We have got it going on at WiVLA! I am so thrilled that we’ll be back in person for our Poetry by the Bay readings at the LaPorte Library. This library has been a good friend to us, and I look forward to being there in person as our talented poets share their works. Keep your eyes peeled for carpooling opportunities.
April is also the month of our Educational and Cultural Opportunity Grants (ECO Grant). There is so much to love about WiVLA, but this is our diamond member perk. Ever since I joined, I’ve enjoyed seeing how members used their windfalls. When I first became eligible, I was concerned about the entry form and whether my plan for the money would seem worthy. Rest assured, the form is not binding and you can certainly change your mind as your circumstances change. The deadline for applying is just days from now. If you have any questions about how to complete this form, contact Gretchen McDaniel.
In case you couldn’t hear me shouting the news from the roof tops, we have a fabulous venue for our Reflection Collaboration! As of this moment, we’ve held three Meet-N-Match events for members to get acquainted and form partnerships. The deadline for registering your team is June 1, so I encourage you to take advantage of other opportunities to find your collaborator. I anticipate at least one more Meet-N-Match opportunity. You can find the prospectus for the Collaboration on our website.
The workshops just keep on coming! Although most of the workshops are in-person, the Ekphrastic writing workshop in June will be virtual because our leader is Canadian. The good news is that you don’t have to be able to pronounce ekphrastic to attend. Check out the event on our calendar!
And speaking of the wall, our section of the wall at Smither Park is all but ready for us to leave our mark. We look forward to seeing your designs! You can find the call for design entries on our website. Design on!
I look forward to seeing you soon at any one of our virtual or in-person events.
- Melody -
ECO Grants: This could be your year!
Each year, WiVLA awards two $1,000 grants--one to a writer and one to an artist. These grants afford our members professional and educational development opportunities. At this year's April meeting, you'll hear how Gretchen McDaniel and Marie Casamayor-Harvey, last year's recipients, used their grants. After their presentations, they'll draw the names of this year's lucky recipients.
To be eligible for this unique opportunity:
You must be a member in good standing for the past two calendar years (2020 & 2021). To verify your eligibility, contact our membership chair at membership@wivla.org.
You must be a member in good standing by April 7, 2022. Do you need to renew? If so click here.
You cannot have received an ECO Grant. Prior recipients are not eligible.
You must email your completed application by Thursday, April 7th.
For further details about the ECO Fund Grant opportunity please see the WiVLA website. Application forms will be available starting February 7th.
Since the beginning of the ECO Fund Grant awards, WiVLA has given $46,000 to our members. Perhaps this really could be your year!
On Saturday, April 23, at 11:00 a.m., La Porte Library will host our annual Poetry by the Bay event. The library is promoting this event to their local community and promises “coffee, tea, and some tasty treats” to the attendees. Eight WiVLA members will be reading their poetry at our annual Poetry by the Bay event in Baytown on Saturday, April 23, at 11:00 a.m.
Following the readings, you’re welcome to stay in the area for lunch. According to Gladys Mae Bullock, who is coordinating the event with the library, we’ll be able to choose from a variety of restaurants for our post-reading luncheon. If the weather is nice, we might consider taking our lunch to the beach for an impromptu picnic.
If you’d like to carpool to the library, many members will be meeting outside of Silver Street Studios at 9:30 a.m. Check out our calendar event for the readings and the carpooling.
A recording of our talented poets will be posted on the Literary Readings playlist on our YouTube channel and shared to our Member Facebook Group. If you are not yet a member of our Facebook group, access the group and request to join.
Twenty lucky WiVLA members will practice writing with art as their inspiration on June 4th, 9:00-12:00. Lorette C. Luzajic, Editor of the Ekphrastic Review will conduct her Hooked on Ekphrastic virtual workshop. If you would like your artwork to be one of the pieces of inspiration, send it/them to Margo @ bboop7@flash.net. Check the WiVLA calendar for information about the workshop and how to purchase tickets.
