Category Archives: Publishing for non-profits

Near and Dear to My Heart

12 Comments

“Memory is a way of holding on to the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose.” ~ Kevin Arnold 

On this Valentine’s Day, I thought I would write about a cause that is near and dear to the hearts of many. There are millions and millions of families affected by cancer each and every year. The number of books written by cancer survivors and by family members of the deceased helps us to realize that cancer directly or indirectly touches everyone’s hearts at some time in their lives. Books on this subject are helpful to others, because it brings to the forefront the enormity of the disease. Writing about cancer serves great purpose in fulfilling a need for survivors and family members to share their hurt, their physical and emotional trauma and sometimes, very happily, their triumph over the disease. By reading stories of others who have experienced the effects of this disease, it helps survivors and families realize that they are not alone.

Events such as The Race for Life raises awareness of the need to raise money for cancer research. Teams that participate in the annual Race for Life Relay, Nordic Style are dedicated to keeping the spirit of their loved one alive and to raising money for research. Amy’s Angels will be competing for a second year at the Trapp Family Lodge (of Sound of Music fame) www.trappfamily.com  in Stowe, Vermont, and defending their title as the top fundraising team. The Race for Life Relay, Nordic Style kicks off on March 19 and 20th, 2011. 

If you are unable to put together a team to compete in one of the Race for Life fundraising events, held across the country annually, but still wish to support cancer research or honor the spirit of a loved one that you have lost to cancer, please visit this link, and make your pledge to the American Cancer Society this Valentine’s Day. www.relayforlife/nordicstyle.org. 

I will be routing for the women on Amy’s Angels team come March from Steamboat Springs, CO. My friend, Amy whom I lost to breast cancer almost two years ago, is near and dear to me in spirit every day. Her legacy lies within the minds of hundreds of children that she educated, mentored and loved in her 30 years of teaching in Vermont.

 Go Amy’s Angels, go!

Film Friday

Leave a comment

A Quick Shout Out –

Cornerstone Fulfillment Service, LLC  extends their best wishes to the New Mexico International Film Festival in Jemez Springs, NM which begins tonight! Director Justin Evans and Associate Director Marc Leonard have a fulfilling line-up of films to screen for this 1st year film fest!!  Tonight their feature film will be the award winning “A Lonely Place for Dying” with a Q & A Session and meet the filmmakers afterwards.  Don’t forget to ask Marc Leonard how he did his visual effects that won him The Best Visual Effects Award at the Wild Rose International Film Festival. Filmmaker Magazine featured “A Lonely Place for Dying” in the Summer 2010 issue in an article called Period Pieces on the Cheap. The film was recognized for attracting big name actors to the low budget film and for it’s outstanding visual effects done on the cheap! For more information on this film, please visit http://alonelyplacefordying.blogspot.com/. 

For Aspiring Young Filmmakers: 

Looking for a fulfilling experience for your aspiring filmmaker? Enroll them now for a summer camp for want-a-be filmmakers organized by the non-profit organization Docs in Progress.

There will be offered a two week camp for middle school students (grades 7, 8, & 9) from June 27 to July 3rd. And a two week camp for high school kids (grades 10, 11 & 12). These camps will provide students the opportunity to work in small groups to plan, shoot and edit a documentary film. At the end of the camp, a mini film festival will be held so that parents and friends can be the first to see the finished work of the aspiring filmmakers. The finished docs will also be uploaded to YouTube for the entire world to see! In order to provide a quality camp, the enrollment is limited, so apply early.  For more information on this Silver Spring, Maryland summer camp, please visit http://bit.ly/h5heXK.

This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

Make the Most of your Post

1 Comment

 “All those moments written or read together take on movement and architecture of the narrative.” ~ Marilyn Hacker

One of the most frequent complaints that I hear about those who have just entered the blogosphere is that their blogs never get read. Thus, frustration sets in, blog postings become infrequent or non-existent at all. Personally, I find blogging to be extremely fulfilling and like last night, I often find myself lying awake plotting and planning my next post. 

