Center for Literary Arts - A Very Cool Organization

I met Nicole Hughes way back in October.  She told me all about the Center for Literary Arts, located on the San Jose State campus.  Their brochure says:

"For twenty-eight years, the CLA has held readings, conversations, seminars, and workshops featuring contemporary writers of exceptional voice and vision."

When I came away from that meeting, I was very stoked about Nicole and what the CLA does.  Well, in my inimitable fashion, here we are almost 6 months later, and I have neglected to post anything about the organization.  I am a bad man.  HOWEVER, Nicole recently asked me to share with you an event that's coming up on May 22 at the Blackbird Tavern, in San Jose.  Here is a description of the event:

Play on Words is a new collaborative literary performance series in San Jose that pairs performers with up-and-coming and already established writers, resulting in a live performance.   The series has been featured in the Metro (http://www.metroactive.com/features/columns/Play-On-Words-Blackbird-Tavern.html) and we've had two very successful shows at The Blackbird Tavern in downtown San Jose.  We plan to have four events a year, entry is free and open to the public, and the Blackbird provides table service during the show.  Our Facebook page includes videos and photos from our past events if you want to check out the type of work we've previously staged.  Here's the call to submit:

Our next Play On Words show has been confirmed for Thursday, May 22, at The Blackbird Tavern! Which means: we need your work! Send short, funny, thoughtful, wonderful pieces under 2000 words to playonwordssj@gmail.com by April 15th to be considered for our next show!  Or, if the deadline is to soon for you, submit after April 15th to be considered for our early Fall show.  More details will be announced soon.  Also, if you're interested in reading and acting, e-mail us a letter of interest. 

To discover more about Play on Words, visit our Facebook page at Play on Words San Jose, our blog at playonwordssj.wordpress.com, and our Instagram at playonwordssanjose.  We've been featured in the Metro and have had contributors such as former Steinbeck Fellows Leah Griesmann and Kirstin Chin, journalist and poet Gary Singh, and former and current SJSU MFA students. 

Sincerely,

Play on Words (Nicole Hughes, Julia Halprin Jackson, and Melinda Marks)

Please note that you only have until April 15 to submit your response in order to be considered for the May 22 event.  After April 15, your entry will be evaluated for their Fall show.

If you want to take a closer look at the CLA, their website is www.litart.org.  Their Facebook page is Facebook.com/CenterForLiteraryArts.  And their Twitter "handle" is @CLA_San Jose.  Take a look.  It's well worth it.