Studio8 - Uniting the Arts

mistpen & wireman : hey, you are both a born-to-perfom beings!!!!!!
&


really? like a library? no alcohol?

Guess what? No alcohol.... no audience. All people want to do is drink. They don't give a shit about the poetry.... well the poets do, but not the audience. They just want to drink..... but anyway, let me know. I'll read at a podium to 5 people sitting in hardback folding chairs drinking water I don't care. I'll read to anybody.

The drunks don't listen anyway. Seriously, the only reason they're there is to drink.
Mist Pen Site Admin Posts: 13463Joined: Sat Jul 10, 2004 2:30 pmLocation: Virginia



put a fresh-water dispenser at hand & at the same time be confident in the sometimes surprising & odd human listening possibilities .... maybe it´s just a teacher´s advice but who knows...!

Oh u get polite applause, then they go back to the chat mode...its better with a room divider between the poetry and bar, but nolas not big enuff, although u can rise above the din with sheer volume and dynamics....most poets are more tranquilo then that8)

i've been going to open mics and poetry readings since 05 and never once been in a bar.

people talking over the poetry being read? ew.

just saying, the bar is not the only place for poetry.

some of my favorite events were in art galleries and coffee shops.

if u read entire thread thats what im saying...poetry is better read in a gallery or coffee house

bars are for socializing, tho many are used for other events...like music....which works pretty well, but even that gets ignored at times by the raucous din of laughter, and bad jokes

I agree mark, poetry best in bookstores, small halls, some cafes....where people actually come to listen, instead of something going on the corner over there, as a lit up customer slips a another dollar in the juke box

Doreen: happy birthday. Thanks for this place, as always.

My dear Ms. Peri,

This is a letter to inform you that your writing days are not over. You will continue to write as long as you can even IF you 'think' you cannot.

In my experience (67 yrs now and writing since I was old enough to hold a pencil or crayon) I have found periods of time where I felt I could no longer write, sometimes long periods...a year even... No poetry, stories, haiku or even letters home. It really sucked!

This was depressing because I see myself, first and foremost, as a writer. Since grade school I have been told that I had a gift, that my writing was exceptional but I never believed it, not really. I tried to be better at the craft, hone it, edit it and make it as perfect as I thought it could be but there was always that insecurity that it was never "good enough."

As artists (yes, we know our craft is an "art") our egos are fragile things, especially as women I think. And it is difficult when you sit and stare at a page (or a screen) and nothing comes or flows... My solution was acceptance. I gave myself a talk: "Hey, nothings happening here!" "Do something else...!" "Go out in the garden and work or get busy with a chore you have been avoiding."

And I spent an entire year licking my wounds, taking care of a sick son and adjusting to my inabilities to be what I used to be, or do what I used to do. It was a process, necessary and painful, but needed. I lost hope but it found me again, and I started to write my feelings, my hopes, my fears, my everyday mundane happenings down. It kick started this old gal (yes I am, but my heart, mind and spirit are youthful) into gear.

So, Ms. Peri, I know you will write again for you cannot stop anymore than I could. We, you and I, are writers, no doubt about that...and a drought, a blockage, a grief will never stop us.

Sincerely and With Love,
S.E.A. Lee

what's a dry spell, anyway?
My one and only sit with an astrologer in toronto back in 82 gave me such a lovely thought:

Sometimes you fill the bucket and sometimes you empty it.

and so it is.

Soozen - so good of you to share your experience.
Ms. Doreen - clearly 'over' is a metaphor for 'not really over' - as you, yourself have documented.

love to all

Breaks are good for the spirit....you always come back better, fresher than before

SooZ ... thank you for your lovely letter. I appreciate the encouragement. You inspired me with your insights and fortitude. Just keep on going, yes! That's what I need to do. I will remember your story as I continue to battle the dry spell.

Judih .... Thank you. I love that you saw it as a metaphor. Maybe it is. I have written a few things lately but basically, I think they suck. At some points in my life, I've thought ALL of my work sucks. Every bit of it. I'm a depressive. This is part of the stupid depression game.

Mark ... Thanks to you, too, for your supportive kindness.

......

TO ALL

I feel lost... Like I've lost my identity. Job dissolved several years ago, forced into early retirement, kids grown and gone. I need to GET UP and get into my painting studio and paint. I need to work in the yard and gardens. I need to get moving. I have a man in my life now who makes me happy but I don't make him happy when I'm depressed. He doesn't like to see me purposeless, feeling down. On the bright side, I've known him for many years since we were teenagers, and I have inspired him to pick up a paint brush for the first time in his life. We painted a collaboration (well, it's still in the works.. we need to get back to it). Life is a roller coaster ride sometimes. I need to start writing it all down. I think I want to work on a memoir. We lost 3 friends in the past few weeks, people who we grew up with and hung out with in high school. GONE. Yeah, life is short. Might be time for a memoir. Thanks again. LOVE TO ALL

when death takes away those we know, it seems to leave a little hook in the soul. If there are enough distractions at the time, that hook might just get lost in the shuffle.
But if it's a quiet time in life, the hook starts to wriggle and take on weight.

It's just a hook. But I allow it greater presence.
what to do?
i think you're right. Get up and go into the studio or puppet room or whichever spot is designated for creating. Enter the space of mind and soul and allow creation to take a stance.

I'm going to try it today. Enough of the hook-business. Sometimes it's all pollyanna, but there are no free rides - she's moved on to cheerier pastures. Back to the real business of opening doors and taking a step inside.

thanks for letting me hitch a ride on your thoughts.
one day, we'll sip a cool glass of water on Mars and laugh about all this.

It's a hard hook to deal with, judih.

I painted last night in my studio... working on a huge canvas. I don't like it. I keep screwing it up. Gotta keep working on it, I guess. At least I DID it. Wrote 2 poems recently, posted them and deleted them later since I thought they sucked.

Yeah, meet me on Mars for a glass of water and a swim.

swim and sing
the old tv said that in Japan, drs prescribe singing to combat depression (hence all those karaoke bars)
so, let's work up a song sheet

Doreen... Many of us artsy fartsy types are prone to depression or dry spells... It is a natural progression sometimes (I just hibernate and cogitate when it happens to me now.) It sounds like your guy is just concerned which is how it should be. Don't obsess, it never helped me... just go with the flow and know, as my momma used to tell me, "this to shall pass..." You have lots of support here, there and everywhere. Absorb the vibes, and do like dear judih says, sing or hum to yourselves, even if it is the Blues...