“Absolution” by F. Scott Fitzgerald A Classic American Short Story . Have a Read.

 "Absolution" is filled with moments of beautiful prose. It is a story of  three peoples's intense inner conflicts about religious beliefs and  their behaviours. It was written in 1924.
 F. Scott Fitzgerald who wrote the Great Gatsby is the author.

https://literaryfictions.com/fiction-1/absolution-by-f-scott-fitzgerald/

Fascinating Exhibit Fitchburg Art Museum- TRIIBE- Check Out Video

http://triiibesamedifference.github.io/video/

Over the Plain Houses by Julia Franks-Book Review-"Over the Plain Houses is a stunning novel of love, betrayal, madness and change."

Hardcover: 280 pages

Publisher: Hub City Press (May 1, 2016)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1938235215

ISBN-13: 978-1938235214

 http://www.amazon.com/Over-Plain-Houses-Julia-Franks/dp/1938235215

 

 "Franks' debut is a thoughtful exploration of one woman's quest to live life on her own terms."-Kirkus Reviews

 

 Over the Plain Houses tells the story of what it was like to be a woman, wife and mother in rural North Carolina in 1939.  It also tells the story of the gradual disintegration of one woman’s marriage. Over the Plain Houses is a stunning novel of love, betrayal, madness (Brodis thought his wife was a witch and a sinner) and change. It is filled with the rich landscapes and details of earthy country life.

In Over the Plain Houses, we meet Irenie Lambey wife of Brodis Lambey.  We learn first hand how the life of a farm wife married to a former logger turned fundamentalist preacher (whose self declared mission was to spread the word of God) changes when the USDA sends Virginia Furman a modern woman and government employee to Irenie and Brodis’s town to teach the women modern ways of housekeeping as other USDA employees had previously come to town to encourage the men to  grow “modern” crops like tobacco that would  provide  a better income for their families. 

 

The former simple lives and beliefs of many of the farmers and their wives were challenged by Virginia Furman and her progressive (at the time) ideas. One of  the concepts Irenie struggled with was  Brodis's interpretation of the Biblical Eve and Adam’s relationship.
 

"Listen. Eve shall be ruled by her husband and in sorrow bear children. She shall spend her life disappearing, and the blue flame shall sputter and shrink into its own self for years to come."

"Do you own Mama?" she asked her father in the midst of her confusion.

 Irenie's mother had said to her, " 'You don't have to be like Vina Jones.' Mrs. Jones had birthed a child every year for seventeen year running."

 What did a woman in 1939 do when she did not want another child, abortion was illegal? What will Irenie do?

 

Julia Franks' descriptions of nature, the farm animals and the passing seasons adds to the authenticity of the story. The descriptions are filled with sensory impressions that made me feel I was there watching the logs tumble down the falls in the water or I was there when the hounds went on a night walk with Irenie.  I could feel the soil and the night air. I was there in  Irenie’s and Brodis’s bedroom seeing the square of light filter through the one small window at night while they lay under a quilt in a sparsely furnished room where the Bible was by the bed.  Franks’ descriptions of place with visual vignettes is superb. Franks depicted the outer world of this couple with the eye of an artist and botanist and she portrayed the inner world of these two with compassion and the insight of a writer who gets her characters completely. You can’t help feel her empathy for them even if  they act terribly.

 

The book is constructed like a river that meanders with slow passages and then bursts into volatile inner and outer terrain. The pace invited me to keep reading, there was tension in the story heightened at the right pivotal points. Occasionally I thought the pace was slowed down by endless descriptions of nature.  But later I realized these passages offered a reprieve to the reader to gather their emotions like Brodis and Irenie did.

 

This book will resonate to women of any age I believe who love a man or love a man they fear. It will resonate to men and their concepts of provider and protector of “their” women.  It is a book for people who love nature and the way of life in the county. It is a book for history lovers. It is a book for anyone who wants to read a story where people are wrestling with cherished beliefs and inner demons, a story of conflict and redemption set in an authentic world that is fading.
 
