Red Room Blogs - All

North Shore Books, North Muskegon, MI 23 December 2-4 p.m. Ghost Orchid & D. K. Christi

DK Christi — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 05:54:20 -0800

I went to the Independent Book Stores site to locate North Shore Books for my book signing 23 December from 2-4 p.m. in N. Muskegon, MI. I decided to be proactive in supporting book stores that support me. Finding independent book stores is becoming more challenging. In fact, book stores in general are closing and/or diversifying so they are barely recognizable. Mina Hemingway had a great ...

Jellyfish and Peanut Butter Cards

SherrieTheriault — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 05:25:35 -0800

November 22 JELLYFISH AND PEANUT BUTTER CARDS Jellyfish and peanut butter cards make for busy days and cheerful nights, sunlit at the beach and lantern light filled with double-decker solitaire. Camping as a way of life suits some as they run from their lives. For the more balanced, camp is a temporary retreat. To the overly invested, camping is an aberration, a threat to the ...

Do Not Go Shopping on Black Friday!

davidali — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 05:09:44 -0800

Yes, its true. In my humble opinion, there is absolutely no reason to go shopping on Black Friday. Am I mad? Am I out of my mind? Have I suddenly lost the desire to save money? Those answers would be no, no and no. However, it is simple. You should not go shopping on Black Friday because there is simply no need to. There is no need to wake up at the crack of dawn, no need to deal ...

Smilin'

Chris Rodell — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 04:25:22 -0800

A controversy is simmering over my post about needless dental care. Because my headshot, for now, features a picture where my lips obscure my teeth, it's only fair that I post a picture that show my teeth.I'm the guy on the left.

Roll Over, Gutenberg! Interview with Colleen Higgs

moira richards — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 03:04:45 -0800

COLLEEN HIGGS, author of Halfborn Woman1 talks to MOIRA RICHARDS about poetry, patriarchy and self-publishing (This article first appeared in the ‘Contemporary Activism?' issue #60, 2004 of Agenda. ISBN: 9771013095000) When Colleen Higgs emailed me with an offer to send a copy of her about-to-be published book of poems that I might review it, I did what I always do before I undertake ...

What's behind claims about Israel's organ trade?

Matt Beynon Rees — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 02:52:08 -0800

By Matt Beynon Rees - GlobalPostJERUSALEM — Donald Bostrom, a freelance Swedish journalist who wrote an article this summer accusing Israeli officials of trading in Palestinian organs, came to Israel late last month to defend his piece at a conference on the media.Neither Bostrom, who needed a bodyguard because of the stir his article has caused, nor the media came out looking good.At the ...

kevinsimmonds.com

Kevinsim — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 02:21:54 -0800

http://www.kevinsimmonds.com is getting better. I didn't get the Center for Cultural Innovation grant but I'm moving forward. Suppose I gotta get my work out into the world no matter what.

How to sell your wife - Tips for partners of authors

Ryoma-Collia-Suzuki — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 00:43:51 -0800

If this is the first time you’ve read my blogs, it may shock you to know that for over a year now I’ve been doing almost everything I can do to sell my wife. Today, I’m hoping that my blog will encourage you to sell your loved one too, as long as he or she is an author. Now, before you run to a phone to tell the authorities to let them know you’ve discovered a mad slave trader who ...

Acceptance of Ease and Grace

Stephen Kaufman — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 22:03:26 -0800

One of the most difficult things that anyone has to deal with is the acceptance of personal good delivered with ease and grace. There is always a part of the psyche that doesn't allow for the joy of receiving. This is partly due to the fact that underlying guilt patterns seem to constantly override the true natural order of things and is generally derived from aspects of negative sentiment and ...

Balderdash!

Diane Chamberlain — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 20:27:31 -0800

I drove down the long gravel driveway to the Weymouth mansion Thursday afternoon with a prayer of gratitude on my lips. Coming here is like flipping a switch from the world of laundry and grocery shopping and doctors’ appointments and phone calls to the world of writing and nature and friends. Sarah Shaber was the first person I saw when I climbed the stairs to the writers’ section of the ...

