12to1, Queens workshop, Ben Folds, and other good things

Coming later this week: One new project about childhood; another new project based on a remarkable photo story; some thoughts on Alvin Greene as performance artist; maybe a little Panthers preview (short version: I think they're gonna be bad this year, but really good next year.)

Here's what's going on right now.

-- I've heard from a bunch of people already about the 12 to 1 project... Several students have written in, and I've heard from three teachers who are having their senior students take it on as an assignment. If you're a high-school senior who'd like to give some advice to new first-graders, e-mail me at ttomlinson@charlottobserver.com. We'll be taking entries for several more days.

-- If you're interested in some in-depth talk about writing, there are still a few spots left in the workshop I'm teaching at Queens University starting next week. It runs four Thursday nights from Sept. 9 to Sept. 30. We'll be talking about reporting, interviewing, writing, creativity and "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald." (Love of Gordon Lightfoot not required.)

-- Keep checking for more comments on the One Good Thing project and the Scars project... I'm getting some late e-mail that I'm going to stick into the comment threads. And if you haven't added your own, the door's still open.

-- Three of my favorite things came together this week. For years I've loved Ben Folds, the North Carolina piano man, and Nick Hornby, the British novelist. They've collaborated on a record that comes out in a few weeks. But as a teaser, they've released a cut they did with Pomplamoose, the duo that specializes in "video songs," where you see how each song is put together. (My favorite is their cover of Beyonce's "Single Ladies.")

Here's the result. (It might help a little to know that Nick Hornby is a hugely successful writer. Four of his works -- "Fever Pitch," "High Fidelity," "About a Boy" and "An Education" -- have been turned into movies. So don't feel too sorry for him.)