Winners of the Elementary Writing Contest (4 of 4)!

We’re sad to say that today we will be posting the final winners from the HFR-hosted Elementary Creative Writing Contest. See how these two, talented seventh graders at Dobson Montessori School used Caleb Charland’s “Silhouette with Matches” (from HFR52) as a foundation to delve into much deeper and unexpected interpretations. These stories are a poignant finish to the eclectic group of submissions we received.

We would like to extend a special shout-out to the nearly 100 emerging writers from 1st-8th grade who submitted their work to the contest, as well as the educators encouraging these students to keep writing, and keep creating.

By Sydney:
Panic, screams, and fear were everywhere. New York quickly filled with blinding smoke and blistering flames. Mayhem and commotion came from the falling tower. Filthy ash and crumbling rubble flooded the streets of the Big Apple. Sirens began and the brave firefighters swarmed the streets. People wailed for help.

There I sat in the middle of the chaos, thinking I was in a dream. Reality didn’t set in until a police officer started yelling at me. I felt safe and sheltered with the officer. We began running through the streets that once were filled with joyful tourists, but now were filled with pieces of the World Trade Center. Smoke and ash obscured my vision, and I could no longer see the heroic cop. Panic set in. I began shrieking for help as I searched for him, getting more and more frightened. I started sprinting through the streets of the Big Apple when I tripped over a piece of the debris, and I tumbled to the ground. My mind was blank as I lay there with an expressionless face.

I soon heard a deafening sound, and rubble began crashing to the ground: the second tower had been hit. Pieces of flying wreckage began to fall near me, and I started to slowly crawl. Once I stood up, I started to run towards the bridge to get out of the city. Blazing flames surrounded me. It looked like fire crackers on the fourth of July. All I could see was a silhouette of a fearless firefighter running towards me in the middle of the flames. He picked me up and sprinted towards the bridge, his hands strong and determined. Once we were safely to the bridge, he told me to find shelter nearby. So there I ran, across the bridge and left Mayhem Manhattan.

By Claire:
This was the day I laughed and the day I cried.

I was six years-old at the time. It was my so-called “wonderful summer vacation.” But like life, you have your good days and you have your bad days. I awoke to the sound of my mom and aunt crying. I was staying at Mimi’s house in Ohio. I called my grandma Mimi back then, and still do. I liked staying at Mimi’s house because she had a secret garden hidden in her backyard where my little cousin and I pretended we were fairies, and where we would tell each other our deepest secrets. I crept down the stairs and peeked around the corner, and saw my mom, aunt, and Mimi standing in the kitchen. My mom had her hands over her eyes. I ran up to hug her and ask her what was wrong, but then I saw an American flag out of the corner of my eye. I remembered it was the Fourth of July.

I asked my mom where Uncle Rick was so that I could tell him it was the Fourth of July. Uncle Rick was one of the kindest uncles I had. He was very different than most people, but I loved him. My mom looked at my with an expression of sadness on her face. “Honey, Uncle Rick passed away,” she said. I looked up at my mom with tears in my eyes and hugged her tightly. The hug lasted for a long time. Then, I ran outside into the secret garden, and sat on the bench there. I didn’t know what to think. I couldn’t process it. I sat out there for a long time, so long that I fell asleep.

I woke up in my bed. I looked at the clock and saw that it was 5:30 p.m. I walked downstairs. All of my family was gathered around the house, hugging my mom, aunt, and Mimi, telling them how sorry they were. All of a sudden, I heard the booming sound of fireworks. I ran outside and saw that my little cousin had two sparklers in her hand. She gave me one. I smiled at her and we went running. We were laughing and blissful. Soon, we were in the secret garden and were jumping and flapping our wings like fairies. I stopped jumping, and looked up at the sky. I felt truly happy. Then, a firework popped in the sky. As it fell to the ground, I saw my Uncle Rick standing inside the firework. At that moment, I felt so peaceful and happy that I knew I would remember him forever. I didn’t feel sad anymore, because I knew that my Uncle Rick was shining in the sky like a blazing firework.

Winners of the HFR Elementary Writing Contest! (3 of 4)

We hope you are enjoying these student stories as much as we are! Just as we promised last time, here are three more winning stories from Meera, Zane, and Holly of Dobson Montessori School. Remember, these stories are all in response to Caleb Charland’s “Silhouette With Matches” (found below), featured in HFR #52.

