Today, we are pleased to announce the results of As Seen On [ ], the fourth annual Urban Omnibus Writing Competition, and to invite all UO readers to join us for a free special event on January 13th to launch a printed booklet of the three winning entries:
Winner:
“The Wandering Women,” by Maya Sorabjee
Runners Up:
“Beleaguered Backstage,” by Andrew Renninger
“A Wanderer in the Unwired City,” by Nick Tobier
This year, we’ve also decided to recognize another exceptional essay with an Honorable Mention: “As Seen On The 6 Train To Heaven,” by Rishe Groner.
Update: Check out photos and listen to audio from the reading. The book is also currently on sale at Greenlight Bookstore and available online with a donation to Urban Omnibus. Snag your print copy today!
As Seen On [ ] prompted entrants to explore the changing relationship between performance, audience, and the physical city (read the original call here). An esteemed jury — Abraham Burickson, Annie Coggan, Joshua Jelly-Schapiro, and UO editors — selected these winners from 64 submissions that arrived from around the world.
We were treated to a wide range of interpretations, from prayer and embarrassments as varieties of performance played out in the public realm, to defenses of the ever-controversial selfie stick. In one submission, we were transported to a dystopian future Brooklyn where Facebook scripts everything from dialogue to shootings. In others, entrants articulated timely perspectives on policing, Times Square desnudas, and litefeet dancers on the subway making very clear what time it is (Showtime).
The three winners each provided a unique perspective on the place and state of performance and audience in our urban spaces today, weaving personal experience, theory, history, narrative, and keen observation into nuanced and refreshing takes. We can’t wait to share them with you.
On January 13th, we’ll host a special event at Greenlight Bookstore to launch a booklet of the winning essays. We’ll do it in true performative style, with a public reading of the winners by some of New York’s finest young actors, including members of the devised theater company The Associates, and reception to toast the winners. Please join us for a chance to meet the authors and to enjoy some wine with your fellow urban enthusiasts.
After the event, we will also publish the three winners right here on Urban Omnibus for those who can’t join us at the reading in Brooklyn. Either way, you’ll have the chance to purchase a beautifully designed and illustrated booklet. Rest assured that it will make a particularly eye-catching prop for your next role.
Urban Omnibus Presents: As Seen On [ ] Reading and Booklet Launch
Wednesday, January 13th, 2016
7:30pm
Greenlight Bookstore
686 Fulton Street
Brooklyn, NY 11217
Free and open to all. Reservations are neither needed nor accepted.
Urban Omnibus is grateful to our partners for their support of As Seen On [ ]:
