Sampsonia Way, the online magazine, is intended to provide the same shelter for writers and writing as Sampsonia Way, the street lined with writer residences in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Each defends free speech by protecting the people who actually do the writing and speaking. The homes provide shelter for writers; the magazine provides shelter for their work.
Sampsonia Way is an online magazine sponsored by City of Asylum/Pittsburgh celebrating literary free expression and supporting persecuted poets and novelists worldwide.
In the summer of 2004, Huang Xiang became the first writer in City of Asylum/Pittsburgh’s exiled writer in residency program. He immediately made his mark on the city, figuratively and literally, by covering the façade of his residency on Sampsonia Way with calligraphies of his poetry. This remarkable artwork, called “House Poem,” became an instant landmark celebrating the freedom to write. Since then, it has attracted thousands of visitors and inspired many poets.
Huang Xiang’s “House Poem” motivated City of Asylum/Pittsburgh to create additional writer-residencies on Sampsonia Way, each a rehabbed single-family home with text-based artworks on the facade. Sampsonia Way (in reality, a long, narrow, hodge-podge of an alley) is now a “public library” of “house publications” that you can read any time just by walking down the street, much like Sampsonia Way Magazine.
Sampsonia Way is an online magazine sponsored by City of Asylum/Pittsburgh celebrating literary free expression and supporting persecuted poets and novelists worldwide.
In the summer of 2004, Huang Xiang became the first writer in City of Asylum/Pittsburgh’s exiled writer in residency program. He immediately made his mark on the city, figuratively and literally, by covering the façade of his residency on Sampsonia Way with calligraphies of his poetry. This remarkable artwork, called “House Poem,” became an instant landmark celebrating the freedom to write. Since then, it has attracted thousands of visitors and inspired many poets.
Huang Xiang’s “House Poem” motivated City of Asylum/Pittsburgh to create additional writer-residencies on Sampsonia Way, each a rehabbed single-family home with text-based artworks on the facade. Sampsonia Way (in reality, a long, narrow, hodge-podge of an alley) is now a “public library” of “house publications” that you can read any time just by walking down the street, much like Sampsonia Way Magazine.
Sprout is an electronic learning course designed, developed, and taught by the Toronto-based charitable organizationTakingITGlobal. It targets youth aged 16-30 who have a social or environmental project idea that could be implemented in their communities. The Sprout e-course provides an innovative, technology-driven approach to engaging young people and to building their capacity to develop, implement, and evaluate successful projects.The e-course is designed using a variety of instructional methods to streamline peer-to-peer learning using TakingITGlobal’s virtual education platform, TIGed. The e-course stresses the importance of digital literacy, leadership, project management and collaborative learning. Although the Sprout e-course requires a nominal fee for registration, membership to TakingITGlobal’s social network is free for everyone.
History
In 2008, the Pearson Foundation developed a partnership with TakingITGlobal to design and deliver an in-depth leadership training course online to youth leaders around the world. The e-course would enable youth to focus on leveraging technology to empower their communities around social and environmental issues. There is a critical need to build young people’s capacity, and in particular the ability to be fully literate in a fast-paced digital world. Throughout this course, it was projected that participants would not only develop their ability to manage projects, but also become fluent with the latest tools and technologies.
Sprout was born out of the desire to make organizing community projects more simple, more effective and more fun. Sprout has taken the traditional project management model, and has adapted it to be more relevant for a young, global audience with a decidedly local focus. From October 2008 to January 2009, a pilot e-course was conducted in order to gain insight into a) which learning goals, b) are more or less likely to be met, c) for what youth populations, d) in what environments and e) through which practices and to determine the effectiveness of the learning design of the e-course.
Name
To promote the e-course, a name was needed that would encompass its guiding principles and attract interest, as well as stay true to its vision and mission. Sprout's aim was to have a name that would support clear communications and lend itself to a concept that would package the e-course as a brand. However, the name was required to reflect clarity as well, and hence, ‘Sprout’ was chosen in order to leverage the concept of growth.
Course Objectives
Sprouting Ideas
The basic tenet of Sprout is to provide youth education about making ideas for community change a reality. The e-course aims to do this by 'planting' project ideas, and 'growing strong roots' to enhance and encourage positive community changes.
