Announcing...a call for submissions! 

This new publishing opportunity is open to all you writers and illustrators out there, c/o Stampington & Company. An ab fab friend in my critique group (hi, Stace!) just happens to be the editor to whom your submissions should be sent. 

SOMERSET READER: UNIQUELY ILLUSTRATED STORIES

We're currently seeking submissions for a one-of-a-kind publication for the modern reader that combines fabulous, all-original artwork with top-quality stories, poetry and memoir. This is a brand new market that will appeal to a general reading audience who want stories that catch the heart, poetry that speaks to the soul, and artwork that delights the eye. Please see the following submission details, and send e-mail to the editor at sdumoski AT stampington DOT com for additional information. 

1. At some point in your life (or several), the world -- or your body -- forces you through the narrows. Writing your story helps you find your path and to mine the meaning of those experiences. Cry through the pain. Weep if you will. But keep typing. Sara Davidson

2. My father unintentionally taught me about the disequilibrium of power – who has it and why they do. World events reinforce the fact that we should do something when it [the disequilibrium] happens. Mike Farrell

3. [At a turning point in his life] Everything I thought I believed in was dismantled. I spent time at a halfway house, where you learn to tell the truth and know the truth. Otherwise, you will die. Mike Farrell

4. Writing memoir is an act of self importance. But it’s also an act of generosity. Mike Farrell

5. When I could no longer sing [a side effect of surgery], I realized I could use my voice by writing books. Julie Andrews

Happy weekend, everyone! Get out there and do something memorable. :)

We had front-row seats at the forum where Valerie Bertinelli talked about her new memoir, Losing It, And Gaining My Life Back, One Pound at a Time. Her book is about food and weight loss, yes, but the overarching theme is Valerie’s spiritual quest for a lightness of being.

Valerie’s an engaging speaker – casual and honest, sometimes to the point of being raw. I especially enjoyed the Q&A session, where her personality took center stage. And although I would have enjoyed a deeper response, I got a kick out of her pithy answer to my ponderous serious question:

Me: Being on Jenny Craig probably meant comfort food wasn’t an option. So what coping mechanisms helped you work through, and then write about, the most painful parts of your story?

Valerie: Sex.

What do you do, when you’re writing difficult scenes? How do you shake off the painful elements when your writing session ends? I've always enjoyed working in the garden, but I’ve recently rediscovered aerobic exercise as a way to release some of my emotions. When I’m doing interval training on the Precor, sometimes the tears start flowing…uninvited but not unwelcome. At first, I wiped them away quickly, but now I just let them flow. Most gym rats probably mistake the tears for sweat, anyway. And even if they don't, how much does it really matter?

*Yes, I know, I still need to post my notes. Next week, I promise... 

Have you ever been to an oasis? A real one, that is? When my husband took me hiking in Andreas Canyon several years ago, I saw the metaphor right away. 

In the middle of a scrubby wasteland, lush greenery rises from the desert floor.  
 

An outcropping of boulders and palm trees forms a steeple above the oasis entrance. 

Rustling vegetation and a burbling wellspring sing a convocation: Come in, come in...everyone's welcome.

Until I witnessed it firsthand, I never could have imagined such a place existed. Surely this must be some of what the Israelites experienced when they reached the Promised Land! An oasis is a peaceful place in which to reconnect with nature. It's also a spiritual refuge, offering each visitor a private benediction.

"That way faith loses its independence, Christians become 'useful idiots' for one political party or another, and the Christian faith becomes an ideology," according to the draft." Read more...

Althought I think this is a matter best discussed within church communities and not in the media, I imagine it'll get quite a bit of coverage. The cynical side of me wonders if that's the point. I have to admit that I'm curious to see who signs it and who doesn't. In this case, the messengers are likely to be at least as important as the message. 

Image credit: CNN

In this video clip from the Colbert Report, Anne Lamott and Stephen Colbert engage one another in a faux-confrontational conversation about God (and GRACE, eventually). I hope you're as bemused as I was.

