Friday, May 31, 2019
Tuesday, April 30, 2019
Sunday, March 31, 2019
Maybe she is a Goldilocks among literary Genres
Imagine a writer, thinking herself into insanity. Trying one thing after another-too hot, too cold. Waiting until she can find the thing that is Just Right:
"Okay, so at one point after college, I realized I was a Writer-I had always identified myself as one, always did research and readings, kept a journal, etc-but I realized I hadn't WRITTEN.
So I literally began at my beginning.
I started doing Blogs. And Plays. And Short Stories. TV Pilots, Novels. And lately, I've also started doing Satire. Short pieces which focus on humor, on a good idea that gets developed-and also gets workshopped among you and your closest writing partners.
New York has hosted several of my pieces, and I've been proud to help others bring theirs forward (helping to produce is helping to pay it forward in your own "work")
Everything feels natural to each of the medium (media), but it's about persistence. And if something is not working, not breaking through, I'm willing to try the NEXT GENRE-the next pattern of storytelling. Because it IS all the same urge, just coming out in different frames and formats."
"Okay, so at one point after college, I realized I was a Writer-I had always identified myself as one, always did research and readings, kept a journal, etc-but I realized I hadn't WRITTEN.
So I literally began at my beginning.
I started doing Blogs. And Plays. And Short Stories. TV Pilots, Novels. And lately, I've also started doing Satire. Short pieces which focus on humor, on a good idea that gets developed-and also gets workshopped among you and your closest writing partners.
New York has hosted several of my pieces, and I've been proud to help others bring theirs forward (helping to produce is helping to pay it forward in your own "work")
Everything feels natural to each of the medium (media), but it's about persistence. And if something is not working, not breaking through, I'm willing to try the NEXT GENRE-the next pattern of storytelling. Because it IS all the same urge, just coming out in different frames and formats."
Thursday, February 28, 2019
Thoreau/Twain: Brothers on the River
For the first evening of this 2019 Edition of the Annual Gathering of Thoreauvian Appreciators my play, THOREAU/TWAIN: Brothers of The River will be performed.
I am immensely proud to be presenting my work to such an excellent group of scholars, enthusiasts, teachers, environmentalists, historians, professors-AND this year's focus will be encouraging the ENGINEERS to come out in full force.
Therefore, not ONLY am I excited to be able to do research on both Thoreau and Twain, but also to focus on the parts of their lives which reflect their interest in innovation, technology and how things get put together.
Hint: This will involve HDT's work on developing a new formula for a graphite pencil, AND Twain's enthusiasm for a printing machine known as the Paige Compositor. Which will survive the ultimate test of engineering?
I am immensely proud to be presenting my work to such an excellent group of scholars, enthusiasts, teachers, environmentalists, historians, professors-AND this year's focus will be encouraging the ENGINEERS to come out in full force.
Therefore, not ONLY am I excited to be able to do research on both Thoreau and Twain, but also to focus on the parts of their lives which reflect their interest in innovation, technology and how things get put together.
Hint: This will involve HDT's work on developing a new formula for a graphite pencil, AND Twain's enthusiasm for a printing machine known as the Paige Compositor. Which will survive the ultimate test of engineering?
Thursday, January 31, 2019
Documenting the Decline of Greenpoint
At one point in the future, Greenpoint will have become the neighborhood it is growing into.
As of today, it is still in a weird transition.
On the same day, they listed 2 pieces of news in the hyper-local online sites.
First, our favorite restaurant is closing after 20 years (because that is the life expectancy of a joint in this hood?).
http://www.brooklynvegan.com/enids-in-greenpoint-to-close-at-the-end-of-march/
This is a year after Matchless closed, another great bar that defined the nightlife of this neighborhood.
And second, there was a piece of hate mail sent to a couple who are running a business out of their home. It was anti-semitic and anonymous (of course), and the funny part is-the couple isn't even JEWISH!!!
So what does that mean-were they targeted by stupid bigots (yes-that's certainly contributing), were they assuming that because one of them was Mexican/Cuban and the other was Italian. was it sheer terror or foreigners? In a Polish neighborhood?-With Williamsburg next door, can they not even IDENTIFY who they hate-or are they trying to target hipsters?
is the neighborhood shifting in ways that are freaking people out? Yes. But go to one of the local places and celebrate, while you still can. And be nice to your neighbors. Please.
As of today, it is still in a weird transition.
On the same day, they listed 2 pieces of news in the hyper-local online sites.
First, our favorite restaurant is closing after 20 years (because that is the life expectancy of a joint in this hood?).
http://www.brooklynvegan.com/enids-in-greenpoint-to-close-at-the-end-of-march/
This is a year after Matchless closed, another great bar that defined the nightlife of this neighborhood.
And second, there was a piece of hate mail sent to a couple who are running a business out of their home. It was anti-semitic and anonymous (of course), and the funny part is-the couple isn't even JEWISH!!!
So what does that mean-were they targeted by stupid bigots (yes-that's certainly contributing), were they assuming that because one of them was Mexican/Cuban and the other was Italian. was it sheer terror or foreigners? In a Polish neighborhood?-With Williamsburg next door, can they not even IDENTIFY who they hate-or are they trying to target hipsters?
is the neighborhood shifting in ways that are freaking people out? Yes. But go to one of the local places and celebrate, while you still can. And be nice to your neighbors. Please.
Monday, December 31, 2018
Pour Myself a Cup of Ambition
The whole idea of having a desk job had seemed the opposite of who she thought she was.
She looked around at all the others, wondering if they saw her playing her role, watching them watching her-to see if there were any cracks in the facade.
The notion of imposter syndrome was strong in her, except it was true. She was the real imposter.
The longer she stayed there, and talked to the others on the career ladder, in the cubicles, in the lunchroom and the hallways. She wasn't sure about her uniqueness anymore. Nobody else wanted to be there either. Everyone else had a dream as well.
But she had lived hers. She had been on the stage, she had been singing. She had lived inside the music in a way that she couldn't find life anywhere else.
She wasn't sure that she was ever going to focus on getting a promotion, but she knew she was disappointed when she didn't get them. The coffee wasn't her driving force, but it helped the mornings pass and it made her happy.
On the weekends, when she didn't drink it, she might spend the morning crying, which ruined her voice for singing for the rest of the day. So she made sure to remember her ambition on the weekends, ambition not to become CEO of her company-but to SING. Not even onstage again, but just to carry the music in her throat. In her mouth, it felt better than being kissed. It felt like being loved.
She looked around at all the others, wondering if they saw her playing her role, watching them watching her-to see if there were any cracks in the facade.
The notion of imposter syndrome was strong in her, except it was true. She was the real imposter.
The longer she stayed there, and talked to the others on the career ladder, in the cubicles, in the lunchroom and the hallways. She wasn't sure about her uniqueness anymore. Nobody else wanted to be there either. Everyone else had a dream as well.
But she had lived hers. She had been on the stage, she had been singing. She had lived inside the music in a way that she couldn't find life anywhere else.
She wasn't sure that she was ever going to focus on getting a promotion, but she knew she was disappointed when she didn't get them. The coffee wasn't her driving force, but it helped the mornings pass and it made her happy.
On the weekends, when she didn't drink it, she might spend the morning crying, which ruined her voice for singing for the rest of the day. So she made sure to remember her ambition on the weekends, ambition not to become CEO of her company-but to SING. Not even onstage again, but just to carry the music in her throat. In her mouth, it felt better than being kissed. It felt like being loved.
Friday, November 30, 2018
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)