a crooked compass

Hey, have you heard of this thing called Tumblr?

2011-03-03T12:40:00.002-05:00

As usual, I'm woefully late to the party. Tumblr is pretty grand. Its layouts are interesting and much more versatile than Blogger's. I started checking out Tumblr when I discovered a few of my friends' blogs on there, and then I created one for my workshop, and then one for me to write whatever I wanted.

Check out my tumblr.

Neat things about tumblr:
- you can change your domain name at any time, as long as it's not taken
- you can do photo slideshows!
- the selection of formats is pretty great!
- you can add new pages to your blog
- it's easier to upload pics and videos, and you can play around with them more

I wish I could combine my Google account with my Tumblr account so that all the blogs I follow would be in one place. I can't add Tumblr's to my Google reader.

Tumble away!

video blogging of Crown Heights

2011-03-01T00:59:00.001-05:00

As I was contemplating exactly how I wanted to start writing more journalism pieces, I thought about conducting interviews with people in my neighborhood. I've stopped by and chatted with these people, but wouldn't it be interesting to hear their life stories? How did Lily, a Nigerian woman with a PhD in pharmaceutical science end up opening a bakery? How does Sue Rock, who donates all of her profits from her clothing store to local rape shelters, support herself? Ja, who makes juices and soups at Veggie Haven on Franklin Ave, works every day and commutes to and from the Bronx. How did he and his mother open a business in Crown Heights?

More rants

2011-02-28T15:29:00.005-05:00

Brooklyn Larder is a damn "fine purveyor of high quality, locally sourced foods." I recommend their couscous.

Boxing upsets me. It's difficult for me to imagine that a sport where the sole purpose is to maim the opponent. There's not even a ball or a field for some kind of distraction. Just pure brutality.

Vulnerability, yo.

Check out F*cked in Park Slope. This lady has some 'tude, and it's funny.

Freedom is the next book I will read.

Update

2011-02-28T11:39:00.007-05:00

Hi Bill, I'm laughing too!

It's been over a month since I've written and here's why:

- taking another writing workshop with Sackett Street
- running another writing workshop in Crown Heights
- teaching English to immigrants in Bushwick
- working a day job
- working on my novel
- submitting stories to journal

I'll also receive training to become a workshop leader for the New York Writers' Coalition, a wonderful literary nonprofit that runs creative writing workshops for at-risk youth, prisoners, cancer patients, the homeless, the elderly, and other marginalized social groups.

Random thoughts:

I didn't watch the Oscars, but I watched Colin Firth's speech. He is humble, intelligent, and funny.

Thoughts on Black Swan: *spoiler alert*
I didn't like Black Swan as much as I gather others did. The glowing red eyes towards the end? A little hokey. The disturbing images and hallucinations of pain - these were interesting. I've hard some people rail against Aronofsky's portrayals of women. I don't remember too much about Requiem for a Dream (mostly being really depressed and disturbed after the movie ended), but I heard someone say Aronofsky thinks women have to choose between the black and white swan. We don't have the ability to embrace both. I think this is an interesting take: after all, Nina dies in the end when she finally embraces the Black Swan. She couldn't have been successful and passionate, a perfectionist and completely open to pain and her less socially acceptable desires. We see part of her struggle between the black and white swan tendencies through out the film, but I do wonder why Nina had to die. This seems so extreme, and almost like avoiding a more complex resolution of letting the character continue to struggle - as humans really do.

I started Bill Bryson's The Lost Continent. My god, who else reads this amazing travel writer? Or am I the only one who hadn't heard of him until now? I first discovered Bryson in a collection of essays edited by Ira Glass, The New Kings of Nonfiction. Bryson wrote about interviewing some English football fans during one of the major matches (can't remember which one). His hilarious and frightening account, plus his excellent writing, won me over. About a year later, I visited a wonderful exhibition on maps in Katonah, NY and saw The Lost Continent for sale at the museum front desk. In their own manner of supporting journeys and the transmission of artifacts, the museum had bought a few travel and map-related books off E-bay and were selling them for next to nothing. Bryson is absolutely hilarious - so much that I'm hesitant to read this book on the subway in the morning because every other paragraph makes me laugh out loud (my laugh is a little annoying). His satirical commentary on the Midwest in this book is biting and honest, and he can get away with it because he's from there. If you haven't checked him out, I highly recommend you do.

Happy end of February, all. Can you believe 1/6 of the year is over?

Crown Writes: a local literary talent showcase

2011-01-27T18:52:00.000-05:00

Come hear works from 4 local residents and past participants of the Crown Heights Writing Workshop. Rhoda Belleza, Nick Juravich (famed I love Franklin Ave blogger), Baruch Tauber, and I will read from our collections. Laugh, cry, mull, and drink! There will be a limited quantity of free wine, and guests are encouraged to supplement this with their own drinks!

LaunchPad: http://www.brooklynlaunchpad.org/
I love Franklin Ave: http://ilovefranklinave.blogspot.com/

snow

2011-01-12T02:11:00.002-05:00

I stay up, partly to hear the Mayor's decision on New York City school closings, which will affect office closings. The cars and street oustide my apartment grow dim under layer after layer of snow. A woman dragged her suitcase down the middle of the road, and I wondered where she could be going or coming from at such an hour and thought about her toes. They must be numb. Her neck may be moist with melting flakes, and her cheeks stinging from wind gusts. A kitten kneads a pillow by my side. My radiator spits and cackles, and I think the elderly people in my building must be content with the heat coursing through the pipes.

I just watched Jon Stewart's reaction to the Giffords shooting. It was one of the most sober pieces I have ever seen him present. The shooting and the snow kindle some mixture of sadness and nostalgia in me; I don't know why the nostalgia. Maybe because I think of sitting on a couch in the piano room of my old home in Virginia. I used to look down our property to the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains that were draped in snow during the winter months.

Happy snow day, everyone. Stay warm.

blizzards, stranded buses, clinking radiators, and a stillborn baby

2010-12-27T20:13:00.002-05:00

I returned home tonight to an exasperated household. My roommate described the scene I had just missed: a young woman gave birth in our foyer. Ambulances couldn't reach her in the snow, but several policemen and firemen arrived on the scene though they proved be of little help. They were ill-prepared for the details of labor, and were hesitant to even touch the baby. They banged on our door and demanded towels, sponges, and blankets. My roommate called her father, a former EMT, and tried to relay his guidance. They cut the umbilical cord with the bourbon-soaked scissors she passed them.

Nobody had seen this woman before. We don't know where she lives or how long she was walking before she collapsed in our building. The woman was quiet during the whole process. She seemed to be in serious shock.

The maelstrom of events makes me stop and ponder: it's been one hell of a 24 hours. A disastrous blizzard left buses and cars strewn in the roads and Christmas just ended. The mountains of snow are beautiful yet eerie. 3 buses are parked in the middle of Dean street and more cars are askew in major arteries around Brooklyn. The whole scene recalls an apocalypse.

The police returned to thank my roommate for her help and to say the baby didn't make it. They said the girl was only 22.

May you and your family be safe and healthy this holiday season.

blank fingerpads

2010-12-22T16:11:00.002-05:00

During the winter months my hands grow so dry that the skin on my fingerprints flakes off, leaving me without the customary means of identification for humans. This has proven a little problematic in my new work space where devices register your fingerprint or ID card before allowing you entry. I have been using my ID card since I arrived, but this makes me ponder that for a few months each year the police would have difficulty tracing my physical presence at any scene. If I were missing, if I committed a crime and no drop of my blood were shed, how could they find me? What remnants of my presence would they rely upon? I walk among the cold winds of New York anonymous and untraceable.

New York delis

2010-12-10T14:00:00.002-05:00

I remember when I first stepped into a gourmet midtown deli when I started my first temp assignment at a major advertising firm. I was very impressed with the selection. This wasn't the Finagle a Bagel and Au Bon Pain stuff I had for lunch in Boston. Most of these places had sushi, noodle soups, salad bars, and small groceries in the back. I saw one reason New York was considered such a mecca for food lovers; even during their lunch hour they could find something gourmet, international, and fresh.

Now that I'm working in midtown again, I've been observing the delis more and even picking up some Korean from some of the more friendly workers. There are 2 aspects of the quintessential New York midtown deli that impress me most:

1. The workers
I've never seen people work faster than midtown deli employees, who work at least twelve hours for probably less than minimum wage and seem more alert and responsive than most of the people who buy their coffee. These people are machines. They test the boundaries of humans' capabilities. Only in New York.

2. The by-pound buffet
I sometimes bemoan our country's food system on this blog, the results of which I see in the fast food chains that populate my neighborhood of Crown Heights. This is why I appreciate the by-pound buffets at gourmet delis. The stuff isn't organic or even local, but at least there's less processed food than grocery stores, and eating fruits and vegetables won't break your wallet. It's comprised of mostly fruits and vegetables and the lightest stuff is cheapest, which encourages people to stick with the vegetarian and salad options. I wish our grocery stores could look the same way.

a reading for the Crown Heights Writing Workshop!

2010-11-29T00:08:00.001-05:00

As some of you know, I run a local workshop in Crown Heights. We're currently in our 2nd session and will start our 3rd in February. I'm in the works to host a reading event early next year, probably at LaunchPad. The evening will feature work from current and past workshop members! Stay tuned for more details! And if you're interested in joining a future session, e-mail me at crownwrites at gmail dot com.

The Writer as Cartographer

2010-11-27T23:25:00.004-05:00

I just finished an incredible book, Maps of the Imagination: The Writer as Cartographer. The book draws some interested parallels between writing and map making by describing stories as journeys the author embarks. He also explores the creation process for each; both highlight elements and omit others based on the author's preference. There are different scales used in each craft, different legends or rules, and different purposes. He asks the reader to imagine a map of a town drawn by a 13 year-old vs. one drawn by a architect, a teacher, a black person, a white person. The analogy makes me reconsider the perspective from which I write and the goals I have in mind as I continue the journey of my story.

A particularly fascinating analogy is calling maps representations of physical terrain while books are representations of mental terrain. I love this idea. Certain passages in book point to memories, feelings, and desires, all of which guide the reader and help him/her understand the orientation of the terrain.

meditate upon positive change in the world

2010-11-11T23:41:00.001-05:00

I'm a little late on mentioning this, but I discovered this international mediation project, the New Reality Transmission, which started at 11:11 pm tonight and will continue for the next 10 days. The goal: sit and meditate for 11 minutes at 11:11 pm EST on positive change. Imagine the world waking from slumber, from the idea that they are unable to change their reality and perception. Focus on spreading love, on encouraging humans to shed their inhibitions, and on encouraging others to join the collective consciousness. After all, anything is possible and everything is connected. So wake up, join the cause, and tap into your inner source of insurmountable love.

Here is a quote from the site. This is what they encourage people to realize:

Fear of dying becomes a joke. Fear of people taking your gold becomes silly. And fear of people laughing at you becomes irrational.

I found this section to be very powerful, and I hope it inspires others as well.

I started a blog for my workshop

2010-11-11T00:47:00.002-05:00

Come take a look! And if you're a writer, come join!

my approach to writing is like my appraoch to life

2010-11-09T23:12:00.002-05:00

As I constantly say, as I've written about so often, my writing technique is analogous to how I approach life. I recently had a story workshopped, and my instructor's only criticism was that I wasn't taking a risk at the ending. I was successfully building tension, but it wasn't culminating into anything. I wasn't letting the characters fully release themselves, confront one another, or reach a cathartic point at the end. It was all this build-up and a confusing, muddled ending with the steam being slowly released instead of the piece exploding into something magical.

I went home with a pile of commentaries from my fellow classmates and I thought about how sometimes I fear risk in life. How controlling, worried, conscious I can be. How I can refuse to submit or feel, even though I want to, but am terrified of not knowing the outcome. And how in this way, I'm denying myself some of the most wonderful elements of life. Sure, some of the awful too, but it's these vicissitudes that are inherent to the nature of the sentient beings' experience. They define human nature.

I recently read a piece by my friend. I loved it. I felt like the author was so honest, so confident, so willing to take risks. These characters let themselves fully experience every bit of their emotions. I thought to myself, yes, this is life in its raw form. This is art is in its raw form. It's expressing pure, unadulterated emotions, sometimes in explosive manners. It's absorbing. It's shocking or exhilarating or painful but it's extreme and unrestrained.

Onwards with the writing samples....

random rants about food

2010-11-04T20:20:00.002-04:00

- Here's a good sauce recipe - hummus, avocado, a dash of almond milk, a little cayenne pepper, a dash of water. Mix this together and put on salad. Delicious.

- Quantum Leap in the West Village is an excellent vegan restaurant.

- Say no to GMO's: xantham gum, citric acid, and all of those other corn-derived binders

apple pickin'

2010-10-16T22:03:00.003-04:00

I'm not in this picture, and I don't know these people, but Maskers Orchard in Warwick, NY has this little cut-out for visitors.

Today, I took a NJ Transit bus to Warwick, NY (I don't know why a NJ bus goes to NY). I got off the bus and walked about a mile to Maskers Orchard, a really beautiful pick-your-own apple orchard. You pay $25 per bag and can visit the country store that sells preserves, jams, doughnuts, pies, and all sorts of other apple-related baked goods. I got some cider doughnuts and hot cider. It was really delicious, and everything was sold at wholesale prices.

It's pretty amazing to see where your food comes from. It inspires me to garden. To look at a plant and think "I am going to eat that. That is going to be inside me and help me grow. That beautiful, fresh thing that dirt, soil, and sunshine allowed to grow will have a similar effect on me."

I don't eat many apples. I like them every once in a while. They're usually too filling for me. But now that I have oh, 30 apples, I think I will experiment and make some apple cider and maybe some kind of baked good.

I was mourning the end of summer, but now I'm welcoming fall. Tea, books, flannel things. It's cozy.

I'm starting another workshop!

2010-09-27T20:51:00.000-04:00

My last workshop was a wonderful success. I'd like to begin another one, though our previous space (LaunchPad) doesn't have room for us this fall. We'll have to find another space - it may be my apartment! If you or anyone you know is interested in joining a free short fiction workshop in Crown Heights, contact me! The workshop is open to writers of all levels and will last 8 weeks. It will probably start in mid to late October. Each writer has the chance to be critiqued twice!

What if the price of food matched its true cost on behalf of the world?

2010-09-20T20:13:00.002-04:00

Ever since reading The Omnivore's Dilemma and learning more about the benefits of buying local and sustainable farming, I've been fascinated by the food system. One particular line in Omnivore's Dilemma stuck out: it's a quote from gregarious, no-nonsense farmer Joel Salatin. It's something like "Organic food is the cheapest there is. It doesn't cost the environment or your health like the processed stuff."

Currently, our industry works so that the most processed stuff is cheapest. Thanks to major conglomerates and government subsidies, these industries are financially supported in ways the small farmer growing real food is not.

I wondered: what would our grocery store shelves look like if items were priced according to their actual cost to the world?

Imagine this:
$30 ramen noodles
$40 easy mac
$60 twinkies
$30 fruit loops
$75 hot dogs
2 cent apples
1 cent bunches of kale
3 cent onions

Somebody should make an infograph on this....

"I stopped eating when I lost control of my emotional self"

2010-09-20T10:27:00.000-04:00

My friend and fellow writer Courtney Mauk wrote a powerful essay on her struggle with anorexia. Read it here.

How do you deal with discomfort?

2010-09-15T18:40:00.005-04:00

Feel like this sometimes?

This is something I've been pondering lately. Some people turn to TV, the internet, books, movies, food, alcohol, drugs, or a one of the endless other distractions available nowadays whenever they're feeling slightly off. But what if we sat with this feeling? Pema Chodron suggests we "lean into our sharp points." Instead of trying to run away, to chase the tension or anxiety away, or to suppress the uneasiness, she suggests we pause and examine the feeling. We can ask questions and try to describe it. We become curious about its source, which ultimately dissolves it.

In a fast-paced city like New York, people are used to being surrounded by every comfort imaginable. We are accustomed to instant gratification whether it be hailing a taxi, dropping off dry cleaning, having items delivered to our door, or special products available down the street at all hours. The idea of sitting still or living simply may seem shocking or undesirable to many longtime urban dwellers.

It took me a long time to recognize my strong reactions to any state of uneasiness and how little I enjoyed experiencing these emotions yet how powerless I felt over them. I would feel (and often still do) like I couldn't tolerate the uncomfortable experience and would not survive until it passed.

If we recall the impermanence of everything, both good and bad, we begin to dissolve these seemingly debilitating sensations of anxiety, disappointment, attachment, or frustration. Instead, we understand the source of discomfort and recognize the experience as inherent to life. And in this way, we are free.

for the writers who tend to emphasize the sound of the words more than the story

2010-09-12T20:06:00.001-04:00

A writer I admire but whose work I have yet to read is my former instructor, Aria Sloss. She is the recipient of Glimmer Train's Best New Author prize as well as fellowships from the Iowa Writers Workshop, the Yaddo Corporation, and the Vermont Studio Center. She wrote a great post for Glimmer Train on shifting her focus from lyrical descriptions and more towards the conflict and action in her work. As you can see from my previous posts, I've undergone a similar transition in my stories. Read her insightful post here.

Back in NYC

2010-09-12T00:16:00.000-04:00

After spending a tumultuous but extremely rewarding 2 weeks in Vermont among other artists, I have returned to Brooklyn safe, sound, refreshed, and with a clearer perspective on my writing. I've made some wonderful friends and realized crucial turning points in some pieces. I learned some art vocabulary and chatted with the wonderful Carl Phillips. I feel more comfortable establishing my voice and more excited to pursue future projects. In total, it was a momentous occasion, and I hope to find myself there again in the future, hopefully on a fellowship!

More thoughts on voice

2010-09-08T14:59:00.002-04:00

It's interesting. I am realizing more that my true voice is very close to the one that I used in my earliest pieces of writing before I read several great authors, knew about various literary resources and zines, had taken many workshops, or received much feedback. Not to say that I haven't made progress since those pieces or that all of those resources didn't help. But I can use those tools to help shape my voice rather than to eradicate it, which is what I considered doing for a while because I felt it simply wasn't "good enough." It's all part of the process. These stages are to help me discover myself, not to hide myself. I know one person who said your writing voice is you speaking on your very best day. I know a painter who feels that the goal of his is to return to his earliest paintings, which he considers his best. Perhaps innocence truly is bliss - it is genuine and content, it is not self-conscious.

Happy writing!

Listening to Carl Phillips

2010-09-02T13:54:00.048-04:00

Poet Carl Phillips is one of VSC's September visiting writers

A great thing about VSC is the visiting artists series. This month features 2 poets, Carl Phillips and Adam Zagajewski (pretty sure I butchered the Adam's last name). Carl read some of his work last night and gave a craft talk today. A few themes from the lecture particularly resonated with me: using art to realize how much more suffering there is in the world, not as a way to end suffering i.e. art as a method for a person to understand the world, not to solve anything. Also, to repeatedly ask ourselves as artists why we are making a particular piece or why we continue such a craft (and to push ourselves to respond with more than "because I thought it was neat").

Over the past year, I've drawn parallels between my writing and my meditation practice. Both let me build an acute awareness of my surroundings. Both are conduits for me to acknowledge and face various components of life, particularly the difficult ones. There will always be confusion, hatred, war, abandonment, hope, etc. These emotions will never be removed from the Earth yet they are also impermanent states in one's life. In my practice and on the page, I explore them and address them while trying to remain distant from them.

