I exercised for at least 30 minutes every single day in 2014. That’s right; I worked out every day for 365 days.
This year has been a different story.
See Jane Write has grown exponentially this year. I’ve launched a coaching program, hosted more events, worked with more brands, and won prestigious awards. But with all this success came a much busier schedule — a schedule that left little to no time for exercise.
Representing B-Metro magazine and See Jane Write, I had the opportunity last week to check out a new gym in downtown Birmingham — The Executive Health Club by 24e. While testing out the equipment and learning about the group fitness classes the gym offers, I kept thinking about all the many reasons writers and bloggers should exercise.
So you finally made some money doing a sponsored blog post or a from a paid freelance writing gig for a local or online publication. Congrats! Now you want to take that extra cash and celebrate!
If you want to buy yourself something nice this weekend head to your favorite Belk store to make that purchase. Belk’s fall Charity Day Sale will take place tomorrow — Saturday, November 7 — from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. in all Belk stores.
The four-hour shopping event is an excellent fundraising tool for participating organizations that sell tickets for $5 to their supporters. At the event you’ll get to give back to local nonprofits and enjoy savings on rarely discounted brands.
More than 70 local charities will benefit from sales made at the Summit Belk location in Birmingham, including Alabama Waldorf School, Women of Stamina Ministries, and the Birmingham Urban League. If you live in the Montgomery area your purchases could benefit groups like the National Society of Black Engineers – Montgomery Professionals chapter.
Last year Belk charity day events raised more than $11 million for thousands of schools and community nonprofit 501c3 organizations.
Tomorrow morning, the first 100 customers to arrive at each store will receive a Belk gift card, ranging in value from $5 to $100, and a chance to win one of three $1000 Belk gift cards. All customers will also receive $5 back on their purchases when their $5 charity ticket is redeemed. Participating charities will also be in a drawing to win one of three $1000 donations from Belk in a company wide drawing.
Intrigued and ready to shop? You can purchase your ticket from a participating organization or at your favorite Belk store. (Revenue from tickets purchased in the store will be equally divided among participating charities and schools in each local store.)
See Jane Write won’t be hosting any events in October, but there’s still plenty for women writers and bloggers to do in Birmingham this month.
Swoozie’s Birmingham TOAST to TEN
Join Swoozie’s at The Summit as they TOAST to TEN years of business in Birmingham on Wednesday, October 7 from 5pm to 7pm. An over the top soiree benefitting The Exceptional Foundation will feature local artists and designers. Local companies to be showcased at the event include artists such as Bradford Billingsley, Carrie Pittman, Dixie Creative, State Traditions, Inspirations by Janie, D-Zines & Letters and many more! Special discounts for the day include 10% off your entire purchase all day and 20% off your purchase between 5pm and 7pm. The first 25 guests to RSVP to swoocrew@swoozies.com will receive a free swag bag. Swoozie’s will be giving away prizes throughout the evening valued at $100 each. To learn more, visit http://www.swoozies.com.
BPL’s Eat Drink Read Write Festival
The Birmingham Public Library’s Eat Drink Read Write Festival is in full swing. A major highlight of the week will be the Thursday, Oct. 8 presentation from Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito of Baked NYC, a New York bakery that has been featured on various national media outlets. The bakery’s brownie has been listed as one of “Oprah’s Favorite Things.” (Lewis is a graduate of the University of Alabama.) They are former ad men, turned bakery owners and cookbook authors. They will discuss their bakery, dole out samples from their restaurant and more. Their 2010 book,Baked Explorations, is a tribute to American treats and baked goods that range from regional gems to family secrets. EDRW will end on Friday, Oct. 9 with Bards & Brews poetry and beer sampling event at the Central Library. Get more details on all EDRW events at the Birmingham Public Library website.
An Evening of Empowerment
I’m excited to be one of the “Women Who Inspire” set to be honored at the upcoming Evening of Empowerment sponsored by Girls on the Run Birmingham. The event will be held at 5:30 p.m. on October 8 at Clubhouse on the Highlands. The evening will include wine, appetizers, and a meet and greet and Q&A with the “Women Who Inspire,” including Molly Baker, the founder of Girls on the Run International. There will also be a screening of The Empowerment Project, a one-hour documentary that celebrates positive female role models. If you’d like to attend An Evening of Empowerment, you can purchase tickets here. Use the code GOJAVACIA for $10 off your ticket.
