Friday, July 1, 2011

Flickr Commons Photofinds for the 4th of July

Happy 4th! Enjoy the long weekend!





Photo by Flip Shulke, Part of U.S. National Archives Collection



Photo by Danny Lyon, Part of the U.S. National Archives Collection


"Marion Duncan in costume for 4th of July play: Tavares, Florida" (1890)
Part of the Collection of the State Library and Archives of Florida

Anamesa Release and Party!!!

Hello and Happy Summer!

We are extremely excited to announce that the Spring 2011 issue is printed and available in the Draper office. Although it was a long time coming, the hard work of the Anamesa staff, Draper's support, and the superb quality of the pieces have made this a truly impressive issue. Copies are available in the Draper office so please feel free to stop by to pick one up!

And of course, the release of the journal means it's PARTY TIME!!! In celebration of the lovely summer weather, we are having the party outdoors this time. Think Brooklyn backyard, tiki torches, fire, free drinks, finger foods, the works. Here are the details:

Thursday, July 7, 8:00pm
637 Leonard St., #2
Greenpoint, Brooklyn (Take the G to Nassau)

Anamesa will provide drinks and snacks, but the punch bowl doesn't fill itself, so help us out to keep the party going strong!
We'll also have the Spring issue at the party, so come out to get your copy!

If you have any questions, please email us at anamesa.journal@gmail.com.

Thanks and congratulations again to everyone who helped make the journal happen this semester, and we hope to see you all at the party next week!

All the best,
The Editors

--
Anamesa
an interdisciplinary journal
www.anamesajournal.org

Thursday, June 30, 2011

Executive Director Position Open at NYC Rock Camp

After graduating from Draper in 2009, alumna Katie Blankenship created the New York City Rock Camp (NYCRC), a nonprofit music education day camp for girls and boys ages 9-17. The NYCRC is now looking for an executive director and Katie asked that we forward the position description to Draper students and alumni. Please see below for more information.

***

NEW YORK CITY ROCK CAMP (NYCRC) IS NOW HIRING!
We’re looking for our new Executive Director.

*****************************************************************************
NYCRC Executive Director:

Organization Description

NYCRC is a music education day camp that focuses on empowering youth through music and building community through shared musical expression. NYCRC is designed to allow New York City youth, regardless of race, class, or creed, freedom of expression and exploration in music and performance, and in so doing, to empower campers to find their own voice, sound, and beat without creative boundary or inhibition.

During one week of the summer, young people ages 9-17 spend five days attending instrument instruction; participating in workshops such as Recording, Songwriting and Photography; and attending band practice. On the first day, campers form and name their own bands and pick two volunteer camp staff members to become their “band managers,” who then guide practices and help campers compose a song. On Saturday, all campers perform their song in a professional showcase, where all campers, supported by an audience of family, friends, and community members, truly transform into rock stars.

Position Overview

The Executive Director oversees all operations of NYCRC including creating and monitoring budgets; organizing, facilitating, developing, and implementing all current and new programs; overseeing staff responsibilities and operations; creating and distributing marketing material to staff; reaching out to donors, corporate sponsors, and foundations; grant research and writing; securing locations for all programs and related events; planning and implementing curriculum for all programs; communicating and administering all program needs to other NYCRC departments such as IT, Marketing, and Fundraising; reporting all NYCRC developments and needs to the Board of Directors; and creating fiscal year financial reports of the Board of Directors.

Duties:

Curriculum development; creating and monitoring budgets; applying for grants; negotiating artist contracts; implementing fund-raising and outreach activities; supervising all program staff, volunteers, and campers, which includes recruitment, selection, and placement; planning and conducting training with staff and volunteers and seeing that the standards set-forth during training are maintained;
interpreting and complying with all camp policies and communicating them to staff, volunteers and campers; ensuring that camp facilities meet established standards before, during, and after camp sessions; maintaining good PR in the community; promoting high morale within camp itself; coordinating and overseeing the execution of the camp program, including volunteer assignments, workshop lesson plans, musical performances, and daily schedule; soliciting and organizing all musical equipment donations.

