set ups. Where people sit and where they stand can change their perception of the work. I also enjoy exposing the inter-workings of film.

"That is why I like the notion of viewing musicians, scoring a piece, as we view the piece. I chose ‘Nosferatu,’ because I find it highly accessible compared to other German Expressionism. Murnau has a way that is elegant and familiar. I think this is a great way to introduce an audience to what the German Expressionists gave to cinema.

"Tagged to this event I also have novelist and Oxford American columnist Jack Pendarvis. It is difficult to get people to come out for a reading, so why not mix mediums? Exposing people to new forms and artists is what the Marginal Arts Festival is for.”

Simon went all the way through this narrative without saying that “Nosferatu” will scare the shi … uh … bejeezus out of you.

Eggplant in the Middle, Good Stuff All Around

Lovely chirrin', grandpa's been in the kitchen with his experimenting apron on and tonight's surprise is Mother Smith's World Famous Eggplant Thingy. And it's good.

It's also simple, easy and relatively quick. Here's what you need:

• One medium-sized eggplant
• One medium-sized yellow squash
• 8-10 whole mushrooms
• Two whole spring onions (big ones if you can get them)
• One can or jar of standard spaghetti sauce (I used a 26.5-ounce can)
• Four ounces mozzarella
• Three ounces grated parmesan

Slice eggplant (1/2 inch) and quarter the slices. Coat (I use whole wheat flour with salt and hefty pepper) and fry in a light oil until crisp. Remove and set aside.

Slice the squash and put in a skillet with hot oil long enough to brown it. Toss in the onions and mushrooms, as well. Cook about six or seven minutes.

Pour the spaghetti sauce into a two-quart casserole dish and mix in veggies. Sprinkle the parmesan liberally over the top (even if you're a conservative; remember "liberal" is the root of "libertarian," so you're OK). Cover the whole mess with the mozzarella and put the dish into a pre-heated 400-degree oven for 30 minutes.

CAUTION: The fried eggplant is so good that it's difficult not to eat it all before putting it into the casserole.

I ate mine with a salad, but I'm not sure that many veggies at one time is good for you. Throw a veggie dog on the grille ... or maybe not; they're awful. You figure it out.

A Potential Thawing in the Grandin Situation

It appears some progress is being made in the Grandin Theatre disagreement that has resulted in some harsh feelings, threats of a boycott, at least one demonstration (with pickets) and a lot of ill will.

Today, Tony Stavola, who had been on the Grandin Theatre Foundation board for years, left and has returned, sent this note to me (Tony's a physician and not a writer, so I've cleaned it up a bit):

"The executive committee [of the Grandin Theatre], at the suggestion of some of us, is going to discuss having a forum of some type with some of those who have been supporters but also expressed concern--such as yourself. More on that to come soon, I hope. The idea would be to have the chance to have a discussion focusing on what the future should be for us. This community only loses if we do not strive to make sure the Grandin continues to be sucessful now and in the future."

It was the second positive step of the day: the first being that fired former General Manager Jason Garrett went to the theater and picked up his belongings. There had been some question about whether he would be allowed to do that.

There has been considerable intensive discussion going on--apparently on both sides of the issue, and I know that some are looking into alternatives to the Grandin and others are strongly supporting some kind of boycott. Among the sticking points for those with a bone to pick with the Grandin has been a lack of dialogue with the board as a whole and the failure to recognize that this group even exists. The perceived withholding of Jason Garnett's personal gear (virtually all of it loaned to the Grandin to help make it better in one way or another) has been a special sore spot for many, as well.

So, You Think You Had a Tough Day?

Equipment is piled on the bank as the big vehicles go to work.^

This is the tred mark left on the bank of the river.^

Workers line up the frame in the middle of the river using this scope and one on the other bank.^

Workers drive the canal-diggers.^

The long brown strip in the foreground is a footer that has been laid for the bridge.^

If you were sitting in your office today, watching the snow fall outside and fretting about how hard it would be to get home this evening, you might want to pay close attention to the above photos. This is how the other half works.

This crew from Hammond-Mitchell, which is constructing a new low-water bridge in Wasena Park on the Roanoke River in Roanoke didn't get the day off. Didn't get to do some of the easy work. Didn't even get to stay on land. With the snow falling hard, the guys climbed aboard their canal diggers and went to it.

