Friday, September 29, 2006

Quote for 9-29-06

I don't care how old I live; I just want to be LIVING while I am living!


--Jack LaLanne

Writing quote for 9-29-06

Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing.


--Benjamin Franklin

Finishing another story today

Just barely inching toward the 25 mark. Submitting but everything is coming back. Some stories twice. One, three rejects now. Such is the writer's life, no?

I'll keep writing just the same :)

He's so good for my ego

I ran into this friend yesterday.

We were talking and I was trying to also put some things into my bag. I ended up dropping things and he started teasing me.

"Stop picking on me," I said. "I just got off work and I'm tired."

He said he was thinking of going to the restaurant where I work for lunch. "I went to Hooters instead," he said.

Ah.

He held his hands out to the side and did the balancing scale thing between the restaurants. "Hooters," he said. He added, though, if he'd known I was working, he'd have gone to see me.

"I was in the back; you wouldn't have been able to see me."

"Maybe I would have asked to eat my meal in the back."

I laughed.

He held his hands out again. "Gwendolyn," he said lifting his left hand. " Hooters." The right hand rose.

"Gwendolyn. Hooters. Gwendolyn. Hooters. . . " His hands rose and fell. He smiled at me. He lifted his left hand in finality. "Gwendolyn," he said.

You like Mark Twain?

So I have a small collection of really nice editions of classic books. I'm packing them and find I have three copies of Huckleberry Finn! (I've read none of them.)

I don't need two of them. One has a red cover with gold embossing and design. The other is in a box and it has illustrations by Norman Rockwell. Brand new--never opened.

You want one? Email me and I'll drop one in the mail to you. And the other to you.

Pimpin' Al Green or is it Al Green, pimpin'?

Ignore the outfit.
Enjoy the voice

Wednesday, September 27, 2006

Maybe Fantasia won't lend him any money

The father of American Idol winner Fantasia is suing the publisher of her book "Life is Not a Fairy Tale" for $10 million because he says he was libeled.

So much easier than getting a job, I suppose.
The most powerful weapon on earth is the human soul on fire.

--Ferdinand Foch

Writing quote for 9-27-06

I'm a character-driven writer. When I'm working on a story, I am, like in Life,less concerned with what happens to a character (person); I want to know at the end of the tale what he/she became because of what happened.

--Gwendolyn Joyce Mintz

Calling all writers

Info via an online poet's group I belong to:



An intriguing invitation from Debra Leigh Scott, who writes:

I'm a local writer and playwright as well as the Founding Director of
Hidden River Arts, the non-profit literary arts organization here in
Philadelphia (www.hiddenriverarts .org)
I have recently agreed to produce a Book Channel for New Century TV
(www.newcenturytv. com), which is an online tv station in development
here locally. The two founding principals of the station are two of
the men who were behind the earliest development of CD now....and for
anyone who remembers that far back, you know that CD now was one of
the original music promotion sites that changed the face of the music
industry. Book Channel is putting a call out for all writers of
fiction and nonfiction. NCTV is offering a free filming of all
interested writers reading from their material for the purpose of
posting it on the new channel. The posting is also FREE. There is no
cost to the writers for this AT ALL. This channel is dedicated to
presenting the work of writers, both published and unpublished, both
established and emerging. Our goal is to offer a new venue to
writers who are interested in promoting their work. We will link the
video to their websites, their bookseller
websit
es and any other link that will help them to further promote their
work and their booksales.

The channel is still in development; this is a brand new venture. My
goal with this is to do for writers what MTV did for musicians back
in the 80s. I am hoping that we can develop a whole new arena of
possibility for writers, the way that musicians and filmmakers have
developed the internet for promotion and PR purposes.

Anyone interested in taking advantage of the free filming should
contact me at debraleighscott@ comcast.net. Please include your
contact information: name, email address, address, telephone number,
any publication experience, writing experience/backgrou nd information
and anything else you want to tell me about the material you are
interested in reading (I would ask that you submit about 5 pages of a
writing sample for review). Anyone who already has video of
themselves presenting their material should also contact me. We'd be
happy to talk with you about NCTV as a venue for your material.
Again, this is free. I am hoping for a huge response to this because
it's a win/win situation for writers....no cost and 24/7 online
promotion.

