13.5.110.194 Application
Florida Literary Arts Coalition, Inc.

Proposal Information

Item	Response
Application #	13.5.110.194
Program	Specific Cultural Project
Proposal Type	Discipline-Based
Funding Category	N/A
Discipline	Literature
Applicant is requesting REDI waiver	No
Residency Contact Hours	N/A
Proposal Title	Florida Literary Arts Coalition’s Other Words 2012 Conference
Proposal Synopsis	Offering a professional focus on Florida's literary network, the Other Words conference brings together nearly 200 writers, editors, agents, publishers, booksellers, grants administrators and directors of writers' colonies and retreats. The weekend features readings, panels, discussions, workshops, a small book fair and time for socializing with writers from across the state and the nation. Last year's conference had an attendance of 180 and featured 32 readings, panels and programs.

Applicant Information

Item	Response
Corporate Name	Florida Literary Arts Coalition, Inc.
DBA Name	N/A
Federal Employer ID	20-2204315
Principal Address	688 industrial drive Tallahassee, FL 32310-4386
County	Leon
Applicant Email Address	rcamp427@gmail.com
Grant Contact	Rick Campbell, Treasurer
Authorized Official	Rick Campbell, Treasurer
Website	http://www.floridarts.org/

Mission Statement

The conference's mission is to become the tent in which Florida’s literary organizations and artists can share resources and ideas. By hosting an annual gathering of the independent community of readers, writers, and literary publishers, the conference promotes the literary arts and offers local, regional, and national writers a venue to display their talents and generate a readership.

Proposal Description

Other Words is the annual conference of the Florida Literary Arts Coalition, Florida’s voice for independent literary magazines, publishers, and writers. For 7 years, Other Words has pursued its mission of providing a forum for editors, publishers, and writers—-nationally known and local, academic and professional-—to address current issues in the literary arts and promote a greater understanding of contemporary literature. The conference fulfills this mission by hosting literary readings, class visits by authors, craft lectures and workshops, and drawing in the larger reading public. Other Words offers a space for writers to meet, share ideas, develop their craft, and to celebrate their successes while allowing the public to experience new literature and gain insight into the creative process.

Goals

• To promote the literary arts in Florida.

• To become one of the foremost literary/writing conferences in the Southeast.

• To build new relationships between writers and readers and between writers and publishers.

• To deepen existing partnerships in the Florida community, including public colleges and universities, private colleges and universities, independent publishers, literary journals, editors, agents, and writers by reaching out to more schools, teachers, publishers and agents.

• To provide practical knowledge for writers of all abilities for navigating the literary process: creating, drafting, editing, networking, and publishing.

• To give writers the opportunity to perform and connect to potential audiences.

• To hone strategies for the use of independent literature in teaching creative writing.

• To provide a forum to identify and explore rapid changes in the publishing industry and develop effective responses.

• To enhance the professional development of teachers of creative writing in the region.

• To enlarge the customer base for independent publishers through book sales, sponsored readings, and book signings.

• To offer a yearly venue for the citizens of St. Johns, Duval, Flagler, Putnam, and Clay counties to experience literary excellence.

• To enhance the Florida Literary Arts Coalition Writers' Circuit by making nationwide connections with writers from outside Florida and asking them to participate in that program.

Measurable Objectives

• Increase our audience for daytime panels, readings, and workshops by 20%.

• Increase the audience at the FREE evening readings by 25%

• Increase the number of panels on the pedagogy of teaching college creative writing classes by 10%

• Increase customer traffic for independent publishers through book sales, sponsored readings, and book signings by 20% (using the metrics of comparing last year's conference sales figures to this year's conference).

Activities

• Use grant funds to increase advertising in literary journals and magazines (such as Poets and Writers) by $1000 to increase the number of conference attendees.

• Use grant funds to advertise through appropriate online and regional print media

• Use the theme of "Writing for an Audience" to drive conference attendee's interest and focus panels.

• Increase undergraduate and graduate participation in the conference by having panels on topics based on their needs and interests, and holding an open mic reading after the Friday night reading at an off-conference site.

• Make book and journal sales tables more accessible to the public by holding it in the Ringhaver Student Center’s first-floor student lounge, thus making this part of the conference open to non-registrants as well as registered participants, and placing banners around campus for the two weeks prior to the conference.

Timeline

Dec. 2011 Send out first call for panel proposals
Feb. 2012 Advertise workshop specifics
April Identify and book “featured” readers and speakers and send out second call for proposals. Secure lodging commitments with St. Augustine hotels

June-August Assess panel proposals and notify proposers of decisions; advertise conference in selected venues.