I relate to the search for motive as well. This is something I've been particularly curious about lately in my craft. I was stuck on one short story and pushed myself to ask why I was writing it before I continued on the next draft. The answer: I wanted to contrast 2 viewpoints on life, one person who feels to be alive is to constantly move and to seek the next exciting experience, while the other sees life as something to savor, to reflect upon, something to slowly absorb. I vacillate between both persepctives, yet ultimately find the latter to be more satisfying. If you had met me three years ago, you would be shocked that I came to such a conclusion.

I encourage all artists to meditate and to explore the true origins of their pieces.

finding your writerly voice

2010-08-31T18:04:00.000-04:00

Cormac, I love you but I'm not you.

I'm at the Vermont Studio Center and asked another writer today how long it took her to find her voice. "Oh, forever," she said. "I'm still finding it." She's working on a short story collection right now and got her MFA at University of Oregon.

I had a major breakthrough today on one of my pieces. I realized I kept writing like how I wanted it to sound rather than write honestly. I subtly (and sometimes not so subtly) imitated Faulker and Cormac McCarthy or Alice Hoffman in my sentences. I thought about how those writers would structure their sentences instead of the themes I was trying to express.

So I stepped back. I opened a new document and wrote a paragraph summarizing my goals for the story and the larger context. I wrote what I wanted to say about the world. I addressed the larger themes instead of the sound of the language. After all, the themes concern me most and are the foundation of any substantial literary work. Once I establish those, I feel the other elements will fall into place.

This was so helpful and completely changed how I approached the next draft. I altered the voice, and if I felt myself obsessing too much over the syntax or dialogue, I referred to my "themes" sheet and found myself getting back on track.

I think I will do this for every story I write. It's kind of like writing a thesis before your paper. Every now and then, you need to step back and remind yourself why you're writing this piece and of its underlying messages.

By the way, the Vermont Studio Center is a wonderful place. I recommend it to every artist.

How to Make a Button by Miranda July

2010-08-26T20:11:00.000-04:00

I adore this video (and this artist). Some people hate Miranda July as much as I love her. They call her self-indulgent, pretentious, or superficial. I can see their criticisms, but I actually find her sincere and humble. She's not pretentious to me because she tries to include audiences in her work and relate to them, not exclude them or claim superiority. Take a look at the video. Doesn't everyone at some point or other imagine their workplace to be something else? Who wants to be a waitress when you could be the tour guide of a button factory? Who dreams of this when you're really that? Who do you want to be, and how do these desires taint your perception?

In other news, I finally started Freakonomics. So far, I'm impressed. One doesn't need any knowledge of economics to understand or become absorbed in this book. All one needs is a curiosity about the trends in the world. Why some things happen and others don't, why this affects that, why some people get what they want and others lose what they have. So far, it's a great read.

The Ego

2010-08-17T00:09:00.000-04:00

As I continue to research grad schools, I hear many current and past students divulge anecdotes of professors' comments during a workshop. One girl told me her professor said, "The first sentence of your piece is the best thing that's come out of this department in twenty years. The rest of this is shit," and moved on to the next piece. An instructor of mine told me how her professor jumped up and down on a table screaming a word the writer meant to say but was "too cowardly" to say in his piece (this word being "nigger"). I've heard of other professors tearing pages in half, telling writers to give up, and scrunching up their faces at stories as if they were turds. Unfortunately, these are not so uncommon anecdotes.

What gives a person, no matter how accomplished, talented, or famous, the license to be so rude? I don't care what you've done, who you know, or how many awards you've accumulated. Nothing will excuse such unconscionable behavior and such immaturity.

I ponder these attitudes as I continue to speak to others about grad school, and they respond with such anecdotes. I used to think I could tolerate such egos, especially when I aspired to work in film. But then I realized this: I don't care who you are or what you've done or how right you are. Don't give your criticism in such a bombastic manner. In other words, if you're a jerk you're a jerk.

As you can tell, I'm still contemplating whether grad school is a suitable environment for me.

News

2010-08-16T11:54:00.002-04:00

I just found out that I was accepted to the Vermont Studio Center and awarded a grant that will help cover the cost of a 2-week residency. I am truly ecstatic. I look forward to writing among the trees and birds, meeting other artists, and enjoying the meditative atmosphere of the center. Here's hoping that I return to New York rejuvenated and with much progress made on my pieces.

What is evil?

2010-08-15T17:08:00.002-04:00

Is the world ultimately comprised of two opposing forces?

My friend was telling me how she was contemplating the forces of good and evil in the world, and this led me to wondering about evil. I feel pretty comfortable recognizing the good, but I haven't spent much time reflecting upon the idea that a negative energy exists in the world. What is the source of evil? What is its form, does it permeate beings, and what are its limits? We say people perform evil actions. We say it exists; some us of believe it possesses people while others believe it is spawned as karmic energy

I'm not sure what to believe, but I don't necessarily see the world as good battling evil as much as awareness and compassion versus lack of both. When we embody those qualities, we promote peace and love. If we feel the route to happiness is money or power, we become juggernauts of hatred. But I don't know if these people are possessed by a force of evil, as much as unaware of a true source of happiness like universal love. In the vein of my personal journey to develop compassion, I feel sorry for these people that believe such destructive forces could ever be satisfactory, beneficial, or desirable. They may not be possessed by a negative energy as much as so ignorant that they believe such paths are ideal

Is the world composed of two opposing forces? God and the Devil? Heaven and Hell? Light and Dark? Enlightenment and ignorance? Historically, we've been attracted to dualities. Perhaps defining our environment in opposing extremes allows us to neatly categorize our behaviors for the sake of understanding them; we like to think of ourselves fighting one thing and aspiring to another.

I think of multitudes of energies pervading the world, but maybe they're forms of two fundamental kinds. Are all other emotions and sensations a form of love or hate? Are jealousy, fear, power, and greed forms of hate? I realize they are. Perhaps what resonates most with me is this: while I see two fundamental energies at work, I'm still realizing the infinite forms such energies can assume.

Let's listen to the Dalai Lama more often

2010-08-14T00:14:00.000-04:00

"It is self-evident that a generous heart and wholesome actions lead to greater peace and that their negative counterparts bring undesirable consequences. Happiness arises from virtuous causes. If we truly desire to be happy, there is no other way to proceed but by way of virtue: it is the method by which happiness is achieved. And, we might add, that the basis of virtue, its ground, is ethical discipline."

sometimes

2010-08-02T22:12:00.001-04:00

This is a poster for the performance art piece "Double Silence" by Saburo Teshigawara. It may or may not be related to the post below.

They coast along, contemplating the mysteries of the past and the potential junctures of the future and wonder if they made the right decision yet the time for regrets has long since passed. They are doomed for destruction, for complete annihilation. Yet they continue doggedly towards the unknown, throwing themselves into the teasing yet ominous abyss. Onwards, ignoring cries from the reasonable, entreaties from the sagacious, the logic of their own minds. They go on, only more excited by the possibility that they may never get there.

why I didn't like Inception

2010-07-30T19:42:00.008-04:00

We lost Nolan to Hollywood like Dom lost his woman to the other side.

This post is related to my previous post re: dreams, the unconscious, and the origins of creativity. In the post, I referred to Inception, a film which encouraged me to further ponder the aforementioned topics but ultimately didn't satisfy me. Let me explain:

As some other critics have mentioned, while Inception was visually stunning, overall it was a halfhearted attempt to explore the link between dreams, the psyche, the unconscious, and manipulation of all 3. What could've been a groundbreaking film was a lukewarm Hollywood version of these endlessly fascinating concepts.

As other critics have mentioned, for a film delving into the unconscious, it wasn't ambitious enough. It set the world's boundaries too clearly and focused more on the minutia/rules of the world more than the characters' psyches.

I was disappointed by the long chase sequences, the cheesy dialogue, and Leo's acting and his usual subplot of grieving for his wife (just like Shutter Island).

I think it would've been much more interesting if the mission was related to someone already on the Inception team. I also found the ending predictable.

The film was still enjoyable. The visuals, particularly the scenes with the young architect (played very well by Ellen Page) and the cuts between the different dream worlds are impressive. Apparently they shot all over the world - Morocco, Tokyo, maybe France. I also enjoyed how Dom's subconscious began to surface as they continued the mission. That was my favorite part but again, I think it could've been taken further.

The last film I saw and loved that addressed these themes was Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. The film inspired me to ponder the nature of humanity for days. It didn't have the budget or special effects of Inception, but it did have well-developed characters, wonderful dialogue, and emotional resonance. While the storyline and genre were different, it still explored the inner desires of people. But it did so by focusing more on the sensations and experiences rather than action sequences or characters beating the clock.

I really enjoyed Nolan's Memento, but I fear he has become...dare I say? A sell-out.

Another note: I don't like Leo. Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Ellen Page were great. They somewhat redeemed the film for me. Marion Cotillard and Ken Wantanabe were not so great. Perhaps they're more comfortable acting in their native languages.

Our Dreams, Creativity, Our Collective Minds

2010-07-30T07:04:00.003-04:00

What is the relationship between our unconscious and creativity?

Lately, the unconscious has been on my mind (no pun intended yet it is there, is it not? For the unconscious is ubiquitous despite one's forgetfulness or denial). Reading this book and having seen Inception (not as great as I had hoped), I guess I've thought more about the origins of dreams, their meanings, and the possibility of humans tapping into a collective unconscious.

What is the unconscious? Does it only stem from an individual's personal experience? Are there greater, universal forces shaping this? Are we all tapping into a similar one? Perhaps we're only seeing different facets of the same one?

As my current book, Chaos, Creativity, and Cosmic Consciousness says, when half the world is in nighttime is that side dreaming as one?

If the Big Bang happened once, could it happen again?

Is there a battle between order and chaos, and is order currently dominating? Could chaos soon rise again?

Is the unconscious our method of experiencing chaos?

Other gems buried in this book:

"The creative act is to let down the net of human imagination into the ocean of chaos on which we are suspended and then to attempt to bring out of it ideas."

"The divine is our poetic capacity, our ability to resonate with a notion of ideal beauty and to create that which transcends our own understanding in the form of art."

After all, what is creativity? What is the process - is it dipping our bucket into the well of chaos or is it channeling a spirit that encompasses (or perhaps once spawned) both chaos and order? Discuss.

Energy Channeling, Directing, Harnessing, and Distribution

2010-07-29T20:19:00.006-04:00

Today, I had lunch with my friend in Chinatown and afterward, we came upon a Tai Chi group practicing in a nearby plaza, the one near Baxter Street. I've always been intrigued by Tai Chi - the idea of engaging in motions to deflect negative energy, harness a positive one, and to lose yourself in a trance akin to meditation, appeal to me. My friend and I dropped our bags and practiced with the group for a few minutes. The movements weren't particularly difficult. I sensed a calmness while practicing them.

This reminds me about my fascination with energies; the ones people exude, the ones in relationships, the ones in spaces and corners, in parks, among animals, flowing in undercurrents of discussions, and vibrating between organisms. New York has this frenetic energy. When I was in Thailand a few years ago, I sensed tranquil vibes though I certainly wouldn't nowadays.

As animals, we become susceptible to the different currents of energy permeating our atmosphere. Sometimes we are malleable, sometimes we are swept away, and sometimes we respond with our own charges or perhaps we enter the process automatically and unconsciously..

I'm inspired to explore Tai Chi more. My brother became quite adept at it. For me, it seems to be only martial art that focuses on defending oneself rather than harming others.

The Killing of the Prospect Park Geese

2010-07-15T19:51:00.000-04:00

This is Beaky, a former Prospect Park resident missing part of its beak and loved by locals. It was probably one of the 400 geese euthanized last Thursday.

I wrote a piece on the killing of 400 geese in Prospect Park. The USDA along with the city and Parks department took this measure to ensure airplane safety. But fowl experts say these geese weren't the ones interfering with the planes. Read the piece here.

Writers and Happiness

2010-07-07T23:59:00.009-04:00

Lately, I've been speaking to friends about the connection between writers and emotional instability. I've been mulling this over and posing the question not just to writers but to my other friends in academia, development, and design. I'll probably get a lot of flack for this post. I'll probably look back and laugh at my cynical self. But why are so many legendary writers as renowned for their depression as they are for their oeuvres?

Now, I don't know much about the personal lives of writers from the 19th century. I guess since I've been revisiting some American classic authors, I'm mostly referring to them - particularly what I call the "moody liquor-happy men." Hemingway, Carver, Bukowski, Faulkner, Kerouac. These men were as famous for their depression and bar tabs as they were for their writing.

As I continue to write and to establish a lifestyle conducive for the pursuit of my craft (one of perseverance, dedication, yet also reflection, curiosity, and hunger), I imagine these legends typing away at their machines, perhaps with a cigarette dangling out of their mouths or a whiskey bottle nearby from which they would not unoccasionally swig. These men were famous for their solitude, their cynicism, their acrimonious relations with women, their forays into war and fistfights, their mood swings and bleak episodes, their isolation from the world, yet their brilliance on the page.

Why are so many of the greatest writers, and for that matter, artists unhappy? One friend said: "Happiness is boring." He meant happiness makes for boring art.

In a way, I see his point. Would people want to read novels about content, positive people prancing through life, receiving smiles at every turn, never encountering a single doubt, criticism, or period of uncertainty? Of course not. As humans, we suffer. Like Buddha said, suffering is undeniable in this world. We encounter loss, death, shock, pain, and more. We're not invincible, so we cannot relate to those who are. I don't mean to say we necessarily want to read about pain and the dismal, but that we relate to flaws, to struggles, to multi-faceted slightly tarnished beings because that's what being human is.

This isn't to deny the many positive writers, either present or past. Perhaps their lives don't seem as romantic or memorable as the impoverished, alcohol-abusing writer of the past. But for instance, Haruki Murakami, Dave Eggers, and Colum McCann come to mind as determined, positive people with inklings of stability if not sure-footing. I'm sure there are many more, and that I'm simply not familiar enough with other writers' personal lives.

(And there are female writers who have also struggled with drugs or depression. Men alone do not carry this reputation. I recall Sylvia Plath, Virginia Woolf, and Mary Karr.)

I guess I've heard many writers say, "Do not enter this field if you want to maintain happy, healthy relationships. Do not pursue this art form if you want stability, balance, and a social life. Do not plan to succeed at this craft if you're not willing to feel anxious, doubtful, and critical each and everyday." Boy, what a tune.

But I'm beginning to disagree. As another friend said, many artists create as a form of escapism from whatever troubles they face in the real world. But I also feel many artists simply want to probe deeper into themes that fascinate them, themes that reveal more about the world and about themselves than the surface ever could. Perhaps they are not looking to run away from something but rather interested in further contemplation because they see greater connections to the ways in which humans live, think, and communicate. Like scientists, they want to think, examine, analyze, and to test these hypotheses drawn from observations. The blank page is their laboratory, or a playground for them to map out the patterns they see materializing in the world.

There are artists whose best works spawn from unhappy periods (i.e. Picasso's blue period) and artists that thrive during periods of excitement, engagement, and a hunger to change the world (Dave Eggers). I know there are more positive ones. They simply aren't coming to mind. But that doesn't mean they don't exist.

Hemingway: The archetypal mid-20th century male writer. Soldier. Alcoholic. Chauvinist male. Poor. Depressed. Poetic.

World Cup series

2010-07-06T00:34:00.000-04:00

I started a series examining social aspects of the World Cup for Conducive Chronicle. My first post, on the creation of the Poor People's World Cup, can be read here.

A new competition has formed to allow locals, most of whom are too poor to buy World Cup tickets, a chance to engage in all the fun.

social networking to curb you energy usage

2010-06-30T22:17:00.000-04:00

I covered Welectricity, a site you can use to monitor your household electricity usage, be "friends" with other users, and engage in friendly competition so that you're motivated to reduce your usage! How cool! And it's free! This is the next step: using social media sites for "good." There's posting ads on Facebook, Tweeting about organizations, but I hope to see more sites based on a single means for saving the world.

Let's all be friends on Welectricity!

contacting authors

2010-06-29T20:42:00.000-04:00

I suppose the cynic in me dismissed any notion of contacting an author I admire. I figured Philip Roth, Cormac McCarthy, David Mitchell among others would be too busy, too cynical themselves, too famous to respond. Recently, I've been encouraged by friends and other writers to pursue such connections. I actually heard back from Alexander Chee, author of the wonderful Edinburgh. He has been giving me advice on MFA programs. I was even in touch with Jonathan Evison, whose novel All About Lulu is hilarious and heartbreaking. I wonder if Murakami would respond to me. Or Annie Proulx. There's only one way to find out....

He wants to talk, eh?

Re-visiting the classics

2010-06-22T00:32:00.007-04:00

One editor has recently been advising that I look to the structure of Heart of Darkness when composing my articles. His advice is timely; for the past few months, I've been considering re-visiting or even introducing myself to various classic authors.

I didn't care much for Faulkner or Conrad in high school but I'm currently devouring Absalom, Absalom! I may also read Conrad again.

This is my (fiction) summer reading list so far. Note: it includes both contemporary and classic selections.

Toni Morrison's Beloved
Ian McEwan (Saturday and Atonement)
Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian
Thomas Pynchon's Gravity's Rainbow (this one will take a while)
Lorrie Moore (Anagrams, Self-Help or the one with "frog" in the title)
Mary Gaitskill (don't know which one)
David Foster Wallace (don't know which one)
F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby (again)

This southern master had a thing or two to say about humanity.

remember the macro

2010-06-07T23:58:00.006-04:00

I wonder how other writers write. Do they outline? Lay out note cards? Do they start with an image, a goal, a person? Do their pieces grow from a conversation they overheard, an item they picked up, or a newspaper story they found intriguing?

Lately, I have been so bogged down with my word choice and syntax that I am losing sense of the bigger picture: the themes, the emotional trajectories, and the grand assessments I would like to distill. I am sacrificing the macro for the micro.

And this is analogous to life. Sometimes I am consumed by a minor task or a last-minute detail. I lose sight of the ultimate goal, the greater importance. Chore X or Y seems unbearable and never-ending and at times, feels like is all there is.

These realizations parallel my evolving spiritual exploration and complement the widening perspective I adopt as I age. But they are crucial, not just for my writing and my mental equilibrium, but for understanding the purpose of my very existence.

Don't forget the details? Perhaps. But don't forget the big picture either.

environment-focused illustration show

2010-06-07T23:32:00.003-04:00

Read my piece on the Earth: Fragile Planet exhibit, which opened at Society of Illustrators in NYC this week.

Summer 2010

2010-06-07T23:29:00.001-04:00

I'm going to make it up here this summer. It's goal #1.

Summer in New York is the primary reason I moved to the city. With so many dynamic, outdoor, and free activities, my love affair with the city was solidified. Here is a glimpse of my to-do list for the next few month:

1. Camping in the Catskills
2. Long distance bike trips - Jamaica Bay, Wave Hill, Fort Tilden
3. Yoga in a park
4. Museums (not necessarily relevant to summer) - Met, MOMA, PS1, Whitney
5. A meditation retreat

Here are some books I would like to read:

1. Nietzche - On Good and Evil
2. Faulkner - The Sound and the Fury
3. Moore - Self-Help
4. Morrison - Song of Solomon

and more....

