Writing Tools

• Poynter Online: The Poynter Institute is a school for journalists, future journalists, and teachers of journalists. No matter what their job title may be, journalists come to Poynter in a search for excellence.
• Writers Weekly: Weekly column for new writing market list, inspirations, stories, and experiences to learn from other writers.
• WritersDigest.com: The ultimate reading for writers. They are also a Cincinnati based publication.
• Purdue University's Online Writing Lab. For those of us who fell in love with English but to have it as second, or third language, or who are constantly learning to improve their writing skills.

On Community Organizing

Links on good articles, websites, stories, and my experience in Community Organizing:

• Organizing Like Jesus: The Politics of Faith Based Organizing. A TNAC Article.
• The Community Organizing Toolbox
• from The Neighborhood Funders Group
• The Power of Community-Based Development
• Informal Education on Community Organizing

Fiction Corner

As what's been said, these are fictions, ongoing fictions that I've writen for my own pleasure....Thanks for reading..

• Oscar Again
• The Day You Forget About It
• Edna
• My Conversations with Oscar
• The Moment
• Tunggu Aku di Jakarta
• To the Girl at Liberty and Walnut Street
• Fire
• Address
• Please Close the Door Behind You
• An Attempt is Everything
• Fireworks
• Nessun Dorma
• Home
• Trying not to fall in love is like...
• The Perfect Fried Shallots
• Love is the Drug
• The Present
• But the Tree changed her mind
• La Cienega Just Smiled
• Clapped
• How to Eat Lumpia

Grant Writing Resources

Writing grants is part of the job of a community organizer. We feed ourselves through grants. But grant writing is also one of the things I enjoy to write, including the painful process of editing the words line by line.

• The Cincinnati Public Library has a great Grant Writing 101 Course every now and then. Click on their events sections to find out. Also, they have the Foundation Directory where you can find every founders on earth, but only accessible on the second floor of the Main Library at the Education and Religion Department. Highly recommended.
• Kona Bistro, in Oakley, has a community night every Wednesday. The deal: register your non-profit organization, and they will take home some percentage of the purchase including tips that night.
• Playing Robin Hood: is my term to get grants from the corporation world, especially those who somewhat had contributed to the suffering life of people, small businesses, etc: Start from Starbuck Community Building Program.
• Chronicle of Philanthropy
• DevelopPro
• Foundation Center
  The Foundation Center is an independent nonprofit information clearinghouse established in 1956. The Center's mission is to foster public understanding of the foundation field by collecting, organizing, analyzing, and disseminating information on foundations, corporate giving, and related subjects. The audiences that call on the Center's resources include grantseekers, grantmakers, researchers, policymakers, the media and the general public.
• Gifts In Kind
• GuideStar
• Grantwriting Help
• Helping.org
• InnoNet
• Internet Nonprofit Center
• Management Assistance Program for Nonprofits (MAP)
• Non-profit Resource Center
• National Database of Non-Profit Organizations
  Searchable database of more than 700,000 U.S. nonprofit organizations
• Non-Profit Times
• Philanthropy News Digest
• Philanthropy Search
• Gateway to Associations
• NonProfit Gateway
• Foundation Center RFP Page

Memoirs of a Clay

When I was in college, I had a small poster from Japan with hiragana letters that meant "Freedom". The word meant so much to me and somehow I could sense that I have to find that freedom. It was a long story but I the freedom I found was getting more and more profound in my life. Although I went through some rough paths, I knew God always be with me. And this is where I found my freedom:

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,[a] 2because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.(Roman 8:1-2, NIV)

• God is not a republican. Or a democrat
• Something to Think About
• Revival
• There is Hope in Christ.

The Urban Pencil

It is a collection of writings and opinions on urban issues.

• Freaky Reasoning
• The Cleanest and Dirtiest Cities
• Perception to Choose
• Is Cincinnati Sustainable?
• How L.A. did it
• Before You Go to the Over-the-Rhine Summer Tour of Homes
• A classic note from Jane Jacobs to Mayor Bloomberg: The Community Really Does Know Best
• Art Academy Building Issue

Get the Kick of the Bock

It's March, it's Spring, it's lent and it's time to get a kick of the bock. Bock is a self-described German "thing". It could be beer style or burwst, but it is a way the German celebrates life after a dready long winter. Over-the-Rhine and Cincinnati is self-described "German" town, so don't miss the Bockfest this weekend that includes a parade and celebration to enjoy the bock things all weekend.

