weebelly.com

This year’s NEOMFA Playwright festival will be at convergence-continuum‘s Liminis theater.

The 2012 NEOMFA Playwrights Festival features thesis productions of Plant Life by Mike Williams, Directed by Geoffrey Hoffman and Nothing Funny by Jarod Witkowsk, directed by Clyde Simon, at The Liminis. Plant Life will run Thursday, February 2 – Saturday, February 4 and Nothing Funny will run Thursday, February 9 – Saturday, February 11. All shows are at 8:00pm.

“These plays are the culminating experience of three years of intensive study,” says playwright and professor Mike Geither; the plays are co-produced by Convergence Continuum, NEOMFA and Cleveland State University.

The Northeast Ohio Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing (NEOMFA) is a consortium of Cleveland State University, Kent State University, The University of Akron, and Youngstown State University that allows students to take classes on four different campuses and earn a degree from a single unified writing program. Emerging writers may study in four genres – creative non-fiction, fiction, playwriting and poetry – and take advantage of the resources offered on all four campuses. Since its inception in 2005, the NEOMFA has offered small-group workshops, open readings, summer travel fellowships, and high-profile visiting writers, in addition to career-preparing internships, competitive graduate funding, and a diverse Midwestern landscape that tempts the creative eye.

More info can be found at the neomfaplaywright website.

I generally try to keep this blog on topic, but I feel that I must use it today somewhat as soap box (sopa box?). Here is the letter that I have sent to my Senators and Congresspersons. Feel free to use, if you like, but this is an extraordinarily important issue if you don’t want the US to become China with regard to control of the Internet.

—-

Dear Senator XXXXX,

I am writing to express my very serious concern regarding the pending legislation (SOPA/PIPA) mentioned in the subject of this email. I cannot believe yourself or other Senators would consider instituting a China-like censorship on Internet Service Providers or Content Providers in the United States, nor allow one entertainment industry to dominate the freedoms that we Americans have come to enjoy.

I understand the concern of Hollywood companies as well as those in the music industry regarding the piracy of protected works to which they have a right to enjoy profits; however, the predominant threat seems to come from overseas and censoring Americans is an absurd approach to stopping illegal activity on foreign soil. Surely there are methods and approaches already underway that address foreign piracy.

Furthermore, I am greatly troubled and continue to be troubled by expanding reach of copyright interpretations. The origin of copyright was to ensure the progress of science and useful arts by encouraging creation–to do this, creators were awarded protections to their rights for their creation for a specified period of time during which they might enjoy the fruits of their labor. But this time period was to expire to allow future creative persons the ability to benefit from and use what came before. Now copyright seems to be viewed as a means to enrich and maintain the economic interests of grandchildren of the original creator–sort of a “you don’t have to work because your grandfather/mother did” attitude. Or worse, for the protection of a cartoon character. One need only look to the United Kingdom to see how stifling copyright laws can stagnate and destroy creativity and economic growth.

Therefore I strongly request that you consider the long-term consequences of any legislation that restricts and inhibits American rights and freedoms–as I am sure you do always. These pieces of legislation are bad for America and the rights of Americans and I hope you will not support them or will at least work to modify them so they balance important Constitutional concerns and place the onus for enforcement on the interested parties, not on those who provide access to the marketplace of ideas.

Very Best Regards,

XXX