Check out this very comprehensive NYC events calendar I just discovered at islandwoo.

In other news, I just discovered Wikileaks! I'm astonished that I never heard of the site before now. I read about it in The New Yorker. The site publishes documents, footage, and other files censored by various governing bodies and magnates. It is a vital asset for any engaged citizen, and recalls some of the original intentions of journalism: to subvert and expose.

A Lesson

2010-05-25T07:46:00.003-04:00

A different version of this story was published on Word Riot. Here is the original version.

A Lesson

When I was eight years old, I found my county fair goldfish named Madonna floating upside down in the pickling jar I had stolen from beneath the kitchen sink. I erupted into a series of high-pitched, fast-paced cries, sounding remarkably like an aggravated duck or a smoke detector. Madonna’s body was covered in a gray film, her eyes once manic with curiosity now stared upwards in frozen horror, and her lips were still puckered, waiting for the food that never came. Bits of her scales had settled on the bottom of the jar next to the fake plastic castle I had stolen from my brother’s Legoland.

I collapsed onto the carpet and cried. This was my first encounter with death but the pain seared my heart because it was my first encounter with murder.

Two days earlier:

“You idiot. You feed her three times a day.”

“Stupid. The lady said once every three days,” I told my brother.

Back on that carpet, I balled my fists and shook them in the air. I stared at Madonna, as if through telekinesis, she would come back to life, to prove that I wasn’t the poor listener, the irresponsible caretaker, the imprudent girl that couldn’t care for a creature that lived in a pickling jar much less the puppy I had been begging my mother for. After waiting five minutes and not finding any success in my mental efforts, I ran to my desk and completed a short eulogy:

Dear Maddy,

I am sorry I can’t follow directions. I promise you’ll always be full in heaven. I still love you.

Victoria

I took Madonna outside, read the poem, and emptied the jar into our swimming pool. I had considered burying her next to my mother’s irises but thought a fish would be happier in water, until I saw my neighbor’s dog sniffing the edge of the pool and lick Madonna’s corpse. I gasped, chased the dog away, and splashed at my fish until she floated towards the center, where she finally sank.

Later, my mother scolded me. She said I should’ve flushed Madonna down the toilet instead of leaving her in the pool. I told her I didn’t want Madonna to go where everyone’s poop was, and my mother responded, “Honey. We’ll all be there, someday.” She stroked my hair and promised to make lasagna.

That night, I tossed in bed and imagined a world of poop. I imagined myself in a room of flaming poo, and fish eating me alive, and being forced to copy fish-feeding instructions until my pen broke and my hand bled. This was my fate. With me would be the boy who accidentally stepped on the class hamster, the TV newsman that spilled his coffee and burned the newslady, and the man across the street that didn’t recycle. We would sit, wiping sweat from our faces, flicking bits of poo from our skin, and trying to find shelter from the hailstorm of flaming excrement, but there would be nowhere for us to hide.

I imagined Madonna swimming through a forest of seaweed and nibbling on rocks teeming with edible delicacies. At night, she would close her eyes, bury herself in the sand, and with a full stomach she would dream about her next day’s adventures with other fish, and the glorious meals waiting to be had. She would continue to explore the cool waters, a world without pickling jars, a world without plastic Lego castles, and a world without forgetful little girls.

Things are brewin'

2010-05-16T20:53:00.004-04:00

A panel from Lisa Lim's comic, "Pots & Pans," from Guernica Magazine.

I've been incredibly busy, which I find somewhat ironic and laughable since I don't have a fulltime job. Freelancing/teaching is wonderful, but could it pay the bills? A little more time will tell....

I'm thrilled to announce my new workshop at the community arts center LaunchPad in Crown Heights. Modeled on the lovely Sackett Street Workshop, the Crown Heights Workshop will let each of the 8 participants receive critiques twice. I hope to improve my writing as well as facilitate the growth of others'.

I need to find more freelance writing work, so if anyone knows of publications (print or online) looking for writers, do contact me. I usually write articles on social issues and environmental awareness but I've also done news events and art reviews.

I would also like to learn how to draw. Seeing this woman's beautiful comics inspired me. Look at the playfulness and tension captured in each panel. She is also a writer (a truly talented person!) who was published on Word Riot, which will publish one of my pieces in its next issue!

Crown Heights Writing Workshop

2010-05-12T01:24:00.002-04:00

I'm starting a workshop because I'm selfish and I want more feedback on my work without paying too much or venturing too far!

Crown Heights Writing Workshop

Crown Heights' very first writing workshop is for any writer, professional or blossoming, interested in receiving additional feedback on his or her work.

The workshop will address short fiction pieces and meet weekly at LaunchPad community center (721 Franklin Ave.) on a weekday evening. The exact day and time will be determined based on participants' availability.

Please be able to commit for the entire duration (approximately 6 - 8 weeks). We will begin the session in the next few weeks. Prior workshop experience is not necessary.

The workshop will be free!

Please e-mail CrownHeightsWritingWorkshop[at]gmail[dot]com for more information.

Businesses Accuse Yelp! of Fraudulence

2010-05-04T10:49:00.002-04:00

You know that ratings site that everyone uses? Well, they may not be as democratic and user-friendly as they claim. Yelp! is being sued for illegal business practices like taking down positive reviews of businesses that refuse to advertise with them. Read my article for more info.

Literary Journal rankings from The Faster Times

2010-04-30T15:20:00.000-04:00

This is a very helpful and thoroughly researched list compiled by Lincoln Michel at The Faster Times. Naturally, Lincoln received a lot of feedback and criticism, but the list contains most high-quality and high profile journals, and to me their placement in the third tier vs. the fourth is negligible. Regardless, it is a list for every writer to keep on hand both to find excellent materials and during the submission phase.

A New Literary Magazine Ranking
by Lincoln Michel

Below this rambling intro you will find The Faster Times’ first attempt at a Literary Magazine Ranking. For some time I’ve kept a private ranking that I’ve circulated amongst writer friends who were looking for places to submit. Enough of them have found it helpful that I’ve decided to make it public.

WHAT? Let me start by saying that this is not a ranking of my favorite journals or the journals I most recommend reading. Such a list would feature journals like NOON, New York Tyrant, Post Road and Unsaid before ones like The New Yorker or The Atlantic Monthly that are great for non-fiction, but not my favorite sources of fiction. This is a list of journals that fiction writers should consider for submissions. It is based on the reputation of journals as I’ve gleaned them and related factors like distribution, contributors, pay rates and awards (especially Perpetual Folly’s very helpful Pushcart Prize Ranking). What publications would most impress an agent or editor? What magazines routinely crop up in the acknowledgements of new collections?

It is not a complete list, but merely a starting point. There is also a large degree of subjectivity in any list like this. But hopefully writers and readers might find it useful as a jumping off point.

WHO? Any magazine that regularly (sorry Esquire) publishes “literary fiction.” I know that we can have a long debate about the term “literary” and its relation to “genre fiction,” but suffice to say that you know what I mean. This is a ranking for fiction, but most of these magazines are great for poetry or non-fiction as well.

WHEN? Only the current status of these magazines.

WHY? I know that any hierarchical ranking is bound to annoy a few people, so let me explain the point of this list. Being a writer means submitting to journals, yet many starting writers—and even some established ones—can get intimated by the whole process. The fact is there are an almost unlimited number of literary journals. Almost every university has one, if not two or three, and more and more pop up every day. At the same time, long-established journals routinely fold. A Duotrope search for magazines that accept “literary” fiction brings up over 1700 entires. It can be hard to keep up.

Duotrope is a great service, but easier to use once you have a basic understanding of the journals out there. There are only two real public rankings of journals I’ve seen. The first is the aforementioned Pushcart Ranking, which is a great list, though obviously tilted towards one organization’s tastes. The second is Book Fox’s ranking, also good and you’ll notice that I’ve adopted a similar tiered structure. However, his is missing many journals I would consider obvious like Electric Literature, Oxford American, New York Tyrant, and PEN America and, in the year 2010, I don’t think it makes sense to separate online journals from print. Anyway, there seems no reason not to have another opinion and if you don’t like my list, check out theirs.

WHERE? Right below this final comment:

This ranking is not meant to be exhaustive or objective. There are many great journals that could be included and, more importantly, the journals you should submit to depend on your writing. A writer of a certain experimental bent might put Conjunctions, Fence and Black Clock at the top while a more traditional domestic realist writer might avoid those altogether. Thus this is meant only as a starting point. Whittle it down, replace and expand until you have your own list. As always, it is essential to read the journals you are considering submitting to. Not only to keep abreast of current work, but to understand where your work fits and to support the literary world you want to be a part of. Really, if you are submitting you should be subscribing.

Tiers are arranged alphabetically. Feel free to leave any comments or suggestions below.

THE LIST

THE TIP-TOP (approximate)
Harper’s
The New Yorker
FIRST TIER (approximate)
The Atlantic
Granta
The Paris Review
Playboy
McSweeney’s Quarterly Concern
Tin House
Zoetrope
SECOND TIER (approximate)
Agni (P/W)
A Public Space
Conjunctions (P/W)
Georgia Review
Kenyon Review
One Story
Oxford American
Missouri Review
NOON
Ploughshares
Threepenny Review
Shenandoah
The Southern Review
Virginia Quarterly Review
THIRD TIER (approximate)
American Short Fiction
Antioch Review
Boulevard
BOMB Magazine
Boston Review
Epoch
Electric Literature
Five Points
Fence
Gettysburg Review
Idaho Review
Mississippi Review (P/W)
New England Review
New Letters
Ninth Letter
Open City
Subtropics
The Sun
Witness
FOURTH TIER (approximate)
Alaska Quarterly Review
American Scholar
Black Warrior Review
Colorado Review
Crazyhorse
Glimmer Train
Guernica (W)
Gulf Coast
Harvard Review
Indiana Review
Iowa Review
The Literary Review
N+1
Narrative (W)
New York Tyrant
Michigan Quarterly Review
Mid-American Review
North American Review
PEN America
Pleiades
Post Road
Prairie Schooner
Salmagundi
Third Coast
Vice Magazine
Unsaid
Willow Springs
Yale Review
Zyzzyva
FIFTH TIER (approximate and necessarily incomplete)
Annalemma (P/W)
Bellevue Literary Review
Black Clock
Callaloo
Canteen
The Collagist (W)
Cincinnati Review
Columbia
Denver Quarterly
Diagram (W)
Ecotone
elimae (W)
failbetter.com (W)
Fiction
Fifty-Two Stories (W)
Five Chapters (W)
Fourteen Hills
Hayden’s Ferry Review
Hobart (P/W)
Hudson Review
Image
Manoa
Meridian
News From the Republic of Letters
New Orleans Review
No Colony
North American Review
Opium (P/W)
PANK (P/W)
Pindeldyboz (W)
Puerto del Sol
Quarter After Eight
Quarterly West
Quick Fiction
Redivider
Santa Monica Review
Sewanee Review
Sonora Review
Southwest Review
StoryQuarterly *
TriQuarterly Online (W) **
turnrow

Etc. (as per the discussion below, it is useful to point out that tier five gets pretty subjective and could go on for awhile. By way of amends, here are some fine journals that I enjoy or have heard great things about that could easily be argued to belong on that tier above ones I put: Salt Hill, Word Riot, BlackBird, LIT, Flatmancrooked, West Branch, Night Train,Gargoyle, The Florida Review, wigleaf, Storyglossia, Vestal Review, Many Mountains Moving, SmokeLong Quarterly, Harp & Altar, Crab Orchard Review,Barrelhouse, Massachusetts Review, Cimarron Review, Harpur Palate, Pear Noir!, and one could go on and on. All of those are great journals and there are many others out there so if my list is useful to you, it should only be as a starting point. Readers should feel free to add more to suggest others in the comment section.)
Lastly, I c0-edit Gigantic (P/W), which I’m going to take out of the ranking since it doesn’t seem right to rank myself. I think we are pretty good though, so check us out if you’d like.

***

NOTES

Journals marked (W) are web-only. Journals marked (P/W) are print journals with a significant web presence that features original fiction not merely republished from the print issue.

* StoryQuarterly, once one of the best journals, folded years ago. It was recently purchased and relaunched by Camden-Rutgers, its current status is unclear.

** TriQuarterly, likewise once one of the best, is cutting its editorial staff and turning into a student-run online magazine.

Lastly, after the top few tiers, I leaned heavily on the 2010 Pushcart Ranking. If a magazine is not one I see mentioned much and has a single digit score, that is probably why they didn’t make the list.

Discovering more of Brookln (Crown Heights and Park Slope)

2010-04-17T17:42:00.005-04:00

My new favorite bike store. It's between a yoga clothing store/studio and a vegan restaurant! All 3 shops are run by lovely people. This might be one of my favorite blocks in Brooklyn.

Recent discoveries:

1. LaunchPad
This community arts center in Crown Heights is a workspace for freelancers, and hosts film nights, craft workshops for kids, art galleries, and more. Everyone is very friendly and welcoming. They have free wi-fi and encourage drawing on the walls.

2. Free yoga at Lululemon
These past 2 weekends, I have taken the free yoga classes hosted at this trendy yoga clothing boutique. I never went inside before because I knew I couldn't afford anything. It's actually a lovely space. They have great teachers from Lucky Lotus this month. A person told me they host events all year, not just April! Next month they will have pilates! They never pressure you to purchase their items, and the employees are very nice.

3. Ride Brooklyn
This bike shop is next to Lululemon. Unlike many other bike stores, the employees are not arrogant jerks. They'll inflate your tires and do other minor adjustments for free. Really nice and knowledgeable people. Nice selection of bikes too.

4. Sun in Bloom
This is a delicious vegan/live foods place next to Ride Brooklyn. High prices are justified by the quality of food. I was impressed by the percentage of raw items on the menu - soups, sauces, breads, and more. It's a casual place - you order and pay at the counter. Perfect for lunch.

Speaking of this block, Bark Hot Dogs has a delicious veggie dog!

Korean-Owned Delis in NYC

2010-04-12T00:21:00.006-04:00

Most 24 hour gourmet delis in New York are run by Koreans.

I've always been intrigued as to how Koreans came to dominate the health food store/gourmet deli business in New York. I assumed immigrants would start a business incorporating a craft or skill they learned in their home country, but most items in these stores much less a 24 hour deli do not exist in Korea.

I wrote an article tracing the origin of the Korean-run deli in New York and examining the industry's current status. I interviewed Charlie Khim, one of the brothers that founded Khim's Millenium Markets in Williamsburg. He was a reasonable, affable man. Many people in Williamsburg dislike Khim's delis, blaming them for the rapid gentrification of the neighborhood, but consider it from his perspective: he is only trying to run a fair business, and if it does well enough that he can expand, isn't that reflective of the inhabitants? Gentrification is not just propelled by the businesses in the area, my friend.

Read my piece here.

Free/Cheap Yoga in NYC

2010-04-11T19:46:00.015-04:00

The Lululemon store in Brooklyn is offering free yoga classes each weekend during April.

Yoga shouldn't be limited to only those with $20 to spare. As the principles of yoga promote universal compassion, equality, and dharma, the practice should be available to everyone.

Here are some ways to take free or cheap yoga classes in New York City.

Work Exchange:
Some studios, such as Prema Yoga in Carroll Gardens and Bikram Yoga Park Slope (normally $20/class!), offer work exchange options where people can check students in, sweep, roll up mats, and perform other light maintenance duties in exchange for free classes. Studios often list work exchange options on Craig's List.

Community Classes:
Many regular studios offer monthly or even weekly "community classes," which are taught by aspiring teachers and cost less than a regular class. I believe YogaWorks (my first studio, and an excellent one) has them, but almost every studio does.

By Donation:
Yoga to the People is a great organization with all donation-based classes. They have a few studios in Manhattan including a Bikram one (usually the most expensive kind of yoga!). Take advantage of these! They get rave reviews and their teachers seem very knowledgeable and helpful. Their environment is also praised for being non-competitive and non-judgmental.

Dharma Yoga Brooklyn just opened in Park Slope on St. Mark's St. and 6th Ave. The studio is entirely run by donations and offers a few classes of varying levels everyday. They describe their lineage as "classical." When I took a class, I found their asana sequence slightly different from what I found in Vinyasa classes. They also hold poses for slightly longer. The teachers do however encourage variations/adjustments.

In Greenpoint, three Yoga to the People alumni opened Hosh Yoga. The studio has 1 or 2 classes a day, and all are pay-what-you-wish.

Completely Free:
This month, Lululemon yoga clothing store in Brooklyn is hosting free hour-long yoga classes each weekend. They push aside all of the shelves, allowing enough room for 8 - 10 people to practice. April features teachers from nearby Lucky Lotus studio, which has received rave reviews. The store even lets students use its fancy mats.

If you look on MeetUp.org, you'll find several free or donation-based yoga groups like this one, which holds 2 free classes each week at the Hindu Center in Flushing, or this one, which holds class outside.

It's possible to take yoga even if you are broke! Not only can you take free classes, but you can take very high quality classes that might not exist outside of a major metropolitan area regardless of the price!

Namaste.

Biking the Boroughs

2010-04-04T22:25:00.004-04:00

Are you ready? Note: don't do this if you're claustrophobic.

I don't know the longest ride I've ever done, but it was certainly not 42 miles.

I signed up for the 5 borough bike ride on May 2nd, whicih starts in the Financial District and ends...actually, I don't know where it ends. Well, I'll find out!

I've been riding my bike more lately since 1)the weather has been so great 2)to prepare for the event. I hear due to the volume of bikers, the pace is pretty slow, with lots of congestion and traffic. Numerous pit stops are setup with water, snacks, and portable toilets. If you get tired, you can take the subway. I assume there will be pumps and other basic bike-fixing tools at these stops. Actually, I better double check.

HAPPY SPRING! Get out there on your bike/scooter/roller skates/running shoes/walking shoes/bare feet.

The Water Crisis: Sanitation, Access, and Distribution

2010-03-29T14:29:00.000-04:00

Photo from Take Part

I have a piece up on Take Part about the current water crisis. Read it here.

Why does a salad cost more than a Big Mac?

2010-03-23T14:13:00.004-04:00

Image from Good

For those who call me elitist for avoiding meat, please consider that rather than contributing to class distinctions, veganism and vegetarianism actually protest the very system engineered to encourage citizens to buy corn-based, health-hazardous products.

How do we live in a world where produce costs more than Big Macs, chips, and other processed foods? Simplicity and nature-based should equate ease, speed, and a lower cost, but our food system doesn't run on logic. Corporate interests have taken over the puppet strings.

Watch Food, Inc. and read this article to understand the U.S. government's subsidization of the corn industry, and how farmers' markets, organic items, and veganism essentially protest such a hierarchy (rather than concede to it). If enough people choose vegetables over corn-based products, supply will eventually have to meet demand.

According to the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, the government allocated .37% of their subsidies to fruits and vegetables and 73.8% to meat and dairy between 1997 and 2005.

As Joel Salatin explained, organic food is actually the cheapest food available. It costs less for the environment, your health, and the animals.

Priests Are Human, Too

2010-03-19T15:12:00.002-04:00

Pope Benedict XVI. Photo from Dallas Observer.