By Meera, first grade
Once upon a time, there were very weird fireworks. Suddenly, they turned into fire. Then a magical creature popped out. In a low-toned, growling voice, he said, “I will offer you three wishes.”

I asked, “Can one of them be for my friend?”

“Okay,” he said, “but only one.”

I said, “Okay, but can I do it tomorrow?”

“No, no, no!” he said.

I said, “Okay, okay, okay!”

“I see in your mind that you want a giant bowl of ice cream,” he said. Then it just appeared.

“No, no, no. I didn’t want it, I was just thinking of it!”

He said in a grouchy voice, “Then what do you want?”

“Why are you mad at me?”

“I’m not mad at you!”

I said, “Okay, chillax, monster.”

“I’m not a monster!”

“I meant to say weird creature. Now, now, now, stop yelling at me.”

He said, “Okay. I’m sorry.”

I wished for a cute puppy and a cute little cat. For my friend, I wished for her to have a happy family.

The End.

By Zane, fourth grade
Once there was a man who lived in a cabin in a very pretty forest. The man’s name was Josh. Josh had brown hair and he was in his thirties.

One day, Josh was on a walk through the forest. He walked for a long time, but something seemed wrong about this walk, even though he had walked through this same forest many times. Josh kept walking because he knew that if he just kept following the dirt trail, he would find a house with people in it to guide him.

Josh didn’t find any houses anywhere, but he did find a castle at the end of the path! He got to the castle and knocked on the gate. The gate flew open and a wizard was there. “What do you want?” asked the Wizard.

“I’m lost and I’m hoping you can help me find my way home,” Josh said.

“Okay, fine, but you have to make one sacrifice. You will be invisible forever.”

“Why can’t you just give me the directions and let me go?” said Josh.

“I was going to instantly transport you there.”

“Oh, okay,” said Josh.

“Now, you must go into that fireplace. Say the name of where you want to go, and it will take you there. So go, before you miss the Fourth of July fireworks!” said the Wizard.

“It’s the Fourth of July?”

“Yes, now go! Quick! Before you miss the fireworks!”

Josh ran up to the fireplace, and said the name of where he wanted to go. He walked into the fireplace, and at once, his body hit the ground. He looked at himself and around him. The wizard was right: he was now invisible. Josh ran to an open field, and then he could see the fireworks.

By Holly, fifth grade
There was a young boy named Tommy. He was very interested in fire, and he loved anything having to do with fire and bright stuff. Then he grew older and turned thirty years old.

Today was the Fourth of July, his favorite holiday. Tommy was going to go watch the fireworks, which were probably his favorite thing. When he got there, it was five minutes until the show was going to start. Tommy thought to himself how he had to find a way to figure out how fireworks work. When the show started, he got up from his seat and went behind the tent to find the fireworks, where he could watch and learn. He saw the fireworks shooter, where they launched the fireworks, which were just shooting out one after the other. He thought it was just amazing. He just stood and watched. He watched as the fireworks flew high in the sky. He began to move closer and closer to the fireworks shooter until he was right in front of it. The shooter was so powerful that it knocked him down and he ended up being knocked unconscious.

When he woke up, he looked behind him and could still see the fireworks. He thought that this was the longest firework show he had ever seen! He started to walk back, but realized that no one was there. He looked everywhere. He could still see the fireworks coming out of the shooter. He turned around, and there was the most incredible display of fireworks he had ever seen. The ground even seemed to be covered with fire, but he did not understand how he could be standing in the fire.

Tommy also did not understand who was shooting off the fireworks. He realized he was dead, and no one was shooting off the fireworks. They were just going off on their own. He got to live in a place where there were fireworks all the time, around every day. He felt lucky to get to be where he could see his favorite thing all the time.

Winners of the HFR Elementary School Writing Contest (2 of 4)

compiled by Marissa Grondin

Welcome to our continuation of Stories Inspired by HFR. We received over 60 submissions to our Elementary Creative Writing Contest from talented students first through eighth grade at Dobson Montessori School in Mesa, Arizona. We’ve selected here just a few of our favorites. Though young, these writers are already well aware of how to craft compelling characters and unique storylines.

In our next installment, we will feature stories from Meera, Zane, and Holly, who all chose to write their stories in response to Caleb Charland’s “Silhouette with Matches” (HFR #52). But before we get to those, let’s take a look at a story from Cooper, a second grader who wrote this thriller in response to Leonie Hampton’s photograph “Our Home, 2007” (see image below), featured in HFR #51.