 In the hands of a lesser writer Brodis and Irenie could have become one-dimensional characters, a fire and brimstone preacher and a woman who wanted to be free. In Franks’ hands they became conflicted people like many of us wanting to live their dreams.

Before the Fall by Noah Hawley- Book Review- Grand Central Publishing

Each time I see the words Breaking News on a TV screen I think no not another disaster.  I am desensitized to disasters from the never-ending images on the 24/7 news cycle. It takes a while to get to the truth and news stations milk this on the hour to captivate viewers, ratings matter.

 

Before the Fall by Noah Hawley is about this 24/7 news cycle and a story they are covering. A plane crashed with two influential wealthy men aboard, Michael Bateman the head of a major news conglomerate and Ben Kipling a Wall Street financial tycoon. Their families including two young children were aboard. These men were powerful movers and shakers with ties to the top levels of government.  A relentless narrative is spun by the anchor of the news station Michael Bateman headed. It concerns the cause of the crash and questions the motivates of one survivor suggesting he may have instigated the crash.

The most compelling thing about Before The Fall was not only the way the book reflects society and the 24/7 news cycle mirroring viewers' insatiable need to watch news to know who is doing what to whom, but the humanity Hawley showed toward each of the characters on the plane whether they survived or not and to the family members not on the plane whose lives were changed.

At moments the news and the horror of the crash became secondary to the way the characters were revealed to the reader. Hawley juxtaposed chapters that moved the main story line forward with chapters dealing with passengers' pasts. As much as I welcomed the information, I feel that the way these chapters were placed in the story was jarring. I found myself wanting the story’s plot to progress. I had to delay this need to know as the remnants of the plane were found and read a chapter about one of the characters on the plane.  Eventually I realized it was worth it since each person from the stewardess to the copilot was humanized, I am not sure how else Hawley could have gotten so much background information in the book without this continual interruption of plot.

 

Hawley like all good writers told this story scenically. Objects become important in the scenes. Being the bodyguard of a newsman who has threats on his life for controversial views is tense business. Bateman’s bodyguard "slept with his finger on the trigger of a Glock.”  There were other images like this of objects that enhanced the whole thriller aspect off the story as well as believable dialogues often missing from thrillers.

 

The narrator’s voice added to the mystery of the plane crash and life in general by searching for meaning in the face of tragedy.  One of the character’s hero was Jack LaLanne the fitness expert who is known for his 50’s TV show. The narrator said, “Where Sartre saw ennui, Jack saw energy. When Camus saw pointlessness and death, Jack saw the broad breaking power of repetition.”

When you read the book you will see how Jack LaLanne influenced one of the characters in a way that enabled him to survive.

 

Before the Fall is the story of people who happened to be in the wrong plane at the wrong time, the story of the need for connection the news provides to the world, the story of  despair and survival. Despite the way the press sensationalized the crash and tried to defame people's character I invite you to see if the power of  love, integrity and truth wins in the end.
 

Before the Fall by Noah Hawley

I finished reading Before the Fall by Noah Hawley. After I have had time to reflect on the story, I will post a review. This was quite an amazing   thriller (a contemporary who or what did it  tale)that reflects not only the human response to loss and tragedy but also shows what it is like to be in the news business today. It "ain't" your mama's news anymore.  A disturbing and moving story.

Bringing More Soul Into Society- The Power and Place of Poetry

Recently I was given a CD called the Power and Place of Poetry (1995), an Irish radio interview with David Whyte.  I had not heard of him before. I highly recommend  this CD. I found it uplifting.

http://davidwhyte.stores.yahoo.net/poplofpo.html

 From the  back cover jacket.

 Whyte  "speaks persuasively to the role of poet and poetry in the life of individuals and society. He makes it clear that what we are truly yearning for can only be found through our imagination."


 http://www.davidwhyte.com/poetry.html

Cut Paper Illustrations/Matisse's Garden (Book) Friedman and Amodeo Museum of Modern Art /Video Tate Museum London "painting with scissors." Link to Artsy’s Henri Matisse page.

