“My, my. A body does get around.” -William Faulkner
Now more than ever before, we are a species on the move. We commute, we travel the globe in the space of a day, we journey into space. What seemed mere fantasy to our ancestors is to us nothing more than the way of the world. Our world has shrunk exponentially with the advent of high speed travel that can carry us by air and sea. The immediate vicinity of our solar system is becoming less exotic by the moment, and soon we are told that humankind will sojourn to mars. And yet, despite all this, the deepest depths of our own sea and the infinite nature of the universe remind us there is still much we do not know, places our species likely will never see.
M. Evelina Galang spoke to us a second time about her work. This time we discussed her role as Board President at Voices of Our Nation’s Arts Foundation (VONA) which is the only multi-genre writing workshop for writers of color in the United States. Her early role was as a fiction instructor and core faculty member but in 2019, she accepted the role of Board President. Galang also remains one of the fiction faculty for the upcoming summer workshop. VONA operates from their original mission which is to give writers of color the space to create their work and to be taught by master writers. To hear more about this incredible organization, and more from M. Evelina Galang, listen to the complete interview.
Graeme Williams spoke to us from his home in Johannesburg, South Africa. At the moment he’s working on a number of things, but his main focus is a shift in geographical interest from South Africa, where he has photographed for 30 years, to the United States where he recently spent time traveling around the Southwest. His next aim will be the Northeast of the U.S. followed by the Northwest if he has time. His interest in moving on from South Africa is complex, but practically speaking there are two factors – the crashed economy and the prevalence of violent crime. While in Johannesburg working on photo shoots, he keeps armed guards with him at all times. To hear more about Williams’ life, work and more of reasons he is undertaking this monumental geographical change, listen to the complete interview.
A Few Words to Keep in your Pocket:
We are but a little corner of a little corner within a vastness so great it can not yet be quantified.
Interviews are available on iTunes as podcasts, and for Android please click here. All weekly essay pieces in a shareable format are here. The full archive of interviews here.
Books to Read
What are you reading? Add your titles to our reading list here. To find M. Evelina’s books, visit her website. Graeme Williams is reading London: the Biography by Peter Ackroyd.
Deadlines
Enter now for consideration for the 2020 Rijksstudio Award. Winning artist receives a cash prize and a feedback session with an art professional. The winning entry also might become part of the Rijksmuseum Shop. Head to the website for more information. Deadline for entry is February 27.
Weekly Edited Grant and Residency Deadlines – review the list here.
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Brainard Carey is an author, artist and educator. He is the director of Praxis Center for Aesthetics. He has written six books for artists; Making it in the Art World, New Markets for Artists, The Art World Demystified, Fund Your Dreams Like a Creative Genius, Sell Online Like a Creative Genius and Succeed with Social Media Like a Creative Genius.