The BBC announced the Pope wrote a letter to be read at Sunday mass at various Irish Catholic churches addressing the recent pedophilia scandals:

"The message is expected to express contrition for what he himself has already described as shameful and hateful behaviour by some priests."

Statistics on abuse cases reported in the last year:

Germany: About 300 cases of alleged abuse reported

Netherlands: Bishops order probe into more than 200 alleged cases

Switzerland: Probe finds 60 alleged victims over past 15 years, Swiss media report

Austria: Five priests suspended from same monastery

It seems so clear that more the Church condemns sexual activity, the more repressed individuals will feel thus leading to higher incidents of sexual abuse. Humans are designed to have sex. Why can't an institution acknowledge an perfectly natural human activity? Why are establishments constantly trying to defy nature?

I'll get some flowers for my hair

2010-03-16T20:09:00.003-04:00

Let's all put flowers in our hair!

After a MTA nightmare at 4 AM and a delayed flight from the Kansas International Airport (don't fly Midwest...unless you find incredibly cheap tickets like I did), I finally made it to SF! I got in this morning, went to my host's place in the Mission, and immediately went on the run because I needed to shake off the feeling of being stationary for several hours. The sunshine, the fresh air, and the nearby parks were so tempting, how could I not frolick in them at a rapid pace! So I ran around Bernal Heights Park, then around the Mission and popped into a few bookstores and talked to them about the Bay Area literary scene (bustling but naturally much smaller than NY's). I spoke with the very enthusiastic people of 826 Valencia and plan to drop in for a tutoring session some time next week. I found the yoga studio my teacher in NY recommended. I'm sitting amid so much sunshine right now, filtering in through my host's living room windows that all I can do is inhale and smile....

I once read this post on SF by the hilarious people at Stuff White People Like. It makes some good points about the city that I've already noticed.

"The City of San Francisco has a very multicultural population that ranges from white to gay to Asian," it says. Ha. These 3 really take over the racial spectrum. The homeless people here are almost always black and the poor are black or Hispanic. SF is one of the most racially segregated places I've ever visited. Someone said when she first went to the Tenderloin, it felt like she was in Ghana. I see her point.

And this city is expensive. New York is expensive, but one can find cheap options because of the high competition. In SF, less competition means fewer cheap options.

Overall, SF kind of reminds me of Boston except with more progressive, laid back people, better weather, and more hills. The Mission reminds me of Allston, and SF is kind of suburban in the way Beantown is with its TJ Maxx's and Hollywood Videos tucked away in some places.

I plan to check out the SF Zen Center, go hiking at one of the nearby national parks, eat really well (everything is local and in season!), and attend as many literary events as I can find.

Could I call this place home? It's yet to be determined.

Green Smoothie Recipes

2010-03-11T10:13:00.001-05:00

"Man in Blue, Green, and Yellow" by Michael Arnold.

1. 2 handfuls of kale
orange juice
half a banana
a sprig of fresh mint
a few pinches of coconut flakes

2. 2 handfuls of kale
1/3 of a peeled cucumber
1/3 of an avocado
a few strawberries
a squirt of agave
a pinch of cinnamon
a little water

3. 2 handfuls of kale
half a banana
some strawberries
some milk or dairy substitute
1 tbsp of almond butter
cinnamon
cayenne pepper

4. 2 handfuls of kale
half a banana
some strawberries
coconut water
goji berries
pumpkin seeds

Go, go, go!

Journalism: Following the Journalist

2010-03-10T14:44:00.006-05:00

Ira Glass, host of "This American Life"

I'm reading a great book right now called The New Kings of Non-Fiction, and it's a compilation of feature pieces edited by Ira Glass, host of This American Life on NPR. In the introduction, Ira compares the standards of journalism emphasized by schools and older generations versus the ones...he prefers. He makes some great points.

Ira talks about how much more enjoyable and engaging a piece can be when the audience sees the journalist make his or her discoveries, encounter obstacles, and even offer some feedback. This is contrary to what the schools may teach; the writer should be invisible, the story should be told objectively, supposedly by God as there shouldn't be any trace of the author except for the fact that the piece exists. However, Ira argues, this is ridiculous. Clearly there is an author, and it's fun for an audience to see not just the story but also the author's struggle to capture the story, to relate to the material, which allows us to see the material in a humanistic light rather than purely an academic one.

As I continue my journalism work, I am playing around with style, voice, and opinion. I really enjoy The New Yorker pieces, many of which include occasional author commentary and anecdotes. However, if the piece is a news story as opposed to a feature, I see the purpose of objectivity. I'm currently working on a piece about the water industry and plan to start another one on Korean-run health food stores in New York, and I like to keep in mind that my participation can be just as illuminating and engaging as my subject.

Finding Trails in the City

2010-03-01T01:50:00.001-05:00

Today, I went hiking in Forest Park in Queens, NY. It was only a short subway ride from my house! The trails weren't very long or exciting and I never fully escaped the sounds of city life, but I was still pretty impressed a park with hiking trails was so nearby.

Next week: Marine Park in Brooklyn!

Blizzard

2010-02-26T11:43:00.002-05:00

Brrrr.

'Tis a day for tea, magazines, yoga, and blankets.

Perhaps tomorrow will be a day for ice skating and snow angels.

Happy snow day!

Good morning.

2010-02-23T11:06:00.001-05:00

It's a rainy day in Brooklyn. Painting was done by a local artist and appeared on Brooklyn Art Project but I couldn't find the artist's name.

I realize I haven't updated this in a while. I suppose various events, inclinations, activities, ambitions, and hesitations have kept me from doing so.

I toy with how personal to keep this blog. While certainly some potential employers may Google me and stumble upon this, I like tracing my journal as a writer. Like my blog description says, I like to elaborate upon the realizations I make, some of them political, spiritual, ethical, moral, cosmic, or personal in some other ways.

I attended a meditation session led by Sharon Salzberg at my yoga studio in Carroll Gardens. While most of the stuff she said I had heard on my 10-day Vipassana retreat, one thing she said particularly stuck out. Sharon described one student with the problem of consistently remaining compassionate. The woman said she could have thoughts of kindness towards others when by herself, but when surrounded by people she struggled with fostering such intentions.

Sharon said that the discrepancy is the root of much consternation. All of our emotions and mental processes are connected despite the context; some people may believe, "Well, it's okay for me to be this way around these people or in this situation, but I'm like this otherwise." But we have to realize it's all connected, and if we strive to be something, we should strive be that thing no matter the situation and particularly in the most challenging ones.

This was a wonderful reminder for me, a person that can adapt too easily to a surrounding environment or lose track of my personal goals when in certain situations.

In other news, I am writing various query letters for social activist journals and papers. It is time-consuming, but exciting. Sometimes, I feel like I do not help enough. As a college graduate and American resident, I feel like the opportunities I have to assist others or raise awareness are limitless.

I'm reading this Friday in Williamsburg

2010-02-08T14:21:00.001-05:00

Come see me and others read at the Earshot Literary Series in Williamsburg! I'll be reading 2 short pieces: 1 fiction, and 1 non-fiction. 1 funny and 1 sad. Both address death.
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EARSHOT celebrates the start of its Spring 2010 season with an event that's pure fabulosity on Friday, February 12th at 7:30pm. Find us, as always, at the atmospheric Rose Live Music in Williamsburg, Bklyn!

Joining us will be rising poetry star BEN MIROV (author of *I Is to Vorticism*) and fiction writer VICTORIA CHO! They'll be joined by three MFA virtuosos: Kimberly Faith Waid (New York University), Eva Saavedra (Columbia University) and Christian Carmona (Sarah Lawrence College).

Come see this amazing line-up with your evening's guest host Caitlin Cowan—it's all only five bucks, which gets you a free drink!

EARSHOT!

Friday, February 12th @ 7:30 PM
@ Rose Live Music
345 Grand Street
Special Guest Host: Caitlin Cowan
$5 + one free drink

Featuring:

Ben Mirov (*I Is to Vorticism*)
Victoria Cho
Kimberly Faith Waid (New York University)
Eva Saavedra (Columbia University)
Christian Carmona (Sarah Lawrence College)

Rose Live Music is located at 345 Grand Street in Brooklyn, between Havemeyer and Marcy. Visit their website for directions: http://roselivemusic.com.

EARSHOT is a bi-monthly reading series, dedicated to featuring new and emerging literary talent in the NYC area. Visit http://www.earshotnyc.com for more information or e-mail Nicole Steinberg at earshotnyc@gmail.com.

Follow the EARSHOT twitter feed at http://twitter.com/earshotnyc

Brooklyn Jazz Clubs!

2010-02-05T14:45:00.003-05:00

I'm always looking for more international/jazz/experimental music venues in Brooklyn and stumbled upon this wonderful list at Ines Kuusik's blog. Enjoy!
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From Ines Kuusik:

My list of Brooklyn Jazz Clubs

I made this list to sum up my discoveries of Brooklyn jazz and it’s now also up on Big Apple Jazz website (other jazz clubs in the city covered by Gordon Polatnick). Happy exploring

Brooklyn Jazz Clubs

Park Slope & Gowanus
Bar 4
444 7th Ave. Brooklyn
(718) 832-9800
A cool bar in South Park Slope with Jazz on Monday nights, curated by guitarist Mike Gamble.
No cover.
*Barbès
376 9th St. (corner of 6th Ave.) Park Slope, Brooklyn
347-422-0248
A very authentic South Park Slope venue run by French owners
Some famous regular acts:   Slavic Soul Party: (Balkan music) on Tuesdays
The Mandingo Ambassadors: (African music) on Wednesdays
Usually $10 cover charge or suggested donation.
Brooklyn Lyceum
227 4th Avenue Brooklyn
718-857-4816
Cafe/venue in Park Slope/Gowanus with jazz on Sundays (curated by Chris Komer) and Wednesdays (curated by Joe Phillips).
$10 cover
Douglass St Music Collective
295 Douglass St. (3rd / 4th Ave), Brooklyn
An artist-run rehearsal and performance space in Brooklyn’s historic Gowanus district with some happening live music acts.
I-Beam
168 7th Street, Brooklyn
Kind of hidden, nice performance space/studio in Gowanus/Park Slope with amazing bookings – most often featuring musicians’ music with a community feel.
$10 donation suggested.
ISSUE Project Room
232 3rd Street, 3rd Floor, Brooklyn
718-330-0313
Interesting live music/events/projects space in Gowanus/Park Slope.
Korzo Restaurant
667 5th Avenue (bet. 19th + 20th streets) Brooklyn
718.285.9425
*Konceptions series in Korzo Restaurant- Great live jazz/experimental music on Tuesday nights curated by pianist/composer James Carney. Eastern European cuisine; great choice of beers on tap.
Schedule and directions: http://www.myspace.com/konceptions
Cover: $7 per set
Puppets Jazz Bar
481 5th Ave, Brooklyn
718-499-2622
Jazz bar in Park Slope with nightly jazz acts and Jazz Brunch on Saturdays and Sundays from 12-3 PM. Full line-ups usually not stated on their calendar which could mean nice surprises.
Cover usually from $6 to $12 per set.
Royale
506 5th Ave.   (12th / 13th) Park Slope, Brooklyn
718-840-0089
With semi-public jam sessions every Tuesday, run by drummer Diego Voglino. Often great jazz bands on Mondays as well. Great Brooklyn vibe.
Music calendar: http://www.myspace.com/royalebrooklynmusic
Southpaw
125 Fifth Ave., Park Slope, Brooklyn
718.230.0236
Cool venue with occasional jazz, check calendar.
*Tea Lounge
837 Union St, 11215, Park Slope, Brooklyn
718–789–2762
Nice and cozy neighborhood cafe/bar/venue in Park Slope. Live music mostly from Wednesday to Sunday; great eclectic booking featuring jazz musicians of the highest caliber, but also some interesting up and coming talent, world music and various other creative acts. Great choice of coffee and tea; free wifi.
No cover, $5 donation suggested
Williamsburg
Knitting Factory Brooklyn
361 Metropolitan Avenue, Brooklyn
(347) 529-6696
Knitting Factory is at its 3rd NYC location with this move to Williamsburg. Look for cutting age bookings, sometimes in the jazz genre.
Music Hall of Williamsburg
66 North 6th St, Brooklyn,
The Bowery Presents venue
*Rose Live Music
345 Grand Street, Williamsburg, Brooklyn
(718) 599-0069
Bar and restaurant in Williamsburg, very nice cozy atmosphere, often featuring most cutting edge experimental live music acts like Mark Guiliana’s THING (in theory, every other Wednesday). Other noteworthy regulars: Monday night Soul Sessions hosted by guitarist Chauncey Yearwood, Sunday night Brooklyn Jazz Experiments Series curated by Chris Conly.   Amazing wine garden in the warmer months.
Almost always, no cover. Donations welcome
*Spike Hill
184-186 Bedford Avenue, Williamsburg, Brooklyn
(718) 218-9737
Bar in the hippest part of Williamsburg – Jazz night on Monday nights, featuring 3-5 up and coming bands, a great spot to see some young NY jazz talent.
No cover, donations welcome.
Zebulon
258 Wythe Avenue Brooklyn
(718) 218-6934
A bohemian bar/ hang in Williamsburg with free live music every night. Booking varies greatly – check schedule for jazz. Can have some of the best shows in the city but very often also featuring rather obscure indie bands.
No cover.
Rest of Brooklyn
Central Brooklyn Jazz Consortium
(718) 569-1896
1958 Fulton Street
Suite 300 A
Brooklyn, NY 11233
*Solo Kitchen Bar
1502 Cortelyou Road, Brooklyn
A great bar in an up-and-coming creative neighborhood in Ditmas Park/Flatbush, right next to the Cortelyou Rd subway stop off the Q train. Top class jazz on Sundays - first band (usually featuring younger talent) starting at around 6 PM and the second band at 9 PM – usually featuring some of the most happening cats in New York jazz – a great chance to hear great jazz music in a casual unassuming atmosphere. Affordable beers on tap, brick-oven pizza, pool table and more. Also has a great jam session on Thursday nights, hosted by guitarist Aki Ishiguro.
No cover, $5 donation strongly suggested.
Goodbye Blue Monday
1087 Broadway, Brooklyn
A one-of-a-kind bar/cafe/venue in Bushwick/Bed-Stuy with a creative vibe, a definite neighborhood favorite. Featuring live jazz, rock, indie and more, mostly young talent. Watch out for show times – they say everything starts at 9PM. Check the calendar for more accurate show times.
Calendar: http://www.myspace.com/goodbyebluemondayinc
BAM Cafe
1087 Broadway, Brooklyn
(718) 636-4139
Brooklyn Academy of Music in Fort Greene. Nice cafe with a young creative vibe, occasional jazz concerts/projects.
Calendar: http://www.bam.org/view.aspx?pid=38
Some free, some cover charges events.
*Le Grand Dakar
285 Grand Ave. (Clifton Pl. / Lafayette Ave.), Brooklyn
718.398.8900
An African restaurant in Clinton Hill featuring really good Live Jazz, African music and great African menu. Listings often stated on website by style only, check out local monthly jazz magazine: All About Jazz, NY for specific names.
No cover.
Coco 66
66 Greenpoint Ave., Brooklyn
718-389-7392 / 917-807-6045
Club/bar in Greenpoint with occasional jazz programming.

Should I buy a typewriter?

2010-02-02T21:33:00.003-05:00

Edinburgh is Alexander Chee's first novel. Chee is a graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop and studied with Annie Dillard at Wesleyan. His 2nd novel is coming out this year.

From his interview at Catching Days:

What is your strangest reading or writing habit?

Lately, apparently, using a typewriter. I bought a manual to avoid the internet, an Olympia. It turns out to be a device to speak just with your work. Unlike our computers, which have become televisions, shopping malls, newspapers and mailboxes.

He has a point. But I don't know if I'd want to sacrifice the ability to copy and paste, erase large chunks, quickly research something online, use the thesaurus, and adjust the font. I could however modify the habit of checking my e-mail and various blogs every 2 seconds.

I'm reading in Williamsburg

2010-01-31T22:31:00.000-05:00

I'm reading at the Earshot literary series in Williamsburg on Feb 12th. Come!

Inspiring Quotes

2010-01-28T13:12:00.009-05:00

Two authors: different styles, different routes, both incredibly persistent, intelligent, and inspiring

When I get frustrated with my work and doubt my talents, it's nice to recall the following quotes from 2 authors I admire. I read Junot Diaz's Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao while traveling in Vietnam; his talent and persistence should be emulated by all writers. The quote is from an essay he wrote for Oprah magazine on the process of Brief Wondrous Life. The novel took him over 10 years and won the Pulitzer, but he nearly gave up multiple times. The other quotes are from Jonathan Evison, who wrote All About Lulu and has another book coming out this year. I read his book while working at Crossroads Films and discovered him again through the site 3 guys 1 book. His enthusiasm, optimism, and hunger for life also inspire me.

For any being with the passion for writing, please read, absorb, and contemplate the following:

"You see, in my view a writer is a writer not because she writes well and easily, because she has amazing talent, because everything she does is golden. In my view a writer is a writer because even when there is no hope, even when nothing you do shows any sign of promise, you keep writing anyway. Wasn't until that night when I was faced with all those lousy pages that I realized, really realized, what it was exactly that I am." - Junot Diaz in Oprah Magazine

"As far as the best way for a writer to teach themselves something, in terms of craft, that’s easy: repetition, practice, commitment. As far as teaching themselves something as people, I’d say the best way to learn is by throwing yourself at life every day, getting outside of your comfort zone, and always always always being aware of the details, conditions, and human dynamics you find yourself in." - Jonathan Evison on 3 Guys 1 Book

He wrote the following in the comments section of the interview that contained the above remark:

"i don't think any real writer at the end of the day should NEED ANYTHING BUT THE PROCESS OF WRITING ITSELF to keep him going, though i totally relate to the sense of fellowship i feel with these authors and readers . . . to keep going is the whole point, and the only ones who will make it anywhere near the finish are the ones that can survive with NO EXTERNAL VALIDATION WHATSOEVER . . .faulkner once said something to the effect that he was faulkner because he didn't quit . . . the people that ultimately break through are the one's who have no choice but to keep going . . . you gotta' pretty much be willing to starve your family because writers have to be selfish fucks with their time and emotions. . ."

Now go out there, and write that damn novel.

Food 4 Thought: Where Customers Leave Happy

2010-01-21T14:23:00.001-05:00

Food 4 Thought: a fine Bed-Stuy establishment

At the next table:

Cook: You want fries with your burger?
Customer: Would grits be a possibility, sir?
Cook: Not a problem.
Customer: God loves me!
Cook: With eggs and cheese?
Customer (shakes head yes): Hallelujah!

Inspiring Authors

2010-01-19T20:08:00.000-05:00

Poets and Writers' list of the 50 most inspiring authors can be read here.

Sadly, I have not read enough of them but I do agree with Chinua Achebe, Elie Wiesel (how can you not?), and Tim O'Brien.

I'm reading on Monday!

2010-01-07T10:45:00.000-05:00

For those of you who haven't heard, I'm reading at the Franklin Park Literary Series on Monday night at Franklin Park Bar in Crown Heights. This month features short story authors, 3 of whom are CH residents! Stop by, check out this great space, and hear some work from some very talented writers.

