Red Room Blogs -

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 ...

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. ...

Metro

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

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

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 ...

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 ...

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, ...

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 ...

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 ...

Which Bird Are You?

Jessica Barksdale Inclan — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 08:33:26 -0800

A particular Stellar Jay has figured out--as best he can based on his size--how to get seed from our bird feeder. It's not easy for him, as he has to clutch the tiny stick, hanging upside down, and then pull his head to the aperture, pecking one, two, trying to get some seed. He flutters, he gulps, and then he lets go, flying off.I am sure this little scene is a metaphor for something very ...

A. NaNoWriMo is bad. B. NaNoWriMo is good. Discuss.

Jeffrey A Ricker — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 07:32:50 -0800

It's nine days until the end of the month, and as I expected, I'm behind. By the end of today, according to the handy meter on the NaNoWriMo website, I should be at 35,000 words. This is about 6,000 words higher than my current word count of 28,824. Luckily, we've rolled into the weekend, when I always manage to get more writing done. (I was 3,000 words in the hole last weekend, and I managed to ...

Repentance Without Guilt

Sheri Rosenthal — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 07:32:28 -0800

My apprentices and I were having an interesting chat recently about repentance and some interesting issues came to light that I thought I’d share with you. I was concerned with the amount of suffering they were experiencing as they were recapitulating their lives and rewriting old painful stories. The ultimate goal behind recapitulating these stories is truth, forgiveness and the freedom to ...

Morbid blog tour: Erik Quarry

Loren Rhoads — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 07:01:42 -0800

Erik Quarry is a Gothic/Macabre artist living in the San Francisco Bay Area. He has exhibited in Oakland, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. His interests lie in the decadence of doom, death, and darkness, which his art reflects in a light-hearted style. Halloween, Danse Macabre, and Victorian themes abound in his artwork. Fascinated by El Día de los Muertos, Erik is a member of the Association ...

Book Review - Burnout: The Mystery of Space Shuttle STS-281 by Stephanie Osborn

Kimberly Richardson — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 07:01:08 -0800

Since becoming a published (and now award winning) author, I have met some wonderful and highly talented authors within the Mid-South area and even beyond. One such author is Stephanie Osborn who resides in Huntsville, AL and is the author of the book BURNOUT: The Mystery of Space Shuttle STS-281. After listening to Stephanie’s pitch about the book during the course of attending several ...

One more word about Harlequin

Louise Marley — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 06:29:48 -0800

The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America have also spoken: "SFWA supports the fundamental principle that writers should be paid for their work, and even those who aspire to professional status and payment ought not to be charged for the privilege of having those aspirations. Until such time as Harlequin changes course, and returns to a model of legitimately working with ...

Spaced Out

Terry Spear — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 05:53:24 -0800

Hmm, I'm thinking my Plight of the Wolf, now officially: Wolf Fever, isn't doing what's it's supposed to be doing. Soooo, that means I'm going to have to do something about it!*sigh*Today, my son and I are supposed to be having turkey dinner. I pulled the turkey out of the fridge at 6 A.M. and...it's still partially frozen.*sigh*I'm still feeling halfway lousy with the galloping crud. But at ...

Grinnin' at the mammogram commotion

Chris Rodell — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 05:51:49 -0800

I smiled this week at the intense reaction to the scientific study that said too frequent mammograms cause unnecessary stress and can be safely reduced. It was a beautiful smile, too. The mostly straight ivories look like rows of surfboards left to bleach in the summer sun. It’s a contagious sort of smile. I’ve found people nearly always smile back when I smile at them. In fact, the only ...

STRUCK is a Winner!

Keith Pyeatt — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 04:12:47 -0800

I'm thrilled to announce that last night, Struck won the 2009 New Mexico Book Award for Mystery/Suspense Novel. I'm excited and proud and happy and... Well, if a picture is worth a thousand words... Yep, that's me, smiling like I have no good sense after receiving the award. My category was sponsored by Anne Hillerman's Word Harvest, and she congratulated me afterward, but I was so wound up, ...

New York Under Water: Sea Level Change This Century

Deborah Teramis Christian — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:09:35 -0800

At the end of September 2009, renowned climatologist Stefan Rahmstorf spoke to an international climate change conference in Oxford, England. Rahmstorf is a respected authority specializing in analysis of ice melt and sea level changes. He and other climate scientists made this startling announcement: A rise of at least 2 meters (~6 foot) in the world's sea levels is now virtually unstoppable. ...

DRUGGING OUR CHILDREN TO DEATH

Karen Alaine Hunt — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:18:17 -0800

Drugging Our Children To Death“Labeling a child, ‘mentally ill,’ is like hanging a sign around his or her neck saying, ‘GARBAGE: Take It Away.’” Thomas S. Szasz, M.D., Professor of Psychiatry.Along the smoke-free lanes and carefree byways of Calabasas and far acrossAmerican suburbia, a river of drugs is flowing, and I am not talking illegal ones. Not too long ago, I was ...

How writers write

Midge Raymond — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:18:44 -0800

I love this Wall St. Journal article about writers sharing their processes. Maybe it’s the onset of fall, the recent time change, or the fact that Mercury was in retrograde for a while — but I’ve found that this article has really resonated with fellow writers, not only for the insider’s view into some of our favorite writers’ practices but for the comfort of knowing that there’s no ...

Thankful

daniel curzon — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:58:56 -0800

I don't know much, but I do know a few things that we can be grateful for this Thanksgiving: Carrie Prejean (Miss California) resigned as governor of Alaska, LaToya Jackson did not do a memorial album for brother Michael, and Amy Winehouse won the Cy Young Award.

Excerpt from The Wedding Gift, my new VSN (Very Short Novel)

Stephen Evans — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:56:07 -0800

In the Twenty-Third Century, the most popular wedding gift will be Oxygen.

ROGUE MALES: SUBJECT #13, DANIEL WOODRELL

Craig McDonald — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:48:16 -0800

(Author’s note: Rogue Males: Conversations & Confrontations About the Writing Life, is a collection of author interviews. It includes Elmore Leonard, Stephen J. Cannell, Pete Dexter, James Ellroy, Alistair MacLeod, Craig Holden and James Crumley. Rogue Males also features an account of a trip to the desert to interview crime fiction greats Ken Bruen and James Sallis about the craft of ...

Cheat? Thierry Henry - Member of the Legion of Honor - Adieu

Alan Black — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:33:45 -0800

The Hand of HenryThink of all those brand names that players pick up as endorsements. And make bags of money in the process. And the team strips emblazoned with corporate logos. But maybe it's time for a new logo to be branded across the chests of our favorite soccer stars -- those ones who like to flop, or use their hand to earn a goal. Welcome to soccer's growing, dynamic brand: CHEAT. To ...