Vantage Point Features Local Writers, New Venues, and Arts Presenters

Residences at Vantage Point launches its Arts & Culture Collective Spring series on Friday, April 10, 11 a.m.-noon, with “the Author Next Door,” a reading and discussion, featuring novelist Tudor Alexander and Howard County Youth Poet Laureate Penelope Tofigh, moderated by literature instructor George Clack.

The “Author Next Door” program, which showcases local writers, was developed by Clack, a teacher at Howard Community College who has also taught at the University of Rochester and at the SUNY College at Geneseo, as well as in the Johns Hopkins Osher Program. Clack has an MA in English from the Claremont Graduate School in California.

Tudor Alexander is the pen name for Alex Duvan who was born in Bucharest, Romania, in 1950 and moved to the United States in 1977. He holds a Master’s degree from the Polytechnic Institute of Bucharest and an MBA from the University of Connecticut. His most recent novel, The Last Patient, was released in 2025. He lives in Columbia.

Tofigh, a junior at River Hill High School, is the 2025-2026 Howard County Youth Poet Laureate appointed by Howard County Executive Calvin Ball. She was the winner of Maryland State Poetry Out Loud competition in 2025. She plays the trombone and performs in theatrical productions.

In addition to “The Author Next Door,” Vantage Point’s three-part Spring series will include a presentation, “New Homes for the Arts,” featuring Dave Simmons, Director of Programming for the Merriweather Arts & Culture Center, and Phillip Dodge, Executive Director of the Downtown Columbia Partnership, on April 24, 11 a.m.-noon. They will talk about the impact of three new arts venues – Columbia Association Lakefront Bandshell, Performing Arts Center, and new Central Library.

The final program of the Spring series, “Staging Ground,” includes reminiscences by Mark Minnick, Artistic Producer of Toby’s Dinner Theatre and Brynn Williams, Program and Education Director, Columbia Center for Theatrical Arts, on May 8, 11 a.m.-noon. The duo will discuss plans for Toby’s and CCTA once construction is completed on the Performing Arts Center where they will be relocated.

The Arts & Culture Collective was established by the Residences at Vantage Point in response to community members’ interest in hosting public activities that engage and educate as well as entertain. To register for individual sessions, call 410-992-1241 or visit www.VantagePointResidences.org/arts

About Residences at Vantage Point

Residences at Vantage Point was founded in 1990 and is a nonprofit serving people age 60 and above. The community includes a variety of residential living arrangements from studio to two-bedroom deluxe apartments. It provides long-term health services available exclusively for residents should they need them.

Residences at Vantage Point is noted for its arts, cultural and educational activities, as well as for resident engagement with the larger community of Columbia. It is located at 5400 Vantage Point Road. Visit www.VantagePointResidences.org for more information.