I wonder what my mother would make of all this social media. I can imagine her marveling at the information and the images at her finger tips. She also worry about the lack of privacy. She’d set all of her privacy settings to the max and choose carefully what to share. Of course, I don’t …
Last week, thanks to the work and help of friends and strangers, I traveled to Salem, Massachusetts for the Writer Unboxed UnConference. Have you ever been to Salem? I found it magical. Maybe it was arriving three days after Halloween and meeting people I’d known online, but had never spent time with in real life. …
The other day I listened to an On the Media radio story about the decline of the beat reporter, and one beat they covered was the obituary beat. I struck by the realization that so many papers no longer cover obituaries, and while some papers might have an online version, families have to pay every …
As I mentioned in another post, I’m reading Austin Kleon‘s book Show Your Work. A while back, I read his book Steal Like an Artist. I was attracted to his work because he uses text in his art like I do. Anyway, to earn money, I teach. Also, I’m homeschooling my kiddo. If I’m not …
Fall gives me energy. Maybe it’s all those years starting school in the fall, going to the store to buy new notebooks and folders that made me feel like everything was beginning all over again. My dad wasn’t one to take me shopping much. He was a single dad and so shopping for my shoes, …
I’m hoping to do something I’ve never been able to do–go to a writers’ conference. Writers Unboxed will hold a conference in November in Salem. Salem! I’ve always wanted to go to Salem. Anyway, there is also a fundraiser to help a group of women get to the conference. If you can help and would …
Back in the late 70’s my mother made a stop-animation film for a college class. I remember looking at the set she’d built on a table in her apartment and her warning me that if I touched it, she’d kill me. The project took a very long time. A tiny bit of film, she’d move …
Soon my art should be hanging in a gelato shop here in town. And in another month or so, I might have some work in a local festival. In October, I have another show at my favorite local coffee shop. With a group of friends I’m working on an absurd magazine (more on that another …
I’ve been trying to work on a poem for my mom, but I am insecure about my poetry. After my mom left my dad, she started writing poems. Maybe she wrote them before that, but I have no proof. What I have is a journal filled with poems dated 1975 or 1976. My mom inscribed …
My novel arrived today. I’m trying to think of something clever or insightful to say. I’m too gobsmacked. All I can manage is to wish you vast amounts of luck and deep wells of persistence in whatever dream you’re pursuing. I think Woody Allen is a jerk, but this quote of his still works for …
I wish everyone the best this holiday season. Perhaps it is a joyful time for you. Perhaps it is difficult. Perhaps it means nothing at all. Whatever your situation, I wish you all good things now and always.
My mother drew the unicorn. I can’t draw like her. I’ve always wanted to, but have yet to manage it. Do you compare yourself to your parents? Is there something either on of them did that you wish you could do? My mother started to write a novel. She had only a few chapters written …
I’ve illustrated children’s books and greeting cards. You can always go directly to my publisher, Plum Tree Books, but if you live in the US, you can order directly from me (for a while anyway). I’m experimenting with this site, and we’ll see how it goes. My illustrated things are here at Bonanza.
