Business Description

Ed Ward has been performing wedding ceremonies since 1982. Ed will create a ceremony to fit the needs of all couples.

Wedding Officiant

An Ordained Minister with the Temple of Man, Ed has been officiating at weddings since 1982. Weddings Your Way is the guiding concept of Ed's ceremonies, meaning: Ed will create a ceremony tailored to fit the desires and needs of the bride and groom. Ed brings his talents as both a writer and performer together when he officiates at a wedding. He is the consummate professional as both a Minister and Master of Ceremony. Ed charges $300 to meet with the bride and groom (when possible; if not, details can be worked out over the phone or on-line), to create a ceremony that meets the needs and desires of the bride and groom, and to publish a one-of-a-kind ceremonial booklet, and to perform the wedding ceremony. A formal rehearsal which is optional is $100. A travel fee of $35/hour is charged for ceremonies outside the Denver/Metro area.

Author & Publishing

Ed has been active in the world of Poetry and Small Press since 1977. Larry Lake of the Bowery Press published Ed's first book, citysight, a collection of poems with drawings by Michael Bergt in 1981. Since then Ed has published six books: ladywho (1981 poetry); soloists (1984 poetry); MOVIEOS (1989 fiction); Lucy & Eddie (1999 novel); TIME IS A PLACE (2001 Fiction & Poetry); and MONOLOGUES (2004 Dramatic Monologues). Additionally, Ed has published numerous small press short stories including Rose Marie, Billy Burroughs' Prediction and A Spy In Many Houses. Ed is currently at work on ON THE WAY TO SLEEPING GIANT, a collection of first-person narratives.

Ed has received the following literary awards: The James Ryan Morris Memorial Foundation's Colorado Art Award, the Tombstone for Poetry in 1979; Westword's 1998 Denver's Best Poetry Reading Award; and The Society for the Advancement of Poetic's LuLu Award in 2000 for service to the literary community.

Ed has also worked on numerous small press publications. He was the editor of both Passion Press magazine (1981-1988) and POINT magazine (1991-1992).

Under the name PASSION PRESS Ed has published the following titles by other authors, most of which are currently available by contacting the Image Maker.
James Ryan Morris Answers for Diana (February 2000)
Kate Makkai Pink (October 2000)
Tony Scibella The Kid in America (October 2000)
Marilyn Megenity Revolutionary Stew (March 2001)
Tony Scibella I'm Afraid There Will Be No Parade For Us (June 2002)
Kate Makkai You Know  (June 2002)
David Rebmnan IA (June 2002)
Leanor Inez Ortega It Must Look Pretty Appealing (March 2003)
Jason Eklund's The Heart of My Song (to be published in March 2008)

Artist

Ed has been working with watercolor inks since 2001. Ed considers himself a folk artist. He is self taught. He works on archival watercolor paper . His images vay in size but most are 12 x16 and over-matted to 16x20. In January 2007 Ed had a one man show at the Swallow Hill Music Association Gallery in Denver. He set a record for the most paintings sold and the most revenue generated by a show at Swallow Hill.

Actor & Dramatist

Ed is also a stage and screen actor.
For the last several years Ed has staged his one man show Testosterone Monologues at numerous venues, including the International Boulder Fringe Festival (2007), PS 1515 (2005) and The Mercury Cafe (2002) in Denver, El Museo Cultural de Sante Fe(2003) in Santa Fe, and the Steamplant (2002 and 2003) in Salida.

Ed's work on stage includes principal roles in It's RoundupTime So Let's Get Going (1989 Passion Productions);The Moon For The Misbegotten (1991-1992 The Rocky Mountain Theater Guild);  Lovers & Other Strangers (1996-2001 The Mercury Cafe Players annual Valentine Show); and Witches, Witches, Witches (2000 the Mercury Cafe Players).

Ed's film work includes the role of himself in Revolution Studio's Colfax Avenue (2004); the role of Mooney in Fool Moon Production's Mermaid Springs (2003); and the role of Reverend Eddie in Collier-Hebald's Production's Billy Wheeler (1997).

Master of Ceremony

Ed has hosted poetry and multi-media events since 1977, including
1977 OPEN READING @ The Casual Lounge
1977-1979 POEMS LIVE @ Cafe Nepenthes
1992-2001 FRIDAY NIGHT POETRY @ The Mercury Cafe.
2006 the EAST SIDE OPEN @ PS 1515
Ed also founded and continues to participate in the Mercury Cafe's annual New Year's Eve Erotic Poetry Festival.