Some more contests & awards:

Call for Entries, Songwriting, Poetry & Spoken Word Contest, Artbeat (Indianapolis, IN)

Artbeat is a grassroots partnership dedicated to creating new outlets for artists and participants in the arts in areas such as music, dance, poetry, and the spoken word. Each entry must include a completed entry form with original signature; song lyrics or poem recorded on CD or tape; two copies of lyrics for each song or poem entered, typed or printed clearly; and an entry fee of $20 for each entry. Entries must be received by July 31, 2009. Winners will receive cash prizes. Entries may be sent to 3815 River Crossing Parkway, Suite 100, Indianapolis, IN 46240. For more information, please visit www.artbeatcontest.com, call (317) 627-8514 or email artbeatcontest@runbox.com.

Call for Artists, Midwest Voices and Visions Award (Midwestern States)

The Midwest Voices and Visions (MWV&V), an initiative of the Alliance of Artists Communities and in partnership with The Joyce Foundation, is accepting applications for seven artist residency programs. The MWV&V celebrates, supports, and promotes the work of highly talented, yet under-recognized artists of color and broadens awareness of and support for the opportunities available at Midwestern residency programs for artists of diverse backgrounds.

Seven artists will be selected on October 7-8 to be in residence in 2010.

The length of each residency will vary from one to three months, depending on which residency program with which the artist is paired. The seven participating programs are Anderson Center for Interdisciplinary Studies in Red Wing, Minnesota; Art Farm in Marquette, Nebraska; Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts in Omaha, Nebraska; John Michael Kohler Arts Center in Sheboygan, Wisconsin; Ox-Bow in Saugatuck, Michigan; Prairie Center of the Arts in Peoria, Illinois; and Ragdale Foundation in Lake Forest, Illinois. Selected artists will also receive an unrestricted $4000 stipend, have their work featured in the MWV&V project book, and participate in a group exhibition at the conclusion of the project.

Artists may apply online at www.midwestvoicesandvisions.org or by mail to Midwestern Voices & Visions, Alliance of Artists Communities, 255 South Main Street, Providence, Rhode Island, 02903. Applications are due by August 15, 2009. For more information, please contact Russ Smith at rsmith@artistcommunities.org or (401)351-4320.

(Writers qualify. I checked)

BOOTH LIVES!

Finally, friends, the moment you have been waiting for: the first issue of the national literary magazine sponsored by Butler's M.F.A. program has LAUNCHED.

We've got Michael Martone, David Shumate, and a very saucy list by Kim Addonizio, among other delights . . . so what are you still doing here? Go! Read! Enjoy!

Some grants, contests, opportunities, etcetera:

Nature Awakens Creativity

The Central Indiana Land Trust is pleased to announce an artist call-out for a unique project entitled Nature Awakens Creativity. Fine artists, writers and musicians are invited to submit work inspired by a visit to one or more of the nature preserves. The Land Trust will provide two organized excursions (July 18 and August 15) for artists and the general public to visit selected preserves in order to immerse themselves in Central Indiana's natural beauty. Artists may also visit our preserves on their own, as they are open to the public. The exhibition of this project will be part of the Indianapolis Spirit & Place Festival this November and will be displayed at the Indianapolis Art Center in Broad Ripple October 1 through November 23, 2009.

The Land Grant Trust will begin accepting applications on July 1. Artists will be considered on a first come, first serve basis, so apply early, as space is limited. For more information and an application visithttp://www.conservingindiana.org/spiritandplace.html

Garden Verse Poetry Competition
Sponsored by Horticulture magazine

First Place: $250 each
Second Place: $100 each
Third Place: $50 each

The poems of the first place winner will be published in an upcoming issue of Horticulture magazine. The names and poem titles of all winners and honorable mentions will be posted on www.hortmag.com

For details and application visit http://www.hortmag.com/gardenversecomp
Entry Deadline: September 1, 2009

Fellowship Opportunity: 2010 Robert D. Beckmann, Jr. Emerging Artist Fellowship
The Robert D. Beckmann, Jr. Emerging Artist Fellowship Program awards two $3,500 fellowships each year to qualified and talented artists in music, dance, theatre, literature, or the visual arts. The program consists of two distinct components. The first component, a monetary award in the amount of $3,500, will be awarded for supplies, instruction, workshops, studio or rehearsal space, or other uses specifically related to the growth and development of the fellow's artistic work. The second component of the program involves a unique professional experience opportunity to which many artists may not have access until later in their careers. The Robert D. Beckmann, Jr. Emerging Artist Fellowship program seeks to introduce and provide experiences, connections, and relationships with professional arts institutions and professional artists in central Indiana. For detailed eligibily requirements and to download an application, visit the Grants for Individuals on www.artscouncilofindianapolis.org. Application deadline is July 24, 2009.

