Telling Herstories: The Broad View

Hunting for Treasure

 Since the choice of what we curl up with is often crucial for our solace and sanity, we need to learn how to nurture the talent of selection. Book browsing is a meditative art...Books are as essential as breathing. —Sarah Ban Breathnach

I mentioned in a previous post that we editors at SCBR do what we call “book sleuthing”—locating and requesting the best in new women’s literature for our team of reviewers. We have different resources we use—internet searches, publisher and publicist contacts, blogs, newsletters, social media contacts like Facebook and Twitter, and so forth. Each of us, I’m sure, has our own favorite way of sleuthing. I love it. It’s a bit like a treasure hunt, with the prize being a great new book!

How do YOU find your next read?

One of my favorite ways to find a new book for my personal pleasure?--the advice of a good friend. I value the opinion of another avid reader like myself. I love discussing books and authors—and a friend’s opinion of the same.

Here are a few more "clues" for your personal treasure hunting:

• The New York Times has a weekly book section on Sundays and sends out an email newsletter on Fridays—find this at NYTimes.com if you’re interested.
• If you do a lot of business with Amazon, they will begin to send you emails with predictions on new items that might match your interests. If, like me, you use their advanced search options often, they send out emails on new and upcoming books in the genres of interest. Other booksellers may do the same—I just happen to have been a loyal Amazon shopper almost since they first began selling online. Now there is the added incentive that our purchases from Amazon benefit SCN.
• On Thursdays, USA Today will send you a book newsletter via email, or you could follow them on Facebook.
• GoodReads newsletters contain info on many new releases.
• Oprah, who garners a lot of attention for her book club picks, sends out email book newsletters each week—current and upcoming books are featured.
• Libraries and bookstores often set up displays of new arrivals and often staff recommendations.

There are even sites online that might help you find new authors similar to those you’ve already read. One is what should I read next? . Plug in the title, author or ISBN number of something you’ve read, and you’ll be given a list of suggestions to consider. Some might seem obvious, some not, but it’s fun to see what comes up. You’ll have to judge how accurate they are.

In this day and age, there are so many ways to find books. The resources are unlimited. I know I could spend hours just looking and looking—if I had hours to spend. Alas, I don’t and I suspect the same is true for you.

Which brings me to this… When you’re looking for something new to read, we hope you’ll take advantage of the many (1000+) reviews at SCBR. You’ll find enough suggestions to suit any mood or any genre preference. (We don’t feature blockbusters from authors who already have mass followings, or a lot of cozies, romances or what is known as chick lit. These certainly have their place, but they don’t need more press, so we concentrate on what does.) In addition to some bestsellers in fiction and nonfiction, we’ll always feature some new and perhaps lesser known women authors who may publish with smaller presses--we want you to know they’re out there, and to support their efforts.

The next time you need a book idea for yourself or for a gift, give us a try. After all, what’s better than the recommendation of a friend?

 

6.5 Multi-talented? Ask the Creative Catalyst.

Saraswati: Hindu Goddess of music, knowlege, and the arts.

Notice her four arms--typical of artist-writers-musicians-performers. The doubled images tell the story. Can we be in two places at the same time? Maybe. See the conversation below between "Swamped" and the Creative Catalyst. --Janet Riehl

__________________

Dear Creative Catalyst: It’s only the first week of the school year, and I’m feeling swamped already! Is dancing and leading workshops in addition to teaching a dodge from my main work as a poet? Is it a secret wish for failure?

Swamped in Savannah

Dear Swamped: That depends on your motivation and how you manage time and energy. Does fear not being enough lead you toward distraction? More practically, are you over-booked?

Swamped: I think I’m in search of something, but I don’t know what.

Creative Catalyst: Wholeness, as I see it. But there is only so much of you to go around. Your quest leads to fragmentation rather than wholeness.

Swamped: I want to feel that expressing myself as a poet is enough. I want to feel worthy without having to add another layer—say, becoming a nature mystic before I can be a worthy poet.