By Cooper, Second Grade
In the Wisconsin Mountains there was a haunted house. It was being investigated by a team of five: Ben, Jack, Bill, James, and Paul. They were living in the house at the time. They were creeped out, especially Bill, because he was lazy and always ate hamburgers.

Ben was in the attic bedroom. That’s always the worst place to be. He looked under the bed to see if there were any strange things, and a werewolf came out. Ben was so scared that he ran down the hall to the others. They all tried to run away, but Jack was pulled away by the werewolf. The smart one, James, knew there was more coming.

They went downstairs to the basement to look around. Paul found a bag of Skittles, and James found Jack’s jacket. Then James saw hamburgers and soda cans falling down the stairs. Bill had also been taken by the werewolf. So now, only James, Ben, and Paul were left. James went up to the attic and looked under the bed, but there was nothing there. He looked in the closet, and there was Jack, tied up.

He untied Jack, and they all went to find Bill. Ben and James were scared. They opened another closet and Bill was not there either, but there was a blue, circular ruby. James took it to research. He saw that it was a werewolf egg, and he broke it. The boys tracked down the other werewolves. They found another werewolf, and Paul threw Skittles at it.

James knocked out the werewolf with a punch. He was surprised he could do that. He sent it to the Phoenix Zoo. He then looked for Bill with Paul and Ben, but they were never able to find him. They left the house and gave up the investigation.

Winners of the HFR Elementary School Writing Contest (1 of 4)

compiled by Marissa Grondin

In not so many words, Flannery O’Connor once commented that anybody with a childhood has enough insight and introspection to last them a lifetime. With that said, some talented elementary students are proving that they have enough stories to fill an entire book (or two, or three).

We thought it would be cool to revive a blog feature that had been dormant for quite some time: Stories Inspired by HFR. So, we contacted the faculty at two local Arizona elementary schools to see if they might be interested in asking their students to submit a creative piece in response to artwork featured in previous issues. Lucky for us, they agreed—we are proud to post the winners of the first HFR-hosted Elementary Creative Writing Contest here.

To kick us off, here are two stories from third grade students at Legacy Traditional School in Gilbert, Arizona, both written in response to Caleb Charland’s “Silhouette with Matches” (image below), which was featured artwork in HFR #52. And stay tuned in the coming week for more winning stories from the students at Dobson Montessori School in Mesa, Arizona!

By Katie:
A long time ago in a cool place far, far away lived a little girl, about nine years-old, named Katany. She went to a school called Creative Learning. One day at recess, she was running down the sidewalk when she stopped to glance at the small spot she was at. Suddenly, something shiny caught her eye. She ran over to find a small, sparkling crystal shimmering in the bright sunlight.

“What the what?” Katany said in surprise. The crystal said, Please Activate. She picked it up and ran to the girls’ room.

“Hey, Tianna,” she said. “How are you?”

“Huh?” Tiana wondered. She heard a voice, but did not see anyone.

“I’m over here!” Katany said. She waved, but instead zapped Tiana. Katany ran over and put her small hands on Tiana. Zap! Tiana stood back up.

“Whoa! What happened?” Tiana stood back up.

“I saved you!” Katany yelled, only now Tiana could not hear her either. Katany looked in the mirror. She saw nothing but a figure her size with glittering, golden waterfalls shooting out of it. Suddenly, the waterfalls turned off, and she was not invisible anymore.

Katany stuffed the crystal back into her pocket and ran to her best friend, Kennedy. She whispered what had just happened. “Maybe you’ll get an awesome power too one day, and then we’ll save the enormous world! Imagine that!” Katany said.

“Hey! We should call you Watergold,” Kennedy shouted excitedly.

“Okay!” Katany answered, and then together they made a plan to save the enormous world.

By Annalise:
Once there was a ten-year-old boy named Mike. Mike was very adventurous and he loved porcupines! Mike had five brothers, seven sisters, and one best friend. When finally reaching his eleventh birthday, his mom told him that he could go into the backyard forest. So off he went! He grabbed his supersonic binoculars and his red and brown metal telescope.

