Community News

CNY Community Arts Center supports a decision to delay the return of the writer’s group Help Words Come Alive through this announcement from its creator Peter Mahan.

“With everything that's been said in the news recently about another COVID surge expected after the New Year, I'm adopting the position that our Table Reads at the CNY Community Arts Center will be on hiatus until further notice. That may be as early as February, but that's probably a bit too optimistic. However, I would like to make it very clear that the group Help Words Come Alive still burns brightly in my heart and I have every intention of continuing. Here's why:

Despite my natural introversion, I love being around other creatives. A watershed moment in my adult life came in late 2017 when I decided to start attending a screenwriters group in Syracuse called Writers Roundtable. There I met more than a half dozen people that I'd eventually hang out with, have in my home for dinner, bust my butt making films with, and even take a trip to New York City for a Film Festival with. The group folded after a year or so, but these solid relationships continue to this day.

I started Help Words Come Alive then, not out of a desire to advance my writing career, but more as a way to keep the network expanding. That desire took form when I approached Nancy Fox, longtime friend and director of the Arts Center in Fulton, about providing us with space for monthly Table Reads, which she enthusiastically granted.

Our first two meetings were held in January and February of 2020 and then the pandemic hit, shutting us down until the Fall when we kicked things off again with meetings in September and October. Those meetings saw not only an increase in attendance but also a larger meeting space that allowed for some required social distancing. Unfortunately, due to a new surge in positive cases on the uptick in our community, I decided to close shop for November and December (and now, January). The November cancellation was especially painful to me, as our lineup that night consisted of a reading of the work of Joleene DesRosiers, who started the original Writers Roundtable group, and a short script I co-wrote with Eric Scott and Joe Cunningham called "Under the Mercy," which was done as an assignment for her class and eventually turned into a movie. I still plan to offer that lineup again, but we're going to have to wait.

Another item I'd like to address before I close: a couple people have asked if I planned to do these sessions virtually and the idea, quite frankly, has never appealed to me. Why? I've been a part of dozens of Zoom meetings over the past half year and have yet to find any of them offering anything to participants besides a tool to facilitate basic communication. Since face-to-face social interaction played such a big role in the success of the original writers group, I don't want to sacrifice the social dynamic that's naturally created when fellow creatives are physically present under one roof. Would I ever reconsider? Yes, but that would only be if shutdowns continue to be the norm for a greater part of 2021. In short, I'd love to announce on this page another table Read by March, but no matter the month when things get reinstated, I will do my utmost to let everyone know. Thanks! Peter Mahan”

“We are eager for this group to succeed,” said Nancy Fox, Executive Director, “and we certainly support this difficult decision. We look forward to future collaborations premiering independent films that may find their beginnings in this group, just as we all eagerly await the day it is safe to meet again.”

For more information about the group or the organization, visit CNYArtsCenter.com or call 315-598-ARTS (2787).