Last February, when Hands on Art and Vernonia’s Voice kicked off a call for submissions for a second book, we had no idea that a month later, we’d find ourselves in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic. With the ensuing disruptions and anxiety, no one, it seemed, gave a hoot about writing stories or poetry or taking photos. And yet, somehow, the submissions trickled in, and Voices from the Mill Pond, Volume II was born.
Picking a cover for our second volumewasn’t an easy task. Especially since we received over a hundred fabulous photos. We poured through them, seeking an image that highlighted the pond, of course, but also one that contained the necessary compositional elements: orientation and size, dpi, the right color and busy-ness when contrasted with the text, and one that possessed its own intrinsic beauty. We believe we made the perfect choice.
Vernonia’s Voice and Hands on Art chose Mike Pym’s photo for the cover of Voices from the Mill Pond, Vol. II.
Many thanks to the residents of Vernonia, past and present, for their stories, poems, histories, photos, and memories. Once again, Vernonia has outdone itself, and our community spirit is alive and well.
Voices from the Mill Pond, Vol. II is now available on Amazon as well as around town. You can find it at the library and at the R&S Market. It’s a perfect gift for the holidays that honors our talented and beautiful community.
Just because we can’t gather in person, doesn’t mean that Christmas fun isn’t coming to Vernonia. Join Hands on Art for our virtual cookie-baking and gingerbread house competitions!
This year it all about creativity. Think about competing for loads of fun and a bunch of cash prizes.
There is no cost to enter. Bake at home, photograph your creations, and email your photos to Hands on Art for anonymous judging!
Winning cookies and gingerbread houses will be shared in Vernonia’s Voice, and on the Hands on Art website and Facebook page. Prizes will be mailed to the winning bakers.
Open to Vernonia, Oregon residents.
Virtual Cookie Contest Rules
Two divisions: Junior (12 and under) and Regular (13 and over).
Cookies can be any size and shape, and all decorations must be edible.
On your email, include your division, name, phone number, and address.
Gingerbread houses will be anonymously judged by the Hands on Art board based on 1) design, 2) creativity, and 3) presentation.
The primary structural material must be gingerbread, and although inedible components are allowed, it must be self-evident that they are inedible (plastic truck okay, hot glue not okay).
The winner of each division will win a prize of $30.
The submission deadline is December 6th, so get cooking!
Voices from the Mill Pond, Vol. 1, was a huge success in 2019 and a wonderful testament to Vernonia’s talent. Hands on Art and Vernonia’s Voice are eager to share this community’s creative spirit once again.
We’ve received some excellent stories, poems, and photographs but have room for more. To encourage additional submissions, we’ve extended the deadline until October 5th.
We haven’t received any submissions from children and would love to include the work of our younger generation in this volume. And don’t forget, our editorial board will be selecting a cover for the book from the photography submissions.
Haiku is written in three lines with five syllables in the first line, seven syllables in the second, and five in the last: 5/7/5, for a total of seventeen syllables.
Tankas are similar to haiku but have five lines with syllable counts of 5/7/5/7/7.
Haiku and tanka do not rhyme.
Most haiku are written about nature, the seasons, or an emotional experience while in nature.
Most tanka use vivid imagery and appeal to the senses.
Neither form requires a title.
The use of punctuation is optional.
Two or more poems written together are considered a series or sequence.
Thank you
for your interest in participating in this project! Our goal with Volume 2 is
to continue to publish and celebrate the talents of Vernonia’s storytellers,
poets, photographers, and artists.
A full-color
paperback book will be published by Vernonia’s Voice. The book will also be
available locally. The project is
sponsored by Vernonia’s Voice and Vernonia’s Hands on Art organization.
Please read
through these Submission Details. If you have any questions or need assistance,
please contact Diana Peach at dwallacepeach@gmail.com. Our goal is to encourage
submissions, and we’re happy to help get you there.
General
Information:
Submission
Deadline (firm): September 15, 2020.
Publication Date: November 15, 2020, just in time for the holidays!
Open to All Ages!
All
submissions must be family-friendly.
All submissions
must be ORIGINAL works by the author/photographer/artist.
Authors/photographers/artists
may make multiple submissions.
There will
be no payments made to authors/photographers/artists for inclusion of their
work. The project is entirely for the fun of sharing the community’s talents. A
portion of the royalties from the sale of books will cover administrative fees,
taxes, advertising, and promotion. The balance of the profits will fund
Vernonia’s non-profit arts organization Hands on Art.
Authors/photographers/artists
will retain all rights to their work to use however they wish, without
limitations.
By
submitting, you are giving permission for Vernonia’s Voice to publish your work
in Voices of the Mill Pond (2019, Vol. 1).
Parents will
be contacted in order to give permission for their young person’s work to be
published.
Keep a copy
of your work!
Curation
The
decisions as to what is included will be made by an editorial board consisting
of Hands on Art and community members.
Names will
be removed from all submissions by D. Peach prior to presentation to the board.
Inclusion in
the book is not guaranteed, though our goal is to include as many submissions
as possible. Some factors include:
the
number of submissions
the
appropriateness of the work
preference
for Vernonia-related themes
preference
for a good mix of ages
preference
for a good blend of the types of submissions (stories, poems, other writings,
photos, and artwork).
adherence
to these guidelines
All authors/photographers/artists
will be notified when final decisions are made.