 MATISSE'S GARDEN is a great introduction  to Henri Matisse's cut paper art. It is a book created for children.  It  is a joy to view the book even if you are an adult. It suggests Matisse's creative process.

The book was published by the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

 http://www.amazon.com/Matisses-Garden-Samantha-Friedman/dp/0870709100


Check out this You Tube Video and see Henri Matisse's cut outs. He created these late in his career.
 Matisse was ill and confined to a wheel chair at times and he still created such inspiring, joyous and  innovative work.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLgSd8ka0Gs


 Check out this link To Matisse's work 


"We strive to make all of the world’s art accessible to anyone online. Our Henri Matisse page, for example, provides visitors with Matisse's bio, over 160 of his works, exclusive articles, as well as up-to-date Matisse exhibition listings. The page even includes related artist & category tags, plus suggested contemporary artists, allowing viewers to continue exploring art beyond our Matisse page."

https://www.artsy.net/artist/henri-matisse

1/11/16 Today's Art Post/ Mixed Media Collage/- InVision: 2D & 3D Landscape/ Davis Gallery

http://davisartgallery.com/Current-Show.aspx

This collage called "Hidden" was in  the Davis Gallery's Landscape show. The show closes today so I decided to post the collage for all to see.

"InVision: 2D & 3D Landscape

2D & 3D artwork with a broad interpretation of "Landscape," including physical, spiritual, cultural, and ecological. The artwork is created in many different media—drawing, painting, mixed media, photography and more.

Opening

Thursday, September 10, 2015, 5–7 pm "

12/30/2015 A Fabric Garden In Winter

12/27/15 Flowers

I never get tired of looking at flowers whether they are flower images on household objects, clothing, furniture or the real deal flowers: wildflowers, exotic hot house or tropical flowers (Orchids), indoor flowers on plants like African Violets or flowers on weeds like Jewelweed.

Beside the beauty inherent in flowers and their often alluring odors especially to bees and birds, they offer other benefits. Folklore says you can use the juice of Jewelweed for the itch of poison ivy. I tired  using it on a rash once and the rash did disappear. There is truth in tales passed down the medicinal generational tree.

Jewelweed

My grandmother on my maternal side was a millinery and had a fabric store.  Her husband upholstered furniture for many years. I inherited fabric (lots of chintz with floral patterns*) from my grandmother and also a love of making things from her and my grandfather. My grandmother was from the Victorian era where flowers were on lots of things and held certain meaning besides  their visual beauty.  http://victorianflowercode.com/

Here are a few of my flower pictures.

 Here is a very old Christmas Cactus that lives with me. She bloomed the whole month of December in honor of the  season.

All Images Copyrighted  Elizabeth P. Glixman

*

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/romantic-decor-an-ode-to-chintz-184167
chintz/

12/21/15 One Too Many Robo Calls

I've been getting robo calls lately. Too many. I think everyone has. The robo callers have ramped up the calls this holiday season. A few years ago I had a bunch of these calls too and like any person who is wordy, I wrote a poem to tell someone, anyone how I felt about the calls and the caller Rachel.

This is a poem about technological powerlessness. You can't do much in the face of anonymity. There is no one to respond to only a dial tone. This feeling is like the feeling I imagine the man in the movie "Her " felt when the voice he loved  said it was over.

http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/her-2013

Even though the poem is not recent and todays four  time caller's name is Brittany, it doesn't matter. It was and is all the same experience. Brittany might be Rachael in disguise. She sounds like the same voices on the GPS system my friend has.

 This poem was published in Frigg in 2013.

It’s Me—Rachel
Elizabeth P. Glixman

The phone rings
It’s Rachel again
with her voice that sparkles
like blue mouthwash
She could tell you anything
She could be the news anchor
telling you about a mass killing
say it with her white bright teeth showing
the edges of her lips curved upward
Her voice could give Chris Matthews’ leg
a tingle.