Creative Catalyst: It’s a bitch to be an artist in our linear world! Be careful not to internalize judgments from family and friends. Sure, it’s okay to be the poet you are without another layer. You don’t have to prove yourself to feel worthy.

Layering springs from a creative impulse and is a quest for richness. Simpler is easier. But now all the richness, wholeness, and layering is a part of you and your poetry. Do not renounce an iota of the richness yet continue to focus. Do what you can without going crazy.

Swamped: How can I know if I’m sidestepping commitment?

Creative Catalyst: Ask yourself if some fear leads toward your seeking distraction.

Swamped: If were truly committed to my writing, wouldn’t I do something like go on a month-long writer's retreat and dive deep into myself?

Creative Catalyst: Not necessarily. You don’t have to prove yourself by undertaking extraordinary steps. Staying home and doing your work is enough. 

However, I love the self-guided writing retreat idea! You could even dance during your retreat! Does dancing, your secondary interest, feed your primary writing interest? If so, you’re on a path that will serve your work.

Swamped: Oh, yes. For me, the rhythms and music of dance embody the rhythms and musicality of language. I know that dance helps reduce my stress. It makes me feel alive and healthy. Plus, it’s fun to be in community with women. Even when we speak different languages, dance unites us.

Creative Catalyst: It’s rejuvenating— your personal Fountain of Youth.

Swamped: How can I tell when studying with a teacher will help me, and when it’s hiding from what I know? This is so not people-speak :)

Creative Catalyst: Take stock of what you know now. Do you need to know more in order to go further? Claim your authority, and give it a go. Perhaps later you’ll benefit from taking another class.

Swamped: My new resolution is to focus on my poetry collection in the coming months Instead of spinning off in so many different directions.

Creative Catalyst: Focusing your prodigious talent and energies makes perfect sense. Go easy on yourself, and let your work flow.

_______________

Pose questions about practical creativity; give ideas for future cycle themes; and join in the dialog. See the Creative Catalyst archive at http://bit.ly/9z1BQv.  Learn more about our audio book “Sightlines: A Family Love Story in Poetry and Music”at http://bit.ly/aZVd1e. Become a Riehlife Villager www.riehlife.com.

 

October 2010

Welcome to Story Circle Network Podcasts!

Join us this month as Story Circle Network members read from their work.

We will hear readings from blogs and book reviews. Helen Ginger reads Mermaid Tales from her blog:

http://www.helenginger.com/

Susan Ideus reads her book review of Barbara Brown Taylor’s book, An Altar in the World.

Text-based book reviews can also be found@ http://storycirclebookreviews.org/

Thank you Story Circle Network volunteers for sharing your work!

Tune in and listen to your Story Circle sisters! 

Do you enjoy listening to these stories and interviews? Are you interested in reading your work? No experience is necessary for contributing content.

If you'd like to help out with the podcast, send a note to podcast(at)storycircle.org.

Reflections on Reading and Reviewing

You know, reading a book is fun. We are entertained and challenged. We connect emotionally, and sometimes viscerally, with others—the writers and characters. We travel and learn. And we grow, beyond the learning. We can’t read and not grow. Reading expands the mind.

Being able to read is rewarding and a privilege. There are literally hundreds of thousands of people that can’t read or don’t have books available to read. We are fortunate.

Reviewing for SCBR is fun, rewarding, and a privilege. The editors send a note to the contact we have for the reviewed book, letting them know the book has been reviewed. Sometimes we get a note back because our reviewers do such an amazing job. The reviews are deeply appreciated. Here is a recent example:

Dear Susan,

I deeply thank you for the incredible review. Mary Ann Moore was professional in her approach and did a review that every author dreams of.  She really took the book to heart and gave her wonderful insights through words that honored and blessed our words.

All of us connected with The Spirit of a Woman: Stories to Empower and Inspire thank you for your contributions to sharing stories that are important to all of us.

It is a great privilege to link to you and be connected with you.

