The fabulous brains over at Burrow Press are taking their 15 Views of Orlando project out of the cyber world and into the streets: the print version of the 15 Views project is dropping on January 31st, 2012.

If you missed it the first time around, Burrow commissioned 15 writers with some connection to Orlando to write around 1000 words or less based on locations in and around Orlando city limits. The idea was to show a side of the city beyond the misconception of tourist traps and swamps. Lindsay Hunter, J. Christopher Silvia, Hunter Choate and many more talented folks picked up the challenge and made the project a weird, bizarre and engaging series.

Burrow is pre-selling copies right now. If they sell 100, it covers the cost of printing and all proceeds after that go directly to Page 15, a reading and writing education center in Orlando that offers free after-school tutoring and writing workshops for Orlando public school students. Great people, great project, great writing, great book. Can. Not. Lose. Click here to buy.

Orlando creative stalwart Doug Rhodehamel‘s new project was a show all about bacon. Found objects, sculptures, portraits, interactive installations, drinks. All bacon.

Here we have used paper towels from a local coffee shop that resemble bacons.

An interactive piece where the viewer is encouraged to manipulate the sand to best create a bacon-like image, the sand representing the marbled fat of a piece of bacon.

Bacon bits made of cardboard. The viewer is encouraged to take one and bring the experience home. In the US, bacon usually comes from pork belly, often cured then cut into strips and pan fried. Bacon has garnered a lot of attention in American culture lately in what many have deemed “bacon mania” leading to an influx of bacon related and flavored products.

Bacon sculptures hanging from rafters. Due to bacon’s high fat and salt content, the meat is considered very tasty. However, it should be noted that high consumption of bacon could lead to a variety of health problems including, but not limited to, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

I had some bacon flavored vodka at this show. My girlfriend is a vegetarian. She smelled my breath after I took a few sips. She advised that if I wanted to kiss her in the future it would be in my best interests to discontinue use of the bacon flavored vodka. It kind of smelled like artificially flavored bacon that is often used for pet foods. I made the decision to put the drink down.

Hey Orlando! Anna is sponsoring this year’s Florida Film Festival and as a result, we’ve got four free tickets to go see the Tuesday, April 12th screening of LOUDER THAN A BOMB, a documentary film telling the story of four teams of Chicago high school poetry teams as they prepare to compete in the world’s largest youth poetry slam. Check out the trailer:

Wanna go see it for free? Post a line from your favorite poem to our facebook page. The four most interesting choices will be chosen  this Friday at midnight EST.

I was in Orlando for a thing that ended up not happening so I went to see my friend Jason Gregory who runs a wildly successful leather goods company called MAKR.

He’s been doing well, so he had to bust down the wall of the space next to him and expand into this tasty realm.

Jason was actually the inspiration for the creation issue. He sent me a text that said, “You should do an issue of Annalemma that’s all about making things.” I texted him back, “That’s a great idea.” And here we are.

I’m jealous of Jason’s wild success with his brand and his beautiful space with his antique mid-century furniture.

But whenever I get jealous I remember a scene from Seven Years in Tibet where Lhakpa Tsamchoe’s character says to Brad Pitt’s character, “A friend’s good fortune is a blessing. I’m sorry you resent ours.”

The workshop.

The bookshelf. Well, well, well. What do we have on the bottom shelf…

Jason will need something, like a coat hook, and make a design, get it a limited run manufactured and then sell them all. Once they’re sold, they’re gone, never to be made again.

Enough gushing, you get the idea. The dude makes rad stuff. We had an editorial meeting and it went well, gave us a lot of focus and I’m very excited about the direction of all this. It’s making me feel real good inside.

The man and his big ass desk.

Unrealted: new Brice at Stardust. Thanks, Orlando, for being rad.