They were positioning the metal framework that is sticking up from the riverbed so it could be covered with heavy plastic, cutting off the water flow inside so they could place another footer for the bridge in the middle of the river. That meant driving the heavy equipment straight to the center, while the guys on short aligned the frame so it would line up with the other footers. Precise, tough, gritty work in the middle of a snowstorm.

And you thought you had it tough.

Photo Essay: Sledding in Grandin Village

Sleds await use at the top of the run.^

Same shot as above, different angle and orientation.^

Mom cradles the little one as she prepares to shoot down the hill.^

Little guy tries to squeeze in for his next run (you can see he's already a veteran by the snow on his clothes).^

It's a long, slow walk back up the long hill after a fast run down.^

Mom tries to keep up with her running little one, who's hardly winded after her run. Mom gets to carry the sled, though.^

The hill above the Memorial Bridge on Memorial Ave. in Raleigh Court was dotted with sledders late this afternoon.^

Little man, big sled, bigger fun (above) and this guy (right) shows he's a veteran of the downhill run.^

Snow brings out the best from the people of Raleigh Court who gather in numbers above the Memorial Ave. Bridge for some serious sledding.

Today, with bright azure skies, crisp, mid-30s temperatures and enthusiasm that can't be measured, sledders ganged up at the top for their long runs down the big slope and flocked around their parents on the bunny slope for the shorter run.

It is the neighborhood's own ski resort without the skis (and without the hefty price tag).

Coming Up Short on the Grandin at the Daily

Those eagerly awaiting (more than two weeks) for the local daily newspaper to weigh in on the recent unpleasantness at the Grandin Theatre got arts reporter Mike Allen's best shot this morning in his Sunday column. Day late, dollar short is what it used to be called, but we'll not quibble with the lateness, just the lack of original reporting.

This was a warmed-over re-hash of a smattering of what has taken place on Internet blogs (scroll back on this one if you're interested), a new petition drive and on Facebook. The 'net has fairly crackled with information, updates and calls to arms (and even defenses of the status quo on occasion). There was absolutely nothing new or revealing that I could see in Allen's piece. He had blogged very briefly about the dustup a couple of times in the past two weeks, but even that was almost completely non-revelatory (he ran the board chairman's lame explanation of what was going on most recently, but without comment or any other reporting and, frankly, behind my release of it hours before).

Let me mention here that Allen has done some good work in a lot of areas as a newspaper reporter in the past and that he is fully capable of doing the job here. He's also a guy who is interested and involved in the arts (good actor and writer for the stage), so I don't think this is something that bores him.

The Times will tell you that it couldn't do much here because none of the principles was talking and there's some value to that point of view. It is a value that the 'net snubs its nose at in allowing all parties equal access to its immediate communications capability. The daily newspaper serves a good journalistic purpose in that it jumps through the proper hoops on its stories. That does not always result in truth--God, do I have examples!--but it almost always results in fact. Almost always. The two are not necessarily synonymous.

What we got from the Internet reporting-cum-gossip-mongering was a picture of a dysfunctional elite operating order and a gaggle of upset supporters and patrons who didn't like what they saw and were ready to talk about it to anybody who'd listen. Over the past two weeks or so, I have listened to a lot of people, called a lot of people, reported what I could when it was on the record and I think a picture has evolved. Others have done similar work, much of it heated and emotional. I don't know what the result has been yet, except to unify the protesters, but I don't think it's over, either.

Adam Greenbaum, who runs movie theaters like the Grandin (independents) in Staunton and Charlottesville has expressed (to me in a pretty long conversation) his interest in either owning or running the Grandin. I gave him some contact info so he could talk to the people in charge. He has been looking for a place in Roanoke to open a theater for about a year and sees a possibility with the Grandin. The daily has not reported that at all and it is a potentially important element here.

Frankly, I think the 'net has outperformed the daily in this instance and it could well be a harbinger of what's coming.

