Category Archives: media and communication

Writing and Spiritual Journeys

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“Be faithful to that which exists within yourself.”  ~ Andre Gide

Yesterday’s blog posting led me to much deeper thoughts about the value of writing about health issues.

There are many men, women, and couples, who have found help and spiritual healing by writing about their own experiences of dealing with health issues of all kinds. If it weren’t for independent publishing, many of these stories would not be available for others to read. Important that these stories be told to help others who are going through difficult diagnoses and treatment, independent publishing serves as a valuable avenue in getting these books out to the public. Unique books, with personal stories, are often sold and marketed through e-commerce (sold on the internet).

There are many books available on cancer but there are three independently published books that I would like to mention in honor National Breast Cancer Month. To read more about these publications or to order them, please visit the links beside each title.

Fine Black Lines: Reflections on Facing Cancer, Fear and Loneliness by Lois Tschetter Hjelmstad  Click here for info & ordering

The Heroics of Falling Apart: One Couple’s Breast Cancer Journey, Julie and Dan Gordon http://bit.ly/SYjX7xClick here for info & ordering

The Cancer Odyssey Author: Margaret Brennan Brumel http://bit.ly/RAPOrHClick here for info & ordering

As a member of the Colorado Independent Publishers Association www.cipabooks.com , I have the opportunity to meet many authors who have published award-winning stories that help others. Although I do not know Julie and Dan Gordon or Margaret Bermel, I do know Lois Tschetter Hjelmstad. She is an amazing woman for many reasons, not just because she is a cancer survivor. She also has written other books about personal relationships. Each time I see her at a publishing event, we enjoy speaking with boeach other. I have observed something that she writes about – a very, very long lasting, successful marriage. She has been married 64 years, as have my parents. Her musings on what it means to have a fulfilling marriage are thoughtful and inciteful.

Although you may think your own story would not be of interest to others, I encourage people to find creative ways of telling them. It may just benefit someone else or at least yourself. It is very the reason, I told my story of childhood illness, (unrelated to cancer). For more information click on this link. Gift of a Lifetime:Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected.

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Images, Words and White Space

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“We’ve arranged a civilization in which most crucial elements profoundly depend on science and technology.” ~ Carl Sagan

On Monday, our local paper Steamboat Today was printed on pink paper in honor of National Breast Cancer Month. It seems that no one is immune from knowing someone who has been touched by this cancer. The month of October is dedicated to raising awareness of the importance of early detection. 

The color of the newspaper was more than just a blush of pink, bolder than that, yet not as dark as fuchsia either. That edition made me realize something – the importance of white space. Although, as always,  I read the paper from cover to cover, I found reading from pink paper difficult and in fact, it slowed down my progress because my eyes were straining. As I struggled to read the article on raising money at the local level through events such as The Bust of Steamboat http://thebustofsteamboat.org/, I couldn’t help but think of what white space means to publishing. 

Digital reading devices, such as Kindles, have now gone through a few generations of development, improvements have come with each new model. The Kindle Paperwhite is purported to give the reader the clearest text, the best reading experience, due to its bright white screen. Yet not everyone can afford this top model. Many people do not have the luxury of buying a digital reader at all. 

I thought about how this relates to funding for breast cancer. Over the years, there have been advancements in detection through technology, yet people still slip through the cracks and find out about their case too late. Not every woman is able to afford mammograms and treatments either, which means not every woman has a chance of survival. Thank goodness for non-profit organizations such as the Susan G Komen Foundation http://bit.ly/TqInTF at the national and local level that work hard at trying to provide the means for everyone through their fundraising efforts. 

I don’t mean to trivialize the devastating disease of breast cancer by comparing technology of Kindle readers to a very personal medical issue. Digital reading devices are luxuries, and having medical technology and treatment for cancer is a necessity for survival; two very different issues. 

 These are just a few independent thoughts that came to my mind regarding white space as I read the news of the day on pink paper. That’s all….

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Sestina, Little Thumbelina

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“Life’s challenges are not supposed to paralyze you, they’re supposed to help you discover who you are.” ~ Bernice Johnson Reagon 

 I can’t believe what I am about to say, but I guess stranger things have been known to happen.  The poetry I have been writing  has been more fun then I ever expected. Telling a story using elliptical language is a challenge and thought provoking trying to make all the elements fit together. 

Who would have ever thought I’d find prose and poetry enjoyable? It was my greatest fear in taking a creative writing course. However,  I have come to enjoy the stimulation of the mind and the creativity that it demands.   

Our teacher said, “You will be glad we started the course with poetry.” I didn’t believe it. I thought to myself, “Let’s just take the poison first, and get it done and over with.”  She said not a word about things like sestina, haiku or pantoum, probably fearing she’d scare the bejesus out of the entire class, before we even got started. 

This weekend’s assignment was to work on a sestina. I couldn’t have defined it until now. Here is the definition of this form of writing. “a lyrical fixed form consisting of six 6-line usually unrhymed stanzas in which the end words of the first stanza recur as end words of the following five stanzas in a successively rotating order and as the middle and end words of the three verses of the concluding tercet.” 

