Matthews Library to host first virtual author event

Posted on March 19, 2015 by crystalogormanwrites

Matthews – Mint Hill Weekly

Posted by on March 19, 2015 in News

M.J. Rose

Bestselling author M. J. Rose talks about her book and virtual tours

MATTHEWS – The Matthews Library will venture into new territory this weekend through its first virtual author event.

The event, which will be conducted via Google Hangout and feature New York Times bestselling author M. J. Rose, will take place in the library’s community room on Friday, March 20, at 2 p.m.

Chantez Neymoss, adult services librarian at Matthews, said the library aspires to utilize technology to offer unique events for community members.

“I think it’s really exciting that we can bring her in and have these discussions,” Neymoss said. “Libraries are doing something a little different, trying something new.”

Neymoss said this is the first time the Matthews Library has hosted a virtual author event. She said Rose’s publicist, Deb Zipf, contacted the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library to offer a free virtual author event.

Zipf said she chose the library system because Charlotte wasn’t included on Rose’s tour schedule. After talking to Neymoss, they agreed Rose’s work would be a good fit for Matthews library patrons.

According to David Sniffin, the adult services coordinator for all Charlotte Mecklenburg libraries, only three libraries have the capability to host these types of events – North County in Huntersville, Main Library on North Tryon Street and the Matthews Library – because they have SMART Boards that allow them to project the virtual call to a larger audience.

Neymoss said Matthews was thrilled to work with Rose on this event.

“We have never had a big-time author,” she said. “… We don’t get a lot of author events in Matthews, particularly since the recession, because funding has been restricted.”

Neymoss said when the library has money in its budget for events, presenters and authors are normally paid between $25 and $100 per event.

“The only costs involved, regardless of the means, is usually staff time or for refreshments,” Sniffin said. “Occasionally, we’ll offer an honorarium, but this is rare. Free programs, for us, are preferable.” 

Neymoss said she’s been reaching out to library patrons via social media and in person to gain momentum about the upcoming event. Since it’s the first of its kind, Neymoss said library staff are prepared for mishaps, but she said she hopes to continue pursuing virtual events.

“We are excited to see what the public thinks,” she said. “Try and try again.”

Neymoss said this event is the starting point. She hopes to one day offer streaming events, where patrons can watch the event from anywhere with Internet access.

Rose on virtual book tours

M. J. Rose will discuss her writing career, creative process and published works including her latest book, “The Witch of Painted Sorrows,” during the Matthews Library’s Google Hangout author event.

Rose isn’t new to virtual author events; she’s been doing them since Skype became available in 2003, and has done hundreds of virtual events with book clubs and libraries.

“It’s a great way to reach your audience without the restrictions of cost, time and travel,” she said.

Rose said if she had to do all of her March and April author events in person, it would cost an additional $5,000, adding she likes the unfiltered honesty that the separation of the Internet allows.

“In-person events invoke a modicum of politeness, and with Skype people feel more empowered,” she said. “It’s the only time people will really speak up and say, ‘I really hated your character,’ and I like that.”

Photos courtesy of Mario Morgado

Rose’s book, “The Witch of Painted Sorrows,” was selected by LibraryReads, a membered collective voice of public libraries that shares their monthly picks for Top 10 books published in the U.S. Rose said her book could be described as an erotic gothic novel.

According to the book’s introduction, the main character, a New York socialite named Sandrine Salome, leaves her abusive husband, fleeing to her grandmother’s mansion in Paris. There, she becomes emboldened with a newfound sense of self and sexuality, as she is introduced to art, Paris nightlife and the occult underground scene by her new lover, Gustav Moreau.

Sandrine’s husband is on the hunt for her, while Salome becomes embodied by the spirit of La Lune – a witch and legendary 16th-century Parisian courtesan – while she hunts for the meaning to her new reality.

Rose said she grew up in the time of feminism and, while she doesn’t claim to be one, she believes women have to stand up to societal-imposed stereotypes of the “good girl.”

This scenario plays out in her book, as Sandrine is forced to choose between satisfying her grandmother and husband or going after what she really wants through her spirit-embodied erotic nature.

“Sometimes, to get what you want, you have to tap into your inner witch,” she said. “Being a good girl doesn’t get us what we want.”

Find out more about M.J. Rose and her published works on her website, http://www.mjrose.com/content/.

