Coming Soon! ART GARDEN ONLINE!

Thanks to tech-savvy writer Saxon Henry, we will shortly be entering the 21st Century with a dedicated Art Garden website, Facebook page and Twitter Feed.

In 1987, I created The Art Garden, a performing literary magazine now staged yearly at the Depot Theatre in Garrison New York. Every Art Garden has a theme, which helps us celebrate the unity and the diversity of one another, and gives the evening its structure. I send the theme to selected writers and performers who independently create and rehearse their own pieces. With the help of friends I create a simple set and programs. The public is invited on the night of the show and the result is a warm evening of shared inspiration.

I created The Art Garden in 1987 for three reasons. First, I wanted to write more. Having a deadline helps writers; it means we must stop putting off writing and actually sit down and do it. Second, I knew several writers and performers whose work deserved a larger audience. Third, I wanted to encourage writers to perform and performers to write. Having done both myself, I know how one feeds the other. Reading words aloud in private makes a writer check for clarity, rhythm and pleasure in the lines. Reading in public is good for both the living writer and the living audience. Writing is a solitary activity, but communion is its goal.

I encourage performers to write because performing, while a pleasure, is ephemeral. The most magnificent performance dissipates in the evening air. Writing stays written.

It is healthy for an audience to meet living writers. The printed page has a strange authority. Like music, it is easy to forget that people create it. Hearing writers read reminds us the word it is not a disembodied thing.

From the beginning, The Art Garden has been an affirmative evening. I chose the garden metaphor because it implies growth, nurturing and diversity. The garden metaphor also guides the tone of the writing. While there are bugs and fungus in a garden, it's basically a pleasant place to be. We like to leave the audience with the same feeling about life.

If you are interested in submitting work for an Art Garden, please come to see one first and get a feel for its unique spirit.