"I have attended several of Lorette’s dynamic workshops. Through her inspiring insights into artworks and her inventive prompts, I have come away with poems and prose that turned into finished pieces—ones I would never have written otherwise." ~ Award-winning poet, Sandi Stronberg
Smither Park Wall Update
WiVLA has secured a space on the wall at Smither Park for WiVLA members to construct a mosaic design that identifies our organization and mission.
Following deconstruction of the former design in our space, WiVLA members will construct a new design from the available ceramic tiles, pottery, mortar, and other materials.
The following image shows the location of WiVLA’s space, relative to the large white mosaic.
The mosaic design must readily represent WiVLA and its mission by using as few words as possible. Because it is public art in a park, it cannot contain offensive or political representation.
When designing the wall mosaic, use the pattern provided on the last page of the Request for Proposal as the base for the design.
To help describe some of the types of tiles or other materials that you will use, take photos of representative samples already present on the wall.
When submitting a design proposal, photograph your design.
Email the design image, along with supporting documentation and images that will adequately describe your design and materials, to info@wivla.org. Be sure the put Smither Park Wall in the subject line.
All submissions must be received by 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, May 1, 2022.
The WiVLA Board will select two finalists from the submissions, and the membership will vote for the final design.
Calling all WiVLA members! If you are interested in participating in a virtual exhibition the 2022 season you may apply on the WiVLA website. This is an excellent opportunity to add to your CV and is a great marketing tool for your artistic endeavors. This is a free benefit to all WiVLA members. If you are interested in learning more please reach out to our Visual Co-Chair, Aliza Bejarano at visual@wivla.org. If you would like to reserve a spot for the 2022 season you may do so by clicking the button below.
Now that 2022 has arrived, it's time again for WiVLA's biennial collaborative exhibition. The theme for this years' Collaboration is Reflection. Because of the time involved in planning and executing the collaborative pieces, now is a good time to start finding a partner. Please take advantage of our member directory on the WiVLA website to find your co-collaborator.
Presentation By 2021 ECO Fund Recipients and Drawing For Two 2022 Fund Recipients
Tuesday, April 19th
6:00pm - 8:00pm
Join us for our annual ECO Fund Grants program. During this monthly member meeting, we will hear from the two 2021 recipients: Gretchen McDaniel and Marie Casamayor-Harvey.
In addition to past grant participants' presentations, we will also announce the winners for the 2023 awards. There will be one literary and one visual artist drawn from our pool of applicants. To learn more about WiVLA's ECO Fund grant, please visit www.wivla.org.
Meeting Schedule
6:00 - 6:20 pm Social Time and Board Announcements.
6:20 - 7:20 pm Presentation with Q & A.
7:20 - 7:30 pm Time permitting, Member announcements.
*Some meetings may run slightly off schedule due to the nature of the conversation.
Zoom Meeting Information
Due to Zoom's security suggestions, we will send out another email with the Zoom meeting information one day before the meeting. Be certain to look for it. If you need the meeting code, please send an email to newsletter@wivla.org to get the meeting code no later than 5:00 pm the day of the meeting.
If you need information on how to use Zoom before the meeting date, please use the links below:
With the help of many hands, the WiVLA exhibition, "Hope," was installed at Field Elementary School on March 9th. Patty Flaherty Pagan, who brought us this opportunity, has heard praises about the artwork. Also, other moms told her about how much they enjoyed being able to discuss the art with their kids. (When the moms picked up kids early they would come in and see the show.) Because community outreach is one of WiVLA's missions, the board is excited to have engaged in this project and hopes to expand our outreach to more schools. Many thanks to the artists who provided work and to everyone else involved.
March Meeting Highlight:
Mary Wemple: Words & Art - Visual Art Meets Literary Art
Mary Wemple presented the program for the March Member WiVLA Meeting. She skillfully combined the stories of her art, poetry, and curation and facilitation of Words and Art workshops and readings.