I can hear you now “Huh? I don’t get it. What is a tercet?” That’s your assignment. I’m too busy working on mine to explain it. 

 I’ll admit, when you know what you want to say but can’t put your fingers on just the right word to add engaging “sounds, color and flavor” to the composition, it’s frustrating. But I like dancing with words; it’s fulfilling to write when you get all jazzed up and arrange a piece you are satisfied with. I guess that is what poetry it is about; the art of putting a spin on words to make the reader do a ballet with the text.

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Film Friday: Ruby Sparks

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“When we feel the need to change others, take the time to look inside yourself, find the mirror and the message” ~ Unknown

How often do you think a novelist creates a character that people fall in love with? I would suspect, quite often. Personal attributes of a character communicated through good dialogue and storyline is all part of the Art of  creative storytelling.

One of the top independent films of 2012 is Ruby Sparks. The film is about a male novelist who becomes enamored with a woman he has crafted in his mind through his story writing. This person becomes real. The author and character develop a romantic relationship. Not all of her characteristics are admirable, however, and the novelist begins to rewrite part of her personality to become more like the person he wants her to be.

This romantic comedy-drama, Ruby Sparks, features Paul Dano as the novelist and big name actors Elliot Gould, Annette Benig and Antonio Banderas also play parts in this independent film. Click here for info & ordering Ruby Sparks

 

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“The Boat” Brings Prized Authors to Community

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“I try to be respectful of how other people think, I try to listen to what they’re saying.” ~Rick Scott

This past weekend was Literary Sojourn weekend here in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. This event has been held annually since 1993. So popular, people arrive from all over the country to attend it. Each year it sells out very quickly.

As a way of extending the event, the Bud Werner Memorial Library invited two Bellwether Prize winners to speak on Sunday. For those who were not fortunate enough to get tickets to Saturday’s discussions, the second part of the “Sojourn” weekend was open to everyone at no charge. The two featured authors were Naomi Benaron and Hillary Jordan, Bellwether award winners in 2010 and 2006, respectively.

Jennie Lay, adult programs coordinator at the Bud Werner Memorial Library, asked the authors “what winning this book prize has meant to them?” Each expressed it has done wonders for their publishing careers. All contestants for the “Bellwether” must have a previously unpublished novel. Along with winning $25,000, winners are given publishing contracts with Alqonquin Books.

Jordan and Benaron discussed how fiction writing is useful for telling stories that are interwoven with issues of culture, politics and social justice. However, Benaron stressed the importance of writing stories about controversial issues in a “respectful manner.” She also mentioned how research into a culture brings credibility and correctness to the story.

“Literature,” Benaron said “is the only art form that takes you into another person’s brain.” Essentially, she said, as readers, we are better able to feel and live the story along with the characters through fictional dialogue.

To read more about the publications of these impressive authors, visit these two websites,Hillary Jordanand Naomi Benaron.

For more information on the Bellwether Prize, which was established in 2000, solely funded by author Barbara Kingsolver and administered by the PEN American Center, please visit this site http://bit.ly/Rom01E.  For information on Barbara Kingsolvers latest book, click here: Flight Behavior: A Novel.

As I left this most enjoyable event, I thought to myself “living in a community with avid readers and writers, certainly has its benefits.”

Thank you to our local library and our local “Indie Bound” bookstore, Off the Beaten Path” for their participation in this event.

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Wrinkles from Delight are Best

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If you read yesterday’s blog, you know of my struggles. I’ve been working on an elegy for my creative writing class. Last night, my trials and tribulations continued as I tried to nail down just the right words symbolizing a grievous time in a person’s life.  The professor said I am  “intellectualizing it” rather than “feeling it.” Her point is well taken, I understand what she is saying.

It has been a challenge, and I think it shows in my writing. To me, it is not fun to write about morose things.I so enjoyed writing my memoir because although the beginning was a bit uncomfortable to write, the tale takes some fulfilling turns that are unanticipated. Click here for info and ordering Gift of a Lifetime:Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected.

Last night when I turned off the computer , I picked up a book called Watching Grandma Circle the Drain. It was the perfect cure-all to brighten my spirits after being engrossed in dark, depressing writing. The essay called “Hairdresser’s Lament” had me on the floor laughing.Click here for info & ordering

The author of the book, Allen Smith, is a humor writer whose perspective has been said to be “gritty.” Definitely, adult comedy. It’s been mentioned on ABC’s The View and has appeared in publications such as The Denver Post, The Writer Magazine, The Vail Daily, The Aspen News and LIVESTRONG.COM, just to name a few. For more information on Smith’s writing, please visit www.snowwriter.com.

Through his creative writing, Allen Smith reminds the reader to live with joy by laughing at ourselves and not to take life so seriously. One might describe Smith as a healing artist. He helps the reader see the ridiculous in careers, aging, men’s issues, medical situations, dating, sport, and other relatable subjects.

Watching Grandma Circle the Drain is a perfect gift for people who think “wrinkles should merely indicate where smiles have been.” ~ Mark Twain

To order Allen Smith’s book, please click on this link. http://amzn.to/RG9DQG.