Why do you write daddy?

skyzdalmit — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 15:41:26 -0800

“Why do you write Daddy?” asked my five year old son. My answer did not soon follow as a simple “I dunno” was all I could conjure to stay his questions from reproducing, interrupting my current blog entry. I write in my office at home which I have set up conveniently on the main floor of our home so I can still see and hear my family should I choose, or I can isolate a bit more ...

MS.MONTIER'S MAGIC MINTS

kasmik — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 15:36:59 -0800

Georgia is among 28 states considered to be a right to work state, which really means your employer has free rein to fire you without concern of a backlash from unions, lower wages and benefits, diminished standards of living, and no job security. In a sense this translates into fear among employees and abusive relations in the workplace. So when I attended orientation for a new job at one of the ...

How to Publicize your Book: Getting Started

ninaamir — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 14:53:34 -0800

Many would-be nonfiction authors make the mistake of not beginning to think about publicity for their book until after they have written it. In fact, they don’t even need to write the book until after it has been purchased by a publishing house, but they do need to begin working on publicity prior to ever submitting a proposal to an acquisitions editor. The proposal itself includes a section ...

John Lennon, Literary Quipster

Barbara Alexandra Szerlip — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 13:44:43 -0800

Recently, I watched tapes of John Lennon & Yoko Ono's appearances on the Dick Cavett Show.The first one, on September 11, 1971, was notable for being the first television interview John gave in the wake of the Beatles' breakup. On May 11th of the following year, the pair returned. Prior to their appearance, Cavett warmed up the audience by auctioning off the tie he was wearing. ...

Saturday thoughts

hbk7344 — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 13:09:52 -0800

I awoke to a beautiful sunny day today,after finally getting a decent night's sleep.Enjoyed a solo yoga class today,as nobody else showed up.My teacher and friend,Ginny referrs to me as "brilliantly eccentric" WE worked on setting our "blue flame" around us to protect us from negative onsloughts that would inevitably come when family gets together on Thursday.AFter yoga I ...

Metro

beverley bie brahic — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 12:43:03 -0800

This morning I went to the Cité Universitaire for Helene Cixous's seminar, cutting through the Luxembourg Garden to the metro station. The leaves were still on the trees a week ago; now they are on the ground; it was the joggers' hour.Going down into the station I was a few steps behind a couple of men--father and son?--I decided were masons. The station is being renovated; on the walls, ...

Reading the World

J.P. Smith — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 12:17:11 -0800

As I get older I find that I read less and less contemporary fiction and either go to older works I’d overlooked or had simply put off reading, or return to books I’d read years ago. Doing the latter is always enlightening, I think. The person we were when we first read the book is not the same person we are today. It engages us on another level, and our understanding of it is that much ...

Nanowrimo once more . . .

Lisa Frankfort — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 11:35:59 -0800

It's just a wee bit embarrassing to be the San Francisco Municipal Liaison and be THIS far off the intended word count. How far? Well, by close of yesterday evening (Friday 11/20) I should've been at 33,340. And as of this morning I'm at 26,507. That's 6,833 words behind. Because we Nano'ers keep scrupulous track of such things.Here we are, Saturday morning in San Francisco. It's ...

Books can open the mind and free the soul

Alass — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 11:18:21 -0800

To read or have someone read to you is a warm bonding experience. Much can be shared in a short period of time, and a value can be installed. In this busy world sometimes it is easier to turn on the TV and let it entertain a young mind but it is not the best thing. I always found the time to read to my children and now my grandchildren as well. In this fast paced world we live in, ...

Madeline DeFrees Celebration - Poetry and Grace @ 90

Susan Rich — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 11:14:04 -0800

I love looking at these photographs as they remind me what a perfect evening we all had. Since I almost never take photographs, Tim Woods' images seem very magical to me. I love that Madeline's corsage (from two of her admirers) figures prominently, that the age range of attendees was vast and wide - as seen here, that Madeline looked happier and more relaxed than I'd ever seen her before. Notice ...

