User:Nsteveng/sandbox

The Listening, created by Nicholas Steven George, a Newark, NJ native, is a creative outlet based in Lynchburg, VA. Inspired by the song "The Listening" by Little Brother, George began this effort as an attempt to accomplish a number of endeavors, including: unifying the creative community in Lynchburg, VA, contributing to the diversity of the local artistic community, and providing a platform for creatives to network and collaborate without political or religious bias. George's original plan for The Listening revolved around using poetry and spoken word, which provided an 'open mic' element, but later adjusted its format to be inclusive of multiple performing art forms, including, but not limited to: poetry/spoken word, vocal/singing, movement, photography and visual art, theater and drama, and live instrumentation. George has also expressed a desire to challenge fellow artists to present more passion in their work, stating, "I want to take a moment, take a break from this feigned simplicity and find an arena where inspired souls can convene. Where people can talk about their histories, their stories, their loves, their passions. Don't distract me with unnecessary wi-fi signals and commonplace vernacular. I want to know where you come from. I want to hear what you love, what you hate. I want to unplug from so much, disconnect from religious overtures and political burdenings."

In 2013, George organized four themed "The Listening" events: "The Listening" "The Listening: Confessions" "The Listening: Classic" and "The Listening presents: Voices of the Strivers' Row" were held in varied locations around Lynchburg, VA. The first event was held at The White Hart Cafe. The second event was held at Momentum Coworking and Hackerspace. The third event revisited The White Hart Cafe, after a brief hiatus, in which the coffeeshop was shut down for renovation and management changes. The final event was held at the historic Academy of Fine Arts, in the Joy and Lynch Christian Warehouse Theatre on November 9th. This event featured talents from three poets from the spoken word collective, The Strivers' Row, Joshua Bennett, Alysia Harris, and Miles Hodges.

At the final TL event in 2013, George addressed the audience and disclosed that the future of further events was uncertain, citing a demanding full-time work schedule and inexperience in event planning as reasoning. George added, "if this is the last time The Listening ever happens, I'll be happy".

In mid-2014, George began planning another The Listening event, themed "Legacy". After collaborating with TOOLRY, "a place for people to create and explore their art, craft, or passion, while colliding and building community with like-minded people", the event was given a date of November 8th, 2014, almost one year since the last event.