Posted in Education, Entertainment/Creative Arts, Events and Galas, Matthews-Mint Hill Weekly, Newspaper, Pop Culture, Traditional Journalism | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

South Mecklenburg High School to perform “Guys and Dolls”

Posted on March 17, 2015 by crystalogormanwrites

South Charlotte Weekly

Posted by on March 16, 2015 in News

More than 100 students at South Mecklenburg High School are involved in the production of the upcoming performance of “Guys and Dolls.” Photo courtesy of South Mecklenburg High School

South Mecklenburg High School will perform “Guys and Dolls” March 19 through 22. Theater Director Bonnie Hall said South Meck students have been working on the production since November and anticipation is building for opening night.

“They can see it coming together,” Hall said. “It’s not just lines on a page. To see them see it, it excites me.”

“Guys and Dolls” is a romantic comedy where the most unlikely sinners and saints come together in the name of love. The play is written about the gambling and cabaret scene in 1940s New York City. Floating craps gambler Nathan Detroit, played by senior Ahmad Ayube, bets Sky Masterson, played by fellow senior Jaleel Cummings, that he will not be able to get the next girl he sees to fall in love with him.

That girl happens to be Sarah Brown, played by senior Mary Kathryn Evans, a do-gooder from Save-a-Soul Mission. At the same time, Miss Adelaide, a dancer at Hot Box nightclub played by sophomore Elora Steele Tickle, is fixated on marrying Nathan Detroit.

Hall said it was important for the students to learn what life was like in the 1940s and 1950s, to better understand the lives of people like the characters in the play.

Hall had her class research the gambling and cabaret scene in New York City during the time and wanted them to understand why gambling was outlawed in order to breathe life into the characters and challenge their misconceptions.

“Many girls questioned why there were women working in the cabarets when most were housewives,” Hall said. “I had to explain that it was just another way to make money for those who needed the additional income.”

After learning the history, students learned the language and terminology of 1940s New York.

“It was so funny that I had to explain what a Reader’s Digest is and Ovaltine and who is Emily Post,” Hall said.

Elora Steele Tickle said learning her characters accent was the hardest part.

“I have worked hard to learn to speak with a New York accent and how to incorporate my accent into my character when singing,” she said.

Hall continued to enrich their characters by making up backstories that aren’t part of the original script to give actors a point of reference.

“I made it up and that’s their story,” she said. “I wanted them to act through the backstory.”

Mary Kathryn plays Sarah Brown. Evans said she believes learning Sarah’s story helped her perform better, while also making the role a more exciting experience.

“I’ve heard that characters, like Sarah, are (like real) people and it is the actor’s job to bring them to life. Learning how to bring Sarah to life and figuring out what choices or even body movements that she would make has been a lot of fun for me,” she said.

Hall said she’s proud of how the actors have developed, but she is particularly proud of first-time main stage actor Ahmad, who plays Nathan Detroit.

“He’s been in my theater class for two years, but this is his first public performance,” Hall said. “I encouraged him to audition for the part and he has grown so much as a person since. He really delved into it.”

Ahmad said, “I have always enjoyed theater but never had a structured learning or performing environment. Finding theater in high school has since drastically changed me … the thing that has impacted me the most has been the new opportunity to expand my thinking that only acting theater provides.”

Jaleel, who plays Sky Masterson, will perform his first play and he said it helped him overcome his timidity.

“I’ve learned that I’m capable of performing in front of an audience without messing up or fumbling my lines,” he said. “I guess you can say I learned to believe in myself.”

Hall believes seeing her students grow through theater is the best part of her job.

“Watching them start as freshmen and to see them grow as a person is an amazing experience and truly a privilege,” she said. “A lot of kids get that from theater performance.”

The production of “Guys and Dolls” cost South Meck $10,000 and more than 100 students are involved with the play ranging from stage crew, set builders and cast. Hall said the play is a student-run performance and more than half the cost went towards play royalties and scripts.

Hall, who’s been the theater director at South Meck since 2009, said she likes to change the styles of plays performed every year. Last year, South Meck performed “The Wiz” and the year before they won awards for “Bye Bye Birdie.”

“We perform plays that will connect with our audience members and their generation, and try to put on performances that are lively and entertaining,” said Hall.

“Guys and Dolls” opens on Thursday, March 19. Performances on March 19 through 21, Thursday through Saturday, start at 7 p.m. and the performance on March 22, a Sunday, starts at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $10 and are available at the door.

Visit http://www.southmeckmusicals.com for more information.

