Women - when strengthened can do so much. There are miracles I see in my mother's life and my own and in the global world of women that bear testament to this.
When my mother was a child, she was the caretaker of the pigs. She had to feed them and fatten them up for the village and then let go.
He asked me, 'What do you think of abstract art?'
I replied, 'I don't have a background in art. I'm a storyteller. But I do like to photograph patterns in nature - ripples in water, how nature becomes abstracted art'
I was thinking how much art fascinates me, and yet I don't know all it's history. I don't feel equipped to comment about art as if I'm an historian or art specialist/expert.
Have you ever written
unlocking & translating emotions into strings?
Have you adopted metaphors from stories
of a trumpet with his man called Dizzy?
Have you spoken Italian simply because
music taught you so?
Do you make references to songwriters
maybe Bob Dylan & his blowing wind,
or Pink writing to the President?
Have you found music gives poetry power…
Peagreenchick – Flickr Creative commons- vintage pics
Once upon a time my children and I played you-say-a-line-I-say-a-line, stories. It was amusing, imaginative and kept us all on our thinking toes, although my daughter had a habit of killing lots of our characters until we had created on that she liked.
But years have passed and we haven’t played the I say-a-line-you-say a-line game for ages!
A couple of days ago I shared a story idea with my daughter and she became excited. She was delighted with a creature and character I had invented and, being an artist, was immediately keen to draw them both in action.
She so loved the idea of my first two characters (a good sign I trust) that she enthusiastically began to look up names for them and several future characters and take notes!
‘They have to mean something Mum and then we can try different languages,’ and she popped along to some online translator which had audio of how the names would sound.
‘Do you like this name?’ Many words were clicked on, and the computer voice sometimes with a charming accent read them for us, and then we’d vote.
Now a writer of ego might have said -‘this is my story’ but she represents my potential readers and so she is very important to listen to.
Can’t tell you too much detail of our conversations, at this stage they are top secret!
Before I knew it my youngest son heard us laughing, haggling over the characters and generally having fun like the old days, and popped in to see what was going on.
Soon, at his insistence, he was involved and mapping the world. There were mountains, forests, and more. My children had become engaged readers keen to take ownership of a creative world in the making.
The story I shared with them had become a collaboration. Our past had become our present but now as my sage daughter noted ‘we are more sophisticated now.’
I created a world, and they began to help me fill it out, and paint it. I felt a connection to two of my readers, or should I say co-storytellers.
I am ready to embark on the journey of this story and take two co-creating travelers with me, although as group leader, they do give me final word on things, after a bit of to and fro.
Not to mention I can work on it when they are at school, in some peace, until they have their next input.
For more visit Pearlz Dreaming
Stephane O – Flickr creative commons
I found the opening phrase of this poem in an old notebook – but the lines after that are all new. Some days editing and reshaping comes so easily. A long hiatus makes cutting so much easier.
I have days where rhyme is on my mind and that’s the time to attempt poems that require them. I haven’t had one of those for a while, so I’m not going near rhyming forms in my poetry challenge, not yet.
Word Rain is over on the ever rippling on Ripple Poetry Blog.
Word Rain – June Perkins
It’s hard work
sowing word seeds
that don’t want to grow
into story grain
but brace against it
waiting for rain’s inspiration.
Rain pitter patters
on the ground
sings out
the beginnings of stories
invites
the creation of metaphors.
But rain laughs
at its cliches
as couples take shelter
only to discover
they’re in love
& teases
as droughts end
& country folk run out to taste & dance
Rain brings floods,
sends people to the tops of rooves
into arks
with animals two by two
But when you smell
petrichor you understand &
find your unique story
Those memories
take you to a story place
There a man in a canoe crosses the river
of what once was a road
& a smiling woman waits for him
in a blue raincoat.
You have found your beginning.
By June Perkins
For more visit Ripple Poetry
Fisher Girl1 – By June Perkins
So the copy for the upcoming book has been proofed and some positive feedback given!
Before I send it to the design/prepress person – the talented Paulien Bats – I have to finalise the page size/ book dimensions, work out what formats we will be publishing in (what I can afford), finalise the title, and work out if I will invite someone to work on a preface and who that person will be.
I am very excited about what Paulien will now be doing with the book, but have to make sure I have some clear information for her. She is going to be doing some design and illustration which we have already had some preliminary chats about. How exciting!
At the same time I have been working on the Ripple Poetry site and sharing some other poems which are not going to be in the book, but which give some idea of what it might be like. I am working out some videos and other special things to do in the lead up to publication. So much to do but I’m feeling so rapt to have a book on it’s way.
There’s lots to be done still, but we’re well on our way!
Fisher Girl2 – June Perkins
Paulien and I have been talking about a book – a collaboration of my poetry and her illustrations.
Now we are finally to action it.
Why have we talked about this? Because in highschool she used to illustrate my poems for a backpage of the school newspaper we were both involved in.
Our friendship has been, partly, because we both love creative things.
Why have we taken so long?
Hmm good question, life in general and perhaps needing to have an added impetus to ‘make it so.’
Our deadline is to have it ready for the end of this year.
It is almost the end of March. Will we make it! We are going to give it a go!
The poetry and short stories are written. Many of the pieces have been published in scatterings all over the place. Now it’s time to bring it all together into a collection.
Some preliminary illustrations are done.
Now I go over the poems and stories again, and perhaps have a mentor look them over.
Then it’s back over to Paulien who will illustrate and design the book.
I showed her some of the ideas of what I liked whilst she was visiting.
She did her own research and took many photographs of North Queensland, my poetic and story home, and drank deeply of the NQLD environment.
I am to send her some my photographs to add to the design and be part of the illustrations.
She will be able to have it ready for a printer or ebook transformation.
At the same time I have to do the isbns, book blurbs, library catalogue and sales space.
It’s time for our journey from idea and chatter, to finally become a book.
I am so glad to have my friend on the journey with me. I hope we can both do each other proud!
As for finances, I have saved a bit from having a job the last 6 months with ABC Open, and I hope to put a portion towards our creation.
Onward we go.
