Journal logo

We Have a Dream

The Vocal Creators Chronicle.

By The Vocal Creators ChroniclePublished 2 years ago Updated 2 years ago 7 min read
9
Image licensed from Shutterstock.

In August 2021, a group of strangers from across the globe came together to celebrate their fellow creators.

~Why? Simply because we have each experienced our share of life's rougher waters and we believe in paying it forward. ~

We conceptualized a safe space for Vocal Creators that would be a rock in the storm for all. We called it, "The Vocal Social Society".

Who We Are and What We Do

For many, the milestones of a Top Story or a Challenge Win are writing dreams come true, symbols that you’ve achieved public acclaim; truly, they are the emotional equivalent of publishing a book for some Creators.

But, it’s a massive leap to achieve.

Fab 5 steps in by offering another avenue for review, a different way to shine and a stepping stone along the journey of working towards becoming a Top Story, Challenge Winner or published author.

This is how we at the VSS are a ‘rock in the storm’.

If a Fab 5 winner walks away feeling confident and invigorated to keep writing, then we’ve done our volunteer “job”.

-Call Me Les (Spotlight Interview)

Expanding the Dream

Lesley Leatherdale (aka Call Me Les) wrote about the conception of our origins and the reasons why the initiative was so important in what was originally titled the VSS Chronicle, a tribute and overview to all that was happening in the new Meta Group, The Vocal Social Society.

It was only meant to be a tiny dream of Les', to run a magazine in an age where magazines are dying creatures, but the concept of a "Chronicle" flourished, and a few short weeks later the very first, full-scale Vocal Creators Chronicle was born. It was pioneered by James U Rizzi, Caroline Jane and Call Me Les, three of the original Vocal Social Society founders.

The reason for the leap from social media to a website and a magazine:

1. To celebrate more talent in a hand-curated way.

2. To grow audiences and readership for Vocal talent.

Here it is - Volume One

"The Chronicle draws on voices from 4 continents with a vast and varied spectrum of perspectives. As a team of writers, we are passionate about empowering, celebrating and rewarding the creativity flowing around us every day. This magazine is by creators, for creators, and entirely free for everyone...The Chronicle wants to share your voice: from whispers to yells, conversationalists to troubadours, we are scanning the archives in addition to creating content."

Some of Our First Columnists

We invited people who we saw actively carving out a name for themselves on Vocal to contribute to the magazine. Our horizons were broad, and we gave ourselves a mandate to include and celebrate as diverse a range of voices as possible. We were thrilled when the first volume became a top story. It felt like a win for everyone who had contributed to our inaugural volume; the second issue was even better than the first. We even got a bit whimsical and put together a "society column".

Then the Unthinkable Happened and We Lost a Leader

Tom Bradbury, an English writer living in Normandy, Les' writing partner and a hero to an entire community, passed away unexpectedly a few days after Volume 2 hit the web. We were devastated. It seemed all of Vocal was in mourning. And, of course, The Chronicle was there to support. We gathered everyone's stories and poured them into a special tribute.

Keep on Keeping on

For a while, things stopped moving. So, the Vocal Social Society created more threads to help us heal, and the results were astounding. With permission, we gathered up many of the words.

We All Climb Mountains and Reading About Each Other's Struggles Helps Us Feel Less Alone

"...the Tiny Wins thread to help us see how the little things we accomplish actually do make a difference to our overall well being. Tiny wins remind us to celebrate small steps along the way, instead of constantly waiting to arrive at the next milestone moment."

Growing Pains

The Vocal+ Fiction awards (announced in late fall) was set to bring a unique set of challenges to all creators. The emotional hurdles were sure to be intense. Forever the musketeer, Caroline Jane wrote about the Vocal Experience and what it means to not just cooperate, but collaborate. The rationale behind the Chronicle and the social media groups were outlined in Caroline's article on creative collaboration, which can be found below. In it, Caroline illustrates with case study why we are always #better together (The Chronicle's motto)

Together We Create

"To all the wonderful Vocal Creatives who make life as a Vocal creator that little bit more meaningful every day. I salute you. Please know that you are worth your weight in gold to me and many, many others.

VCC - Here for all of you." - Caroline Jane

With Caroline's ideals in mind, the VCC supported the launch of a second Meta Group, this time for vocal challenges: Great Incantations.

*

The VCC Journey Thus Far

We Examine Product Features...

Inform Fellow Creators...

Develop Distribution Channels...

And along the way we have showcased some outstanding talent.

Here are some examples:

Rebecca Ivey

Rebecca Ivey was the first creator we ever showcased. She had no idea we were doing this. It was a nice surprise!

Julianna Byrd: An Anthology of Poetry

New for 2022, we are celebrating poets and fiction writers that bring outstanding creativity to Vocal. Julianna was our first and was showcased in Volume 8.

Tiffany Gordon: An Anthology of Poetry (Black History Month Upcoming Issue)

"Here is a peek at one of the showcases in our upcoming VCC special edition... shhhhhh!"

And several sets of Fab 5 winners (found on our profile).

The Only Constant Is Evolution

The Vocal Creators Chronicle constantly evolves. It is a labour of love for our team and that team is always ready to innovate, to re-work, to respond to feedback, and reshape themselves to ensure that The Chronicle showcases all talent and grows readership in whatever way it can do it best.

Latest Version

As you can see, it is different in many ways from the first.

What hasn't changed is our motto #bettertogether and our goal to champion fellow writers.

Every issue is made with love.

At VCC, we are growing readership by curating exceptional talent. Anybody can forward a piece for inclusion, but we try and stick to themes to bring the best read possible for readers. Over the next few days, we will be releasing a special edition for Black History Month, which we are truly excited about. We have essentially handed the wheel of The Chronicle to a team of Black writers who have put together an outstanding showcase of creations. A sneak peak at one of the articles from the head of the committee, Clyde E. Dawkins, may be found below.

What Our Future Holds

We plan to foster kindness and inclusivity in 2022 by becoming the microphone, growing in volume over time to benefit various causes. This is why we, as the editors, want to stand back, and put more power in the hands of others. If the VCC can one day be a household name, we will have added thousands of strong, inspiring voices into the global conversation.

Changing the world doesn't have to start big.

You just need to DREAM big.

This overview of the work, progress and intentions of the Vocal Creators Chronicle was put together specifically for the "We Have a Dream Challenge" on Vocal Media sponsored by the I Have a Dream Foundation.

Caroline, Les and James want it to be known that should they win the challenge, they will use all proceeds to further their ambitions to showcase more Vocal talent AND drive forward arenas to increase readership.

Not one penny will go directly into our own pockets.

Watch this space... we have only just begun.

Find us on...

business
9

About the Creator

The Vocal Creators Chronicle

We are a free online magazine.

Show us your best work in Vocal Social Society (VSS) & Great Incantations. Click Here for our webpage.

With love, Les, James & Caroline

Reader insights

Be the first to share your insights about this piece.

How does it work?

Add your insights

Comments

There are no comments for this story

Be the first to respond and start the conversation.

Sign in to comment

    Find us on social media

    Miscellaneous links

    • Explore
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Support

    © 2024 Creatd, Inc. All Rights Reserved.