With great respect, appreciation and gratitude.

Terru

Terry Laszlo-Gopadze
The Spirit of a Woman: Stories to Empower and Inspire
Publication Date: June, 2010

So when reading a book, consider what went in to it and how it was been crafted. And if you are one of SCN’s reviewers, thank you. And if you’re not, we’d love to have you on as a part of the team.

Here’s a synopsis of reviews since September 14^th.  Follow us on Twitter to keep up with the latest reviews. **Remember: purchasing through SCN helps support SCN’s many programs and women’s life-writing work.

THE GENTLEMAN POET by Kathryn Johnson, pays homage to Shakespeare and The Tempest. A delightful read. (Reviewed by Laura S Hulka)

BURNING HORSES by Agatha Hoff, is a fascinating and harrowing German occupation survival story. (Reviewed by Judith Helburn)

Reviewer Jennifer Melville says A MAZE OF GRACE, by Trish Ryan, is a breath of spiritual fresh air and full of inspiring and striking humor.

LET’S TAKE THE LONG WAY HOME by Gail Caldwell, is an honest narrative of friendship, loyalty, loss, and grief. (Reviewed by Susan Ideus)

Reviewer Trilla Pando could relate to all of the protagonists as they found the going “rough” in pursuit of their individual quests in Terry McMillan’s GETTING TO HAPPY.

AT HOME IN JAPAN by Rebecca Otowa is a journey of discovery—learning to live Japanese. (Reviewed by Susan M Andrus)

FURY by Koren Zailckas, is a superb example of bibliotherapy: amusing, insightful. (Reviewed by Susan M. Andrus)

 

A Tribute to the Team

There’s been so much happening at Story Circle Book Reviews lately, and it's all good! You may have seen that we recently posted our 1000^th review. What a great milestone! We’re so pleased and proud to be the largest website on the Internet devoted to books by, for and about women. We’re absolutely passionate about our goal of bringing attention to the best that’s out there in women’s literature.

Today I’d like to pay tribute to the women who make Story Circle Book Reviews a reality—our wonderful team of reviewers. These ladies volunteer their time and efforts to insure that the reviews continue. It takes time to read a book. It takes commitment to follow through and write a review. It takes talent to produce the quality work we are proud to post on the site. Ladies, we couldn’t do it without you! Thank you for giving so unselfishly of yourselves for SCBR.

Please look at the website if you haven‘t been there recently. There are reviewers who have dozens of reviews posted, and we’ve added a new “Star Recognition” system to honor them. Why, we even have a couple of reviewers nearing the 100 mark--that’s dedication! These are true book lovers, and we count ourselves fortunate that they share their passion with us.

 

I couldn’t say a proper thank-you without mentioning that there is also a fine team of editors at SCBR, headed up by Susan Wittig Albert, and including Linda Hoye, Judy Miller, Laura Hulka and Susan Andrus (plus yours truly). Editing reviews is only part of the job. We find the books for review—we call it “book sleuthing”. (Imagine a job where one is required to spend time looking for good books—sigh, a purely pleasurable duty for this editor, to be sure.) Linda receives all of the books, maintains the book selection blog, lets the team know what’s available and mails the books out to reviewers. Judy is the contact for the review team and posts here on HerStories about the new reviews. A special thanks to Peggy Moody for all of her support and behind-the-scenes work. A lovely bunch to work with!

Why don’t you give some thought to joining our team? We have new books weekly awaiting reviews, and we send them out, free of charge, to our reviewers—who then have a brand new book to add to their personal bookshelves or to share with another avid reader. Choices include memoir, writing tips, contemporary and historical fiction, self-help, young adult and more. We work with publishers and publicists to obtain the newest and the best books. If you’re interested, check out the Reviewing for SCBR page on our website.

On a personal note, I’m thrilled to be working with SCBR again and to be able to return to HerStories and to my Book Learning posts. I’ve missed being here! I’ll share musings about books and reading and SCBR here every other Thursday, and Judy Miller will still be updating you on the new reviews on the site. See you in two weeks!

