I was invited to join the Blogrollers by the one and only, Anne Liu Kellor. On her blog, she says:
"Giving birth in 2010 to my son, Cedar, radically changed the landscape of my life ...
The focus of my blog shifted ... to concentrate on the intersection of writing, motherhood, paradox and love. I now teach several online and in-person writing workshops, including Writing Motherhood, Writing Your Birth Story, and Writing Transformation. I also work one-on-one with writers as a mentor and editor. "
Read more about Anne's work at www.heartradical.blogspot.com.
1) What am I working on?
It's been a busy year, I just released my first book, MILK last month. I adapted poems from an unpublished manuscript into a multimedia performance for the CD Forum's Creation Project, and helped several people of a wide variety of ages and backgrounds create Red Lineages at the Red Lineage Community Workshop at the Northwest African American Museum. And as much as I'd like to report that I've been writing as well, I haven't. I'm a bad bad writer. It's ok to judge me.
I have however been reading, which I feel strongly as important to the writing process as actually putting words down on the page. A friend of mine gave me the book Emotional Intelligence and I am stealing away every chance I get to read more of it.
2) How does my work differ from others of its genre?
I enjoy playing in multiple dimensions. My first chapbook, Fando & Lis, is an ekphrastic work based on a film that is based on a play. MILK uses the ebook format to include images, links to additional sound, text, and video to be more inclusive and inviting to those of us who are thinking and exploring our way through the Digital Age. I've also put out three exhibition books related to my work with Miko Kuro's Midnight Tea, an international art project that uses time, tea, and technology to create one-of-a-kind experiences for traditional and non-traditional creatives alike. The latest of these, :33 documents my journey to Helsinki, Finland, where, Bonnie Brooks and I collaborated with 12 amazing individuals to co-create a ritual based on the concept of Nurturing at the FORUM BOX GALLERY.
Functional glass teapot breasts (worn during Midnight Tea in Helsinki) by Spokane Artist, William Hagy.
3) Why do I write what I do?
For me, writing is a technology that allows us to circle into the heart of the matter. This year, all of my projects are an attempt to explore the often treacherous terrain of Vulnerability. Earlier this year, I was invited to participate in StereoTYPE, curated Stranger Genius nominee, Davida Ingram. I created 33 porcelain tiles, hand-inked, and installed them at LXWXH using my own hair and my daughter's hair. When I write, it's often part of a larger creative process that takes many forms: video, performance, sound, and immersive events. Some of the best writing takes place in emails. I have had more than one friend recommend that my next book be a compilation of Found Poetry from my inbox.
4) How does my writing process work?
Juggling the many hats of worker, mother, partner, community organizer, writer, and artist requires a lot of laughter and an ability to be resilient. I've always taken Arthur Ashe's words to heart when sitting down to write or to create anything.
Next Up on the Blogroll:
Bettina Judd's collection of poems titled Patient, won the Black Lawrence Press Hudson Book Prize and will be released in the fall of 2014. Judd has performed for audiences in Vancouver, Washington, DC, Atlanta, Paris, New York, and Mumbai and will be presenting at the National Women's Studies Association Conference in Puerto Rico in November.
Amber Flame is an award-winning writer, teacher, and performer. She recently moved from Seattle, where she repped hard for the slam community, to the Bay Area where she competed to become Oakland Slam's 2014 Women of World Poetry Slam representative. Find more about her awesomeness here.
Anastacia Tolbert's work is a syrupy rune—wings, words & why not. She is a Cave Canem Fellow, Hedgebrook Alumna, Jack Straw Writer, EDGE Professional Writer, VONA alum, creative writing workshop facilitator, documentarian and playwright. She is writer, co-director, and co-producer of GOTBREAST? Documentary (2007): a documentary about the views of women regarding breast and body image. Lately she’s been obsessed with the body & the stories it holds. Holla atcha girl at www.anastaciatolbert.com.
Bonus Joy: Check out local writer slash photographer, Star Murray's world here.