September 12, 2017

Guest Blogger Mike Squatrito – “From Writing to Teaching”

Posted by Mike Rochester in Guest Posts, News

From Writing to Teaching: How Did THAT Happen? By J. Michael Squatrito, Jr. As a young writer I had a great idea for a storyline and, after years of turmoil and struggle, I eventually wrote the first book in my Overlords fantasy series. As of today, I have three self-published novels and I’m working on the fourth and final(?) installment. My literary journey has taken me to places I never dreamed that I would go – from individual book signings and mass author events, to local library and school visits, regional conferences and Comic Cons, and more than enough radio and TV appearances. I’m even the Vice-President of the Association of Rhode Island Authors! However, all of this started with an idea for a book and blossomed into a business. Why am I telling you…

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September 8, 2017

Podcast: “The Ferryman” Part I

Posted by Jack B. Rochester in Audio Arts

Last month, Ruby Fink and I presented a 90–minute workshop on podcasting at the Willamette Writers Conference to keenly interested authors. Ruby heads Faux Fiction Audio, a podcast production company, and is my partner in podcasting my fiction. She’s also developing podcasts for other authors and publishers because podcasting, or audiobooks, is becoming a Pretty Big Deal in Media Land. Which is why I love finding podcasts for you to listen to each month. In my endless search for ever more interesting audio I came across “The Ferryman,” our offering this month. It’s one of the more bizarre listening experiences in the genre and I wish I could tell you more about it, but whoever created it – and I suspect the name “Nic Antoine” is a nom de plume [a nom de mic??] – remains…

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September 5, 2017

David Morton Meyers – Art

Posted by Mike Rochester in Fine Art

Editor’s Note: Playful, witty and expressive in color, David Meyers’s work appears to draw from a strong interest in history and humor. His bold and gestural brushwork often depicts subjects from history with a strong fascination and focus on the American Wild West. Meyers’s work take a unique and bold approach to composition and structure with an unencumbered palette. His academic skill and disciplined technique work simultaneously with a playfully adolescent perspective of his subjects. -Steve Sangapore, contributor David Meyers is an artist based in Iowa City, Iowa. Though born and bred in Boston, Massachusetts, his adventures have lead him a seven year sojourn in Philadelphia, Pa where he received his B.F.A. in Painting/Drawing and minor in Art History from…

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September 3, 2017

“Princess Olivia” – A Short Story by Joy Son

Posted by Jack B. Rochester in Member Writing & Art

Princess Olivia by Joy Son Once upon a time there lived a lonely princess. She had a strong, wealthy king as a father but he paid little attention to his daughter and didn’t care if people starved in the village. In fact, he mostly only cared about money. Although Olivia’s father didn’t pay much attention to Olivia, he still loved her and cared for her. The one thing he was doing wrong was keeping Olivia away from the village that was once a happy place, full of laughter and singing. Olivia longed to go to the village and make sure the villagers were warm before the cold fell and winter moved in. Whenever Olivia tried to ask her dad a question, he would interrupt her right in the middle of a word. One Tuesday afternoon,…

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September 2, 2017

A Hope in the Unseen – September Submissions

Posted by Mike Rochester in News

This month’s issue is about hope for the future. Wherever you are, whatever is going on, two things are certain: there will be strife and amidst that strife there will be hope. We can’t always see it right away, but it comes in many forms. We think this month’s member work will fuel some hope for a better tomorrow, whatever that may look like for you. Whether it is the wide-eyed optimism of a child’s writing, the reflective joy of a long-time love affair, the realism of a budding artist, the coming-of-age perceptiveness of a young writer or the commitment to servitude that one’s work can inspire within one’s own community, we believe these works of creative expression can give our members a little hope in the unseen. Fiction A big welcome to our youngest…

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August 31, 2017

August Bonus Podcast: “King Solomon’s Mines” by H. Rider Haggard

Posted by Jack B. Rochester in Audio Arts

As we bid adieu to August and prepare to surrender to September, one last LibriVox audiobook to treat your ears, one of the great adventure stories of all time: King Solomon’s Mines by H. Rider Haggard. The notion of finding a long-lost treasure is a literary archetype which found itself reborn in the “Indiana Jones” movies, and it’s a powerful and captivating story – whether on page or screen. Sir Henry Rider Haggard [British; 1856-1925] was a major proponent of the “discovery of a lost world” genre, and is best known for King Solomon’s Mines and She, both of which have been made into movies several times. This LibriVox recording was done by a terrific narrator, John Nicholson. Here are the first 5 chapters. Be sure to visit LibriVox and download the entire novel.

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August 25, 2017

Podcast: “A Princess of Mars”

Posted by Jack B. Rochester in Audio Arts, Podcasts

Edgar Rice Burroughs {1975-1950] may be best known for creating Tarzan, King of the Apes, but his tales of John Carter on Mars [which he called Barsoom] are, to my mind, more exciting. We meet John, a cowboy and Civil War vet, when he steps into a cave in Arizona and emerges on Mars. This is how the novel, A Princess of Mars, the first John Carter story, begins and it packs a real wallop. [Spoiler alert: It was made into a pretty darned good 2012 movie, “John Carter,” starring Taylor Kitsch and Lynn Collins in the lead roles.] Here is a short, clever intro and the first five audio podcast chapters of “Edgar Rice Burroughs’ 1915 novel,”A Princess of Mars,” from LibriVox, where you can download the entire audiobook for free. It’s read exceedingly well by several…

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August 21, 2017

John Grey’s Poetry, Part Two

Posted by Jack B. Rochester in Member Writing & Art

As promised last month, here are three more wonderful poems by our frequent contributor, John Grey. ALL IN ONE DAY We drove the ocean road, smothered in fog, could barely see the blue expanse, all our vision was in the hearing as it pounded the shore below. But then that fog lifted. The day was all of a sudden warm and dazzling. We stopped at a meadow, picked wildflowers, spotted a fawn with its mother, hiked a trail to a waterfall and rested in a cool oak grove. We ate outdoors at a roadside restaurant. We saw a lone surfer testing his skill on medium-sized waves at some unnamed beach. Clouds moved in and it began to rain. The wind picked up. My wipers beat like my heart had earlier. …

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August 18, 2017

Diego Velez – A Colombian Perspective

Posted by Mike Rochester in Fine Art

Editor’s Note: Diego Velez tells stories through his paintings. I got a chance to talk with him about his perspectives on art and life recently. He told me that being an artist is something that keeps him humble and grateful of what he has. There is so much beauty in the process of creating that he does not even need to drink when he’s working; the painting quenches his thirst. He believes an artist spiritually ingests coals made from different trees to get the essence of these different colors and after creating, the art is a way to let people experience these images for years to come. But his passion goes beyond art, as he tells me his thoughts on the universe and humanity, “The earth doesn’t ask permission to reshape itself.” We present to…

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August 18, 2017

Podcast: “Emma” by Jane Austen

Posted by Jack B. Rochester in Audio Arts, Podcasts

We continue our Librivox recordings this month with a lovely reading of Jane Austen’s Emma, read by Sibelia Denton. This is the story of a “handsome, clever, and rich” young woman and her awakening and her struggles with love and relationships. Herewith the first three chapters of one of the most beloved Jane Austen novels, first published in 1815 but which has been adapted again and again on stage and screen. You can continue your listening here.

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