Win a Copy of Diana Raab's New Memoir

Kendra Bonnett--Getting Read #22

On August 31st, in anticipation of the publication of Diana Raab's new memoir Healing With Words: A Writer's Cancer Journey (Loving Healing Press, 2010), Matilda and I had the pleasure of talking with Diana. This was our contribution to her Women on Writing (WOW) blog book tour.

That was then. Today, I've published the first of four posts we're doing on Diana's book. Today's post is sort of a bonus. You see, in the course of our conversation, Matilda asked Diana a question that launched Diana into her list of 10 Tips on Writing for Healing. When she finished reciting, we all three decided this would make a nice little video.

I'd like to invite you to drop by, read the post and watch the video of A Women's Memoirs Moment...with Diana Raab. I further encourage you to come back tomorrow to read Diana's guest blog and writing prompt, on Wednesday to read Matilda's review of Healing With Words, and next Monday to catch our full interview with Diana.

Win a Copy of Diana's Memoir

Diana and WOW are giving us a copy of Healing With Words to give to one lucky visitor. All you have to do is leave a comment on any (or all) of her four blog posts on Women's Memoirs. Inspire us, intrigue us...overwhelm us. It's up to you.

A Bonus Writing Prompt

When we post our Tuesday author guest blogs, we always ask our writers to include a writing prompt. It's Memoir Writing Prompt Tuesday, after all. Diana gave us three brief ones. We used one for her post, so let me share the others with you here...just to give you a little inspiration.

• Write for about 15 minutes about a transforming moment in your life.
• Write about your first memory. I like this one because my first memory involves my sense of smell. It was the smell of the concrete in the underground garage of our apartment building...strong, sort of pungent...and mixed with a smell of gasoline. I must have been two or three, but to this day, when I get a whiff that powerful scent I'm instantly transported to that garage. That's the power of smell.

 Enjoy, and be sure to catch all of our posts about Diana Raab and her new memoir. And leave your comments in order to have a chance to win your own copy of Healing With Words.

 

Kendra's Friday Round Up

Kendra Bonnett--Getting Read #21

Are you a list maker? My mother was an organized list maker. She made lists of guests and recipes she served at all her parties because she wanted to treat people to new treats each time they came to the house. We'd pick a September and start planning meals for all the holidays and birthdays from Halloween through New Year's Day. The lists of recipes, guests and food we'd have to buy all went into a notebook she called her "brain."

 

I make lists but I seldom write them down. I think it was watching my mother panic when she misplaced her notebook brain that made me decide to keep all my lists in my head. At some point, I decided that this habit would also be good exercise for my mind. Has it worked? I know that I don't usually forget things...or is it that I just can't remember what I forgot!?! Today I've posted a list of lists for writers.

I invite you to visit each Friday for a new list on a new subject.

 Making Blogging Easier

For a bunch of writers, you'd think that blogging would be as easy as...well, writing. The problem is to make a big impression and get your blog well positioned on Google, you need to blog a lot. One trick Matilda and I have found is to assign topics to different days of the week. Another good idea is to set aside a day and write as many posts as possible. You'll find that you get on a roll, and the words begin to flow.

In keeping with my penchant for collecting lists, I've found a few lists of tips for bloggers that you might find useful:

• As the name suggests, DailyBlogTips is a great resource for bloggers. Here's a list about things NOT to do. No. 1 is the best advice of all: "You must not expect results overnight." Set a schedule you can keep and commit. Give your blog six months to a year to break through.
• I'd Rather Be Writing consolidates some of the best usability tips from experienced bloggers.
• O'Reilly's Digital Media offers "10 Journalism Tips for Bloggers, Podcasters & Other E-Writers. These are great...and a little different" "No. 3 Look for the heat in your subject." And, "No. 5 Use plain speech, and talk like a real person."
• TopRank Online Marketing Blog will help you build your following with "Tips for Promoting New Blogs."
• And here's one more. Author Cory Doctorow tells InformationWeek 17 ways for you to get other bloggers to write about you. If you've got a book coming out, you don't want to miss this list.