Monday, January 11th
8 PM
Franklin Park Bar
618 St. John's Place b/w Franklin and Classon Avenues
Facebook page

My job prospects are looking bleak

2010-01-06T12:56:00.004-05:00

Love vampires? Love blogging? (Midtown)

Date: 2010-01-04, 2:03PM EST

SwanDiary.com, a web site dedicated to covering all the latest in vampires is looking for a few good bloggers! We're looking for someone who:
- Writes well.
- Is deeply interested in all-things related to vampires.
- Is enthusiastic and consistent.
If interested, feel free to respond to this ad with any writing samples and credentials.

Just Start Talking: Anna Kaiper's blog

2010-01-04T18:15:00.000-05:00

Through Facebook, I found the blog of a girl who trained to teach English in Thailand with me. She's now in New York, just got a job, and writes about her encounters with random strangers in the city. What starts out as simple conversations have led to incredible adventures, from meeting Wyclef Jean, to encountering a cleaned-up man that used to beg on her block, to little things like getting free food and gym passes. Her openness and curiosity about others inspire me. Read these fascinating encounters here.

Books I read in 2009

2010-01-01T21:18:00.000-05:00

Orhan Pamuk: The Black Book
Philip Roth: Portnoy's Complaint
Deepak Chopra: Buddha
Cormac McCarthy: The Road
Junot Diaz: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
The Situation and The Story
Yann Martel: Life of Pi
Jonathan Franzen: The Corrections
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
Truman Capote: In Cold Blood
J.D. Salinger: Franny and Zooey
Jonathan Lethem: The Fortress of Solitude
Salman Rushdie: Midnight's Children
Michael Pollan: The Omnivore's Dilemma
Leo Tolstoy: Anna Karenina
The Tao of Pooh
Alexander Chee: Edinburgh

I think I'm forgetting some.

I'm also a very slow reader. I'm working on this!

Winter 2010 Brooklyn Readings + A Few Film Screenings

2009-12-26T13:03:00.009-05:00

I'm selfish; I really create these lists for myself rather than to benefit others. In the next few months, some very exciting events are happening such as readings by Colum McCann and Don Delillo, a free Herzog film screening, poetry events, and my very own first large-scale reading!

TUESDAY, JANUARY 5, 6:00PM
Brooklyn Public Library, Central Library, Macon

Movie: The Black Candle

Enjoy a free screening of The Black Candle, a landmark, vibrant documentary that uses Kwanzaa as a vehicle to explore and celebrate the African-American experience. Narrated by world renowned poet Maya Angelou and directed by award-winning author and filmmaker M.K. Asante, Jr.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 9, 4:00PM
Brooklyn Public Library, Central Library, Dweck Center

Russian Literary Series: Vadim Yarmolinets

Originally from Odessa, Yarmolinets lives in Brooklyn and works as a freelance writer and journalist, writing in Russian. He is an author of several books of short stories; his latest novel Lead Zeppelin was short listed this year for a prestigious Russian literary award "Big Book".

MONDAY, JANUARY 11

7:30 PM

Greenlight Bookstore - 686 Fulton St. b/w S. Elliot Pl. and S. Portland Ave.
Katherine Weber talks with Levi Asher about True Confections

MONDAY, JANUARY 11

8 PM
Franklin Park & Bar Reading Series - 618 St. John's Place @ Franklin Ave.
Featuring:

HANNAH TINTI (The Good Thief, Animal Crackers, One Story magazine)
COURTNEY ELIZABETH MAUK (The Literary Review)
ALEXIOS MOORE (The Dos Passos Review, H.O.W. Journal)
VICTORIA CHO (TakePart.com, Escape Into Life)
JAKE GOLDMAN (True Tales of College)

HANNAH TINTI grew up in Salem, Massachusetts, and is co-founder and editor-in-chief of One Story magazine. Her short story collection, Animal Crackers, has sold in sixteen countries and was a runner-up for the PEN/Hemingway award. Her first novel, The Good Thief, was a New York Times Notable Book of the Year in 2008, recipient of the American Library Association’s Alex Award and winner of the John Sargent Sr. First Novel Prize. Hannah also recently won the 2009 PEN/Nora Magid award for her editorial work at One Story.

COURTNEY ELIZABETH MAUK has an MFA in Fiction from Columbia University. Her work has appeared in The Literary Review, Forge Journal, PANK, Word Riot, and the anthology Gravity Fiction. She has had two short stories nominated for this year's Pushcart Prize. She lives in Crown Heights and teaches writing at College of Staten Island. She currently is at work on a novel.

ALEXIOS MOORE writes real stories that aren't true and true stories that aren't real. His non-fiction stories have been published in Pindelyboz, H.O.W., Post Road, and he is publishing his first short story in the upcoming issue of The Dos Passos Review. Alexios recently completed a residency with the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council and is a contributing editor to H.O.W. Journal. He teaches writing at Eugene Lang College and the College of New Rochelle, and makes his home in Bedford-Stuyvesent.

VICTORIA CHO writes articles for social and environmental organizations, as well as essays and short fiction. Born in Charlottesville, Virginia, Victoria fled the South and received a Bachelor's in Film from Boston University. She worked on various independent film projects in New York, then left the business to write and travel. She has recently returned from teaching English in Thailand. In addition to the social change blogs Take Part, EcoHearth and All Day Buffet, her writing has appeared online in the literary magazines Escape Into Life, Bartleby Snopes and Tragic Pens. She has lived in Crown Heights since June 2009.

JAKE GOLDMAN, co-host of the storytelling series True Tales of College, is a writer and performer living in Queens. His work has been seen in The NY Press, CBS News and the Huffington Post.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 12

7PM

BookCourt - 163 Court St. b/w Pacific St. and Dean St.

STUART SILVERSTEIN – NOT MUCH FUN: The Lost Poems of Dorothy Parker

During the early years of her career, while struggling to “keep body and soul apart” (as she ruefully put it later), Dorothy Parker wrote more than three hundred poems and verses for a variety of popular magazines and newspapers. Between 1926 and 1933 she collected most of these pieces in three volumes of poetry: Enough Rope, Sunset Gun, and Death and Taxes. The remaining poems and verses from America’s most renowned cynic make up this volume. Eclectic and exuberant, these 122 once-forgotten gems display Parker’s distinctive wit, irony, and precision, as she dissects early-twentieth-century American urban life and gleefully skewers a rich array of targets that range from personal foible to popular culture. With an authoritative, immensely entertaining, and critically acclaimed introduction by Stuart Y. Silverstein, Not Much Fun is an essential addition to the Dorothy Parker library and a welcome gift to her many admirers and devoted fans.

Wednesday, January 13, 7–9 PM
Benoit Denizet-Lewis: American Voyeur Book Launch Party
PowerHouse Arena - 37 Main St. @ Water St.
Come toast the publication of the award-winning New York Times Magazine contributor's new book of dispatches from the far reaches of American love, sex, and romance.

Thursday, January 14, 7–9PM
Dan Menaker: A Good Talk Book Launch Party
PowerHouse Arena
Have a chat with the longtime Random House and New Yorker editor to celebrate the publication of his stylish, funny, and surprising exploration of the story and skill of conversation, "the most exclusively human of all activities."

Tuesday, January 19, 7–9 PM
Zoe Heller: The Believers Paperback Launch party
PowerHouse Arena
Heller (What Was She Thinking? Notes on a Scandal) reads, signs and discusses The Believers on the occasion of its release in paperback.

Thursday, January 21, 7:00PM
Brooklyn Public Library, Central Library, Dweck Center

The Art of Nonfiction: Joe Sacco

Sacco, a cartoonist-reporter, discusses Footnotes in Gaza, a sweeping investigation of a forgotten crime in the most vexed of places -- Rafah, a town at the tip of the Gaza Strip. Spanning fifty years, moving between one war and the next, the book is alive with the voices of fugitives and schoolchildren, widows and sheikhs.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 21

7 PM

BookCourt

SHIRA NAYMAN – THE LISTENER

Library Journal: Word for word, sentence for sentence, paragraph for paragraph, Nayman creates a gripping narrative with style and depth. Set in a post-World War II asylum, the cast of characters interact within their defined roles of clinicians, nurses, and patients. However, when Dr. Harrison encounters a mysterious patient with a dark secret in his counseling sessions, the well-defined boundaries that separate the characters slowly erode as their lives intertwine. In the process, the arbitrary lines between sanity and insanity are exposed. Nayman paces the narrative well, with thick, sensuous writing throughout, developing each character with a compelling reality. Much like her collection of short stories, Awake in the Dark, this novel continues to explore the ways in which individuals negotiate and construct their sense of identity. Featuring a plot as rich as the characters, this is a thought-provoking and psychological exploration of love, war, and human identity. VERDICT Readers who enjoyed Ian McEwan’s Atonement will enjoy the introspective tone of Nayman’s work.—Joshua Finnell, Denison Univ. Lib., Granville, OH

Kirkus Reviews: A doctor and a patient confront each other at an upscale Westchester mental asylum in the late 1940s. The unreliable narrator of this first novel is Henry Harrison, director of Shadowbrook hospital, who reveals his spectacular unfitness to be in charge of a psychiatric institution as he exposes layers of weakness and paranoia. Off-duty, Henry drinks and smokes opium. His professional past includes a murky involvement with a female patient who still haunts his dreams. His marriage is disintegrating, and he has developed a fixation on Matilda, one of the nurses. Morally compromised on several levels, Henry now finds himself tested by a new patient who fought in World War II. Bertram Reiner’s experiences in part mirror Henry’s; his intelligence challenges his doctor’s authority; and his affair with Matilda turns Henry into a jealous voyeur. Further alter-ego issues revolve around Bertram’s brother, a German soldier who committed atrocities against Jews. Although Nayman (Stories: Awake in the Dark, 2006) emulates Pat Barker in viewing war through the eyes of a doctor dealing with the psychological havoc it wreaks, her dark, obsessive novel eschews the Regeneration trilogy’s detached tone in favor of trance-like scenes and moody visual intensity akin to a black-and-white movie melodrama, complete with lurching perspectives and looming shadows. The narrative becomes even more feverish in its final third, as it spins towards a long-signposted conclusion. Vividly imagined and evoked.

THURSDAY JANUARY 21
7:30 PM
January 2010's Post-Apocalyptic Book Discussion: The Book of Dave
Freebird Books - 123 Columbia St. @ Kane St.
We will skip December out of respect for the holidays and the time it will take to do our next selection: Will Self's THE BOOK OF DAVE.

Dave is a cabbie living in contemporary London. Bestowed with the "knowledge"--the unique gift of understanding the elaborate street system of London--Dave is on the brink of madness, whose anger at the world is barely concealed. When the mother of his child denies him visiting rights Dave records his ravings against the world in a book he buries in his ex-wife's backyard. After an unnamed apocalypse destroys London, survivors uncover Dave's manifesto centuries later.
This new civilization quotes chapter and verse from the book and adopts Dave's mockney accent as the gospel. Funny, tempestuous, and oddly poignant in its observations of the fraught relationship between parent and child, THE BOOK OF DAVE is as much an indictment of contemporary life as it is satire of human nature.

WARNING: The first 20 pages are a challenge linguistically, with a made-up language (a mangled cockney) that can seem daunting. If you read the first chapter twice the words and inflections will become second nature and enrich the reading of the rest of the book. Don't give up!

THURSDAY JANUARY 21
7:30 PM
Greenlight Bookstore
Steamboat featuring Scott Jacobson, Josh Lieb, Tami Sagher, Gabe Liedman, and Bob Powers

Thursday, January 21, 7–9 PM
Jon Naar: The Faith of Graffiti Book Launch Party
PowerHouse Arena
This classic, definitive look at the birth of graffiti pairs Norman Mailer's fascinating 1974 essay with internationally-acclaimed Jon Naar's stunning photographs: The Faith of Graffiti is a landmark in the history of street art.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 22
7PM
NICK FLYNN – THE TICKING IS THE BOMB

BookCourt

In 2007, during the months before Nick Flynn’s daughter’s birth, his growing outrage and obsession with torture, exacerbated by the Abu Ghraib photographs, led him to Istanbul to meet some of the Iraqi men depicted in those photos. Haunted by a history of addiction, a relationship with his unsteady father, and a longing to connect with his mother who committed suicide, Flynn artfully interweaves in this memoir passages from his childhood, his relationships with women, and his growing obsession—a questioning of terror, torture, and the political crimes we can neither see nor understand in post-9/11 American life. The time bomb of the title becomes an unlikely metaphor and vehicle for exploring the fears and joys of becoming a father. Here is a memoir of profound self-discovery—of being lost and found, of painful family memories and losses, of the need to run from love, and of the ability to embrace it again.

SATURDAY JANUARY 23
3 PM
Nick Flynn signs The Ticking Is The Bomb
Greenlight Bookstore

SUNDAY JANUARY 24

7 PM
John Dermot Woods reads from his novel The Complete Collection of people, places & things

Freebird
John Dermot Woods lives with his family in Brooklyn, NY. His debut novel is The Complete Collection of people, places & things (BlazeVOX). His stories and comics have appeared in many journals, including The Indiana Review, Hobart, American Letters & Commentary, Salt Hill, and 3rd Bed. His comic chapbook, The Remains, is forthcoming from Doublecross Press. He edits the arts quarterly Action,Yes and organizes the online reading series Apostrophe Cast. More information can be found at www.johndermotwoods.com.

TUESDAY JANUARY 26
6:30 PM
Brooklyn Public Library, Central Library, Dweck Center

(Some of) The World's Best Movies: Aguirre, The Wrath of God

At what point does the visionary turn into a madman? German director Werner Herzog explores this theme along with his maniacal muse, Klaus Kinski, who plays a conquistador who inspires, brutalizes, and misleads his men into an insane quest for power and wealth.

TUESDAY JANUARY 26
7:30 PM

Greenlight Bookstore

Discussion & slideshow for Piecebook, Reloaded: Rare Graffiti Drawings 1985-2005

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 27
7 - 9 PM
PowerHouse Arena
Ron Galella: Man in the Mirror / Viva L'Italia
January 7–February 14
Opening Reception and Book Launch Party: Wednesday, January 27, 7–9 PM
Join famed paparazzo Ron Gallela to celebrate the launch of his two new books. Man In The Mirror is a tribute to the life and memory of Michael Jackson, with shots from his early days in the Jackson five up to the weeks before his untimely death. In Viva L'Italia Galella presents rare portraits of Italy's most famous sons and daughters.

Thursday, January 28
7 PM
Brooklyn Public Library, Central Library, Dweck Center

Brooklyn Women in Comics

Comics artist Jessica Abel showcases fellow Brooklyn comics talent.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 28

7PM
BookCourt
LAPHAM’S QUARTERLY – RELIGION ISSUE LAUNCH PARTY

check out the table of contents

FRIDAY, JANUARY 29

7:30 PM

Greenlight Bookstore

Joshua Ferris reads The Unnamed

FRIDAY, JANUARY 29
7–9 PM

T.C. Boyle: Wild Child and The Women Reading and Discussion
PowerHouse Arena
The author reads from his brand new short story collection and from the new paperback of The Women, his best-selling account of the life of Frank Lloyd Wright as told by the women who loved him.

Wednesday, February 3
7–9 PM
Sascha Rothchild: How to Get Divorced by 30
PowerHouse Arena
The author reads and signs her new memoir, and explains how you, too, in just a few easy steps, can escape from nuptial mediocrity.

Thursday, February 4
7–9 PM
John Wray: Lowboy Paperback Launch Party
PowerHouse Arena
One of Granta's Best Young American Novelists reads from and signs Lowboy, his acclaimed tale of a schizophrenic subway rider, to celebrate its paperback publication.

THURSDAY FEBRUARY 4

7 PM

BookCourt

ALEX LEMON – HAPPY: A Memoir

Tuesday, February 9
6:30 PM
Central Library, Dweck Center

Classic Films from Africa: The Gods Must be Crazy

Xi and his tribe of Sho are living well off the land in the Kalahari Desert until the day he finds a cola bottle in the bush. The object inspires jealousy among the group. Xi sets off on a journey to throw the evil bottle off of the end of the earth, and on the way he encounters more undesirable aspects of Western ?civilization?. Filmed in South Africa and directed by Jamie Uys.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 9
7 PM

AMY BLOOM - WHERE THE GOD OF LOVE HANGS OUT

BookCourt

Love, in its many forms and complexities, weaves through this collection by Amy Bloom, the New York Times bestselling author of Away. Bloom’s astonishing and astute new work of interconnected stories illuminates the mysteries of passion, family, and friendship.
Propelled by Bloom’s dazzling prose, unmistakable voice, and generous wit, Where the God of Love Hangs Out takes us to the margins and the centers of real people’s lives, exploring the changes that love and loss create. A young woman is haunted by her roommate’s murder; a man and his daughter-in-law confess their sins in the unlikeliest of places. In one quartet of interlocking stories, two middle-aged friends, married to others, find themselves surprisingly drawn to each other, risking all while never underestimating the cost. In another linked set of stories, we follow mother and son for thirty years as their small and uncertain family becomes an irresistible tribe.
Insightful, sensuous, and heartbreaking, these stories of passion and disappointment, life and death, capture deep human truths. As The New Yorker has said, “Amy Bloom gets more meaning into individual sentences than most authors manage in whole books."

Thursday, February 11
7 PM
Brooklyn Public Library, Central Library, Dweck Center

Visions in Brooklyn Verses

Spoken word artist Bob McNeil shares poetry by writers who were either born in Brooklyn or lived here, such as Walt Whitman and Hart Crane. McNeil and a musical collaborator will also perform original works. Local wordsmiths are invited to participate in an open mic portion of the program. To registration for the open mic, please email programs@brooklynpubliclibrary.org. Spaces are limited.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 11

7 PM

DON DELILLO – POINT OMEGA

BookCourt

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12
7 PM

ADAM HASLETT – UNION ATLANTIC

BookCourt

Thursday, February 11
7–9 PM
It's Not You, It's Me: The Poetry of Break Up
PowerHouse Arena
Come celebrate Anti-Valentine's Day with this terrific new anthology's editor Jerry Williams, contributors to be announced, and special guest host Jonathan Ames.

TUESDAY FEBRUARY 16
6:30 - 9:30 PM

Crisis & Opportunity: Documenting the Global Recession
February 15–March 14
Powerhouse Arena
Opening Reception and Book Lanch Party: Tuesday, February 16, 6:30–9:30 PM
In the spirit of the Works Progress Administration's photographic response to the Great Depression, SocialDocumentary.net presents the winners of their Global Recession photo essay competition.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 24

7PM

JEFF GARLIN – MY FOOTPRINT: Carrying The Weight of the World
Introduced by JONATHAN AMES
BookCourt

Friday, February 26
7–9PM

Colum McCann: Let the Great World Spin
PowerHouse Arena
Colum McCann, the winner of the 2009 National Book Award for Fiction will read, sign, and discuss his winning novel Let the Great World Spin. Don't miss his only free reading in NYC.