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St. John’s Youth Fast for the Hungry

Posted on March 16, 2015 by crystalogormanwrites

South Charlotte Weekly

Posted by on March 16, 2015 in News

St. John’s youth gather in front of the church to build their cardboard village, where they slept on Feb. 27, as a part of the 30-Hour Famine service project and fundraiser. Photo courtesy of St. John’s Episcopal Church

Seventy-one sixth through twelfth graders in St. John’s Episcopal Church’s youth ministry in south Charlotte fasted for 30 hours during their 16th annual 30-Hour Famine to raise money for World Vision on Feb. 27 and 28.

Youth Minister Matt Williams said their partnership with World Vision, a faith-based humanitarian relief organization that provides basic necessities and education to children and families in 100 countries, started with former Youth Minister Brian Filldorff but has continued because of the youth’s support for the cause.

“If they weren’t excited, it wouldn’t have made it this far,” Williams said. “The youth really take over on this project. It’s become a church rite of passage … third, fourth and fifth graders cannot wait to do it.”

A team of 15 youth leaders began planning this year’s famine in January. The group raised more than $53,500 this year and reached a total of $1 million raised since the partnership began.

Hilary Hilpert, spokesperson for World Vision, said St. John’s is the first church to reach $1 million.

“Having dedicated partners like St. John’s serves as a great reminder that the fight against global hunger is still relevant and critical, and thankfully, there are people who want to be part of the solution,” she said.

Williams said the youth group does more than raise money and go without food. He said it’s an all-night event with games, worship services and sleeping outside in a cardboard village.

“One to two years after we started the famine, one youth member made the point that most people who are hungry also have other problems; they decided to sleep in cardboard houses to get the full experience,” he said.

After sleeping outside, the youth wake up hungry but ready to serve. Williams said youth leaders choose two different service projects every year, where they can volunteer locally during the famine.

This year, the group supported Love INC and completed yard work for two elderly individuals. They also packed boxes of shoes and socks at Samaritan’s Feet.

The fast began on Feb. 27 at noon and ended Feb. 28 at 6 p.m., with a southern comfort meal of fried chicken and mac-n-cheese. Williams said they all started “getting cranky” between the 25th and 28th hour mark, but that’s when they really focused on their purpose.

“We worship and hone in on why we are doing this … to help others who are starving all over the world,” he said.

Matthew Jordan is a freshman at Charlotte Latin School. This is his fourth year participating in the famine. He said the biggest challenge always “is the last two hours because you can smell the food from the kitchen and you know the fast is almost over, so it’s really temping to eat something.”  

Justin Mullis, an eighth-grader at Cuthbertson Middle School, said, “The hardest part about the famine is keeping your mind off the hunger. While you are preoccupied with activities planned prior to the event, you still are being eaten away by the hunger. This makes you slow down to conserve energy, and overall, it’s hard to block the hunger out of your mind.”

Justin said completing the fast made him thankful for his family and good fortune.

“While we have fun going hungry for 30 hours, many people don’t think of it as fun, they think of it as life,” he said. “They live life like this on a daily basis; they live to survive to tomorrow.”

Emma Burri, an 18-year-old south Charlotte resident and Providence Day student, completed her seventh year in St. John’s famine.

“Nothing compares to spending a freezing night in a cardboard box with your stomach rumbling,” Emma said. “You really understand how lucky we are in this part of the world.”

Williams has been the youth minister at St. John’s for a decade and has been volunteering with youth since they started the famine. He said it’s been fun to watch it grow exponentially with the generations of lives touched at St. John’s.

“We have people who were part of the famine years ago come back and volunteer as adult advisers to help keep the mission alive,” he said. “Some have gone on to create famines at other churches.”

Williams said his predecessor started a program at Trinity Episcopal in Columbia, South Carolina and a former youth member at St. John’s Elizabeth Pfeiffer started doing the famine at St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church in Waxhaw.

St. Margaret’s joined St. John’s youth group for the closing program of their 30-hour famine. Most organizations participating in the famine do so on one of two national 30-hour famine dates in February and April.

Pfeiffer, youth director at St. Margaret’s, said five years of participation in the famine at St. John’s was part of the reason she became dedicated to working within the church.

“It showed me the impact that one person can have,” she said.

Pfieffer added it was inspiring to be a part of St. John’s 16th 30-hour famine.

“I was very proud to see St John’s and St Margaret’s working together, believing in and investing in a group of teens … keeping the tradition alive and giving teens a chance to serve and better the world around them.”

