Tag Archives: Oklahoma Culture

Every Point on the Map

EPTOM: Holdenville, OK (“The Best Place on Earth”)

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We were playing chicken with the Sun, pushing our last stop that day  as we swirvingly navigated through a crowded parking lot full of cars bearing license plates from all over the U.S.

The scene: The “Expo” building on the Holdenville fairgrounds.

The event we were trying to crash: A 50-year Holdenville High School class reunion, lovingly given a “Prom 2.0” theme by those who had been planning the event since their 45th “Prom,” five years back.

The whole city of Holdenville seemed like an eager high schooler, all dressed up for a party. Continue reading EPTOM: Holdenville, OK (“The Best Place on Earth”) →

Every Point on the Map

EPOTM: Cromwell, OK (or Willie Simpkins and the Board of Education)

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_DSC0045Everything about our visit with Willie Simpkins surprised me.

We felt we were too far into the Cromwell countryside to find someone, but  there was a home that beckoned us.  No one looked home when we pulled into Willie’s driveway, but he answered the door.  And although his face looked like “no” was the inevitable answer to our key question, he said yes.

Continue reading EPOTM: Cromwell, OK (or Willie Simpkins and the Board of Education) →

Every Point on the Map

EPTOM: Varuca Salt We’re Not, But Maybe We Are…

veruca-salt-2The cyclothymic process of rolling out our “Every Point on the Map” project is wearing me down.

To begin, we followed the Kickstarter suggestions to the letter.  They suggested we run our campaign for no longer than 30 days so as not to wear down those who might support the project.

Okay, well…we probably DID wear our friends down, but we got it done.

But then, there was the matter of the fine print.  The fine print which eluded me.  The fine print which was evidently on one of the several pages…of the several agreements…wherein I clicked the “Yes, I agree!” box.

Oh, the limits of what a person will click know NO bounds when they want something good to happen.

So, somewhere embedded in that fine print was this message:  You don’t get your money until 16 business days after you’ve completed your Kickstarter campaign.

Meh.  I have begun to identify with Varuca Salt in the 1970s Willy Wonka movie:  “I want it NOW!” 

I want to order our equipment.  I want to roll out our pilot run.  I want to see what it’s going to be like for the next ten years.  I want to see how hard it is to approach a stranger and ask them to open up to someone they’ve never met.  I want to see Rachel’s photographs.  I want to hear the stories. And…

I want it NOW!

But, we’ll have to wait three more business days.  And THEN, we’ll begin making progress.

Love, kisses, and cyclothymic tendencies…

[kelly] & Rachel J. Apple

P.S.  We thought our pilot run would be this upcoming Saturday, March 1.  Evidently, it won’t.  It will most likely take place 1-2 weeks after that date that we wanted NOW.  However, we DO know that Carney, OK is our first stop.  We know that won’t change…right?

Every Point on the Map

EPTOM: Not-So-Slow and Steady Gets the Job Done

 Screen Shot 2014-02-06 at 11.01.13 AM

I just checked our Kickstarter crowd funding site for “Every Point on the Map” (EPOM).  When I look at the Dashboard information I feel mixtures of fear, hope, anticipation, motivation…and then a wave of calm washes over me.  I let those feelings go and my tense spine relaxes.

“It’s fine,” I tell myself.  “We were going do this whether we get the money or not.”  I lean the top half of my body from an upright position toward the back of my chair.  “Now, what else can I do to drum up support?”  And then I begin thinking.

We have conducted a small TV appearance.  We have set up a meeting with an associate producer at KOSU who is interested in some audio pieces from our work.  We’re working with Oklahoma Horizon TV who has offered training and technical assistant to help capture good quality video for future feature work.  And, long-term I’m going to investigate turning EPOTM into a non-profit entity so I can apply for grants.

So, what about right now?  Well, I know from studying the topics I have that most of the projects supported, or events attended, or products purchased are due to “word of mouth.”

So, since you have a mouth, please share the good “word” about Every Point on the Map.  Seven-hundred dollars worth of good words, and we’ll be on our way!

[kelly] & Rachel J. Apple

Every Point on the Map

“Every Point on the Map” – Fair Questions and the Nitty Gritty Details

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It’s only been a few days since we announced Every Point on the Map, but we’ve been asked quite a few very good questions.

These range from the, “Where are you going to start first?” types (geographical) to the “How are you going to decide who to interview?” (logistical) kind.  Here are a few others we’ve encountered:

  1. How are you going to fund this project?
  2. Who have you contacted to publicize your work?
  3. What kind of documentation are you going to do (I like video best; or, I like photos best; or, you’re going to write, right??)?
  4. Could I ride with you during one of your trips?
  5. Are you going to write a book?  Make an installment at a museum?
  6. What about passing along a gift from one stop to the next, kind of like geocaching, only different?

Holy Road Trip, Batman –  we have some decisions to make, eh?

I will say that we’ve begun to sort many of these decisions out.  For example, we’ll be rolling out a Kickstarter fundraising opportunity to bankroll our first year on Monday of next week.  We’ve been working with Tree & Leaf designer Dusty Gilpin on our project logo.  And, we’ll be introducing the project on Oklahoma Horizon TV and through other media or publication outlets as we are ready.  I’ve even outlined various legs of the trip so we can be efficient, cover a good amount of ground, and locate places to spend the night from time to time if needed.

In other words, the answers to these questions are coming together, slowly but surely.  And, we’ll cover each of them in individual posts as they are ready to share.  But there is one we’re still mulling and we could quite frankly use your help.  Here’s the deal… Continue reading “Every Point on the Map” – Fair Questions and the Nitty Gritty Details →