FRIDAY, MARCH 12
7 PM
BookCourt
SAM LIPSYTE – THE ASK

Milo Burke, a development officer at a third-tier university, has “not been developing”: after a run-in with a well-connected undergrad, he finds himself among the burgeoning class of the newly unemployed. Grasping after odd jobs to support his wife and child, Milo is offered one last chance by his former employer: he must reel in a potential donor—a major “ask”—who, mysteriously, has requested Milo’s involvement. But it turns out that the ask is Milo’s sinister college classmate Purdy Stuart. And the “give” won’t come cheap. Probing many themes— or, perhaps, anxieties—including work, war, sex, class, child rearing, romantic comedies, Benjamin Franklin, cooking shows on death row, and the eroticization of chicken wire, The Ask is a burst of genius by a young American master who has already demonstrated that the truly provocative and important fictions are often the funniest ones.

Christmas Came a Little Early

2009-12-24T14:04:00.000-05:00

Image from abhisays.com

We're getting closer.

"Working within the framework of America's distinctive health system based on private providers, some 30m people who are not currently covered will be given access to health insurance via a system of subsidies and regulated insurance exchanges. Life-time caps of payouts to sick people will be largely eliminated; insurance companies will lose the right to refuse coverage to applicants on the basis of past or present ill-heath; and price discrimination against older people will be sharply scaled back. Employers will be obliged to provide coverage for their workers, or face a stiff fine. Younger people, who often regard themselves as "invincibles" with no need to insure themselves, will be required to do so."

It covers more but costs more.

We shall see....

The New Old House

2009-12-24T13:57:00.004-05:00

My parents built a new house during my senior year of college. This is the 2nd time I've seen it. The last time I slept in the guest room because they hadn't gotten a bed for my room yet. Now I'm in a bed in "my" room but I still feel like a guest.

I opened the door to find a dozen stuffed pandas of all sizes and thicknesses lying on a queen-size bed. My parents sill think I'm 10 years-old, but that's okay because I love the pandas. There's even a panda backpack, and a panda wearing a panda backpack. But I'm not such a fan of Disney anymore and don't feel such a strong attachment to the charm bracelet they got me with every single Disney character on it.

Around the house, tags have been left on some of the furniture (a habit of my mother's). Some corners smell like packaging noodles.

There are 2 beautiful cats here and despite the fact that my parents don't pet them, they're incredibly receptive to me. I named them Sebastian and Lilly, but they can't replace my recently deceased dog.

My father is a man that slides the car air conditioning control back and forth between Cold and Hot rather than keeping it in the middle. I got my habit of talking to myself from him.

My mother is a woman that believes kimchi, jacuzzi baths, or studying can solve any problem. I got my germophobia from her.

"In Copenhagen, everyone talked; but no-one really listened."

2009-12-22T15:26:00.001-05:00

The UN Copenhagen Climate Summit was a failure. Image from Caledonian-Comment.

Despite mounting pressure, extensive press coverage, increased awareness of global warming, and the attendance of over 100 world leaders, the UN Copenhagen Climate Summit failed to reach an agreement on international global warming precautionary measures. Why? The BBC offers its theory, though I highly doubt the weather was a major factor.

From the BBC:

WHY DID COPENHAGEN FAIL TO DELIVER A CLIMATE DEAL?

About 45,000 travelled to the UN climate summit in Copenhagen - the vast majority convinced of the need for a new global agreement on climate change.
So why did the summit end without one, just an acknowledgement of a deal struck by five nations, led by the US.
And why did delegates leave the Danish capital without agreement that something significantly stronger should emerge next year?
Our environment correspondent Richard Black looks at eight reasons that might have played a part.
1. KEY GOVERNMENTS DO NOT WANT A GLOBAL DEAL
Until the end of this summit, it appeared that all governments wanted to keep the keys to combating climate change within the UN climate convention.

Implicit in the convention, though, is the idea that governments take account of each others' positions and actually negotiate.
That happened at the Kyoto summit. Developed nations arrived arguing for a wide range of desired outcomes; during negotiations, positions converged, and a negotiated deal was done.
In Copenhagen, everyone talked; but no-one really listened.
The end of the meeting saw leaders of the US and the BASIC group of countries (Brazil, South Africa, India and China) hammering out a last-minute deal in a back room as though the nine months of talks leading up to this summit, and the Bali Action Plan to which they had all committed two years previously, did not exist.

Over the last few years, statements on climate change have been made in other bodies such as the G8, Major Economies Forum (MEF) and Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation forum (APEC), which do not have formal negotiations, and where outcomes are not legally binding.
It appears now that this is the arrangement preferred by the big countries (meaning the US and the BASIC group). Language in the "Copenhagen Accord" could have been taken from - indeed, some passages were reportedly taken from, via the mechanism of copying and pasting - G8 and MEF declarations.
The logical conclusion is that this is the arrangement that the big players now prefer - an informal setting, where each country says what it is prepared to do - where nothing is negotiated and nothing is legally binding.
2. THE US POLITICAL SYSTEM
Just about every other country involved in the UN talks has a single chain of command; when the president or prime minister speaks, he or she is able to make commitments for the entire government.
Not so the US. The president is not able to pledge anything that Congress will not support, and his inability to step up the US offer in Copenhagen was probably the single biggest impediment to other parties improving theirs.
Viewed internationally, the US effectively has two governments, each with power of veto over the other.
Doubtless the founding fathers had their reasons. But it makes the US a nation apart in these processes, often unable to state what its position is or to move that position - a nightmare for other countries' negotiators.
3. BAD TIMING
Although the Bali Action Plan was drawn up two years ago, it is only one year since Barack Obama entered the White House and initiated attempts to curb US carbon emissions.

He is also attempting major healthcare reforms; and both measures are proving highly difficult.
If the Copenhagen summit had come a year later, perhaps Mr Obama would have been able to speak from firmer ground, and perhaps offer some indication of further action down the line - indications that might have induced other countries to step up their own offers.
As it is, he was in a position to offer nothing - and other countries responded in kind.
4. THE HOST GOVERNMENT
In many ways, Denmark was an excellent summit host. Copenhagen was a friendly and capable city, transport links worked, Bella Center food outlets remained open through the long negotiating nights.

But the government of Lars Lokke Rasmussen got things badly, badly wrong.
Even before the summit began, his office put forward a draft political declaration to a select group of "important countries" - thereby annoying every country not on the list, including most of the ones that feel seriously threatened by climate impacts.
The chief Danish negotiator Thomas Becker was sacked just weeks before the summit amid tales of a huge rift between Mr Rasmussen's office and the climate department of minister Connie Hedegaard. This destroyed the atmosphere of trust that developing country negotiators had established with Mr Becker.
Procedurally, the summit was a farce, with the Danes trying to hurry things along so that a conclusion could be reached, bringing protest after protest from some of the developing countries that had presumed everything on the table would be properly negotiated. Suspensions of sessions became routine.
Despite the roasting they had received over the first "Danish text", repeatedly the hosts said they were preparing new documents - which should have been the job of the independent chairs of the various negotiating strands.
China's chief negotiator was barred by security for the first three days of the meeting - a serious issue that should have been sorted out after day one. This was said to have left the Chinese delegation in high dudgeon.
When Mr Rasmussen took over for the high-level talks, it became quickly evident that he understood neither the climate convention itself nor the politics of the issue. Experienced observers said they had rarely seen a UN summit more ineptly chaired.
It is hard to escape the conclusion that the prime minister's office envisaged the summit as an opportunity to cover Denmark and Mr Rasmussen in glory - a "made in Denmark" pact that would solve climate change.
Most of us, I suspect, will remember the city and people of Copenhagen with some affection. But it is likely that history will judge that the government's political handling of the summit covered the prime minister in something markedly less fragrant than glory.
5. THE WEATHER
Although "climate sceptical" issues made hardly a stir in the plenary sessions, any delegate wavering as to the scientific credibility of the "climate threat" would hardly have been convinced by the freezing weather and - on the last few days - the snow that blanketed routes from city centre to Bella Center.
Reporting that the "noughties" had been the warmest decade since instrumental records began, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) noted "except in parts of North America".
If the US public had experienced the searing heat and prolonged droughts and seriously perturbed rainfall patterns seen in other corners of the globe, would they have pressed their senators harder on climate action over the past few years?
6. 24-HOUR NEWS CULTURE
The way this deal was concocted and announced was perhaps the logical conclusion of a news culture wherein it is more important to beam a speaking president live into peoples' homes from the other side of the world than it is to evaluate what has happened and give a balanced account.

The Obama White House mounted a surgical strike of astounding effectiveness (and astounding cynicism) that saw the president announcing a deal live on TV before anyone - even most of the governments involved in the talks - knew a deal had been done.
The news went first to the White House lobby journalists travelling with the president. With due respect, they are not as well equipped to ask critical questions as the environment specialists who had spent the previous two weeks at the Bella Center.
After the event, of course, journalists pored over the details. But the agenda had already been set; by the time those articles emerged, anyone who was not particularly interested in the issue would have come to believe that a deal on climate change had been done, with the US providing leadership to the global community.
The 24-hour live news culture did not make the Copenhagen Accord. But its existence offered the White House a way to keep the accord's chief architect away from all meaningful scrutiny while telling the world of his triumph.
7. EU POLITICS
For about two hours on Friday night, the EU held the fate of the Obama-BASIC "accord" in its hands, as leaders who had been sideswiped by the afternoon's diplomatic coup d'etat struggled to make sense of what had happened and decide the appropriate response.

If the EU had declined to endorse the deal at that point, a substantial number of developing countries would have followed suit, and the accord would now be simply an informal agreement between a handful of countries - symbolising the failure of the summit to agree anything close to the EU's minimum requirements, and putting some beef behind Europe's insistence that something significant must be achieved next time around.
So why did the EU endorse such an emasculated document, given that several leaders beforehand had declared that no deal would be better than a weak deal?
The answer probably lies in a mixture - in proportions that can only be guessed at - of three factors:
• Politics as usual - ie never go against the US, particularly the Obama US, and always emerge with something to claim as a success
• EU expansion, which has increased the proportion of governments in the bloc that are unconvinced of the arguments for constraining emissions
• The fact that important EU nations, in particular France and the UK, had invested significant political capital in preparing the ground for a deal - tying up a pact on finance with Ethiopia's President Meles Zenawi, and mounting a major diplomatic push on Thursday when it appeared things might unravel.
Having prepared the bed for US and Chinese leaders and having hoped to share it with them as equal partners, acquiescing to an outcome that it did not want announced in a manner that gave it no respect arguably leaves the EU cast in a role rather less dignified that it might have imagined.
8. CAMPAIGNERS GOT THEIR STRATEGIES WRONG
An incredible amount of messaging and consultation went on behind the scenes in the run-up to this meeting, as vast numbers of campaign groups from all over the planet strived to co-ordinate their "messaging" in order to maximise the chances of achieving their desired outcome.
The messaging had been - in its broadest terms - to praise China, India, Brazil and the other major developing countries that pledged to constrain the growth in their emissions; to go easy on Barack Obama; and to lambast the countries (Canada, Russia, the EU) that campaigners felt could and should do more.
Now, post-mortems are being held, and all those positions are up for review. US groups are still giving Mr Obama more brickbats than bouquets, for fear of wrecking Congressional legislation - but a change of stance is possible.
Having seen the deal emerge that the real leaders of China, India and the other large developing countries evidently wanted, how will those countries now be treated?
How do you campaign in China - or in Saudi Arabia, another influential country that emerged with a favourable outcome?
The situation is especially demanding for those organisations that have traditionally supported the developing world on a range of issues against what they see as the west's damaging dominance.
After Copenhagen, there is no "developing world" - there are several. Responding to this new world order is a challenge for campaign groups, as it will be for politicians in the old centres of world power.

However, The BBC also reported the positive effects of Copenhagen:

What Copenhagen changed:

With 110 world leaders present and a single issue on the agenda, there has never been a meeting like this. The countries that brokered the text, the US, China, India, South Africa, Brazil and the EU, also reflects a world in which the balance of power has significantly changed in the last 20 years.
At a fundamental level, the conference redefined the debate between countries in terms of awareness of climate science and support for action. There is no longer any question that climate change is central to the political thinking of every country on the planet.
Public awareness has also massively increased. The vast campaigns run around the world in the run-up to Copenhagen by governments, NGOs and business and the media coverage of the issue and the summit have made addressing climate change widely understood and discussed from the pubs of rural England to the bars of Beijing.
The other very important change is that green growth is now the prevailing economic model of our time. The idea that addressing climate change is bad for business was buried at Copenhagen. Countries from both developed and developing worlds have announced low-carbon economic plans and are moving forward.

You can download The Copenhagen Accord.

NYC Indie Bookstores

2009-12-13T17:23:00.000-05:00

I think BookCourt is my favorite independent bookstore in Brooklyn.

From an old issue of Manhattan's User Guide that I found in my inbox and realized is worth sharing:

MANHATTAN
Alabaster Bookshop (used)
Archivia Books (design)
Argosy Book Store (rare)
Bank Street Books (kids)
Bauman Rare Books (rare)
Bluestockings (activist)
Bonnie Slotnick Cookbooks (food)
Bookberries (general)
Bookbook (biography)
Book Culture (general)
Books of Wonder (kids)
Chartwell Booksellers (general/rare/Churchilliana)
Choices (spiritual)
The Complete Traveller (vintage travel)
The Corner Bookstore (general)
Crawford Doyle Booksellers (general)
Dashwood Books (photography)
The Drama Book Shop (theater)
East Village Books and Records (used)
East West Living (spiritual)
Fashion Design Books (fashion)
Globe Trippin (general)
Housing Works Bookstore Cafe (used)
Hue-Man Bookstore & Cafe (black studies)
Idlewild Books (travel)
Imperial Fine Books (leatherbound)
Jewish Book Center of The Workmen's Circle (Jewish)
J.N. Barfield (rare)
John McWhinnie (art)
Kitchen Arts & Letters (food)
Left Bank Books (new/used)
Libreria Caliope (Spanish)
Logos Bookstore (Judeo-Christian)
McNally Jackson Books (general)
Mercer Street Books (new/used)
Mysterious Bookshop (mystery)
192 Books (general)
Partners & Crime Mystery Booksellers (mystery)
Penn Books (general)
Posman Books (general)
Potterton Books (design)
The Quest Bookshop (spiritual)
Revolution Books (revolutionary)
Rizzoli Bookstore (general)
Shakespeare & Co. Booksellers (general)
Sister's Uptown Bookstore (black studies)
Skyline Books (used)
St. Mark's Bookshop (general)
Strand Book Store (new/used)
Taschen Store (art/fashion/design)
Three Lives & Company (general)
Traveler's Choice Bookstore (travel)
United Nations Bookshop (international)
Unoppressive Non-Imperialist Bargain Books (used)
Urban Center Books (architecture/design/urbanism)
Ursus Books (art)
Westsider Books (used/rare)

BROOKLYN
Atlantic Bookshop (used/rare)
Babbo's Books (new/used)
BookCourt (general)
The BookMark Shoppe (general)
Brownstone Books (general)
The Community Bookstore (general)
Freebird Books (used)
Greenlight Bookstore (general)
Joanne Hendricks, Cookbooks (food)
Melville House (general)
powerHouse Arena (art/fashion/pop culture)
Pranga Bookstore (new/used)
Rocketship (graphic novels/comics)
Spoonbill & Sugartown, Booksellers (new/used)
WORD (general)

QUEENS
Seaburn Bookstore (general)

STATEN ISLAND
Clove Lake Book Store (general)
Everything Goes Book Cafe & Neighborhood Stage (used)

What is the universe saying?

2009-11-27T19:44:00.003-05:00

On Thanksgiving morning, I found $165 along with a receipt from Dr. Jay's Ladies on the ground.

I posted ads everywhere, hoping to find the rightful owner. No one has responded.

Was that someone's Thanksgiving dinner money?

I live in a very poor neighborhood. Somebody is probably extremely fraught right now over the loss of this money. Perhaps it was for medical bills, a car payment, a Christmas present, or even a few new pairs of pants.

Or, as a friend said, for crack.

How is that I, able to rent a room and buy food, find this money?

Overwhelmed by Social Media

2009-11-24T19:40:00.006-05:00

Should I bookmark a site, follow it on Twitter, add it to Google Reader, become a follower on its blog, sign up for its newsletter, and become a fan on Facebook all at once? THIS IS TOO MUCH. Why am I asking to be constantly bombarded with information? When I want something, I should just simply venture out and get it. Am I afraid of missing something? Holy moly, I'll live if I miss it. I'll survive if I don't find out about something until four, five, even twenty-four hours after the news breaks. Perhaps even never. I promise.

The spiritual, mental, and physical effects of yoga; an integral aspect of my life

2009-11-20T17:37:00.016-05:00

This is Durga a.k.a. the "one who can redeem in situations of utmost distress." She embodies the creative feminine force, fearlessness, patience, and an omnipresent sense of humor even during spiritual battles of epic proportion.

Though I've only been practicing yoga for a couple of years, I feel transformed by my discovery of this physically and mentally enhancing activity. While some turn to yoga for physical benefits, others to relieve stress, some others to increase flexibility or to complement another sport, or because of a doctor's instructions, I practice yoga to strengthen my connection to the energy of the universe, enhance my concentration abilities, alleviate tension and mental stress, while strengthening my body and uplifting my spirit.

I didn't always feel this way about yoga. Initially, I sought it as relief from the enormous stress I felt by moving to New York and attempting to break into the film industry. The anxiety was so intense that it manifested itself into a physical burden that weighed down my shoulders and back, as if I were carrying several boulders. I began to walk with curved, inflamed shoulders that cracked at the slightest movement, and sore muscles worn down not from exercise, but from the weight of this stress.

Several people advised me to try yoga, but I was too broke at the time to take classes, which can be quite expensive in New York. A friend told me about YogaWorks' two-week free pass, and I jumped on the opportunity. My first few classes were unbelievably difficult (though I later found out these classes were much closer to intermediate than beginner level), but soon I was attending twice a week and found the same classes to be invigorating and pleasant. I formed relationships with some excellent YogaWorks teachers, like Amy Morris and Katie Malachuk, who commented on my improvement. Under their wisdom and guidance, my love of yoga grew along with its beneficial effects on my mind, body, and spirit.

When I was planning my trip to Thailand, I worried about how I could continue my practice. Backpacking, adjusting to a new culture, job, and schedule, unaware of my housing situation and the town would make it difficult for me to practice. Though I did occasionally practice in my apartment and even led informal yoga sessions for other English teachers, I actually improved my yoga practice in a different way; simply by traveling, living in the moment, going with the flow, opening my mind to different cultures, languages, people, sights, and interpretations of the world, I learned to enhance my awareness, deepen my understanding of the universe, and be grateful for every experience and connection.

I currently volunteer at a yoga studio in Carroll Gardens (Prema Yoga) in exchange for free classes and am grateful that I can continue my practice, especially with amazing teachers like Robin Pickering. One day I would like to become certified and bestow this gift upon others. For now, I can share the practice's transformative abilities in my writing.

Lokah samastha sukhino bhavanthu.
May this world be established with a sense of well-being and happiness.

Namaste.
I honor the spirit in you which is also in me.

Free Late-Night Car Service

2009-11-20T12:50:00.003-05:00

My increased concern over my safety in Crown Heights makes me particularly grateful to have discovered this free late-night car service for women, queer, and transgender individuals. Honestly, I think the service should be extended to any person of either gender or any sexual orientation, but I am still grateful the service exists.

