Welcome to the first ever Jason Evans after-contest party!
Since April 2006 Jason has been the architect, administrator, judge, photographer, and official timekeeper of the Clarity of Night flash fiction contests. His latest contest, "Elemental," is his fourteenth.
The amount of work that goes into these events, most of which occurs behind the scenes, is daunting. The prize money comes out of Jason's own pocket. Please join us and his wife Aine in thanking him for his effort and generosity, for his cool-headedness, for all the assistance and showcasing he's provided to hundreds of published and unpublished writers. And especially for building an oasis of support and friendship in the writing community.
Leave a comment. Or a poem!—see below. Then help yourself to a glass of wine.
Aniket, Laurel, & Steve
with special thanks to Aine Evans and Cat Vibert
A Toast from Aine
Through the years I’ve become used to being in a room full of lawyers, and even a room full of doctors, but this is a first: a room full of writers. And I’m supposed to stand up and be eloquent?!... gulp!
There’s so much I could say about Jason. Having enjoyed a front row seat for all of these contests, I can tell you about the ungodly amount of work he puts into this. But you all know that already….
I could talk about how extraordinary he is. About how my honed intuition saw the diamond in the rough when we first met. When I recognized how rare his brain is. That he not only remembers and integrates every bit of data that enters his head, but that all of that knowledge is so quickly accessible. (I can’t remember what I did last week, let alone pull the calvin cycle from my memory and use it to improve my gardening-- Jason does stuff like that every day!) He’s not left-brained or right-brained-- he uses both sides equally! That means that Jason is a guy who can use logic with cool-headed precision, program computers and understand what calculus really is, AND use color with natural artistic sense, feel music viscerally, and evoke emotion with carefully placed words.
The best part?-- he has no idea of just how extraordinary he is!! (Yes girls, my momma didn’t raise no dummy-- I knew what a rare specimen he is!)
I foresaw a future filled with achievement. He could become a builder of systems, a skilled diagnostician, or a creator of with words. Heck, I even thought he could be president some day (he has the ivy-league law degree-- that seems to be part of the job description, doesn’t it?). But for all that my love-struck eyes deemed him capable of, I never expected him to become a builder of community. And, wow… is he ever!
Jason-- you’ve always said that you hope to die knowing that you’ve achieved something of permanence. Allow me to put forth the following argument:
Art is…
something created
something to be experienced
something that is enjoyed
something that inspires
something that has the power to build a community
something that has the power to change lives
I propose that the Clarity of Night contests meet all of these criteria. Jason, you have created something of permanence. This contest, this community is a masterpiece of your creation.
So, here’s to your achievement! **raises glass**
And here’s to the joy and inspiration and life changes that flow from the Clarity of Night community! **clink**
I would also like to say a huge thank you to Steve, Laurel, and Aniket (and Cat?! Hi Cat!!) and everyone else who helped to organize this party. You all ROCK! (After all, appreciation is an art, too-- you guys are masters!)
Poetry, Thank (Haik)u, and Artsy-Fartsy Stuff
Want to thank Jason in verse? Here's your chance. Contribute a poem, Haiku (or as Aniket calls it, a "Thank (Haik)u"), or anything else artsy-fartsy in comments, or email Steve at stephenparrish@hotmail.com, and we'll post it here for all the world to revere.
A moment in time,
when you opened a door
to set a stage
to share a word
I slip a thanks
to the single candle
which lit a path
to gather erudite scribblers.
Thank you Jason...
—Erratic Thoughts
isolated minds
glittering in winter skies
draw constellations
—Jason Evans
Please raise your glass to Clarity of Night
To Jason, our host and guiding light
For your energy and drive
Keeps within us alive
The desire to write and re-write
—JaneyV
Pictures and words blend
Creating worlds on one page
Clarity of Night
—Jodi MacArthur
Community sparks
with the elemental urge
to share a fire
—Sarah Hina
Clarity of Night
Always so much fun to play
Jason is the best!
—Lisa Gail Green
Jason's contest rocked
Imaginations soared there
and friendships began.
(six months passes)
CON-test time again!
Another light sparks a fire
and friendships renew.
(six months passes)
Another CON-test!
Entrants became best sellers
And are now famous!
(a year passes)
Jason's CON-test rocks
Beginners mingle with stars
And the sky shines bright.
—Cat Vibert
snapshot and invite
fingers twitch about the page
in good company
—Jade L. Blackwater
Each whisper pays a
Sure return on investment
All thanks to you both.
Some gifts so priceless
Joy, truth, validation
Cannot be repaid.
How did I find you?
A lucky stumble, flailing
Into precious gifts.
—Precie
I don't know how to
say it all in a haiku
I'll just say - Thank You!
—Aniket Thakker
It’s so dark here.
It should be peaceful, but it’s almost claustrophobic. The terror of a new thought. Another direction. It’s such a very big place, this. So far between one light and the next.
So we stretch through
sheer,
vast,
S P A C E.
Too many, so many
Ideas
Whirling
I met an angel here, once.
Saw a vineyard.
Died. Again and again.
Relived my first kiss.
Laughed OUT LOUD!
Saw the birth of the universe.
Met the others. The other tumbling mudballs, who want to show their shine, like Janie in THEIR EYES WERE WATCHING GOD.
I see other suns and know that it is the best place, this private universe. The quiet spot to shine our words, to see the worlds created by each soul struggling in the quiet darkness.
The darkness isn't empty here. We can see each other, find the other lights.
The ones that shine best in THE CLARITY OF NIGHT.
Thanks, Jason.
—Laurel Montgomery
