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The write stuff: Art festival urges citizens to write their dreams
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PUTUO citizens this year will be writing about the little things in daily life, their families, their dreams, changing China, the city of Shanghai and anything that moves them.
Starting April 23, World Book Day, they can enter a competition, writing on paper, computers, and even doing some micro-writing on cell phones, submitting works via WeChat microblog. Children and teens too will be encouraged to write about characters in fiction.
The 100 most interesting and creative citizens’ selections will be honored. Thirty youngsters’ works will be honored. Many works will be posted and read aloud.
The competition ends on August 31.
Centerpiece contest
All this writing — and reading — are the centerpiece in Putuo District of the year-long 2014 Shanghai Citizens Art Festival. All the other arts will be represented, as they were last year in the first citywide festival. Painting, sculpture, installation, music of all kinds, dance, opera, stage plays — all will be presented.
Each district will have a special focus; this year Putuo focuses on citizens’ writing. Last year, the focus was on performance art, fine art and creativity.
The festival kicked off on March 23 at Putuo Library, with the launch of the “In Shanghai” Citizens Writing Competition. The theme is “Life is writing, writing is life.”
“This year we are thinking from the inside and thinking about meaning,” said Si Ying, curator of Putuo Library, which organizes and hosts the competition.
Citizens are encouraged to write about what’s happening around them in Shanghai, the people and events, the big things and the little things.
From March through November, there will be one theme event and three special events.
Works can be submitted online at xzds.ptlib.com.cn, via e-mail (shsmxzds@126.com) and mailed or delivered to the Citizens Writing Competition Organization Committee office at Room 1603, 1278 Tongchuan Rd.
The main competition “IN Shanghai — Listen to your Shanghai story” has seven topics include “Shanghai expressed in urban memory,” “reasons to love Shanghai,” “family ties,” “changes over the years,” “Shanghai where dreams are born” and “note to future Shanghai.”
For children and teenagers, there is another competition, “Fairy tale — My magical journey with friends,” from March 23 to May 31. Participants under age 18 can choose one of 10 characters from children’s literature or images provided by the committee, and write a story of less than 1,000 characters.
Thirty works will be honored.
Micro-writing
“Children may have limited reading experience, so we picked some classics of children’s literature and their characters, including those who are imperfect but have a good heart,” said Si.
“Developing children’s good character is guided by little things, and youngsters can write their own thoughts and feelings,” she added.
A micro-writing competition about “The Look of My Mother” is designed for people who don’t have time to write long stories. The aim is to create short and wise tales.
“The micro-writing competition has lower entry requirements and can reach more people. Everyone can write on their phones, even on the subway,” Si said.
Another project is a postcard competition in which people will write a postcard to themselves to be read in 20 years. They live in the present but long for the future.
“The China Dream is realized when everyone’s own dream comes true, and we want people to express their own dreams and work hard for them, then look back after 20 years and see if they come true,” Si said. “This is easier and more fun. People can express themselves in a couple of sentences.”
To encourage participation, people can submit via WeChat directly on their phones.
On March 23, the Putuo Culture Center also carried out a cultural service day, collecting resources and providing lessons in music and dance for residents. A photography exhibition was opened.
Noted children’s author Zheng Chunhua delivered the keynote speech at Yichuan Community Center and read some of her works to assembled children. She also gave advice to parents on encouraging their children to read.
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