Taylor Watson is heavily pregnant and hopeful that moving to England will put her husband’s affair behind them. An introverted social media junkie, she makes a point to get out and make friends, but one of them betrays her trust, stalking her online. Kantaria eases Dear Reader through a cavalcade of characters who are all a bit shady, making each one suspect in turn. This is not only a tale of the dangers of social media, but a lesson in vetting family and friends in person. The ending rocks! I received this well-written, suspense-filled thriller from HQ through NetGalley.
An old woman who smelled of river water came into Lauren’s hospital room and threatened to exchange her perfect twin sons for changelings. When a month later, the boys go missing, no one but Lauren believes this is exactly what happened. She pursues the truth, courageous in her heart that she’s right and will find her own children. Golding’s skill of the craft leaves Dear Reader wondering at the human mind’s capacity for belief, invoking age-old fairytales. Fans of Angela Slatter and Neil Gaiman will appreciate Golding’s style and storytelling power. I was fortunate to receive a digital copy from the publisher Crooked Lane Books through NetGalley.
Ava receives a
bundle of unsent letters along with her estranged mother’s ashes,
letters sent to a tragic figure from Ilsa’s past. Ava finds the
mystery person—Renate Bauer, and learns about her mother’s
childhood growing up as a Hitler Youth, an organization that divided
Ilsa from her best friend Renate. Epstein skillfully weaves the lives
of two young girls into the horror that was WWII Germany, exposing
secrets, betrayals, and primal fears, within all their complexities
whilst rendering a friendship torn to pieces by circumstances. Though
an oft written subject, Epstein’s take is unique in its in-depth
view of how the Nazis reached out to indoctrinate children, evoking
misplaced loyalty and mortal fear in even its youngest citizens. I
was fortunate to receive a digital copy of this brilliantly written
story from the publisher through NetGalley.
Sam invites his absentee father to a special school event. On his way to the event, eager to meet his son, Henri Skinner, a war correspondent, jumps off a bridge to rescue a child fallen from a boat. Back on the bridge, he is hit by a car and falls into a coma. Sam visits him every day and meets two special people, his father’s true love and a young woman in a coma who captures his own heart. George writes a convincing tale of the tug of war between life and death in another dimension, and also of the complexities of relationships betwixt larger than life personalities. I was fortunate to receive copy of this wonderful story from the publisher through NetGalley.
The petrified god was deeply embedded in the stone. I was allowed to use it for my art based on two absolute requirements: it would be returned in the exact same condition I received it, and it would be guarded at all times. I talked to him while I worked, using all the names speculated by the various archeologists, and suspecting this lack of identification was the deciding factor in the loan. Energy emanated from the little figure, energy I attributed to the magnetic field I set up to make him seem to come alive. The hair on my arms stood up and my whole body tingled. The guards, one at each corner of my table, stood farther back than I expected, refusing to come closer at my suggestion. Well armed and well trained, each of them alone would have been sufficient protection. My work on the system as I awaited approval for the tablet with the god meant I finished connecting him within weeks instead of months. He would come to life in front of millions of people across the world. As I attached the last wire to the system under the table holding the tablet, the blue light was brighter than expected, but the image popped up, and the little god swayed and danced above the crowd, larger than life. He carried on the mesmerizing movements in lateral motion over their heads, which wasn’t possible. My system was static; although the figures moved, they stayed directly on top of the system. I switched it off. The little god continued dancing away as we watched in silence. The tablet was empty.
Linda Niehoff is a portrait photographer by accident and chronic notebook scribbler by choice. Her flash fiction has appeared in numerous publications both online and in print. She lives in a small Kansas town where she is probably right now looking outside to study the light or watching an old episode of Scooby Doo.
Describe
your creative process—schedule, environment, inspirations,
etc.—compare and contrast writing with shooting.
I
write daily—almost without exception, though I’ve grown a little
lax in the last few years and will occasionally take a day off. This
means I write on holidays, weekends, and while on vacation. I’ve
written in hotel lobbies, waiting rooms, moving cars, trains, planes,
surrounded by crumpled up wrapping paper. And I don’t do that out
of some weird puritanical discipline. I do it because I love it. I do
some of my best thinking, analyzing, and daydreaming on the page with
a pen in hand. For me, writing is a blanket fort I build daily and
climb inside.
