Poet Georgia Tiffany and the multitalented Ryan Lawconceived an unusual brain child in Endangered, a collaborative project of visual arts and poems by 30 participants. The poets and artists, all of whom live and work on the Palouse of eastern Washington and north-central Idaho, were asked to freely interpret the concept of being “endangered.” An exhibit of the resulting works opens on May 21st, 2015, at the Prichard Art Gallery under the auspices of the University of Idaho College of Art & Architecture. A reading and reception are scheduled for the 21st from 5 to 7 p.m. with music provided by John Paul Shields. The exhibit will remain open through June 6th.
Downtown Moscow, Idaho
~ ~ ~ ~
Poets and visual artists worked in pairs on Endangered, drawing inspiration from one another. Anesa Miller was assigned to work with the painting “Mexican Gray Wolf” by Jeanne Wallace. Anesa says, “It’s a remarkable portrait, just as one would see a commemorative likeness of a human face. I began to hear poetic rhythms the moment I saw this painting.” See this pairing of poem and artwork below.
~ ~ ~ ~
Listen to the poem Homo Sapiens Under Siege
by Anesa Miller (1 minute 16 seconds)
The wolf is at the door.
Keep your weapons near.
They’ll overrun
the land we love.
Our children shake with fear.
“Mexican Gray Wolf” by Jeanne Wallace
The wolf lurks just outside—!
They range around the yard.
We’ll know no peace
until they cease.
Be always on your guard.
Let’s take them from above,
from the safety of a plane!
We’ll lay them low
in fields of snow,
their fight and speed in vain.
Because—
They hound the innocents,
rapacious woodland gang.
The doe knows dread
till her throat runs red.
None can outpace the fang.
The wolf is on the prowl.
They howl beneath the moon.
They rip the sky
with yip and cry.
They’ll feast upon us soon!
Their hunger never ends.
They bound behind the sleigh.
Toss the baby overboard—!
to keep blood lust at bay.
~ ~ ~ ~
Click here for directions to the Prichard Art Gallery in Moscow, Idaho. Visit Endangered between the evening of May 21st, 2015, and June 6. Click here for hours.
“We like to think of our awards program as the ‘Sundance’ of the book publishing world,” says Catherine Goulet, Chair of the 2014 Next Generation Indie Book Awards program.
Anesa Miller is seeking participants for a “launch team” to help publicize Our Orbit’s re-release from Booktrope Publishing in summer 2015 — Clickherefor details on this opportunity!
In an article at CNN.com titled “If it’s cool, creative, and different, it’s indie,” journalist Catherine Andrews wrote: “The term ‘indie’ traditionally refers to independent art — music, film, literature or anything that fits under the broad banner of culture — created outside of the mainstream and without corporate financing.”
Independent book publishing companies are independent of the major conglomerates that dominate the book publishing industry. The indies include small presses, larger independent publishers, university presses, e-book publishers, and self-published authors.
According to Goulet, “Like other independent artists, many indie book publishers face challenges that the industry giants don’t experience. They typically have to work a lot harder to get their best books into retail stores and ultimately into the hands of readers.”
“Authors and publishers in the Next Generation Indie Book Awards are serious about their books,” adds Goulet. “They aim to stand out from the crowd of millions of books in print.”
The tiny town of Patagonia, Arizona, (pop. ~980) comes as a revelation to many a snowbird flying south to sunny climes while the rest of America suffers the oxymoronic effects of global warming, such as record-breaking snows! Few locales can claim to be more welcoming: It almost seemed as if our car was surrounded the moment we pulled into town by well-wishers extending a friendly “Hello.” Jaak & I promptly received invitations to sundry interesting events: a weekly spiritual discussion group, a cappella choir, and Sunday morning hiking expeditions.
Maybe it’s no wonder—retired academics and creative folks of various stripes have settled in Patagonia for the natural beauty of the Sonoran Desert, the Santa Rita and eponymous Patagonia Mountains. People here enjoy world-class bird-watching, biodiversity, and—not least of all—one another’s company.
As the ancient saying goes, “One Boomer knows another wherever they may roam.”
Not unlike new college students discovering a world created by and for their own age group, Patagonians embrace the value of community regardless of ideological slant. Whether libertarians, old-time hippies, New Agers, or devout Christians (current or former), we are all, indeed, on this leg of the journey together.
Within hours of coming to town, I was thrilled to receive an invitation to read from my essay collection, To Boldly Go, at the historic Patagonia Public Library. The popular Short Attention Span Reading Club hosted me at their meeting on February 8, 2015, having selected two of my essays for discussion. I presented a comic rendition from “Dancers in the Wheat,” took questions from the club, and enjoyed the conversation moderated by group leader Cynthia Berk.
As I remarked at the time, “It’s not often that I’m privileged to hear a discussion of my own work. So many interesting thoughts were expressed! It’s truly gratifying when people engage with one’s creativity and relate it to larger issues of social or personal concern.”
Despite its small size, Patagonia boasts several cafés, a terrific coffeehouse, art and yoga studios, a natural foods grocery, and several non-profit organizations devoted to protecting the environment. Those all make for a fine ambiance. For me, there was also a special magic, something in the fresh air, that let me put aside post-partum blues, still lingering since I finished my last novel, in order to finally start writing the next one. I can’t claim that I cranked out numerous pages…the total to date remains in low double digits…but at least progress was made and my thoughts were bent diligently in that positive direction.
After 12 weeks in residence at the Pink Adobe Casitas, I was further honored to be accepted as a local author at the Creative Spirit Gallery downtown. The gallery features work by fiber artists, painters, sculptors, authors, and others who spend at least part of each year in southeastern Arizona. I was delighted to consign several copies of my books for sale.
“I see a return to Patagonia in my future.”
♥ Sign on for my excellent GIVEAWAY throughout April 2015: WIN $50 in books from Powell’s Independent Bookstore! Click for details! ♥
Doing an interview with Sage was the greatest fun I’d had in weeks!
Before calling to talk with her, I was feeling very nervous, my usual shy and retiring self, wondering why anyone would be interested in me. But no sooner did we get on the line than she put me at ease and I found I had no trouble holding forth on various writerly topics. The next time I glanced at the clock, our half-hour had flown by. Have a listen and tell me what you think!
Check Out Writing Podcasts at Blog Talk Radio with Sages Blog Tours on BlogTalkRadio