Read the rest

http://www.friggmagazine.com/issuefortytwo/poetry/glixman/rachel2014.htm

12/13/15 I Am Not a One Trick Pony - New Art

First of all I don't want to insult any ponies. Ponies who know how to do one thing are perfectly fine. It is okay to do one thing. I've learned from watching horse whisperer type movies at Netflix that there are horses that are trained for one task like barrel racers at rodeos and dressage horses and roping horses so I repeat there is nothing wrong with doing one task and doing it well or learning to do it well. It takes practice and time.

 I don't know if there are horses who do multiple things. If anyone reads this and knows, please comment.

 Back to people. I believe it is best to focus on one thing. That is my dream. Be a novelist. Be a poet. Be an artist. Be a potter. When you keep at one thing the mysteries of that "thing" begin to reveal themselves, newness arrives.  In the previous post I mentioned my writer/ artist dilemma  and my decision to have a writer/ artist blog. So here goes. Ta Da. First art post.

© 2015 Elizabeth P. Glixman

 I am into texture and color in new work. I  have a series of these abstract images called That's A Wrap. I  used fabric and ribbon in this  8" x 10" piece. I want the pieces in this series to be eye candy and hand candy (if there is such a thing). Of course I don't want  viewers to touch the art but I want them to imagine how it will feel.

12/12/15 New Blog Title- A Writer and Artist in the Moment: I Can Do Two Things At the Same Time- Going With the Flow

Many years ago I made art like a person breathes air. I was completely enamored with the process of placing color and line on paper and canvas. I went to art school and received a BFA degree and years later became certified to teach art in the public school system. One of my greatest joys was cutting wood to make stretcher sticks for large canvases, stretching the canvas, gessoing it and applying the paint.

I also have been a life long lover of the written word. Another great pleasure is reading fiction and poetry and so I began to write stories. Then I began to write poetry. I was completely enamored with that too. My art was left for the most part by the side of the street. Lately it has been hollering at me. Oh, no! Where to put my attention?

I've decided. I can do both. I can't ignore both sides of my creative coin.

Some days you will see my art and art I love on this blog and other days poetry.
This blog will be about both words and images. That's my decision today.

8/18/15 Garden Poem As Summer Winds Down- Why I Dream About Dirt and Seed

VISUAL VERSE  VOL. 02 

CHAPTER 09

Cover  Photo Jordan McQueen

http://visualverse.org/submissions/why-i-dream-about-dirt-and-seed/

In Honor of Spring-Video Flowers and Chopin- Pure Poetry

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k36y45Z4oGk&index=2&list=PLAA0D2E861DFEE611

Poetry and Politics " Has poetry ceased to penetrate our national consciousness because we are no longer stirred by what's being said? When was the last time a poet made enough noise to be threatened with censorship?" Article by Juan Vidal

So what do you think?

 

http://www.npr.org/2014/09/05/344088108/where-have-all-the-poets-gone

Contemporary American Voices August’s Featured Poet – Elizabeth P. Glixman

http://www.contemporaryamericanvoices.com/

Writers - Need an Editor? Check Out "The Poetry,Fiction & Creative Nonfiction Editor for paupers and starving artists who need affordable help." Bev. Jackson- "My fees are low, but my expertise is professional and my earnest interest in aiding writers is genuine."

"Smart writers know that it is very easy to get too close to the work and not really "see" the larger picture--and sometimes having a writers' group or a trusted reader is the very thing that delineates a good piece of work from something that is only mediocre. But that good piece of work can become even better with polish, like fine furniture.

Most new writers have to learn this the hard way. Often their submissions to venues will be rejected solely on the "amateur" mistake of sending out a piece too soon, unpolished, unedited or having no proofreading in place. Sometimes it might have needed a major overhaul to be accepted; but sometimes just another pair of peepers on it, to smooth the rough edges would have made the grade.''


 "My fees are low, but my expertise is professional and my earnest interest in aiding writers is genuine. I'll send you 5 pages of (prose, fiction or nonfiction) editing, free, if you have doubts, and you can judge for yourself.

Now that's getting more than you paid for".

Contact me:

bevjackson@gmail.com

 http://www.luckypauper.blogspot.com/