Local notes: Writers' Colony offers opportunities

Coronavirus

plasma sought

Community Blood Center of the Ozarks, the sole supplier of blood and plasma to patients at more than 40 area hospitals, is working with partner hospitals to identify candidates for the donation of covid-19 convalescent plasma (CCP). CBCO is asking area residents who have recovered from covid-19 to donate plasma which will be used to treat acute and active cases of the virus.

Since the need for this lifesaving treatment is starting to outpace the supply, a weekly drawing will take place that will award one convalescent plasma donor from the previous week a $500 gift card.

Convalescent plasma is the liquid part of blood that is collected from patients who have recovered from the novel coronavirus disease, covid-19. Recovered patients develop antibodies in their blood that work against the virus. Antibodies are proteins that might help fight the infection. To date, hundreds of plasma treatments have been administered in Ozarks area hospitals, with many positive reports of its effectiveness. Many more donations are needed to help build a reliable stockpile of CCP to help in the future.

If you have tested positive for covid-19, have a documented positive lab test and are 14 days symptom free, you may be eligible to participate in the CCP program. Potential CCP donors are asked to contact CBCO directly. Also, please note that blood donors must meet normal donation eligibility guidelines to participate in the program.

Information: (417) 22-5301.

OLLI offers

new classes

The Osher Lifelong Institute at the University of Arkansas has announced the following classes for the upcoming week:

• Aug. 23 – "Eat Paleo: Nutrition, The Greatest Health Factor": Join in for a live cooking demonstration and sampling. The Paleo Diet is an effort to go back to eating how humans are biologically designed to eat, allowing us to tap into our genetic potential and start living healthier immediately. This course is being offered in a virtual format only. The link to join this session via ZOOM will be sent after registration. $25, member; $40, nonmember.

• Aug. 31 -- "The Art of Arkansas Historical Quarterly": $45, member; $60, nonmember. In person and virtual.

Information: (479) 575-4545 or olli.uark.edu.

Alzheimer's

will be topic

The Alzheimer's Foundation of America will host a free virtual educational conference as part of its national Educating America Tour, intended to help Arkansas residents affected by Alzheimer's disease during the covid-19 crisis. The conference, which is free and open to everyone, is set for 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Sept. 1 and will provide information and advice from health, legal and caregiving experts.

Dr. Mehmet Oz, host of "The Dr. Oz Show," will be a guest speaker and share his family's personal Alzheimer's story regarding the diagnosis of his mother, Suna Oz, last year. Dr. Oz will describe how the diagnosis impacted his family, as well as share tips to promote good brain health and healthy aging.

Information: (866) 232-8484, alzfdn.org/tour.

Voices

needed

Arkansas PBS and The Yarn, a storytelling initiative based in Little Rock, are seeking participants to share and shape their true life experiences of living, working and dreaming in the U.S. for "PBS American Portrait," a national conversation about what it means to be an American today. In an effort to shine a light on life in Arkansas and share it with a broader audience, Arkansas PBS will make The Yarn's workshops available to the public for the first time with two virtual opportunities during August.

At 7 p.m. Aug. 27, participants will share their personal hopes, dreams and successes with the prompt "My American dream ..." A second workshop, scheduled for 10 a.m. Aug. 29, will explore career paths, proudest accomplishments, sacrifices and challenges like unemployment with the prompt "To me, work means ..." A national producer from "PBS American Portrait" will be joining the workshops.

Participants in each workshop will gain tangible skills on how to structure their experiences for an audience and connect with others around these shared themes. Participants will leave the workshop with the makings of a story ready to post to the "PBS American Portrait" website. Teachers, poets, parents, musicians, students, athletes and others have already shared their stories about life in Arkansas. Their personal experiences can be uncovered at myarkansaspbs.org/americanportrait, on Facebook (facebook.com/arkansaspbs) or at pbs.org/americanportrait.

Offered free to participants, these workshops are for those interested in communicating and connecting with others, making sense of their experiences through narrative or simply finding their voices. Registration is required at myarkansaspbs.org/americanportrait and is limited to 40 participants per workshop. Each participant will receive a "PBS American Portrait" storytelling kit.

Information: myarkansaspbs.org/americanportrait or theyarnstorytelling.com.