Call for Entries to the Aesthetica Annual Creative Works Competition 2009

Aesthetica is looking for entries to the 2009 International Aesthetica Creative Works Competition in Artwork, Photography & Sculpture, Fiction and Poetry. Three winners will be awarded £500 each. Entry to the 2009 Aesthetica Creative Works Competition is £10

This allows you to submit up to 5 images, 5 poems or 2 short stories. Deadline, August 29, 2009. For competition guidelines, visit www.aestheticamagazine.com

Fourteenth Annual Hollis Summers Poetry Prize
Named after the distinguished poet who taught for many years at Ohio University, this competition invites writers to submit unpublished collections of original poems. It is open to those who have not published a book-length collection and those who have. The winning manuscript will be published by Ohio University Press in 2010 and will be awarded a cash prize of $1,000. Deadline: Manuscripts must be postmarked by October 31, 2009.

For information, visit www.ohioswallow.com/poetry_prize

Much to look forward to in the fall of 2009. School will start back up, the Chicago Bears will take the field with an actual quarterback, I can put tombstones and skeletons in my yard without looking like a crazy person, and all these books will hit the market.

Lorrie Moore, Dan Chaon, Thomas Pynchon, Philip Roth, Jonathan Lethem, Dave Eggers, William T. Vollman . . . the list goes on. What a season.

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Also, the Lit Events calendar (up and to your right) has been updated with new classes from the Writers' Center. One of their regular series is "Evening with the Muse," a Sunday evening poetry reading. Coming up on July 12th is Jim McGarrah:

Jim McGarrah's first book of poems, Running the Voodoo Down won a book prize from Elixir Press in 2003. He has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and a finalist twice in the James Hearst Poetry Contest. Home Again: Essays and Memoirs from Indiana, was published in August of 2006 by Indiana Historical Society Press and his novel, Going Postal, in April, 2007. A memoir entitled A Temporary Sort of Peace, which reflects his experiences as a combat Marine in Vietnam was published by Indiana Historical Society press in August, 2007. He holds a Master of Fine Arts in Writing from Vermont College and a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies from the University of Southern Indiana. He has worked as a janitor, horse trainer, carpet layer, mechanic, schoolteacher, hod carrier, hay baler, and recreational therapist. Occasionally, he drinks.

Me too, Jim. Me too.

Come on, this will be fun!

Two of these books represent the selections for Andrew's Book Club for July. One is from the blog called "Awful Library Books." Bet you'll never guess which book that is . . .

Go ahead. Take your time.

State Budget Cuts the Arts by 20%

But it's not as bad as it could have been. Mitch Daniels' initial budget looked to slash the arts budget by something like 80%, a proposal that was just hateful. In that light, 20% looks a little like a victory. From the Indiana Coalition for the Arts:

Despite the efforts of many arts advocates, the new state budget for the biennium beginning July 1, 2009 resulted in a 20% cut to the Indiana Arts Commission. Because the House Democrats accepted the Senate Republicans' budget, the final figures for the IAC are the same as those in the Senate's special session budget bill.

For each year of the biennium:
$418,557 personal services (personnel)
$2,783,811 other operating expenses (grants and services)
TOTAL $3,202,368

The good news is that the National Endowment for the Arts is slated for an increase in the federal budget that begins October 1, 2009. The U.S. House has passed a $15 million increase, and the federal budget bill goes next to the U.S. Senate. Forty percent of all NEA funds go directly to the state arts agencies.

Now would be a great time to contact Senators Bayh and Lugar: http://capwiz.com/artsusa/issues/alert/?alertid=13627991