Help Fund A New Light in Kalighat

A New Light in Kalighat, by Breanna Reynolds and myself, was originally funded by the American Councils for International Education.  Their grant funding helped pay for the printing costs, shipping, and a few other incidentals.  Though their grant was generous, it doesn't go very far with printing costs, and thus, our print run was fairly small, with New Light receiving some books for their use and Breanna and I receiving a small amount of books for use with students in our schools (the original grant was education-based). 

We wanted the book to be available to many people, though, because the faces, the stories, and the work of the kids just seemed so powerful, not to mention the caring work of Urmi and others behind the scenes.  Thus, we put out the e-book version:  http://issuu.com/kylev75/docs/newlight

But, we believe that funding another print run would be beneficial for many reasons.  While the e-book is accessible to many and nice in many ways, the print version lends an atmosphere of authority to a subject that deserves serious attention.  New Light also hopes to use the print version to reach some in their community that do not have internet access.  And, with the new print run being for sale, with a portion of the proceeds going to New Light and a portion going to fund further similar projects, the print version could help the giving and good news keep going.

At the moment, we are trying to figure out how to set up the funding.  In the coming days, we will likely have a Kickstarter set up.  Please be watching this blog for future announcements.  We are hoping to raise at least $6,000 and hopefully more for the next print.

In the meantime, if you would like to donate, please contact me at kylev75[at]gmail[dot]com.

And, here are a few New Light outtakes, some Polaroids and film:

WMD

WMD HYPE. Film. Chicago. 2011.

Yesterday, Bradley Manning was sentenced to 35 years in prison for exposing crimes committed by others.  This is wrong and shameful.  I agree with Cornel West that it is "morally obscene and spiritually profane." 

Smile Pinki

Just watched this powerful documentary about Pinki and providing surgeries for cleft lip.  You can watch the entire documentary below...

Smile Pinki from asg on Vimeo.

Adoption

Here is a link to our adoption blog, where you can read all about our adoption journey:

http://ourindiansparrow.blogspot.com/

A New Light in Kalighat

Of all the amazing things that happened in my time in Kolkata, without a doubt the best was getting to work with the kids served by New Light, an organization that works with the children of sex workers and Dalit children in the Kalighat district.

Here is the e-book version of a book project that Breanna Reynolds and I had the great fortune to complete.  Check it out and learn about these great kids, about New Light, and about Kalighat.

India, among other things

Time for the semi-annual blog post.  Perhaps I can make this more regular.

Much has happened since my last post, really much of it in 2012.  I spent a life-transforming summer in Kolkata, traveled several other places, including New York, and watched a childhood icon, Big Tex, burn to the ground.  Needless to say, it was an incredible year personally and artistically for me.  While my poetry career seemed poised to take off, but fell just short of the book contract, my photography got a huge boost.  In my next post, I'll add a link to an e-book version of a project I was able to undertake with Breanna Reynolds while in Kolkata.

For now, here are some of my favorite photos from last year:

From Ambient 3: Day of Radiance by Brian Eno and Laraaji: "The Dance #1"

Day of Radiance

In need of escape

Band of Horses:  "Laredo"

Bloody Loser

And the winner of the 2012 Write Bloody Publishing contest is...

...not me.

My video was viewed an incredible 13,000+ times (how many poems this year have been read / heard that many times!?), and it gathered 311 "like" / votes, ranking it 3rd place in votes. Ultimately, I guess my manuscript didn't impress enough, though.

I do want to thank Write Bloody and offer a sincere congrats to Aaron Samuels, Miles Walser, Khary Jackson, and Jason Bayani. Write Bloody is an incredible press, one of the most foward-thinking presses out there. They seem to have a very supportive and close relationship with their authors, and their authors seem to have that kind of relationship with each other. Just as much as I'm sorry I won't get to publish my book, I'm sorry I won't get to be a part of that community.  Finding a way to get my poems out there is indeed seeming more elusive.

I'm taking the summer and my time in India to reflect on what might come next. For now, I can't get this out of my mind:

Polaroid Posters

I sell Polaroid posters! Made from images I have taken, 18 inches by 18 inches. I don't frame them, but 18 x 18 frames are available online. $30 per poster, includes shipping. I can make a poster with borders from any of my Image Spectra Polaroids (the square size), or one without borders from any of my Polaroid 600 / SX 70 (classic size).

Check out my flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kvaughn75/) to see more of my Polaroids. I'll also be posting more there in the next week.

To order, send me an email at kylev75[at]gmail[dot]com. I'll ship within about a week (shipping is included in the poster price).

Feature at the Impossible Project Blog

A big thanks to the Impossible Project. I'm featured on their blog today. Check out all their beautiful projects, their film, and their blog.

Here's a direct link to the post featuring my video and my thoughts on instant film:

http://blog.the-impossible-project.com/viewfinder-kyle-vaughn

Here's the link to the main page of their blog:

http://blog.the-impossible-project.com/

And here's their main site:

http://www.the-impossible-project.com/

Here's one of my favorite shots I've taken with Impossible film.



Woman Horse Car Steam. Camera: Polaroid Image Spectra. Film: Impossible Project PZ 680 Color Shade. New York, NY. March 2012.

Poetry Video: Robert Bly, "Stealing Sugar from the Castle"

Another great poetry video. Robert Bly is one of my heroes.

Poetry Video: Black Glass Soliloquy by Ben Mirov

Participating in the finals for Write Bloody Publishing's 2012 contest, I submitted a video in support of my manuscript. So as I've been watching the other videos and keeping an eye on the votes, I've been in a poetry video mindset. I ran across this one today (not related to the contest). It's incredible.

Calatrava Bridge

Have you seen the new bridge in Dallas?

Teenage Symphony to God and Laughter

Will you help my publishing effort? I am 1 of 20 finalists for Write Bloody Publishing's 2012 poetry book contest. Finalists were asked to make videos in support of their bid for a book contract. Part of the
judging involves editorial review of the manuscript (mine is called Teenage Symphony to God and Laughter) and part depends on results from our video. Will you support me by: 1. going to the
link and viewing the video on YouTube...and 2. clicking "like." You will need to sign in with a gmail or YouTube account to be able to "like" the video.

Thanks for your support!

Here is the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QyZbqBEvs4g&feature=youtu.be

Many, many thanks.

Polaroids: Typical

Typical. Polaroid Image Spectra. Dallas, TX. September 2010.

My First Photo Feature

My first photo feature is up at the excellent Annalemma.

Here is a direct link:
http://annalemma.net/features/adios-ramon-gonzales.html

and a link to their main page:
http://annalemma.net/

Polaroids: His Street

His Street. Polaroid 600. Farmers Branch, TX. March 2010.

Polaroids: The Year It Rained

The Year It Rained. Polaroid 600. Dallas, TX. March 2010.