The 6th annual Bethesda Literary Festival will be held Friday, April 22 through Sunday, April 24, 2005 throughout downtown Bethesda's art galleries, bookstores, restaurants, arts organizations and venues and retail businesses.

The festival will bring together novelists, poets, journalists, nonfiction writers and children's authors and illustrators who represent the rich diversity of modern literature. The Bethesda Literary Festival also features essay contests, poetry slams, kids' and youth book parties and the 2nd annual Play In A Day.

On Saturday, April 23rd from 1-2PM we will host Alexandra Robbins, author of Quarterlife Crisis and its sequel Conquering Your Quarterlife Crisis and Jen Chaney, the Washington Post's DVD and movie columnist. Robbins and Chaney will join together to share their insight on modern day living.

And then, on that same day from 2:30-4PM, we will host authors Jim Grimsley (Comfort & Joy); Susan Leonardi (And Then They Were Nuns); Michael Mancilla (Love In The Time of HIV: The Gay Man's Guide to Sex, Dating, and Relationships); and Kathi Wolfe, a local poet. The authors and poet will offer a look inside gay and lesbian literature.

See ya there!

Juror

I'm jurying this art show next. Entries must be postmarked by May 31, 2005. There are $1500 in cash prizes.

Click here for details or send a SASE to:

League of Reston Artists
PO Box 2513
Reston, VA 20195

Sunday Artsilliness

Are there any editors awake at the WaPo?

Maybe I'm just too brittle by now, but does this belong in an art criticism column?

Finch is a slight 42-year-old, with a feathery crop of short blond hair that's thinning on top. His eyes are a pale, watery blue, and they tend to look away as he explains himself, rather shyly, to a stranger. He's dressed in worn khakis and Adidas (but not the trendy ones that scenesters wear). An old white T-shirt reveals surprisingly well-muscled arms: They hint at time spent at the gym, and are the only sign of an artist's narcissism in a man who might otherwise be almost any kind of junior academic.

It's All Good

Our current Lida Moser: 50 Years of Photographs at our Georgetown gallery has become (by far) our best-selling photography show ever, thanks in part to great reviews in the Washington Post, the Washington City Paper, On Tap, and soon in The Morning News, but mostly due to Lida Moser's spectacular eye over the last 65 years or so.

Even the mighty Christie's is coming by next Wednesday (last day to see the show) to look at the exhibition.

Wanna Go to an Opening Today!

Scott Lassman has an opening artist's reception today from 1-3 p.m. for his solo photography exhibition entitled "Domesticated Animals" at the Fisher Art Gallery in Alexandria, Virginia.

The Fisher Gallery is located on the upper level of the Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall & Arts Center.

Also last night, at Warehouse Gallery, Trish Tillman and Bridget Lambert opened a collaborative show titled "Love Me Lose Me".

According to Trish, "Love Me Lose Me" consists of "solo and collaborative fabric and print installations based on themes of getting attention when it is unwanted, vs. looking for attention that isn't there. Confrontational issues are touched upon regarding anger/relationship turmoil, sexual exploration and sexual abuse, as well as the coping mechanisms that we fall into to get by."

The exhibition runs until May 8.

Another Opportunity for Artists

The Center of the Washington DC Center for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender People (GBLT) Community Center is currently seeking artist to participate in an exhibition over the month of June. The art should reflect their experiences as a member of Washington's GLBT community. The exhibit will take place in the Center.

There will be special events open to the public during the month that will draw a large number of people into the space to view the art.

Interested artists should submit proposals for participation to Scott Billings at scott@brotherhelpthyself.org.

Opportunity for Artists

The Greenbelt Community Center Art Gallery in Greenbelt, MD, part of the Greenbelt Recreation Department Arts Program is currently seeking artists for exhibitions between July, 2005 and June, 2006.

Apply before May 27 for best chances. No residency restrictions apply. The gallery hosts professional-level exhibitions of contemporary art in an educational community setting.

Proposals may be submitted by individual artists, groups, or curators. Artwork may deal with serious content but must be appropriate for a public building with an intergenerational audience. Preference will be given to artists who are interested in leading one or more paid workshops or other community-oriented program in conjunction with their exhibition.

Send a letter articulating your concept for the exhibition, identifying the contributors, and describing a related workshop or public program (if any) which you would like to produce. Also enclose: photo cd (preferred) or slides (no limit); resume for each contributor; sound or video recording if applicable; documentation of past community-oriented projects if available; and padded return envelope with postage.

Send materials to:

Nicole DeWald
Arts Coordinator
Greenbelt Community Center
15 Crescent Road
Greenbelt, MD, 20770
For more information, call 240-542-2057 or email Nicole here.