Increasingly I'm asked questions about my two "worlds" (one pseudo factual, one mostly fictional), where to find info on this or that, and what correlates with what. Crossing my fins the following provides some answers. Believe me, there's lots I left out!
LEARNING
- Omni Ocademy - Everything I do comes under the umbrella of the ocademy. It's elevator description is: "Omni offers a whimsical interactive approach to education, entertainment, and enrichment. Programs are designed to enable those with a pulse to realize their creative dreams through fantastical theme events, immersive experiences, and quirky artistic opportunities that transform mundane existence into magical adventure." Lest there be any confusion (or concern for my sanity), the Ocademy is based on the fictional school in my budding whimsical fantasy series comprised of 49 novellas that are currently trickling out in obscurity. Since the book project never got to launch (it was slated to kick off on March 21, 2020, and we all know how that worked out), the ocademy has been taking shape in other unexpected ways
- Omni Annex - Here we offer a handful of unconventional online courses and hope to add more by year's end
- The Author's Journey - A shepherded sojourn that takes fledgling writers from inspiration to publication. This project is precious to me
- Siren School - *Dim Q's all-female affiliate "where education is an adventure in self discovery." Activities range from Fantasy Fitness movement classes to themed Siren Soirees and weekend Mythic Adventures getaways. Inaugurated in 2011, Siren School was shelved when I faced a health crisis, and it's currently in pandormancy. The intention is for it to resurrect in 2022 (*Dim Q refers to the fictional Dimension Q. According to tongue-in-cheek Omni lore, that's where we live, in Dim Q on planet Gaia.)
SOCIALIZING
- The Tea Travellers Societea is our local SoCal social group. Most of our events involve tea because tea plays a major role in pretty much every culture. In addition to all manner of theme events, we host original interactive whodunnits and walk-in-the-footsteps-of-the-characters trips
- Club 11:11 ~ Time-traveling supper society. Small get-togethers include a meal and entertainment. Membership is available through Patreon.
- Meetup - We have 3 groups. While each has a distinct purpose, events often overlap: Omni Ocademy & Siren School . Tea Travellers . Whimsicalidocious
- The Tea & Sympathy Investigative Agency - Approved agents of our ladies detective organization have access to exclusive sleuth kits and discounts on mystery activiteas where we "solve a cold case over a hot cuppa"
- Social Media
- Omni has pages on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, and Tumblr. The public Facebook group is the Fiddlehead Hub
- Tea Travellers has a Facebook page as well as a group called Tea Travellers & Ferroequinologists for those who enjoy train travel
- Whimsicalidocious arts runs a group on Facebook. We also have an official Facebook page for "fundraisers"
- To keep up with the latest announcements, join our Patreon community. Additionally, you may have a hankering to sign up for Omni's monthly Gnusletter or subscribe to my Snoring Bulldog podcast
SUPPORTING THE ARTS
- Whimsicalidocious - This is our microscopic genteel arts nonprofit through which we support and promote a select few artists and artisans. We intend to expand our scope in 2022. (We're federally registered as Whimsicalitea but I changed the name to avoid being spammed by companies trying to sell or buy tea).
- Maecenas Patron community - The base of all operations moved to this platform shortly after the pandemic started, as a means of thanking and benefiting those in our community
- Books - Mine and others
- Omni-related writings including Peyton Drake's Omni Tale (my passion project), reference guides, and annual anthologies
- E. Gads Hill Press - Whimsicalidocious' tiny publishing shed
- JS Devivre's works including the Tea Cozy Mysteries (stream-of-consciousness fluff), The Tea Traveller's Constant Companion, Dorothea Tate's Marvels & Mysteries (2nd book coming Fall 2022)
- Writing - Much of what we do is geared toward encouraging others to express themselves through the written word
- Siren School's la Vie Sirene e-magazine is coming out of retirement (having previously published 15 issues) for a one-off issue this summer and is accepting submissions on magic and the things that make life "magical"
- Omni's annual anthologies
- Acting - One day we'll get back to actual in-person performance with "real" shows. For now, we offer a few simple opportunities to test the acting waters
- Scripted recorded call-ins to the fictional recap show Bramble On that covers the fae soap opera Love Among the Brambles
- Page-reading as a news reporter in one of our Omnicasts
- Phone-filmed monologue performance as part of our Oracles choose-your-path video experience (Delayed due to pandemania)
FUN & GAMES
- Find Your Element (Elemental Inclinations Quiz)
- Omnopoly - Read Books ~ Win Prizes. Nuff said!
- OmniQuest online & in-person themed escapish-style games
- Fabled Creatures & Endangered Monsters Rescue - Alas, our Peculiar Pet Fair and associated activities are on hold during pandormancy. For now, take the Comfort Creature quiz to find out what kind of critter suits you best
- Cup of Mystery cold cases to solve at home
- Additionally, we have all sorts of logo merchandise (click here for examples) and theme kits (such as Omni's Element of Surprise Parcels) available only through our associated entities
- After many years of its sitting on the back burner, our pirate-themed kids-helping-kids program Shared Treasure Hunt will get underway in 2022
NOMENCLATURE & CONTACT INFO
Joy is my longstanding nickname and the name I go by. Johnston is my family name, not Siren. JS Devivre is the pen name I've used for historically-based works of fiction & tearoom guidebooks. My primary email is SirenSchool@gmail.com and phone is 816-974-7367