Roanoke in the Quiet

Roanoke Valley Natural Foods Co-op in Grandin Village.^

Grandin Theatre and Grandin Village.^

Looking west on Campbell Avenue from the center of Roanoke City Market.^

City Market stalls with Norfolk Southern in background right.^

Center in the Square (and my pickup truck).^

202 Market St. Restaurant adorned with icicles.^

This is not an antique. I swear. It is a telephone. A working public telephone. A City Market anachronism.^

City Market, dead center.^

Wachovia Tower.^

Hotel Roanoke.^

Some of Susan Jennings' city artwork (nice, Susan).^

Clock at Wachovia Tower. I like this. It gives a small-town feel to the center of the urban area.^

Horses used to drink from the Dogmouth Fountain on City Market.^

I went downtown about noon today to get some shots in the snow, which was about eight inches at the time and still falling steadily.

I don't remember when the city felt so quiet. The roads were in good shape, relatively, but Roanokers are not keen on driving in falling snow, so I pretty much had it to myself, except for the occasional plow and some walkers.

It is a different view of the city than the one I get on an almost daily basis; one that is stark, lovely and, most of all, quiet. I like quiet. Roanoke in the quiet. Nice.

Putting the Levity Back in Football

For those of you bemoaning the lack of football today and tomorrow (bless its heart, the Pro Bowl all-star game counts for absolutely nothing), let's all settle back and have a little laugh at our favorite sport. My wife gave me The Bathroom Football Book for Christmas, which is why she's been asking on occasion, "Are you ever going to finish in there?"

Here's some of what it says:

"Statistics remind me of the guy who drowned in the river whose average depth was three feet." --Woody Hayes

"Gentlemen, it is better to have died a small boy than to fumble this football." --John Heisman

"On this team we are united in one common goal: to keep my job." --Lou Holtz

"If your work is not fired with enthusiasm, then you will be fired--with enthusiasm." John Mazur (ex-Patriots coach)

"The thing I like about football is that you don't have to take a shower to go to work." --John Hilgenberg (Bears center)

"Just remember the words of Patrick Henry: 'Kill me or let me live.'" --Bill Peterson (Florida State coach)

"We're like a cross-eyed discus thrower: we don't win many games, but we keep the crowd loose." --Bill Curry (ex-Kentucky coach)

"I'm really happy for ... the guys who've been around here for six or seven years, especially our seniors." --Bob Hoying (Ohio state quarterback)

"Our kicker only had one bad day last year: Saturday." Gary Darnell (ex-coach at Tennessee Tech)

"I had the air conditioning at my back." --Rusty Fricke (he had just kicked a 60-yard field goal indoors)

"That was instinct ... like running from the cops." --Marquis Weeks (Virginia player who had run a kickoff back 100 yards)

"I told the administration I'd win the Big 10 championship in two years if they'd let me do two things: spend all the money I wanted and cheat." --Lee Corso

"They didn't like my overhand delivery." --Bubba Smith (ex-lineman on being banned from bowling alleys)

"The really scary thing is that some of these people work for the government." --Joe Jacoby (on Redskins fans in pig costumes)

"Probably the Beatles' 'White Album.'" --Steve Largent (outstanding receiver on which record he'll cherish)

"After three failed marriages, I know what it's like to be replaced." --Terry Bradshaw (on a quarterback losing his job)

"They say two things happen when you get older. One is you forget things. I can't remember the other right now." --Marv Levy (at 80)

Grandin fix without the Grandin: 'Lovely Bones'

For those of you who don't have the Grandin Theatre's movie lineup in your life these days because of the recent ugly events there, have an alternative this weekend (snow permitting). Director Peter Jackson's "The Lovely Bones," based upon (and don't get too carried away with the thought that it will be faithful) Alice Sebold's bestseller about the death of a child and how it rips apart a family.

The often surreal movie version--with some startlingly good performances--is much more a murder mystery and it is framed with some truly magnificent photography. Think of the movie and the book as two different entities and you'll enjoy the movie far more because, for what it is, it's quite good.

At the center here is the death of Susie Salmon (played by Saoirse Ronan with a nice subtlety), a 14-year-old from a loving and happy family who is murdered by a creepy neighbor (Stanley Tucci, who played Julia Child's husband in "Julie and Julia" and is effective here, as well). While the book was a study in family dynamics in the time of extreme stress, this one turns into a good murder mystery.

