Posts

Showing posts from July, 2011

Teacher and Workshop Leader Rosemary Aubert Shares Her Industry Secrets

Image
We are so lucky to have those who are experienced writers circulating in our community and holding workshops. Nothing could be more helpful than direct person-to-person exchange with someone who has gone down the path you hope to go down. Rosemary Aubert is one such person. I was fortunate enough to attend her workshop on the topic of publicity and promotion at Quattro Headquarters. She has a wealth of information that you are not going to find anywhere else. She was a criminologist – so she is good at gathering clues and following up on leads. Aubert talked about how promotion and sales should be fun. She told us it’s an opportunity you’re offering someone – it’s not about forcing anyone into anything. If you’re offering something, you’re already in a better position than asking something from someone. It’s a shift in attitude that makes all the difference. Every time you come in contact with potential readers, you’re also giving them a chance to get to know you (and you th

Poetry Weekend

Image
A few weeks ago I went to a poetry weekend near Rochester (on East Hill Farm). Here are a few excerpts from the journal I kept while I was away to give you a flavour of some of my time spent there… June 24 I’m just staring into bliss – ferns – a fan of trees hugging the pond on the other side. I’m dumbfounded or is it lulled by the beauty of this place. A very loud wasp is right behind me. The yellow irises are bowing to the pond – are they naturally this droopy or are they dying?  Love and Death. Li-Young Lee says there are no other subjects in poetry – everything else is just dross. I’ll go and pick an iris – I must! There are so many stories afoot. When you’re out on a farm everyone has a story to tell. Apparently the population of deer is so high in Rochester that they eat all the flowers in the city. You can light the water on fire in the creek near Alice’s place – because of the natural gas. I also heard the story about the chaplain who was two hours la

Because the night belongs to lovers - Guest Blogger Rod Weatherbie

Image
Guest Blogger: Rod Weatherbie Reviews Just Kids Because the night belongs to lovers Just Kids by Patti Smith  In her book Just Kids , poet/musician Patti Smith details the nature and nurturing of her relationship with photographer Robert Mapplethorpe in early 70s New York. It was there the two artists took turns playing each other’s parent, lover, mentor, and muse. What may be surprising to anyone familiar with Robert Mapplethorpe’s later work – and his long relationship with art curator Sam Wagstaff – is the lover aspect. Having grown up in a conservative home in a conservative era, Mapplethorpe had no outlet for his sexuality. Once out on the streets of New York he would come to realize his true nature; the freedom of which would allow the true flowering of his art. He and Smith continued to be lovers throughout his period of discovery and their relationship – although diminishing in a physical way as Mapplethorpe explored this new liberty – grew in streng