The Bockfest parade has become one of the Cincinnati rituals to define the coming of Spring. The parade starts on Eighth and Main, in front of Arnold's Bar and Grill, the oldest tavern in town. Everyone is invited to participate in the parade.

But what's with the bathtub? Arnold's, the oldest tavern in Cincinnati has the bathtub for Bockfest parade, it's almost one of the must have elements in the tradition, along with the Catholic monks, the Goat, and of course the Bock. The parade winner will receive grand prize of Tankard glass.

The celebration started with the bock kicking ritual on 12th and Main Street in front of Rhino's Bar that will be followed with music and beer in bars and clubs in Over-the-Rhine. The Bockfest Hall are Arnold's Bar & Grill, Kaldi's, Jefferson Hall, Harry's, RBC, Japp's and Courtyard Cafe.

Traditionally, Bock beer was made by Catholic monks during lent that provide high food energy when fasting during Lent. The beer was made during winter and was harvested in the spring. The name bock means bully goat, as a symbol of the "kicking" taste of the beer. Bock is also refers to the town of Einbeck, a brewing town in Germany. The bock style is defined by the heavy bodied lager, high-coloured malts, and a limited amount of hops in the recipe, a substance used during flavoring and stabilizing during the beer making.



Cincinnati history is closely knitted with the beer culture. The town used to be one of the biggest and the best beer producer, for their own community and the rest of the world. In 1860, it had around 36 breweries of all kinds, from lager to ale. The industry was shut down by the prohibition law from 1919-1930 and found themselves hard to compete with other national brands aftewards.

Profound remains can still be found. One of Over-the-Rhine districts call itself the Brewery District, stretched around McMicken and Mohawk area where old brewery buildings are still standing. Some of them are the former Nu-Blend Painting building on McMicken and Elder,---

But other places in Over-the-Rhine also have many buildings with brewery history in it, such as the currently Cincinnati Art Academy was a home to the Barrelhouse Brewing Company that moved to the West End. The Mockbee Gallery on Central Parkway and Klotter Street used to be a house for McMicken brewery since 1850. All of the architectural heritage that remind us what Cincinnati had in the past.

Edna

Just in time when I was about to give up on that avocado pit that I've planed for eight weeks, the stem grew about an inch long. It was soft, brown greenish stem with a tip full of future leaves as in asparagus. I moved the pit into a lighter space where the sunlight came through the windows.

Dad loves avocado. Oscar's favorite drink was mashed avocado combined with chocolate milk fudge and ice. Indra would just scoop the fruit out with a spoon after she poured sprinkled of sugar on it. Dad always planted two avocado trees on our front yard whenever we lived. It's like he knows we're gonna live there long enough to enjoy their fruits.

Now, here I am, living in the city, in a gardenless apartment, trying to plant avocado on a 16 inch pot. I wonder how long it will grow and how long my pot is going to endure the roots' attack.

Edna drove from all the way from the east side to the west side and to the west side to the east side where her clients need her to clean the house. She has, in over all, nineteenth different families who need their house cleaned every two weeks. She managed to clean two houses, three if she's lucky to have a helper like me, everyday.

I knew Edna from a friend of mine whose mom is also Edna's client, I am broke, I have no money, and I need to live. So, I thought working with Edna wouldn't be bad. She's this wonderful, good heart, catholic lady dho submit to the Lord, belive in Jesus without questions. Tht sometimes amazed me because of her blind faith. Unlike me who always questions everything.

His name is Willy Porter

Willy Porter reminds me of a very quiet long drive in a wide country under the clear sky and warm sun light. I think both Angie and I were attracted by his guitar after we were walking around searching for free plants. We were running out of luck. The Sierra Club had given away the plants in the first couple of hours. O, well.

We sat down on the grass and finally just surrendered and lying on it too, just like hundreds other people around the stage.

The last song he sang was a deconstruction of Mr. Rogers' theme Won't You be My Neighbor. I usually opposed to deconstruction of an original version, but this time, his guitar playing was magically transformed me and the other hundreds people lying on the green grass of Sawyer Point just listen to his new tunes.


The style of the stage was a tend that shaped such as the one on a sailing boat. I just wished they use the stage more often.