Go see it. Get your Grandin fix without implying you approve of the recent actions there.

A look at the Negro Leagues at Roanoke College

The 1938 Homestead Grays featured home run king Josh Gibson (inside left, second row).

One of the most interesting of the 20th Century's race artifacts, baseball's Negro Leagues, will be the topic of a lecture and film Feb. 11 in celebration of Black History Month. “The Negro Baseball Leagues–An American Legacy” is scheduled Thursday, Feb. 11, 8 p.m. at Roanoke College’s Colket Center Wortmann Ballroom.

The lecturer is filmmaker Byron Motley, who will take a look at yet another piece of intriguing history you won’t find in many books. Negro League players—some of the best ever when you consider people like Josh Gibson, Satchel Paige, Jackie Robinson, Hank Aaron and many, many others—lived an entirely different life than their Major League brethren, often being assigned to “Negroes only” living and eating facilities while on the road and playing in secondary facilities, although their crowds were loud and raucous.

The leagues, of course, came about because African-Americans were banned from baseball from the early 20th Century (think "Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis," who also banned eight Black Sox--"Eight Men Out," a great movie--for life) until Robinson’s debut in the late 1940s. Colorful, interesting, exciting period in our bleak history of race relations. Or, more accurately in this case, non-relations.

It's About the Past, the Present and the Future

Keith Ferrell (left) with W&L professor Doug Cumming at the reception.^

Here's Keith Ferrell's intensity and passion at yesterday's talk.^

We had a brisk finishing roundtable discussion at the Roanoke Regional Writers Conference yesterday, based on the question, "How will writers make money in the future?" There are several sides to this issue and the opinions--all valid in my view--conflict with each other pretty significantly and often dramatically.

My friend Keith Ferrell, whose resume is long and impressive, is one of those veteran writers who laments the decline of the long, thoughtful, intellectual essay in national magazines in favor of shorter, less hefty pieces. My business partner, Tom Field, while agreeing in principal with Keith, I think, sees what the public is demanding. Anne Clelland of Handshake 2.0 is a Web publisher who is also seeing the enthusiastic reception to shorter, more to the point pieces and was persuasive yesterday. (Anne's responses to all this can be found here and here. Anne has a lot to say and, as usual, it's good stuff.)

Keith puts his argument this way, "It is a funny (in every sense of the word) thing to have gotten the reputation of being a Cassandra when all I am really trying to say, and actually do say in all of my ’doom and gloom’ talks, is that we need to make sure that the immediacy and convenience and ’everybody into the pool’ attractions of the new media in all of its increasingly reductive forms and formats don’t cause us either to displace or forget the far longer and far more culturally vital importance and effectiveness of traditional writing; not just ink on paper, but language used by people who have learned and worked and struggled to master its use, arguments and, yes, points of view, presented carefully and in-depth, engagement with readers that lasts longer than the instant it takes to communicate (or give the impression of communicating) the “Wow factor” that is so important to the new media evangelists. [Note: "The previous sentence, containing an impressive argument is 155 words and one period.] Writing that has to be thought about, not just clicked on or through.

"Transitions shouldn’t mean abandoning traditions, particularly [traditions] that have served our species so well for so long. Not everything is meant to be read fast, and nearly nothing important is meant to be read fast, or can be.

"Of Time And The River [by Thomas Wolfe] (or Ernest Gaines, or a good in-depth investigative piece or feature) would be nothing as a tweet. I worked to ... point out that everyone who sets out to learn how to put words together in a serious way (even when writing humorously!) is part of this tradition, or can be, and they ignore or discard it at society’s peril, not just their own. That writing is a responsibility as well as a craft and profession ... I ... felt and feel that it’s important for young ... writers to hear something of the philosophy and history and industry that got us to here, before ’here’ becomes something completely different."

Tom Field talks of “the great divide in this vocation” and says, “There are some ‘woe is me’ individuals who express frustration and almost seem despondent about the difficulties in ‘making a living’ at this … and then there are the people who simply forge ahead with their passion, whether or not they make a living at it. I believe the attraction to Anne Clelland … is that she has a positive resolve to make it work and simply refuses to resign to the ‘poor state of the industry,’ if you will.