Photography
(even though it’s my money-maker) is like a bratty kid brother who
doesn’t eat vegetables, who doesn’t take a bath when he’s
supposed to. I never had the dreams for photography that I’ve had
for writing, and so I’ve always had an ease with it. Much of what I
shoot is done on my phone. I like the idea of keeping it a game. Of
fooling around. When I shoot clients, I use my big expensive camera,
but I’ve dreamed of doing an entire photo shoot with just my phone!
I think that’d be so fun to try! I’m also in love with instant
photography and have a (growing) collection of Polaroid and toy
cameras. I love the hazy, nostalgic look of instant film.
I’m
mostly a morning writer (I like to make sure it actually gets done!)
though sometimes I squeeze it into other areas like late afternoon or
late at night. And I almost always shoot in the golden hour when the
light is low and slanted and mellow. (I could shoot early mornings,
but that’s writing time!)
I’m interested in the same types of themes in both writing and photography. I love old timey. I love nostalgia. I love graveyards and the woods and tiny towns with silver water towers and old run-down motels. I love places that feel haunted with old, imperfect memories. Things that are slightly unkempt and almost forgotten. And I love that shadowed time that’s halfway between light and dark.
I
love writing and photography because they are the same, and they are
opposite. One is words and one is wordless. But writing is,
hopefully, painting a picture, and photography is , hopefully,
telling a story. It’s all about the story. That’s the key for me
and why I love both so much.
Tell
me how the final products—stories or photos—reach the consumer,
including marketing.
Mostly
online! When I shoot for clients, I use an online gallery or I share
images I take on social media. The stories I’ve had published have
mostly been in online venues—though a few were print only. As for
marketing, I’m a big believer in just sharing what you’re doing.
My entire photography business was built simply because when I first
joined Facebook, I uploaded pictures I took. People started asking me
if I’d do portraits for them. Or asked if they could buy things I’d
posted. I’ve always loved photography and would be taking pictures
regardless of whether or not I made money from it. But Facebook is
what got it started as a business.
Initially,
I was a lot shyer when it came to writing, and a lot of people didn’t
even know I wrote. It was easy to share pictures. You could just
upload something to Facebook and have instant feedback. I wanted a
similar experience for writing, so I decided to start a blog. I
figured it’d be an easy way to get used to having people read my
words. And it did help. I got more confident about sharing my work
and submitting it for publication.
I
really do think that if you put yourself out there and share what
you’re doing, you’ll find your people. And most people, when they
love what you’re doing, want to help you—by hiring you or buying
or sharing your work. Probably I could be way more successful if I
took out ads or ran specials or really worked at marketing or even
indie published some of my writing. But for where I am in life right
now, this works.
Talk
about your support system online and IRL, especially your biggest
cheerleaders.
First
and foremost, I’m very lucky to have been raised by an artist and a
physicist. My mom taught me to love words and layers and symbolism.
My dad taught me to love the mystery of it all and to dream. They
were my first cheerleaders.
And
now, I’m also lucky to have married someone that has never once
questioned why—even in motel rooms on roadtrips or at home on
holidays—the very first thing I do is write. He’s made sure that
regardless of any success or failure (99% of what I work on won’t
ever be published—so much of it is either practice or first drafts
or just for me) I have the time and space to get writing done. And
he’s helped me guard it. My kids (who are older now) are the same
way.
I
also have a great writing group that I met online almost 5 years ago
in a writing workshop. We all stayed writing together after the
workshop and have stayed in touch both online and in real life. I’ve
gained a couple of really close friends through that. It helps to
have others sharing in the same struggles and (hopefully joys and
successes) as you.
How
does life influence your creative work and vice versa?