Looking forward to hearing from you all!

Sincerely,
Debra Leigh Scott
Producer, the Book Channel
New Century TV
610-733-7382

__._,_.___

Tuesday, September 26, 2006

Quote for 9-26-06

Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.

—William James

Creative quote for 9-26-06

Creativity is piercing the mundane to find the marvelous.

--Bill Moyers

Monday, September 25, 2006

I watch YouTube too much

Favorites:

funny stunts


and

cool choreography

and

my reminder of whom I didn't vote for last election

"All Aunt Hagar's Children" by Edward P. Jones

In his NY Times review, Dave Eggers said "the collection manages to stun on every page; there are too many breathtaking lines to count. "

Just started it and finding that to be so, so true.

Quote for 9-25-06

Nothing is worth more than this day.

--Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Writing quote for 9-25-06

If the writing is honest it cannot be separated from the man who wrote it.

-- Unknown

Yes, getting the Louisiana Superdome rebuilt was of the utmost importance

F**k those people still homeless. This is America. We've got our priorities.

Friday, September 22, 2006

Nominate something

Also, fiction and non-fiction is NOT limited to
"flash." These submissions can be of any length.

Thank you,

Doug Martin

As a result of a generous grant from Indiana State
University, Snow*Vigate Press will be publishing a
printed anthology of the best on-line writing which
has appeared over the past ten years. Hopefully the
anthology will be released in August 2007.

The book will include poetry broken into lines, prose
poetry, flash fiction, long fiction pieces, creative
non-fiction, and 10 minute plays. If you would like
to nominate your own on-line work or work from others,
please follow these guidelines:

Paste the URLs of no more than 20 works in the body of
your email. You may nominate ONE piece from 20
different writers, or a total of 20 pieces from a
combination of writers (ONE piece from SIX different
writers, FOUR pieces from ONE writer, and 10 pieces of
your own writing, for example). The combination does
not matter, but please limit your submissions to no
more than 20 links. In the subject line of your
email, please type "Submission to Snow*Vigate
Anthology." Send all submissions to
dougmartin832(at)yahoo.com (Replace
(at) with @)

Work from any on-line site is acceptable, as long as
it has not been published in printed form.

The submission period will end on October 15, 2006.

If you have any questions, please contact Doug Martin
dougmartin832(at)yahoo.com (replace (at) with @).

--

Writing quote for 9-22-06

Easy reading is damned hard writing.

--Nathaniel Hawthorne

Quote for 9-22-06

The best things in life aren't things.


--Art Buchwald

I don't get it

I watched "Sesame Street" with my younger brothers and sisters. I loved Cookie and Grover. Elmo is cute but . . .

Still evidently some are crazy about him

Thursday, September 21, 2006

Those damn Yankees!

ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Writing quote for 9-21-06

What an author likes to write most is his signature on the back of a check.

--Brendan Francis

Quote for 9-21-06

Unless he extends the circle of compassion to all living creatures,
man himself will not find peace.

--Albert Schweitzer

Wednesday, September 20, 2006

Pay up or you die

Someone or someones has/have threatened to start shooting people in the city at random unless city officials pay up.

In this morning's newspaper, we were told that Friday is the deadline.

What bothers me, of course, is the disregard for life and the love of money that would drive people to crazy extremes (and it is the love of and not the money itself which is the root of evil).

I'm not sure if I'm scared. I'm not looking to die anytime soon and certainly not as some random act. If I'm going to die, let it be heroic--I was trying to do something and Death stepped in.

Of course, I'm doing my grocery shopping for a loooooooooooong while today and I'm getting stamps 'cause I'll be mailing in all my payments to whoever and now I have a very good reason when my children ask why they have to be home straight from school.

Writing quote for 9-20-06

One of the biggest myths around writing is that in order to do it we must have great swatches of uninterrupted time.

-- Julia Cameron

Quote for 9-20-06

The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reasons for existing. One cannot help but be in awe when he contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of this mystery every day. Never lose a holy curiosity.

--Albert Einstein

Well, thank you!

Someone other than just me frequents this blog 'cause someone sent me some info on a filmmaker's workshop that's being presented in several cities next month and beyond. I think there are eight workshops and three of them are real possibilities. And I can afford it!