My newest SisterDivas Magazine column, Of Lipstick and Other Low-cost Luxuries, is now available online: 

Sister Divas are a bit more cautious about how and where we spend our money these days. Whether we’re flush with cash or down to our last pennies, we’re buying less and hanging on to what we have. 

Studies show we’re not alone. When economic conditions are uncertain, most women tend to gravitate toward affordable luxuries, in lieu of more costly products and services. The experts even have a name for this phenomenon: The Lipstick Effect. Leonard Lauder, of Estée Lauder cosmetics, coined this phrase after noticing huge jumps in lipstick sales whenever the economy took a nosedive.

Can a low-cost tube of lipstick translate into a million-dollar smile? Yes, but not always. Let’s not gloss over the fact that we’re complex women leading complicated lives, and beauty isn’t all about cosmetics. Here, a collection of tips to help you look and feel like the royalty you are, even when you’re living on a pauper’s budget.

Read more...

dewabbit

2) After 35 minutes of aerobic hell Precor intervals, I picked up the newest calendar of class offerings. A double-dog-dare-ya leapt off the page: Strip Tease (for women only). I think I'm going to embarrass myself try it on for size.

3) I won a signed copy of Tracie Zimmer’s 42 MILES! Tracie asked entrants to “Email a picture within 42 Miles of your current location which makes me want to visit…” I submitted a picture of one of my favorite picnic spots in Corona del Mar (next to Newport). Check it out. 

4) I’m looking forward to the Los Angeles Times' annual Festival of Books this coming Sunday. Tickets are free but limited, so after obsessing about the possibilities serious consideration, I chose four panels: Memoir: Hope & Challenges (Sara Davidson, Mike Farrell, Dinah Lenney & Amy Silverstein); Young Adult Writing: Not Just For Kids (Jay Asher, Robin Benway, Cecil Castellucci & Michele Serros); Julie Andrews (discussing her new memoir); and Agents' Voices (Betsy Amster, Georges Borchardt, Sandra Dijkstra & Bonnie Nadell). Natch, I'll share my notes.

5) I've been tagged and nudged by several people about the latest meme; please forgive me for being late to the party. By now, everyone has probably moved on, so I'll switch off the lights before I leave the room.

The meme: Grab the nearest book, open to page 123, find the fifth sentence. Then post the next three sentences.

From TOO CLOSE TO THE FALLS, by Catherine Gildiner: “My fingers were tired and blistered by the time we finished snipping the entire wardrobe from the large paper sheets. I thought then maybe the fun would begin I had a desire to be sane and if playing Lennon Sisters paper dolls was the ticket, I was willing to pay my admission.”

Although I'd love to linger awhile on LJ, I'm writing against a tight deadline. I hope you're doing well! [Edited to add] In honor of Earth Day (also my mother's birthday; how could I forget?), let's all do something nice for Mother Nature. 
   

1) I appreciate tracyworld for suggesting I read Time in Memoir: Then, Again. It's a small book, but it's dense-packed with suggestions and examples. I also appreciated the helpful series of posts Darcy Pattison wrote about Inviting the Wolf In: Thinking About Difficult Stories. I highly recommend both books – and both bloggers – to you.

2) I’m glad that I’ve finally resolved the mysteries of this lake. I wept enough to raise the water level to flood stage, but my tears were healing, and so was the process of discovery. 

3) I'm grateful that my lakeside adventures led me to a beautiful oasis. I hope I can share it with you soon -- on my blog, maybe, but definitely in my book.

4) I’m grateful for all you share with me on your blogs, and I always appreciate it when you stop by to read and/or comment on mine. Never in my life have I been surrounded by so many talented, loving, all-around-amazing friends!

If you missed its television debut, you can watch The Lord’s Boot Camp here. As well, you can view a teen panel’s reactions to the documentary. 

I'm wondering what you think. Agree or disagree, I hope you'll share your perspectives. 