{image: Ted Hollins}

Hey Orlando: The Zora! Fest kicked off last night and is churning up to full speed this week. Two events you should not miss…

And…

You should go to both of these. What else do you have to do this weekend? Go do something that you’ve never done before. Go meet people you might not have otherwise met. Go experience something outside of your little Winter Park, Downtown, Thornton Park bubble. Do it. Not taking ‘no’ for an answer on this one. You will enjoy yourself, I promise. Take pics. Send them to me. I will post them on this blog. Experience something outside of your day-to-day existence. Build a damn bridge for once in your life. Forge a friendship. Talk to strangers. Eat some good food. It’s nice outside.

(image: Ted Hollins)

Hey Orlando: Next week the Zora Neale Hurston Festival of the Arts and Humanities (or ZORA! for short) begins with the Opening Reception at Club KOHA in Eatonville on Wednesday, 1/26, 6:00 – 7:15 PM. If you’re the type to wait until a party gets into full swing, ZORA fest starts to get ramped up on Friday, January 28th at 12 noon on the World Beat Stage as spoken word artists Nas, Kyla Lacy, Shawn Welcome, Curtis Meyer, Devery and others.

And if you’re lucky, you’ll run into Ted Hollins, author of Issue Seven‘s photo essay highlighting 21 years of the ZORA festival. Go there! Take pictures!

If you live in Orlando then you know about the Enzian and its legendary status as the best damn place to see a good/weird/enlightening/confusing/interesting/mind-blowing movie and have a beer and maybe a veggie burger at the same time. If you don’t live in Orlando, now you know.

This weekend they’re hosting the Orlando premiere of the Allen Ginsberg movie Howl, starring everyone’s favorite mind-freak actor, James Franco. Go check it out this Saturday to get a sneak peek at Annalemma Issue Seven: Endurance. I’m not going to say what it is other than it’s going to be the only place you will be able to see this particular preview. Enjoy!

The FL release party for Annalemma Issue Seven: Endurance was held in Eatonville, FL. Why?

Because of this man: Ted Hollins.

I first heard about Ted at a photo show curated by our very own print designer, Jen O’Malley. Jen consulted N.Y. Nathiri (director of the The Hurson Museum and founding board member of The Association to Preserve the Eatonville Community, pictured left) to determine who was the best photographer in Eatonville. She didn’t hesitate to name Ted. When Jen and I started talking about featured artists for the Endurance issue, Ted’s name kept coming up. He’s been documenting the ZORA! festival for the last 21 years. To us, nothing said endurance like the life and work of Zora.

So we put together Ted’s photo essay, we got N.Y. to write a really beautiful foreward for it and we decided to donate a portion of the proceeds from the issue to the Hurston Museum.

To get a sense of closure to the project, it only seemed right to throw the release party in Eatonville at the Hurston Museum. So that’s what we did.

And a lot of people came out and had a damn good time, as was our intention. Alberta, Moms, Karina and Alberto.

I stood up and said basically everything you just read. People looked at me funny while I spoke.

My heart was warmed with the old and new friends that came out to support. Metha and Kris.

The Black Bean Deli catering crew unleashed an avalanche of empanadas that Eatonville was not prepared for. They were not wearing sock garters so their socks got blown clean off. Andy, Janelle, Gabi and Jessi.

Magazines were perused and enjoyed. It was, far and away, the best Anna party ever thrown.

Thanks to Ted, Jen, N.Y. Nathiri, The Hurston Musuem, and, most of all, the Eatonville community for welcoming a bunch of strangely dressed outsiders with open arms. Don’t miss ZORA! fest happening at the end of January!

There will be empanadas. There will be red and white wine. There will be books. This will all be free. It will last for two hours. It will happen right after work. Come loosen the tie and/or ascot with us.

Looking forward to seeing you.

I know who you are. You are a person who lives in Central Florida and loves empanadas. You are a person who loves delicious wine. You are a person who loves to read. You have a deep and ferocious love for the small, yet potent, arts and culture scene in your town. Most of all, you like free things. Guess what, friend. We’re hooking you up.

We’re celebrating the release of Annalemma Issue Seven: Endurance next month in Eatonville. We will see you there.