"The talk about who pays for what and where the money comes from is, to me, no different in this profession than any other. The remarks about the good old days when newspapers were held to a higher standard is hogwash, if you ask me. Do you think people migrate to blogs because they don’t care about objectivity and journalistic standards? They’re really not that gullible. These are simply different artistic formats—that’s it."

And Keith is right. It is important for young writers to know the history and philosophy and to emulate the parts of that history and philosophy that still work for a different audience, one that considers tweets something other than a series of intellectual grunts and belches. Keith knows--and guys my age know well--that things change dramatically over a career or a lifetime. A marvelous book from last year, Printer's Devil, talked of Mark Twain's intense interest in printing, which, says the author, changed more in Twain's lifetime than at any time before or since. That assertion, frankly, is bullshit. Printing and publishing changed more last week than it did in Twain's time.

Still, it's as important to recognize the importance of what was, as it is to stay attuned to the reality of the writing market and the reader of today and next week and next year. It's important to listen to Keith--even when he goes on 155 words in a sentence--because he knows what he's talking about. It's also vital to listen to people like Anne Clelland and Bonnie Cranmer and Tom Field. They understand what was, what is and what's coming. And, frankly, it's all important. And, more frankly,the conversation is nowhere near over.

A Brief Report Card on the Writers Conference

Lawyer Dave Cohan (left) received a perfect score from students.^

Your favorite editor (lower right) talks to the packed house at the opening night session.^

I promised myself I'd make at least a quick attempt at a wrap-up of the Roanoke Regional Writers Conference, held at Hollins today, and I'll give it a shot through tired eyes and aching feet.

Here are some quick observations (after having absorbed the stack of critiques left by the students):

• There were about 100 students, which was equal to last year's count.
  
• For the second straight year, we will be able to give a Hollins Horizon student a scholarship (this year it's likely to be about $1,000). Elizabeth Jones is the recipient and she's a dandy.
  
• The only real complaint I heard (to my face) all day was that there was too much to do. Same complaint as the past two years. (As you'll see below, there were others, but they weren't related to me in person.)
  
• The most popular presenter at the conference (all "excellent" scores) was a lawyer. Gentry Locke Rakes & Moore's Dave Cohan's work was praised as useful, organized and marvelously delivered. NPR essayist Janis Jaquith missed a perfect score (and she had both a keynote address and a class to judge) by one vote. Her keynote address was consistently praised for its excellence. The single demerit: one student thought she talked too much about radio (her essay was "The Radio Essay"). High marks also went to Roanoke Times reporter Rex Bowman, Handshake 2.0 owner Anne Clelland, Hollins librarian Maryke Barber, W&L Journalism professor Doug Cumming and Hollins English professor Jeanne Larsen.
• The four social media classes were heavily attended and generally liked. The persistent complaint was that there was too much Twitter discussion in the "Introduction" and that some of the information was simply too technical for beginners. Still, there was a great deal of interest and substantial praise (the crowd just loved Anne Clelland).
  
• Those in attendance wanted snacks and other types of drinks besides beer, water and wine at the wine reception. They wanted other drinks besides coffee on Saturday and, again, wanted snacks.
• There were a number of complaints about classes that were overfilled and the complainers wanted bigger rooms. One said the building was too cold. Several had issues with what they thought was a lack of technology (no overhead slides in the photo class, for example).
• The most consistent request for additional classes was for more information on publishing and for some exhibitors.

From my perspective, the conference was quite good and the atmosphere supportive and almost electric. I thoroughly enjoyed and appreciate all of you who showed up.

If we have one next year--and that is still a question--we will try to have some exhibitors, bring in some different speakers (and some of the favorites from this session) and make it more user-friendly.

Hollins Adds a Leadership Alternative for Women

Abrina Schnurman-Cook talks to the assembled at the conference this a.m.^

Hollins University has added a new--and inexpensive--element to its Batten Leadership Program, which is designed to help produce the next generation of women leaders in the region. The program is called the Emerging Leaders Forum and it "profides an opportnity for women to learn more about leadership and improve their effectiveness in the workplace," according to program director Abrina Schnurman-Cook.