Not understanding the why’s, how’s and when’s of blogging can lead to feelings of “What is the point?” So many bloggers unnecessarily give up on their efforts when all it really takes is a little education and a few tweaks to their approach. Folks, remember blogging is not just an exercise in writing! There is a reason and a methodology behind it that needs to be understood and utilized so that you are not just wasting your time.  

Marketing over the internet is a whole new science. Independent publishers, as business owners, need to understand how to reach communities of people who are looking for their products and services. Before you give up, seek the help of an e-marketing professional who understands the science behind marketing through the internet. Often a little coaching is all it takes to fully understand the nuts and bolts behind marketing in this digital age.

Blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

Artists – All in the Family

11 Comments

“I don’t paint things.  I only paint the difference between things.”   ~Henri Matisse 

I often think about the things that people find to be fulfilling and why people pursue the career paths that they do. Don’t you?  I suppose I find this subject of interest, because my husband and I are still scratching our heads trying to figure out how we became parents to a filmmaker/visual effects artist son. The influences are not very apparent, that is for sure. 

In attempting to gain some insight into the dynamics of my own family, I recently had an insightful and interesting on-line conversation about this very subject with Gladys Roldan-de-Moras, a very exceptional painter. Gladys and her husband are parents to Rafael http://bit.ly/ec4Bvn , a 23 year old emerging tenor, and semi-finalist with 2010 Metropolitan Opera. He soon will be making his debut performance with the Houston Symphony. Artist (painter) Gladys http://roldandemoras.com/ explained to me that her husband, an engineering professor has always also been a musician, poet, choir director in a church and writes musicals. All three of their children were exposed to mostly classical music, at a very young age, in fact, while still in the womb. As young adults, all are involved in some way in the Arts – as tenor, music educator and sculpture artist. Perhaps this family could be a prime example of the  Mozart effect, which has been said to enhance children’s intellectual development. What do you think? http://bit.ly/f93RAn. 

To see Rafael in the HBO production of Master class with Placido Domingo, please visit http://bit.ly/bkgWiv and to read Rafael’s essay “My Masterclass with Maestro Placido Domingo”, please visit www.youngarts.com. 

As I continue to further explore in my own mind, on this snowy day in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, how our son came to his fulfilling life of creating films, I am going to stare at some magnificent art! I will let you know when I have my answers, which could be strictly sharing my intuition rather than facts.

This painting is by Gladys Roldan-de-Moras. “Song from a Secret Garden” . For more information on the painting go to the artist’s website  http://roldandemoras.com/

This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

Make ‘Em Laugh, Make ‘Em Laugh

Leave a comment

“Laughter is the sensation of feeling good all over and showing it principally in one place.”  ~Josh Billings 

The nation and many individual states choose a deserving poet to be honored with the Poet Laureate Award each year. The Vermont Council on the Arts has just announced they will be honoring their very first Cartoonist Laureate on March 10, 2011. http://bit.ly/gftNdx. It is the second state, behind Alaska, to grant this kind of award. Chosen for the child-like intensity to his work, native Vermonter James Kochalka will been given the award. He is the illustrator of the comic strip American Elf and a number of graphic novels. It is not surprising that Vermont has decided to present a deserving funny-man or woman with the Cartoonist Laureate award each year. The state of Vermont has the distinction of  fulfilling the need for a Center for Cartoon Studies. www.cartonstudies.org. 

 I personally love a daily little chuckle but what I really like is to roar out loud until the tears come to my eyes and roll down my cheeks. Everyone knows that a laugh like that can sometimes hurt our bellies, but it is oh so fulfilling and worth it. The best is when I can share that kind of laughter with my twin sister. Wow – can we get going! It is often difficult to stop. Often the humor is only understood by the two of us. Others, they just don’t get it because it can be over the silliest things. In good times and in bad times, who can’t use a little laugh each and every day? It is good for our hearts. This I whole-heartedly believe! To read about a study from the University of Maryland on the health benefits of laughter, please go to http://bit.ly/qTtai. 

