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OKAY, I ADMIT - I WANT IT ALL !! I want a brand new iPad, AND I want my very own copy of Barbara Kingsolver's new book The Lacuna to hold in my hands and when I've read it, I want to put it on my book shelf right next to The Poisonwood Bible. I want my own neighborhood bookstore and I want to email photos of our dog to my kids. I want to learn how to trim my horse's hooves by searching the internet and search the regional best-sellers by picking them up and flipping their pages. I want it all! Out of fairness, this newsletter features Apple's new iPad, and one of my favorite bookstores, Collected Works in Santa Fe. But first, just to keep us grounded in how LUCKY we are to have choices to make, here's something a bit more contemplative. Hope you enjoy IT ALL! Page
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 LAST WEEKEND, at the National Western Stock Show in Denver, I watched artist Susan Bell paint two bison bulls. The sun was shining and the bulls seemed content to settle into the sawdust bedding and pose for her. She'd been painting animals for 3 days, sitting on a small stool, dipping her brush into the rich colors of her oil palate.
The scene was in stark contrast to gallery owners in Haiti who had survived the earthquake and were trying desperately to salvage their country's art, pulling prized pieces from the debris, compiling lists of the artists and writers who had not survived.
When tragedy strikes, like the Haitian earthquake, it's easy to think that the novel we've been writing for two years, or the sculpture we've been chipping away at for months, are frivolous endeavors. Shouldn't we be doing something worthwhile? What is the point of art?
Art is an endeavor of the spirit. The earthquake was very much a physical manifestation. But of what? Do the heavens mirror life on earth? Is the world in a state of ongoing creation and are our songs and stories and paintings an integral part of that process? I explore this question with the help of artist/astrologer Deb O'Connor in my lastest blog post. I hope you will READ IT and share your thoughts.
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WRITING TOOL TIDBIT: To "embody your character" means to give physical traits to a character the minute you write him/her into your story. Without embodiment, a character's thoughts and motivations float untethered on the page. It's like trying to paint a portrait without canvas or paint. How does art embody spirit? In what way does the earth embody us? |
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FEATURED NEWS
Are the 10 commandments of publishing firmly etched in Apple's new tablet?
 What would Moses say? One trip to the burning bush and look where it's led us. On January 27, Apple unveiled their new tablet computer the iPad. "The result will be a seismic change in the literary culture," wrote Danie Akst in the New York Times op-ed. It was the "talk of the nation" on Wednesday (until Obama's speech). But no one is talking much about eye strain and iPads. A close friend of mine, an author whose books sell by the gazillions (seriously) can no longer look at a computer screen without getting a migraine. I'm squinting as I write this....There, that's better. The latest study done by the Archives of Opthamology shows that cases of myopia (nearsightedness) have almost doubled in the last 30 years. "Near work" and NOT ENOUGH TIME OUTDOORS IN NATURAL LIGHTING seem to be the culprits. The good news, according to Akst's op-ed, is that the literary experience will no longer just be visual - we'll be able to hear our favorite poets read their work. I'm all over that, especially "in view" of the fact that I might not be able to view my favorite books. Share your thoughts with me on Facebook.
(P.S. To be fair to the 2 great ladies on their laptops featured in the photo, they were taking a break from riding their horses at the LITERATURE & LANDSCAPE OF THE HORSE RETREAT to WRITE STORIES before heading outside again. And you'll notice those are REAL books and magazines next to the cowboy hat! Sign up for the May retreat or find out more HERE.
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FEATURED BOOKSTORE AND COFFEEHOUSE (with real books and real coffee)
 Collected Works, Santa Fe, New Mexico
30,000 titles. Real books, with real paper and gorgeous covers and owners and staff who are there to guide you in your selection: Dorothy Massey and her daughter Mary Wolf, handsome, personable Sam Wolf, and more. In addition to all the national best-sellers, Collected Works Bookstore and Coffeehouse also stocks a great collection of regional titles. If you don't know where to start browsing, Staff Picks like Into the Beautiful North by Luis Alberto Urrea will be a good beginning.
 The bookstore is not new--it's been serving the southwest (and beyond) for years (they will ship! and you can choose from over 3.5 million titles). But their location IS new, and so is the coffee--and they're both fabulous! We were there a few weeks ago and Dorothy treated us to pastries and a tour. I could've stayed for hours, snuggled up by the fireplace with a good book and a rich cup of their organic Aroma coffee. In keeping with their tradition of hosting community events, the new location has a spacious venue. The first February event will be a talk and signing by James McGrath Morris on his new book Pulitzer, about the life of Joseph Pulitzer (better known for the literary prize that bears his name). If you live in Santa Fe and haven't yet been to the new store, treat yourself and go. If you live out of town, add Collected Works to your "must visit" list and when you're there, tell Dorothy hello.
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 2010 Spring Sweetgrass Seminar Series
Designed to re-awaken, through the Arts and the Outdoors, your link with the Natural World.
What does it mean to be wild?
How has domestication affected animals, humans and the land?
How does Nature enhance our creativity?
This series of four progressive get-togethers at Mt. Vernon Country Club (20 minutes from Denver, Colorado) will explore these questions, and more, through literature, journaling, hiking, and a field trip to attend the Denver screening of the award-winning documentary SWEETGRASS.
 We will also be using Craig Child's collection of stories The Animal Dialogues to guide us. You may sign up for the entire series, or for a single event.
Click HERE for complete NEWS FLASH details and downloadable Pdf.
Dates: March 13, April 17, May 14, May 15, 2010
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