Dairy Hollow

shares sonnets

The Writers' Colony at Dairy Hollow will present a sonnet writing workshop instructed by Ruth Weinstein. The three-day workshop will be held from 1 to 5 p.m. Sept. 25 and 26 and from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sept. 27. This workshop is designed for beginning to advanced writers who have not yet deeply explored sonnets or other complex rhyme forms. Total attendance is limited to 10, so register early.

The workshop is available online on Zoom or in person at The Writers' Colony at Dairy Hollow at 515 Spring St. in Eureka Springs. The class fee is $220 per person and includes 11 hours of instruction. Workshop participants may reserve a writing suite at the subsidized rate of $75 per night based on availability and single occupancy.

The three-day "Structuring the Novel" workshop and Philip Cioffari's residency have been rescheduled for August 2021; however, he will offer virtual, one-on-one writing coaching and critique sessions for novice to accomplished writers throughout August. Prior to the session, the writer will send up to 25 pages of work to Cioffari. He will review the work with the writer during a 45-minute Zoom session. He will then mail back an edited copy. The cost is $50 per 45-minute session. To schedule a conference, please contact The Writers' Colony.

The Writers' Colony is offering a fellowship to a writer working on a short or long work of nonfiction focusing on how the writer or another in their life have managed, and continue to manage, their mental illness.

This personal story should offer not just insight and awareness, but most importantly, hope. It should share your dreams, and how you are adjusting and fine-tuning them. Stories focused on relationships, family life, travel, employment, civic contributions, passions, along with the barriers, fears, and stigmas faced, are encouraged. For the purposes of this fellowship, the writing should be nonfiction and can take the form of memoir, personal essay, profile, or biography. This fellowship entitles the recipient to a two-week stay, with meals provided.

Fellowship applications must be accompanied by a writing sample and a non-refundable $35 application fee. There is a limit of one submission per application. Deadline is midnight Aug. 31. The winner will be announced no later than Sept. 25. Residency must be completed by Dec. 31. (Exceptions will be made if covid-19 makes a residency inadvisable.)

The Writers' Colony has announced the winner of the 2020 "Dancing in the Rain" fellowship. Valerie Laken will receive a fully funded two-week residency at Dairy Hollow, where she will be working on a YA (young adult) graphic novel titled "Situation C," which takes the form of a high school girl's sketchbook. Laken's residency is tentatively planned for fall 2021. To learn more about Laken, visit valerielaken.com.

Information: (479) 253-7444 or email coordinator@writerscolony.org.

Hope Cancer

offers support

• Free Tobacco Cessation Program: Hope Cancer Resources' certified health education specialist is available to support members of the community who are looking to quit smoking with nicotine replacement therapy and counseling.

• Emotional Support Through Cancer Battle: Hope Cancer Resources' team of counselors and social workers are supporting cancer patients and their families every day with a focus on emotional health, no matter the circumstance.

• Virtual Wellness Classes For Cancer Patients and Caregivers: The Wellness Center for Hope at Hope Cancer Resources has created a yoga and fitness class schedule via Zoom and Facebook Live.

Information: (479) 361-5847.

'Small Works'

go on tour

The 2020 "Small Works on Paper," an annual touring visual arts exhibition that showcases the work of Arkansas artists, will open at 10 a.m. Sept. 24 at the Arts & Science Center for Southeast Arkansas at 701 S. Main St. in Pine Bluff.

The visual arts exhibition will be on display through Oct. 24 in the International Paper Gallery, which is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday. Admission is free but is limited to 10 guests at a time. Reservations are encouraged but not required.

"Small Works on Paper" is a juried exhibition that showcases Arkansans' artworks that are no larger than 18 by 24 inches. Thirty-nine pieces are featured in this year's show.

Artists in the show are members of the Arkansas Artist Registry, an online gallery of Arkansas artists' work. This year's entries were juried by Jamie Adams, associate professor of art at the Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis. Adams reviewed nearly 300 submitted artworks to pick the artwork for the exhibition. He also selected the following works to receive purchase awards, which are cash prizes equivalent to the value of the artwork. Purchase award pieces become part of the Small Works on Paper permanent collection.

Information: (501) 324-9767, ArkansasArts.org or email cheri.leffew@arkansas.gov.

Send news about local events, charity fundraisers and family or class reunions to ourtown@nwadg.com. Deadline is 4 p.m. Tuesday for Sunday publication. Please include a phone number or email address for publication.

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