First, he saw a gray squirrel and a blue jay, and then he saw a moose, deer, and, last of all, he saw a coyote. After walking for about thirty minutes, he felt the ground start to shake just a little. He also felt something that felt like a really sharp needle, but actually was a quill from a porcupine. In a few seconds, he turned invisible, and all the quills were shining. It was like he was the king!

He went home and his family was horrified, but he calmed them, and then they were fine. He tried to get himself back to normal, but unfortunately he couldn’t. He grew up trying to make friends, but didn’t. Then, one day, he met the friendliest girl in the world, and they got married and lived happily ever after.

The End.

Hayden's Ferry Review Issue 52--Out next week!

FEATURING:

Poetry by Kwame Dawes • Pireeni Sundaralingam • Dorian Geisler • Alexandra Teague • Amorak Huey • Shane Seely • Caitlin Bailey • Laura Read • Michel Lynch • Katy Chrisler • Christopher Watkins • James Henry Knippen • Kara van de Graaf • Evan Beaty • John A. Nieves • Bradley Harrison • Alice Bolin • Shara Lessley • Jill Khoury • Laurie Sewall • Todd Davis • Kyle McCord • Suzanne Marie Hopcroft • Jon Thompson • L.S. Klatt • Max Somers

Fiction by David James Poissant • Lydia Ship • Daniel Wessler Riordan • Zana Previti • Becky Hagenston • Aparna Sanyal • David Ryan • Susan L. Lin • Young Rader

Nonfiction by Kate Russell

International selections by Rubem Fonseca, translated by Colin Rorrison • Antonio Machado, translated by Nicholas Friedman • Teolinda Gersão, translated by Margaret Jull Costa • Luis García Montero, translated by Anna Rosen Guercio • Eider Rodriguez, translated by Nere Lete • Ana Luísa Amaral, translated by Margaret Jull Costa • David Leo García, translated by Mark C. Aldrich & Margaret Frolich • Luna Miguel, translated by Jeremy Spencer

Art by Carolyn Drake (cover) • Barbara Ciurej & Lindsay Lochman • Roger Ballen • Caleb Charland • Daniel W. Coburn

and an interview with the late, great Jake Adam York by Jake Adler.

SUBSCRIBE TODAY!

On the Cover: A Review of Christian Patterson

by Lara Shipley, art editor

In the small town where I grew up, my dad was the prosecutor. As a kid, whenever I had the opportunity alone in his office, I would rifle through his desk drawers, pulling out stacks of evidentiary photographs. These were snapshots that appeared at a glance not to contain much at all: broken windows, stains in the carpet, tire tracks, sloppy shots of small homes tucked into the woods. I found them fascinating. I knew the pictures were about things that had happened, bad things, and I thought if I studied them carefully I could discover their story. But the images were too mysterious, and I found that more than a narrative that was simple to parse, I was left with an undefined feeling of unease.

Christian Patterson’s project, Redheaded Peckerwood, plays upon our desire and belief that photographs can tell straight facts. The project contains many photographs reminiscent of those I saw in my dad’s desk: oil stains on the carpet, a knife in the wall, blood in the snow; the residue of violence. But these images reference a killing spree carried out by a teenage couple, Charles Starkweather and Caril Ann Fugate, in Nebraska almost sixty years ago. Patterson spent five years traveling the route the couple took while running from the law. He made photographs that feel like clues, and the viewer is invited to reassemble these bits of information to make sense of it all. At the same time, he indicates that his images are photographs, not documents of fact. Patterson includes both black and white and color photographs, some of them featuring double exposures and light leaks. He mixes photographs from different languages of photography; the studio, the field, weaving in historic images that he alters and scans of actual documents. The accumulation of all this is a confusing blend of fact and fiction.

The story Patterson’s photographs tell is gruesome. It’s hard to not look for some explanation of how or why two young people from the rural Midwest would kill so many people, many of whom were their own relatives. But looking through Patterson’s images I am reminded of that same feeling of frustration and fascination I had looking through those evidence photographs. If there is a story told here, it is more about Patterson’s own fascination with the crimes and the young people who committed them. The psychology of the crime, he suggests, is more than objects can hold, than photographs can relate.

Hiroshi Watanabe's "Kabuki Players"

Though most of you probably can't make it to Switzerland, we wanted to share these beautiful photographs from Hiroshi Watanabe's upcoming gallery show. 42 portrait photographs from "Kabuki Players," "Noh Masks of Naito Clan," "Suo Sarumawashi," and "Comedy of Double Meaning" series will be exhibited all around the 3 story Ad-Galerie in Switzerland.