And I may have found the organization that I can attach myself to and get to Africa. I already spoke to someone; I just need to call the person she directed me to.

Can I be estatic here-- cartwheels & everything?

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Well, f**k! No one told me.

I didn't have to stick around for the court proceedings during the summer. I could have moved. Just had to be here on that particular day in court. Ha-- just found that out. Really wished I'd known.

Anyway, Vermont on the calendar, early October. Am counting the days!!!!!!!

Cancelled the D.C. reading. Stuff gets in the freakin' way, you know. But maybe later.

Gonna spend these last months just trying to get my life back on track. I seem to recall on Dec. 31, 2005, there were some things I was hoping to accomplish in the upcoming year. Hmmm. . .

Creative quote for 9-19-06

The essential part of creativity is not being afraid to fail.

— Edwin H. Land

Quote for 9-19-06

Love the heart that hurts you, but never hurt the heart that loves you.

--Vipin Sharma

Monday, September 18, 2006

Quote for 9-18-06

Let us not fear the hidden. Or each other.

--Muriel Rukeyser

Writing quote for 9-18-06

I have a sense of these buried lives striving to come out through me to express themselves.

--Marge Piercy

You still haven't learned

says my friend Richard when I appear this morning at his office with my flash drive. A computer whiz, he just shakes his head and offers that there's no recovery.

"Well, that's what I thought. But. . . "

"Backup," he tells me. "Back-up."

Okay, it's an idea. . .

Sunday, September 17, 2006

If you are a woman writer

Read

this and this

Both excellent books.

Quote for 9-17-06

What people forget is that the heart is a muscle and it strengthens with exercise, otherwise atrophy sets in. On a daily basis, exercise kindness, humility, decency and most of all, love.

--Gwendolyn Joyce Mintz

Writing quote for 9-17-06

To gain your own voice, forget about having it heard. Become a saint of your own province and your own consciousness.

--Allen Ginsberg

All my eggs in one basket

There are some things that are difficult for me to learn. The thing about the flash drive seems to be something that is just beyond me. No, I didn't lose it again. Although I will confess that I did forget it in a university computer once again since the last time I mentioned it.

No, today, I'm getting ready to do some serious work only to find nothing there when I put the disk in.

"The disk you inserted was not readable by this computer."

ARGGGGGGH-- are there any worse words?

Only my poetry on a back-up. Looks like I'm going to be spending some time typing, typing, typing. Luckily, I had printed out most everything 'cause I was afraid I might lose and not recover the disk at some point so at least I've got hard copies, if not a brain.

Wednesday, September 13, 2006

Writing quote for 9-13-06

Writing is the best way to talk without being interrupted.

--Jules Renard

Quote for 9-13-06

There are still good people in the world. Help increase the number by deciding to be one.

-- Gwendolyn Joyce Mintz

Tornado warning

Just a few hours ago. Think that's only happened here once before (when the winds get way crazy. One year, I was looking out my kitchen window and thought something looked different. Turns out the storage unit was gone-- it ended up in the neighbor's backyard! The next year, same story. I'm looking out the kitchen window thinking something's not right and it turns out the tree that used to stand next to the storage unit was split in half! Next year, I come home and the roof is spread across the lawn and the air conditioner is hanging off the edge! Surprised I never ended up somewhere not in Kansas. Short enough (not even 5' I am) I could've been a munchkin! But I digress-- {again})

Anyway, the sun was shining and it was raining. A few days like that recently. Two seemingly opposites in existence at the same time. But then the sun disappeared and the rain got harder. Sky, much darker. Soon, there was hail and a howling wind.

But now the sun's out again.

And there's God's promise-- that rainbow spread across the sky.

And did I mention snowmen, pigs and mooses?

Meese? (What's the plural of the creature that resembles a reindeer?) Anyway, I collect these things too.

Bees and beehives. Penguins.

Yikes!

Tuesday, September 12, 2006

Quote for 9-12-06

We grow neither better nor worse as we get old, but more like ourselves.


--May Lamberton Becker

Creative quote for 9-12-06

Creativity arises out of the tension between spontaneity and limitations, the latter (like the river banks) forcing the spontaneity into the various forms which are essential to the work of art or poem.

