Two calls for artists from FIXT POINT in Ontario, Canada. Deadline Sept 10. Details below.

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OPEN CALL #1: STORYGATHERING ARTISTS IN RESIDENCE

FIXT POINT is seeking two part-time storygathering artists for The Tale of a Town – Mimico to work in residence at the Mimico Public Library this fall as part of the 2014 Artists in the Library program supported through the Toronto Arts Council Strategic Initiative Program.

FIXT POINT is a professional theatre and media company that engages with communities through site-specific performance and audio art in order to preserve local heritage and promote neighbourhood culture.

Storygathering Artists will receive training in audio recording, interviewing, logging, and archiving oral histories prior to the residency. While in residence, the Artists will record stories shared by the public about the evolution of the Mimico neighbourhood. These gathered tales will inspire the creation of an audio installation and culminate in a community celebration at the library.

Requirements:
• Background in the arts
• Based in Toronto (high priority to artists from the Mimico area)
• Interest in oral history, audio production and community engaged art
• Working knowledge of social media platforms
• Strong working knowledge of Microsoft Excel

Deadline for applications is September 10th, 2014 at 5:00 p.m.
Interested applicants should send a cover letter and CV to veronica@fixtpoint.com.

OPEN CALL # 2: STORYGATHERING TRAINING INTENSIVE FOR ARTISTS

FIXT POINT is pleased to offer a limited number of places to artists in our upcoming Storygathering Training Intensive taking place from October 1 – 4 at the Mimico Public Library.

This training program has been developed by FIXT POINT in collaboration with The National Arts Centre of Canada and will focus on audio recording, interviewing, logging, and archiving.

This intensive is suitable for emerging and professional artists who are passionate about oral history, audio art and site-specific performance. Selected artists will be considered for future opportunities with FIXT POINT's national tour of The Tale of a Town – Canada. (http://thetaleofatown.com/)

To apply, please email your resume and a brief outline that details why you want to be a part of this training to veronica@fixtpoint.com.

Veronica Simmonds
Associate Producer
The Tale of a Town
http://thetaleofatown.com/
@taleofatown

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I admit – I don't know if there are any spots left and this training is coming right up, August 25th and 26th, but it might be worth an email if you'll be in this neck of the woods. Details below. -Mia

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Free Training Opportunity. North Country Public Radio's Prison Time Media Project will hold a two-day training session for journalists interested in doing more in-depth reporting on America's vast prison system and the war on drugs. For two years, NCPR has been examining the criminal justice system in the context of escalating 'mandatory minimum' prison sentences for drug crimes, debates over amending those laws, and the impact of mass incarceration on urban and rural communities within our region and across the US. Now, we have an opportunity to hold a workshop to explore ideas and strategies for bringing this important story to audiences. This will be especially helpful for small- and mid-sized newsrooms interested in tackling this complex topic without assigning a full-time 'beat' reporter. Brian Mann, the lead producer for the NCPR project will lead and moderate the sessions, along with producer Natasha Haverty, and participation by experts in the field. The session, August 25th and 26th, will be held at the remarkable Blue Mountain Center, a historic wilderness retreat in the Adirondack Mountains. Room and meals and training will be offered free of charge, thanks to the Blue Mountain Center, NCPR, and John Brown Lives. There are eight places available. Journalists will cover costs of their own travel to and from Blue Mountain Center, located in Blue Mountain Lake, New York. There is no formal application process. To apply, email Brian Mann at brian@ncpr.org. Deadline: Open until positions filled.

Martha Foley
News Director
North Country Public Radio
Canton, NY
martha@ncpr.org
315-229-5304

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We’re looking for pitches from freelancers on several themes. If you feel you have a story that fits or a new idea, please let us know!

DIVESTMENT FROM FOSSIL FUELS

We’re looking for stories about students putting pressure on colleges and universities to cut financial ties with the oil and gas industry; as well as other government bodies and private organizations making similar choices. We’re looking for lively pieces that explain the complicated financial issues at stake. We’d also be interested in personal stories about students or staff involved in these campaigns.

SQUATTERS

This show looks at how squatters around the world continue to maintain their delicate existence, while (often unintentionally) challenging commonly held notions about property ownership, community, and the human right to a home.

Most American’s image of squatters that we might be familiar with – punks, semi ‘homeless’ folks in abandoned buildings. Some even choose it as a lifestyle. But that stereotype blinds us to other ways of seeing people living on land/property without paying for it. How squatters are seen by society varies widely by region.