Southern Women’s Show
The 31st annual Southern Women’s Show is Oct. 8-11 at the BJCC. Local food blogger Katrina Adams of In the Kitchen with K. Marie will be featured on the cooking stage at the event. Go out and support your fellow Jane! Get tickets to the show and more information here.
PinkLux Meetup Presented by Sephora
Christina Renteria of the blog PinkLux is hosting a meetup Sunday, Oct. 11 at the Sephora located in Riverchase Galleria. There be a makeup application demonstration, gift bag giveaways, and refreshments. Learn more and RSVP via Facebook.
Fall Birmingham Boutique Blowout
Birmingham Boutique Blowout is hosting its fall event 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. October 17 – 18 at the Pelham Civic Center. This is your chance to shop the best local boutiques and vendors all in on spot. This event is sure to offer much inspiration to fashion bloggers! Register as a VIP shopper at http://www.BirminghamBoutiqueBlowout.com.
Mastering Makeup with PinkLux
Christina Renteria of PinkLux is hosting another event later this month for those determined to master their makeup skills. Mastering Makeup with PinkLux is set for 2 to 4 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 18 at the Vestavia Hills Public Library. Beauty bloggers definitely shouldn’t miss this event. Christina is a proud member of See Jane Write and is offering the Janes a $5 discount on the event. Just use the code SJWBHM. Visit the official EventBrite page for more information and tickets.
Smart Party 4.0
Tickets are on sale now for the Women’s Fund of Greater Birmingham’s Smart Party, set for 5:30 to 8 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 29 at Iron City. This annual event helps raise money for the Women’s Fund of Greater Birmingham, which is dedicated to helping women move beyond poverty. Each year the Smart Party recognizes 10 local women who are innovators in their fields and who are helping make Birmingham a better place. I was honored to be in the first class of Smart award recipients in 2012. Learn more here.
That’s the question that Girls on the Run Birmingham will explore on Thursday, October 8, Girls on the Run during its Evening of Empowerment. The event will celebrate local “Women Who Inspire” including yours truly!
I am so honored to be among the women who will be recognized at this event. (You can read my interview with Girls on the Run here.)
An Evening of Empowerment will be held at 5:30 p.m. on October 8 at Clubhouse on the Highlands. The evening will include wine, appetizers, and a meet and greet and Q&A with the “Women Who Inspire,” including Molly Baker, the founder of Girls on the Run International. There will also be a screening of The Empowerment Project, a one-hour documentary that celebrates positive female role models.
If you’d like to attend An Evening of Empowerment, you can purchase tickets here. Use the code GOJAVACIA for $10 off your ticket.
On Friday, October 9, the other “Women Who Inspire” and I will have the opportunity to view the film again with a group of middle school girls from across the Birmingham metro area. We’ll also have a Q&A with them after the screening about how we overcame fear to make our dreams come true.
So, what would you do if you weren’t afraid to fail?
As a writer and blogger I live my life surrounded by story. Not only do I read and write stories, but I enjoy watching them on screen, too. I love movies! If you’re a film lover too and based in the Birmingham area, then you’re probably quite excited about the 17th Annual Sidewalk Film Festival, taking place this weekend, Aug. 28-30.
There are so many films showing this weekend that there’s chance you feel overwhelmed by all the festival has to offer.
Fortunately, one of my colleagues at the Alabama School of Fine Arts is also on the Sidewalk Film Festival staff and when I asked him to put together a list of must-see movies he was happy to help.
Corey Craft has written about film since 2009, for five years as the primary film writer for The Tuscaloosa News and now exclusively for the upstart arts and entertainment website artsBHAM.com. He also teaches a history of film class at ASFA and has a degree in telecommunications and film with an emphasis in critical studies from the University of Alabama.