- Rollo May

Otra vez

-- going through my stuff again. Really, really assessing the value of things. I don't want to spend the $$$$ to move stuff that means nothing to me or that was part of something I thought I wanted but that's no longer the case.

Cleared out some more books. Never thought I'd want to get rid of any of them, but really, I'm just attached to the idea of the # of books and not necessarily the books themselves. I had a friend who had a roommate and when the roommate cleared out his bookshelves (had finished a college degree and was moving and he didn't want to take all his books along) he passed them on to me and I took them --the one with the most books, wins! was my thinking, I guess. But some of them, I'd never even look at in a bookstore-- much less buy to read. So I went through my books and made some hard decisions. Book credit for a friend at the local used bookstore. That felt good.

I collect all kinds of stuff-- bears, dolls, seashells, clowns, snails, turtles, anything to do with apples, roosters, cows, checker boards, anything that has to do with sunflowers,crystal, porcelain plates, etc. etc etc. There is reason behind it, what I enjoy and why and some of it truly matters to me, but some of it, and I'm trying to be really honest with myself, was gotten to create an image. Not to reflect who I am, but create the person I thought I wanted to be.

So that's what's going on today. More hard decisions. Getting rid of or just dwindling down. Justify me taking you to Vermont-- just *why* should I?

Lucky for me, I know someone who loves seashells and someone who loves sunfllowers. Box up stuff and drop it on their doorsteps!

[But not the bear stuff. Oh no! Never! Never! Never, the bear stuff! It goes along. It always goes along;-) ]

Monday, September 11, 2006

No, Gwendolyn. NO. NO. NO.

At this time, the fabric store carries a wider variety of fur because people use it to make Halloween costumes. I so want to go look at it but I can't. I have too much fur still uncut or unsewn.

I sew by hand and I've managed to make 50 bears of varying sizes, not as productive as I could have been, but all summer, I've been distracted. Okay, I lie. I've got 50 bodies-- the bears are currently headless. (Finish what you've started, Gwendolyn!)

Nothing new until you're done with what you've currently got going on.

Oh, alright. Alright.

I just wonder if they've got any brown fur. . .

Writing quote for 9-11-06

Writing a book is an adventure. To begin with, it is a toy and an amusement; then it becomes a mistress, and then it becomes a master, and then a tyrant. The last phase is that just as you are about to be reconciled to your servitude, you kill the monster, and fling him out to the public.

--Winston Churchill

Quote for 9-11-06

Plunge boldly into the thick of life, and seize it where you will, it is always interesting.

--Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

Africa moves closer

Finally.

I've been wanting to get to Africa for years, both for info for my novel and to find stories that the world needs to hear.

Things just didn't seem to go my way, but now it's turning.

Looking back, I see that Life was preparing me and though I wanted Africa years ago, it appears that I had to meet some people and experience some things before that could happen and benefit all involved.

I majored in journalism. A former dept. head/professor helped created the journalism dept. at the University of Rhwanda. He had a deep interest in Africa. On his last trip, however, he contracted an illness which killed him.

I had asked the current dept. head how I might go about joining a news team reporting in Africa and he suggested I contact the University of Rhwanda and be an ambassador of sorts -- reestablishing the ties between NMSU and them. A possibility.

For the novel, I have to go to Ghana. One day I'm at the university and a man asks me for directions. I walk him to the building he's looking for 'cause I'm nice like that and on the way, we're just chatting; it turns out he's the new director of Black Programs and he's from--yes, Ghana. I tell him about my book and add I might be bugging him for assistance. He says no problem.

The novel also takes place, in part, in South Africa. This morning I talked to the former U.S. Ambassador to South Africa (served under Clinton)who now works at NMSU and he's going to e-mail me some contacts (people and foundations) that may be able to help me get to Africa, and to the countries I want to visit.

When I was in San Francisco, the cab driver who drove me was from the Sudan. He gave me his e-mail address so I could get in contact with him. You will stay with my family, he told me.

My recent police incident has enlightened me. Violation of rights in America seemed foreign to me, but now having experienced abuse of power and injustice, I have a greater appreciation for those in countries, like Africa, where you are severely limited in your rights and in protecting/defending those same rights.