In a time and world where males hold sway and control, the pressure upon women to yield their rights-of-way is tremendous. […] The struggle for equality continues unabated, and the woman warrior who is armed with wit and courage will be among the first to celebrate victory.

I'm supposedly on a blog vacation, but I’m making a quick whistle-stop on LJ to share this important video. I know you're busy, but I really hope you'll watch it.

Though the lens focuses on one candidate's road toward the White House, I believe there's a broader message for all of us -- one that we should be yelling from our balconies and rooftops. That is: No matter our party affiliations or our own candidate preferences, we simply can’t allow the media to choose our next president. Nor should we tolerate any longer the trash journalism that currently serves as substitute for objective reporting. 

When we listen without objection to hate speech disguised as political opining, we become heir to all the poisonous venom spewed from the pulpit, page or screen. Watch this video...see if you recognize your own reflection or that of someone you know. 

Presidential candidates and American voters – we the people – deserve better. If our prayer is for peace, we must recognize and speak out against prejudice in all its shape-shifting forms. 

Contact information for national and local media.


::Slides the soapbox back under the bed and resumes radio silence::

I've always attributed the peace symbol's origins to tie-dyed, war-protesting hippies at Woodstock, so I was surprised to learn that it made its world debut across the Pond, 50 years ago this spring.

British artist Gerald Holtom, a conscientious objector during the Second World War, created the peace symbol in 1958 to represent his views on nuclear disarmament. There are several potential explanations for each of the design elements, but Horton made clear his inspiration:

I was in despair. Deep despair. I drew myself: the representative of an individual in despair, with hands palm outstretched outwards and downwards in the manner of Goya's peasant before the firing squad. I formalised the drawing into a line and put a circle round it.

The peace symbol was imported to the United States in the late 1960s, where it was first used in civil rights marches and then became the rallying symbol of anti-Vietnam War sentiments. Since that tumultuous time in our own country’s history, the logo has achieved recognition as the international hallmark of peace.

Instead of singing Happy Birthday, perhaps it's more fitting to sing war protests and peace anthems. Let There Be Peace on Earth is my personal favorite. What song (or poem) would you choose? 

Image credit 

I'm not a prissy princess, but I’m not the outdoorsy type, either. To echo Joan Rivers, “My idea of roughing it is walking barefoot across the Hyatt Regency.”  I've been known to sacrifice my own preferences for The Greater Good, albeit with some whinging. But although I'll never enjoy sleeping on the ground, I do love digging flowers into the dirt.

As my plants take root, my own feet grow more firmly planted on terra firma, a sense of belonging I never experienced as a child. In my grown-up garden, I can indulge my whimsy by planting candy-scented, showy flowers instead of groceries. While it’s not an HGTV-quality showcase, my backyard is a playground that beckons me outside for recess.

For you, a spring bouquet that carries an invitation: Can you come out to play?

If Carrie Jones Were In Charge of the World
 by Melodye Shore, with apologies to Judith Viorst

If Carrie were in charge of the world,
She'd find more heroes and
Discover other uses for duct tape.
And Sarah Silverman would bow and scrape. 

If Carrie were in charge of the world,
We’d drink Postum^® in the winter and summer in Maine,

Take road trips with Grover and wrassle with John Wayne.

                          
If Carrie were in charge of the world,
You wouldn't have injustice. 
You wouldn't have malice. 
You wouldn't have hunger.
No need to cry, “Stop the war in Darfur!” 
We wouldn't even have war. 

If Carrie were in charge of the world,
Fudgesicles^® would be calorie-free,
And everyone would be loved equally.
And a woman who writes outside the box,
And often wears mismatched socks,
Would still be allowed to be
In charge of the world. 

http://www.votecarriejones.com/


Image credit, Tori Winning 

Melodye marries again – this time, to a man who loves her for her humanness and cherishes her spirit.

When I showed it to my husband, his eyes crinkled in the corners. "That has Melodye written all over it," he said. I don't know if it'll make it past edits, but it makes me smile whenever I read it.