At a press conference announcing the program this morning at the Jefferson Club in Roanoke, Ed Murphy, CEO of Carilion, said, "There is little we can do that really matters, but leadership is one" of the few actions that count. Hollins President Nancy Gray said the program grew from the desire to train younger and less experienced women in leadership. The Batten Institute trains leaders who are generally higher in management than the target women of the Emerging Leaders Forum.

The cost of the program is $45 per session, which many of the business executives in the room agreed will help open the door for participation by companies strapped by the recession.

The initial session is scheduled April 10 and is titled "The Art of Networking" with author Paula Frazier directing. Those interested in more details should call Schnurman-Cook at 540-362-7488.

Big Read Roanoke Valley Kicks Off

Co-chairwomen Ann McCallum (above) and Lucy Lee at the press conference this morning^

The Big Read Roanoke Valley kicked off this morning at the Jefferson Center with considerable enthusiasm for its goal of getting a lot of people to read a single book. The book is Ernest Gaines' A Lesson Before Dying, which is being read people throughout the region. A number of events are scheduled to examine and celebrate the Big Read.

Valley Business FRONT is among its sponsors and I will be among those orchestrating one of nearly 20 events that will finish with a jazz poetry reading and recitation at Virginia Western Community College March 31.

Among the events are the showing of a movie based on the book, a number of readings from the books and several lectures, including "Anatomy of an Execution" by Roanoke College's Todd Peppers and Laura Anderson, who wrote a book by that title. My class, scheduled March 16 at 6:30 at the Blue Ridge Public Library, will be a writing workshop based on the book.

A complete list of events is here. I hope you'll take part.

The View from Perriello Land

Regardless of the stripe of your particular brand of politics, the following quotation from Rep. Tom Perriello, who represents a district in Western Virginia (some near Roanoke), should resonate. It has not resonated with Perriello's colleagues who seem far more distracted with the serious duty of keeping their jobs than with running the country. Perriello, in fact, is the only man in Congress that I can immediately say, without reservation, that I respect as a representative of the people. Here's his quote (from salon.com):

"What people are upset about is a lack of leadership and a lack of solutions, not doing too much. There's certainly an omnipresence of risk aversion among politicians that prevents us from doing what's necessary. We need wartime consiglieres, not risk-averse politicians right now … We should stop worrying about protecting our own jobs, and start worrying about protecting the jobs of the American people."

Perriello won his first election in 2008 by 727 votes and is a Republican target this year.

Yes, You Can Still Register for the Writers Conference

A little clarification is needed on registration for the Roanoke Regional Writers Conference Friday and Saturday at Hollins University.

You can register all the way through the conference--any time. The only drawback to not registering by Jan. 18 is that if you register later, you will not get a lunch provided by the conference. Those have been ordered from the lunch gods and they don't take well to having their routine interrupted.

Still, you can do the entire conference for $50 (which is so absurdly cheap I'm sometimes embarrassed to tell rich people what we charge). Bring your lunch in your Superman lunch box and sit on the roundtable discussion in the big auditorium at noon, the one about self-publishing. You'll get the answers to a lot of questions I get all the time. Or, you can spend that hour and a half over in the Hollins lunch area talking to some of your new best friends, those you'll meet at the conference.

If you want to register or just get the entire story on the conference, go here (Registration, Presenters and Schedule are to the right).

Grandin Board's Decision Not Unexpected

UPDATE: 11:30 A.M.

Members of the Grandin Theatre Foundation board of directors met late yesterday afternoon and came to some conclusions in the firing of Jason Garnett.

Here's the official statement from the board:

"The executive committee ... [has] reviewed the situation and [is] in support of the decision to terminate Jason Garnett's employment with [the] Grandin Theatre. However, in addition, we are also in the process of reviewing our human resources policies and procedures. We will be workng with Jason to ensure that he is treated fairly and that any concerns he has (equipment pay, ec) are resolved fairly both in the eyes of the board's executive committee and Jason's."