I met this man with whom I shared my dream. He told me I was selfish, that I was wrong in trying to go to Africa without much thought to my minor children. Later he apologized, but he was right. (I even told him that he was right--by the look on his face, I think it was the first time a woman had conceded to him--ha!) Although I sometimes feel like I'm only the "ATM-did you wash my jeans-what's for dinner?" person, it wouldn't be fair to put myself in a situation (Sudan) where I could die and leave minor children. Then BOOM, I find out about an organization that does work aiding those in other countries will allow me to take my children along (my children want to go )and at the same time prepare me for Africa. "Africa is a hard place," one of the coordinators told me. "We don't do work there." But working for them can help me adjust, and ease me into Africa. In two years, I'm childless. Even if the situation in the Sudan were to change for the postive, in two years there would still be stories of rebuilding, etc. Guilt factor removed.

I'm coming to trust that when the time is right for all concerned, what is to happen will happen.

All excited 'cause I'm answering my calling and that fulfills me in a deep way. Of course, as I mentioned before, I'm having to give up the writing to a degree and while I said previously that I was okay with that, I'm finding I'm actually not. It could be because I really love writing, but it could also be that I'm going to have to move back to something that I haven't done in years and I'm scared 'cause what if I've lost it.

See my degree is in Journalism but it's in production. I like producing and directing. I used to make short films and I was good at it. I used to do photography as well. I'm very visual. I can't learn something by reading it in a book-- show me and I've got it. But what if I don't got "it" anymore? No great feeling of insecurity here; it's just the getting on the bike again. WHEN will the wobbling stop? If I fall, will I get hurt? I can't seem to pedal, pay attention to the road and direct that front wheel all at the same time---hahahahaha.

So in Vermont, there's a school teaching filmmaking and it's some refresher classes there. There's the Refugee Resettlement Program, working with refugees including those from Africa -- and yes the Sudan.

The thing now is to pull all this together. The end result is this: A new blog where I write about and share the world and its other people. Short videos on YouTube. Short documentaries. Print news stories (yes, I still so want that New York Times byline).

It's the getting "there" that I have to currently concern myself with. From "here" to that place. The new journey I'm walking. It looks like it will be quite an adventure.

NFL recap

Peyton beats little brother. No surprise.

T.O. behaves. BIG surprise.

Sunday, September 10, 2006

The "award-worthy" poem lest you forgot it

I wish


I wish I could stop the tears I cry.
I wish I could have made your dreams really fly.
I wish I could still hold your hand.
I wish I could understand
why you had to go.
I wish the reason I could know.

My second "final chance" from poetry.com

Dear Gwendolyn,

We recently informed you that you and your poetic accomplishments could be honored at the legendary Riviera Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, July 20 - 23, 2006 -- even though you were unable to attend.

Please note that because so many people took advantage of this opportunity, we have extended the time for you to elect to receive your 2006 awards and benefits of ISP membership, but time is running out, so please act now! You will receive all of the awards and benefits of ISP membership that we have scheduled for you, and your poem will be presented at our next convention if you take advantage of this offer.

Your awards, which will be shipped to you at this time, include your custom engraved lead crystal Outstanding Achievement in Poetry Award (see it here), your bronze Commemorative Award Medallion, your ISP decal, and your Full One Year Membership into the International Society of Poets for 2006-2007, and a subscription to its magazine, Poetry Today.

Your poem will be presented at the largest and most prestigious gathering of poets in history and it's so very important for us and your fellow poets to hear your poem read with the same passion and emotion which you intended when you wrote it. This is why we have arranged for a professional poetry reader to present your poem, allowing your poetry to receive the exposure and recognition you deserve. All you need to do to have your work presented is submit your poem quickly. Just imagine -- all of the attending guests at the upcoming International Society of Poets Annual Convention will hear your poetry read.

Now, let me tell you a little about the awards and special items you will receive once you confirm your participation by sending us your poem:

* Your Outstanding Achievement in Poetry Award ($300.00 value) is a magnificent work of art made from imported crystal; it is hand-engraved and mounted on a three-tier solid marble base. This will be the first time ever we have bestowed these crystal awards. They have been created by artisans that we commissioned specially for this year in honor of our 20th anniversary. This impressive 13-inch award is so valuable and fragile that we have designed a special carrying case to ensure the protection of your prestigious award.