Written
Submissions
Open to
short stories, flash fiction (very short stories), poems, reflections, musings,
mood pieces, historical pieces.
No minimum
word-count. Maximum word-count: 1500
words (negotiable).
Please
include a title for your written piece. Untitled written works will be titled
“Untitled.”
We are happy
to collaborate with Vernonia’s schools and home schoolers. In Volume 1 we had
only one child participate. We would love to have more work from Vernonia’s
students.
Vernonia-related
themes are preferred but not mandatory at all. And this can be interpreted
broadly! Mill pond, nature, horses, animals, logging, bicycling, community,
fishing, hiking, school, family, growing up, growing old, play, love, alien
invasion of Bridge Street, the logging truck that saved Christmas! Imaginations
welcome!
The
editorial board reserves the right to make spelling, typo, and grammatical
corrections. No other changes will be made without the author’s approval.
To submit:
copy the written work into the body of an email and send to dwallacepeach@gmail.com. This will enable the copying of the material into a
formatting program quickly and without error. Please contact Diana Peach if
other arrangements are needed.
Photographs
and Photographs of Artwork
Vernonia-related
themes are preferred. And this can be interpreted broadly! Nature, horses,
animals, logging, bicycling, community, fishing, hiking, school, family, growing
up, growing old, play, love.
“Mill Pond”
images will automatically be considered for the cover contest.
Optional:
You may include a title and/or caption to accompany your photograph.
Images of
actual people must include written permission to publish by the person or a
parent/guardian if the person in under 18.
Color or
black and white images are acceptable.
Final book
size (for planning images) will be 7”w x 10”h.
Accepted images
will be scaled to fit within printing margins.
Images must
be 330 dpi minimum to meet publishing standards.
Join Hands on Art at the Vernonia Grange for free kid’s crafts, a hot beverage, and our annual cookie and gingerbread house competitions. Is your grandmother’s cookie recipe the best ever? Do you have the ultimate gingerbread house design? Think about competing for loads of fun and a cash prize.
Cookie Baking Contest rules
There are two divisions and a top prize will be awarded in each division. The divisions are Junior (12 and under) and Regular (13 and over).
There is no cost to enter either division. First place prizes will be $20.
All entrants must deliver their cookies to the Vernonia Grange on December 14thth between 10 am and 2 pm.
Please provide a small plate of 6 cookies for judging and another 18 cookies for sharing with the public, the full recipe (for the judges only) and a label identifying the name of the cookies.
Judges will commence their work at 3:30 pm, and results will be announced by 4:00 pm. You do not need to be present to win.
Gingerbread House Contest rules
One prize will be awarded in the Gingerbread House Contest – A People’s Choice Award of $20. Multiple people can contribute to an entry. There is no cost to enter.
All entrants must deliver their entry on a baker’s half sheet (13”x18”) or smaller equivalent surface. Delivery may be made to the Vernonia Grange between 10 am and noon on December 14th.
Primary structural material must be gingerbread, and although inedible components are allowed if necessary, it must be self-evident that they are inedible (plastic truck okay, hot glue not okay).
Judging opens at 10:00 am and is by people’s choice. It is advised that you make delivery of the gingerbread house before judging starts.
You may include a notecard with your entry that gives more information about your entry, such as the source of your inspiration, how long it took to construct, who helped, and how long it will take to eat.
Votes will be tallied at 3:30 pm and announced at 4:00 pm. You do not need to be present to win.
These contests are sponsored by The Vernonia Hands on Art Center, a tiny 501c3 working to promote the arts and cultural heritage of Vernonia. Donations are gratefully accepted and you will receive a receipt that may be used for tax purposes.
Finding herself with an empty nest and time on her hands, Wanda Aszman started taking art classes at Mt. Hood Community College. There she fell in love with ceramics and now, many years later, she’s an accomplished artist creating one-of-a-kind works of clay that are both functional and stunningly beautiful.
Wanda’s small business, My Jars of Clay, operates out of her studio in Vernonia, with a portion of her time spent in Portland where she’s one of the founders and an 18-year member of the NW Potters Guild. Her experience includes 5 years of study under Don Sprague, a well-known Northwest potter with pieces displayed in the Smithsonian.
Pottery Lantern
When asked what draws her to ceramics, Wanda states that it’s the hands-on creativity, the total immersion in an artistic project that she most enjoys. She loves puttering with clay and would like to do more hand-building—playing with alternate shapes and interesting designs that lead to one-of-a-kind creations. Lanterns are one of Wanda’s specialties because she gets to “cut and paste” with clay.
Wanda makes all her own glazes, which allows her to tinker and experiment with her own blends. Green glazes of all shades (an Oregon-inspired color) are her favorites and she tests new ones all the time.
Currently, Wanda provides finished pottery, custom pieces, and kiln services. She vends her pottery at several street fairs in Portland as well as during summer and holiday events. Someday, Wanda hopes to find space in Vernonia to offer classes for children and adults.
Interested in pottery? Wanda can be contacted via email at waaszman@gmail.com.
