Going “East on Central”: A profile of Judith MK Tepfer

The North Shore seems to be crawling with creative types.

Cover Painting by Kathy Halper

If you need proof, check out Highland Park’s East on Central, a professional-looking publication that calls itself  “A Journal of Arts and Letters.”  East on Central will launch its eighth annual issue at The Art Center in Highland Park, Wednesday, June 24 at 7 PM. The publication party includes readings and discussions of visual art included in the 2009-2010 East on Central. And refreshments. And live music. Originals of some of the artwork will be on display. Best of all, you can purchase a copy of this latest edition of East on Central, and meet the writers and artists.

So how did East on Central come to be? Ageless North Shore asked the Editor in Chief Judith M.K. Tepfer about the genesis of East on Central.

Where were you when the idea hit for an arts and letters journal in Highland Park?
JT: In 2001, Sumner Garte, as a member of the Suburban Fine Arts Center (now The Art Center), suggested a program that would bring visual artists and writers together for mutual inspiration. But the only ones who responded were writers, so we formed our own support group: Sandy Strauss, Emma Kowalenko, Judith Bernstein and me. About a year later, we became interested in doing something more. Knowing the difficulty of getting published, we thought of ways to bring local writers’ work to the community. We knew of Sumner’s concept and asked him to join us for a brainstorming session.

Sumner Garte, "Survivor"

As an experiment, Sumner brought his painting entitled “Survivor,” a depiction of the Hancock Building rising from the ashes of the Great Chicago Fire. Our group wrote three poems and a short story in the response to the painting. That painting and the accompanying literature became the Creative Exchange section of the first East on Central and the core concept for all future editions: every artist’s work can be enhanced by experiencing the art of others.

What happened between the conception and the delivery (of the first issue)?
JT: We reached out to the artistic/literary community in Highland Park and to the city for grant money. Then we plunged in and learned a great deal along the way. We recruited Georgann Humphrey, a professional graphic designer, who has designed all of the journals in addition to our web site.

We published the first issue of East on Central in 2002. It was 64 pages, black and white, and included 39 local artists and writers.

And the new edition?
JT: East on Central, Volume 8, features the works of 95 writers and artists, including color reproductions of visual art along with poetry and prose.

Most satisfying moments of the East on Central experience?
JT: Getting a spine (instead of a stapled publication); bringing Illinois’ Poet Laureate, Kevin Stein, to Highland Park; the dramatic readings of work from seven years of East on Central by the ARTicuLIT Readers Theatre last February.

Most, shall we say, challenging?
JT: Holding my breath every year and hoping that the book will be printed on time for the publication party; planning events without knowing if we’ll have a good turnout; on a personal note, finding out after publication that there was a misspelling in one of my own poems.

We promise not to tell about the typo. What happens next?
JT: We are planning a special section of the next East on Central that will celebrate the 50th anniversary of The Art Center. We expect to offer three programs that encourage the concept of cross-genre, mutual inspiration: one involving music in October; another in the winter offering a seminar in reading one’s own work; and a third in April for Poetry Month.

Judith MK Tepfer