Category: compassion

#ThrowbackThursday #Sculpture Showcases #Local #Community #Art

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Hard to believe it has been seven years since this installation! One of the most fulfilling public projects I’ve ever been a part of.  If you didn’t get to see when it was up, take a look at all the photos on the original post!

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New Date #Poetry Night Features #KyleLeach & Jen Decker– February 1st 2018 Rochester Public #Library

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The Rochester Public Library has graciously offered to host the February Writers Night. We will meet in the Community Room at 6PM on February 1st.  We’ll have a double-feature that evening, myself and the very talented Jen Decker. Each will have 30 minutes of the night. There will be an open mic to follow, but we need to put the room back in order and vacate no later than 8:15PM.
I’m so excited to be featuring again in a few weeks at Pat O’Brien’s Writers Night. Some of the pieces I plan to include are: “Blood,” “Stories,” “44-47,” “11 Minutes,” “Forbidden Words,” “Book Burning,” “Frozen,” “Our Orange Ozymandias,” “Change,” “Dissent is Patriotic,” “Lump,” “0-9,” “10-19,” “20-29,”and “30-43.” I’ll have others ready if we have time.

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#KyleLeach – #PatO’Brien #Poetry Night #Feature Canceled January 4th 2018

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Update 1/1/2018-PLEASE NOTE: ROCHESTER WRITERS NIGHT IS CANCELLED FOR THE MONTH OF JANUARY. OUR NEXT EVENING IS SCHEDULED FOR FEBRUARY 1ST. Mel’s will not be open January 4th. Pat O’Brien will be in touch via email, and I will post again, as needed, to remind everyone about my feature night.

 

I’m so excited to be featuring again in a few weeks at Pat O’Brien’s Writers Night. Some of the pieces I plan to include are: “Blood,” “Stories,” “44-47,” “11 Minutes,” “Forbidden Words,” “Book Burning,” “Frozen,” “Our Orange Ozymandias,” “Change,” “Dissent is Patriotic,” “Lump,” “0-9,” “10-19,” “20-29,”and “30-43.” I’ll have couple others ready if we have time.

Below you can see Pat’s intro for me and information about the event:

Hi everyone,
January’s Rochester Writers Night takes place Thursday, January 4th, at Mel Flanagan”s Irish Pub and Cafe at 50 North Main St. in Rochester NH.  Writers are invited to perform their original poetry, prose or music.  Sign-ups begin on site at 6 PM.  Our feature begins at 6:15, and then we take a short break, followed by the open mic portion of our program.  There is a five minute limit per participant, with extra rounds if time allows.  Mel provides a sound system, and complimentary cookies and coffee/tea for participants.  She also offers a full menu for those who would like heartier fare.  The evening is usually over by 8 PM, but a music session has been known to break out!
January’s feature poet is Kyle Leach.  Kyle has previously featured for Rochester Writers Night, and has also featured at the Rochester Public Library poetry event.  His work is thoughtful, provocative, and dramatic.  Drawing from personal experience and his social and political commitments, Kyle presents with fearless and sometimes raw emotion. He will pull you in, and challenge any apathy you may harbor.  His poetry ranges from tender to angry, from sweet to scathing, and always promises to be one of the best features of the year. 
This feature poet is not to be missed!  Please join us for a wonderful evening of writing.

#KyleLeach #Poetry #Feature #PatO’Brien Writers Night

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I’m so excited to be featuring again next week! This time I’ll be back at Pat O’Brien’s Writers Night. Some of the pieces I plan to include are: “Our Orange Ozymandias,” “Thankful,” “She Sits in the Wings,” “War Weary,” “Oracle,” “Goodbye,” and “Eating Away at Myself.” I’ll have couple others ready if we have time.

Below you can see Pat’s intro for me and information about the event. Continue reading “#KyleLeach #Poetry #Feature #PatO’Brien Writers Night” →

Book Review-The Happiness Tree: Celebrating the Gifts of Trees We Treasure

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Andrea Alban and artist Lisa Burnett Bossi

I was pleasantly surprised to be contacted by Andrea Alban, after she visited the Happiness Tree Decor site last year. She had been cyber searching her children’s book, The Happiness Tree, and had run across my site in the process. I had seen the book cover for her book many times, while doing searches for my own site rankings, so I was already aware that the book existed. Unfortunately, I had done a disservice to myself, by not looking more closely at what this little book holds inside. The old adage that you should not judge a book by the cover, or age category in this case, very much applies.
Luckily, Andrea sent me a copy of the book. I started to read it with my adoptive niece and nephew in mind, but ultimately the contents the book made me fall in love with it myself. The story is soulful and weaves a tale of community, stewardship, courage, and hope. The illustrations, by Lisa Burnett Bossi, give that spirit visual form with abundant prismatic flair and a subtle alchemy of organic movement and elemental pattern. The art is free and playful, but purposeful, with tremendous symbolic imagery packed into each page. 
In essence the story is about the wild web of life, but the true genius it holds comes from the exploration of how we are part of that web and how each of us has a part to play. Without being dictatorial or clinical, The Happiness Tree gives youngsters a template for being a good person throughout their lives, by showing them how they are the caretakers of of our future, how they are connected to that future through the natural world, all the cycles of life, and each other. Everything has a purpose, everything has a time.
I’ve held off doing this review until this very month for good reason. Spring is upon us. The cycle of life is to begin again. April is the one month of the year when the Earth, and all living things on it, are in the sights of our collective mind. Earth Day is eight days from now and National Arbor Day is the last Friday of this month. Most states in the union will celebrate their own Earth Days and Arbor Days before the end of April. If you are looking for a gift for child in you life, I’d pick up a copy of  Andrea Alban’s & Lisa Burnett Bossi’s  The Happiness Tree and plan to plant a tree with them.You couldn’t get a better gift for them or build a better memory. You can get the book at from your local independent bookstore, here, or from Amazon.com .