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Writing Fictitious Scenes

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“Keep your face to the sunshine, and you can not see the shadow.” ~ Helen Keller 

Who likes to think of sad and unhappy times? Joyous moments, positive thoughts, fulfilling feelings are much better. Is there value in clinging to images that make us feel anything other than good and healthy? 

In my creative writing class yesterday, we were given an assignment to write an elegy. Do you know what that is? I didn’t. Think of the word eulogy. Composing an elegy is very similar in nature. The teacher said “write about significant loss or death. Nothing funny; make it serious.”  In her words, “no rhymes!” In my words,“Don’t use expressions in writing that makes a frown turn right side around.” 

Last night, I worked a little on my elegy. Wow- that is difficult for me. I am not used to that way of thinking. It is like having to transition my stream of consciousness into something backwards. An analogy would be trying to make water flow, in a river, in the wrong direction. 

I feel as if  I don’t have that much to draw from compared to a lot of people. I have been so very fortunate – the really bad times in my life have been few and far between.  

 I suspect I’ll have to dig deep within to come up with a good piece of writing. If I can’t find it inside, I suppose I can make something up –  creative writing is what you decide to make it, isn’t it? Can it all be fiction? I’ll ask my teacher.

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A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

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“When faced with a challenge, look for a way, not a way out.”
—David Weatherford 

Yesterday’s blog was blasé, there was something missing. As much as I try to paint pictures with words in my blog writing, corresponding images makes things POP! Let’s face it, a picture helps drive a point home, there is no denying it. 

Posting a blog without a picture is like: 

    • Music without Sound
    • Peanut butter without jelly
    • Fries without catsup
    • Men without a Remote Control
    • Dungeons without Dragons
    • Tea Kettle without Water
    • Movies without  Screens
    • A Tux without a Tie
    • Chips without Dip
    • Pen without Paper
    • Coffee without Donuts
    • Upstairs without Downstairs
    • Fulfillment without Satisfaction
    • Shopping without Money
    • Yin without Yang
    • Campfires without Marshmallows
    • Books without Text
    • Weeks without Days

When one half of two things that are meant to be together, is missing, life just does not seem right.

 Yesterday, I couldn’t post any images, there were technical difficulties. But I thought “What’s a girl to do when things are out of her control? Find more Words, and Press on, I guess! ”

Today, all is right with my world again.

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Literary Project in Baltimore

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“The reading of all good books is like conversation with the finest men of past centuries.” ~ Descartes 

Last week’s blog about author F. Scott Fitzgerald triggered one of my regular blog readers to e-mail me and ask whether “I was familiar with The Baltimore Literary Heritage Project?” I was not. It did stir my curiosity, however. 

There is a wealth of authors that have come from the Baltimore area, and an interesting project is being organized by the Baltimore Literacy Heritage Project. Imagine going on a self-guided tour to visit the homes and locations where some of the most significant novels in America’s history have been penned? 

The tour, guided by a CD, gives insight into the writer’s life, their genre of writing and their publications. Authors highlighted by this on-going literacy program may include: 

  • Upton Sinclair
  • F.Scott Fitzgerald
  • H.L. Mencken
  • Edgar Allen Poe
  • Frederick Douglass
  • Edith Hamilton
  • Emily Post
  • Leon Uris
  • John Waters
  • Billie Holiday 

The University of Baltimore, School of Communications Design, is sponsoring this endeavor. The school, a part of the Yale Gordon College of Liberal Arts, offers five unique interdisciplinary majors in writing.

To read more about this ambitious and educational project, and to learn about other writers who called Baltimore their home, please visit this link. http://bit.ly/SgsRid. 

Although many of these authors are long gone, they will never be forgotten, thanks to this very fulfilling literacy project.

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The Goddess of Color

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I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn’t say any other way – things I had no words for. ~ Georgia O’Keefe 

Thoughts of the harvest season are beginning to creep forward, as summer has evolved into the next season.

Here in Colorado where altitudes soar, the goddess of color has already donned her white cap and is preparing to pile on coats  of ivory before the winter season is even here. Everyone says “the fall colors are beautiful” here in the Rockies. Yes, they are pretty if you like primarily all shades of golden with an occasional dusting of sugar. The foliage is rather monochromatic, to my way of thinking. Contrasts are missing from the palette. Much better than no autumn at all, however. 

I think of New England when I see the turning leaves of autumn. The deciduous forests filled with sugar maples, oaks, birches and aspens, all mixed together, make for stunning fall landscapes. A fulfilling spectrum of colors – scarlett, maroon, purple, cadmiums, greens, brown, gold and orange bring in droves of tourists to the New England States for good reason.

I love living in places where all four seasons are noticeable. Weather indicators tell us it is time to change direction; deviate from the way we have been living the months before. Our eating habits vary and we put on extra or take off clothing to adjust for the rising and falling temperatures. In winter we hunker down and put on layers; in summer we live unadorned and freely.

 Before I allow myself to experience what comes with cooler climate, here is an image of autumn color that is found in the past season of  summer. I’m reluctant to say goodbye to the balmy weather.

This is an image of Georgia O’Keefe’s flowers.

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