The need for education programs in the arts remains at an elevated level in communities across the United States of America. Z-Sides Press believes it to be the birthright of every human to engage in works of art that challenge their minds. As a prerequisite to reaching an audience for its work, Z-Sides Press defends the right of every human to learn the English language, to read it, and to speak it well. The First Amendment to the US Constitution enshrines that learning as a protected birthright for US citizens by enumerating legal protections for freedom of speech, press, and religion.
How can such guarantees of freedom have any meaning in US society unless we work to provide access to programs, activities, and events in the realm of English literacy promotion? The diminution of this need only occurs relative to the extent by which we achieve English-language fluency among all native-born US citizens - a goal which remains unrealized at the time of this writing. Said programs must be offered at reduced rates or at no charge for audiences of all ages, in order to properly address the societal scale of this self-evident need.
Z-Sides Press shall exist to promote the creation, development, and production of new and extant works in song, drama, and fiction, as well as the publication of an interdisciplinary arts education curriculum.
The name Z-Sides represents the core brand of myself, Lane Pianta, and the work I do as artist-entrepreneur. For the last 10 years, I have used it as the preferred moniker for all of my collaborative work in music. In that realm, the term points to itself as the least of all recordings - not A-Sides, not B-Sides, but Z-Sides - and the name Z-Sides Press becomes an extension of that core philosophy as applied to the written word and the staging of dramatic works for a public audience.
From my teenage years onward, I have played guitar, sung, and written songs. I have penned over 300 musical compositions, participated in over 50 theatrical productions, and produced a dozen shows as the primary creative artist. Furthermore, I have acquired two degrees in my field: A Bachelor of Fine Arts from UT Austin in Theatre Studies, and a Master’s Degree from Towson University in Theatre with an emphasis on interdisciplinary performance and artist-as-entrepreneur. More recently, I have continued to integrate my twin passions for theatre and songwriting with a commitment to teaching, grant-writing, and service to my community.