The Sandspur

Issue date: 10/21/05 Section: Opinions

Last week I posted a challenge to the artistic community to create a poem like Allen Ginsberg's "Howl," which inevitably changed the face of our nation. This is heady challenge, but worry not about the impact of your work--that remains the domain of the public to decide.

Please don't be intimidated or discouraged from the weight of writing a poem that could "change the face of a nation" because you never know how your words will impact others. "Divinity rests in the muse; wisdom in the interpreter," as the old Greek adage goes, so don't worry . . . just write. (Believe me I know: Easier said than done.)

The awards for the winner are as follows: A $50 gift certificate to enjoy at Austin Coffee and Film; bask in the spotlight at an event in your honor where you'll read your award-winning poem (or have someone else read it to the crowd for you); your poem will be published in The Sandspur.

In addition to all the swag you will receive for writing about your perceptions of the social climate in this country, we are organizing a team to film the readings of the top-three entries at Austin Coffee and Film to submit to Current TV for the whole nation to feel your vibes.

Current TV is the first truly democratic, independently owned/operated cable and satellite television network in the country, currently available to over 20 million homes throughout the United States. People from all over the world submit their five-to-fifteen minute video "pods" for review on the Current TV website, www.current.tv. People view the videos, and once one's work receives enough "Green Light" votes, the submission is aired. If you would like to see this station in action, tune into channel 156 on Bright House Networks; if you don't have Bright House, check the Current TV website for local listings.

Current TV is also teamed up with Google. Every half-hour they give brief statistics of what the world is searching for on the Internet (top news stories, etc.). This is an insightful and spin-free medium where you can place your thumb on the pulse of what Americans and the world (at least those within reach of the Google search-engine) are curious about and searching for on the Internet.

Current posits the viewer is also the producer, encouraging viewers to provide Current with input of all mediums: on existing projects under review, on the world as the individual sees it, on their blogs, etc.. They have a powerful mission statement, which embodies a possible remedy to one of our major problems in American society, the television:

Right now, at this moment in history, TV is the most powerful medium in the world. Its reach and influence are unparalleled. It makes or breaks products and politicians alike, paints our picture of the world, and glues our culture together. And yet, who controls it? Now, you do.

On a side note, the independent movie theater, Enzian, is planning to open a three-screen theater in revamped downtown Winter Park, perhaps it would behoove of Rollins to invest in some video equipment and see what kind of mark we can leave through "the most powerful medium in the world."

In regards to filming the reading, we cannot guarantee what we film will be aired, but we are going to give it our best shot. If you would like to see an example of a Beat-style poem that was recently submitted and aired on Current, check out www.thebattleforamerica.com, it has a link to a filmed-poem that is as touching as it is powerful. For those that are planning to submit a piece to this contest, I would recommend checking that poem out to get a feeling of what we're looking for.

Don't forget to get your submissions into HowlAgain@thesandspur.org by October 31! Thank you to all who have submitted thus far, we will keep you posted as events unfold.



~ Tschüß!

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