LiteratureBilly Manes
The Rhythm of Speech by Mary McGinn
Chances are , if you ’ ve lived in Orlando for any period of time , you ’ ve heard the name Billy Manes . Manes studied history at Florida State University where he learned he liked “ the feeling of words crashing up against one another , the rhythm of speech , and the depths it defi nes .” Upon graduation , he pitched an 18-page review of a Prince album to the Tallahassee Weekly . He was offered a job and later became editor . Manes moved to Orlando after a romantic tragedy . Here , he was picked by the Orlando Weekly via Lindy Shepherd ( the arts editor at the time ). He spent a few good years in the classifi ed ad sales department and wrote about entertainment on the side . He then spent the next decade writing a nightlife column . Manes ran for mayor in 2005 , and in June of 2015 became Editor of Watermark Magazine .
This month , I had the honor to interview this Orlando icon .
Mary : What are your hopes for Central Florida ’ s art scene ? Billy : I understand that it sometimes takes a little bit of both — money and genius — to get things moving , but some of Orlando ’ s public-private nonsense has crippled creativity and , effectively , carried some of our best arts administrators and artists out of town on a rail . There ’ s no denying , though , that Orlando has established itself as an arts hub almost in spite of itself , or at least in spite of its governance .
What inspires and motivates you ? Social justice , generally . But on a more visceral level , the love of my husband , the licks of my dogs , my own frankly undeserved successes .
Anything you ’ d like to share about your relationship with words and communication ? The unexpected consequence of shared words is that they are far better than the sum of those which remain unspoken or unwritten . Though , there is a value to pregnant pauses , too . Timing is everything .
Can you tell us about your time at the Orlando Weekly ? I was with the Weekly in some capacity from 1997 through 2015 . It was my other family , and those working there did save my life on more than one occasion . I built a “ brand ,” if you will , and simultaneously was able to advocate for causes through language . That was an amazing feeling , and it remains one today .
Orlando Arts & Culture , v . 2.1 photo by Mariana Mora
Can you tell us about your transition to Watermark ? Watermark knew what it was asking for when the 23-year-old institution hired me . I , however , was faking some bravery while withering on the inside in my fi rst months . How was I going to carry my refl exive voice into a completely different setting ? Fortunately , one week after my start date , the U . S . Supreme Court approved marriage equality ; my footing in that area was pretty strong , as I had lost a longtime partner in 2012 , and then offi cially married my best friend Tony on Valentine ’ s Day of 2015 . Of course , we now know that there are backlashes — both political and personal — to progressive victories , and almost one year to the date of my starting day at Watermark , the Pulse shooting happened . I guess what I ’ m saying is that it never felt like a transition , so much as it felt like an imperative . I was going to push my own boundaries to try to make the world better , no matter what .
Where do you see Orlando in the next decade ? It ’ s almost hard to say , given the political uncertainties playing out on the federal and state levels . But in the two decades I ’ ve lived here , I ’ ve seen an organic development , a hyper-core of creative types supporting each other as the whole city snowballs into something much better than it ever has been . I see Orlando thriving .
You can see more at : WatermarkOnline . com
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