The Clarksville Arts & Heritage Development Council invites organizations seeking funding for artistic and cultural projects that benefit the community to apply for an Arts Build Communities (ABC) grant.

Arts Build Communities (ABC) is a program funded by the Tennessee Arts Commission and administered by the Clarksville Arts & Heritage Development Council (AHDC) in cooperation with the Tennessee Arts Commission (TAC). ABC grants offer financial support for arts projects in all disciplines such as dance, music, opera/musical theater, theater, visual arts, design arts, crafts, photography, media arts, literature, interdisciplinary, and folk arts.

A free grant workshop and information session for interested applicants will be held in the auditorium of the Customs House Museum (200 S Second Street, Clarksville) on Thursday, May 30, 2013, at 3:30pm. While this workshop is not mandatory for applicants, first-time applicants are strongly encouraged to attend.

Funds awarded to a single organization in this grant category range from $500 to $2,000. Eligible organizations in the counties of Cheatham, Dickson, Houston, Humphreys, Montgomery, Robertson and Stewart can apply for these grant funds. In order to be eligible, applicants must be state-recognized, 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations or government entities (including public schools and libraries) and must be able to provide a dollar-for-dollar match toward the single proposed project. In addition, the proposed project must occur between August 16, 2013, and June 15, 2014. Any organization currently receiving Major Cultural Institution, Cultural Education Partnership, or Partnership Support funding for FY2014 is not eligible to apply.

Applications must be submitted online through the Tennessee Arts Commission’s eGrant system by 4:30pm (CST) on July 1, 2013. The ABC online application can be accessed beginning at 8:00am (CST) on May 31, 2013, at www.tn.gov/arts. Once there, scroll over “Grants” on the left side of the home page, and click on the eGrant button to access the ABC application. Faxed, mailed, or hand delivered applications will not be accepted.

A representative from the applying organization should be present at an open panel review beginning at 9:00am on Tuesday, August 6, 2013, at the Customs House Museum in Clarksville to answer questions that may arise about the application or proposed project. Awards will then be announced in mid-August.

For more information, please contact Ellen Kanervo, Executive Director of the Clarksville Arts & Heritage Development Council, at (931)551-8870 or artsandheritage@cdelightband.net.

The Clarksville Arts & Heritage Development Council’s First Saturday Workshop for the month of June will focus on the art of jewelry making.

On Saturday, June 1, from 9:00am until noon, artisan Melanie Hazen will work with participants to create a unique piece of jewelry to wear every day or on special occasions.

Melanie, who has been making jewelry for eight years, started when she couldn’t find the right gift for a friend and decided to create it herself. Her work has been featured in Bead & Button magazine, Jewelry Artist magazine, The Leaf-Chronicle and numerous blogs. Melanie advises aspiring designers to “be fearless and do what you love.”

This month’s workshop will be held above Hodgepodge at 124 Strawberry Alley, while repairs are occurring to 10th Street outside of L&N Train Station.

Registration for the Jewelry Making Workshop, which is $35, is available online via the below button or by calling the Clarksville Arts & Heritage Development Council at (931) 551-8870. (Online registrations carry a $1.00 convenience fee.) The registration deadline is May 30, and spaces are limited.

We are very honored to have as this year’s keynote speaker FRYE GAILLARD, who has written extensively on Southern race relations, politics and culture as the author or editor of over twenty books, including Cradle of Freedom: Alabama and the Movement That Changed America and The Books That Mattered: A Reader’s Memoir. Gaillard, writer-in-residence at the University of South Alabama, will speak at Thursday evening’s banquet at Freedom Point at Liberty Park, overlooking the beautiful Cumberland River and historic downtown Clarksville.

The conference banquet will be encompassed by two days of interesting presentations and valuable workshops on Thursday and Friday, June 6 and 7. Authors scheduled to speak include:

• JANINE BOLDRIN, freelance journalist for Military Spouse magazine and author of e-book The Thinking Spouse’s Guide to Military Life;
• BETH ANN FENNELLY, award-winning poet (Unmentionables, Open House, Tender Hooks) and co-author of forthcoming novel The Tilted World;
• TOM FRANKLIN, New York Times bestselling author of Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter, co-editor of anthology Grit Lit: A Rough South Reader, and co-author of forthcoming novel The Tilted World;
• RHETA GRIMSLEY JOHNSON, journalist, syndicated columnist and author of the memoirs Hank Hung the Moon and Enchanted Evening Barbie and the Second Coming;
• DALE RAY PHILLIPS, short story writer and author of the Pulitzer Prize-nominated collection My People’s Waltz;
• ADAM ROSS, author of 2010 New York Times Notable Book Mr. Peanut and short story collection Ladies and Gentlemen;
• CHUCK SAMBUCHINO, editor of Writer’s Digest’s Guide to Literary Agents and author of Formatting & Submitting Your Manuscript and Create Your Writer Platform;
• ANN SHAYNE, former editor of book review BookPage and author of novel Bowling Avenue and Mason-Dixon Kitting: The Curious Knitter’s Guide;
• GEORGE SINGLETON, author of often humorous short story collections and novels, including Stray Decorum, Work Shirts for Madmen and Pep Talks, Warnings, And Screeds: Indispensable Wisdom And Cautionary Advice For Writers.

In addition to the scheduled presentations and workshops, free manuscript consultations with two literary agents will be available to conference participants:

• DEBBIE CARTER, literary agent with Muse Literary Management in New York City;
• GINA PANETTIERI, literary agent with Connecticut-based Talcott Notch Literary Services.

A limited number of query letter critiques with CHUCK SAMBUCHINO will also be available for an additional charge of $25.

A complete package including all conference activities is offered, as well as a la carte options. Discounted rates are available for early registration, which is postmarked on or before May 23, 2013. (Late registration is postmarked between May 24 and May 30, 2013.) Visit the conference website at www.artsandheritage.us/writers for author bios, the conference schedule, registration information and more.

The 2013 Clarksville Writers Conference is made possible in part through the generous support of the Tennessee Arts Commission, City of Clarksville, Austin Peay State University, Dr. Howard and Patricia Winn, Gannett Foundation / The Leaf-Chronicle, APSU Office of President Tim Hall, Greater Nashville Regional Council and the Customs House Museum and Cultural Center. Additional sponsors include the Fort Campbell Officers’ Spouses’ Club, Drs. David and Jennie Beth Johnston, Dee Boaz, Jeanie Page Randall, Jean and Wendell Gilbert, and Wade and Rebecca Bourne. The conference was developed in 2005 by Patricia Winn.