Art: Mary shared the artwork she created during the pandemic; digital collages – from ballet dancers’ legs to PPE masks to gloved hands with syringes. She feels that these art pieces are mandalas – a sort of meditation on our shared stress.
Poetry: Mary read her poems, Fight, Noon, 2002, One Day You Will Be Tall Enough, Enchantment of the Ordinary, Mutabilis Press, and That Was Then, by D. Trinidad Hanks, one of the participants in her Words and Arts Readings.
Tips: According to Mary, spreadsheets are a must to keep track of art and literary submissions. As a visual artist, Mary submits to group shows, because it improves her CV and gives her a greater possibility of acceptance into a one-person show. Her goal as a writer is to get her work published and then compile these publications into a book.
Words & Arts:
This program which combines writing and visual art started in 2010 at the Rice Art Gallery. Since the closure of the gallery space, Mary has been conducting workshops and public readings at the Menil and the Contemporary Arts Museum. At these workshops, Mary gives the participants prompts about the artwork. She is committed to providing an experience that encourages group discussions in an inclusive environment. To keep up with happenings at Words and Arts, visit https://wordsandart.org/
Call for Artist for the University of Houston-Clear Lake art festival coming up April 16, 2022 . This is the first year for this festival and we are looking forward to a fun event!
Mutabilis Press is Open for Submissions - Chaos Dive Reunion
From the publishers of Mutabilis Press –
Chaos has been defined as complete disorder and confusion, and the last few years have gifted us with an abundance of chaos in a variety of ways. But we know from our familiarity with life cycles in all their forms that such interesting times also breed creation and renewal, if we only open ourselves to them. As the world negotiates the push and pull of finding new ways to be, we at Mutabilis Press have also looked for new ways to express ourselves, new voices to lift up, new perspectives on this chaos we’re learning to work with.
Where has your poetry taken you?
After a hiatus, we have embarked on a new project: a poetry anthology that pays homage to our history as a press, but one that invites further understanding, that creates new connections, that welcomes your writing in a myriad of expressions. We’re diving into the chaos, finding each other, laughing through the stress, and coming out of it with something greater than before.
Having trouble logging into your Wivla.org membership profile? Click on the Member Login link at the top right of the home page. If you don't remember your password, click the Request Password button and enter your email address. Follow the prompts in the password reset email. If need assistance with accessing your Member Profile, contact the WiVLA membership chair, Gail Plunkett, at membership@wivla.org.
We'd love to celebrate your good news. If you are interested in sharing, please send your items to newsletter@wivla.org. The deadline for inclusion in the next month's newsletter is the 20th. Thank you.
We have got it going on at WiVLA! I am so thrilled that we’ll be back in person for our 
April is also the month of our Educational and Cultural Opportunity Grants (ECO Grant). There is so much to love about WiVLA, but this is our diamond member perk. Ever since I joined, I’ve enjoyed seeing how members used their windfalls. When I first became eligible, I was concerned about the entry form and whether my plan for the money would seem worthy. Rest assured, the form is not binding and you can certainly change your mind as your circumstances change. The deadline for applying is just days from now. If you have any questions about how to complete 
Calling all WiVLA members! If you are interested in participating in a virtual exhibition the 2022 season you may apply on the WiVLA website. This is an excellent opportunity to add to your CV and is a great marketing tool for your artistic endeavors. This is a free benefit to all WiVLA members. If you are interested in learning more please reach out to our Visual Co-Chair, Aliza Bejarano at visual@wivla.org. If you would like to reserve a spot for the 2022 season you may do so by clicking the button below.
Now that 2022 has arrived, it's time again for WiVLA's biennial collaborative exhibition. The theme for this years' Collaboration is Reflection. Because of the time involved in planning and executing the collaborative pieces, now is a good time to start finding a partner. Please take advantage of our member directory on the WiVLA website to find your co-collaborator.