The Tow of Chew (Peace)

Alass — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 11:10:59 -0800

Chewy was a great dog, he new who and what he was. He was a pure shih tzu, never fixed. As a puppy he was fearless, the first outing was an adventure. Chewy at 2 months old jumped into a river and swam the rapids. Lee (my husband) was running a long the bank, with one leg in a cast from the knee down. On our next outing, we drove around Lake Tahoe, every few weeks we tried to get out ...

Excerpt from DODGERS ESSENTIAL

Steven Robert Travers — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 11:10:26 -0800

“THE YEAR OF THE PITCHER” After Koufax retired in the fall of 1966, little was expected of the Dodgers, and that was what they delivered. They were mediocre in 1967 and not much better in 1968. In 1969 they contended in the “Wild, Wild West,” the new division format that was exciting because, while the New York Mets (amazingly) won 100 games to take the East, the Braves, Giants, ...

Today's vote in the Senate - Slavery?

EDJE — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 10:40:38 -0800

The U.S. Preventive Service Task Force announced Nov. 16, 2009, that it now recommends against annual mammograms for women 40 to 49 because the potential harms of routine screening in this age group outweigh the benefits. These downsides include radiation exposure, cost and the trauma of false positives. Many doctors agree with the new guidelines. But some breast cancer ...

WHILE WALKING HALIFAX HARBOUR

Dale Estey — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 10:34:12 -0800

As I walked the harbour in Halifax I came across the following. Reportedly the largest and fastest sailing craft on earth. It is impressive from a distance and doubly so close up. V HNoMS Statsraad Lehmkuhl, a 95 years old barque, with fifty sails, three masts, and a solid old fashioned rig – system meets this challenge. A three months cruise in the North sea and the Atlantic ocean ...

Books Make Great Holiday Gifts

Marilyn Kallet — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 10:13:31 -0800

At small cost, a book can be a fantastic gift. And if you customize it with a signature--even better! There are so many gorgeous books available from Red Room authors--I'm partial to books by Belle Yang--but of course I would love it if you selected one of my books as a gift. My Chanukah book, One For Each Night: Chanukah Tales and Recipes, from Celtic Cat Publishing, offers vibrant ...

New Interview and Comment to Win Contest

CynV — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 09:52:08 -0800

Read the new interview at Love Books and More and comment for your chance to win a dual sided bookmark and a mini dragon statue in honor of the release of DEMON HUNTER: SEEK & DESTROY where dragons are prominently featured.Follow the link:http://lovesbooksandmore.blogspot.com/2009/11/welcome-guest-author-cynthia-vespia.html? zx=44f51ad2d98dcadbCynthia VespiaAuthor of Thrills and ...

A SENTIMENTAL CAT

James GAitis — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 09:50:48 -0800

I’m a sentimental cat, particularly when it comes to cats and dogs and the love people share through them. So here’s my poem (an average sort of poem, I’ll admit) on that subject, published last week in The Blue Guitar, an online publication of the Arizona Consortium for the Arts. See page 27: http://www.theblueguitarmagazine.org/resources/Blue+Guitar+Fall+2009+76+...

WAS HITCHCOCK IN HEAVEN, DIRECTING?

Dale Estey — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 09:50:01 -0800

As I hung out a wash the other day, part way through, a crow settled on the upper branches of a tree. A few clothes later, another crow, another branch. Some clothes later, a third crow but lower. Nearing the end of the line two more crows ambled across the sky, looking things over. I came in.

Ann Jones "Kabul in Winter: Life Without Peace in Afghanistan"

Julia Stein — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 09:33:54 -0800

Ann Jones has written a book that explains why the U.S. is losing in Afghanistan. She is a American journalist and photographer who went to Afghanistan in the winter of 2001 to help the country out as an aid worker and spent four winters there. Her book is part memoir of her time working with a feminist non-government agency (NGO) Madar which helps Afghan widows and also teaching English as a ...

Peace

Cynthia A Clampitt — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 08:47:05 -0800

The suggested topic of the week—peace—is an interesting one. I particularly liked the quote from Dorothy Thompson, that when most people speak of peace, "They have not wanted peace at all; they have wanted to be spared war—as though the absence of war was the same as peace." I suspect that most people don't really think much about peace, they just know they don't like to be afraid ...