Sometimes
this is a danger zone. Because for me, it’s too easy to let my
self-worth get tied up in something I’ve created. There’s always
a natural ebb and flow and there are always days where the work is
easy and days where the work is hard. I fail often in separating how
I feel about myself based on how the work is going, but I’m trying
to improve! Even so, everything I do is setting up for the creative
work—how I spend my time and how much I schedule all revolves
around leaving enough space to make stories and art. And often,
places I go and things I do are done with an eye toward asking
myself, “How would I write about/photograph this?” I’m always
looking for an opportunity to be inspired.
What
do you love most about your creativity?
With
creativity, I’m never bored. Everywhere I go, I’m watching the
light and shadows, I’m framing something in my mind. Now that
phones have cameras, it’s easy to snap quick pictures and edit them
on the fly. But even before that (or if I’m without my phone), I am
always looking at the picture of something. How it could be framed.
And I love that. I love being an audience of one and finding secret
moments that maybe everyone else has passed by.
But
stories are the same way. Sometimes I’ll see a stand of trees
against a purple fading sky and think, why does that make my heart
ache? And I know only a story will answer the question. So I start
casting about for character to go into the darkening trees. To turn
it into a story and answer it for me.
Writing
and shooting are a way to stay inside moment just a little bit
longer. A way to hold onto something that is, every second, slipping
away. It’s finding something to fall in love with. To swoon over.
That’s why I love creativity; it makes the ordinary important. It
makes everything you see a possibility. And when you have that inside
you (and I truly believe we all do in some form or another), it’s
like having the best stories and the best photographs with you all
the time.
In reference to the famous riddle on the three stages of the life of
man, dear Reader sees Keyvan come of age as a privileged child during
the Iran revolution, his escape to America where he attends Princeton
as Eric and falls in love with the man he tutors, and his
contemplation on his life in law and his marriage (to a woman) and
children. Montagu weaves Keyvan / Eric’s tale carefully throughout
the fall of the Shah, portraying the fears of the socially select,
following Keyvan and his mother as they ride horses under cover of
night over treacherous mountain paths, led by shady men of greed. In
a dream-like transition, Keyvan is now Eric in Princeton, continuing
his privileged life now as an Iranian-American student. Circling back
to the beginning, Eric expounds upon the decisions he’s made in his
life that have led him to this point where a chance encounter drops
him back into his past. Montagu’s writing swirls around the story
like fog, as though exposing relevant scenes, an intriguing stylistic
choice.
Tal Garmiza is an Israeli artist who creates in two different fields—writing poetry & dance. She started dancing when she was 4 and wrote her first poem when she was 9, and the world of creation feels like an extension of her ever since.
In
the past few months she is exploring new platforms in which she can
make her art more accessible to people, and one of them is ‘speaking’
her poems and recording them.
Loose translation: Some Space on a Blank Page Tal Garmiza
Tell
me about your writing and video process: schedule, environment,
equipment, software, inspirations, etc.
Oh,
it is hard to set a schedule for writing; if only it was that easy.
Sometimes you have 10 different ideas per day and in others none.
But, when you start publishing either written or recorded poems—and
you do need to have high quality poems to publish in fixed times—you
learn to search for ideas and poems in ways that inspire you: a word,
sentences that people say, thoughts that go through your mind, dance
(all kinds of sports are great for clear mind and creativity) or even
music you love.
I
will later on talk about my ‘theory’ of where you can ‘find’
poems, but the inspiration for me when I ‘speak out’ my poems
comes from the words of the poem. They tell me how the poem should be
read out, where to have a pause, where to be determined. Before the
video was created, it was a written poem with words, telling a unique
story of time and place, and of me.
Technically,
the very first thing you need to do in order to record is to get a
good video camera with a microphone and stand. It’s time to step
away from you cell phones—the result just won’t be good enough. I
can only advise you to film videos with a bright background around
you, standing up, in a place where the viewer can understand your
words, and always do a few shots because you never know which one
might be the magical one!
For
editing, every simple movie editing software could work, because you
need to remember that your goal is to get the message through and not
be a video photographer.
I
make sure that I film and publish one poem in Hebrew and one in
English per week.
Walk
me through your publishing process from written to spoken product,
and marketing that you do as the artist.