Required Skills:

We are looking for a candidate that is highly self-motivated, organized, and passionate about non-profit youth art and music programs. Candidate must have leadership experience, and non-profit experience is a plus. Candidate must be computer literate and have experience working in Excel, Word, Google Docs, Gmail, online social media sites, and online newsletter/mass email systems such as Virtual Response, Emma, etc. Candidate should be a self-starter and have the creativity, dedication, and imagination to develop NYCRC into multiple camp sessions and year-round music programming.

* Leadership experience in non-profit administration, including progressively responsible experience and a successful track record in grant writing, individual donations, corporate sponsorships and fundraising events.

*Strong understanding, commitment and passion for New York City Rock Camp’s mission and programs, and an ability to effectively advocate for the organization in a variety of situations and mediums.

*Experience managing budgets, reports, evaluation and staff or volunteer management.

*Excellent communication skills, including public speaking/presentations, phone communication, electronic communication, and written communication. Should have experience with donor correspondence, grant writing as well as communications with media, corporate and foundation contacts.

*Computer literacy including Macintosh OS X, Microsoft Office Suite, social networking, Google Docs.

*Ability to participate and work within a team while also being able to work independently with little supervision.

*Ability to manage and prioritize multiple projects and deadlines.

Salary and Work Hours

This is a part-time salaried position with the opportunity to develop the program into multiple sessions and year-round programming, thereby increasing the hours to full-time and creating a full salary for the Executive Director. We ask for flexibility in scheduling with some availability on mornings, evenings or weekends though our general office hours are M-F 9-5pm.

To Apply

Please send a cover letter, resume, and references to Katie Blankenship, Executive Director, at nycrockandrollcamp@gmail.com.
New York City Rock Camp is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Women, people of color and LGBTQ are encouraged to apply.

Office Manager Position Open at Scenarios USA

Scenarios USA Seeks Office Manager

Summary:

Scenarios USA, a national non-profit organization that uses writing and filmmaking to foster youth leadership, advocacy, and self-expression in students from vulnerable communities, is seeking an Office Manager. The Office Manager will be responsible for the organization and coordination of office operations, procedures and resources to facilitate organizational effectiveness and efficiency for a dynamic organization currently employing 7 full-time and 3 part-time staff. This is an excellent position for an energetic person to join a growing nonprofit. Founded in 1999, Scenarios USA has grown dramatically in its first decade having worked with tens of thousands of students. The Scenarios USA programs have proven to increase students’ connection to school, community and citizenship, and the Ford Foundation, a key funder, proudly cites it as a national model.

This position will begin as a permanent part-time position and may expand to a full-time position in the future.

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Assisting in developing/managing office system procedure and protocol, including those outlined in the handbook, hiring protocol/orientation guides and new employee training

• Providing administrative support as well as basic technical support (MS Office troubleshooting and point of contact for Admin@ScenariosUSA.org email address) for the office

• Answering phones, managing incoming/outgoing mail, maintaining office Calendar, and other administrative duties (including note-taking, filing, copying, faxing, scanning, updating staff and board contact lists, helping to keep the office clean)

• Maintaining office supply inventory and taking the lead on care and maintenance of office equipment and furnishings

• Coordinating staff travel including airfare and accommodation

• Assisting in managing accounts payable/receivable and managing office vendor relationships

• Managing administration and operations costs to operate within approved budget

• Managing and supervising other administrative/support staff and interns, as requested

Reports to: Finance & Operations
Location: Brooklyn, New York
Start Date: August 8, 2011

Qualifications/Skills:

• Outstanding time management and organizational skills

• Demonstrate exceptional interpersonal, organizational, oral communication, and written communication skills

• Computer proficiency in MS Office (Outlook, Word, Excel), experience with QuickBooks a preferred

• Ability to synthesize information from a variety of sources and record information accurately
and in the appropriate style for publication in different venues

• Ability to work in a hands-on environment

• Committed to the mission and programs of Scenarios USA

• College degree or relevant experience

• Attention to detail and high level of accuracy

Compensation:

3 days/week (three 8 hour days, including an hour for lunch); the salary and benefits for this position are competitive for similarly sized nonprofits; health insurance is provided only to full-time positions.