When I write, I sometimes listen to music. The music fits either the mood of the story or the personality of the characters. The other day, I had the chance to collaborate on a music show with London DJ Claudio Fiore and with my publisher, Plum Tree Books, that tells the story of the music …
My novel launched today! (Here at Amazon.) Since the story is set in the summer of 1985, I’ve been thinking back to those high school days. What were you like in high school? I wasn’t popular. I liked to be in the art room with a sketch pad or a book. The drawing posted here …
Today I finished chemo. One surgery remains. The toxins will leave my body, my hair will grow back, and I’ll get to call myself a survivor. But aren’t we all survivors if we make it to another day? I don’t know, but I find survivor a strange thing to call myself. Many people are kind …
by Marta Pelrine-Bacon copyright 2011 Clarice possessed a fascination for sharp, glittering things. In her upstairs room she kept knives, needles, and razors hidden in a red box under her bed. Almost every one of them was stolen. Her mother couldn’t even abide the sight of cutlery and the sight of blood made her faint. …
Nodding, Fran stepped into the circle. She took a deep breath and lay down in its center. Staring up at the stars, she thought about the dirt pressing into her hair and the bugs that might be nearby. She didn’t believe in Milla’s ideas, her rituals, or chants, and she sometimes thought Milla was close …
My adult ESL class is reading The Great Gatsby. I teach the advanced reading class and the goal of the class is to prepare the students for university. I also assign essays related to Gatsby, articles about the American dream and the like. Students in past classes enjoyed the novel. Some students even liked the …
When I was a kid (and for many years after), I would’ve said my biggest fear was spiders. As a teenager I’d lock myself in a room if that’s what it took to get away from a spider. Spiders still cause me breathing trouble. When I started sending my writing out into the world, I …
Wow. My publisher has finished the cover of my novel. After writing, submitting, and waiting, it is hard to believe my novel is actually going to be out in the world. Not out because I handed a copy to a friend, but out for anyone to read. My novel is leaving me. We’ll see …
Well, not really. And I’m not someone who tries to talk to the dead because I don’t think they’re listening. But anyway, Plum Tree Books wrote about poetry and death–two things often seen together–and the post suggested trying to write a poem with the title I Can Talk to the Dead. I am not a …
I know this ridiculous, but what if the Doctor’s companion was a cancer patient. She could run around between chemo treatments and lose her hair. I don’t know. It’s crazy, but maybe it would be nice to see patients with certain illnesses on film out in the world doing things. And by doing things I …
Today was the summer solstice. A year ago today, we had our housewarming party to celebrate moving into our very first house. A week from today I’ll have my fourth chemo treatment (12 more to go after that). Before I’m done with chemo, I’ll have another book out that I’ve illustrated. Soon after I finish …
We all have a story why we write or make art or create whatever it is we create. How far back does the story go? Does my story go back to the first book I fell in love with? (Watership Down) Does it go back to my mother’s love of books? My grandmother’s love of …
I hid the babies in my closet. There were three–baby rabbits that fit in the palm of my hand. The stray cat that had taken to sleeping in our carport had killed their mother, and my step-sister and I found the babies in the dirt by the pool. N. wasn’t living with us anymore, but …
Have you been taken in by Stranger Things? Months ago, I read about Winona Ryder starring in this new Netflix series, which snagged my attention. Yes, I was one of those people who loved Winona in Heathers and Beetlejuice. I wanted to be Winona because I’m so tall and nothing like her, but as a … Continue reading
I’m adding my share of twee to the universe. I like dark and edgy as much as anyone, but give me good doses of sweet and quaint too. Please. I’ve been posting photos of Din and Bun with bits of conversation. It’s fun and takes a bit of stress out of the day. These two … Continue reading
Not enough people read my blog for me to write what I do for any reason other than I just want to. Like you, I’m just hanging out on this planet drifting through space–Carl Sagan’s famous blue dot. I hope my fraction of a fraction of a split second is time well spent. In my … Continue reading
This week tore apart a lot of lives. And I’ve been wondering what I can do other than feel bad. Feeling bad is an okay place to start, and you can’t deny emotion which operates on its own compass, but it’s no place to stay. Sometimes I tell my son, “If you want to feel … Continue reading
Violence-ophilia? Is that a word? Seems as if it should be. It’s a virus, right? Sorry, Earth Humans. You’ve tested positive for the often fatal Violence-ophilia. Without treatment, prognosis is grim. Nonetheless, treatment is long and painful and not for the faint of heart. Step One: Accept diagnosis. Many patients prefer not to know. Step … Continue reading
I’m trying to stay calm in the storm of election season. In real life on a bad day, I tend to talk back to the radio, which is a silly thing to do. Right? Of course it is. Take a deep breath. Count to ten. But all that aside, I just had an art show … Continue reading
I’m not writing to change anyone’s mind. I’m writing because it’s late and I can’t sleep. Many people have written moving, important, and scathing things over the last few days. Really, such things are written after every tragedy. Which of those things made a difference? Maybe something made a difference to you. I hope so. … Continue reading