Growing Projects
The second step of the e-course has been designed to guide learners through the process of developing a project, by creating an eportfolio. This is done by using a project life-cycle, and information and communication technologies (ICTs).
Cultivating Leadership
The third and final step in the Sprout e-course aims to develop potential social and environmental leaders from within its participants. The goal here is to develop skills required to make positive community change a possibility.
Other course objectives include:
1.Providing a rich,[interactive learning experiences designed to reinforce the values of global citizenship among participants while improving upon critical thinking and leadership skills.
2.To improve students' global citizenship, critical thinking, and leadership skills.
3.To bring the world to students and to prepare students for the world.
4.To promote peer to peer collaboration.
Learning Outcomes
The Sprout e-course will help to strengthen skills in four core areas. After having taken the e-course, the aim will be to enable participants:
* To apply critical thinking and project management skills to plan strategically, conduct research, manage project, solve problems and make informed decisions using digital media tools.
* To engage communities in creating positive social and environmental change.
* To use leadership skills.
* To apply creative thinking skills and gather knowledge relevant to participants' project.
* To use online environments to communicate and work collaboratively at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others.
* To execute your project and create a lasting impact.
Methodology
The Sprout e-course follows a project life-cycle, including planning, executing, monitoring and controlling, and closing phases.
Guiding Principles
Some of Sprout’s guiding principles are:
* To incite and enhance a strong sense of civic identity and responsibility that focuses on the importance of leadership and practical, community-based action.
* To provoke critical thought and meaningful reflection and encourage both personal and professional transformation.
* To support value-driven work that promotes sustainability and community solidarity.
* To provide a supportive environment through e-mentorship and to facilitate co-learning and encouragement amongst participants.
* To create a learning community where social connections exist in tandem with and act to enhance both collaborative and autonomous learning.
* To support creativity by encouraging self expression, meaningful contributions and a community of cooperation and sharing.
* To reflect and respond to continuous feedback and to strive for new and innovative ways to serve young people better.
* To encourage a culture of play where learning is both an adventure and a process of discovery
History
In 2008, the Pearson Foundation developed a partnership with TakingITGlobal to design and deliver an in-depth leadership training course online to youth leaders around the world. The e-course would enable youth to focus on leveraging technology to empower their communities around social and environmental issues. There is a critical need to build young people’s capacity, and in particular the ability to be fully literate in a fast-paced digital world. Throughout this course, it was projected that participants would not only develop their ability to manage projects, but also become fluent with the latest tools and technologies.
Sprout was born out of the desire to make organizing community projects more simple, more effective and more fun. Sprout has taken the traditional project management model, and has adapted it to be more relevant for a young, global audience with a decidedly local focus. From October 2008 to January 2009, a pilot e-course was conducted in order to gain insight into a) which learning goals, b) are more or less likely to be met, c) for what youth populations, d) in what environments and e) through which practices and to determine the effectiveness of the learning design of the e-course.
Name
To promote the e-course, a name was needed that would encompass its guiding principles and attract interest, as well as stay true to its vision and mission. Sprout's aim was to have a name that would support clear communications and lend itself to a concept that would package the e-course as a brand. However, the name was required to reflect clarity as well, and hence, ‘Sprout’ was chosen in order to leverage the concept of growth.
Course Objectives
Sprouting Ideas
The basic tenet of Sprout is to provide youth education about making ideas for community change a reality. The e-course aims to do this by 'planting' project ideas, and 'growing strong roots' to enhance and encourage positive community changes.
Growing Projects
The second step of the e-course has been designed to guide learners through the process of developing a project, by creating an eportfolio. This is done by using a project life-cycle, and information and communication technologies (ICTs).
Cultivating Leadership
The third and final step in the Sprout e-course aims to develop potential social and environmental leaders from within its participants. The goal here is to develop skills required to make positive community change a possibility.
Other course objectives include:
1.Providing a rich,[interactive learning experiences designed to reinforce the values of global citizenship among participants while improving upon critical thinking and leadership skills.
2.To improve students' global citizenship, critical thinking, and leadership skills.
3.To bring the world to students and to prepare students for the world.
