Now for a new weekly feature of Synchronized Chaos Magazine…we’re putting together regular lists of resources and opportunities for our contributors and for all journalists, writers, artists, and creators. We’ll mention a few we’ve come across…please feel free to comment with anything you have found (books, websites, tips and advice, resources) which you think may help others.

For journalists and anyone who may use interviews as a tool for fiction or nonfiction writing – we came across a wonderful-sounding book by Lawrence Grobel and coauthor Donleavy called The Art of the Interview. Here’s a link to the book and to some responses its techniques actually elicited in interviews: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?r=1&ISBN=9781400050710&ourl=The%2DArt%2Dof%2Dthe%2DInterview%2FLawrence%2DGrobel

For those interested in getting their names out there while raising funds for worthwhile causes, there’s the Sweet Charity site, which hosts periodic short-story auctions. Everything is conducted and moderated online, and causes include RAINN for rape/incest survivors, Invisible Children (children affected by Uganda’s civil war), and the Los Angeles area employees (hairdressers, custodial staff, etc) out of work during last year’s writers’ strike.

You may put up any short story, including fanfiction, so long as the piece is your own creation…also you may sell tangible crafts or offer to pinch-hit for those unable to fulfill their obligations. Basic information is online here: http://www.sweet-charity.net/faq and the next auction is in September, cause to be announced – so now’s a great time to start writing a new piece!  

The site has a young-person feel…but it works for everyone, I have sold several pieces myself through Sweet Charity.

Also, we are offering a free gift, an emailed short story from our archived collection, to people who sign up for Synchronized Chaos’ RSS feed (link is on the right hand of the main page) or host it on their websites. Please email us at  cedeptula@sbcglobal.net if you’re signed up!

Synchronized Chaos invites our readership, newcomers included, to attend the Project Focus exhibition in Long Beach the evening of Saturday, July 18^th. Project Focus is a grassroots cross-cultural network of Americans and rural Ugandans working together to produce and participate in art and human-development projects which empower local communities. This event showcases international art produced through their work and benefits sustainable development in the country village of Lyantonde.

A group of friends and classmates with art and psychology backgrounds, Project Focus’ members visited Uganda initially to offer art therapy to children affected by violence. The art-therapy project involved its share of growing pains, but through these challenges the group developed genuine friendships with those abroad and chose to stay involved and continue dialoguing and learning from their cross-cultural interactions. Their subsequent creative projects came out of those friendships…spoken word events and auctions to benefit elementary schools, reclaimed community artspace in Chicago, open to everyone, elementary school cross cultural pen pal programs, and various  Ugandan artists’ depictions of how AIDS has affected their communities.

Project Focus integrates art, education, strengthening communities, and environmental sustainability into a holistic approach to transforming lives in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Lyantonde.

Project Focus’ blog (from their website http://www.projectfocus.org) represents the best of the organization…http://www.projectfocusprogress.blogspot.com/ Unique, descriptive entries which draw readers in, great storytelling, reflections of each member’s personality.

Event details:

Project FOCUS + Phantom Galleries LA would like to invite you to our Los Angeles Premier where we will unveil the artwork generated by the people of Lyantonde and Project FOCUS artists in an effort to educate and inspire audiences. Project FOCUS will be fundraising for a sustainable development initiative in rural Lyantonde, Uganda.

This multi media exhibit features photography, digital audio and video, writing, fabric collages, painting, interactive installation, reaction art, and more.

Project FOCUS: Los Angeles Exhibition
July 18th
6pm Meet Project FOCUS
7-10pm Exhibition
170 The Promenade North
Long Beach, CA 90802

Greetings to our worldwide Synchronized Chaos family! Happy Fourth of July to the Americans, also wishing a fun and growth-filled summer to our worldwide assortment of readers.

After much thought and consideration, our theme for this month is Stacking Stones By the Roadside: Ritualizing Memory. Each contribution this time around represented quite a lot of thought and a unique community or artistic vision, and we reflected for quite some time to uncover the unifying thematic thread and cultural zeitgeist. We will discuss the work later in this editorial.

First of all, a few announcements and an honorable mention for some special work we editors have recently discovered. A teenage brother-sister pair of graphic artists, Savetheseals and Santacruiser on ratemydrawings.com, have produced some incredibly detailed and vibrant work. The brother, Santacruiser, creates fantasy pieces and some new abstract representations of American culture an d identity (http://www.ratemydrawings.com/user/santacruiser/) and the sister, Savetheseals, works with themes of childhood and imagination and has recently done a tribute to Farrah Fawcett and her struggle with cancer (http://www.ratemydrawings.com/user/savetheseals) Please feel welcome to look over their work and to leave comments and critiques if you so choose, they are quite polite and responsive. We would love to see them featured in Synchronized Chaos some day, whenever they are able to spare a moment to talk with our staff!

San Francisco’s Artist X-Change gallery, a quirky, classy place in the Mission District, is looking for local bands (no requirement to be signed, as far as I know) to become part of their inventory of local music…they have a new listening station with sample songs and CDs for purchase. If you’re interested please email their music department at music@artist-xchange.com

Also, the Da Silvas, a family some of us personally know, are fundraising for a special van to safely transport their disabled son to and from medical appointments and family outings. They have a blog here: http://avanforlucas.blogspot.com/ and people are commenting and offering to host benefit events and/or sell items and artwork and donate some proceeds to Lucas.

As for the month’s theme and submissions – Continue reading →