By Marsie Hall Newbold
Enquirer Contributor

Who: Carlos Edwards, 32, of College Hill, a playwright, director and arts enthusiast, and assistant director of academic services and a senior adviser at the University of Cincinnati.

Carlos Edwards and computer. (Tony Jones photo) | ZOOM |

What: His 31/2-year-old Dell personal computer.

Where: On a long table in the master bedroom of his townhouse. Mr. Edwards' computer is the first he has owned. It is an upgrade from a powder blue Smith Corona electric typewriter.

Mr. Edwards, who received his undergraduate and master's degrees in public relations/advertising/journalism from Morehead State University, believes his computer is almost his "alter-ego."

Me, myself and I: "It seems strange to say that," he says. "But it's true from the standpoint that I can create with it. When I am working on the computer, I am a different person. It houses my thoughts and my characters. At some times, it is an extension of me."

Mr. Edwards started writing as a senior at Aiken High School.

He was taking Honors and Advanced Placement English when the "writing bug" bit him.

IF YOU GO

The Kitchen Committee" is being produced by the Cincinnati Black Theatre Company and the Arts Consortium of Cincinnati, Feb. 20-23, Feb. 27-28 and March 1-2 at the Arts Consortium of Cincinnati, 1515 Linn St. Tickets: $18. Information: 241-6060.

The big time: He hasn't made a "lot" of money by writing but has sold the movie rights to his play Transition Patterns in Black Manhood to a local film director.

"It was produced as part of the first Black Theatre Festival in Cincinnati," he explains. "Now it is going to be made into a short film."

Latest work: Mr. Edwards is directing his play The Kitchen Committee, which will open later this month at the Arts Consortium of Cincinnati.

He describes it as a "comedy-drama" that deals with the contradictions and political structures of a church.

"I'm a realist as a writer," he says, turning reflective. "I like to deal with real-life situations that people don't always like to talk about or discuss. But, they will watch it on stage."

Doing what comes naturally: "I write all the time," he says. "It is a cathartic way of dealing with things. If I'm angry about something I've seen or read, I kind of type it out - whether it is poetry or thoughts. Cincinnati gives a writer a lot to write about."

Night owl: "I like to write at night," Mr. Edwards says. "During the daytime, I can't focus for some reason. I can stay up all night and work, and it doesn't bother me. I guess that's because I have my computer to keep me company."

Share your prize possessions with Marsie Hall Newbold by mail: c/o The Cincinnati Enquirer, 312 Elm St., Cincinnati 45202 or e-mail: marsolete@aol.com. Please include a daytime telephone number.