 

What Have Your Re-Read Lately?

On Monday I posted a Writing in Five video with a writing tip from Annie Dillard. If you haven't read her little book The Writing Life, I encourage you to get a copy and treat yourself to a good read. I've this little book several times, and each time I get some new idea or inspiration. And that got me thinking about my list of books that I've not only read more than once but actually re-read every couple of years. Here's my list:

• Walden by Henry David Thoreau.
• Ready, Fire, Aim: Zero to $100 Million in No Time Flat by Michael Masterson
• H.L. Mencken's Days books
• This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald
• Centennial by James A. Michener
• The Elements of Style by William Strunk and E.B. White
• The Ultimate Sales Machine by Chet Holmes
• Moby Dick by Herman Melville
• A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

Okay, it probably seems like a funny list to you. But there is a theme. With the exception of the two business/marketing books and Michener's Centennial, I first read all these books in high school. In each case, I enjoyed the experience, but subconsciously I felt there was more to be learned than I was capable of comprehending at the time. I've continued to read, learn and find pleasure in these works.

 

The two business books are classics. If you want to build a better business, market and sell your work better, read these books.

 

Am I the only one who re-reads books? Maybe this practice is part of my DNA. My mother loved to read and she had a list of favorites that she re-read regularly. I also watch the same movies over and over. What about you? Do you have lists of books you re-read from time to time?

"Luck" Takes Hard Work

"You are so lucky," wrote a reader in response to one of my recent columns. "Most people don't live life in the full way you do."

My initial response was cranky. 

It's hard to see the "lucky" in Richard's brain cancer, and in his second brain surgery in the past eleven months. It's very hard to see the lucky in the pathology report on the latest tumors: Grade 4, as bad as brain cancer gets, with a prognosis I have no wish to invoke here, or anywhere else.

It's hard to see the lucky in my mom's recent diagnosis with Alzheimer's Disease, leaving my 82-year-old dad to manage her care with me "assisting" from three hours drive away.

It's hard to see the lucky in my daily struggle to carve out "me time" in order to write, the one thing that saves such sanity as I retain, and restores my spirit.

After getting over my crankiness though, I think I understand: I'm fortunate to have potentially rich opportunities, to be able to make the kinds of choices I make, and to be living a full, present, relatively gracious life with all the above. 

That's "luck," I suppose, the kind that takes some mighty hard work to recognize. (And it reminds me all too much of the proverbial Chinese curse: May you live in interesting times.)

We don't get to pick what life brings us. What power we have over events and circumstance lies in how we respond.

We can choose to learn from what life sends our way--I'm certainly learning much about life and how to live it gracefully and generously from this journey with Richard's brain cancer, plus my mom's Alzheimers. As a writer of personal essay and memoir, I am also accumulating stories to use to illustrate that hard-won wisdom. Does that make me "lucky?" I suppose you could say so, even while admitting that it's tough luck indeed.

Choosing to respond openly and graciously to life's challenges pays off. For instance, on the days when I'm able to avoid sinking into the muck of overwhelm, I am able to notice the riches of my moments--the warmth of sunrises and sunsets, the gift of love, the sound of sandhill cranes' haunting calls as they wing high overhead, the sight of fringed gentians blooming in vivid blue or aspen leaves flaming gold, the feel of frosty air at dawn.

Those riches surround me every day. Whether I see or feel them is my choice.

Not that the choosing is either simple or easy--it's not. But those choices determine whether I find mind- and spirit-nurturing beauty and happiness in even the most difficult of days, or not.

Luck's hard work, not happenstance. It's the attitude to you bring to life, the spirit you cultivate, the way you are in even the most unassuming of moments.

That abililty to find the flashes of luck in any situation is something that can enrich your writing as well. Think about it next time you're struggling with your work and ask yourself: What choices am I making? How do they affect the stories I tell? Can I choose to frame my writing differently? How would it change if I did?