To apply:

Please submit a resume, contact information three references and a cover letter describing your interest in the position by July 15, 2011. We prefer applications by email. Please do not call to
check on the process. We will call you to set up interviews. Please send to: David@scenariosusa.org with the subject line: Office Manager Search.

Candidates are strongly encouraged to apply by July 15th, but resumes may be considered until an appointment is made. Before applying, please review www.scenariosusa.org for detailed program information.

Scenarios USA seeks to hire staff who reflects the diversity of the communities we serve. Equal Opportunity Employer: This position will be filled without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, disability, veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law.

About Scenarios USA:

Scenarios USA believes that by valuing youth and investing in their stories, we can strengthen academic achievement, promote civic engagement, and support young people in becoming responsible and healthy individuals. Every aspect of the Scenarios USA program – from the classroom discussion and reflection to the script-writing contest, to the film production, to the public speaking engagements – is a two-way street that gives young people the power to work as full partners with teachers, professional filmmakers, and community and youth advocates. This formula has been proven effective in our program evaluation, and we are proud that The Ford Foundation, our top funder, continues to cite Scenarios USA as a model in the fields of education, youth development and adolescent health. For more information: http://www.scenariosusa.org

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

CFP: Comparative Caribbeans: Interdisciplinary Conference at Emory

Comparative Caribbeans: an Interdisciplinary Conference*
Emory University, Atlanta GA
November 3-5, 2011

This is why we stay with poetry. And despite our consenting to all the indisputable technologies; despite seeing the political leap that must be managed..., the full load of knowledge to be tamed..., at the bow there is still something we now share: this murmur, cloud or rain or peaceful smoke. …We cry our cry of poetry. Our boats are open, and we sail them for everyone.

– Édouard Glissant

Recent debates in Comparative Literary studies have brought the very idea and practice of comparison under scrutiny. What are the limits and possibilities of comparison in a time marked by an ongoing process of globalization? What is the status of “world literature” as a category of analysis? What are the epistemological, political, and ethical stakes in doing work across disciplinary, linguistic, and geo-political boundaries?

This conference seeks to contribute to this ongoing discussion by taking the Caribbean as its point of departure. As a region marked by linguistic, historical, and geographical differences and as a site of displaced origins and rhizomatic identifications, the Caribbean not only necessitates comparatist perspectives, but may also help us reconfigure how comparison is thought and practiced.

We invite work that cuts across linguistic and disciplinary boundaries, bringing Caribbean art, literature, and culture into challenging dialogues with other traditions in order to map new trajectories for further comparative engagement. We are particularly interested in highlighting work that does not subsume Caribbean cultural and literary production under the umbrella of “area studies,” but instead draws on Caribbean aesthetic and philosophical traditions in an effort to rethink some of the theoretical and methodological axioms that underlie contemporary comparative studies.

Keynote Speakers:

Professor Guillermina De Ferrari (Spanish and Portuguese, University of Wisconsin, Madison)

Professor Natalie Melas (Comparative Literature, Cornell University)

Professor Mara Negrón (Comparative Literature and Gender Studies, University of Puerto Rico)

Professor Rubén Ríos Ávila (Comparative Literature and Hispanic Studies, University of Puerto Rico)

Possible areas of inquiry:

  • The Caribbean and Post-Structuralism
  • Caribbean Perspectives on Theories of Trauma and Memory
  • Comparative Post-Colonialities
  • Plantation Traces: The Caribbean and the American South
  • Theories and Poetics of Relation, Creolization, and Hybridity
  • Comparative Approaches to Migratory Movements and the Caribbean Diaspora
  • Eco-Criticism and Planetary Archipelagos: Remapping Geographies
  • A Post-Revolutionary Caribbean? Liberation and Alternative Philosophies of History
  • Artistic and Performative Engagements with the Caribbean
  • Caribbean Vulnerabilities
  • Caribbean Queer Mappings
  • Piracy, the Law, and the State: Revisiting Sovereignty, Empire, and Capital

Please submit your abstracts of 300-500 words with a short bio to comparativecaribbeans@gmail.com by August 15, 2011. We invite submissions from senior and junior faculty, graduate students, and independent scholars.

Join us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002151392127

* Organized by the Graduate Students of Emory’s Comparative Literature Department