If you like Watanabe's work as much as we do, check out his Facebook page, and find work from his "Japantown Project" in our soon-to-be-released 50th issue!

Eric Gottesman's Photography in Issue 50!

We at HFR couldn't be more excited to have Eric Gottesman's photography in the upcoming issue #50!

 For over a decade, Eric Gottesman has been working in both the Middle East and Ethiopia exploring photography’s role in shaping and documenting people’s lives. Eric Gottesman had this to say in his recent email newsletter: 


Hi all, 


 It has been unseasonably warm in New England and I've learned a lot from my residency here at Amherst College, especially from the students. With students and guest speakers and colleagues, my mind is active with new ideas. It has been a wonderful place to be for the semester. This summer, I'll be back in Ethiopia for a few weeks to work on a project for which I received a 2012 grant from the Magnum Foundation; the first time they have given it to an artist that is not a photojournalist. I will also be in Labrador finishing up work for a show at the Addison Gallery for American Art in the fall with Wendy Ewald. 


My show at Clark Gallery near Boston opens this weekend. Come if you can. Here are the details: http://www.clarkgallery.com. 


 I'm watching the movie Pina in the background as I write this and she just said, "Dance, dance... otherwise we are lost." That seems like a good note to end on. 


 -Eric 


 Pick up the upcoming issue and marvel at Eric Gottesman's photography.

The Winning Photos Are...

We asked you to send us photos to go along with the story "Goodbye, My Chickens, Goodbye" by Anne Earney, and you answered. The winning photos are below. But we need more! Send us photos, music, and ideas! See here for submission details. The best photos will be turned into a loving montage for the story and displayed on YouTube, and if your photo makes the cut (chances are pretty good), you get a free copy of issue #49!

Photo Contest!

Hello All!

You may remember our plea from a few weeks back asking for photos for our next HFR video project. We've decided to hold a photo contest! Those whose photos are chosen for the video will receive a copy of the new HFR #49!!

For this video project, we've decided on "Goodbye, My Chickens, Goodbye" by Anne Earney, in HFR #48. Here's the deal. Send us any photograph that you feel relates to the story. Anything at all! We'll choose our favorites and string them together for a fabulous video worthy of killing a radio star. We'll gladly accept your photos through email (hfr@asu.edu). Be sure to include your name and address. The deadline is NOVEMBER 30th!

A Most Remarkable Video Project: We Need Your Help!

A new project is afoot at HFR, and we need your participation! We're determined to bring the latest issue to life in a new and exciting way. You've perhaps heard of music videos? You've heard—from us—about Motion Poems, and now we've got it into our heads to make our own kind of music-video-poetry, inspired by work in our current issue and with your help.

Here's the first poem chosen for the project, "Modern Medicine" by Michael Brooks Cryer:

Modern Medicine
-for JA

To be of help to its contemporaries, an artificial heart learned to sing during the last desperate moments before a transplant operation. The heart explained, before being placed into the human's chest, why fake hearts can sing and real hearts can only pump blood. "Real hearts have trouble singing because their muscles don't form good acoustics. Artificial hearts, like myself, made of plastic and exotic metals, nurture sound like a cathedral or the Albert Hall. I think all fake organs should sing, especially the shy ones." A beautifully crafted pseudo-kidney sat at the back of the operating room listening to this. It had heard earlier that day a chorus of hearts practicing "America the Beautiful" in a utility closet. The kidney turned to the organ at its left and said, "This is ridiculous. I can sing. Listen to this." The testicle was astounded the kidney could talk, let alone carry a tune, so it threw itself into a bedpan and took a nap. "Will somebody shut that heart up," an anonymous organ pleaded. "Good god!" a small intestine exclaimed as a large on clapped. "I heard the eyes are learning to juggle," whispered a pancreas. "America, America..." sang the hearts.

We'd like YOU to send photographs, sound bites, drawings, or music either inspired by this poem or that somehow speaks to the poem. Your favorite bedpan? Awesome. Your patriot rendition of "America, America"? Yes, please. Grab your camera, and get snapping! Think you know what a signing heart sounds like? Sing it!

Send these as mp3, jpg or tif files to HFR@asu.edu or through Twitter to @haydensferryrev. Sound bites should be under a minute, and images should be saved for the web (72 dpi). The deadline for your submissions is September 16, and we can't wait!