September Plan logistics for conference—room assignments, times, etc.

October 2012 Plan travel and lodging requirements for “featured” readers and speakers
November 10-12 Hold the Conference and then debrief and assess conference success and failure.

December 2012 Issue a call for 2013 conference proposals

February 2013 Begin identifying and discussing featured presenters.

March 2013 Send out second call for panel proposals; advertise workshop specifics.

April 2013 Begin evaluating received proposals. Secure lodging commitments with St. Augustine hotels
May 2013 Book featured presenters and issue early notices of such for promotional purposes. Continue work on evaluating proposals

Throughout the entire period the Other Words Executive Committee will work on raising funds and securing conference sponsorships and other aspects of conference planning.

Culture Builds Florida's Future

1. Strengthening the Economy

   Approximately 144 participants and registrants and 120-180 audience members attending readings and other conference events generate revenue at local restaurants, hotels, shops, airports, car rental agencies and other venues. Though numbers vary from year to year, the conference usually generates sales of at least 75 bed nights of lodging, 10 rental cars, and 5 airline tickets in and out of Jacksonville. The conference enjoys a synergy with St. Augustine’s lure as a destination city for cultural tourism in the areas of history and the arts, and has received grants from the St. Johns Cultural Council and will be applying for a grant from the St. Johns Tourist Development Council in recognition of the economic benefits Other Words brings to the Oldest City. It adds to the cultural strength of its host city, St. Johns County and Northeast Florida, and the entire state due to the involvement of the Florida Literary Arts Coalition, a statewide network of writers, teachers, editors, publishers, and sympathetic institutions responsible for planning and producing the conference.
   The conference also opens a window on economic and personal benefits via professional development and networking for writers, and insight into career tracks for student participants.

   FLAC and the Other Words conference take fiscal responsibility seriously, engaging participating writers through networking and sharing costs. In spite of the economic downturn, the conference will still be able to grow. While many schools are cutting back on travel funds, which would not allow professors to travel nationwide, the schools still require the development of their faculty. Therefore, this conference offers a regional and cost-effective way to achieving faculty needs. Additionally, publishers will be focusing their expenditures on appropriate audiences for their publications. The conference is the perfect environment for growing their audiences.

2. Learning and Wellness

   The conference promotes Lifelong learning in the literary arts and education, on the creative process, the publication process, small press know-how, and the ins and outs of running literary magazines. These are primary focuses of the Other Words conference. Workshops, craft lectures, and professional panels deliver insider information on topics as diverse as sense of place in contemporary fiction to the rapid changes facing the publishing ecosystem and what they mean to publishers and writers.

   The Other Words At-Risk Youth Workshop has become an educational offshoot of the conference. Now in its third year, the Workshop sends two poets to present creative writing events targeting underserved children and youth in St. Augustine and Hastings, Florida. An important component of the workshops are age and context-appropriate curricula based on ideas presented in the textbook Runaway with Words, by Florida State University English professor Joann Gardner. This book is published by Anhinga Press, an important cosponsor of the conference, and is made available to the workshops at a substantial discount, or free, if funds to purchase cannot be acquired.

3. Building Leadership

   No answer provided.

4. Design and Development

   No answer provided.

Proposal Estimates

Estimated Number of	Response	Instructions to the Applicant
school based youth benefiting	15	Enter the number of individuals under the age of 18 that are expected to be participating in organized school based cultural events. This figure should reflect a portion of the total individuals benefiting.
non-school based youth benefiting	5	Enter the number of individuals under the age of 18 that are expected to be participating in non-school based cultural events. This figure should reflect a portion of the total individuals benefiting.
elders benefiting	20	Enter the number of individuals over the age of 65 that are expected to benefit from the proposal activities. This figure should reflect a portion of the total individuals benefiting.
artists participating	144	Enter the estimated number of professional artists that will be directly involved in providing artistic services specifically identified with the proposal. Include living artists whose work is represented in an exhibition regardless of whether the work was provided by the artist or by an institution. This figure should reflect a portion of the total individuals benefiting.
individuals benefiting	1,250	Give the total number of individuals that are expected to be involved in proposal activities as artists, non-artists, participants, or audience members. This number should include the values listed for youth, elders and artists.
proposal events	48	How many different events will be produced or presented within the grant period as a part of this proposal? Be sure to list different events, not performances. For example, a musical performed 10 times is only one event, but a musical performed 10 times and workshop done once are two events.
opportunities for public participation	48	Each event will have one or more opportunities for public participation. For example a musical performed 10 times is one event with 10 opportunities for public participation.