"We become the stories we tell ourselves," says psychologist and author Mary Pipher. What stories are you telling?

 

Autumn is Knocking at the Door…

And it’s time to find some more books to curl up with. We have some recommendations for you.  

 

Follow us on Twitter to keep up with the latest reviews. Purchase through SCN and help support SCN’s many programs and women’s life-writing work.

 

Mother Jones: Raising Cain & Consciousness, by Simon Cordery, is a story of fiery labor activist, Mary Harris. (Reviewed by Susan Schoch)

 

Profound mother-daughter dialogues fill BECOMING FLAME: UNCOMMON MOTHER-DAUGHTER WISDOM, by Isabel Anders. (Reviewed by Judy Miller)

 

CRAFT HOPE: HANDMADE GIFTS FOR A CAUSE, by Jade Sims, inspires the reader to spread hope, one stitch at a time. (Reviewed by Laura S Hulka)

 

A SPECIAL MOTHER, by Anne Ford, is an encouraging must-read for any parent with learning disabled child. (Reviewed by Judy Miller)

 

Susan J. Tweit’s interview of Ann Vileisis, author of KITCHEN LITERACY, is one you don’t want to miss. Find out more about foods on supermarket shelves.

 

THE SOUND OF A WILD SNAIL EATING, by Elisabeth Tova Bailey. A tiny companion makes all the difference. Fascinating. (Reviewed by Susan Ideus)

6.4 Multi-talents: Artist as Farmer

As artists, we plant, cultivate, harvest our crops, and take them to market just as farmers do. Farmers decide how to ensure the greatest harvest, and we make decisions about our creative endeavors. We must choose, design, and organize our multi-talented creative lives to be most fruitful. Three basic strategies we can use are: 1) crop rotation; 2) companion planting; and 3) hybridization.  

Crop Rotation  

Farmers grow each crop separately, in rotation. Crop rotation replenishes and restores the soil to prevent depletion.  Similarly, through identifying seasons of creativity, we can rotate projects and creative disciplines. These seasons might be either literal or metaphorical.   

When I lived in Northern California I wrote, acted, played music, and designed outdoor art installations. I concentrated on discreet projects, each in its own time, rather than working on several simultaneously. I learned that my brain jams and my life scrambles if I schedule projects in more than one discipline at a time. A simultaneous approach forms a “tempest in my mind,” as Shakespeare said in King Lear.  For me “that way madness lies; let me shun that; No more of that.”  

Companion Planting

In companion planting two or more mutually beneficial crops are planted close together to discourage pests and nourish the soil. In the southwest United States, early native peoples learned that squash, beans, and corn yielded the best harvest when they were planted as a threesome. In the life of the artist-farmer one discipline may influence and enrich another. Playing music makes our poetry more rhythmic. Dance and your acting becomes more graceful. Visual art, writing, and music all depend on the inventiveness and structure of composition. The underlying principles of artistic forms feed each other.

Hybridization  

A hybrid takes two different things and brings them together to make something new. Mules and high-yield corn come from inter-breeding and cross-pollination. Myths and folktales have given us unforgettable hybrid beings. What child could forget the Sphinx, mermaid, or minotaur?   

Combining art forms produces integrated products and art forms. Dance performances, for example, might include costumes, stage sets, scrims, backlit slides, music, light design, and choreography. When these elements come together, the whole becomes more than the sum of its parts. We can hybridize projects either alone or in collaboration with others.

Steward your talents wisely; become an artist-farmer. Bear in mind Ecclesiastes: “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under the sun.” That reminder will enrich and multiply our work.

_____________

Pose questions about practical creativity; give ideas for future cycle themes; and join in the dialog. See the Creative Catalyst archive at http://bit.ly/9z1BQv.  Learn more about our prize-winning audio book “Sightlines: A Family Love Story in Poetry and Music”at http://bit.ly/aZVd1e.