Great Stories in Not So Great Circumstances

Some of the best stories have been written under not so great circumstances. The apostle Paul wrote half of his epistles while in jail. Many wonderful songs have been written during much heartache and loss. I never ever minimize any situation because I believe there is a story to be
told.

At present I'm living in temporary housing. I see the many lives that I have crossed. I'm developing characters and scenarios for later stories. Take advantage of every situation that comes your way. Write down characteristics, mannerisms, and above all the redeeming qualities
the characters you developing possess.

~Genevieve

NuyoricanPoetsCafe

The Nuyorican Friday Night Poetry Slam
Every Friday Night>@10pm> $10 admissionCurrent Schedule:

Sep 24> Spotlight: Anwar>$10
Oct 1> Spotlight: Oosagyefo/Kevin Sandbloom>$10
Oct 8> Spotlight: Simply Rob>$10
Oct 15> Spotlight: Lauren Whitehead>$10

The Nuyorican Friday Night Poetry Slam is pretty popular and fills up fast, so please get in line early. (suggested arrival latest 9:15pm). Hosted by Mahogany Browne.

Note: Semi-Final Slams>$12 Admission (5 times a year, see schedule)Grand Slam Finale>$15 Admission (yearly event, usually April, see schedule)

If you are interested in becoming a Friday Night Slam Spotlight, please send samples of your work both written & recorded (MP3 or provide video links, etc.) to slamspot@nuyorican.org

located at 236b East 3rd St. bet. Avenues A & B.

Words of Wisdom

It is very near impossible to become an educated person
in a country so distrustful of the independent mind.

~James Baldwin

Book Review

Nine Lives

By Dan Baum

Rating: 4

Nine Lives by Dan Baum is a book that interviews nine residents of New Orleans before, during and after Hurricane Betsy and Katrina. The backgrounds of the people were diverse and different as night and day.

I liked Wilbert Rawlins, Jr., a no-nonsense black man who was a father figure to boys who were fatherless or parentless. Billy Grace was an interesting man who cracked into high society from a working class background. He never digressed from his roots, seeing the snobby and bigoted side of the who’s who of New Orleans. I most identified with Joann Guidos, a male to female transsexual. I am a gender variant person who started out as a cross dress to where I am now a transsexual. Joann kept me interested in reading this book.

What interested me in this book is the city. I wanted to travel to New Orleans before Katrina. Now I want to go there more than ever. From what I read in Nine Lives, there’s still much work to be done especially in the Ninth Ward.

I felt as if I was in New Orleans when Katrina near wiped out the city. I could feel Wil Rawlins' intensity and as he tried to keep a ragtag bunch of kids together. I felt as if I was there with him. I felt the same way about Billy Grace and especially Joann Guidos.

What I enjoyed reading Nine Lives is that the people interviewed spoke in their own narrative. Each character was so different and having someone else speak for them who have done a grave injustice to them, I believe.I rate this book a four because I love being involved with the characters. They were people we all can identity with in some way.

~ Genevieve

Alternative Reading

As a fan of the alternative and the unusual, the website below has some goo listings and information.


www.newpages.com

Words of Wisdom

He listens well who takes notes.

~Dante Alighieri

Cheryl B.

Check out the website of writer, poet, and performer Cheryl Burke. There's much happening in September with her and I will check out one her gigs.


www.cherylb.com

Horror Writers

I would like to know who are your favorite horror writers?

~Genevieve

Widening Our Horizons

I try and read at least one book per month. My interests vary widely from religion to economics to biographies to history. As a writer I need to read different genres if I am going to convey knowledge of these subjects to my audience. In turn, it opens our minds to new ideas and different perspectives.

I tend to gravitate to books and articles by people who may not fit conventional mores. I have Herman Melville's books. He is a writer whose work was criticised by the critics of his day. I find his books exciting and something different from what I have experienced. His knowledge of sailing and the sea is uncanny. Melville is one of those authors who 'flies under the radar' when famous authors are discussed. Recently, his work has experienced a revival.

Though a particular genre may not be your thing, give it a try. It can open our eyes to a world that we may not have known existed. It can also be a vehicle for future endeavors where you have a reservoir to draw from.

~Genevieve

Words of Wisdom

A whale ship was my Yale College and my Harvard.

~Herman Melville

Words of Wisdom

If something touches the deepest recesses of your soul, write it down and share it with others.



~Genevieve

Eclectic

I read a wide variety of books. They range from history to poetry to science to religion. I guess you could say my taste is eclectic. I tend to gravitate to controversial and eccentric folks. I read many authors who tend to fly under the radar of popularity. Herman Melville, who worte Moby Dick is one of my favorite authors. I like stories about the sea and far away lands.

The words of wisdom posted earlier is so true because there are so many ideas for stories everywhere. Maybe because I read so many different books some of my ideas may be different but that's just my experience. I have gotten ideas from the simplest of activities. It can be children playing or a cold wind blowing through leafless treelimbs. Every once in a while an idea will hit me in the face. For the most part most ideas come in ordinary circumstances .

~Genevieve

Words of Wisdom

Everybody walks past a thousand story ideas every day. The good writers
are the ones who see five or six of them. Most people don't see any.

~Orson Scott Card

Words of Wisdom

Write the kind of story you would like to read. People will give you all sorts of advice about writing, but if you are not writing something you like, no one else will like it either.

~Meg Cabot

Words of Wisdom

It's been a great place to get in touch with what people are really thinking. And to make contact with readers and other writers. Egalitarian, wide open, like the Wild West!

~Greg Bear

Words of Wisdom

A stumble is not a fall.

~ Haitian saying

Calling All Writers

For those of you would would like to write about happenings in your local area, here is a website that will explain whatyou need to do to get started.

Gennee

www.examiner.com

Words of Wisdom

A writer should get as much education as possible, but just going to school is not enough; if it were, all owners of doctorates would be inspired writers.

~Gwendolyn Brooks

Words of Wisdom

Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.

~Confucius, Chinese philosopher (551BC-479BC)

Words of Wisdom

A man of knowledge chooses a path with a heart and follows it and then he looks and rejoices and laughs and then he sees and knows.

~Carlos Castenada