Here are five selections that Corey thinks you’ll enjoy at the 17th annual Sidewalk Film Festival and what he had to say about each film:
“Welcome to Leith”
Not only one of my favorite films in the Sidewalk lineup, this documentary is one of my favorite films of 2015 so far — but don’t think that means it’s easy to watch. “Welcome to Leith” charts the invasion of a small North Dakota town by white supremacists, seeking to buy up as much land as possible and transform the sleepy little burg into a haven for the politically like-minded. Tensions rise between the few residents of Leith and their new neighbors, all shot in a you-are-there style by its brave filmmakers. This is an important, terrifying movie that reinforces, particularly after a year that has seen plenty of racially-motivated violence, that America’s past legacy of hate is still very, very present.
Screening at 3:10 p.m. at Red Mountain Theatre Company and 9:45 p.m. at the Birmingham Museum of Art on Saturday, Aug. 29.
“Queen of Earth”
A terrific psychological thriller with overtones of dark comedy, “Queen of Earth” features two outstanding lead performances in its ice-cold story about two codependent friends struggling as one of them teeters toward complete mental collapse. This is maybe the best performance its star, Elisabeth Moss of TV’s “Mad Men,” has given in a film to date, and her co-lead, Katherine Waterston, more than realizes the promise she showed as a drugged-out femme fatale in last year’s “Inherent Vice.” This isn’t going to be to everyone’s tastes — it’s mean, if not outright misanthropic — but it creates an astounding tension that’ll hold you in its grip from start to finish.
Screening at 7:10 p.m. at the ASFA Black Box Theatre on Sunday, Aug. 30.
“Do I Sound Gay?”
After a breakup, filmmaker David Thorpe sets out on an unusual odyssey to discover the origins of the stereotypical gay male voice in this funny, fascinating documentary. Dissatisfied with his own voice, Thorpe interviews prominent gay writers and performers — including Dan Savage, George Takei and David Sedaris — and a number of speech therapists and pathologists to examine the societal forces that have led to one certain sound being thought of as traditionally gay. “Do I Sound Gay?” is insightful and amusing, a film sure to be of interest to anyone interested in contemporary cultural studies.
Screening at 2:15 p.m. at the Carver Theatre on Saturday, Aug. 29.
Saturday Sidewalk Shorts
I worked this year for Sidewalk as the short films co-programmer, so I would say that if you attend any of our short films blocks, you’re in for a treat. But I’ll highlight the Saturday Sidewalk Shorts block as being representative of the variety of excellent films we have throughout the weekend. This has a really satisfying mixture of films that will appeal to all tastes: you’ll see “Enfilade,” a visually stunning science fiction short from Australia; the dark comedy “Contact,” about an optometrist seeking revenge on an old rival; the action romantic comedy “Hotwire,” in which a man flips between fantasy and reality on the eve of losing the love of his life; and “One Night in Aberdeen,” a sweet comedy-drama about two lonely souls meeting in the bar of a Super 8 on August 8, 2008.
Screening at 10:30 a.m. at the ASFA Black Box Theatre on Saturday, Aug. 29.
“Raiders! The Story of the Greatest Fan Film Ever Made”
This year’s opening night film is one of the biggest crowdpleasers Sidewalk has ever brought and a true testament to the power of cinema. It’s a documentary about a group of Mississippi teenagers who, having their minds blown by Steven Spielberg’s “Raiders of the Lost Ark” in the early 1980s, set out to make their own version of the first Indiana Jones adventure — shot for shot. The film’s only half the fun on opening night; Sidewalk is hosting an Indiana Jones costume contest, and after the film moviegoers can walk right outside the Alabama Theatre to a massive opening night block party on Third Avenue North with free food, drinks, music and more Indiana Jones-themed surprises. You won’t want to miss it.
Screening at 8 p.m. at the Alabama Theatre on Friday, Aug. 28.
Check out the rest of the schedule and purchase tickets and passes to the films, parties, panels and other events at http://www.sidewalkfest.com.
Corey Craft has written about film since 2009, for five years as the primary film writer for The Tuscaloosa News and now exclusively for the upstart arts and entertainment website artsBHAM.com. He and the Tuscaloosa News staff won the Pulitzer Prize for breaking news journalism in 2012 for their coverage of the April 27, 2011, tornado outbreak. He has a degree in telecommunications and film with an emphasis in critical studies from the University of Alabama and now teaches world literature and the history of film at the Alabama School of Fine Arts.