We'll choose our favorite images and sounds and create a lovingly curated mini-movie for you to view. We're certain many more hearts will be singing by the end of this.

New Work From Photographer Will Steacy

THE PRICE WE PAY, a new on-going series about the economy, Steacy presents photographs of U.S. currency that have been removed from circulation. The exhausted and worn faces of our nation's forefathers depicted in these expired bills are a symbol of the American people, who ultimately are the ones that pay the cost of budget cuts in a country whose future is dermined by dollars and no sense. The Price We Pay is now online at www.willsteacy.com. Will's work from a previous series appeared in HFR #41.

HFR Photographer's SFMOMA Exhibit

Photographer Jacob Aue Sobol, from HFR's current issue, is having his work exhibited at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art from July 2-October 16th. The exhibition features photographs from his "Sabine Series."

More details (courtesy of SFMOMA):

Face of our Time presents the work of five photographers who share an interest in making pictures that capture what the world looks like. They observe the sometimes-volatile civil and political transformations facing society, recording history as it unfolds over time. Goldberg gives voice to the experiences of refugees in socially and economically devastated African countries. Schwartz studies the effects of globalization across central Asia's ancient Silk Route. Muholi provides a visual identity for the queer black population so often marginalized in her native South Africa. Aue Sobol combines observations of the rural hunting culture in a remote Arctic village with intimate portraits of his girlfriend, Sabine. And Misrach photographs the graffiti left behind in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.

For additional information, visit SFMOMA's website. If you're in the bay area, check out the work of one of HFR's own!

Spectacular New Mexico With Photographer Harvey Stein

October 1-9, 2011

New Mexico has been described as a place of inviolate, pristine beauty, engendering an almost spiritual feeling for the land and the overwhelming sense of peacefulness. Since the1880’s, photographers and artists (Georgia O’Keefe, Paul Strand, Ansel Adams, Laura Gilpin, Eliot Porter) have been irresistibly drawn to the incredible landscape, brilliant clear light, and rich Native American heritage.

Join Harvey Stein (his photograph pictured here is from our most recent issue) for a photographic adventure based at an historic hacienda in Taos, one of the first European settlements in the United States. Frequent lectures combined with daily photographic activity offer a rich input of technical and aesthetic concerns. Instruction will cover strategies of approaching strangers and the appropriate lens choice, as well as issues of landscape photography, portraiture, and photographing in available light. The group will also explore the special fall light characteristic of New Mexico during early morning and evening excursions, and photographing with and without flash. Digital photography and/or local processing of color film will provide the opportunity for quick feedback and critiques. Historical and contemporary images of New Mexico, and especially the Taos/Santa Fe area, will be shown for context and inspiration.

The workshop is open to all levels of photographers who have a good working knowledge of their cameras. Moderate hiking and walking will be required in this fast paced, information packed workshop. Limited to 14 participants.

HARVEY STEIN has taught at most of the major workshops in the United States and has led workshops in Europe and Mexico since 1994. Besides currently teaching at ICP, he has been on the faculty of the Rochester Institute of Technology, New School University, School of Visual Arts, Drew University and Bridgeport University. He is the author of five photographic books, the most current is Coney Island 40 Years, just published this spring. He has had over 70 one-person exhibits and has been in 145 group shows. His work is in more than 45 public collections including the George Eastman House, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, the Brooklyn Museum of Art, the Denver Museum of Art, the New Orleans Museum of Art, the International Center of Photography, and the Carnegie Museum of Art (Pittsburgh). He has traveled extensively throughout the American southwest for the past 14 years. View some of his work at his websites, www.harveysteinphoto.com and www.coneyisland40years.com.

Workshop fee: $2500. Fee includes 8 nights lodging (double occupancy, $700 extra for single supplement), all breakfasts and one welcome dinner. A non-refundable $500 deposit must accompany your registration to reserve a space. Placement is on a first come, first serve basis so we urge early registration. Full payment due by August 1st. Upon receipt of registration, participants will receive an information packet with travel suggestions and recommended material to bring. Workshop begins on Saturday evening, October 1st in time for a group dinner and concludes on Sunday morning, October 9th.

