Category Archives: partnering with non-profits

Bringing New Life

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“Teach this triple truth to all: A generous heart, kind speech and a life of service and compassion are things that renew humanity.”      ~ Buddha 

On Monday night, my fellow Kiwanians and I gathered together to paint. There were no easels, cotton duck or linen canvases in sight. Not even a hardboard panel or a can of gesso anywhere to be found. Only drab, scratched surfaces, well-worn by hundreds of children’s hands and feet. 

We gathered at Young Tracks, a ChildCareCenter, to fulfill our obligations of volunteer service. We went about putting a fresh coat of stain on structures designed to shade the children from damaging ultra-violet rays, we put a fresh coat of paint on building trim work and worked at other tasks that were needed to spruce up the facility. 

When the tots return to the place they call their other “home,” they will probably be much too busy playing to notice the look of renewal and rejuvenation. But, our spirits as a club were lifted, as we once again served our promise to each other and to our organization of “improving the world, one child and one community at a time.” 

For more information on Kiwanis International and the work the service organization does in communities in this country and around the world, please visit www.kiwanis.org.

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Coming to the Art Scene

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 “Nature’s own masterpieces will never go away. If I am able to cast just a few of them in favorable light, and convince you, the viewer, to look at them again with greater appreciation and perhaps a fresh perspective, then I have succeeded as an artist.” ~ Scott L. Christensen 

Tomorrow is the First Friday Art Walk in Steamboat Springs,CO. I particularly enjoy this ski resort’s monthly art walk when it is warm. It is more conducive to strolling from gallery to gallery when I’m not faced with bitter temperatures and falling snow.

This week, an exhibit arrived at the Steamboat Art Museum http://bit.ly/l9on0C  that  is on my list of “have to see.”  The work of landscape painter and Wyoming native, Scott Christensen, will be featured until October 15. I have been aware of Scott’s work for many years now, and I am very excited at the prospect of seeing his work, first hand, rather than in print in art magazines such as American Artist, Wildlife Art, Art of the West, Southwest Art and Images West.

Scott’s work has graced the walls of the most prestigious museums in the country such as the National Museum of Wildlife, the Gilcrease Museum and the National Cowboy Museum in Oklahoma City. His paintings have won awards at the Arts in the Parks Competition and Prix de West, just to name a few. The Scottsdale Art School, Disney Animation Studios and the Fechin Institute have all been honored to have him as guest artist teaching his painting techniques.

The Steamboat Art Museum never disappoints in bringing some of the finest artists in our country to this small town of 10,000 people. A jammed, packed schedule of events is on tap here in Steamboat this summer and fall. Remember to put the exhibit of Scott Christensen’s magnificent landscape paintings on your list of fulfilling things to see and do.

Can’t get to Steamboat this summer? Order the book “The Art of Scott L. Christensen” or one of his instructional DVDs. For more information, please visit http://bit.ly/jcVZXz.

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Frankly Speaking Again

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“Why do we love the sea? It is because it has some potent power to make us think things we like to think.” ~Robert Henri 

About a year ago, I kept mentioning, through our company blog site, our friend Frank. He had almost became a regular topic of conversation on All Things Fulfilling. There has been so much going on in this world of independent thoughts, words and views that little mention lately has been made of my friend Frank…Gromling, that is. 

People everywhere have been saying to me ” Where is Frank? How is Frank?”

Well – Frank has been busy too! He has been busy hanging out and doing some fulfilling publishing projects with people like Jean-Michel Cousteau, the son of the infamous ocean explorer Jacques-Yves Cousteau. In fact, he was just in New York City accepting a Ben Franklin Award on behalf of Ocean Publishing, his company, for the publication of Explore the Southeast National Marine Sanctuaries with Jean-Michel Cousteau.

Ocean Publishing is a small publishing company on Florida’s east coast, and Jean-Michel’s first book, in a four part series, has been recognized for excellence by the IBPA (Independent Book Publishers Association) for the documentation of the beauty of marine life environments.