* Your bronze Commemorative Award Medallion ($40.00) is a forged bronze medal with intricate detail that's brilliantly displayed on a colorful nylon ribbon.

* Full one year membership in the International Society of Poets for 2006-2007 ($60.00 value) entitles you to a personalized membership card, an embroidered ISP patch, an ISP window decal, a one year subscription to Poetry Today magazine, and entry into exclusive poetry contests for members only.

Gwendolyn, to take advantage of this limited time offer, please send us your poem immediately that will be formally presented at the upcoming convention. This is your final chance to receive these rewards. Your convention poem can be written on any subject, in any style, and can be up to 40 lines in length. Additionally, we must ask you to send a nominal fee ($169.00 plus shipping and handling) to cover the expenses we incur presenting your poetry, and to cover the costs to insure and ship all of these extremely bulky and heavy awards to you. For this small fee you will receive over $400.00 worth of ISP membership materials, including your lead crystal Outstanding Achievement in Poetry Award!

Gwendolyn, my purpose for making you this offer is for you to see for yourself what an amazing organization we are. I sincerely look forward to meeting you in person and having you read your artistry in front of thousands of fellow poets who attend this live awards event every year. Unfortunately that's not the case this year, so we are trying to do the next best thing. I'd like to offer you one more special gift when you send in your poem and confirmation form, because I would really like to see you in person. I will send you a coupon for $100.00 off a future convention. That brings the total value for this offer to over $500.00! We are making a tremendous effort to include your poetry at this year's convention, and we hope that you will return you confirmation form and poem as soon as possible.

Click here to submit your poem.

Sincerely,

Steve Michaels
Convention Chairperson

P.S. Your lead crystal Outstanding Achievement in Poetry Award, bronze Commemorative Award Medallion, embroidered ISP patch, and ISP window decal will be shipped to you by Federal Express Ground service. Your subscription to the award-winning Poetry Today magazine will arrive separately. All of these items are accompanied by a 100% money-back guarantee. If you are not satisfied for any reason simply return them within 60 days for a full refund, no questions asked.


FUNNY, THAT FINAL CHANCE I JUST RECEIVED SOUNDS SO MUCH LIKE THE "FINAL CHANCE" OFFER I RECEIVED A MONTH BEFORE. HMMMM. . .

Dear Gwendolyn,

We recently informed you that you and your poetic accomplishments could be honored at the legendary Riviera Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, July 20 - 23, 2006 -- even though you were unable to attend.

Please note that because so many people took advantage of this opportunity, we have extended the time for you to elect to receive your 2006 awards and benefits of ISP membership, but time is running out, so please act now! You will receive all of the awards and benefits of ISP membership that we have scheduled for you, and your poem will be presented at our next convention if you take advantage of this offer.

Your awards, which will be shipped to you at this time, include your custom engraved lead crystal Outstanding Achievement in Poetry Award (see it here), your bronze Commemorative Award Medallion, your ISP decal, and your Full One Year Membership into the International Society of Poets for 2006-2007, and a subscription to its magazine, Poetry Today.

Your poem will be presented at the largest and most prestigious gathering of poets in history and it's so very important for us and your fellow poets to hear your poem read with the same passion and emotion which you intended when you wrote it. This is why we have arranged for a professional poetry reader to present your poem, allowing your poetry to receive the exposure and recognition you deserve. All you need to do to have your work presented is submit your poem quickly. Just imagine -- all of the attending guests at the upcoming International Society of Poets Annual Convention will hear your poetry read.

Now, let me tell you a little about the awards and special items you will receive once you confirm your participation by sending us your poem:

* Your Outstanding Achievement in Poetry Award ($300.00 value) is a magnificent work of art made from imported crystal; it is hand-engraved and mounted on a three-tier solid marble base. This will be the first time ever we have bestowed these crystal awards. They have been created by artisans that we commissioned specially for this year in honor of our 20th anniversary. This impressive 13-inch award is so valuable and fragile that we have designed a special carrying case to ensure the protection of your prestigious award.

* Your bronze Commemorative Award Medallion ($40.00) is a forged bronze medal with intricate detail that's brilliantly displayed on a colorful nylon ribbon.

