Pages

3/31/2009

busy, busy



I'm afraid that as I learn how to balance writing and editing, and continue to heal, I will only be able to write 1-2 blog entries per week for the time being. I'd love to pick up the camera more often and improve my photographic eye, but that will have to wait, too.

However, I do have a blog entry up my sleeve soon, inspired by an article I read in dwell magazine. Today, I'm just checking in, reporting signs of life, and preparing to interview a painter on Friday for a Curator article.

Also, I read the following confession by New Yorker staff writer, John McPhee, following his brilliant essay, "An Album Quilt" from In Fact: the Best of Creative Nonfiction. It made me laugh to know that someone of his caliber shares my neuroses:

"John McPhee admits that he starts the first line of an essay or book with absolutely 'no confidence.' He procrastinates. Just because he is laboring in his Princeton University office day after day 'certainly doesn't mean I am working. ... I just walk around, make a cup of coffee or tea, look out the windows, inventing ways to avoid writing. ... Until 4 or 5 p.m. comes along, and it is really getting late, and then I'll get going. If I have a good day, I might actually be writing only two or three hours.'"

There is hope for the likes of me.

Oh, and I have a few recommendations:

* Gregory Wolfe's essay, "The Tragic Sense of Life."

* Filmwell.

* A free Sub Pop mp3 sampler with Flight of the Conchords, Vetiver, Blitzen Trapper, Fleet Foxes, Iron & Wine, and so on.

* Arise my Soul - an Indelible Grace mp3 sampler (from NoiseTrade) including hymns by Jeremy Casella, Derek Webb, and Sandra McCracken, and a two-part lecture by Kevin Twit, "Why Hymns?"

* The trailer for Where the Wild Things Are. I loved, loved that book as a kid; the film looks amazing.

4 comments:

kate o. said...

thanks for the filmwell link.

i feel like a bad mother because i haven't borrowed/bought/read where the wild things are to my sons, yet. perhaps an afternoon outing is in order...

it is such a great book and i am looking forward to the movie, too.

laura said...

oh my goodness. thank you so much for introducing me to jacob collins. i can't believe how beautiful his paintings are. his figures kind of remind me of the figures of thomas wilmer dewing, whose paintings i could stand in front of for hours at the freer. i love your blog. it is peaceful and JUICY in the best sense. thank you for keeping up your writing!

Robyn Jones Clark said...

this can describe me to an absolute "T" when it comes to painting. so funny! been known to churn out a lot in a weeks time.. right before a deadline.

jenni said...

Kate, as one who provides so many cool links on your blog, Filmwell was the least I could do...

Thanks, Laura! I'm so happy that you like Jacob Collins's work, too. I'm trying to spread the good word about his amazing talent.

Robyn, I hear you. :)