This book is available at local bookstores, through internet booksellers and through Jean-Michel Cousteau’s non-profit organization Ocean Futures Society http://bit.ly/12RmEB and through Ocean Publishing http://bit.ly/m3dSNl.

Congratulations, Frank! You are meeting the goals of your company by “making waves with quality books.” Where will your ocean currents take you next?

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Safe Harbor for She Writes Steamboat

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“Dwell in Possibility” ~ Emily Dickinson 

On last Friday’s blog, mention was made of Chicken and Egg Pictures, a non-profit organization supporting women independent filmmakers. The tag line of this non-profit “Incubating and Hatching All at Once” well represents what I have been feeling about She Writes Steamboat http://on.fb.me/lbnPms  over the past few months. I have been envisioning and growing in my mind, a meet-up group that will provide networking opportunities and support and foster independent publishing success. 

I have decided the time is NOW to hatch the group and support a group of women who have stories to tell, but are still in the incubation period and want to actively hatch and grow their desires. 

For those just starting down the road to independent publishing, beginning can be a scary thing! Women are good at supporting and communicating with each other in their efforts to succeed. What independent publishers have in common is a real and pressing need to inspire and entertain others through storytelling or to educate and inform all through the power of the written word. With independent publishing, there is no competition because everyone has an individual and unique narrative to tell. 

So my thoughts are “why not get together, meet-up and all be there for each other.” Our first She Writes Steamboat meet-up will be Tuesday, June 21 at 4:00 pm at the Bud Werner Library Hall. 

Ladies, feel free to invite others who are in any stage of publishing or those interested in learning more about the independent publishing process. At our first meeting, we will be discussing what time we should schedule our future meetings, how often we chicks should gather. We will be laying the groundwork for a group that I hope will be a safe harbor so independent publishers will not feel as if they are all alone in their publishing efforts. 

Join Us! There is nothing to lose and everything to gain in learning more about the dynamic industry of independent publishing. There are no membership fees. By the way, this group is affiliated with www.SheWrites.com.

 

         See you then!

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Libraries Agree the Time is NOW!

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“We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations.” ~ Charles R. Swindoll 

Last weekend, I had an opportunity to read an independently published book written by Kristen Moeller, called “Waiting for Jack.” http://bit.ly/bUy3pu.  This book has been enormously successful, and I believe it is because many people can relate to the book’s message. The point of the book is to bring to light to the fact that many people live their lives saying and thinking things like, “ I will be happy and my life will be fulfilling when …….” 

You pick your poison, and fill in the blank as you see fit!  A  few times in my life have I fallen victim to this way of thinking, but I usually do fairly well at finding the best in any given situation. 

There was another very good point made in the book “Waiting for Jack” that I did fully relate to, however. That is the importance of thinking outside of the box. Never has this become so clear to me until I moved from my thirty-five year state of residence to a new state. All kinds of opportunities and possibilities made sense to me when I  began to move away from old ways of doing things and started anew. 

Our past few blogs have been focused on a very valuable agreement that has just been signed between the Douglas County Libraries and the Colorado Independent Publishers Association. This agreement, I believe, will be as author Kristen Moeller, would say “a fierce disruption of the ordinary.” 

The Director of the Douglas County Libraries, Jamie LaRue, has taken a bold and brazen step in removing the boundaries that libraries have operated within for many, many years. By no longer restricting the library from only buying books from the main six or seven publishing giants from across the land, libraries will be positioned to accept a new generation of books.  Electronic books (e-books) from independent publishers will move the library away from standard ways of doing business, into new-age bodies of work.

Evidently, the Douglas County Libraries, and the Colorado Independent Publishers Association have decided the time is NOW! I have a feeling, that as libraries move away from doing business as usual, in time the full ramifications of this new agreement will  be realized by both libraries and independent publishers – not just here, but all over the globe. 

Yippee! There will be more IPPY’s in coming years!