* Full one year membership in the International Society of Poets for 2006-2007 ($60.00 value) entitles you to a personalized membership card, an embroidered ISP patch, an ISP window decal, a one year subscription to Poetry Today magazine, and entry into exclusive poetry contests for members only.

Gwendolyn, to take advantage of this limited time offer, please send us your poem immediately that will be formally presented at the upcoming convention. This is your final chance to receive these rewards. Your convention poem can be written on any subject, in any style, and can be up to 40 lines in length. Additionally, we must ask you to send a nominal fee ($169.00 plus shipping and handling) to cover the expenses we incur presenting your poetry, and to cover the costs to insure and ship all of these extremely bulky and heavy awards to you. For this small fee you will receive over $400.00 worth of ISP membership materials, including your lead crystal Outstanding Achievement in Poetry Award!

Gwendolyn, my purpose for making you this offer is for you to see for yourself what an amazing organization we are. I sincerely look forward to meeting you in person and having you read your artistry in front of thousands of fellow poets who attend this live awards event every year. Unfortunately that's not the case this year, so we are trying to do the next best thing. I'd like to offer you one more special gift when you send in your poem and confirmation form, because I would really like to see you in person. I will send you a coupon for $100.00 off a future convention. That brings the total value for this offer to over $500.00! We are making a tremendous effort to include your poetry at this year's convention, and we hope that you will return you confirmation form and poem as soon as possible.

Click here to submit your poem.

Sincerely,

Steve Michaels
Convention Chairperson

P.S. Your lead crystal Outstanding Achievement in Poetry Award, bronze Commemorative Award Medallion, embroidered ISP patch, and ISP window decal will be shipped to you by Federal Express Ground service. Your subscription to the award-winning Poetry Today magazine will arrive separately. All of these items are accompanied by a 100% money-back guarantee. If you are not satisfied for any reason simply return them within 60 days for a full refund, no questions asked.



AND IT SOUNDS AN AWFUL LIKE THE LETTER SENT BACK IN 2004 TO THIS GUY.

I forgot to ask

Which Manning are you rooting for tonight?

Writing quote for 9-10-06

If I chance to talk a little wild, forgive me.


--William Shakespeare

Quote for 9-10-06

Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.


--Andre Gide

See, what happened was. . .

I believe in miracles, have even experienced them, but that post I made yesterday was not about a miracle. My issues with trust have been resolved because after years and years of work, the psychological shift that had to occur, occurred.

The shift happened in a moment. The work before that moment took years and tears and determination.

Saturday, September 09, 2006

This morning's background music

(appropriately) from Rascal Flatts:


"I'm Moving On"

I've dealt with my ghosts and I've faced all my demons
Finally content with a past I regret
I've found you find strength in your moments of weakness
For once I'm at peace with myself
I've been burdened with blame, trapped in the past for too long
I'm movin' on


I've lived in this place and I know all the faces
Each one is different but they're always the same
They mean me no harm but it's time that I face it
They'll never allow me to change
But I never dreamed home would end up where I don't belong
I'm movin' on

And I'm about to finish another story

Can today get any better?

;-)

Creative quote for 9-09-06

A good idea will keep you awake during the morning, but a great idea will keep you awake during the night.

-– Marilyn Vos Savant

Quote for 9-09-06

I celebrate myself, and sing myself.

--Walt Whitman

Glorious!

The way I'm feeling this morning.

I am sitting on the verge of getting everything that I want. (Not what I thought I may have wanted, but that which will further propel me to the person/woman I want to be.)

I said just a while back that I had issues with trust. Well, cleared that up. Yeah, just that quick. Healing and change can come in an instant when the moment is right. Crazy how Life sometimes just hands it to you. Revelations, revelations. I now have a deeper faith in what is and why it is and I'm just curious to where it's all leading. Eager to see how the story turns out, but willing to take it a page at a time, dance or cry or whatever with those words as they appear in the paragaph and just follow each word, each scene as it unfolds. And I see a very, very happy ending for this tale:)

And I wouldn't be here at this place (not a physical one, a psychological/emotional one) if JUST ONE THING were different. So now I'm appreciating what was and how it all had to be so I could be right here and damn it I LOVE THIS VERY MOMENT!!