Here's what else I know:

• Kathy Chittum will remain as executive director.
• Jason will not be re-hired.
• Jason's contributions and some of his initiaives will be reviewed and where appropriate, retained (there is some special concern about the community filmmaker series and the midnight movies, apparently).
• Chris Banta, a CPA with Brown Edwards & Company in Roanoke, is the new president of the board. His e-mail address is banta.gtf@gmail.com. Please do not use the e-mail that was circulated earlier, since it is his work e-mail.
• I got a call yesterday from a representative of the man who owns Vinegar Hill Theatre in Charlottesville (and other theaters, all independents similar to the Grandin), expressing interest in perhaps purchasing the Grandin. The representative wanted to know how to reach members of the board. I was driving at the time and did not have contact information with me, so I am waiting for a callback in order to pass that along.
  

Board members were deluged with intelligent, well-reasoned, well-written proposals (the best I read was by Erin Womack, a former assistant curator at the Taubman Museum of Art, who worked with both Kathy and Jason on a project and has some special insight). The problem in all this is that governing rules for boards of directors are strict and leave little room to maneuver. From what I can tell, Jason had considerable sympathy from board members (and a faction backed Kathy solidly, as well). I did not get the feeling that there was great enthusiasm for the outcome.

Banta says he will release a statement later (probably today) after the board has approved it and that the statement should provide a bit more explanation of what's next than we know. I hope, and have urged, that the board meet with representatives of the angered faction and will at the very least listen to concerns, express respect for those views and agree to continue discussions when there are issues.

I talked to Jason on the street yesterday and while I promised I would not make the details of our conversation public, I will say that he retains the Zen-like quality we have all come to know and respect from him. He will be fine. Frankly, I expect that eventually he will be even better off because he has so much creativity, energy and talent that has not been used at the Grandin. Remember what Pat Wilhelms did when she was fired by Mill Mountain Theatre and use that as guide in projecting for Jason. He ceases to be bound by a single gig now.

The Grandin remains a community treasure and a community resource, regardless of what bylaws or any other kinds of laws suggest. This is not about legality; it is about inclusiveness and continued support of an institution that many of us have supported with time, money and enthusiasm and hope to continue to support with all three. It is a matter of getting good answers to difficult questions and feeling that supporters have a say in the future.

It's Writers Conference Week: The Push Is On

This photo, taken by one of WDBJ7's cameramen this a.m. (at about 6 o-freakin'-clock) is affectionately titled "White Guys on TV"^

It's Writers Conference Week and the blitz is on. The Roanoke Regional Writers Conference III is this weekend at Hollins University and I've asked every one of our writer/teachers to blog about it, push it on Facebook, Twitter and any other social media platform they use.

I have two TV appearances today (one above with Bob Grebe's "Mornin'" segments on WDBJ7 in Roanoke here and another with Tab O'Neal's "Living in the Heart of Virginia" at noon today on WSET-TV in Lynchburg. We shot the WSET segment last week with keynote speaker Janis Jaquith). Those three segments--coming between a few minutes after 6 o'clock and finishing about 7--were about two minutes, 30 seconds each and you'd be surprised how much can be said in that brief amount of time. I was happy with it and happy with Bob's ability to steer the conversation.

Most of the area print media--daily paper, the weeklies, several magazines--have already printed materials about the conference and now it's up to social media to put the final push on. We're hoping for about 150 to 175 people and we have a cap of 200, which I don't expect to reach. We're somewhere over 100 now and writers tend to make decisions late, so I'm optimistic.

If you're interested in attending or even learning more about the conference, go here and follow the links to Presenters, Schedule and Registration on the right of the page. everything you know is right before you.

Please Don't Boycott the Grandin Theatre

I understand that there is a movement afoot to boycott the Grandin Theatre and I would like to strongly urge those of you considering that action to please re-consider. A boycott would do nobody any good and could seriously cripple an institution that we all love and that we all want to succeed.

There is a lot of work going on behind the scenes right now to try to make the Grandin a place we can again be proud of. Some smart, courageous and commited people--including board members--are doing some hard work in order to attempt to correct errors or perceptions and my guess is that if we are all patient and give this a few days, we will all be much happier with the outcome.

I would much rather see a few people writing letters to board members asking them to take a long, hard look at the issues and report on them in a timely and complete way. The Grandin remains a community institution with strong community support and we all need to be behind the healing that must come.