Posted in Events and Galas, Health and Wellness, Human Interest, Human Rights, Newspaper, Philanthropy, South Charlotte Weekly, Spirituality and Religion, Traditional Journalism | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Town board meeting addresses infrastructure

Posted on March 16, 2015 by crystalogormanwrites

Matthews – Mint Hill Weekly

Posted by on March 16, 2015 in News

Eagle Scout troop 119 led the Pledge of Allegiance during the Matthews Town Council meeting. Crystal O’Gorman/MMHW photo

MATTHEWS – Matthews Board of Commissioners met on Monday, March 9, to address several issues concerning commercial and town infrastructure.

The board of commissioners approved a public hearing date for rezoning Matthews Church of God, in the consent agenda; discussed the need to replace cracking concrete at Matthews Fire Stations 1 and 2; and talked about traffic issues at South Trade Street and Chesney Glen Drive, during Town Manager Hazen Blodgett’s report.

Rezoning Matthews Church of God

Matthews Church of God’s property is currently listed as two different zones, one listed for single-family housing with a minimum lot size of 12,000 square feet and the other is listed for industrial building under conditional use.

The church’s senior pastor, Rick Brackett, said the church previously had a parsonage on site, but that property was removed in late 2007. He said that’s why the parcel was broken up into two zoning categories.

The church requested the church parcel be rezoned as combined residential/industrial conditional use with a minimum of 2 acres. Brackett said this classification makes more sense by pulling it altogether.

If the rezoning classification is approved, these conditions will allow the church to install an electronic sign and build on to their parking lot. Brackett said they were already interested in raising money for the sign when they realized the property needed to be rezoned, which led to the rezoning request.

He said if approved, the church hopes to have Stewart Signs, of Sarasota, Florida, build a 4-foot-by-8-foot electronic sign that will cost approximately $20,000. The sign would face East John Street.

The new zoning also allows for the future development of 25 parking spaces at the back of the property facing East Charles Street.

The board approved to setting the public hearing for the rezoning on May 11, a Monday. Pastor Brackett doesn’t anticipate any backlash from the community.

“People will probably be surprised that the (requested) rezoning isn’t already zoned that way,” he said.

Fire and EMS Stations request concrete repairs

On Thursday, March 5, Matthews Fire and EMS Chief Dennis Green reported Fire and EMS Station 1 had 2,400 square feet of concrete cracking in the parking lot due to stress from the ladder truck. He also reported that Station 2 had cracks in a total of 1,200 square feet located in the bay areas where two engines are parked.

Town Engineer CJ O’Neill estimated Fire Station 1 will cost $60,000 and Station 2 will cost $30,000, according to a memo sent to the board from Green. The price includes demolition and removal of existing concrete slabs, undercutting the existing sub-grade, installation of reinforced concrete and completion of the new concrete slab. O’Neill will manage and oversee the project, the memo read.

Town Manager Hazen Blodgett requested the board motion to allow him to sign a contract to use money from the current fund balance to replace the concrete that’s damaged at both stations.

Matthews Mayor Jim Taylor questioned, during the meeting, why the project would be discussed separately from the budget meeting; however, later in the discussion he contended that the town may need to make the repairs sooner to avoid more damage.

Commissioner Kress Query said the Station 1 parking lot was redone recently, but Blodgett said the town redid the parking lot, but did not reinforce the concrete.

He confirmed the damage was due to routine boon ladder practice.

Commissioner John Ross had concerns regarding the current safety conditions of the stations and whether the condition cause a life safety issue. Commissioners Chris Melton and John Higdon questioned whether replacing the concrete would cost more if the town waited.

The board agreed the information would be necessary to make a deicision.

Blodgett said he plans to reach out to Green and O’Neill regarding the concerns and will return to the board with more information at the next meeting.

Traffic light issue at South Trade Street and Cheney Glen Drive

Taylor and Blodgett addressed traffic concerns for the mechanically timed delay of the traffic light at the intersection of South Trade Street and Chesney Glen Drive.

The board agreed that further action was necessary and Blodgett needed to address the concerns to the media.

In a phone interview on March 10, Blodgett said the widening project on South Trade Street made it necessary for Duke Energy to move the utilities connected to the electronic traffic signal.

“It normally lights on a loop, but they had to disconnect the loop to move the utilities,” he said.

The traffic light currently runs on a mechanical loop of 120 seconds green signal for South Trade Street and 12 seconds green signal for Chesney Glen Drive.

Blodgett also said an officer is going to direct traffic, when available, during peak rush hour.

Blodgett was unable to confirm with Duke Energy when the utilities will be reconnected or when the traffic signal will return to its former state.

“We apologize for the inconvenience to our Matthews community members and those traveling through Matthews,” Blodgett said. “The good news is after the widening project is completed in December, the traffic pattern will greatly improve.”