Friday, September 08, 2006

You're kidding me, right?

Checked with the airline I usually fly on. Haven't flown "frequently" enough, so I ask for a quote on a flight from Vermont to D.C.

394.00!!!!!!!!

And it's only one way!

And the flight isn't even an hour!!!!!!

Writing quote for 9-08-06

The art of writing is the art of discovering what you believe.

--Gustave Flaubert

Quote for 9-08-06

May the love hidden deep inside your heart find the love waiting in your dreams. May the laughter that you find in your tomorrow wipe away the pain you find in your yesterdays.

--Unknown

Moving day

My oldest set of twins are moving out today. My oldest son moved out about two months ago as did another son. I'm back to the three youngest. And, now I can get back to the business of moving myself.

I am supposed to do something in the house I'm currently at. First, I have been in this house for six years, the longest I have ever been in one place. I've mentioned before how prevalent the "flight" instinct is in me. Keep moving, Gwendolyn, can't hurt you if they can't catch you. So I've healed (hopefully significantly) that part of me that refused to stand still.

But I don't think that's the reason I've been kept there.

The area of town I live in used to be restricted. Blacks could not live there. The elementary school I attended had previously been the only school that Blacks could attend. Grades 1 through 12, although the male athletes were allowed to play on the sports teams of the other schools 'cause well, Negroes increase your chance of winning, you know that. But I digress--

Most Black people in the town lived in the section of town nearest to this school.

I think my parents may have wanted to buy a home in the section where I live now because I recall my mother bringing up the fact that the developer would not allow Blacks in lots of times.

I think I'm supposed to heal this for those Blacks before me. I think I'm supposed to create a home in this particular area for all those Black families denied one previously.

I was heading in that direction, getting my stuff out of storage, getting my books and such out of boxes and into view, but then all my kids came back and what I needed/wanted got put aside. Back on track now(in so many ways).

Gonna start painting and doing minor repairs where and if needed. Replace the screen door and other misc. Two birds with one stone. Complete my metaphorical task and get my landlord's house in order.

And then I get my walking papers, though I plan to *RUN* to New England.

Thursday, September 07, 2006

Writing quote for 9-7-06

I have always felt that the first duty of a writer was to ascend- to make flights, carrying others along if you can manage it. To do this takes courage, even a certain conceit.

--E.B. White

Quote for 9-7-06

I have not failed 10,000 times. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.

-- Thomas Alva Edison.

Wednesday, September 06, 2006

G-men

So I got to speak with two FBI agents (the case was reassigned). It is so not like in the movies.

Very attractive men though and I got one to agree to help me with part of a short novel I'm writing that involves the Federal Bureau of Investigations.

He wanted a signed copy of the book, though, he said.

I promised I'd sign it as soon as he bought it, heh heh.

Yay for Reb!

I met Reb Livingston at the Miami reading for MiPoesias. (She's one of the coordinators of the reading I'll be heading to in D.C.) Anyway, this:

Reb Livingston, That's Not Butter
Appeared in: MiPoesias

is from the table of contents from the Best American Poetry 2006 anthology. How cool is that?

And yay for Didi-- Mipoesias is an amazing publication.
Nothing exciting (ha!) going on in my life right now. Just playing catch up: the bear business, the packing, the move.

Reduced my hours at work so I can get things done. When I go to D.C., I plan a detour to Vermont. Excited. Not scared. Just ready. So, so ready.

Writing quote for 9-06-06

Writing comes more easily if you have something to say.


--Sholem Asch

Quote for 9-6-06

It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.

-- Kahil Gibran

You must have been a beautiful baby

Have you seen the pics of Tom Cruise's baby?

Gorgeous, gorgeous little girl.

It's a William Hung thing, Mr. Federline

Yes, I was anticipating the debut of Mr. Britney Spears. Not a completely bad song and he's even got a record company behind him now.

But Kevin, don't go thinking it's 'cause you're talented (I'm a Superstar! you say in your song, well, Baby, not quite). It's because you're a curiousity and here in America, we like that. We'll throw our money at that. Hell, even Paris Hilton sold enough albums to break the top ten.

Enjoy your 15, Kevin. The clock is ticking.

Oops I did it again!

Changed templates and lost all my links.
damn it.