Project/Program Location

• St. Johns

Proposal Impact

Other Words' estimated 144 participants and registrants and 120-180 audience members generate revenue at local restaurants, hotels, shops, airports, car rental agencies and other venues. Though numbers vary from year to year, the conference usually generates sales of at least 75 bed nights of lodging, 10 rental cars, and 5 airline tickets in and out of Jacksonville. These participants create word-of-mouth interest for the conference, local businesses and the city as a whole and provide valuable free publicity to attract visitors to the area. The conference also enjoys a synergy with St. Augustine’s lure as a destination city for cultural tourism in the areas of history and the arts. The Other Words conference has received grants from the St. Johns Cultural Council in recognition of the economic benefits Other Words brings to the Oldest City. The conference also opens a window on economic and personal benefits via professional development and networking for writers, and insight into career tracks for student participants.

The Other Words conference education activities are wide-reaching. Writing workshops, craft lectures, and professional panels deliver education on the creative writing process, the publication process, small press know-how, and the ins and outs of running literary magazines, and the pedagogy of creative writing in genres such as poetry, the short story, and the novel. We also have a special focus on collaboration among artists of various mediums. We bring writers, painters, and video artists together on panels and performances.

The Other Words At-Risk Youth Workshop has become an educational offshoot of the conference. Now in its third year, the Workshop sends two poets to present creative writing events targeting underserved children and youth in St. Augustine and Hastings, Florida. An important component of the workshops are age and context-appropriate curricula based on ideas presented in the textbook Runaway with Words, by Florida State University English professor Joann Gardner. This book is published by Anhinga Press, an important cosponsor of the conference, and is made available to the workshops at a substantial discount, or free, if funds to purchase cannot be acquired.

The Other Words conference involves a continuum of learners: K-12 students in rural St. Johns County; undergraduates from universities, colleges and community colleges in the Tampa area, Orlando, Deland, and St. Johns and Duval counties; the majority of our conference participants are professional writers who come to increase their skills in some area relevant to their work and passion.

Operating Budget

	Operating Expenses	Completed Fiscal Year ending 8/31/10
1.	Personnel: Administrative
2.	Personnel: Programmatic
3.	Personnel: Technical/Production
4.	Outside Fees and Services: Programmatic	7,300
5.	Outside Fees and Services: Other	1,500
6.	Space Rental, Rent or Mortgage
7.	Travel	5,400
8.	Marketing	1,500
9.	Remaining Operating Expenses	400
A.	Total Cash Expenses	$16,100
B.	In-kind Contributions	$5,000
C.	Total Operating Expenses	$21,100
	Operating Income	Completed Fiscal Year ending 8/31/10
10.	Revenue: Admissions	3,500
11.	Revenue: Contracted Services
12.	Revenue: Other	11,100
13.	Private Support: Corporate
14.	Private Support: Foundation
15.	Private Support: Other	1,500
16.	Government Support: Federal
17.	Government Support: State/Regional
18.	Government Support: Local/County
19.	Applicant Cash
D.	Total Cash Income	$16,100
B.	In-kind Contributions	$5,000
E.	Total Operating Income	$21,100

Additional Operating Budget Information

The $11100 identified in line 12 is generated by FLAC's yearly dues. Since all FLAC campus representatives work for free, member schools donate space for readings and talks, and member schools provide lodging for visiting FLAC writers, our In Kind contributions could be substantially higher than the formula in the grant application allows.

Proposal Budget: Summary

	Proposal Expenses	A. Request	B. Cash Expenses	C. In-kind	Total
1.	Personnel: Administrative	500	500	500	$1,500
2.	Personnel: Programmatic	0	0	0	$0
3.	Personnel: Technical/Production	0	0	300	$300
4.	Outside Fees and Services: Programmatic	3,000	2,500	0	$5,500
5.	Outside Fees and Services: Other	0	1,500	500	$2,000
6.	Space Rental	0	0	800	$800
7.	Travel	2,000	2,000	500	$4,500
8.	Marketing	1,500	500	500	$2,500
9.	Remaining Proposal Expenses	0	0	0	$0
D.	Total Proposal Expenses	7,000	7,000	3,100	$17,100
	Proposal Income	A. Request	B. Cash Income	C. In-Kind	Total
10.	Revenue: Admissions		4,000		4,000
11.	Revenue: Contracted Services		500		500
12.	Revenue: Other		0		$0
13.	Private Support: Corporate		0		$0
14.	Private Support: Foundation		0		$0
15.	Private Support: Other		2,000		2,000
16.	Government Support: Federal		0		$0
17.	Government Support: Regional		0		$0
18.	Government Support: Local/County		0		$0
19.	Applicant Cash		500		500
E.	Total Proposal Income	7,000	7,000	3,100	$17,100