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Pilot Program for Independent Publishers

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“It is not easy to be a pioneer – but oh, it is fascinating! I would not trade one moment, even the worst moment, for all the riches in the world.” ~ Elizabeth Blackwell 

According to Jamie LaRue, the Director of Douglas County Libraries in Colorado, “this is the most exciting time in publishing since the invention of the printing press. Until now, books coming through the gateway of the library have been restricted to only those that have been published by the big traditional publishing houses.” The new agreement that has been signed between the Douglas County Library System http://douglascountylibraries.org/  and the Colorado Independent Publishers Association www.cipabooks.com  will allow a system whereby independent publications can be found by library patrons and libraries will essentially be fulfilling a need for the independents by helping them to find readers, too. How cool is that? 

The magnitude of opportunity and possibilities that this agreement opens up for libraries all across the country and for independent publishers, too, is mind boggling. “Take this another few steps further”, a Colorado Independent Publishers Association member remarked at the signing of the agreement, “and think what this agreement can do for independent publishers of film and music, too.” 

Of course, providing top quality books has always been the objective of libraries, and this will remain unchanged. Being put into place is a “rating system” that will allow the best  to be included in catalog of e-booksthat will be sold to libraries. 

Jamie LaRue told his story of how his mind-set had been changed toward independent publishers. He used to interview authors, and as he began to feature a few independent publishers, he realized there is a whole new generation of publishers who have outstanding, valuable stories to share but the big traditional publishing houses are passing them by. It seems his objective is to provide excellence in literature for his library patrons, whether traditionally published or not. 

To read more about this e-book Pilot program agreement between the Colorado Independent Publishers Association and the Douglas County Libraries, please visit http://bit.ly/eYPEix. 

You can be sure, we will be following this story as this agreement unfolds. Keep in touch with what is happening in the dynamic and changing world of independent publishing through All Things Fulfilling. This blog site is dedicated to those who have independent thoughts, words and views, that will truly change the world of publishing.

This photograph is the signing of the e-book agreement between Colorado Independent Publishers Association President, Nancy Mills and Director of Douglas County Library System, Jamie LaRue.

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Taking it All In

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“Change is in all things sweet!” ~ Aristotle 

We are going to take a break from routine this Friday. I will be finding fulfillment  in Denver by attending the largest meet-up group in the country “Creative Connections” – a group of over 1,000 members strong! It is always a great day when communities of like-minded people can converse and network about things they have in common. 

On Saturday, I will be attending an historic event that will add a whole new dimension to the relationship between libraries and independent publishers. Jamie LaRue, Director of the Douglas County Library system in Colorado, will be signing an agreement that has been long awaited. The agreement will allow the libraries to acquire and lend e-books published by CIPA members www.cipacatalog.com without limitation, how is that? I will be listening and watching with rapt attention. It will be a day of celebration for those who have worked so creatively and diligently, together, to make this happen!  

More about Jaime LaRue – in 2007 he won the Julie J. Boucher Award for Intellectual Freedom. He is also the author of The New Inquisition: Understanding and Managing Intellectual Freedom Challenges. 

I look forward to sharing the news of the weekend with you on Monday. I believe this weekend will be the start of something really valuable for both libraries and independent publishers here in Colorado, and in time, everywhere! 

I’ll have a sip of champagne and piece of cake on behalf of all you independent publishers out there!

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Excellence in Independent Publishing

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“Art is not a thing; it is a way”.  ~Elbert Hubbard 

What inspires me to no end about independent publishers is the way in which they convey through books, films and music their vision about what the world needs now. After all, the world is changing! 

Yesterday, we featured two authors who will receive 2011 IPPY awards (Independent book publishing awards) on May 23rd inNew York City. These are just two of many non-traditional publishers that are being recognized with an IPPY award for their excellence in publishing. 

For the next few days, we will feature a few more IPPY award winners.  I have chosen a few titles that I feel might be of particular interest to our readers. 

Fine Art Category: Picasso Looks at Degas (Sterling & Francine Clark Art Institute) http://www.clarkart.edu/

Performing Arts: The 101 Greatest Song & Dance Movies (Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers). 

Photography: Stieglitz, Steichen & Strand: Masterworks from the Metropolitan Museum of Art (MetropolitanMuseum of Art & Yale Press) 

Architecture: Ecological Urbanism, by Mohsen Mostafavi with Gareth Doherty (Lars Muller Publishers). 

