People of Plumas have a story to tell
We all have a story to tell and our stories matter. People of Plumas is a new project of Plumas Arts. The goal of the project is to entice and empower a wide range of residents to capture and witness who we are, who our neighbors are, and our affection for our rural mountain lifestyle in our own words and images.
With inspiration drawn from the online and print publications of Humans of New York, People of Plumas exchanges the urban view for our small town perspective.
People of Plumas will be launched with a series of free workshops. The workshops will be centered on place-based writing, photography and audio-recording. Workshops will be held around the county in February, March and April, with dates and locations to be determined based on interest.
Will Lombardi, a long-time resident of Quincy and the new English professor at Feather River College, is responsible for facilitating and collecting place-based writing for the People of Plumas website and PoPZine.
The writing workshops are designed to produce short profiles and/or reflections of life in the Feather River watershed. Participants will compose 300 to 500 word personal essays about a place, person or event that epitomizes Plumas County to them. Subjects can range from the ordinary to the spectacular — raking leaves, taking a hike, life in the woods or on the farm, a perfect snow day, big fish, first loves and heartfelt losses.
Those attending workshops can expect a lively, informative, supportive environment for getting their ideas on paper.
Lombardi said, “These workshops are an opportunity for everyone who loves this landscape, whether they consider themselves writers or not.”
Zach Revene will be hosting audio-recording workshops for the People of Plumas project. He is an avid podcast listener, and continues to be inspired by the power of storytelling and how it connects us to each other. He believes that we all have a story to tell, and looks forward to learning more about the folks here in Plumas County through their own voices.
Kim James will be holding the photography workshops. James is a Northern California fine art wedding and portrait photographer specializing in honest emotional connection with her subjects, photographing real people, having real moments. She is a professional photographer with a fashion background, who knows how to guide her subjects, getting them to bring their best selves to her lens.
Workshop products will be collected into a website with an online gallery of images and words, Facebook page, gallery shows and traveling exhibitions. Culminating works will be audio and video recordings that will be featured on radio and on-screen at the Town Hall Theatre as well as online.
Initial project funding has been obtained by Plumas Arts through a California Art Council Creative California Communities grant. The National Endowment for the Arts Challenge America grant that made the Town Hall Theatre Mural possible provided a grant match and a visual jumping off point to the project.
To show interest for the workshops, email Kara at [email protected] or call 927-8600.
More project and workshop details, and workshop signup form can be found online at plumasarts.org/people-of-plumas.