We are looking for several first person narratives, with squatters in different countries around the world, squatting for different purposes. Some possibilities include:

-The Philippines, where “vote-conscious politicians and the police have been reluctant to push out squatters, who register in large numbers to vote.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/14/world/asia/land-disputes-slow-recovery-in-philippines.html
-Venezuela (-Torre David, the “world’s tallest squat” in Caracas.)
-Kenya, Where the Constitution recognises the right of former hunter-gatherers to their ancestral forest lands
http://allafrica.com/stories/201401150580.html?page=4
-Denmark (Christiana)
-Berlin, where seniors squatted in a community center to avoid eviction.
-MST landless workers movement in Brazil

The last several years has also seen occupations of foreclosed or other unoccupied homes throughout the US and Europe—technically these people are ‘squatting’ too, but has this movement changed public perceptions of squatters— something besides the“dirty punk” image?

LOW WAGE WORKERS MOVEMENT/MINIMUM WAGE

Over the past year or so, we’ve been watching workers at Wal-mart, fast food chains and elsewhere begin to stand up for higher wages, and change public perception of who they are and what they deserve. At the same time, cities are debating and instituting) minimum wage increases of up to $15/hour.
We’d like unique approaches to this show–not just a profile of a campaign to raise the minimum wage in your local town…Perhaps a profile of a particular organizer…A large company that voluntarily raised wages when workers asked…An especially strange coalition of supporters for higher wages. We know this story has been covered elsewhere, so we’d like to do it with a focus on the grassroots and the ideas at stake, not just the numbers and votes.

THE FEMALE BODY AS A TOOL FOR CHANGE

We have already commissioned a piece on the Ukranian-based group known as Femen, groups of women who cover their exposed breasts with calls to end patriarchy. Theres no shortage of controversy about what constitutes an ethical and effective use of women’s bodies to advance social change. Who controls the imagery? Does it do more damage than good? Is it feminist? Does it need to be? We are interested in stories that use real examples to explore these questions–which may not have any clear answers or consensus.

**Note: we get occasional pitches about feminist or other forms of pornography. Feel free to pitch these for this show, but they must contain a wide variety of perspectives and views. Porn is such a complex issue in itself, we might just wait and do a separate show on it at some future time.

VOTING RIGHTS

In 2013, the Supreme Court eliminated provisions in the Voting Rights Act designed to protect voters from intimidation and disenfranchisement tactics. The ruling lifted restrictions on nine states that now allow them to change their election laws without advance federal approval. These are jurisdictions that have had a history of enacting racially biased election practices. What are the implications of lifting these restrictions? What is happening in jurisdictions previously under federal oversight? Are we seeing any questionable voting practices being pushed? What’s protections do voters have now? We are looking for first person accounts of voter disenfranchisement.

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SPECIFICATIONS

Making Contact is an award-winning, 29-minute weekly magazine/documentary-style public affairs program heard on 140 radio stations in the USA, Canada, South Africa, and Australia. Amplifying voices and perspectives rarely heard in mainstream media, Making Contact focuses on the human realities of politics and the connections between local and global events, emphasizing positive and creative ways to solve problems.

This call for pitches is for segments of about 8 minutes (unless otherwise noted), and we generally pay $450 per story. but we also occasionally take longer pieces (12 or 26 minutes).

As with any pitches you send us, please check out our show and read our guidelines before you pitch. http://www.radioproject.org/production/submission-guidelines/

Consider the following. Does the story:

Link grassroots issues and human realities to national or international trends?

Give listeners a historical, political, or social context of major national and international events?

Shed light on social and economic inequities?

Explore any alternatives or solutions?

Send pitches to pitches@radioproject.org. Please be detailed but succinct, and include a description of your idea, narrative/story arc, interview subjects, scenes, and sounds/ambi. If you’re pitching to us for the first time, please include a brief bio and relevant audio clips.

We’re also always interested in pitches on any of our regular beats: prisons, poverty, climate change, reproductive health, and the environment.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Laura Flynn, Jasmin Lopez, Andrew Stelzer & George Lavender
Making Contact producers

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The Atlanta Press Club is hosting a day long conference on all things journalism titled "Journalism Next, thriving in the digital age."

http://journalismnext2014.com

It promises to "arm media professionals with the tools and knowledge to thrive, not just survive, in a dynamic media landscape."

The conference will bring journalists, students and journalism educators together in one place for hands-on training and to learn from industry experts.

Great speakers and lots to learn.