Proposal Budget: Detail

	Proposal Expenses	A. Request	B. Cash Expenses	C. In-Kind	Total
1.	Personnel: Administrative	500	500	500	$1,500
1.1. Stipends for three person executive committee		500	500	500	1,500
2.	Personnel: Programmatic	0	0	0	$0
3.	Personnel: Technical/Production	0	0	300	$300
3.1. volunteer webmaster		0	0	300	300
4.	Outside Fees and Services: Programmatic	3,000	2,500	0	$5,500
4.1. Stipends for featured writers		3,000	2,500	0	5,500
5.	Outside Fees and Services: Other	0	1,500	500	$2,000
5.1. Expenses for conference logistics		0	1,500	500	2,000
6.	Space Rental	0	0	800	$800
6.1. Rooms and services provided by Flagler College		0	0	800	800
7.	Travel	2,000	2,000	500	$4,500
7.1. airfare and lodging for visiting writers		2,000	2,000	500	4,500
8.	Marketing	1,500	500	500	$2,500
8.1. Advertizing the conference		1,500	500	500	2,500
9.	Remaining Proposal Expenses	0	0	0	$0
D.	Total Proposal Expenses	7,000	7,000	3,100	$17,100

	Proposal Income	A. Request	B. Cash Income	C. In-Kind	Total
10.	Revenue: Admissions		4,000		$4,000
10-1 Registration fees			4,000		4,000
11.	Revenue: Contracted Services		500		$500
11-1 fees for manuscript consulting during conference			500		500
12.	Revenue: Other		0		$0
13.	Private Support: Corporate		0		$0
14.	Private Support: Foundation		0		$0
15.	Private Support: Other		2,000		$2,000
15-1 funds from Flagler College			1,500		1,500
15-2 sponsorship funds			500		500
16.	Government Support: Federal		0		$0
17.	Government Support: Regional		0		$0
18.	Government Support: Local/County		0		$0
19.	Applicant Cash		500		$500
19-1 Cash from FLAC funds			500		500
E.	Total Proposal Income	7,000	7,000	3,100	$17,100

Additional Proposal Budget Information

15.2 We are working to solicit "sponsors" for the conference. At this time we have one promise for $500 from a sponsor.

19.1 Florida Literary Arts Coalition will use money from its collected dues to help fund conference

Fiscal Condition and Sustainability

The Florida Literary Arts Coalition (FLAC) is funded by yearly dues paid by member schools and two small presses. There are also a small number of individuals who pay dues to the organization. FLAC's main activity is sponsoring four literary tours in an academic year for member schools, and acting to connect writers looking for readings and speaking engagements with our members, but FLAC also devotes some funds and resources to the Other Words Conference to sustain its operation between conferences. The conference itself is funded by registration fees, in kind and financial contributions by Flagler College, and special conference sponsors. The conference has successfully funded itself for six years now. Grant funds such as these that we are requesting enable us to make the conference grow and to bring in more famous "featured writers."

Evaluation Plan

We will survey conference participants as to their satisfaction on all panels, readings, and the general composition of the conference and gather suggestions for future conferences. We also measure success by counting numbers of participants and those who offer to help on future conferences.

Applicant Accessibility

Question	Response
Does the applicant have policies and procedures (including a complaint process) that address non-discrimination on the basis of disability?	Yes
Does the applicant have a staff person that is responsible for compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, Americans with Disabilities Act and Florida Statutes 553?	Yes (James Wilson)
Has the applicant completed the Section 504 Self Evaluation Workbook from the National Endowment for the Arts (linked) in the last 5 years?	Yes

Accessibility

Our events are held at colleges and universities that are in compliance with accessibility issues. Therefore, we have designated all Accessibility issues to the experts on each campus that hosts an event cosponsored by the Florida Literary Arts Coalition and our partners.

Item 1.

Letter from FLAC President (Executive Director)
Letter from Flagler College (Conference Director)

Item 2.

Current Board Members and Organizational Chart
Biographies of Key Personnel
Long Range Plan

Item 3.

Support from Previous Participants

Item 4.
Brochures, Programs, Printed Materials

Item 5.
Publicity from Past Conferences