Just listening to the news each day and hearing the politicking is enough to make one laugh, no matter what your political persuasion happens to be. Democrats, Republicans and Independents, alike, often resort to child-like behaviors just to get their way. We could probably hold a debate as to whether it is even necessary to have a Cartoonist Laureate award. But there are too many debates already going on in this country, why add one more?

This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

Wanted: Historical Fiction about Male Writers

Leave a comment

“The thing that’s between us is fascination, and the fascination resides in our being alike.” ~ Marguerite Duras

Last week, I blogged about how fulfilling it has been to learn more about some of the most prominent painters and composers through the medium of historical art fiction. I mentioned that, in my opinion, historical art fiction written for teens and children could be an effective way reach  the younger generation about culture and art. 

Several times over the past year, in my blog writing, I have attempted with some results, to bring men out from hiding by asking “What Do Men like to Write About?”  I really want to know! Can anyone tell me if there any good reads on the market in the genre of historical fiction about prominent male writers of the past? Perhaps if I go about my quest indirectly, the answer will become even more apparent to my question “What do Men like to Write About?” 

Sometimes by going in the backdoor, we can find out a lot about more about people than by going head-strong in first. Writers and business people, male and female, make sure you know how to use today’s newfangled e-marketing for reaching your customers, readers or clients. With a little coaching, http://bit.ly/e75eVS you could reach communities that you had never thought of before and, very well, get results.

 This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

Film Friday

Leave a comment

“…to increase respect for the creative individual, to widen participation by all the processes and fulfillments of art – this is one of the fascinating challenges these days.”  ~ John Fitzgerald Kennedy 

The New Mexico International Film Festival is a week away. Festival Director, Justin Eugene Evans and Associate Festival Director, Marc Leonard have on tap a line up of fulfilling and impressive independent films that are sure to support their efforts at making this 1st year film festival, touted at being “not the biggest but the best,” all well worthwhile. 

The Festival Opens on Friday night, February 11th with the screening of “A Lonely Place for Dying,” a 94 minute, award-winning narrative film. This film is not an official selection, and is not eligible for the contest or other perks the official selections will receive.  It is a film associated with the festival staff. Following the screening will be a Q & A session with Writer/Director/Producer Justin Evans and award-winning visual effects artist, Marc Leonard. This film is notable for attracting big name actors, James Cromwell and Michael Wincott to the low-budget film and for it’s great storyline. For more information on this film, visit http://bit.ly/anFK2l. 

Official films selected for the NMIFF that will be screened include:

  • Misdirection
  • Food Stamped
  • I F**ing Hate You   (Please do not  be put off by the title)
  • Heart of Now
  • Kavi

To see the full Festival schedule, including after the screening get-togethers and more Q & A sessions, please visit http://bit.ly/eGqIWo.  

Just as I had promised, Sunshine will be present in Jemez Springs, NM and it’s bound to be a great weekend of celebrating independent films and the filmmakers who produced them. Don’t miss out!

 Jemez Springs, NM – site of New Mexico International Film Festival

This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com

 

Melding Recreation with Culture, Art and Religion

6 Comments

“Art seems to me to be above all a state of soul.”~ Marc Chagall 

Did you happen to see “Chautauque: An American Narrative” on PBS last night? I’ve been aware of this artist colony, located in Western New York, for quite sometime. However, the 60 minute documentary fulfilled my interest in wanting to know all kinds of things about this idyllic, lakeside town, their summer inhabitants and the programs offered by the Chautauque Institute that has existed since the late 1870’s. 

The Chautauque Institute has had it’s struggles over the years, but since the 1980’s a new vision for strengthening it’s programs in science, art, religion and politics has rejuvenated and elevated their institution to new levels. What began as a literary retreat back in 1878 now includes teaching programs, lecture series and live performances of theatre, opera, ballet. Studio experiences abound for painters, sculpture, fiber arts and even more. People come to immerse themselves in the intellectually and culturally stimulating programs for a week or two, or for an entire season. 

The institute’s popular morning lecture event attracts speakers such as Sandra Day O’Connor, David McCollough, Garrison Keiller and Daniel Pink. There are over 2,000 fulfilling programs in a 9 week period for those with a thirst for knowledge on the subjects of art, politics, spirituality and culture. 