I was trying to figure out what made people came out. What is the recipe of a good place?

Living down here, I know enough that this place is not a place when there is no event; and an event like this is not held often enough, I think.

The first ingredient is probably food. Food always attracted people, regardless if they have to pay for it. Second, could be a good weather. In a couple of weeks after winter was over, I thought most people will not waste such a sunny day like this. Third, spaces that create gathering places are everywhere. The Sawyer Point is a well designed park, although the connection with the Ohio River has lost. The Ohio River has a bad habit of flowing water around when it is full, so that's probably why Sawyer Point was designed higher. But, there should be away to connect people to water or at least to give a feeling that we are on the riverfront. The last, which is not important for me, is parking. Who in the world needs parking when we can walk?

Then why not hold as many events as they can? Make everyday an earth day. Or celebrate Mother's Day there, or father's day, or just a Sun Day...

The Hidden Connections Amongs Things

A friend should be radical. They should love you when you're unlovable, Hug you when you're unhuggable,And bear you when you're unbearable. A friend should be fanatical. They should cheer when the whole world boos. Dance when you get good news, and cry when you cry too. But most of all a friend should be mathematical. They should multiply the joy, Divide the sorrow, Subtract the past, and Add to tomorrow. Calculate the need deep in your heart, and always be bigger than the sum of all their parts.
It's not fair. Not fair at all that I didn't get to say goodbye to you. That afternoon I wouldn't see you because I didn't want you to drive back here and you have to go back for more than five hours? I didn't see that to be fair, after you told me that if we didn't continue to pursue the relationship we should not even talk.

Now, that one was even not fair. For me at least. I like you as a friend, but I just can't deal with all the smoke and the tatoos and all the crazy things you called the past and your attitude towards your daughter's mom's boyfriend and all your questions about the future. I don't know. I have a life here and it takes everything to give up my life? I am not sure about that.

But, I deserve a good bye. A phone call or a line in email will be fine. I just want to know if you are alright and save. Afterall, I have shared a part of my self, my deepest fears and feelings to you for the past, what, three months? I thought we were friends...

Orchard St

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Sister Judy

When we are going to die is the question. It could be tomorrow, it could be today. Only God knows the exact time.

I was brought up into this thought again as someone I know is dealing with lung cancer. The kind of disease that supposedly curable in this age. I know a lot of people who survived from all kind of cancer but not lung cancer. They said by the time it was diagnose, the disease already wear the person out. It eats everything including the brain.

Questioning God is unquestionable. First, he is God. The creator, the owner of all creation. He has his right to take what he wants. And all I can do is trusting Him cause his judgements always true. Always.

Often times, God would allow bad things happens to good people. Why good people, God. Is it because you know they are ready for you?

The funny thing in life I have to deal with, I guess. I have known Sister Judy for less than a year, if we count the amount of time I was here. But her presents was everywhere I went. People spoke to me about her.

"Sister Judy used to walk around the neighborhood and helped us clean up the sidewalk."

"Sister Judy helped me with my air conditioner. She helped me to fix it in a week."

Sister Judy once helped an old lady to come out her basement cause her house was condemned. The lady owned the house, but the house was run down and she did not have any money to fix the house. She lived in the basement without any heat. Sister Judy helped to get a grant to help her fix the house and came out of her basement to live decently. And when I remember that this is the US of A, I can't believe such things happen here. But it did. God said that "the poor always be with you" and they are everywhere around wherever I go.

I can feel Sister Judy's energy on my first days of work. She still came twice a week, Tuesdays and Thursdays. She said we should apply for this grant and that grant. We should help someone to sell their house and rehab it. She asked if I was okay. She gave me a hug. She was glad to see me when I did not see her for so long. And she is always look fresh like there is nothing happen to her.

Next month she will go on vacation that might be her last trip, but I hope not. God allows miracles, and if we believe that, it will happen. We need Sister Judy a little longer, God. We need her energy and her spirit and her passions to help people. We love her.

I am a little tea pot

I'm a little teapot
Short and stout
Here is my handle
Here is my spout
When I get all steamed up
Hear me shout:
Tip me over
and pour me out!

If you read my post before this and you watched Storm of the Century before, you know what I am talking about. This song stucked in my head for more than twenty four hours, regardless many other songs I heard throughout the day.

I need more coffee...