 Tomorrow on All Things Fulfilling, we will feature IPPY award winners in the categories of religious fiction, visionary fiction, children’s picture books and juvenile/teen/young adult. 

The full list of 2011 IPPY award winners is lengthy and contains more than 80 categories with gold, silver and bronze medalists in each category. To see the entire list, please visit http://bit.ly/llL02x.

 Come on back into our world tomorrow for more independent words, thoughts and views!

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She Writes Steamboat

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“We can begin by doing small things at the local level… like looking out for our neighbors. That is how change takes place …from many local actions occurring simultaneously.” ~  Grace Lee Boggs 

One of the very best ways to build business is through networking – building communities of like-minded people! This applies to building independent publishing businesses, too. Self-publishing authors, micro-presses and small presses, do not have some of the benefits and the marketing advantages of traditional publishing conglomerates at their dispose. Therefore, it is important to join independent publishing trade associations and writers guilds. Cooperative efforts can be very effective in supporting the non-traditional publisher.

What self-publishing authors, micro-presses and small presses do have, to their advantage, is the flexibility of doing business any way they see fit. Many decide to independently publish for this very reason.  Publishers who go the independent route are fulfilling a need by providing unique publications that readers are looking for. Non-traditional publishers often opt for tactics of selling and marketing their books that traditional publishers may reject. 

There is a new networking group called She Writes www.shewrites.com  being established inSteamboat Springs, Colorado. This meet-up group’s goal is to heighten awareness of independent publishing projects that creatives in Steamboat Springs and the surrounding Routt County are engaged in and to support those efforts. Anyone who is starting or is in the process of independently publishing a book, film, music or other media can attend. 

She Writes Steamboat’s first objective is to establish a time and a regular place to meet and to connect with those in the community who would like to collaborate and network with other independent-minded publishing folks. In the coming weeks, more information will be available on our first gathering. Keep your eyes open to future blog posts on All Things Fulfilling about the She Writes Steamboat Meet-up group. Excitement is in the air!

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Spring Poetry

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“It is always the simple things that change our lives. This is how God does things.” ~ Donald Miller 

Although warm weather has not yet arrived here in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, http://bit.ly/O9KMI there was a renewal of spirit, on Saturday evening, inside the United Methodist Church http://bit.ly/lAT08q  . The Yampa Valley Singers presented an event that was the very definition of poetry “an imaginative awareness of experience expressed through meaning, sound and rhythmic language choices so as to evoke an emotional response.” 

The beautifully poetic production, Spring Awakening, was produced and directed by the talented, Marie Carmichael. It was an orchestration of all things fulfilling  –  a multi-media production of art through the compilation of inspiring photographic images, magnificent music and even a little dance between flames up and down the center aisle of the church. Although indoors, the lovers light and lively interplay was interpreted in my mind, to a dance in a garden-like setting between flowering blossoms of spring. 

The musical arrangement of Time to Say Goodbye brought a little tear to my eye but it was quickly forgotten as the Yampa Valley Singers launched into tunes from my favorite form of art – musical theatre. A lively Broadway Medley of some of the most well-known songs of stage productions, such as Oklahoma, the Sound of Music, Carousel, the King and I, State Fair and South Pacific brought a huge smile to my face.  I was delighted and charmed by two precious little children singing Do-Ri- Me,  too!

There are so many ways people can bring light into their own lives during this season of rebirth. The most celebrated writers in history have put their interpretation of this season into the literary form of poetry. To read a collection of 114 poems about spring from Robert Frost, William Shakespeare, Katherine Mansfield, Henry Van Dyke, Carl Sandburg, Emily Dickinson and more, please visit http://bit.ly/li8miV. 

Thank you, Marie Carmichael and the Yampa Valley Singers http://bit.ly/jph2do for ushering in spring. My spirit has been rejuvenated, in earnest, by your inspirational interpretation of art and culture. As for the warm weather, bring it on Lord, bring it on. We are ready and prepared for the arrival and we will be extremely grateful, too!

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