From the site:
RightRides offers women, LGBTQ and gender queer individuals a free, safe, late night ride home on Friday and Saturday nights from 11:59 PM - 3 AM, (early Saturday or Sunday morning) in up to 45 NYC neighborhoods across four NYC boroughs. To call for a ride, the dispatch number is (718) 964-7781 OR (888)215-SAFE (7233)

best sandwich

2009-11-17T20:45:00.005-05:00

whole wheat bread (farmer's market kind is best)
kale
carrots
mushrooms
cucumbers
red pepper
tomato
dressing: olive oil, crushed garlic, lemon juice, and cayenne pepper

You'll feel like this afterward:

A Lesson

2009-11-17T20:39:00.003-05:00

When I was eight-years-old, I found my county fair goldfish Madonna floating upside down in the pickling jar I had stolen from beneath the kitchen sink. I erupted into a series of high-pitched, fast-paced cries, sounding remarkably like an aggravated duck or a smoke detector. Madonna’s body was covered in a gray film, her eyes once manic with curiosity now stared upwards in frozen horror, and her lips were still puckered together, still waiting for food that never came. Bits of her scales had settled on the bottom of the jar next to the fake plastic castle I had stolen from my brother’s Legoland.

I collapsed onto the carpet and cried. This was my first encounter with death but the pain seared my heart because it was my first encounter with murder.

Two days earlier:

“You idiot. You feed her three times a day.”

“You’re so stupid. The lady said once every three days. You don’t know anything,” I told my brother.

Back on that carpet, I balled my fists and shook them in the air. I stared at Madonna, as if through telekinesis, she would come back to life, just to prove that I wasn’t the poor listener, the irresponsible care-taker, the imprudent girl who couldn’t care of something that lived in a pickling jar, much less the puppy I had been begging my mother to purchase for Christmas, but which now would never come. After waiting five minutes without success I ran to my desk and completed a short eulogy:

Dear Maddy,

I am sorry I didn’t follow the directions. I promise you’ll always be full in heaven.

I still love you.

Victoria

I took Madonna outside, read the poem, and emptied the jar into our swimming pool. I had considered burying her among my mother’s irises but assumed a fish would be happier in water, until I saw my dog sniffing the edge of the pool where Madonna floated and lick my fish’s body. I gasped, chased my dog away, and splashed at my fish until she floated towards the center, where she finally sank.

Later, my mother scolded me. She said I should’ve flushed the fish down the toilet instead of leaving her in the pool. I told her I didn’t want Madonna to go where everyone’s poop was, and my mother responded, “Honey. We’ll all be there, someday.” She stroked my hair and promised to make lasagna.

That night, I tossed in bed and imagined a world of poop. I imagined myself in a room of flaming poo, and fish eating me alive, and being forced to copy fish-feeding instructions until my pen broke and my hand bled. This was my fate. With me would be the boy who accidentally stepped on the class hamster, the newsman I saw on TV who spilled his coffee on the newslady and made her scream, and the man across the street who didn’t recycle. We would sit, wiping sweat from our faces, flicking bits of fiery poo from our skin and try to find shelter from the hailstorm of flaming excrement, but there was nowhere for us to hide.

I imagined Madonna swimming through a forest of algae and nibbling on rocks swarming with tiny, edible creatures. At night, she would close her eyes, bury herself in the dirt, and with a full stomach she would dream about the following day filled with ample sustenance and a Lego castle-less terrain.

Allen Ginsberg's Mind Writing Slogans

2009-11-16T13:19:00.000-05:00

From The Huffington Post:

DEFINITIONS, A PREFACE (2/19/94) Allen Ginsberg spent two decades teaching poetics at Naropa Institute, a half decade at Brooklyn College, and did occasional workshops at Zen Center & Shambhala/Dharmadhatu weekends. It's all been boiled down to brief mottoes from many sources found useful to guide myself and others in the experience of "writing the mind." --Peter Hale

ALLEN GINSBERG'S MIND WRITING SLOGANS
"First thought is best in Art, second in other matters." --William Blake

I. GROUND (Situation, or Primary Perception)

"First Thought, Best Thought" --Chögyam Trungpa, Rinpoche
"Take a friendly attitude toward your thoughts." --Chögyam Trungpa, Rinpoche
"The Mind must be loose." --John Adams
"One perception must immediately and directly lead to a further perception." --Charles Olson, "Projective Verse"
"My writing is a picture of the mind moving." --Philip Whalen
Surprise Mind --Allen Ginsberg
"The old pond, a frog jumps in, Kerplunk!" --Basho
"Magic is the total delight (appreciation) of chance" --Chögyam Trungpa, Rinpoche
"Do I contradict myself?
Very well, then I contradict myself,
(I am large. I contain multitudes.)" --Walt Whitman
"...What quality went to form a man of achievement, especially in literature? ...Negative capability, that is, when a man is capable of being in uncertainties, mysteries, doubts, without any irritable reaching after fact & reason." --John Keats
"Form is never more than an extension of content." --Robert Creeley to Charles Olson
"Form follows function." --Frank Lloyd Wright
Ordinary Mind includes eternal perceptions. --A.G.
"Nothing is better for being Eternal
Nor so white as the white that dies of a day." --Louis Zukofsky
Notice what you notice. --A.G.
Catch yourself thinking. --A.G.
Observe what's vivid. --A.G.
Vividness is self-selecting. --A.G.
"Spots of Time" --William Wordsworth
If we don't show anyone we're free to write anything. --A.G.
"My mind is open to itself." --Gelek Rinpoche
"Each on his bed spoke to himself alone, making no sound." --Charles Reznikoff
"No ideas but in things." "...No ideas but in the Facts." --William Carlos Williams
"Close to the nose." --W.C.Williams
"Sight is where the eye hits." --Louis Zukofsky
"Clamp the mind down on objects." --W.C.Williams
"Direct treatment of the thing..." (or object.)" --E.Pound, 1912
"Presentation, not reference..." --Ezra Pound
"Give me a for instance." --Vernacular
"Show not tell." --Vernacular
"The natural object is always the adequate symbol." --Ezra Pound
"Things are symbols of themselves." --Chögyam Trungpa, Rinpoche
"Labor well the minute particulars, take care of the little ones
He who would do good for another must do it in minute particulars
General Good is the plea of the Scoundrel Hypocrite and Flatterer
For Art & Science cannot exist but in minutely organized particulars" --William Blake
"And being old she put a skin/On everything she said." --W.B.Yeats
"Don't think of words when you stop but to see the picture better." --Jack Kerouac
"Details are the Life of Prose." --Jack Kerouac
Intense fragments of spoken idiom, best. --A.G.
"Economy of Words" --Ezra Pound
"Tailoring" --Gregory Corso
Maximum information, minimum number of syllables. --A.G.
Syntax condensed, sound is solid. --A.G.
Savor vowels, appreciate consonants. --A.G.
"Compose in the sequence of the musical phrase, not in sequence of a metronome." --Ezra Pound
"...awareness...of the tone leading of the vowels." --Ezra Pound
"...an attempt to approximate classical quantitative meters..." --Ezra Pound
"Lower limit speech, upper limit song" --Louis Zukofsky
"Phanopoeia, Melopoeia, Logopoeia." --Ezra Pound
"Sight, Sound & Intellect." --Louis Zukofsky
"Only emotion objectified endures." -- Louis Zukofsky
Spiritus = Breathing = Inspiration = Unobstructed Breath
"Alone with the Alone" --Plotinus
Sunyata (Skt.) = Ku (Japanese) = Emptiness
"What's the sound of one hand clapping?" --Zen Koan
"What's the face you had before you were born?" --Zen Koan
Vipassana (Skt.) = Clear Seeing
"Stop the world" --Carlos Casteneda
"The purpose of art is to stop time." --Bob Dylan
"The unspeakable visions of the individual." --J.K.
"I'm going to try speaking some reckless words, and I want you to try to listen recklessly." --Chuang Tzu, (Tr. Burton Watson)
"Candor" --Whitman
"One touch of nature makes the whole world kin." --Shakespeare
"Contact" --A Magazine, Nathaniel West & W.C. Williams, Eds.
"God Appears & God is Light
To those poor Souls who dwell in Night
But does a Human Form Display
To those who Dwell in Realms of day." --W. Blake
Subject is known by what she sees. --A.G.
Others can measure their visions by what we see. --A.G.
Candor ends paranoia. --A.G.
"Willingness to be Fool." --Chögyam Trungpa, Rinpoche
"day & night/you're all right" --Corso
Tyger: "Humility is Beatness." --Chögyam Trungpa, Rinpoche & A.G.
Lion: "Surprise Mind" --Chögyam Trungpa, Rinpoche & A.G.
Garuda: "Crazy Wisdom Outrageousness" --Chögyam Trungpa, Rinpoche
Dragon: "Unborn Inscrutability" --Chögyam Trungpa, Rinpoche
"To be men not destroyers" --Ezra Pound
"Speech synchronizes mind & body." --Chögyam Trungpa, Rinpoche
"The Emperor unites Heaven & Earth." --Chögyam Trungpa, Rinpoche
"Poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world." --Shelley
"Make it new" --Ezra Pound
"When the mode of music changes, the walls of the city shake" --Plato
"Every third thought shall be my grave" --W. Shakespeare, "The Tempest"
"That in black ink my love may still shine bright" --W. Shakespeare, Sonnets
"Only emotion endures" --Ezra Pound
"Well while I'm here I'll
do the work--
and what's the Work?
To ease the pain of living.
Everything else, drunken
dumbshow." --A.G.
"...Kindness, sweetest
of the small notes in the world's ache,
most modest & gentle
of the elements
entered man before history
and became his daily
connection, let no man
tell you otherwise." --Carl Rakosi

Best Halloween Costumes

2009-11-11T21:05:00.002-05:00

2 of my friends dressed up as thugs. Enjoy.

Sue Rock Originals Rent Party

2009-11-07T16:03:00.005-05:00

As I've previously mentioned, Sue Rock is an entrepreneur/designer and founder of Sue Rock Originals, a non-profit clothing design studio in Crown Heights. Her studio transforms used fabrics into beautiful pieces for sale and offers sewing and knitting classes. The studio donates all proceeds to local domestic violence shelters.

Sue needs your help. She is in danger of losing her space and wants to see your smiling face this Saturday at her fundraiser party. Come enjoy music and food, browse the studio's beautiful winter collection, and support Sue!

The invite:

Sue Rock Originals Everyone is holding a RENT PARTY like back in the DAY
There'll be great music, great food and FREE goodie bags for the first 25 people to RSVP
$10 admission

Sue Rock Originals Everyone
Design Studio
1069 Bergen Street Between Nostrand & Rogers Avenues
Brooklyn, New York
Contact Sue Rock at suerockoriginals@yahoo.com
347 365 8747
Saturday, November 14
8:00 pm - Midnite

When they's no mo jobs and the bills is due
You been textin yo friends and they don't come thru!
When you sick and tired of the "day to day"
Come on out to Sue Rock's - send yo' blues Away!

Sue Rock

Designer
Sue Rock Originals
www.suerock.blogspot.com
www.myspace.com/suerockdesigns
www.iqons.com/sue+rock

The ID Project hosts a 24-hour meditation marathon

2009-10-29T12:58:00.000-04:00

Watch people meditate in the display window of the ABC store in Union Square!

From the site:

On November 6th and 7th, the ID Project will be hosting our largest fundraiser to date in the form of a 24-hour Meditation Marathon in the window displays of ABC Carpet & Home. We are aiming to raise funds for the organization to develop as a true community center, develop a radio show, and develop our activism projects in the coming year. We also need additional support in order to raise funds for the organization to continue providing great classes, events and projects for the upcoming year, and expand the scope of our transformative community.

Fall 2009 Brooklyn Readings

2009-10-28T16:03:00.004-04:00

Yay!

UPDATED 10/28

November 1 — 7 pm
$10
Brooklyn Lyceum continues First Sundays: a Monthly Writers Series
with renowned poet Galway Kinnell
Brooklyn Lyceum

Sunday, November 1 - 7 pm
Michael Taeckens reads from the new essay collection, Love Is a Four-Letter Word
Freebird

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3 – 7PM
BOMB FALL ISSUE READING & LAUNCH PARTY
BookCourt
Please join the editors of BOMB Magazine to celebrate the launch of their fall issue, with readings by Christopher Sorrentino and Victoria Redel, and a short staged performance of a play by Thomas Bradshaw.

November 3rd at 7pm: CLIMATE CHANGE: PICTURING THE SCIENCE
Community Bookstore (Park Slope)

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4 – 7PM
TRACY KIDDER – STRENGTH IN WHAT REMAINS
BookCourt
With an anthropologist’s eye and a novelist’s pen, Pulitzer Prize–winning Kidder (Mountains Beyond Mountains) recounts the story of Deo, the Burundian former medical student turned American émigré at the center of this strikingly vivid story. Told in flashbacks from Deo’s 2006 return visit to Burundi to mid-1990s New York and the Burundi of childhood memory and young adulthood—as the Rwandan genocide spilled across the border following the same inflamed ethnic divisions—then picking up in 2003, when author and subject first meet, Deo’s experience is conveyed with a remarkable depth of vision and feeling. Kidder renders his subject with deep yet unfussy fidelity and the conflict with detail and nuance. While the book might recall Dave Eggers’s novelized version of a real-life Sudanese refugee’s experience in What Is the What, reading this book hardly covers old ground, but enables one to walk in the footsteps of its singular subject and see worlds new and old afresh. This profoundly gripping, hopeful and crucial testament is a work of the utmost skill, sympathy and moral clarity.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5 – 7PM
THE READER book launch & party.
BookCourt
A Book Party for THE READER: From the Brooklyn Writers Space Reading Series
Contributors Include: Paula Bernstein, Andrew Boyd, Donald Breckenridge, Danielle Durkin, Jennifer Cody Epstein, Matt Everett, Paul Feldman, Marian Fontana, Yvonne Garrett, Ezra Goldstein, Sharon Guskin, Drew Haxby, Mark Jacobson, Martin Kleinman, Michael Lazan, Edmund Lee, Marcia Lerner, Lorraine Martindale, Robin Messing, Joan Minieri, Honor Molloy, Rosemary Moore, Wendy Ponte, Dominic Preziosi, Elyse Schein, Martha Schwendener, Josh Sohn, Rachael Stark, Albert Stern, Paul Takeuchi, Alex Tilney, Rachel Urquhart.

Come join fellow writers in Brooklyn for a celebration of THE READER, a collection of voices and characters including gangsters, painters, weirdos, sad sacks, wanderers, musicians, activists, sexual healers, angels, stoners,
hammer-wielding madmen, separated twins, and Glenn Gould that represent the Brooklyn Writers Space Reading Series. THE READER includes novel excerpts, stories, plays, and screenplays all by the unique writer’s community at the Brooklyn Writers Space.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 12 – 7PM
MARY GORDON – READING JESUS:
Reading Jesus: A Writer's Encounter with the Gospels
BookCourt
In the introduction to this remarkable book, Mary Gordon is riding in a taxi as the driver listens to a religious broadcast, and she reflects that, though a lifelong Christian, she is at odds with many others who identify themselves as Christians. In an effort to understand whether or not she had “invented a Jesus to fulfill my own wishes,” she determined to read the Gospels as literature and to study Jesus as a character. What results is a vibrantly fresh and personal journey through the Gospels, as Gordon plumbs the mysteries surrounding one of history’s most central figures.

In this impassioned and eye-opening book, Gordon takes us through all the fundamental stories—the Prodigal Son, the Temptation in the Desert, the parable of Lazarus, the Agony in the Garden—pondering the intense strangeness of a deity in human form, the unresolved more ambiguities, the problem posed to her as an enlightened reader by the miracle of the Resurrection. What she rediscovers—and reinterprets with her signature candor, intelligence, and straightforwardness—is a rich store of overlapping, sometimes conflicting teachings that feel both familiar and tantalizingly elusive.

It is this unsolvable conundrum that rests at the heart of Reading Jesus and with which Gordon keeps us in thrall on every page.

Sunday, November 15, 2-4 pm - celebrate independent bookstore week!
Freebird (Red Hook) and WORD (Greenpoint)
Freebird offers free bird and Greenpoint bookstore makes customers eat their Word
Greenpoint’s WORD (126 Franklin Avenue) and Red Hook’s Freebird Books (123 Columbia Street) reach across Williamsburg, the Navy Yard, and Brooklyn Heights to join hands in post-Halloween / pre-Thanksgiving gestures of goodwill. In simultaneous events featuring local food and local authors, two neighborhood bookshops celebrate Independent Bookstore Week NYC (http://www.ibnyc.org/) in classic Brooklyn waterfront fashion. Challenging residents in the communities of Red Hook and Greenpoint to go the distance, Word and Freebird encourage their patrons to pedal or bus between locations. Events will take place at both stores on Sunday, November 15 from 2-4pm. Freebird Books is located at 123 Columbia St. along the waterfront between Kane and DeGraw. The B61 bus stops directly in front of the store. WORD is located at 126 Franklin Avenue in Greenpoint. The B61 bus stops a block away at the corner of Manhattan and Greenpoint avenues.

For more information about the First Independent Bookstore Week NYC, see http://www.ibnyc.org/
DIRECTIONS: go to http://www.freebirdbooks.com/directions.html or http://wordbrooklyn.wordpress.com/map/

November 16
8 PM
Franklin Park

November's readers tell tales of unconventional families -- sex-crazed moms, teenage aliens, rabid socialist parents and a gun-packing Vietnam vet dad.

Featuring:

AMY SOHN (Prospect Park West, My Old Man, Run Catch Kiss)
SAID SAYRAFIEZADEH (When Skateboards Will Be Free)
JOBIE HUGHES (I Am Number Four/young adult series, Agony at Dawn)
LIANNE STOKES (Rejected: Tales of the Failed, Dumped and Canceled, comedian)

AMY SOHN is the author of the novels Prospect Park West, My Old Man and Run Catch Kiss. She has also written for New York Magazine, The New York Times, The Nation and Harper's Bazaar and has written television pilots for such networks as HBO, Fox and ABC. A former New York Magazine editor, she was also a columnist for the New York Post and New York Press.

SAÏD SAYRAFIEZADEH, the author of the memoir When Skateboards Will Be Free, is a writer and dramatist. He was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1968 to an Iranian father and a Jewish-American mother, both of whom were members of the Socialist Workers Party. His stories and essays have appeared in The New York Times, The Paris Review, Granta, Open City and elsewhere. His work has also been featured in the anthologies Lost and Found: Stories from New York and Love is a Four-Letter Word: True Stories of Breakups, Bad Relationships, and Broken Hearts. His plays include Autobiography of a Terrorist and New York Is Bleeding.

JOBIE HUGHES is co-writing a young adult science fiction series with James Frey. The first book in the series, I Am Number Four, will be published by HarperCollins in 2010. DreamWorks Pictures is producing a film based on the novel, which will be executive produced by Steven Spielberg and produced and directed by Michael Bay. In 2009 Jobie graduated from Columbia University with an MFA degree in Creative Writing. His forthcoming novel for adults is Agony at Dawn.