Lake Chautauqua provides a setting for recreating in any way you please. Every summer, the town swells from a few hundred full-time residents to a population of 150,000 people. There are families, 5 generations deep, that return annually to enjoy the facilities and the recreation opportunities in this beautiful town and at this culturally-rich institute. For more information on the documentary film about this fulfilling summer hub of recreation, enrichment and intellectual stimulation, please visit http://bit.ly/gh9rTu.

 

This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

Fair Trade

Leave a comment

Of all things,  “Live so that when your children think of fairness, caring, and integrity, they think of you. “  H. Jackson Brown, Jr. 

“Dulcinea, How I Love You!”  Remember that song from “The Man of La Mancha?” For almost 25 years I was fulfilling my love for musical theatre by ushering, voluntarily, at the Weston Playhouse www.westonplayhouse.org in charming Weston, Vermont. Over those years, “The Man of La Mancha” graced the stage once or twice and I was able to hear this memorable song sung live, by actors from the guild. My first introduction to “Dulcinea” was as a teen when I went to the Paper Mill Summer Theatre in Owings Mills, MD www.papermill.org  and saw the play there too.  Oh, how I adored it! 

I know you all are thinking I have lost my marbles.” How in the world did she get on this subject?” our readers must be asking.  I happened to open the Sunday paper and saw a story about the Dulcimer Shop in Mountain View, Arkansas.  For more information on this company and the history of this instrument, which produces exquisite, ethereal sounds, please visit http://www.mcspaddendulcimers.com.

It was the commonality of the root of the words, dulcinea and dulcimer, that triggered my recall of this memorable song. I’ve about worn out my favorite search engines, so I don’t dare inquire through those channels about the meaning of the root dulci. Next time I see, my friend Vesna, from Macedonia, I’ll ask her, she’ll know! She has her PhD, ABD, in linguistics and perhaps she can help me out. 

They say (whoever they is) you should write down what you want out of life, not just think about it. In this present moment, I would love someone to send me the name of an artist with beautiful rendition of “Dulcinea” being played on a dulcimer. It would be such a beautiful pairing of  instrument and song. Perhaps I could listen to a  little bit of heaven right here in my office, as I work.

Since I have been bemoaning the fact that I have neglected the independent recording artists on this website, I’d like to engage in a little fair trade.  For the first person, from anywhere in the world, to contact me through a kind blogsite comment,  with the name of a dulcimer-playing independent artist whose repertoire includes “Dulcinea,” I will write a blog on the  musician.

This could be alot of fun! I’ll let you know how it all turns out! “Dulcinea…….”

 This  blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

Dwell in Possibility – Move Forward in Surety

Leave a comment

“We all have possibilities we don’t know about. We can do things we don’t even dream we can do.” ~ Dale Carnegie

Yesterday, I had another opportunity to share with others my love and my passion for the independent (or non-traditional) publishing industry. I shared with the group that what began as my vision of providing stellar customer service for the internet sales of a single art book became a business of my own, dedicated to providing affordable e-commerce and e-marketing services for an industry of independent publishers. It has been from the beginning, my wish for independent publishers to be able to survive, as a sustainable industry, because I believe in the powers of independent thoughts, words and views that our country allows under it’s Constitution.

After the presentation, I began to think what an appropriate place to hold the event! In a library constructed with sustainable building materials and filled with the published works of writers, filmmakers and musicians who dared to step out and take a risk of telling their stories for the benefit of others. This is the basis from which many successful small businesses are formed. Successful business owners have passion, vision, belief and enduring energy that their product and service with be useful to others. And it is the customers and clients that endorse, sustain and support the dreams of the business owners that make them profitable. It truly is the American way.

Thanks to all who came, and I wish you the best in your journey of fulfilling your dreams in business and in publishing!  Thanks to the Bud Werner Library for providing a beautiful, light-filled space for those who gathered to learn more about what I see as a fascinating, fast growing, sustainable industry. www.steamboatlibrary.org.

This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.