I publish in a few different platforms: I publish written poetry in Hebrew & English via Facebook and Instagram. These are two platforms in which I publish almost everything I write. When I choose poems for a poetry book (I published a first poetry book in Hebrew two years ago) and for open calls, I choose the ones I feel have a story that shines out from within them. When I record videos, I choose again, because now I must choose poems that make sense when you speak them out and publish on my Facebook page, Instagram and YouTube.
The technological world we live in today allows us to publish our creation in various accessible ways, which is great. Having said that—because you can find so many things online today, you need to make sure that your creation stands out, that you know your own voice, and that you have a professional product to give your audience, within understandable limitations of course.
If
you work with social media—decide on fixed days on which you
publish new things; apply for open calls; read your stuff on poetry
nights—do everything you can to make sure that your creations don’t
stay in the drawer; and if you can afford to fund this—consult with
social media experts and do some promotion. In the marketing
department, all of us artists need some help
Talk
about your support system online and IRL, especially your biggest
cheerleaders.
My
parents are by far the biggest supporters I have! They come to every
poetry event and every dance performance, and they never told me that
my dreams are too crazy, or that creating is a waste of time. After
every event they ask me: So what will you be presenting next? It’s
a huge drive to create.
My
friends are also amazing cheerleaders and you might be surprised, but
the cheerleaders will appear as you keep pushing forward your art,
believe in it and stand behind it. Remember that poetry touches very
sensitive human feelings, so some people will read and watch
everything and won’t say a thing; and some will come to you quietly
one day and will say: ‘I follow what you do and that last poem—I
felt it.’
How
does life influence your poetry and vice versa? Your presentation is
intense, riveting; how did you come to the decision to produce spoke
word poetry?
I
feel that poems already exist in the world. As a poet, what you need
to do before you write them, is to find them; and they wait inside
and outside and between people, in the moments between the moments,
on the way home, late at night, in the questions that are waiting to
be asked and between the lines. They are waiting to be revealed and
to be written. I can say that, weirdly enough, I write many of my
poems on the bus on the way to somewhere.
I
use a clean language, but with very accessible down to earth words,
and I feel that with time I came to realize that fewer words
sometimes say much more. Since my first language is Hebrew, it
definitely takes more effort in English, but I think it’s the same
in every language.
I
wanted people to start making the connection between my words and the
person standing behind it—I was ready. I wanted to reach more
people that might be in need of some poems and the need for someone
else to speak their emotions and their experiences for them. I knew
that this would be a good reach out to them. The right poem at the
right times makes you feel that somewhere out there there’s someone
who understands you. It’s happening to others as well.
I
believe that poetry should be spread out to people, because a poem in
a very few words contains so much of the human experience, that it
might just remind us things about ourselves and about the world that
we almost forgot.
Esme lives ballet, and completely immerses herself after her little
sister goes missing, becoming a professional ballerina. When her
older sister calls with an astonishing update, Esme returns to her
family to reconnect and start the healing process. Fields leads the
reader through the mine field that is a family after a child is
taken, focusing on the breakout child, the sister with talent in
dance, and the opportunities opening up to forge her success. “What
ifs” haunt Esme, and she feels isolated by her family’s
perspective of her. The writing flows gently through the tension and
the pain, coming to a screeching halt with the revelation that
changes everything. Fans of Liane Moriarty, Diane Chamberlain, and
Kerry Ann King will appreciate this novel and author.
The orange ones taste like caramel—shouted Pelokie. Everyone else groaned. Once again—exhorted Celosp—they taste the same, all of them, all colors, since they are always changing colors. Pelokie sloughed off to the subterna with a “Pfft.” The others continued gobbling down the miniature creatures running rampant. They found themselves choosing ones with any orange at all, just to make sure. After awhile, they looked at one another and shrugged en masse, returning to snacking on all colors. The creatures constantly went in and out of structures they’d built. Pelokie’s departure had the structures shaking and the creatures stumbling about haphazardly, so that everyone could simply lay out tongues and let the snacks fall on them. They sucked the creatures down swiftly. Muldosina blurped out a molten stream of montacid. Pardon me—she said, settling back into position, dribbles down all sides. Creatures increased their volume until the dribbles hit them. Then they stopped, which made them no longer fun to eat.