LIANNE STOKES is a freelance writer and comedian. Her writing has appeared in New York Press and Playgirl and on tangomag.com. “Handsome,” her essay on her spurned love for a co-worker, was included in the anthology Rejected: Tales of the Failed, Dumped and Canceled. She is working on a memoir called Laid Off: Booze and Dreams in the Office.
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17 – 7PM
MARJORIE ROSEN – BOOM TOWN: How Wal-Mart Transformed an All American Town Into an International Community
BookCourt
In 1950, Sam Walton, founder of the Wal-Mart empire, arrived in the Bible Belt town of Bentonville, Arkansas, and discovered that the nondescript Ozarks backwater–population 2,900 white Christians–suited him just fine. Today, six decades later, Walton’s legacy has left its mark. The Bentonville area is headquarters to not only Wal-Mart but also Tyson Foods and J. B. Hunt. The town’s population has grown to around 30,000, and the region is now home to blacks, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Marshall Islanders, and the fastest-growing Latino population in the country.

In Boom Town: How Wal-Mart Transformed an All-American Town into an International Community, veteran journalist Marjorie Rosen explores the ever-shifting social, political, and cultural character of the United States through the microcosm that is Northwest Arkansas and the personal stories of its people. Rosen talks with a Palestinian immigrant who rose from penniless dishwasher to multimillionaire contractor–and dedicated himself to building a local Jewish community’s first synagogue. A black executive hired to diversify Wal-Mart, whose arrival coincided with a KKK rally in the town square, gives his views on the controversies surrounding the company. A Mexican mother of three, fired from a chicken plant after an injury on the job, discusses her struggle to survive. A Hindu father concerned about interracial dating, a Marshallese security guard whose daughter was ignored in the ER, and many others reveal the issues and challenges facing those who make up the “boom towns” where the economy and culture are in constant flux.

An entertaining, intimate, and often moving chronicle of how different ethnicities, races, and religions come together and struggle to adapt, Boom Town combines sociology, drama, and humanity to illustrate the unpredictable movements that shape our national persona.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19 – 7PM
KEVIN BAKER & DANIJEL ZEZELJ – LUNA PARK
BookCourt
New York Times bestselling author Kevin Baker (Dreamland) writes his first original graphic novel, with internationally acclaimed artist Danijel Zezelj. Alik Strelnikov lives in the shadow of Coney Island, a world of silenced rides and rusting amusement parks that mock his dreams of becoming a hero. Ten years ago, he traded a brutal existence in the Russian army for the promise of America only to become an enforcer in the Brooklyn mob. Now, he chases his ghosts with all he has left: booze, heroin and his lover, Marina, part-time prostitute and full-time fortune teller. The only way the two of them can escape their miserable fates hinges on a desperate plan that will put them between warring mobs and span a century, from contemporary Coney Island to the Russia of the Second Chechen War to spellbinding 1910s New York. Mixing historical novel, immigrant fiction and crime thriller, LUNA PARK marks Kevin Baker’s return to Coney Island, the setting of his critically beloved Dreamland and features breathtaking art by Danijel Zezelj (LOVELESS) with to-die-for colors by Dave Stewart (DC: THE NEW FRONTIER).

December 14
8 PM
Fiction reading
Franklin Park

ONGOING
Brooklyn Lyceum Reading Series
1st Sunday of every month
Brooklyn Lyceum

Brooklyn College Reading Series
2nd Sunday of the month
7 PM
Freddy's Bar & Backroom
485 Dean St @ 6th Ave

¡GeT LiT!
Fiction/Essay readings
3rd Thursday of the month
7:30 PM
Belleville Lounge
332 Fifth Street @ Fifth Avenue

the growing hunger crisis

2009-10-27T22:46:00.001-04:00

Ethiopia needs food. According to African media journal Afrik.com, Eritrea, DRC, Sierra Leone, Burundi, and Chad are also classified as suffering from extreme levels of hunger.

The hungry get hungrier as funding sources for the World Food Programme dwindle.

Also from Afrik.com:

"In Bangladesh and India, more than 40 percent of children are underweight."

"Countries with the most severe hunger problems also had high levels of gender inequality. The situation is especially serious in Chad, which ranks fifth worst on the Global Hunger Index, second in terms of gender inequality, and has a shockingly low female literacy rate of 13 percent, compared to 41 percent for men."

When I was in Cambodia, "vegetarian food" meant rice accompanied by a few slices of carrot and a few chunks of cabbage. You don't complain because many people don't have anything to eat. In the Philippines, the boy who robbed me was frying tadpoles with his friend to eat.

long island city: the noguchi museum

2009-10-18T21:38:00.012-04:00

I ventured to Long Island City for the first time in over a year and stopped by the Noguchi Museum, which I had never even heard of until yesterday. The museum houses the work of sculptor/designer Isamu Noguchi, a half-Irish-American half-Japanese man who died in the late 80's. Considering his unique ethnicity, he struggled with understanding his identity particularly during the World Wars. His controversial and abstract work was criticized, adored, and debated, and the variety of responses aggravated this confused sense of self.

In a video, he says he manipulates space rather than materials. He likes to simulate the organic, portraying elements that seem to emerge from the ground or the walls, hanging, dripping, curving, or fitting together like bones in a body or limbs of a tree.

Part of the exhibit was setup outside like a Zen garden and featured his stone work. I admired the sculptures' balance, smoothness, elements of opposition and symmetry, and the pools on a few of them created by the falling rain. Walking around the stones in the rain produced a very meditative effect.

I was struck by the disturbing themes of some of his other pieces. Understandable considering he witnessed both wars and lived in both the US and Japan. He created pieces from steel and rock that resembled military weapons, disfigured corpses and faces, and sites of bomb blasts.

He also proposed several designs for New York City parks that were all rejected by then-NYC head park designer Robert Moses.

I admire him for expressing his connection to space rather than material. I find it fascinating when artists create based on a relationship with the background rather than focusing on the creation as the subject or purpose.

Part of me also wondered, "Why am I in a museum admiring objects that imitate nature? Shouldn't I just visit nature?"

The museum is worth a visit, even if it is only to explore Long Island City. If it were nicer today, I would've walked around the Socrates Sculpture Park, but the rain was too cold and noodle soup at a nearby Japanese restaurant was calling.

Unfortunately, I forgot to bring my camera but these are pics I found online:

The museum's outdoor garden. Photo from architecture.nyc-arts.org.

Have you seen this in Midtown? He did this too! Photo from abstract-art.com.

A rejected playground design. Photo from designhotels.com.

Je suis a Montreal

2009-10-11T19:44:00.005-04:00

The Gothic architecture, the romantic sounds of French, the smell of croissants and dates, the cafes, the cathedral spires, the staircases scaling two-story apartment buildings, the couples sitting in cafes sipping espresso and splitting chocolate cake, the double kisses, the fashion, the jazz, the bikes...the city charms and rejuvenates me.

Onto Quebec City!

The Season of Catastrophes

2009-10-01T17:09:00.015-04:00

Though I whine about New York's sudden drop in temperatures, I must recall the

earthquakes
tsunamis
typhoons

afflicting Asia. How can so many natural disasters occur at once? Let's wish relief upon those currently suffering and in need.

--------------

I am attempting to join a funk/jazz/soul band. If you know of any looking for singers, please give them my e-mail (ms[dot]victoriacho[at]gmail[dot]com) or send me their info. I just recorded 2 samples: one of Beck's "Sexx Laws" and another of Etta James' "At Last" that are available for circulation.

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I'm growing fond of Crown Heights. Perhaps the affection is mutual - I don't receive as many "ni-how's" or "cheena, cheena's" as I did before. People smile and say hi. Sometimes they try to sell me drugs or catcall, but this happens in every part of New York.

Recently, I discovered a hidden gem in my neighborhood. Two blocks from me sits Sue Rock Originals, a non-profit that turns reclaimed fabrics into beautiful garments and donates all profits to nearby rape shelters. On my tour of the store, Sue showed me piles of beautiful fabrics, towering stacks of woven art, and crates of equipment the store received, all by donation. She loves meeting Crown Heights residents, and offers classes in sewing, crochet, and knitting as well as tailoring services. Stop by and browse the collection (all sewn by Sue and her husband) or to just receive a delightfully enormous bear hug from this glowing and loving lady.

Sue Rock Originals is on Nostrand Ave. @ Dean St. in Brooklyn, NY.

The Rock family before a fragment of their storehouse contents.

news

2009-09-23T11:34:00.008-04:00

The man who killed and raped the lesbian football star in South Africa (see my previous post) received life in prison. I'm glad to see South Africa's judicial system is improving.

Using his Catholic NGO connections, a journalist gets special access to facilities in North Korea. BBC has his photo gallery.

And let's see how the general assembly goes today.

IN OTHER NEWS:

I am sick. This ruins my hiking and biking plans for the week.

However...it gives me more time to read Anna Karenina. I can't tear myself away from this book! What will happen between Anna and Vronsky???

Should I see the film next?

Greta Garbo played Anna.

SOUTHERN BROOKLYN OPEN MICS

2009-09-19T18:32:00.008-04:00

SUNDAYS
The Perch Cafe
365 5th Ave @ 5th St
7:00 PM

MONDAYS
Brooklyn Lyceum
227 4th Avenue b/w President St. & Union St.
7:30 PM

TUESDAYS
Bar 4
444 7th Ave @ 15th St
Either 7 PM or 9 PM?

Kili
79 Hoyt Str @ Atlantic Ave
10:00 PM

THURSDAYS
Tillie's of Brooklyn
248 DeKalb Ave @ Vanderbilt Ave
8:30 PM
$2 cover
*Every other Thursday

Flying Saucer Cafe
494 Atlantic Ave b/w 3rd Ave & Nevins St
7:00 PM

to be updated.... If you know of others please tell me!

brooklyn book festival

2009-09-13T21:19:00.015-04:00

I just got back from the Brooklyn Book Festival and feel like my excitement and faith in the literary scene have been restored. Every journal I could think of and more was represented, and the program has an excellent variety of highly impressive speakers. I watched Paul Auster read, bought a discounted PEN America issue, and watched somewhat amusedly David Cross kiss Jonathan Ames. For the last bit, each speaker was asked to take a risk and do something onstage they'd never done before. Jonathan said he has never been paddled by David, who performed the task with a paddle owned by Jonathan's father. David said he was going to masturbate (AAAHHH!!) but since the venue was outdoors, he had to modify his plans and decided to kiss Jonathan. Not that the organizers would've let him masturbate anyway.

I will miss Brooklyn. I hear the borough is home to more writers per capita than most other American cities...maybe one of the highest in the world.

The word "masturbate" should generate many hits on my blog, probably more hits than my blog has ever received.

Photo: David Cross read a passage from his new book, which talks about...growing up Jewish in New York. Surprise. He writes his thoughts on the label "self-loathing Jew" and a Rabbi's responses to readers' questions such as, "Why are Jewish people rude on planes?" and "Are they so unattractive because of incest?". Then he kissed Jonathan Ames. They dropped their pants and smooched in their boxers, and how the crowd cheered.

books, produce, Africa

2009-09-08T23:12:00.009-04:00

I am thrilled that J.M. Coetzee made the short list of the Booker Man prize. I haven't read Summertime, but Disgrace was probably one of the 10 best books I've read in the past few years. For the full short list, go here.

I heard Tao Lin read from Shoplifting from American Apparel. His dialogue reminded me of Beckett's Waiting for Godot, and I wonder if he considers Beckett an influence. The 2 guys sitting around, figuring out what to do, debating the meaning of life.... I found the passage funny and quirky. I purchased the book, and we'll see what happens.

Challenge: buy no packaged food
A week or so ago, I proposed people abandon their cell phones and the Internet for a full 24 hours. While reading The Omnivore's Dilemma, I thought of another interesting lifestyle change that I wonder how successfully I could adapt: buying no food that comes in a jar/bag/can or any other form of packaging. Could I live off the produce and bulk sections for a week? I'm going to try it, just to see if I can do it. I bet I'll save money and maybe improve my cooking skills.

I'm horrified by the recent events in Africa. Pirates, women imprisoned for wearing trousers, rebels in Uganda, murdering police in Kenya, floods.... The next non-fiction book I read will be about Africa.

Why are all the natural health food stores in New York run by Koreans?

2009-09-02T22:04:00.007-04:00

I understand why Jewish people run Kosher delis and why pizza places are run by Italians, but what the heck do Koreans know about organic chicken soup and hemp milk? I mean, those stores barely contain any Korean products! Well, I suppose I occasionally see kimchi being sold.

A friend of mine spoke to one Korean deli owner, who explained that a Korean church in Astoria funds all of the natural health food stores. The owners work to pay off the debts and because the debts are quite large (those organic products are expensive!), they run their stores 24/7. Apparently, all the stores can be traced back to this church.

Next time I walk into one, I'm going to ask.

Korean word of the day: ahn-yo haseyo (hello)
2nd Korean word of the day: sheepa (bitch)

A Summary of the US Healthcare Battle

2009-08-26T18:00:00.016-04:00

From The Guardian

What is Obama trying to do?

The goal is to increase access to healthcare by regulating costs. His plan would guarantee all citizens eligibility for care, but the government is not proposing a "single-payer system", like the NHS. Instead, private health insurers would continue to operate under new rules that would lower premiums and remove loopholes that allow them to avoid paying for treatment when it is most needed. Per person, healthcare costs are higher in the US than in any other country, and have been rising faster than the level of inflation. The quality of care is less of an issue — although citizens with solid insurance may be frustrated by the paperwork and costs associated with the current system, they have fewer complaints about their doctors and hospitals.

Who's opposing Obama's plan?

Those who fear the government would introduce congressional "death panels" to make end-of-life decisions for the elderly. The insurance industry is worried about their bottom lines. Members of Congress and voters on the left and right are concerned about the future tax burden. Many Americans also object to any increase in government involvement in their personal lives.

How can healthcare costs get so out of hand?

Many insurance plans do not cover "pre-existing conditions", so it can be difficult for people who have a chronic ailment to secure cover. Loopholes allow insurers to refuse reimbursement even if the policyholder did not know they had a particular condition when they took out insurance. "Lifetime caps" allow insurers to set a maximum amount of cover.

Who are the uninsured?

Up to 46 million Americans are uninsured, because they are unemployed, or their employer does not provide cover, or because they do not qualify for existing government-funded healthcare. People 65 and older can qualify for Medicare, the poor can qualify for Medicaid, veterans and members of the military can qualify for Veterans Health Administration and Tricare and children can be covered under a programme called SCHIP. Those overlooked by the system include the young just entering the workforce, the self-employed, the unemployed and people who work for small businesses.

The healthcare industry's "pre-existing condition" rule is probably its largest source of revenue. I'm sure millions are denied coverage based on this alone.

FREE HEALTH SERVICES IN NYC

NYU has a free health care clinic for the "uninsured, homeless, and disenfranchised of NYC." The only charge for medicine: $15 co-pay for generic medications and $40 for brand-name medications.

Planned Parenthood offers free services to the unemployed or anyone making less than $20,000/year. Call and schedule a financial consultation, which is very brief, and be eligible for free check-ups and pills the same day.

Kerouac's writing guidelines

2009-08-17T13:33:00.007-04:00

Belief and Technique for Modern Prose, a list of thirty "essentials."

1. Scribbled secret notebooks, and wild typewritten pages, for your own joy
2. Submissive to everything, open, listening
3. Try never get drunk outside your own house
4. Be in love with your life
5. Something that you feel will find its own form
6. Be crazy dumbsaint of the mind
7. Blow as deep as you want to blow
8. Write what you want bottomless from bottom of the mind
9. The unspeakable visions of the individual
10. No time for poetry but exactly what is
11. Visionary tics shivering in the chest
12. In tranced fixation dreaming upon object before you
13. Remove literary, grammatical and syntactical inhibition
14. Like Proust be an old teahead of time
15. Telling the true story of the world in interior monolog
16. The jewel center of interest is the eye within the eye
17. Write in recollection and amazement for yourself
18. Work from pithy middle eye out, swimming in language sea
19. Accept loss forever
20. Believe in the holy contour of life
21. Struggle to sketch the flow that already exists intact in mind
22. Don't think of words when you stop but to see picture better
23. Keep track of every day the date emblazoned in yr morning
24. No fear or shame in the dignity of yr experience, language & knowledge
25. Write for the world to read and see yr exact pictures of it
26. Bookmovie is the movie in words, the visual American form
27. In praise of Character in the Bleak inhuman Loneliness
28. Composing wild, undisciplined, pure, coming in from under, crazier the better
29. You're a Genius all the time
30. Writer-Director of Earthly movies Sponsored & Angeled in Heaven

Even his instructions form a poem.

Though his format can get redundant after a novel or so, I think his beliefs are the foundation of creative writing. Lack of inhibition, focusing only on the desire to express oneself, describe sensations and characters and emotional conflict...everything else comes afterward.

Kerouac was a stud:

a crooked compass

Hey, have you heard of this thing called Tumblr?

video blogging of Crown Heights

More rants

Update

Crown Writes: a local literary talent showcase

snow

blizzards, stranded buses, clinking radiators, and a stillborn baby

blank fingerpads

New York delis

a reading for the Crown Heights Writing Workshop!

The Writer as Cartographer

meditate upon positive change in the world

I started a blog for my workshop

my approach to writing is like my appraoch to life

random rants about food

apple pickin'

I'm starting another workshop!

What if the price of food matched its true cost on behalf of the world?

"I stopped eating when I lost control of my emotional self"

How do you deal with discomfort?

for the writers who tend to emphasize the sound of the words more than the story

Back in NYC

More thoughts on voice

Listening to Carl Phillips

finding your writerly voice

How to Make a Button by Miranda July

The Ego

News

What is evil?

Let's listen to the Dalai Lama more often

sometimes

why I didn't like Inception

Our Dreams, Creativity, Our Collective Minds

Energy Channeling, Directing, Harnessing, and Distribution

The Killing of the Prospect Park Geese

Writers and Happiness

World Cup series

social networking to curb you energy usage

contacting authors

Re-visiting the classics

remember the macro

environment-focused illustration show

Summer 2010

A Lesson

Things are brewin'

Crown Heights Writing Workshop

Businesses Accuse Yelp! of Fraudulence

Literary Journal rankings from The Faster Times

THE LIST

Discovering more of Brookln (Crown Heights and Park Slope)

Korean-Owned Delis in NYC

Free/Cheap Yoga in NYC

Biking the Boroughs

The Water Crisis: Sanitation, Access, and Distribution

Why does a salad cost more than a Big Mac?

Priests Are Human, Too

I'll get some flowers for my hair

Green Smoothie Recipes

Journalism: Following the Journalist

Finding Trails in the City

Blizzard

Good morning.

I'm reading this Friday in Williamsburg

Brooklyn Jazz Clubs!

My list of Brooklyn Jazz Clubs

Should I buy a typewriter?

I'm reading in Williamsburg

Inspiring Quotes

Food 4 Thought: Where Customers Leave Happy

Inspiring Authors

Recommended Reading List from Sackett Street Writers' Workshop

SHORT STORY ANTHOLOGIES

The Vintage Book of Contemporary Short Stories – ed. Tobias Wolff

NOVELLAS

NON-FICTION (memoir, essays, etc.)

WRITING REFERENCE BOOKS

AWP

Burning Down the House (essays on craft)– Charles Baxter

I'm reading on Monday!