4.To promote peer to peer collaboration.
Learning Outcomes
The Sprout e-course will help to strengthen skills in four core areas. After having taken the e-course, the aim will be to enable participants:
* To apply critical thinking and project management skills to plan strategically, conduct research, manage project, solve problems and make informed decisions using digital media tools.
* To engage communities in creating positive social and environmental change.
* To use leadership skills.
* To apply creative thinking skills and gather knowledge relevant to participants' project.
* To use online environments to communicate and work collaboratively at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others.
* To execute your project and create a lasting impact.
Methodology
The Sprout e-course follows a project life-cycle, including planning, executing, monitoring and controlling, and closing phases.
Guiding Principles
Some of Sprout’s guiding principles are:
* To incite and enhance a strong sense of civic identity and responsibility that focuses on the importance of leadership and practical, community-based action.
* To provoke critical thought and meaningful reflection and encourage both personal and professional transformation.
* To support value-driven work that promotes sustainability and community solidarity.
* To provide a supportive environment through e-mentorship and to facilitate co-learning and encouragement amongst participants.
* To create a learning community where social connections exist in tandem with and act to enhance both collaborative and autonomous learning.
* To support creativity by encouraging self expression, meaningful contributions and a community of cooperation and sharing.
* To reflect and respond to continuous feedback and to strive for new and innovative ways to serve young people better.
* To encourage a culture of play where learning is both an adventure and a process of discovery
The Geek Show Podcast is a national podcast hosted by Radio From Hell's Kerry Jackson. The panel consists of film critic Jeff Vice of the Deseret News, TV critic Scott Pierce of the Deseret News, radio personality, artist and miniatures expert Leigh George Kade, and Shannon Barnson, whom Kerry calls "our color commentator and my bartender." Geek Show is produced by Zack Shutt, who also runs the official website. The show discusses all things geek: comics, movies, TV, toys, role-playing games, video games, etc. It was named by the Deseret News in 2009 as the "best radio spinoff" for 2008. With over 100 reviews on iTunes, it has an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars. One of Jackson's stated purposes for the show is to "try to get Hardcore Fans to lighten up. I can laugh at Luke Skywalker and secretly want to be him at the same time."
While recorded in Salt Lake City, Utah, the show has gained a strong national following. It reaches over 42,000 downloads each episode, over half of which come from outside the Salt Lake City media market. A new episode is released every Monday afternoon, available either on the official website or via iTunes. A video feed is also streamed on Stickam during recording and snippets of video are also posted for download. Video episodes are also available On Demand to Comcast cable subscribers in the Salt Lake Area and on the show's YouTube page . The panel is known to travel on location to record the show, such as local cinema pub Brewvies, Shinebox Studios, or Nickelmania.
History
The podcast began as a semi-regular feature on X-96's Radio From Hell morning program, where it has appeared for a decade. Due to its continuing popularity, Geek Show became a podcast-format program in late Spring 2008. Occasionally the show will return to Radio From Hell.
The show has featured famous guests, including local comic book authors and artists—among them Mike Allred and Ryan Ottley. Other guests have included Andrew Stanton the writer/director of Wall-E and Finding Nemo. During the summer of 2008, Marcus from season six of NBC's Last Comic Standing also acted as a guest panelist for several episodes. In May 2008, the panel welcomed several attendees from Mountain-Con, a local science fiction convention, including David Prowse of Star Wars fame, and Garrett Wang and Chase Masterson from Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, respectively. They have also broadcast from the local GEEX convention.
In March 2009 Derek Hunter left the show to further continue his comics career. Hunter stated at the time Geek Show took up time that he would rather be spending with his wife or writing his comics. At that time show producer Zack Shutt's name was added to the logo and website as a panelist.
Geek Show was voted "Best Local Podcast" in Utah by the Salt Lake City alt weekly, as announced in the April 1, 2009 issue of City Weekly.
Format
The show begins with a pre-recorded audio bit, which includes Zack reading a disclaimer that the opinions expressed on Geek Show do not represent the opinions of any of the respective panelists' employers. At various times Kerry has also announced fake sponsorships for the show, often referencing fictional companies and entities from the Marvel Comics or DC Comics universes.