Posted in Civic and Government News, Law, Matthews-Mint Hill Weekly, Newspaper, Traditional Journalism | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

‘The Lunch Project’ fuels children at home and abroad

Posted on March 10, 2015 by crystalogormanwrites

South Charlotte Weekly

Posted by on March 9, 2015 in News

Wofford visits Selwyn Elementary for the fourth time since 2012, to teach a global education class on Tanzania and The Lunch Project.

Forty second-graders gather in Lecia Shockley’s classroom at Selwyn Elementary School for a special service learning what it’s like living and going to school in Tanzania.

Rebecca Wofford, founder of The Lunch Project, sits close to the second-graders and talks about a country that’s become near and dear to her heart.

The Lunch Project (TLP) is a south Charlotte-based nonprofit that raises money to provide lunch for children at two public primary schools near Arusha, Tanzania. Wofford, a resident of the Selwyn area, visited a public primary school in Tanzania in 2011, as part of her work as a law professor at Charlotte School of Law.

She said many children were enrolled in primary school, but few attended or passed their primary school exit exam. Upon return, Wofford decided providing Tanzanian students with a free school lunch would give them incentive to attend and the “fuel” they needed to focus on learning.

Less than a year after starting TLP, Wofford said Dana Kumerow, a now-retired teacher from Selwyn, asked her to give a presentation about Tanzania and TLP.

Kumerow’s interest in TLP helped Wofford and her team develop TLP’s dual mission of fueling students in Charlotte with information about another country and providing Tanzanian students with locally-sourced school lunches.

Wofford points to a PowerPoint presentation filled with photographs of Tanzanian people, animals and landscapes.

The children laugh as they practice the annunciation of Swaihili words such as jambo for “hello” and nyani for “baboon.” They raise their hands to answer questions about Tanzanian food and water sources, try on authentic garments and play handmade instruments.

Wofford also uses science and anthropologic lessons as a way to teach valuable life lessons, such as how dependent relationships and working together, as a community, is important.

“We are all dependent on one another,” Wofford said, regarding symbiotic relationships. “It really starts with having empathy for one another, a willingness to learn and celebrate similarities and differences and make simple changes in our lives that could potentially impact the world.”

Wofford said Shockley was instrumental in starting a global service project at the school two years ago – merging Wofford’s global education program with a service-learning project to raise money for TLP’s Tanzanian lunch mission.

“As a teacher, I am an enthusiastic supporter of service learning as a way to not only make an impact on the world around us, but also to connect my students to others in a way that celebrates our differences and recognizes our similarities,” Shockley said. “The Lunch Project is an ideal match for us in terms of developing students as world citizens and scholars.”

Shockley encouraged students to collect spare change to help pay for Tanzanian school lunches through their “Change Exchange” program. The children were shocked when Wofford told them it only costs 9 cents to feed one child and $85 to feed all of the students at Lemanyata Primary School.

Wofford showed the students photographs as examples of other children collecting coins through a lemonade stand, tea party and art sales.

Over the next few weeks, Shockley said all second-graders would be involved in several lessons related to Wofford’s global education program. Some activities include using daily coin collections to deepen monetary problem-solving skills, learning dances popular with the Maasai people of Tanzania and sampling ugali – white cornmeal porridge that TLP provides for the Tanzania students’ school lunch.

Wofford said TLP is a volunteer team that educates students here in the U.S. and raises money for the lunch project for two Tanzanian schools.

They are available and willing to partner with any Charlotte school to create a curriculum about Tanzania that meets the appropriate grade standards. Wofford said fifth-graders discuss biodiversity and direct problem-solving conversations on how to fund and organize The Lunch Project.

“To be a witness to the creativity, spark and kindness of children has been a blessing to me,” she said.

In Tanzania, Wofford said they recently took on feeding a second school lunch at Engorika Primary School, also near Arusha, Tanzania. She said they’ve started this program slowly, only feeding them once a week and using the same model used for Lemanyata – using locally-sourced food that’s cooked by volunteer parents and dished out by Tanzanian students.

“We all have a part,” Wofford said. “It was important to the Tanzanian schools that their students were responsible by taking part in the project.”

Since TLP started their program at Lemanyata in May 2012, attendance at the school is up to 90 percent and primary exit exams are averaging 87 percent passing.

Posted in Education, Health and Wellness, Human Rights, Newspaper, Philanthropy, South Charlotte Weekly, Traditional Journalism | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment