Scenes from PennsylPointe

Gimme a Sense of Purpose

2011-12-04T10:17:00.001-05:00

In a few weeks, I’ll be celebrating the ten year anniversary of launching my writing business. Since I had neither business skills nor family encouragement, I prepared myself more for failure than success. I used my last regular paycheck to buy a dozen cans of chicken noodle soup, a few boxes of pasta, and a 24 roll pack of toilet paper. If the business tanked, I was prepared to wait tables again, just like I had in college.

Looking back, I’d say one factor helped me spin the floss of my dreams into a decent living: I was motivated by a strong sense of purpose. My writing projects focused on issues that seemed vitally important to our society. I wrote about schools and homelessness. I wrote about health care systems that were not prepared to serve immigrant patients. And I wrote crazy creative pieces about working class Joes who’d been replaced in the popular culture by thin people in Armani. What kept my business in motion was my belief that good writing could make people care about matters that needed their attention -- and I still believe that. But, after a decade of writing, the arc of my interests has shifted. A business anniversary is an opportunity to evaluate things and reflect on the issues that now dominate my thoughts.

In September 2011, after 15 months of taking care of my ailing Mom, I got wrapped up in a social problem that now seems more urgent than any other. Research and experience are both telling me that our communities are not prepared to meet the needs of the booming elderly population. While seeking help for my mom, I began to discover that services are very fragmented. They breakdown across health systems, insurance companies, and geography. Elders who have no advocate to help them are as vulnerable as children who walk through gunfire to attend bad schools. I really don’t know how people survive if they have no family member to help them navigate the bureaucratic systems that control their quality of life.

One day, after listening to some total strangers discuss problems they faced while caring for their parents, I felt a new sense of purpose sink its teeth into my writing bones. Working with people I’d met through clients, friends, and service providers, I set up an interview schedule and began collecting information to help families caring for elders with fragile health and memory loss. Through a new website and Facebook page, I started publishing stories to help caregivers in different parts of the country. The product of this effort is called “Between the Pond and the Woods”. Every day I wake up full of new ideas about interviews and issues I want to include. The renewed sense of purpose is thrilling. Despite my deepening crows feet, it’s the same force that helped me get started when I was a young idealist.

Since my new project is keeping me very busy, I won’t be writing much here. Although the stories are different, any one who enjoys the photographs from this site, will find more of them at www.BetweenthePondandtheWoods.com I invite you to take a look at these pages and share the links with those who may need them. I’m also searching for families and caregivers who want to share stories about caring for their parents, spouses or other family members. If you have a tale you want to share, please contact me at tenpagesaday@msn.com . In the meantime, accept my best wishes for a joyful holiday season.

Feeling Alive During Days of the Dead

2011-11-06T11:43:00.000-05:00

A life without rituals is one deprived of meaning. Imagine a year with no July fireworks, a December with no gifts. Steal the parades from the small towns, empty all the Easter baskets and we become a herd of Grinches, green from lack of fun. Last week, despite a major power outage and a premature foot of snow, a small group of faithful writers kept our little Day of the Dead ritual in Jim Thorpe. Surely, the spirits brim with gratitude.

The role of ritual in creative life cannot be overestimated. As Joseph Campbell has observed, "A ritual is the enactment of a myth. And through the enactment it brings to mind the implications of the life act that you are engaged in. Now, people ask me, what rituals can we have today? My answer is, what are you doing? What is important in your life? What is important, they say, is having dinner with their friends. That is a ritual."

These encounters with people we value add meaning to the simple tasks we perform anyway -- just to survive. But the presence of others -- and a sense of occasion -- make us all the more aware of the value in each moment of life. For me, the Day of the Dead readings also remind me of friends who are no longer around to share cherished dinners and chats over coffee. Setting aside the time to miss them provides access to those memories of when they were here to share the bounty of life.

Campbell says, "When you sit down to eat a meal, you are consuming life. But you don't know what you're doing unless you think about it. That's what a ritual does. It give you an occasion to realize what you're doing so that you're participating in the inevitable energy of life in its exchanges. That's what rituals are for; you do things with intention, and not just in the animal way, ravenously, without knowing what you're doing."

Thank you to my fellow writers who took the time to turn an afternoon into a meaningful occasion. And thanks to the unseen spirits that shared our humble work.

Speak of the Dead

2011-10-18T15:28:00.000-04:00

My time in Mexico taught me many things: a beautiful language, the power of family unity, and marvelous ways to celebrate the presence of departed souls. The Days of the Dead are very special holidays. In Mexico, people build lovely altars that appeal to every sense. The colors and smells are there, and so is the spiritual connection to deceased friends on the other side. This year, in Jim Thorpe, we are holding a fourth annual Day of the Dead reading event at 1 PM on Sunday, October 30th.

At the "Speak of the Dead" reading, we will have a mix of readers and creative performers from Carbon County -- along with a special guest or two from my old Philly gang, the Liberties Scribblers. The event will be held at the Strange Brew Coffee House at 79 Broadway -- Jim Thorpe's main street. If you'd like to read or perform a piece in tribute to someone who has passed on, please contact me here or at the Facebook page for Pennsyl Pointe Writing Retreat.

We will also build a small ofrenda at Strange Brew. If you want to add an item in remembrance of a beloved soul, you can leave it for me at Strange Brew some time before the event. This is one of my favorite autumn rituals. Feel free to join us.

Parallel Stories of Walking the Tightrope

2011-10-09T11:44:00.002-04:00

Creative people embrace fabulous dreams. If you have abandoned yourself to the charms of a creative idea that now seems impossible to complete, consider the work of Philippe Petit whose incredible feats were captured visually in the documentary Man on Wire -- and poetically in the book Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann. Petit is the French highwire performer who walked back and forth between the towers of the World Trade Center in 1974. McCann is Irish by birth, but his book captures the soul of New York City as lived by its socialites, artists, hookers, and priests.

Petit, a Frenchman from Nemours, spent six years planning his walk between the Towers, a project that was dangerous beyond words and patently illegal. His dream of the tightrope feat came to him before the World Trade Center had even been built. He read a newspaper article about the WTC construction project while he was waiting in a dentist's office and immediately began formulating a plan for his unbelievable walk more than 100 stories in the air.

McCann's book captures the excitement of Petit's performance by leading us through the lives of characters who occupy each rung of New York City's social ladder. Some of their stories are heartbreaking. But the book is written with such affection for the tumult of life, you cannot help but feel delighted by their efforts to seize the available beauty in life. The sight of the tightrope walker adds a dimension of greatness to a day that would otherwise feel tragic to some, mundane to others.

A third level of artistic complexity is added by James Marsh's film Man on Wire. If you have never seen it, it is worth every dollar of a DVD rental and each minute of your attention. The work of Petit, the novel by McCann, and the movie by Marsh wrap the tragedy of 9/11 in a tableau of meaning that is far deeper and more complex than any one story could express.

There will always be days when your life or work may feel impossible. And there are certainly times when the events of our lives seem to weigh more than we can bear. But by comparison, no task could be more difficult than the goals these artists set for themselves. Steal a moment to enjoy their work. Then take a big breath and get back up on the wire.

Character Education

2011-10-02T13:02:00.000-04:00

If you can't predict what a character will do, you're more likely to stay hooked by a story. Complex characters take time to reveal their hidden motives and disruptive plans. Rampart, one of the best films I saw at the Toronto Film Festival, revolved around a corrupt policeman with loads of charm. Watching Officer Dave Brown develop and unravel was an extraordinary experience. Much of his behavior was awful, but his emerging desperation made you want to understand him more. It's hard to think of a character in literature with the same qualities of attraction and repulsion. Voracious readers: help me out!

Officer Dave Brown is not Raskolnikov -- but he shares some of the delusions that Dostoevsky's great character held about why he should be permitted to do some of the sickening things he does (e.g. bash in the heads of suspected criminals, kill those he presumes to be guilty).

Officer Dave Brown is not Gatsby -- but he has some kind of naive sense of entitlement and -- though he has no real skill for the endeavor -- he is prone to love.

Officer Dave Brown is not Salander -- he has a set of gifts that include bottomless irony and a penchant for disappearing, but his morals are not as clear as Lisbeth's and his taste for violence is less defensible.

The one thing that Officer Dave Brown may be is the clearest example of what a great actor Woody Harrelson has become. Watching this mesmerizing movie, I had to remind myself that Harrelson is the same person who began his career as the dumb guy everyone made fun of on Cheers. During Rampart, it is difficult to take your eyes off him because he seems to have control of every muscle, every pore -- and he uses them to reveal more about the character.

Any writer who wants to learn more about creating compelling characters should see this movie. It is as instructive as it is amazing.

The Director's Deepest Cuts

2011-09-25T14:56:00.000-04:00

The best dividends of travelling are the strange, intimate stories you hear from people in airports, subways, and cabs. When your journey takes you to an event like the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), the collection of tales expands to include confessions from world-famous artists who offer even more reasons to view life from new perspectives. I'm not sure whose story touched me most this year, but I think it's a toss-up between Francis Ford Coppola and Harvey Weinstein's chauffeur.

The chance to hear Mr. Coppola was the result of some wild luck. At TIFF you can stand in line to request a seat at any event. But those that feature legendary actors or directors fill up fast. If you're not prepared to wait an hour or two at the box office, forget it. For me, a week of travel is too precious to spend standing still, so I usually skip events that require a long wait -- even though I've shared memorable moments with producers and writers in TIFF lines. This year, after 40 minutes of waiting to pick up my ticket package, I made a random inquiry about availability for Coppola's premiere of Twixt. Even the TIFF guy couldn't believe my good fortune when he discovered there was one spot left. More serendipity brought me a seat very near the man who directed The Godfather, Apocalypse Now, and other unforgettable films.

Twixt was a fascinating experiment in story telling that had little in common with Coppola's best known works. Some story elements were drawn from straight from horror movies -- others had the emotional tone of serious character studies. Visual elements shift from frames of hand colored black and white photographs to highly stylized 3D sequences that could have been designed by Hitchcock himself. Since the plot of Twixt has Gothic overtones, I expect the film to appear in theaters around Halloween. But the most important aspect of the movie is the personal conflict that propelled its development.

Coppola is known for his expansive vision and massive appetites. His big belly is the central feature of a man who has overspent on budgets for some films that flopped like harpooned whales. But his explanation of Twixt revealed some of the personal turmoil that his prior excesses nearly hid. Tragic deaths lie at the core of the plot; denial drives the actions of the lead character. In his comments after the film, Coppola revealed that these themes mirrored his own epic pain over losing a child. He said that the film's plot came to him through a dream he had in Turkey one night after drinking too much wine. While the ending of the story was not revealed to him, his dream showed him that the key to resolving of the film's conflict was buried inside of him. Considering Coppola's work in light of his personal losses makes it's easier to forgive him some of the excesses he displayed in his career. Twixt was also a lot of fun to watch. It's spooky, visually compelling, and it gave Val Kilmer a chance to show comedic talent he didn't need when good looks were all the camera demanded. Kilmer is not beautiful in Twixt, but he looked good on stage in Toronto. It was also a treat to hear a former Batman laugh out loud. For me, the whole premiere was a reminder that our best creative work is often driven by memories that remain undead no matter how often we plunge a stake in them.

Can George Clooney tell a good story? Live from the Toronto International Film Festival

2011-09-11T12:28:00.001-04:00

Hardly able to keep my fingers on the key pad as the schedule for today's films gets arranged and re-ordered to shape the day. Creative people fill the sidewalks of Toronto as the film festival shifts into high gear. Directors, actors, producers, and fans have converged to see the films that have the potential become this year's hits. High on the list for today: A new Clooney picture --The Descendants, directed by Alexander Payne of Sideways fame -- and Albert Nobbs, a film co-written by its star Glenn Close. Both films intrigue because they are based on books or screenplays written from unusual perspectives. One describes a man who is heir to a large and valuable tract of land in Hawaii, the other charts the life experience of a woman who has spent her life dressed as a man. Stories like these can be portrayed in ways that surmount the "star elements" of the films. Can't wait to see what they'll be like.

September Transformations

2011-09-05T16:34:00.000-04:00

Every kid in the world knows that things change in September. Even if you finished your last day of school thirty years ago, you can still feel the world's heart skip a beat when students on campuses everywhere open great books for the first time. What story has most transformed your view of things? Was it a fiction classic like "The Great Gatsby", a memoir like "Angela's Ashes", or the work of a cunning philosopher like Machiavelli or Adam Smith?

This time of year makes me long for the excitement of new learning. Hannah, the five year old at the end of our lane, just started kindergarten. For weeks she was vibrating with anticipation of that first day of school. I remember feeling that way each fall -- 'til I finally finished my formal education. Last year I found a way to bring some September delight back into my life and next week I'm trying it again. On September 10, I'm returning to the Toronto International Film Festival to see and write about new works that filmmakers have created for audiences around the globe.

Last year's festival was a fantastic experience. Conversations with people in and outside the film industry had a big impact on my writing last year. It's probably dangerous to think that this year's festival will be just as wonderful, but I've been going over the list of TIFF premieres and it looks awfully good. Some films have such an original approach to storytelling, they force you to see your own work from new angles.

Here are a few films I'm planning to see:

The Oranges -- It's not about navels and mandarins. It focuses on a family in that special part of New Jersey you've probably never seen. The acting ensemble includes Catherine Keener, Allison Janney, and Hugh Laurie. If this doesn't make me laugh, it can't be done.

Snowtown -- No skiing or igloos involved. The film is set in South Australia and follows a young man who finds a father figure in a charismatic drifter -- who happens to be a serial killer. Chills without the aid of ice cubes.

Cafe de Flore -- This film is a mood piece with visual elements that intertwine stories from different time periods. In French, lots of music, might be strange but I love seeing how good directors connect the dots of complex plots.

Rampart -- The story follows an LAPD officer played by Woody Harrelson. Other cast members include Steve Buscemi, Robin Wright, and Sigourney Weaver. Acting ought to be first rate.

Butter -- A girl in a small mid-western town finds herself competing for a butter sculpting prize. Her art makes her the target of another ambitious food sculptor. Ever considered a plot line that revolves around butter art? I thought not.

Let me know if there's a movie you'd like to hear about. I'll be posting film details here for the next two weeks as I strive to make this September another month of creative change.

Earthquakes, Hurricanes and the Script for Disaster

2011-08-28T12:44:00.005-04:00

Everyone was running away from Irene since she arrived in town with a bad reputation. Circumstances forced me to do the opposite and drive straight into the hurricane. There were very scary moments, but the script for this disaster movie wouldn't be authentic if it overlooked the great waves of kindness moving around the eye of the storm.

For weeks I'd been planning a nice evening in my old Philly neighborhood where I had to fix a roof leak before the start of the rainy season. Once Irene showed her teeth, there was no way I could cancel the trip. Although the new galleries and restaurants in Northern Liberties have made it a sexy destination for people in sharp clothes, I lived there when it was a haven for working and middle class people of all incomes, races, and jobs. On summer nights, neighbors hung out on the front steps and shared the Yuengling.

Yesterday I was reminded that no amount of hipster marketing has erased the heart of my neighborhood. it still beats to the rhythm of hammers and saws of hard core Phillydelphians. As the rain teemed down on all the old brick houses, one guy from our street became the most important fellow in town. He's the local roofer who had spent his morning saving a church roof that was about to collapse under three feet of water! The gutters were blocked and they needed someone to get up there and unclog them before doom set in. By the time I found him, he'd already been working nearly around the clock saving local buildings before the storm hit.

His wife and I sat talking while George the hero changed his shirt, dried his head, and grabbed his truck keys. In the pouring rain, he climbed out on my roof with another guy from the bar across the street. The bar's number is the one you call when there's a crime or crisis. Since the guys there can solve most problems faster than cops or firemen, it's smart to get them involved early. Twenty minutes after George arrived, my leak was fixed, my neighbors were drenched, and I was soggy but safe. It was a great moment for my community. Soaked and laughing, we remembered what the realtors tried to make us forget. Come quakes or high water, Philly is a heart and soul town.

It was a long, exhausting drive back to the mountains and I'm glad to be out of the of Schuylkill backwash now. Still, it's nice to remember how much kindness lies at the heart of what we call disaster.

Where are the butterflies?

2011-08-21T12:15:00.006-04:00

Leaky roof, sticking door, stack of bills that need attention. Everything slits a hole in the balloon of inspiration. Trying to mend the tear just frays the edges. Clouds part, but it's still overcast. Where are the ideas that used to land here like butterflies? Cranky times need poetry and action. Elizabeth Barrett Browning wrote: "I heard an angel speak last night/And he said, "Write!"

Every word feels like the product of arthritic effort. But with time, it starts to flow like yarn unraveled. Life isn't supposed to be easy, and writing is just an extension of life, so why should that be easy? Joseph Addison had it right when he said, "Our real blessings often appear to us in the shape of pains, losses, and disappointments."

Wallet empty? Spirit tired? Car out of gas? If your cup runneth over with "blessings" of that sort, shake off the mood of complaint and pick up a pen. Your swallowtails and monarchs may have arrived.

A Taste of the Hand-Made Life

2011-08-14T10:11:00.004-04:00

Today's chefs and food writers have found a huge popular audience. But writers like Julia Child and M.F.K. Fisher delight me far more than their contemporary apprentices. That's mostly because, although they shared a fascination with food, Child and Fisher lived unique, hand-made lives built one original decision at a time.

Julia Child's biography is nicely detailed in her books and in the film "Julie and Julia". What enchants me about her life is the way she allowed a passion for French cooking to drive her other career decisions. By following her impulse to master French cuisine -- and share that expertise with an American audience -- she created a whole genre of culinary writing which has stood the test of time. Julia also lived an incredibly satisfying life without yielding to pressure to dilute her ideas on how to cook, write, or live. Even in TV shows made at the end of her life, Julia Child bubbled with enthusiasm and authentic charm.

M.F.K. Fisher also fashioned a writing career around the love of eating. But unlike Chef Child, she focused on the way food binds families and people together. Her writing reflects a glimmering literary sensibility that lures you into a meal by way of innuendo and luscious metaphor. Here is a paragraph Fisher wrote about her first childhood meal in a restaurant: "There was no mention of milk to drink but instead we lifted the tall goblets of forbidden ice water waveringly to our lips, and looked up over them at the pink rose nodding in a silver vase between us and the world. There may have been other things to eat, but the chafing-dish chicken is all my sister and I can remember now, and of course the wonderful waiter who kept on remembering us too, after that first hushed luncheon." By the end of this piece, you feel like you've not only eaten a lovely meal, but traveled back to misty, mythical meals from your own childhood.

Like Julia Child, MFK Fisher began to write about food in an era when expectations about women's lives did not include roaming the globe, eating odd foods, and writing about the experience. Fisher had several husbands. She left the first one and the second died of a rare disease. Even with two young daughters to raise, she continued to seek ways to keep travelling and maintain her unique career as a gastronomic writer. Today her essays on food set the gold standard by which we might judge all Cooking Channel poseurs.

Although I love to cook and sample great food, the food writing business is an extraordinarily difficult one to enter. At last year's conference of the American Society of Journalists and Authors, editors at a food writing workshop told writers that it is nearly impossible to get a cook book published if you don't already have a cooking show. Imagine how Julia Child or M.F.K. Fisher would have reacted to that message! Perhaps we'd never have learned how to make a proper Boeuf Bourguignon or savor Fisher-style meals of mussels steamed on fresh seaweed over hot coals. On second thought, considering the obstacles they faced in their day, maybe they would have gone ahead and self-published their writing, hoping a hungry audience would find them one day.

Nostalgia for Borders

2011-08-07T09:59:00.005-04:00

It's not easy to confess, but I think I'm a book addict. It started pre-kinder, when my cousins taught me to read. By second grade, I was a library junkie, helplessly hooked. Borders fed my addiction in ways I couldn't have imagined until they opened their Philly store on Rittenhouse. It was just two blocks from my house and I could not stay away.

When that flagship site first opened, there were lots of independent bookstores in Philadelphia. Most seemed small and dim compared to the bright, expansive aesthetic promoted by Borders. The store had leather club chairs for browsing and cappuccino for those times when only caffeine could sustain a good book binge. Coffee and books, leather chairs, the occasional Wednesday night jazz combo playing on the second floor...the place offered stimulation and comfort to urban thinkers.

Poetry and performance groups convened there. I remember a guy pulling a flute out of his backpack one night, to accompany a poet. Jazz aficionados and world travelers converged in the cafe to drink espresso and critique the world. Borders was the only place in town with a good selection of literature in Spanish, French or Russian.

Economists say that Borders fell because the chain's prices were undercut by Amazon -- a global store with no chairs or coffee. They also say that Borders failed to embrace E-books early and lost out on that market. While these things are true, I also think Borders followed the irritating example set by banks. First these corporations put a sales outlet on every corner to try to stamp out competition. Then they end up with huge overhead costs that turn them into dinosaurs. Consumers lose out once more.

No matter why it happened, the death of Borders makes me sad. I'll miss my browsing marathons and spontaneous chats with other book fiends. But I'm keeping my favorite Borders memory:

One night I helped a friend from Spain edit a paper he'd written. It took hours to knock the warts off his grammar and smooth out his prose. By the time we finished, we were the only people left in the cafe. I went over to the cashier and, while waiting to get some change, I felt someone brush up behind me. I turned to find myself standing face to face with Bill Clinton, America's sexiest presidential candidate. Yes, he touched me right away and with both hands. I swear he could have been a faith healer if he hadn't gone into politics. With one palm on my shoulder and one on my hand, he sent a surge of electricity right through my body. I had him sign a Borders napkin which I gave to my Spanish friend. For myself, I kept nothing but memories of his blue eyes and the glare on Hilary's face as she looked on. It was before we knew what we know now -- about Bill and about Borders. Goodbye, old innocent days, goodbye.

You Lookin' at Me?

2011-07-24T12:04:00.005-04:00

Do you want to make money, have a million followers, or be recognized for the quality of your writing? Creativity expert Julia Cameron believes that every writer must identify their "True North". True North is the outcome that would bring you real satisfaction with your work.

If you can't name your personal True North, it's hard to set goals that will lead you in the right direction. Some creative people write great stories but are frustrated by the fact that they can't earn a decent living and have to hold down many jobs. Others sell their work, but feel like they have to stoop to the low tide of the market to earn any dough. Then you have the unusual predicament of a hugely successful author like Stephenie Meyer. The final book in the Twilight saga sold 1.3 million copies in the first 24 hours after its release. But Meyer believes that today she could write a much better version of Twilight -- because now she's developed a true sense of craft. Though she says she's got mature stories to tell, Meyer says can't write when she feels people looking over her shoulder.

Yikes! After selling more than 70 million copies of the Twilight books, finding the creative solitude that feeds her True North must be nearly impossible. Meyer says that even her mother tries to tell her what she should be writing. Still, she knows that get to the heart of the matter, she's got to put distance between herself and the rest of the world.

Those mystical moments when creative ideas are born can be thrilling. Last Thursday, I took my coffee down by our stream. The sun hadn't risen above the trees but the weather was already steamy. Early morning felt like a dream my brain forgot to end. Then I got this sensation that I wasn't writing alone. I turned my head and saw I had a follower. He had horns, lean legs, and a white tail. Maybe he was just thirsty, but I think that deer was trying to find his way into my plot. Can't find peace and quiet anywhere!

The Long March to Success: Rachel Simon

2011-07-17T11:49:00.018-04:00

Many folks think that writing careers are launched by a random bolt from the sky. But most are the product of ceaseless work. The tale of Rachel Simon, a friend whose book "The Story of Beautiful Girl" recently made the New York Times Bestseller list, offers an antidote to the magical thinking that surrounds the writing industry.

When I met Rachel, we were both in our first post-college jobs. I wasn't sure what to do with my English degree. Journalism didn't seem attractive, but I still wanted to write. Rachel was not a journalist, but she had a clear vision of the kind of writer she wanted to become. She never let the drudgery of her day job keep her from working on stories. Over time, her strong work ethic and well-defined goals helped her get a story selected for "consideration" by a literary journal. During an entire year of waiting, Rachel's story got lost and was eventually rejected by the publication. Infuriated, Rachel's anger pushed her into entering a story contest -- which she won. When she went to accept her award, she took copies of her story to hand out at the event and used the opportunity to meet professionals in the industry.

Guided once more by her goals, Rachel worked to sell her first book, before she even had an agent. After winning a contract, she did whatever it took to sell more books and make people pay attention to her writing. Her publicity events were funny and fearless and she never backed down from the endless challenge of getting people to notice (and buy!) her work.

When her second book of fiction did not set the world on fire, Rachel had to work through a long period of self-doubt. Ultimately, her instincts led her away from fiction and into memoir. This brave decision was a key choice that transformed her view of herself and her family. It also showed her she had the power to tell many kinds of stories. Riding the Bus with My Sister was translated into a host of languages and made into a TV movie.

Though the success of the memoir opened a new path for her, Rachel still taught writing as a part-time college professor. Then, after years of teaching, her position got cut during a budget blood-bath. Grieving this sudden loss, Rachel turned the termination of her job into raw material for her next work. The Story of Beautiful Girl has now pushed Rachel into the national fiction limelight. Her book was recently highlighted by Jennifer Weiner on Good Morning America as one of this year's great summer reads.

If Rachel's path teaches anything, it is that successful writing careers rest on a foundation built from tremendous discipline and the ability to rebound from disappointment. She works with diligence and wisdom whether she's helping students, meeting her writing schedule, or throwing a party.

Becoming a good writer requires us to become the best version of ourselves and that often means turning away from more seductive pleasures. Rachel says, "The most valuable tool in a writer's toolbox is the word no." Say no, she says, to anything that distracts you from your writing. This advice reminds me of the motto on a statue in the Annenberg School where Rachel and I worked at our first jobs. The bust of Moses Louis Annenberg reminded everyone that, "Sacrifice is necessary for achievement." Yes, Moses, it certainly is.

Word Ethics

2011-07-10T12:45:00.004-04:00

Most people who thrive as writers have built their success on three qualities:1) Skill, 2) Luck, and 3) Work ethic. It's an equation that can be rebalanced in a few ways. If you are incredibly skillful, like Scott Fitzgerald, you might need less luck. And if you're really lucky, like "Twilight" author Stephenie Meyer, skill may not be the key. But even lucky, talented authors can't survive without a disciplined approach to the page.

Many young people want to be writers but they absorb their ideas about the field from images in movies and publicity media. Some actually believe that all published writers get the beach house, prepaid. This is a hilarious notion for those of us struggling to meet deadlines while we wait for our freelance checks to roll in. Apart from writing, most authors have to maintain teaching jobs or speaker schedules to keep their financial boat afloat. Last week I taught writing workshops to students in Philadelphia and raced home to write after nightfall. Yet even some of my most sensible clients seem to think my address is Easy Street USA -- maybe that's why my checks arrive late.

Writers don't get paid holidays and they finance their vacations with 60 hour work weeks before and after each break. When I have a three day weekend, like last week, I usually have to write at night to make up for lost time. But I'd still do this job even if I never got another day off. I started writing stories and journals when I was a kid in primary school. If I have to go a day without writing, it's only because I'm forced into it. Sure it's a bit of a compulsion, but it's the only way I know how to stay limber and hit every deadline -- and it's a common practice with most writers I've known. Even Stephen King, who could survive 300 years without selling another book, keeps a rigorous writing schedule because his personality will tolerate no less.

A long time ago, I saw a diagram for helping teens choose a career. In the middle, it said: "Do what you love". This message was surrounded by concentric rings which explained that: a) doing what you love, helps you define who you are and develop your true talents, and b) developing your true talents helps you become the person you were meant to be. So if you think you are the kind of person meant to obsess over words from morning 'til night, and cool your heels 'til your financial payoff arrives, a writer's life may be just for you. You can write on the porch in summer and on the couch when it snows. Just be prepared to do a lot of scribbling before you get the beach house. It comes with a nice view and a hefty mortgage.

Next week: A true tale of how a phenomenal work ethic built a path to the New York Times Bestseller list.

Fireworks in the Library

2011-07-03T13:55:00.006-04:00

Conflict lies at the heart of every revolution. It set things off in 1776 and rocks our politics today. Great writers also embrace conflict as a tool to move society forward. Authors like Edna O' Brien chafed at the injustices promoted by organized religion and sexist norms. Though her books are revered today, they once served as fuel for library bonfires.

People with a strong creative impulse often find themselves at odds with society. O'Brien felt suffocated by a religious education and poured her discontent into The Country Girls, a tale of independent girls who resisted the constrictions forced on Irish women. Her work -- which advocated birth control -- was banned, burned and belittled before it catapulted her to the top of the literary heap.

Practically every work O'Brien wrote was censored by the Irish government under the Censorship of Publications Act of 1929. The authorities found her stories to be "indecent or obscene". But she later won a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Irish Book Awards in Dublin, as well as the Los Angeles Times Book Prize.

It's a quiet day today, but a writer can find the seeds of conflict anywhere. There are firecrackers shaking the forest while mountain laurels explode across the hills. Tonight, those rowdy fireflies will be back and the fireworks will start again. So much rebellion, so much material, right here in our woods.

Writing Idols Revived: Midnight in Paris

2011-06-26T10:53:00.004-04:00

Once upon a time a bunch of clever people settled near the Seine seeking new ways to write, draw, and explain the world. Their work earned them big prizes and a perpetual glow that still enchants aspiring artists. Books like The Great Gatsby and The Sun also Rises ensured that hordes of college students would dream of writing in French cafes. Then, just when you think the magic of Jazz Age literature had been dispelled by reality (and Reality TV), Woody Allen leaps in to revive it with his film Midnight in Paris.

Seeing this film sent me back to books that have launched a million writing careers. Though Fitzgerald always charmed me most, it was Gertrude Stein who brought Picasso, Hemingway, and the rest of that creative gang together. It takes work to find the core of her stories, and the rewards have not always seemed to justify the effort. But Midnight in Paris reminded me that the enigmatic quality of her writing was a reflection of her strong, quirky personality -- and that's what drew genius artists to Stein's salons.

This paragraph from The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas illustrates the oblique charm of her writing: "As I was saying, Fernande, who was then living wih Picasso and had been with him a long time that is to say they were all twenty-four years olds at that time but they had been together a long time, Fernande was the first wife of a genius I sat with and she was not the least amusing. We talked hats. Fernande had two subjects hats and perfumes. This first days we talked hats. She liked hats, she had the true french feeling about a hat, if a hat did nto provoke some witticism from a man on the street the hat was not a success. Later on once in Montmartre she and I were walking together. She had on a large yellow hat and I had on a much smaller blue one. As we were walking along a workman stopped and called out, there go the sun and the moon shining together. Ah, said Fernande to me with a radiant smile, you see our hats are a success."

That's a heap of words. Yet, when you get to the end, there is a sense that the phrases describe more than a moment. It's a long paragraph leading a tour of cultural history. Nevertheless, you may not want to eat that many words at each meal.

It good to go back to read those authors who were your first idols. It makes you recall what you love about writing -- whether it's content or style or just the rhythm that propels great stories. I think I may also go back to see that Woody Allen movie again. He has put a new coat of paint on a cherished illusion.

Advice from Masters

2011-06-12T13:13:00.005-04:00

All around me, the garden is in some ecstatic state that makes things grow fast. But gray skies make me feel lazy. The late John Leonard, my beloved college writing teacher, told me that laziness is a writer's biggest problem. Starting pieces you never finish, he warned, is the scourge of the profession. Since he'd published a few novels and been editor of the New York Times Book Review, he knew a thing or two about the rewards of perseverance.

Persistence is clearly a trait that drives success in this business. It may even matter more than talent, since many talented people give up before they get published -- and lots of mediocre writers end up in print. A recent computer crash taught me something about the limits of my own ability to persevere. One afternoon the laptop I'd been using for two years went dead -- just dead -- without warning. I was in the middle of a high profile assignment with a no-nonsense deadline. The project had to be finished, so I went to work on an old, injured IBM. It was once a great machine but had developed electrical problems that allowed me to type only when I held down the left corner of the keyboard. It's not a very comfortable arrangement, but I managed to complete the work on time.

Later when I had a chance to scroll through files on the old laptop, I found a couple of stories I'd written two years earlier but never edited. One had a special place in my heart because it was written in honor of a friend who'd lost his life. The discovery made me think about John Leonard's advice and the many great pieces I'd seen friends write but never finish.

It's really never too late to go back to a story you care about. Like certain books, some can lose their appeal when you hit a wall. But if you go back to them, it's possible to rediscover the magic that drew you to the tale in the first place. When I need inspiration for writing, my garden at Pennsyl Pointe always helps me find it. Last fall I put a leafless hibiscus in the ground without expecting much. The winter was cruel and I wrapped the roots of the plant to protect it. All through March and April it just looked like the grey stick you see in the background of this photo. Then suddenly, in early May, it pushed out a green shoot. For the past week it's been growing at least an inch every 48 hours. Now it's got real Jack-in-the-Beanstalk propulsion. It's quite possible that those old abandoned stories conceal the same kind of surprising potential.

The Vision Thing

2011-06-05T12:05:00.003-04:00

Some people look at a field of rubble and see the end of civilization, while others say, "Hmm, nice spot for a garden." One of the perks of my writing business is that I often work with visionary people. It's exciting to help someone massage an idea until it's got the right shape and dimensions. My job is getting that vision on paper so we can transform it into reality.

The "visionary" trait is not universally distributed. People who have it are often very creative and most are a bit headstrong. Stubbornness is an important quality when you're trying to launch a new project -- whether it's a book or a skyscraper. Many obstacles can arise when moving an idea from the stage of foggy inception to real life. The architect of a good idea has to be at least a little pushy to move things from phase to phase.

A few weeks ago I had a chance to chat over coffee with a long-time client who has founded several organizations and created some gorgeous city parks and buildings. We both agreed that you can usually sense when some innovative idea will work or not. If your vision has true value, pieces start to come together in ways you hadn't anticipated to make it even more interesting than you originally thought. Doomed ideas seem to keep getting hung up on the rapids. No matter how hard you work to solve problems, no amount of effort can revive them. This guideline is one I use to help decide whether to keep writing something or look for a new angle that finds traction in my imagination and allies in the real world.

This week, while working on a new book project, even the research process really fascinated me. As lists of facts coalesced, I began to see more value and complexity in the concept. When momentum grows, so does commitment. This is what makes writing a true adventure. It's like living in an Eden of ideas.

The photo here, by the way, is not a picture of our Pocono garden. It's a shot of the Libertylands garden in Philadelphia. Those gorgeous flowers were planted on the site of an abandoned tannery where roses were once just a dream. Moral of the story is: plant a paragraph today if you want a bouquet of chapters tomorrow.

War and Memory

2011-05-29T13:14:00.005-04:00

Even in the tiny hamlet of Albrightsville, we have an annual ceremony of rifles and Taps to honor deceased local veterans. The cemetery at the top of our hill is half the size of a soccer field but it serves as the final resting place for veterans from every war from Abe Lincoln's to Vietnam. There are no graves for soldiers who fought in Afghanistan or Iraq, but the solemn gunshots force you remember the people still fighting wars for which there is no true end in sight.

It's a mistake to believe that wars ever end. So many soldiers bring home harrowing memories that haunt them their entire lives. My dad was a Korean War veteran and, although he would never admit it, it scarred him in ways that undermined his efforts to be a good husband and father. He spent a lot of time celebrating his military experience but never took the time to disarm the ticking bomb of distress inside him. He suffered from endless nightmares and recurring heart problems. When Marines fresh from active duty would visit him at our house, we always had to leave the room. He did not want us to know the gory details of wartime, preferring to wrap them in a flag.

A few weeks ago, I also lost a long time friend who received the Silver Star, the Bronze Star and two Purple Heart medals after extensive tours of duty in Vietnam. Luis Munoz, Sr., was my advocate and protector when I first started working in a dangerous North Philly neighborhood. He helped me run programs that sent young Latinos go to college and he personally raised many scholarship dollars for kids who often couldn't afford to buy their college textbooks. Lots of the students who won those scholarships were from Edison High School which, at that time, was the high school that had produced the greatest number of veterans who had been killed in the Vietnam war. He never mentioned any connection between his own battle scars and his efforts to help young people find a path away from military service. But on many occasions, he shared heartbreaking stories of things he'd seen and done in the war. Despite the wounds he carried, he was a friend and hero to many, many people.

Writers from Ernie Pyle to James Jones and Tim O'Brien have used the printed page to make us examine the truth of war and its human costs. If you have a war memory or are a second hand veteran, like so many children of soldiers, today is a good day to put some of that truth on paper and make those memories count in new ways.

Did the French Invent Everything?

2011-05-22T09:49:00.006-04:00

Shrinks have lots of theories about how and why we create, but anthropologists now think they've dug up the roots of modern creativity. One-upping psychologists and poets, the rock hounds excavating Chauvet Cave in Southern France, have uncovered stone rooms filled with detailed paintings made more than 31,000 years ago.

Werner Herzog, one of the world's great storytellers, has made the Chauvet cave paintings the focus of his documentary, Cave of Forgotten Dreams, which was a big hit at the Toronto Film Festival. Last week in Philadelphia, I had a chance to watch the film and reflect on its message in the context of Philly's lush creative community. While the city is known for great baseball (GO PHILS!) and cheesesteaks, for me it's always been a hive of creative communities, bursting with artistic expression.

Philly is dense with gorgeous murals, hidden gardens, and every form of poetry known to man and thug. The city also has links to France -- Ben Franklin's gang loved Paris! -- that help me accept the Chauvet anthropologists' theory that their cave paintings may be the first art that used modern techniques of shading and perspective. It's okay with me if the French take credit for inventing modern art since they've done so much to refine it during the intervening centuries.

For a writer, however, the most interesting part of Herzog's story comes at the end of his film during a discussion of how aboriginal people explain the source of their creative impulse. When the Chauvet scientists talked about worldwide cave art discoveries, one man mentioned a story about an aboriginal cave artist in Australia. An ethnographer asked the aboriginal man to explain why he would go the caves to touch up ancient paintings. The aboriginal artist protested that he did not paint -- it was the Great Spirit doing the painting. For me, this explanation also describes the most profound writing experiences. It is not Ego Me that writes good stuff. It is that strange visitor who steps in from the underground cave to leave inspired work on my page.

They have yet to discover any books in Chauvet Cave. But I feel certain that one day they will stumble into the cavern library which is surely located just behind the cave's central fireplace. Unfortunately, the reading chair is made of stalagmites.

Good Mothers Publish their Children

2011-05-08T10:06:00.004-04:00

Merriam-Webster offers this two-bit definition of the word "mother": a female parent. But if you have a mother, or are a mother, or have ever had the privilege of knowing one, you'll note the number of details this definition omits. Apart from the million tasks that go into caring for families, mothers are awfully creative people. Some have also been exceptional writers in their "spare" time.

Toni Morrison, for example, earned a master's degree, gave birth to two sons, and got divorced before she ever wrote her first book. She accomplished this while holding down a full time job and raising her kids, who have never written tell-alls to gripe about her parenting skills. In fact, one of her sons (Slade) has even collaborated with her on several children's books.

Somehow in the process of raising children, teaching, and writing books, Toni Morrison managed to win the following awards:

1977 National Book Critics Circle Award for Song of Solomon
1977 American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters Award
1987-88 Robert F. Kennedy Book Award
1988 American Book Award for Beloved
1988 Anisfield-Wolf Book Award in Race Relations for Beloved
1988 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for Beloved
1989 MLA Commonwealth Award in Literature
1993 Nobel Prize for Literature
1993 Commander of the Arts and Letters, Paris
1994 Condorcet Medal, Paris
1994 Pearl Buck Award
1994 Rhegium Julii Prize for Literature
1996 Jefferson Lecture
1996 National Book Foundation's Medal of Distinguished Contribution to American Letters
2000 National Humanities Medal

Just pondering all that may lead to exhaustion. But her example also shows us that it is possible to be a good mother and a successful writer. Sometimes I think of my neglected manuscripts as abandoned children. I know in my heart that they deserve a better fate, yet I put off taking care of them. Today is a good day to revise the to-do list and become a better mother to works I still love.

Country Characters, City Plots

2011-05-01T12:00:00.009-04:00

This week the first hummingbird arrived at Pennsyl Pointe and dandelions erupted across the lawn. Instead of sitting around admiring the spring, I propelled myself across the state into the roiling energy of New York City where I met with many writers and picked up a few urban plot points.

Life in the woods is full of beauty and quiet charm. But when I throw myself into the arms of a big city like New York, I always come home with a head full of new projects and hot ideas to nourish my writing. Fortunately, the big city stories I just added to my agenda are neatly tied to my blissful life in the woods. In the Big Apple, I had a chance to see the Oscar-nominated film Gasland. Anyone living in the Pennsylvania counties that sit upon Marcellus Shale must see this movie. It's time for people to educate themselves about the unpublicized environmental threats associated with the fracking process. At the screening, I had a chance to meet Josh Fox, the film's director, and talk with people in the publicity crew for his movie. Now I'm actively plotting to bring the film to Carbon County for a public screening and discussion. If you're interested in working with me on this project, please get in touch.

A second writing project grew out of the fun I had meeting writers at the annual conference of the American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA). Over the years, I've had the privilege of working with so many writers in different parts of the country. My Philly crew is very dear to me and I've enjoyed getting to know members of the Black Diamond Writers Network. Now, through my growing involvement with Gotham Ghostwriters and ASJA, I think it's time for ... a city-to-woods writers party at Pennsyl Pointe. Wanna help me plan it? Send me a note and let's talk before the dandelions take over the lawn in earnest.

2011-04-27T15:16:00.002-04:00

Today the Associated Press reported that Hosni Mubarak, ousted president of Egypt, is not healthy enough to be moved to a military hospital. He will continue to be held in detention in a hospital at Sharm el-Sheikh until his condition is more stable. Here is a link to my recent article in Carbon County Magazine about the revolution in Egypt and some thoughts on freedom of expression.

The Triumph of Instinct

2011-04-24T13:17:00.005-04:00

Time to tune in to the soundtrack of spring. Crows, robins, turbulent waters, wind, dogs -- there's sound everywhere silence once reigned. Instinct churns all of it. When writers listen to their instincts it will also tell them where to find the real story.

Some writers create characters that embody instinct. In great novels like The Girl Who Played with Fire, Lisbeth Salander is able to survive a million threats to her life because her instincts are as sharp as those of any animal. Rape, gunfire, police manhunts, technology -- nothing actually overpowers her highly developed gut knowledge of the true threats in life. She also has a well developed sense of morality that underlies her sometimes violent approach to justice.

E.M. Forster speaks to the alchemical process that pushes writers to hear their instinctive voices and incorporate them into great fiction. He says, "What can we say about the creative state? In it a man is taken out of himself. He lets down as it were a bucket into his subcionsious and draws up something which is normally beyond his reach. He mixes this thing with his normal experiences and out of the mixture he makes a work of art...And when the process is over, when the novel is complete,....he will wonder how on earth he did it."

When your gut pushes you toward a story, follow it. For months, I had notes for a story on Egyptian filmmaking waiting for me to turn it into something. About two weeks ago, I was overcome with this idea that the time to write the story was on that day. I wrote it, found an interested publisher and wrote it out as fast as I could. The next day, Hosni Mubarak and his sons were taken into detention for questioning on charges of corruption and abuse of power. It gave me a lot of satisfaction to hear the story break on the news the day after I turned in my final draft. If only my instincts were that accurate for all aspects of life -- today I'd be writing from Paris instead of the Poconos.

Passion Ain't a Dirty Word

2011-04-17T11:44:00.006-04:00

Yesterday, as the wipers raced to clear my windshield, passionate men of all ages and shapes parked their cars along the roadside and slogged to nearby streams. No storm could dampen their love of fishing on the season's first day. They just hitched up their waders and marched.

As a kid, we watched people pursue their hobbies with discipline and gusto, but the word passionate wasn't one we'd ever use to describe them. For us, "passion" described soap opera love affairs or small town scandals. The word only made it onto the covers of books written for adults and shelved beyond my reach. But now the judges on TV talent contests keep telling contestants to display passion, connect with the song, dance, or whatever...and deliver an emotional performance.

Great writers have always followed this advice. Isak Dinesen ran away from her rich family to paint in Paris. She later followed her husband to Africa where she fell in love with the landscapes she described in her novels. Ernest Hemingway stalked the bullfights and safaris in search of material for works that married emotional life to other feats of daring.

Though we have a million great examples of passionate writers, it's often really hard to pursue a story idea that takes us out of the realm of our daily life. Routine has its own gravitational force. Breaking away often seems impossible.

Don't let yourself be a prisoner of inertia. Want to write about the circus or the world of modern dance? Have a yen for sushi or a new slant on love? Take a tip from the determined anglers. Invest in the right tools, pick a date to begin, and don't let stormy weather keep you from your goal.

The Plot of a Lifetime

2011-04-10T11:42:00.006-04:00

To deliver a good plot, a writer must find clues that emerge from every landscape. Rich symbols and ideas appear in odd places at strange times. But it's the writer's job to use these signs to enrich the adventures we put on paper and those that drive our lives. Synchronicity is as valuable to a writer as it was for Jung and Sting. (Note: both guys have one syllable names ending in G.)

Jung thought of synchronicity as a "meaningful coincidence" of outer and inner events that are not linked by causality. He encouraged people to pay attention when certain ideas, symbols, or events occurred in clusters. Their occurrence did not suggest that these moments "caused" each other – just that significant ideas tend to occur in patterns. Jung believed that these patterns signaled a new phase in the process of psychic growth.

Creative people have also embraced the concept of synchronicity as one that can help drive the development of a work as it proceeds from inception to finished product. Julia Cameron, who has written extensively about the creative process believes that when we encounter a problem in our lives or our writing, taking a single key action may be enough to make a solution appear. She says, "Synchronicity is like a tap on the shoulder by the universe. It tells us pay attention, that we're on the right path." In lyrics from his bestselling album with the Police, Sting describes it as, "An effect without a cause, sub-atomic laws, scientific pause, synchronicity."

Now, for the I-swear-to-God finale: While writing this piece, I was paging through a treasured volume of Jung's articles and ideas. It’s a nice hardback with illustrations and photos that I got for $8.50 in a used bookstore. While searching for quotes, I happened to look at the inner fly leaf for the first time since I bought the book. Written in pencil on that blank page was the name Jan Price. That is the name of my best friend from elementary school. And this is what happens when you start looking for meaningful coincidences that nudge your work toward the unexpected.

Thrill of the Random

2011-04-03T12:25:00.010-04:00

On my left were empty seats with place cards for Bob Marley and Marley...my boyfriend said hi to my family and I asked if he'd be lunching with us. He said, 'Just 'til Bob Marley and Marley show up...' Then I woke up, strangely pleased. M.L.von Franz, a Jungian sage says, one must "remain alert of hints and signs, both in dreams and external events, that the Self uses to symbolize its intentions." Reggae or not, when the Marleys speak, a writer should listen.

The creative impulse is mischievous and can elude direct efforts to summon it. But a random adventure almost always wakes my muse. Yesterday, in a familiar town, I felt bored by the usual scene. Then, on a dim back street, I saw a Moorish style fountain spraying water near an old tavern.

We looked at the menu and decided to go in. The front of the building had a small, dark bar with antique furniture. It was the kind of place where a cheating wife would feel at home. But the back dining room was another story. It was built like a chalet with a vaulted roof and floor-to-ceiling windows. Diners gazed out at a giant willow tree flanked by a rushing stream.

The visit surely sparked my morning dreams. The place had three qualities that wake my creative drive: 1) Novelty -- I'd never seen the place before; 2) Strong natural imagery -- that willow tree, that stream, and eventually, stars; and 3)Randomness -- the entire adventure was completely unplanned.

Today I realize that entering that restaurant felt something like a dream. Nothing I saw was what I expected. Isn't that also the basis of a great plot? For a writer, new places and odd dreams are more refreshing than rain. They call your attention to different symbols and original ideas.

As Gandhi said, "If we have listening ears, God speaks to us in our own language, whatever that language is." That giant willow tree had words with me last night, then somehow raised the ghosts of the Marleys. This morning I inspected a willow near our house. In full sun, I saw a hint of green on its limbs and felt real joy. Creative renewal is always closer than it appears, and as Bob Marley said long before our phantom lunch, "None but ourselves can free our minds."

More Optimism, Please

2011-03-27T12:28:00.004-04:00

Winter returned to badger the optimists, but I know I must be resilient. "Resilience" is a word that landed on my desk in the late 90’s, when I worked in social services. It's a shiny concept that suddenly got credit for being the prime quality that helps kids survive tough childhoods. Resilience also seems to be the key to success in the writing field. To thrive, a writer must triumph over life’s hardships and survive the ordeals of the marketplace. Frank McCourt is a writer who did both with panache.

The early years of McCourt’s life were filled with sufficient illness, danger, and heartbreak to kill a child of lesser grit. He lost three siblings to disease and nearly died of typhoid fever himself before reaching adolescence. According to him, his hometown of Limerick was a place where dampness “created a cacophony of hacking coughs, bronchial rattles, asthmatic wheezes, consumptive creaks. It turned noses into fountains, lungs into bacterial sponges.” His father was an unrepentant alcoholic who drank up the family’s cash. Young Frank often resorted to stealing bread to help feed his hungry brothers and sisters.

When he reached the age of 19, McCourt moved from Ireland to New York City. After working in the hotel industry and completing a stint in the military, he eventually established himself as a public school teacher. Although McCourt taught writing for decades, scribbling his own work on the side, he did not publish the bestselling Angela’s Ashes until he had already retired from teaching.

I heard McCourt talk about his writing breakthrough when he visited Philadelphia to promote his second book,‘Tis. He was a hilarious public speaker, funniest when he described how his late in life success had inspired scores of old fogeys to leap out of their beds and begin writing memoirs. I got him to sign a book for me and couldn’t help noticing how all that hardship had left no trace of bitterness on his face. He was a truly resilient person whose long years of toil brought him prosperity, happiness, and a Pulitzer Prize at age 67.

Spring Cleaning and Artistotle

2011-03-20T11:41:00.005-04:00

Signs of renewal are everywhere. The ice is gone, the mud's firmed up, and the fishermen are ready stock the pond. As spring rain fills our local stream, neighbors prune dead trees, cast out trash, and embrace the spirit of catharsis. Aristotle would be proud.

In his "Poetics", the Greek philosopher explored the ways in which catharsis buoys the power of classic tales. For Aristotle, great stories pushed a character (or reader) toward a huge release of pent up feeling. To achieve this effect, a story's audience must experience strong emotions that result in a purge of passion -- like weeping or belly laughs. Some iconic characters invite us to the passion party by forcing us to witness their tragic fate. Think of Anna Karenina or Jay Gatsby, whose out-sized dreams tipped the human seesaw too far.

But for every memorable character who falls off the cliff at the end of the story, there is one for whom catharsis results in a new life and a resurgence of hope. These are the characters who survive tremendous challenges, yet reach for goals they can achieve despite their frailties. Characters of spring have the pluck of busy birds making new nests in your local elm. Think of Miles in Rex Pickett's "Sideways" or Louisa May Alcott's Jo March.

Though the cold months of winter break down our resistance to despair, green buds restore a sense of hope. Forget Madame Bovary...Take a breath of optimism and let your characters lead lives they once thought impossible.

Victory in Print

2011-03-13T14:26:00.005-04:00

Between the oaks and hemlocks, trees with less resilience fall. Many could not survive the rough winter. Yet even in the coldest months, Stieg Larsson's novels brought heat to our corner of these chilly woods. Such a shame he didn't live to write more about "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo".

Larsson gained world fame as a crime writer who created Lisbeth Salander, a unique female character who hacks computers and brings villains to their knees. He wrote the series as a kind of hobby to relax from the stress of his real work. For decades Larsson wrote journalistic articles that tracked the activities of neo-Nazi groups in Sweden. His grandfather was a strident anti-fascist who was punished in a Swedish work camp for his political views. Following his footsteps, Larsson wrote journalistic exposes of right wing extremists.

As a young man, Larsson traveled the world on a shoe string budget. To finance his travels he did things like work as a dishwasher and sell his own clothes. While he earned respect as a journalist, he did not live to enjoy the wealth produced by his mystery series (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire, and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest). There is still hope that a fourth novel will appear one day. But that won't happen until his family members settle a suit with Larsson's long time girlfriend who has possession of the material.

Apart from the unsettled financial questions, his death at the age of 50 inspired many conspiracy theories. Did Larsson really die of a heart attack after climbing several flights of stairs -- or was he victim of some insidious act? Regardless of what provoked his death, it's very sad that he did not live to celebrate the worldwide victory of his printed work. His writing somehow captures the prime threats and contradictions of our times. We could sure use more of it.

The Long Winter of the Oppressed

2011-03-06T13:48:00.011-05:00

Dictators have fallen on hard times. Their ceaseless efforts to stifle human creativity are like old man winter's fruitless bid to suppress the arrival of spring. Tyrants hate the vitality inherent in artistic expression. As Erica Jong has said, "If sex and creativity are often seen by dictators as subversive activities, it's because they lead to the knowledge that you own your own body (and with it your own voice), and that's the most revolutionary insight of all."

In some societies, the church drives censorship...in others, the political class takes the initiative. But in the most heinous cases of artistic persecution, all public institutions coalesce to silence creative discourse. Nazi Germany had very efficient methods for eliminating those who chronicled its atrocities. Among the many artists who were exterminated by Hitler, Irene Nemirovsky stands out as a remarkably talented writer whose stories of Nazi occupation have all the emotional grandeur of a Tolstoy novel.

Nemirovsky did not survive her imprisonment in Auschwitz. But her work still stands as a testament to the strength of her creative spirit. She wrote, "My God! what is this country doing to me? Since it is rejecting me, let us consider it coldly, let us watch as it loses its honour and its life. And the other countries? What are they to me? Empires are dying. Nothing matters. Whether you look at it from a mystical or a personal point of view, it's just the same. Let us keep a cool head. Let us harden our heart. Let us wait."

As we watch the fall of distant empires, consider the range of truths still unspoken against oppressors large and small. Do not relinquish your pen. It's a powerful weapon in the hands of a committed writer.

And the Award Goes To......

2011-02-27T14:00:00.003-05:00

Later today, people in fabulous clothes will be accepting gold statuettes for all sorts of achievements, real and imagined. To scoop them all, here's an imaginary list of awards for storytelling achievements exhibited in a truly random sample of this year's big movies. Let's start with characters, because, why not?

Best Character in a Nifty Picture: There were a lot of unkempt, drunken men on the screen this year (Barney from Barney's Version, Rooster Cogburn in True Grit) but I really liked Johnny Depp's version of the Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland. Please note, all of these characters were based on literary versions of the same. As for female characters, I really liked Jennifer Lawrence's character in Winter's Bone. Vulnerable, determined, smart, and driven to carry out a chilling mission.

Best Screenplay: By a wide margin, 127 Hours. This was my favorite movie of the year. But I've said that too often. A story told using music, dreams, hallucinations, memories, journals, fake morning news -- all in a canyon crevice! Hats off.

Strangest Plot: Black Swan -- I'm still not sure what happened. I thought I went to a character drama, but it turned out to be a horror movie. Nevertheless, compelling.

Cinematography as Narrative -- I loved True Grit. As the camera followed horse and rider across the terrain, my heart overflowed. The landscape told half the story.

Costumes that Tell a Story -- The 2011 Polar Bear plunge. I liked it better than Natalie Portman's feathers. Someone even brought a portable sauna.

For a real plot twist, watch the Oscars in your bathing suit this year. You'll have way more fun.

Showdown with the Boulder

2011-02-20T10:57:00.009-05:00

A choir of saws now hums around Henning Pond. It's 22 degrees, down to 9 with the wind chill. But men are cutting a giant hole in the ice so people can jump in. So crazy. What kind of nut would do this? (Me...?) And why....?

Along with a hundred other people, I jumped in the pond last year. I said I was celebrating a big birthday. But it's also the kind of weird ritual that makes you face fears that float below the surface of your life.

Many creative people find a nature challenge attractive because it tests your nerve and gives you an adrenalin rush. One of my favorite stories from the past year is based on a nature challenge that went awry. It's the story of Aron Ralston, a hiker who ended up trapped by a boulder in a Utah canyon. He went hiking in search of adventure and thrills. Then nearly lost his life when faced with an obstacle he never anticipated.

Ralston's life story was the basis for the movie "127 Hours". I loved the story telling techniques used in the movie and wrote a piece about it for Carbon County Magazine. While Ralston waited in the canyon, he had nothing else to do but face his deepest fears. Finally, he gathered the courage to address his gruesome situation and was totally transformed by his showdown with the evil boulder.

As writers, we are often stymied by inner obstacles that keep us from addressing topics we ought to deal with in our writing. It takes great courage to overcome those fears and escape the boulders in our path. But it is worth all the effort to emerge victorious on the other side of fear.

I'm heading out to the pond now. Not jumping this year, but I want to see who else is jumping into the cold water, swimming toward the strange freedom on the other side. Try it. Take a leap, face a fear, get away from that boulder, write.

Writing advice from....actors?

2011-02-13T13:04:00.003-05:00

For a week or so, winter has made Pennsyl Pointe an even more perfect place to write. Snow softened the sound, cold weather made things cozy, and my new French press produced some wonderful coffee. Why then, was it so impossible to put words on paper?

I tried to limit phone and email interruptions. Still, my list of writing ideas sat abandoned and I started hating myself for not using these winter days to write something really good. Then one night, I saw a televised interview with John Cusack, the film actor. A young actor asked Cusack why it's so common to get blocked at the moment of performance. Cusack, quoting ideas from Carl Jung, said that sometimes when it's time to perform, the conscious self does not want to give up control or experience the vulnerability at the core of the creative process. The self -- or ego -- then sets up barriers to block creative expression. To defeat the ego and its blocks, an actor must make friends with the unconscious -- or shadow self -- which is the true author of creativity. The same notion can also be applied to writing.

Like most creative people, I learned this long ago. But my world had gotten a little too busy and I was treating my creative work like an item on life's grocery list. The imagination really needs room to play -- or an incentive to jump higher than the ego. Even after 10 years of professional writing, it's easy to forget this truth and think you can boss your unconscious mind around.

Taking Mr. Cusack's advice to heart, I've begun looking at each creative writing session like a theater piece. Before I raise the curtain, I offer my shadow self a little treat. Sometimes it's one of those great cups of coffee, but it's paired with a moment of silence or some music. And, okay, sometimes it might be piece of chocolate. After all, the creative self is a lot like a child. Once you coax that little imp to come out and play, the writing flows like...like...a runny nose on a winter day.

Bring Down the Bullies

2011-02-06T10:42:00.005-05:00

Just for today, forget the heroes. Let's focus on villains. Some of literature's most memorable characters have vile habits, bad breath, and very nasty dispositions. Plus, if you read today's newspapers, larger than life bullies from Scranton to Cairo may finally be getting cut down to size.

The truth is that readers of all ages love to hate a well-crafted creep. Plot and setting take a back seat when juicy villains take the page. Consider the hold Cruella De Vil has exercised over millions of young minds -- or the many stagings of Othello still revealing shades of Iago's dark soul. Powerful memoirs have also been built around the struggle between innocent victims and true-life bullies who tried to bring them down. In his book "This Boy's Life", Tobias Wolff created the chilling portrait of a step-father whose extreme cruelty drove him from his home. By the time Wolff escaped to boarding school, he had found the strength to write a new script for his life. Today his work still sizzles with the energy he must have needed to escape that first monster.

If you are a writer who's managed to avoid contact sports with bullies, try paging through today's newspaper and you'll find many scowling back at you. There's Hosni Mubarak, with 30 years of political prisoners praying for his resignation. And one of America's most corrupt judges, who is about to stand trial in Scranton, PA. Mark A. Ciavarella Jr. spent years casually sentencing kids to long prison stays in exchange for huge cash kickbacks. Read the details of his schemes and see if it doesn't raise your temperature. Then try to bury your own favorite creep with a few strokes of your pen.

2011-01-30T13:31:00.004-05:00

Winter quiets a forest. The birds are gone or hiding and the dogs stay home. But the wind groans and trees whine as they struggle beneath their growing load of snow. Like those trees, many writers carry emotional burdens that threaten to bend and break them. But great authors, like Nobel laureate Kenzaburo Oe, transform the injuries of life into their best work.

Through writing about survivors of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Oe came face to face with people who had lived through unimaginable disaster. Photos of the bombing victims are some of the most gruesome I've ever seen. Years ago, after visiting the Hiroshima Museum, I could barely think. Although Oe was able to write about these war atrocities, he continued to run away from the disaster that had scarred his own life. He only matured as a writer and father, when he found the courage to write about his brain-damaged son, instead of fleeing away "from the deformed child".

Often we flee from the deformed or wounded children within and around us. We are afraid that going back to life's most painful moments will overwhelm us, capsizing the fragile boats in which we navigate the rapids of life. The truth is that revisiting trauma is the surest way to undo its spell. What doesn't break you the first time, will not destroy you the second. Revisiting trauma helps you to appreciate your own power to withstand adversity. And it is an excellent strategy for becoming a better writer.

Inspired by Scribes

2011-01-23T11:56:00.010-05:00

Some writers are as famous for their connections with other artists as they are for their own work. Even if you couldn’t finish “The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas”, you might still admire Gertrude Stein for the salons she held with creative masters like Picasso and Hemingway. Conversations with other writers often help me refine story ideas and find fuel for solitary hours of writing. When last week’s snow nearly undid my plans to meet with other writers in New York, my Pocono life felt drained of inspiration. Fortunately, the snow drifts could not keep me out of Manhattan.

Talking with other writers reminded me that there are as many paths to a writing career as there are to happiness. Sara Neufeld, for example, spent years writing for the Baltimore Sun before widespread layoffs at big city newspapers made her consider other options. She left the Sun voluntarily and now writes for an education institute. At Caroline’s Comedy Club, I talked with Jeff Kreisler, and other comedy writers who make their living writing jokes, plays, TV skits, books, and stand-up routines. These talented people know that writing for different venues helps them create a broad platform and reach a wider audience. It’s also the best way to maintain some kind of financial stability. The issue of financial stability is really important to writer Joe Paretta. He just published a book on cutting credit card debt. To balance his own budget, he also teaches writing classes at two local colleges while working on his own books.

It was energizing to talk with so many resourceful members of a profession that offers little career guidance. Before I drove back to the woods, I even found some old school writing advice at the New York Public Library exhibit on ancient sacred texts. In addition to a large display of ornate sacred books from early Jewish, Christian and Muslim faiths, the exhibit had a scriptorium where you could play with writing tools like swan feather quill pens. Two excellent quotes were painted on the scriptorium wall. One came from the Prophet Muhammad who said, “The first significant thing that God created was the pen. And he said, “Flow”, and it flows with whatever it is, until the day of resurrection.” The second news flash was offered by Cennino Cennini, a scribe who lived from 1370-1440 A.D. He said, “To enter the profession, begin with decking yourself with this attire: Enthusiasm, Reverence, Obedience, and Constancy.” Somehow his words still seem relevant to writing in the age of blogs.

Solitude on Ice

2011-01-16T12:34:00.004-05:00

On Friday night the temperature dropped to 9 degrees Farenheit. Yet Saturday morning, there were two chairs sitting in the middle of Henning Pond. Someone had shoveled a path from the edge to the center so they could carry their chair, a saw, and a tackle box across the ice. These fishermen could easily buy trout in the local supermarket so it’s not fish they’re craving. They’re chasing that elusive ingredient sought by writers everywhere: solitude.

Once the holiday season ends and the strings of lights come down, social activity seems to evaporate fast. But December’s parties and visits can keep our minds tangled in the endless connections that bind us to other people. It’s hard to clear some mental space and begin writing again. Who wants to stop eating and dancing, just to sit alone on the banks of an empty page? Still, a stroll back to the cave of solitude promotes good writing.

Solitude doesn't just mean toiling in silence. Writers just need some time in an environment that highlights news reports from the unconscious. Too often the noise of the world drowns out the voice of originality. Each writer’s mind is a finicky chef working from a unique creative recipe. Stephen King writes to the music of AC/DC and Metallica. Michael Chabon writes in coffee shops. For me, a quiet spot and a good smell are essential. Espresso fumes, candles, or soup work well. A nice view is a plus.

January is the perfect time to write. Snow lowers the world’s static. Even in warm climates, the start of a new year is energizing. I truly understand why those fishermen sit out there on the pond. Winter walks get my creative juices flowing. But no matter how much the fish are biting, I would never, ever want to write on ice.

January Idea Factory

2011-01-09T13:12:00.002-05:00

A writer's productivity is fueled by many factors. People, noise, silence, smells... and weather -- ah weather! The cold, snowy weeks of early January are often my best period for writing. When storms push you indoors, thoughts retreat and huddle. Then the wind rocks the door frame, and unseen forces try to barge in. Characters are born and plot points sneak up, rattling the windows.

Outside, the whole landscape has changed. Snow and clouds cast the forest in a new palette. The blacks, whites, and grays suggest old movies, still photos. Imagination wants to play. For me, January is one big idea factory conjuring stories I can work on all year.

Many of my favorite authors are people who whipped weather and climate into the texture of their stories. Although Isak Dinesen gained fame for writing about Africa, I prefer her tales set in Denmark. She captures the mysteries of winter in a way that captivates fireside dreamers like me. Here, warm yourself with one of her paragraphs:

" 'Wait,' he said. 'I shall light a dip. I myself most often sit in the dark. But I shall light a dip for you tonight.'

She kept standing on the threshold while he raked the ashes from the embers in the fireplace, blew on them and lighted a tallow dip by a shaving.

'Come closer to the fire,' he said slowly and hoarsely, pointing to the only chair of the room. She, however, would not take her host's seat, but pulled a wooden stool up to the fireplace. The old man took down a heavy key from a nail and locked the door."

Then what?

Meeting the Freelance Challenge -- Staying Alive in 2010

2011-01-02T13:23:00.006-05:00

The freelance life has a way of miring writers in an eternal present. Upcoming deadlines require total focus and last week's writing is like dew on the grass -- forgotten by noon. Change in the publishing and newspaper industries can have the same effect on writing careers, drying them up in a flash. With so many casualties among print publications, a writer needs luck and flexibility to survive.

Staying solvent in 2010 meant working with a wide range of people and publications. As the year ends/begins, I can't resist mentioning some of those projects and a few special people who helped make this a great writing year.

Last January I was editing a mystery novel when I got a call from a lawyer working with the Innocence Project of PA. The group works on cases for prison inmates whose innocence can now be proved with DNA testing. I had to do a lot of research about the field before I could write for them, but it was a great learning experience. In the end, they valued my work -- no writer could ask for more.

February found me hanging out on Tuesday nights with Liberties Scribblers, my regular gang of writers. It's impossible to overestimate the value of a great writing group that keeps its members inspired through the long, snowy winter.

As Spring approached, my focus moved back to a group of regular clients who run youth programs in Philly, Baltimore, and Latino communities across the country. The leaders of these organizations are exceptional people and I'm lucky to be working with them. One of them is Breezy Bishop, a national Hall of Fame basketball coach who once helped a team win a silver Olympic medal. This fall she turned 75, an incredible person.

In April I started working with Gotham Ghostwriters in New York. My projects for them drew me back to the world of education and charter schools. For this work I had to study up on charters in California. That work kept me busy through May. Then June brought an amazing assignment to write about methadone treatment for heroin addictions -- another field where I was a total novice. I really enjoyed working on the project and learned plenty from hardworking experts in a challenging field.

In late summer I taught writing workshops for the Nano Bio Technology Center at the University of Pennsylvania. This is always an amazing experience because I get to meet brilliant, smartypants students doing research on the tiniest matter yet known -- we're talking nano-particles! Editing their papers is like seizing controls on the Starship.

Fall was memorable because I went to the Toronto International Film Festival where I interviewed directors from Spain and Egypt and even got a chance to meet the incredible Danny Boyle. I also met some producers of favorite films including Josh Astrachan who's worked with film master Robert Altman and Garrison Keillor (an idol, a King!)Now there's just ONE degree of separation between Garrison and me!

As winter approached, I did some writing about small town heroes at the local fire station, and care for the homeless and elderly in Philadelphia. This work reminded me of the many volunteers in this world who care for those without a safety net. Hats off to John Randolph, Sister Rose, Maris Krasnegor, Ron Hinton, Bruce Berger and many others who pick up where our blind leaders leave off.

The year ended on a note of joy and exhaustion after trips to celebrate with writing colleagues in New York and family members across Pennsylvania. I'm grateful for every moment and every project and look forward to new writing adventures in 2011.

Christmas Belongs to Dickens

2010-12-19T13:35:00.008-05:00

No author trumps Charles Dickens for finding the essence of Christmas. It's not just endless versions of A Christmas Carol that earn him such distinction. In many other works Dickens played with the themes that lie at the heart of Christmas. His great novels often feature poor parents seeking shelter and safety for their children. Nearly every plot highlights a shivering child cleaving to the moral path despite local hostilities.

A literary landscape without the likes of Oliver Twist and Pip would be barren. Each of these characters has to navigate mean, cold streets, searching for a next meal or temporary home, while foes are bent on destroying them. Dickensian villains suffer a range of resentments that cripple their hearts like emotional arthritis. But the author made sure his young heroes would discover that the world's kindness is as vast as its evil. In most of his tales, compassion is the victor and morality triumphs.

If writers had their own literary Christmas, I'd put a tree in the reading room covered with ornaments named for great characters. Imagine green glass wreathes and golden angels etched with words like Bob Cratchit, Uncle Pumblechook, and Miss Havisham. There'd be trinkets for bad guys like Uriah Heep, Quilp, and Fagin. Honestly, you could decorate a tree the size of the White House with the great names and plots that Dickens gave us. Can't leave out Jarndyce and Jarndyce or the Artful Dodger. Maybe a reformed Ebenezer Scrooge could play angel at the top of the tree. Of course, there'd have to be candles and strings of light...and a great big holiday goose. And, please sir, some porridge.

Add Water and Clouds, Get Stirred

2010-12-12T13:01:00.006-05:00

Gloom has the power to stir the creative process. Rainy skies and thick clouds make a cozy envelope for the imagination. Add a cup of tea and some geographic isolation, and you've got the perfect set-up for writing a masterpiece. This recipe worked wonders for the Bronte sisters who grew up at Haworth, a parsonage on the bleak moors of Yorkshire, England.

Once their mother died, the Bronte children spent much of their time reading and doing household chores. Emily Bronte attended school only sporadically, but her family's reading culture provided her with a strong literary foundation. By combining her knowledge of the classics with rich childhood imaginings, Emily was able to create "Wuthering Heights", one of the greatest novels in the English language.

The story of Cathy and Heathcliff mixes fact and illusion so skillfully the reader needs an occasional pinch from the narrator to remind us which generation of Earnshaws we're watching. The ultimate effect of the book is to create a seamless tale that moves from past to present, ghost to flesh, and dream to reality without losing our interest.

Emily Bronte's book is a monument to the power of gloom. She uses it to blur the edges of her story, making it more intriguing. Next time the skies darken and the mist rises, milk that moment for its mystery. Then pour yourself into your writing.

The Stunning Sound of Truth

2010-12-06T17:24:00.005-05:00

When writers capture truth in all its facets, their work has a different ring. Authentic voices can make a believer of the most skeptical reader. The narrator’s voice in Sapphire’s novel “Push” -- the basis of the wrenching film “Precious” -- sounded so real, it convinced many people that the author had suffered the same tortures endured by her main character. Lee Daniels, the film‘s director, said, “When you read it, it’s so honest….that you begin to wonder whether or not this is real…[the author couldn’t] have written it with such authenticity for it not to be lived.…Then when I found out that this was a combination of many lives, it was staggering.”

Sapphire explains how she achieved this remarkable effect: “There was a lot of verite, a lot of reality. There’s also a lot of fantasy. I created a world for Precious where she’s redeemed and saved and touched because that never happened for me.”

The author drew many of her character’s features from observing young people during her years as a teacher in Brooklyn, Harlem, and the Bronx. She said, “If I had twenty people, sometimes I could see who was gonna make it. It wasn’t always the smartest one…it certainly was almost NEVER the toughest one.” According to Sapphire, the successful students were usually the ones who were creative. After all, she says, “What is creativity but the ability to see what’s not there? In order to have a life different from the one you have, you have to have the ability to visualize something different.”

Although Precious survives a hideous series of events, she emerges from her story as the victor. Sapphire felt that this positive outcome was essential. She remarked, “You can read these horror stories [about what happens to kids] in the Daily News [but] learning to read and write changes reality [for Precious].” The power of literacy is sacrament for most writers. And for those wondering how to change a life, count creativity as the best tool in the box.

Can we believe you, Mr. King?

2010-11-28T13:42:00.002-05:00

An author with an authentic voice excites readers in a new way. Their stories feel persuasive, even when they’re built on a framework of outlandish acts or weird events. Consider the heroes and villains of Stephen King. Exhausted by the demands of real life, we can still find the energy to read more about Carrie White and her odd powers before sleep claims us. That’s because King accurately captures the truths of adolescence -- before his character starts burnin' down the house!

Mr. King, who has written 30 bestsellers, insists that he “never got to like Carrie White and …never trusted Sue Snell’s motives in sending her boyfriend to the prom with her.” But to get to the emotional core of his book “Carrie”, he spent a long time digging through his memories of high school, remembering how the “most reviled girls” in his class looked, acted and were treated.

Exploring those old recollections helps us to follow the dictum to “write what we know”. King believes that this directive should be interpreted in a broad way. So, if you're a lawyer or a school teacher, you shouldn't use your job to define the limits of your knowledge. Your work must incorporate stuff dredged up from the depths of feeling and whimsy. As Mr. King says, “If not for the heart and imagination, the world of fiction would be a pretty seedy place. It might not even exist at all.”

As far as I’m concerned, imagination is like that mist rising from the pond on rainy mornings. A photo might capture it, but good writing has a way of keeping it alive, long after the sun comes out.

Your Unmistakable Voice

2010-11-21T16:50:00.002-05:00

Developing an authentic voice is often tough for new writers. An author's inner voice can easily be drowned out by the endless echoes we hear from publishers, performers, and those who seem more successful than we are. Even writers like F. Scott Fitzgerald, have admitted the challenge of hearing their true voice amid the noise of the literary marketplace.

Despite his success, Fitzgerald felt he'd allowed others to tell him "how to do, what to say" and that he was "only a mediocre caretaker" of his own talent. He said that the push and pull of other people's opinions "always confused [him] and made [him] want to go out and get drunk." This solution clearly had BIG drawbacks.

The challenge of heeding our artistic voice is even more difficult in today's loaded media environment. Nevertheless, developing that ability is essential because it adds power to good writing and fuels a writer's artistic growth. The most original and compelling writers are often those who develop a routine that blocks out the flood of cultural messages -- for at least part of the day. These breaks allow the writer to focus more clearly on the images and ideas they really must explore. During moments of closer listening, we give ourselves a chance to tune into the voice that is unmistakably ours, unequivocally unique. It is both a flowing current and a lifeboat.

As the Story Turns....into Poetry

2010-11-14T14:19:00.005-05:00

Many writers draw inspiration from other authors' work -- then shape it into something truly novel. In the last year of his life, Raymond Carver stopped writing the vivid short stories for which he was best known and spent his final months writing poems that incorporated themes from Chekhov stories.

The method Carver used to do this writing was something he worked out with Tess Gallagher, his poet wife. She would get up in the morning and read a Chekhov story, then retell the story to Carver at breakfast. In the afternoon, Carver would read the story for himself and, later that evening, they'd discuss it together.

Over the course of several months, they discovered what Gallagher called "the poet in Chekhov" -- though Chekhov, too, had earned his fame as a master story writer. Carver would mark up the passages in Chekhov that appealed to his writing impulses, then start to compose around them. This elliptical process helped Carver to write poems that, in Gallagher's words, "allowed distinctions between genres to dissolve without violence or a feeling of trespass." After all this work, Carver's final book, "A New Path to the Waterfall", reads almost like a how-to manual for literary evolution. Makes me want to write a really good .... mess of words.

Live to Tell it

2010-11-07T11:20:00.005-05:00

A great memoir doesn't just record the details of another person's life, it provides a new lens for examining worlds you may never visit. In recent years, the genre has produced books that re-shape our notions of poverty, addiction, and literary life. As Gabriel Garcia Marquez observes in his memoir, "Life isn't what one has lived, rather it is what one remembers and how one remembers it to tell to others."

Myths about the writing life are so widespread, it's hard to believe you'd ever meet a writer who isn't a drunk, a junkie, or a sex addict. In reality, it takes so much discipline to write, edit, publish, and sell sell sell your work, that most working writers have little time for dereliction. Vivir Para Contarla, by Garcia Marquez, offers an antidote to the image of the self-destructive scribe. His memoir is a picaresque blueprint for writers who dream of seeing their work in print. Like many authors, Garcia Marquez thought up his masterpieces while toiling for small, low-paying publications. The one thing he never overlooked, while knocking out stories and mooching meals, was to live with brio. He formed friendships with people from every profession. The dreams of idealistic politicians and diligent prostitutes formed part of his life story. And his life story shaped the visions of many authors who followed him. Reading his work makes you want to live, and write, like you really mean it.

2010-10-24T13:22:00.000-04:00

When Spirits Call -- 10/31 Reading in Jim Thorpe

2010-10-24T12:16:00.002-04:00

Maybe it's the falling leaves or the first hint of chimney smoke, but late October in the Poconos is always lovely and mysterious. Each year, during the Days of the Dead, we hold a reading in Jim Thorpe to recognize the ethereal presence and absence of those who've passed on. Join us next Sunday, 10/31/10, 2 PM, at the Strange Brew Coffee House for "When Spirits Call", a mix of poetry, song, fact, and fiction. If you bring along some object or photo, we'll add it to our community ofrenda.

Anyone who would like to read or perform, should contact Pennyl Pointe at this site or by phone -- (570) 722-1680 -- to be added to the readers list for the afternoon. Past events have been solemn, profane, beautiful and funny. Don't miss this one.

Howling Wind + Halloween + Mystery!

2010-10-17T12:29:00.001-04:00

Howling wind + Halloween = mystery! Choosing the right point of view can amplify the power of any crime yarn. P.D. James, author of 20 books, likes to write as "a detached recorder" which allows her to move into the minds of various characters, "seeing with their eyes." This shifting viewpoint shows "how differently we can all perceive the same event." She's 90 years old now. No murderer could fool her.

One of her works served as the basis for the film "Children of Men". Although it is more of a science fiction story than a mystery, it explores the dark side of social engineering and the plight of those who've been tossed from earth's life boat. If you've only seen the film, it's worth the effort to read the story and compare both versions. Her use of the shifting perspective allows both doom sayers and optimists to come away from the story feeling satisfied.

Workshop for Writers in Jim Thorpe, PA: Writing The Anthracite Experience

2010-06-10T15:49:00.007-04:00

Pennsyl Pointe Writers Retreat is kicking off a workshop series for writers working on stories from Pennsylvania's coal country. Coal towns once epitomized the fulfillment of American dreams. Today, tales from anthracite communities are even more relevant because they illustrate many of the conflicts still shaping America's national character.

The workshop will be held in the Albright Mansion, at 66 Broadway in Jim Thorpe, PA. The session begins at 9 AM in the Rose Room with coffee and introductions. A $95 dollar workshop fee covers instruction, reading materials, and a tasty lunch provided by the host restaurant. The last exercise will end by 5 PM. An early bird discount reduces the price to $90 for those who register by July 10th. Contact tenpagesaday@msn.com or call (570)722-1680 for more details.

The workshop will be facilitated by Colleen Davis, whose work runs the gamut from technical writing and travel pieces, to fiction and speeches. She has a BA and MS from the University of Pennsylvania and has written for clients as diverse as Vineyard Stars and the Washington Post. Her ancestors arrived in anthracite country before the civil war and she was raised in Frackville, PA.

Writing, Art and the Search for Beauty

2009-11-16T15:05:00.004-05:00

For most of the Pocono calendar year, beauty is just shouting at you non-stop. Fall is a wall of color, the winter snows dazzle. Spring and summer....well, we all know what show-offs they can be. Right now, however, autumn has ended and the only thing jumping out of the landscape to catch your eye is the random sculpture made by some bear eating last week's trash.

This time of year you've got to look carefully for signs of natural artistry. Yesterday I was carrying my camera around because I want to take a photo of the single white duck that's taken up residence on a neighbor's pond. Although I walked over there a few times, she never glided near enough for a good close-up. The leafless trees looked forlorn and the grass was already brown in spots. Then just before 5 PM, I happened to go out again when the setting sun had transformed the sky into the work of art pictured above. Yes, it's here. Beauty has not abandoned us.

Writers Read in Jim Thorpe: Echoes of Souls

2009-10-25T11:52:00.005-04:00

You can't turn around these days without running into a ghost walk or a haunted house. While ghouls are obviously big business (especially during a recession), the presence of departed souls is very real to me, especially at this time of year. It's not just the mist that rises along the river, or the way the wood smoke haunts the cool fall air. There is a mysterious energy that seeps into the shadowed places around us; it soothes more than it scares.

To celebrate this time when the spirits feel so close, Pennsyl Pointe is sponsoring "Echoes of Souls" a reading on Sunday, November 1st, at 2 PM at Artefino Gallery, 16 W. Broadway in Jim Thorpe. Five Pennsylvania writers will read work that explores the ways the dear departed continue to dance among the living. Works will include original fiction and poetry by writers from Pennsyl Pointe and the Liberties Scribblers group in Philadelphia.

To make the event a little more special we will also be making a community "ofrenda". This is a collaborative artwork that looks like an altar but is actually made up of objects that commemorate the lives of loved ones who've passed on. If you would like to have an object included for someone you've lost, please drop it off at Sellers Books and Fine Arts (101 Broadway) or Artefino Gallery and we will place it in the ofrenda. You can pick up your object after the reading.

Fall Foliage in Jim Thorpe; Writing in Penn's Woods

2009-10-11T13:10:00.006-04:00

Well, it's happened. The trees decided to throw a party. Of course they had to put on their wildest colors before the rest of the guests arrived. In Albrightsville, where I live, the leaves are really stunning. Yesterday I stopped at a nearby lake to snap a few photos. The picture at the right sums up the season's beauty. It's a great time to write. I hope some of these trees are still dressed when we have our Journal Writing Workshop on October 27th-28th. (See www.poconowriters.com). People will delight in the experience of writing in the woods regardless of what happens to the foliage. But if the trees keep this up, no one will leave the workshop feeling uninspired.

This is also the first of the Fall Foliage weekends in Jim Thorpe. Although the leaves there really haven't changed colors yet, the town's full of free music, good food, and autumn revelry. Last night I finally went on the Ghost Walk to hear more stories about the spookier aspects of the town. I recommend it for the first-time visitor. Part of what makes the town so attractive is the strong sense that it has never been abandoned by the spirits of the past.

Journal Workshop in the Poconos

2009-10-06T11:05:00.003-04:00

The trees can't come to an agreement. Some of them still think summer has a little life left in it. Today the weather is on their side. The sky is bluer than Paul Newman's eyes and the Rose of Sharon is still heavy with flowers. Opposing these optimistic plants, we have the elms which are shedding their red leaves at a dramatic pace. Although it's clear that fall is gaining the upper hand, the brave flowers above continue blooming. By the way, the color in that photo has not been enhanced.

All this variety makes autumn a great season for writing. The Pocono Mountains boast incredible beauty at this time of year. I'm hoping we'll still have some foliage and sunny days during our upcoming Journal Making Workshop at Graystones Preserve. We will be working with participants to help them make personalized journals they can use for their own creative projects. I'll be teaching with Randall Sellers and Debra Dick, two accomplished colleagues who have been making exceptional art for a long time. The dates of the workshop are October 27th and 28th. You can check our new website at www.poconowriters.com to get more information on the workshop and Graystones Preserve. Graystones is a spectacular 3800 acre nature preserve just outside Hickory Run State Park.

Upcoming Workshops at Graystone Preserve

2009-09-19T18:02:00.003-04:00

Autumn is arriving with the determination summer lacked. Already the elms are shedding their leaves and the air has a crisp edge to it. My beloved frogs look like they're shivering whenever the sun turns its attention to some other corner of the pond. Fall usually inspires me but I feel like the summer passed too fast and I'm not ready for the cool weather.

To shake off the doldrums I've been working on plans for an October journal writing workshop I'll be offering with two other instructors at Graystone Preserve. Our intent is to offer a 1.5 day creative experience that teaches participants how to make a beautiful personal journal complete with calligraphy, sketching, and high quality writing. My fellow instructors are Debra Dick and Randall Sellers, both talented artists in their own fields. I'm excited about the prospect of teaching this workshop in the gorgeous environment of Graystone, a 3800 acre preserve adjacent to Hickory Run State Park. The place is filled with wildlife and spectacular scenery. The truth is, it will be a treat to be there even if autumn is coming along too.

Creative Celebration in the Poconos

2009-09-13T14:07:00.005-04:00

It's been an incredibly busy summer and I can't believe September is already here. August flew by like a hungry raven. Once the sun came out, there was not much time for writing. I spent much of the month trying to spruce up the pool area at Pennsyl Pointe. For a long time, it had been a neglected part of the property so I decided to do some painting and planting to restore it's value as a social gathering spot.

To help speed the process, I threw a party one glorious summer Sunday. Guests included friends, neighbors, and family members. We had live music (by Raffi and Zion), great food (made by many exceptional cooks), and carried out a group creative project. Using a stack of ancient windows that had been left here by the former owner of the place, we gave everyone the opportunity to make a painting for our poolside "gallery". Painters ranged in age from six to seventy years old. A few days later we also hosted some visiting "artists" from Toronto who added more works to the collection. This was so much fun I think we may repeat it at a future date. You can see a few samples above. That party was unforgettable thanks to the contributions of all our participating artists.

Summer Creative Groove: Bob Dylan in Allentown

2009-07-20T16:42:00.009-04:00

Now that the weather has improved, writing indoors has lost some of its charm. Pennsyl Pointe has about 3.5 acres of grass that needs regular mowing. It's also surrounded by tree-lined roads that make you want to walk until your toes give up. In fact, it's so beautiful here that it's hard to leave Carbon County at all. Coffee on the porch is my idea of an inspirational journey.

However, I did make an exception last week to spend an evening in Allentown with Bob Dylan, John Mellencamp, Willie Nelson -- and 10,696 other people. Stadium concerts never appealed to me much but this one was great. The three craggy legends all played in Coca Cola Park, a pretty nice minor league baseball stadium. The crowd ranged from adorable three year olds to aging rock fans who looked like they'd keep clapping as long as they could stay awake.

We met great people. We sang along with some songs: "I fight authority, authority always wins!" It's tough to sing along with Dylan since he isn't very melodic. Plus he sings his songs any way he wants -- deliberately screwing with your radio memories. It's like listening to someone do a cover of his music. For the faithful he sang "Like a Rolling Stone" and "All Along the Watchtower". He also did a lot of tunes from recent albums like "Love and Theft". I had a great time that night. Once we got back in the car, I fell asleep like the old chunk of granite I seem to have become.

A Web Link for Jim Thorpe Artist Randall Sellers

2009-05-19T15:14:00.006-04:00

I hit the publish button before I had a chance to post this illustration of Randall's work in the blog entry below. The piece that accompanies this brief post is titled "Raven". Here is the link to Randall's website

Jim Thorpe Artist at New York's Museum of Modern Art

2009-05-19T14:41:00.001-04:00

Yesterday the weather was perfect for a drive. So I hopped in the car with a friend to make the trek to New York City for an artists' panel featuring Randall Sellers, a very talented Jim Thorpe artist. In addition to having his work featured in New York's Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) -- where he was speaking yesterday -- Randall's pieces have become part of collections at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, the Philadelphia Musuem of Art and other very fancy places.

Apart from his serious talent, Randall possesses some noteworthy virtues. His talk was by far the funniest and most straightforward of the artists featured yesterday. His profession has not forced him to adopt that goofy, self-concious attitude so common to New York artists. Pretentiousness becomes a lifeboat many artists jump into when they are afraid to let their skill speak for them. Randalls's really quite a nice guy with a great sense of humor. He's also been very supportive of writers I've invited to Carbon County by providing a site for readings and workshops. A visit to his website ()will allow you examine his incredible drawings for yourself. Or go to his store at 101 Broadway in Jim Thorpe and see them first hand.

Sense Memory -- Lilacs in Jim Thorpe

2009-05-09T21:36:00.005-04:00

For Proust it was the madeleine, for me the lilac. The sight of one takes me back to the yard behind my childhood home. When my mother needed milk or bread she sent me to Kline's store, on the street behind ours. The shortest route to Kline's passed through an alley of thick grass separating our yard from theirs. At the edge of Kline's lawn was a mammoth lilac bush that filled the air with scent and bee buzz every spring. Mrs. Kline was a gracious woman who adorned our lives with candy and kindness. Every once in a while she'd hand me my change and say, "If you want to take a few lilacs down for your mom, go ahead."

I was always a champion flower picker. Permission to take some lilacs was a free pass to paradise. Even now I find them hard to resist -- whether they are in some stranger's yard or growing wild along the highway.

Last night, as I walked the streets of Jim Thorpe, I made the loveliest discovery. From the middle of Broadway to the top of town, the entire avenue smelled of lilacs. That perfume is a sure signal that you're not in Philadelphia or New York, not Pottsville or Reading. You are on the main street of one of America's best small towns and, at night, the entire length of it smells like lilacs.

Art for Healing -- Rangoli at Ground Zero in Manhattan

2009-04-27T13:40:00.003-04:00

This past weekend I was privileged to participate in a dismantling ceremony for a beautiful piece of art in New York City. The work we took apart was a wonderful Rangoli created by Indigo Raffel, an environmental artist who has created many murals, labyrinths and natural sculptures around the U.S. According to Wikipedia, Rangoli is one of the most popular art forms in India. It is a form of sandpainting decoration that is used commonly outside homes in India. The term rangoli is derived from words rang (colour) and aavalli ('coloured creepers' or 'row of colours'). The motifs in traditional Rangoli are usually taken from Nature - peacocks, swans, mango, flowers, creepers, etc. The colours were traditionally drawn from natural dyes made with the bark of trees, leaves, and other organic substances.

Indigo's Rangoli was made using rice, lavender, frankincense, rose buds, pink peppercorns, juniper, mirrors, lentils and glass drops. If heaven has a scent, it might well be what we smelled as we swept the rangoli materials into small baskets. Part of the design was made with sticks that had been blessed by members of the Cabecar tribe of Costa Rica. They undertook this ceremony as a gesture to help heal the pain of the people of New York City after the 9/11 attacks. After we took the Rangoli apart, we fulfilled the wishes of the Cabecar people by planting the sticks into the soil of lower Manhattan near the edge of the Ground Zero site. The entire process was very spiritual and solemn. But there was joy in the house as well. The art had been on display in the museum of Trinity Church, a beautiful sanctuary in the financial district of lower Manhattan. The church yard was wild with the color of hundreds of tulips, cherry blossoms and daffodils. A wedding was underway while we engaged in our work. Just after we completed the last task, the strains of the Wedding Recessional sounded throughout the church and we caught a glimpse of the just-kissed bride's bliss. What a day!

Creative Thaw -- Making Time for Art

2009-04-20T12:53:00.007-04:00

The ice has finally melted off the lake and it's been over a month since I gave myself the time to sit and write a post here. This is no way to run a creative life, but with all the uncertainty in the economy, I was eager to take on more work projects from my clients. The March/April tidal wave of left-brain activity stole some of my creative energy. A freelance writer or artist needs to take advantage of work opportunities when they arise because you really don't know what will happen next month. Nurturing your creative life -- while you work additional hours -- is never easy.

One good rule is to take at least one hour per work -- in between other labors -- to immerse yourself in some kind of creative experience. Yesterday I managed to spend some time meeting writers at Pottsville's Block of Art celebration. Just listening to a few great poems helped to revive me. Before the last lines were read aloud, I was swooning under the influence of good metaphors. Here is a weblink for Lester Hirsh, one of the poets whose work helped rotate my tires.

Carbon County and the Original "Green" Energy

2009-03-16T11:48:00.012-04:00

When I end up in the grip of unhappiness, I try to right my ship by reminding myself how lucky I am to live in a place as beautiful as Carbon County. The other day I was struggling with some very sad memories that would not release their hold on me. Finally I took myself out for a walk along the roads that border the Mud Run Creek. Pacing those trails, my mind began to quiet down until I could feel, once again, what a gift it is to live here.

Lately geese have been returning, reminding me that all wintry emotions eventually give way to new journeys and brighter days. A couple of mallards have taken up residence on Henning Pond. They patrol the border of the water, searching for food and a place to raise the baby ducks that will arrive once spring wins its duel with winter. Birds of all kinds have come back to the pines, bringing old squabbles and new songs with them.

Down the hill in Jim Thorpe, the whole town has given itself over to the wearing of the green. Sure it was St. Patrick's Day, but all that green isn't just about shamrocks. It make you think of growth and new beginnings. Yesterday, the streets were filled with bagpipers and people decked out for fun. My mood was lifted by the bright skies and marching bands. Happy friends and some excellent folding chairs made for a special afternoon. It was a great opportunity to take in the Irish energy that lies at the heart of Jim Thorpe. Overall, it was the kind of day that makes you feel lucky to be alive.

A Great Night for Kids on Philly's Avenue of the Arts

2009-03-12T18:34:00.004-04:00

After much organizing, re-organizing, and endless worry, we managed to throw a wonderful party at the Suzanne Roberts Theater last Tuesday night. 12th grade students from Mariana Bracetti Academy had a chance to discuss their senior research projects with Philadelphia notables like Pedro Ramos (former managing director of the City of Philadelphia), Joe Bordogna (former Chief Operating Officer of the National Science Foundation), and the Honorable William Greenlee, member of Philadelphia City Council. Wait, did I forget to mention the accomplished women at the party? Juanita Figueroa, pathbreaking Latina community activist was there along with Debbie Kahn, Director of Delaware Valley Grantmakers, and Linda Jacobs of the Nelson Foundation.

I could make a longer list of who was in attendance but my words can't capture the incredible sound of the crowd's conversation. The air just seemed to crackle with energy and ideas. It was great to see our students talking about their research with adults who were eager to share their professional knowledge. The Action News team from Channel 6 even showed up to take some footage of the event. They got a few shots of the newly famous Barking Bulldogs who played background music for the guests. If there are cuter musicians in the world, I have yet to meet them.

March Snowstorm Foils the Fiesta

2009-03-02T19:04:00.003-05:00

Snow, or the prediction thereof, has foiled our grand plan for tonight's Brazo de Oro Foundation party with students from Mariana Bracetti Academy. Who could foresee that a winter which brought only one measly snowstorm to Philadelphia would deliver a Nor'easter on March 2nd? We may have been stopped this time, but we will reschedule the party for a date in the near future after we consult with our partners at the Philadelphia Theater Company and Primo Catering.

Meanwhile, although the Philadelphia storm delivered far less snow than predicted, the Poconos got a nice big helping. I could barely get the car out of the driveway.

Pennsylvania Arts -- Creative Opportunities for Young People

2009-02-26T11:50:00.009-05:00

The remarkable thing about creative expression is its resilience. Before you've learned how to multiply and divide, you have the ability to tell a story. Long after your blurry vision has forced you into a pair of reading specs, you can write a poem. I was fortunate to grow up in a family that believed in early artistic training. My sister and I were taking piano lessons before we were tall enough to ride a roller coaster. Every summer we took arts and crafts classes that taught us how to create things in different media. It took a long time to finally figure out what kind of career I really wanted to pursue. But in my professional life, I've continued working to help promote creative educational opportunties for young people.

These efforts led to my involvement with the Mariana Bracetti Academy Charter School in Philadelphia. Years after helping to found this school, I am now seeing the tremendous fruits of that labor. Next week we are having a party to celebrate our students' accomplishments and introduce them to professionals from a wide variety of careers. The reception will be held in the Suzanne Roberts Theater on Philadelphia's Avenue of the Arts on Monday, March 2 from 6-8 PM. Youth musicians from MBA will be performing that night. They call themselves the Barking Bulldogs. I can't wait to hear them. Tickets are $25 and proceeds go towards helping the school provide college scholarships, technology and educational programs for students in 6th through 12th grades. Come out and help us celebrate!

Local Color -- Polar Bears in the Poconos

2009-02-15T19:26:00.003-05:00

Today was the day for a real Pocono treat. Before I had my coffee I could hear the chain saws humming in the mournful key that tells you someone is cutting ice. Since the top two or three feet of Henning Pond was frozen solid, the saws groaned for about an hour as they sliced out a slab big enough to let the Polar Bears jump into the water. This year the Polar Bears included about 30 crazy swimmers decked out in nutty costumes. The real festivities began at about 1 PM when the first candidates leaped into the water. There were lots of older guys who obviously spent the winter growing nice big beer bellies. Then there were some younger guys dressed as Blue Man Group and a few teenage girls in tutus and bikinis. A bunch of little kids in front of me kept yelling: "Do a belly flop, we want to see you throw up!" There were lots of bellies and a few belly flops. But the crowd did not get to see anyone throw up.

Tourism Around Pennsyl Pointe -- Pottsville, PA

2009-02-14T13:17:00.003-05:00

Parking lots at the local restaurants were overflowing last night. The bars are packed with skiers and holiday tourists toasting winter's final 3-day weekend. The slopes of Big Boulder and Jack Frost are full, even though my once white lawn is beginning to show some grass around the edges. When the tourists take over my favorite local spots, I like to get out of town and be a tourist elsewhere. Today I'm taking a ride to Schuylkill County to see an art exhibit in Pottsville at the newly renovated Many Worlds Gallery. It's a nice day trip from Pennsyl Pointe. Last month I wrote an article on winter day trips. Here's a link to the piece which appeared in Blue Mountain Moments, a Carbon County publication. I'm hoping today's trip gives me a little material for my next piece.

Writing in the Pocono Snow

2009-02-07T11:28:00.003-05:00

Snow. It’s coming. White, fluffy, thick, heavy. It’s down batting over concrete. Where’s the sidewalk, the road? It’s comprehensive. Birds hide, Trees shake. Cars and fences disappear. It’s blameless, pure -- absolution for the city, adornment for the woods. It’s a school day on the couch, hot chocolate and cartoons. It’s a back ache, a collision, wet shoes. At night, it's a blanket that quiets the streets and sweeps our dirt beneath a pristine rug. By Sunday, it will be an urban memory, drowned in slush. But in the Poconos, it’s a tale that never ends. A childhood friend, an engine’s enemy. Whatever it is, it wakes me up and moves my pen.

Conversations with Pennsylvania Artists

2009-02-01T12:40:00.002-05:00

Last week I spent a great evening talking with some creative artists from around the region. It's amazing how every artistic medium is changing in response to the growth of the Internet and its many communication tools (blogs, Facebook, Twitter, etc.). Like online technology, our conversation moved very quickly and in a thousand different directions. One result of our chat was that I made a commitment to learn more about the online works my friends are developing. Click here for a link to a blog for Angie Jordan, who happened to be part of this conversation. I confess that she is my cousin, but she is also an award winnning artist and a pioneer in the field of digital caricatures. Michelle Gallagher, a Carbon County writer was also there. We're both looking forward to my writing workshop in Jim Thorpe next Sunday. Check out the flyer -- Angie used her gifts to create my logo!

Pocono Writing Workshop -- Jim Thorpe

2009-01-18T14:42:00.004-05:00

It's snowing steadily here in the Poconos and the skiers are happy. The sight of snow can be awfully inspiring (more about that later) but it does keep a lot of us stuck in our houses during the cold winter months. For those who don't ski, I've been organizing a different kind of activity to get you off your couch. On Sunday, February 8th, from 1 pm to 3 pm I'll be teaching a writing workshop at Sellers Books and Fine Art in Jim Thorpe. This workshop is intended for writers of all skill levels -- from writers who would like to learn more about the craft of fiction to those who are just getting started. The fee for the workshop is modest: just $10 bucks (about what you'd pay for a movie ticket and a Coke). If you'd like to learn to write (or just get better at it), please check out the workshop. You can get more information by calling (570)722-1680 or by writing a comment here and including your email address. The location of Sellers Books is 101 Broadway, Jim Thorpe, PA.

A Year's Gifts In Brief

2008-12-31T17:17:00.006-05:00

Snow has fallen throughout the day. A blanket of dry, white fluff has sifted over the lawn and through the trees. Now and then the wind moans like a tired old grandmother as I sit here tapping on the keyboard. Outside, Venus and the Moon light up the winter sky. It is the last day of the year, time to take stock of the bounty that's rolled in during twelve months of hard work.

First comes the gift of family. My mother's health is improving after a scary time of crisis. Other members of my extended family (cousins, aunts, uncles) have come together all year to support each other through the loss of a beloved uncle. Our family has once again demonstrated its vast capacity to love, forgive, and remain crazy beyond words. Friends come next. This year brought the blessing of new friends in places where I once felt like a stranger. These people have helped me create links to support my writing and the writing of longtime colleagues. Feels like a great harvest. Old friends cannot be overlooked. Some have struggled with obstacles they've never faced before. Their love and humor in the face of adversity is exemplary. Finally, my life would come to a screeching halt if it were not for the insight and work ethic of my clients. I've been blessed with the opportunity to write for people who are leaders in their fields, who have spent their lives helping others, who never lose sight of what is essential. Although deadlines can create enormous stress, these people make me feel that my work means something, that writing well can provide visionary people with the tools they need to help those most in need.

Finally, every day I spend at Pennsyl Pointe is a beautifully wrapped gift. Each time I look out the window at those giant pines, those rising stars, my heart fills with gratitude. The charm and magic of this place keeps me aware of how fortunate I am -- even when my wallet is empty. When we remain mindful of the simple blessings around us, the threat of scarcity is transformed into an old wives tale. Tonight I am the richest writer on earth -- J.K. Rowling, notwithstanding.

Winter Meditations

2008-12-30T10:26:00.009-05:00

Mystery lies at the core of the creative impulse. At this time of year, there is so much imagery in the environment to stimulate creative thinking. Smells are abundant: the fir branches give off the fragrance of winter; burning candles perfume the air. Candle light casts shadows over the walls. Winter wind whipping through the trees provides an eerie soundtrack punctuated by the crackling fireplace.

Yes, this is the time when the muses circle around us and provide a clear pathway to creative expression. The sacred space between the end of an old year and the beginning of a new one is a perfect time to think about what we have done badly or well. It's also an opportunity to imagine the future and develop our vision for what comes next. More than anything, this is a time to express gratitude to those who have contributed to the richness of our lives throughout the past year. Today I plan to sit by the fireplace and formulate a list. It won't be one that itemizes things I want from Santa. It's a list that describes the big gifts I've already received and how much they mean to me.

Pennsyl Pointe Writers to Read in Jim Thorpe

2008-12-18T17:28:00.003-05:00

It's been a busy week for most people. Although rumors suggest that no one has any money to spend, the streets are still crowded with people looking for last minute holiday gifts. I'd like to suggest searching for that elusive present at Sellers Books and Fine Art in downtown Jim Thorpe. I'll be reading there on Saturday, December 20th at 3 in the afternoon. I'm looking forward to hearing the work of some fellow writers from the Liberties Scribblers group in Philadelphia and from another Pennsyl Pointer from Carbon County. Come out and join us for a little holiday fun. The theme of the reading is Trojan Gifts -- you know, those gifts that have unintended, or unforseen consequences. Refreshments and scintillating conversation are sure to follow our readings of original fiction.

Remembering the Gifts of Paris: Shakespeare and Company

2008-12-07T18:50:00.004-05:00

As deep cold hardens the Pocono earth, it’s hard to remember back as far as April. Spring seems like a dream I had a hundred years ago -- when I was Harry Potter’s age. But it’s only been a few months since I spent some wonderful weeks in Paris with friends I hadn’t seen in many years. My trip was planned around spending some time in a writing workshop at the great Shakespeare and Company Bookstore across from the Cathedral of Notre Dame. At the time, I felt depleted from all the work I’d done fixing up Pennsyl Pointe. I was afraid that I’d neglected my writing for too long and wondered if it was even worth it to finish my novel, The Truth about Pluto. But Paris is a destination known to open the eyes of many beleaguered artists. I decided I would go there and give my novel a “do or die” moment by sharing it with an unknown group of international readers/writers. Thumbs up, I continue. Thumbs down, I slink back to my established freelance business.

No choice could have buoyed me more. The city was beautiful. In every part of Paris lush gardens were waking to the gentle tap of April rain. At my friend’s house in Le Marais, I met a variety of artists and professors who provided encouragement as I tried to prepare myself for the writing workshop. One person in particular, Marylene Lerault, was very helpful. She is a gifted painter and visual artist who graciously agreed to help me taste French food and wine for some articles I was writing. Marylene has been living the French creative life for a long time. Click here to look at samples of Marylene's wonderful paintings. She is married to a musician whose talents are also well known throughout Paris. Marylene and her husband know that the secret to a satisfying creative career is that you must love the process –- audience response and market success are not within your control.

In the end, the Shakespeare workshop was wonderful. I met fascinating people from all over the world and my work got a very good reception. In fact, the participants helped me think about the core message of my novel in a completely different way. I returned to the states with Edith Piaf tunes in my head and an unquenchable thirst for Sauvignon Blanc. The work of editing continues even as the snow swirls outside my window.

Inspiration with a Foreign Flavor -- A film by Philippe Claudel

2008-11-22T13:41:00.003-05:00

When the world around me starts feeling too dull, I can usually raise a few sparks in my brain by engaging in some cross-cultural activity. In an ideal world, I’d have enough dough to hop on a plane and visit a foreign country every few months. However, since impulse travel is out of the question, I do the next best thing and go to a foreign film. Last Saturday I went to see a very moving French film called I’ve Loved You So Long. This was the wrenching story of two sisters reuniting after one of them completes a 15 year prison sentence for murder.

The movie was very touching. The most striking qualities of the film are its emotional honesty and the stripped down nature of the acting. At the beginning of the story, the primary characters aren’t comfortable around each other and each seems to harbor their own volatile secrets. Relationships evolve slowly and revelations surface in very subtle ways.

If a movie with this theme had been made in Hollywood, the actresses would have been dolled up and shimmering. The script would be weak and it would force two photogenic women to overact. The style of Philippe Claudel, however, is much more restrained and avoids the shiny pomposity of American film. When the movie was over, I felt like I’d traveled a great emotional distance in a few hours.

After seeing a film in another language that reflects a different culture, my mind feels enriched, stimulated – like I just took a mini-vacation. But because this was a French film, it also transported me back to memories of my trip to Paris last April. While there I wrote some articles about French food and wine. Here is a link to one of my pieces at Vineyard Stars. Juicier details of the trip will follow.

Get Out and See the Local Talent: Becky and the Beasts

2008-11-10T11:58:00.003-05:00

After years of living in Philadelphia – home of hundreds of theater companies, musical groups, and galleries -- I’ve become a little spoiled by easy access to the performing arts. But the Pocono region is full of working artists who are just as talented as the big city types. The main difference is that artists here have to work harder to cultivate an audience that is more geographically dispersed. The big benefit to consumers is that it costs a lot less to hear a great band or see a show in the Poconos.

A few weekends ago I paid a measly ten bucks to hear Becky and the Beasts, a fantastic cover band play a live benefit performance at the Mauch Chunk Opera House. The concert was so much fun -- partly because the band played all sorts of danceable music from the seventies and eighties. But they did it with a much higher degree of musicianship than you’d expect when you’ve only paid ten dollars. Songs ranged from Paula Cole tunes to Jethro Tull and Eric Clapton classics. Sounds impossible, right? Yet it was all built on the superb voice of the lead singer (let’s assume her name is Becky) and the incredible guitar skills of other band members. The multiple talents of the band’s sax player provided the key asset that allowed the band to perform such a wide range of music. He was perfectly comfortable – and skilled – on the flute, trumpet and cornet. And he also sang pretty well on a few songs. These musicians reminded me how much fun a good night out can be. Along with others, I got carried away by the music and danced in the aisle. That’s good for you. Music is good for you and having that much fun makes you realize the joy you can give to others when you put your own creative talents to use.

Times News Article about Pennsyl Pointe Writers

2008-11-06T12:10:00.003-05:00

Michelle Gallagher, one of our featured writers during last Saturday’s reading at Seller’s Books, called my attention to an article that appeared in the 11/3 edition of Carbon County’s Times News. Those of you who want to know a little more about our event last week can follow this link to the article. Pay no attention to that corny photograph.

Jim Thorpe -- A Great Town for the Arts

2008-11-03T10:07:00.002-05:00

This past Saturday, several writers joined me for a reading of short fiction pieces at Sellers Books and Fine Art in downtown Jim Thorpe. I was happily surprised at the turnout. The room was full and our host, Randall Sellers, put together a really nice event. In fact, we had such a good time we may do it again in a few months. Be sure to come by and join us in December if you are in town. We’ll announce the date here and in the Carbon County media.

Perhaps the best outcome of the event is that, due to the store’s location, we can now tell our families that we performed on Broadway.

I read this great poem by Susan Mitchell as part of the event:

The Dead

At night the dead come down to the river to drink.
They unburden themselves of their fears,
their worries for us. They take out the old photographs.
They pat the lines in our hands and tell our futures,
which are cracked and yellow.
Some dead find their way to our houses.
They go up to the attics.
They read the letters they sent us, insatiable
for signs of their love.
They tell each other stories.
They make so much noise
they wake us
as they did when we were children and they stayed up
drinking all night in the kitchen.

by Susan Mitchell

Local Writers to Read in Jim Thorpe

2008-10-30T19:04:00.004-04:00

If you are in the Carbon County area (or if you are willing to drive there), consider stopping by the Sellers Book Store at 101 Broadway in downtown Jim Thorpe on Saturday, November 1, 2008 around 3 pm. Fiction writers from Pennsyl Pointe and from the Liberties Scribblers writers’ group in Philadelphia will be reading their work that afternoon. We also plan to make a community ofrenda to commemorate loved ones who have passed away. This is a common ritual observed in Mexico during the Days of the Dead. If you would like to bring an object of significance representing someone you’ve lost, feel free to do so. It will be returned to you once we take the ofrenda down. See the attached poster to get an idea of what an ofrenda looks like. The Days of the Dead are observed from October 31st to November 2nd. The theme of the reading is: Advice for the Dead.

Inspiration – Witness the Greats: Leann Rimes

2008-10-26T20:01:00.001-04:00

My family knew the value of creative arts. Early in life my father made us listen to the remarkable musicians of his generation. We absorbed the power of Tchaikovsky while hiding behind our upright piano. From there, the Nutcracker Suite was like a soundtrack for space travel. Some days Nat King Cole brought the spirit of jazz to our house while Sam Cooke taught us something about soul. Since my father was a fine singer himself, he understood the power of great voices and wanted us to hear them – though we didn’t always know why. Last month when I learned that Leann Rimes was going to sing at Penn’s Peak, the chance to hear a great voice came my way once more.

Although we bought two of the last available tickets, our seats were terrific. We were up on the balcony but had a clear view of the stage. The theater at Penn’s Peak isn’t oversized like the Spectrum, so each performance retains a personal quality. With her down home approach to the audience, Leann Rimes made the show feel unscripted -- in a good way. Although I was there to hear her sing the country songs that made her famous before she reached the ripe old age of 20, her music has moved into a powerful rock and roll phase that took me by surprise. She has also begun writing her own songs. Over the next few years, she may evolve into one of our country’s greatest talents. Her voice is a gift – like Picasso’s sense of form or Fitzgerald’s skill with metaphor. Some songs required her to hit – and hold -- notes that stretched across several octaves. She sang with a depth of feeling that provokes a listener to share the highs and lows of love, the push and pull of family, and the challenges of living a life filled with events we can’t control. “What I Cannot Change”, her song based on the Serenity Prayer, was deeply touching.

When you hear someone with this kind of talent, you can’t help but feel inspired to work harder at your own art -- even if your primary art is living through one more day. I loved seeing that tiny little woman dominate the stage with her dancing and vocal presence. She looked like some genie released from the same bottle Elvis must have lived in before he came to earth.

Writing in the Natural Environment – Pocono Critters

2008-09-09T19:11:00.003-04:00

The range of wildlife in the Pocono region is incredible. It provides me with an endless supply of images that often end up animating my creative work. For example, I thought I knew what happiness was until I saw this tiny frog exploring the back lawn at Pennsyl Pointe. From buggy eyes to webbed feet he was smaller than the top joint of my thumb and exhilarating to watch. He must have just traded his tadpole tail for that pair of wild legs he now kicks with so much joy. Today he can hop up one side of a tuft of grass and jump right down the other – it’s his version of Olympic victory. When he rested near the roots of plants it was impossible to see him. His red orange color eliminated any contrast between him and the clay dirt at his tiny feet. It was the leap through vegetation that gave him away. A frog this small and red belongs to some science book my teachers never gave me. Unlike the green and grumpy ones, this one might actually convince a princess to kiss it.

Writing and Walking -- Finding Your Muse at the Labyrinth

2008-09-03T14:06:00.002-04:00

This past weekend was a gift in every sense. At the retreat we had great weather, lively companions, and enough free time to drink in the natural beauty around us. Since we had an artist in residence, we dedicated some time to sprucing up the labyrinth installation at Pennsyl Pointe. Indigo Raffel, our labyrinth designer, helped us to improve the layout by adding more and bigger rocks to outline the walking path. We took some beautiful shale and granite river rocks from a creek bank that’s pretty close to the house. This involved crossing the creek on slippery stones and hurling rocks across the water. It wasn’t dangerous exactly -- just risky enough to make you feel 100% in the moment. It also gave us a chance to take turns throwing stones at each other. How often does that happen?

Now the labyrinth looks terrific. With autumn approaching, the place is perfect for walks that bring you a little closer to your muse. In fact, I suspect the deer are strolling up there right now, reflecting on their plot points. Don’t laugh. On various occasions, I've caught them in the act.

Welcome Writers -- Check out the Labyrinth

2008-08-28T10:31:00.002-04:00

From the beginning, I wanted Pennsyl Pointe to be a place where friends, family, writers and other artists could relax and cultivate their creative talents. The natural beauty of the place has always inspired me, but I thought we could make it even more interesting by tossing in a few creative amenities. Summer brought the introduction of a wonderful new landscape feature. I persuaded my long time friend Indigo Raffel, a Pittsburgh-based artist, to visit the retreat. Indigo’s work has been a creative force for many groups including the Norris Square Neighborhood Project in Philadelphia, the Mattress Factory and Friends of the Urban Forest in Pittsburgh. During her visit, she helped me create a labyrinth on the grass up the hill from the retreat house.

The use of labyrinths can be traced back to medieval Catholic cathedrals. Originally, they were used as a site of pilgrimage. The most famous of these is the labyrinth in the cathedral at Chartres. Because international travel was extremely dangerous during the Middle Ages, visits to labyrinths were used as a substitute for a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Geometrical designs were created in cathedral floors using pieces of marble in various colors. The labyrinth at Pennsyl Pointe was made with sand and granite rocks that outline each circuit of the labyrinth. Now, don’t confuse a labyrinth with a maze. This is not a walkway meant to puzzle you and there is no danger of getting lost. The rule is: one way in, one way out. Your walk in the labyrinth is intended to help you relax your mind and discover new solutions for old creative problems. I’m very happy that this weekend, Indigo will be visiting again along with several members of my family. With this gang of innovators, our holiday weekend at Pennsyl Pointe is sure to be an experience out of the ordinary.

Writers' dilemmas -- The Search for Inspiration

2008-08-18T22:53:00.002-04:00

Good writing doesn’t require an exotic setting or extravagant plot. The essential ingredient of compelling work is the writer’s ability to describe, in an original way, that ineffable quality that made the story irresistible to them. Not every writing idea triggers a truly creative response. Writers need reflective time to sort through potential brainstorms and find the one that can be transformed into an exciting story.

To refine those inspirational ideas, I take long walks on the roads around Pennsyl Pointe. Time among the busy creatures of the Pocono woods sets my thinking free. Back at the house I have a shocking pink Moleskine notebook that I use for jotting down details of story concepts. Since legend (and persuasive advertising) suggests that Moleskines were used by famous expatriate artists including Ernest Hemingway and Pablo Picasso, writing in mine makes me feel more inventive. Keeping a log of inspired ideas also ensures that I have no excuses for not writing when my Sunday creative time rolls around. On my list I include possible characters, provocative events, and weird stuff that gets stuck in my mental freight. Right now, I owe myself some writing on blue herons, Mexican immigrants and phony aristocrats. But I still haven’t crossed injured spiders off the list.

Writers dilemmas -- the battle against isolation

2008-08-12T18:52:00.006-04:00

Meeting creative people in the Carbon County area isn't easy. People live far apart and, between work and family obligations, most of us have to drive quite a bit. This past weekend was a good one for me because my writing activities gave me the opportunity to talk with others who write -- and they live just a few minutes away from me.

One of the biggest problems faced by many writers is the sense of isolation that accompanies the job. It's very difficult to be focused and meet deadlines when other people are around -- but passing hours along at the computer screen can be awfully lonely. Writing groups and workshops can be a key resource for writers fighting this battle. Workshops provide an amazing opportunity to meet people with common interests and experiences. You might see the same people in the video store or the gas station, but you're unlikely to discover your shared interest.

My work over the past few years with the Liberties Scribblers writing group in Philadelphia has been a valuable source of inspiration. Other writers in the group bring a great deal of insight and humor to our discussions. Members' critiques of my work have helped me polish projects and see creative possibilities I never imagined for myself. My great hope is that over time, I will be able to build the same kind of writing network in the Carbon County area. So if you're down by the creek writing alone, drop me a line.

2008-08-04T12:20:00.000-04:00

As with all great loves, this one seemed to arrive unbidden. Yet on August 13th of this year, I’ll celebrate the one year anniversary of a relationship from which I’ve chosen not to escape. The days leading up to our big ceremony were a little frantic. There were sheaves of paper, long lists, lots of nervous phone calls. It was not my first trip down this path. Memories of those past experiences seemed to thwart my ability to make the simplest choices. What colors? What time? I just couldn’t decide without rethinking it a hundred times. In spite of my doubts, I proceeded.

When I woke up on that auspicious morning I felt like some caring friend had sent me a package of weather straight from heaven. I kept checking the horizon to make sure I wasn’t just imagining that blue and cloudless sky. We had scheduled a 10 AM ceremony and I was oddly punctual. But then, I’d long since decided that I really wanted this. For months I’d dreamed of it and planned. Supportive callers helped me through the final preparations – my mom saw no reason to turn back, a colleague assured me I was doing the right thing. My partner in this thing was sure too -- so I stayed the course.

He was sure, yeah, but he was also late. Even with him coasting twenty minutes behind, we got the business over with by 11. The house he no longer loved officially became mine. Our plans to celebrate the transaction with champagne and cake were scuttled by unforeseen work crises, but this did not disturb my happiness. I was ready to go back to Pennsyl Pointe and get things running.

I knew there’d be no real honeymoon. The house had more flaws than charms. But the rotting rugs and frayed drapes could not hide its beauty from me. Even now, one full year later, I remain bewitched. I am, however, proud to announce that I have renegotiated the original 30 year marriage (at 7.25%) down to a 20 year tryst closer to prime.

Summer Writing Workshop Series at Pennsyl Pointe Retreat

2008-07-30T18:13:00.002-04:00

A Beginners Writing Workshop for adults will be offered on August 10th, 2008 at the Pennsyl Pointe Writers’ Retreat. This is a five hour workshop for novice writers who would like to learn more about the fundamentals of story writing. The workshop focuses on basic elements of fiction to help new writers bring a story to life on the page. The workshop starts at noon and ends at 5 PM. The fee is $50 and includes refreshments. Writing activities take place in and around the Pennsyl Pointe retreat house which is located at 22 Shady Lane, Albrightsville, PA. The house is in a beautiful wooded area along the Mud Run Creek in Carbon County.

On August 16th, 2008, a Creative Writing Workshop for Children (aged 8-12) will be offered at Pennsyl Pointe. This is a four hour workshop, starting at 1 PM that cultivates kids’ creative writing skills. Activities focus on inventing original characters, creating story settings, and developing basic plots. The fee for the workshop is $40. Refreshments are provided.

Instruction for both workshops is provided by Colleen Davis, proprietor of Readletter Services, a successful freelance writing business operating since 2001. She holds a B.A. and M.S. from the University of Pennsylvania where she has taught summer writing workshops for the past three years. She is also the founder and facilitator of Liberties Scribblers, a Philadelphia-based creative writing group. For the past two years, the Scribblers have sponsored a seasonal series of story slams at the Standard Tap pub in the Northern Liberties section of Philadelphia.

Special assistance for the Children’s Workshop will be provided by Isabel Ramos who, in 2007, won 1st Prize from the Philadelphia Young Playwrights for her play Me Name-O Eduardo.

Inspiration at Pennsyl Pointe

2008-07-29T19:49:00.002-04:00

Although I’ve traveled to many other places, I’ve lived most of my life in Pennsylvania. Because the state has such a range of assets – from historical treasures and cultural wealth to vast natural beauty – it offers great inspiration to the creative soul. Experiences from a Pennsylvania childhood have shaped the sensibility of some of our country’s greatest writers including (but not limited to) John Updike, August Wilson and Annie Dillard. The establishment of the Pennsyl Pointe Writers’ Retreat in the Pocono Mountains is part of an effort to make sure that the noble line of PA scribblers continues to flourish in the 21st Century. The Pocono environment adds its own sort of magic to the writing process. Pennsyl Pointe is located in Albrightsville, a village in Carbon County. The region is populated with an extensive range of creatures – both animal and human – that offer recurring surprises to the inquiring mind. The next few posts will examine some exceptional critters not likely to be found outside of Pennsyl Pointe.

When the writing gets tough, the tough get coffee

2008-07-25T17:16:00.000-04:00

For the past week or so, a lot of my time has gone into organizing the various aspects of our August writing workshops. Some of that work involves publicizing the workshops through other creative outlets in the Pocono community. I’ve been very fortunate to get a lot of support from local entrepreneurs who’ve worked hard to create their own successful businesses in the Pocono region. Giuseppe, the proprietor of Caffe Lantico, has been extremely helpful – not only because he posts information about the Pennsyl Pointe workshops. He also provides the terrific coffee Pocono people need to fuel their next masterpiece or whitewater adventure. Giuseppe’s coffee is special, made in the old fashioned Italian style. He also makes fresh mozzarella which I buy religiously to pair up with local farm grown tomatoes and basil from my garden. This post was not intended to make you hungry. It’s just here to let you know that when hunger strikes you can always fight back with Giuseppe’s cannoli.

Writing Workshops at Last

2008-07-23T18:48:00.000-04:00

Like Punxatawney and Pottsville, Pennsyl Pointe wasn’t built in a day. The past few weeks have been hectic. Plans to launch a new series of writing workshops at this wooded Pocono retreat have resulted in a long and overwhelming to-do list. But after plenty of hard work and good planning, August 2008 will mark the public inauguration of Pennsyl Pointe Writing Workshops for scribblers of all ages and experience.

In late June, we held a test run with a two-day workshop for experienced creative writers. The session used a pilot format that united a group of talented writers from Philadelphia for a 48 hour program of writing, great meals, creative critiques, communing with nature, mutual creative support, and of course, dessert. The good reviews on everything --including the fruit salad -- seemed to suggest that the time had come to let the rest of the world in on a good thing. If you re-visit this blog tomorrow you should be able to find a preliminary workshop schedule and some registration forms for the retreat’s next offerings.

2008-07-08T14:03:00.000-04:00

Pennsyl Pointe is a real place. It's where I spend the better part of myself -- you know, the bits no collection agency can take away from you, the stuff no one else would ever pay you for. It's a beautiful spot that I long for before I'm even out of the driveway. The Pennsyl Pointe Blog is currently under construction. Come back in a few days and you'll find photos, workshop schedules and more background. In the meantime, that's me in the corner.