Each panel member is then introduced. Jackson will sometimes announce an official drink of the program at times. The show will then usually consist of two segments, with each one discussing a different geek topic or question. Usually this will be recent news about movies, TV, comic books, or gaming. One recurring segment has been "I Don't Get It," in which panel members discuss popular geek culture that they simply do not get. Past topics have included Manga, Stargate, and Geek Chic.
The show is usually wrapped up by each panel member telling what they personally recommend in terms of reading or watching. Kerry will then sign off the show, after which Shannon will tell everyone to "Eat more ham" or some variation on that theme. The show usually ends with a song selected by Zack.
While recorded in Salt Lake City, Utah, the show has gained a strong national following. It reaches over 42,000 downloads each episode, over half of which come from outside the Salt Lake City media market. A new episode is released every Monday afternoon, available either on the official website or via iTunes. A video feed is also streamed on Stickam during recording and snippets of video are also posted for download. Video episodes are also available On Demand to Comcast cable subscribers in the Salt Lake Area and on the show's YouTube page . The panel is known to travel on location to record the show, such as local cinema pub Brewvies, Shinebox Studios, or Nickelmania.
History
The podcast began as a semi-regular feature on X-96's Radio From Hell morning program, where it has appeared for a decade. Due to its continuing popularity, Geek Show became a podcast-format program in late Spring 2008. Occasionally the show will return to Radio From Hell.
The show has featured famous guests, including local comic book authors and artists—among them Mike Allred and Ryan Ottley. Other guests have included Andrew Stanton the writer/director of Wall-E and Finding Nemo. During the summer of 2008, Marcus from season six of NBC's Last Comic Standing also acted as a guest panelist for several episodes. In May 2008, the panel welcomed several attendees from Mountain-Con, a local science fiction convention, including David Prowse of Star Wars fame, and Garrett Wang and Chase Masterson from Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, respectively. They have also broadcast from the local GEEX convention.
In March 2009 Derek Hunter left the show to further continue his comics career. Hunter stated at the time Geek Show took up time that he would rather be spending with his wife or writing his comics. At that time show producer Zack Shutt's name was added to the logo and website as a panelist.
Geek Show was voted "Best Local Podcast" in Utah by the Salt Lake City alt weekly, as announced in the April 1, 2009 issue of City Weekly.
Format
The show begins with a pre-recorded audio bit, which includes Zack reading a disclaimer that the opinions expressed on Geek Show do not represent the opinions of any of the respective panelists' employers. At various times Kerry has also announced fake sponsorships for the show, often referencing fictional companies and entities from the Marvel Comics or DC Comics universes.
Each panel member is then introduced. Jackson will sometimes announce an official drink of the program at times. The show will then usually consist of two segments, with each one discussing a different geek topic or question. Usually this will be recent news about movies, TV, comic books, or gaming. One recurring segment has been "I Don't Get It," in which panel members discuss popular geek culture that they simply do not get. Past topics have included Manga, Stargate, and Geek Chic.
The show is usually wrapped up by each panel member telling what they personally recommend in terms of reading or watching. Kerry will then sign off the show, after which Shannon will tell everyone to "Eat more ham" or some variation on that theme. The show usually ends with a song selected by Zack.
Jessica Higgins is an intermedia artist and visual artist, performance artist and improvisational dancer. Higgins is closely associated with curator Lance Fung, late Fluxus gallerist Emily Harvey and The International Artist's Museum, Construction in Process. She is a known visual poet for her cycle "Poet Walk", an installation of visual poetry which maps the metrics of numerous haiku to many forms and spaces, and for performances of her own works and works by Nam June Paik, Alison Knowles, Yoko Ono, Mieko Shiomi, Larry Miller and Eric Andersen and dance performance with choreographer and film maker Elaine Summers.
Personal life
Higgins is a twin daughter of Alison Knowles and Dick Higgins, who are founding members of the art movement Fluxus and the sister of Hannah Higgins a writer and art historian.
Personal life
Higgins is a twin daughter of Alison Knowles and Dick Higgins, who are founding members of the art movement Fluxus and the sister of Hannah Higgins a writer and art historian.