Find more details and registration information here. For more information call Donna Ruskin, Education Department, 212.857.0062, International Center of Photography • 1114 Avenue of the Americas New York NY 10036

merj Launch Event

Where will you be on April 2? If your answer is anywhere in the Phoenix area, it should also involve this awesome event, hosted by merj magazine! merj is a new online and print publication, designed to get artists from different mediums interacting and creating together. The goal of merj is to foster collaboration between artists and forms, and promote art within the community.

The event, which will take place from 6-8 p.m. at Art Intersection in Gilbert, AZ, will feature multimedia projects, such as photography, music, and poetry, copies of the first issue, delicious cupcakes, and more. It's a great way to support the local Arizona art scene and celebrate the creation of a new literary and arts journal.

Call for Photo Submissions: 'Dinner' Time

Harvey Stein, a photographer featured in the upcoming issue of HFR, has a new photo project that he is opening to the public. Here's the call:

From casual meals to gourmet banquets, DINNER is part of our daily lives. Whether we celebrate it or just tolerate it, we can't do without it. We plan greatly for it, or grin and bear it. It's a ritual, whether eating on the run or at the dinner table, alone or with friends and family. We romance and socialize around it, worry about it, prepare for it, dread it, or try to ignore it. We study recipes, look through fancy restaurant windows in envy, are hungry for the next DINNER, wonder if we can afford it.

We want to see your photos of your DINNER (and/or others) and what you do when you are there. Whether your photographs are of a person eating a piece of pizza on the subway, a Thanksgiving or Passover feast, or a lonely individual at a diner, we are interested. From shopping for it, preparing it, indulging in it, or cleaning up afterwards, make your photos as personal, interesting, sensual, fun, beautiful, startling as you can. No DINNER is out of bounds.

If you're interested in submitting photos of you getting down on your Mom's famous sloppy joe's, e-mail info@umbrellaarts.com to get an entry form. Winners will have their work displayed at Umbrella Arts studio in the East Village. Submissions are due by April 11, 2011 so get cookin'.

Website of the Week: Back to the Future

Irina Werning wins the prize for coolest/most creative/best photo project I've come across recently. She is self-admittedly a snoop ("As soon as I step into someone else’s house, I start sniffing for [old photos]"), and recently decided to put her snoopiness and curiosity to work. And so, Back to the Future was born. Werning has taken old photos of friends and then invited said friends to recreate the old photos as accurately as possible. The results are pretty amazing. Seeing all the youth and vivacity in the older pictures contrasted with the compound interest of years spent trudging through the shitstorm of adulthood left me feeling kinda nostalgic for these people I don't even know. But despite that, the photos are all still pretty damn funny. Your initial reaction is to laugh, and that's awesome, but I would argue the photos accomplish more than just that: they reveal something about the individual. It's like looking at two end points on a graph and leaving your imagination to fill in the highs and lows that fall in between based on acquired wrinkles, body-fat ratio, hairiness. Werning's attention to detail is what allows us to start drawing these conclusions about the subject's life and is what makes this project truly special. Thumbs up.

Irina Werning: Back to the Future

Issue #47 Contributor Jocelyn Lee Releases New Book

Back in November, she picked up representation by one of the world's premiere artist management companies, and now Jocelyn Lee has something else to be proud of: the release of her new book, Nowhere But Here.




The book is a culmination of 10 years worth of work for Lee, and as her publisher writes, "Jocelyn Lee encourages us to think about eternal issues such as youth and age, our connections with one another, our relationship with nature, and the place – or places – we call home."

Pick yourself up a copy.

Congratulations Jocelyn!

Timothy Archibald is Awesome

We knew photographer Timothy Archibald was amazing back when his photographs appeared in HFR #45. Now The New York Times and TIME Magazine are on board, covering photos from the same series where Timothy and his autistic son Elijah have conversations about, with, and through the images.

Feature Shoot has a fantastic interview with Timothy on its blog, too. "[Eli] saw the world differently than I did, was in it in a way that was curious to me. Those differences are the things that made me want to explore him, or more accurately, to explore “the me and him relationship”, with the camera."

Hear even more from Timothy on his blog.

Congratulations to HFR Contributor Jocelyn Lee!

Congratulations to HFR Issue #47 contributor Jocelyn Lee for picking up representation from Institute for Artist Management, an awesome agency that already has a pretty amazing roster (David Maisel anyone?)

Some of Jocelyn's work will appear in the upcoming issue of HFR which should be coming to you very, VERY soon. Keep your eyes peeled.

Congrats Jocelyn!