A lot goes into the making of a book–never mind the actual writing and editing. Design, flap copy, blurbs and then the dreaded author photo must be done, too. My friend Cara & I are in the end-stages of getting our new Robot Hearts anthology out, so we spent most of yesterday in drag-queen-like make-up under hot lights, trying to ‘act natural.’ I think both of us would have rather been writing.
28
Feb
10
Judging a book by its back cover
17
Feb
10
DC photography
Just checking out a local photographer friend’s new blog. Her ‘Happy Accidents’ name is really accurate for the whimsical work she produces. Teri & I met on assignment through Swindle Magazine but turned out we have a million friends in common. Whether shooting real life ghostbusters or iconic filmmakers (yes, she shot that pic of me & John Waters) or my annual Xmas card, we always have a good laugh. Welcome to the blogosphere, Teri!
10
Feb
10
Here Now
It’s funny how a natural phenomenon makes us get primal. There is something comforting to me about knowing that food, warmth, and safety are the main directives on everyone in my region’s minds right now; we do not usually have this solidarity of human-ness. Congresspeople and kids living in the projects, peace activists and construction workers—everyone in the DC is forced to slow down (if not completely come to a halt) when nature waves her magic wand in this way. She has the power to do this—the power to force us to rest (which many people seem to not like). The snow will melt and the cherry blossoms will be here in two months, and before we know it we’ll all be bitching about the humidity of summer heaped upon us. But we know the cycle. Why complain? Right now, I’m just pretending we live on Hoth.
08
Feb
10
Snowmania!!!
School’s canceled and I’ve been trapped indoors for a few days, due to the “Blizzard of 2010.” It’s been good for my writing, though; I’ve been forced to finish a few projects (a book proposal, a tv reality show treatment, and some editing). Plus last night’s walk to the grocery store was a little like walking through Narnia.
29
Jan
10
McRad
Two blasts from the past last night—old friend Chuck Treece played with his band McRad at DC9; the event was a screening of a trailer for a documentary about HR, singer of the legendary Bad Brains. I first met Chuck when McRad played a skate contest we held in St. Mary’s County, Maryland in the 80s. Later I booked him (in McRad and Underdog) at the Safari Club in DC and always tried to see him in all of his musical endeavors (Disposable Heroes of Hiphopracy, the Goats, Consolidated, etc.) I interviewed HR two years ago for Swindle Magazine’s icons issue. He seemed out-of-it at that time but was more lucid last night. It was a genuine honor to be in the presence of such great talents. The movie looked good, HR’s reggae set was short and sweet, and Chuck rocked the guitar like no other, as usual. Supporting yourself as an artist is not for the weak-of-heart or stomach, and I admire people who never give up their dreams. Last night provided a good dose of inspiration for me.
13
Jan
10
Searching for the Light…
Today there’s a funeral for Joe Graziano, bass player of NYHC band, Supertouch. I booked Supertouch a few times in the 80s at the Safari Club in Washington, DC. I did not personally know Joe, but 1)know the devastation that suicide leaves behind, having lost a few friends this way and 2)feel the sadness rippling through the hardcore community. I feel for those closest to him. Confusion, anger, guilt and pain all surface when someone exits this way–and words are never enough.
As a kid I thought music could heal everything. We were weirdos and misfits but we had each other. Depression is a silent killer that moves among people of all careers and all walks of life. Suicide is the worst. We’ve lost too many over the years. We are not immune. I can only hope our collective loss brings us closer together.
07
Jan
10
Grafitti I Like: I’m Sorry
Bethesda parking garage.
Just posted this over on the SheWrites blog, in answer to founder Deborah Siegel’s call to writers asking, ‘what did you learn about writing last year?’ Thought I’d re-post here, too.
Teaching improves my writing. Between teaching English Comp courses at a local community college and teaching memoir online, I didn’t have as much dedicated writing-time as I’d hoped for, but when my fingers and brain did find the page, all those hours of editing other peoples’ work brought a certain focused consciousness to my own.
Writing does not have to be solitary act. For the first time in my life, I’m writing with a partner, which I never thought was possible—and having a blast!
Writers need support. I knew this, but came to the painful realization once again after relocating 3 times in 2009, far away from a great arts community in North Carolina and the beautiful literary circles I enjoyed in Los Angeles. I need a physical community. Inspired by this, I have plans for starting a writers’ salon in DC, too. (Still scouting locations! DC people, holla!)
Facebook is my friend. Online social networks have allowed me to share my work with far-away friends, offer support to fellow writers, and to do informal polls with a wide range of people when researching articles.
Don’t believe the hype. Not every form of technology works for everyone. I’ve found I am not a good blog-everyday-type-of-blogger, and I deleted my Twitter account because the whole thing felt like an incestuous waste of time. More pages, less updates for me this year.
05
Jan
10
On Walking
The Danes have a saying: ‘There’s no such thing as bad weather– only bad preparation.’ I have become a weather wimp after living in Los Angeles for 9 years and in coastal NC for 4. I have always enjoyed a good walk, but my resolution this year is to take a decent walk every day, no matter the weather conditions. As a hermit-y writer, it’s sometimes hard to get my butt outside, but this year I am doing so every day, inspired by the Danes. As Thoreau writes in On Walking, “My desire for knowledge is intermittent; my desire to bathe my head in atmospheres unknown to my feet is perennial and constant.” I like to think of these walks as mini-vacations. There is always something new to discover. Here are two snapshots from yesterday’s brisk stroll around my neighborhood (in 26 degrees, by the way!) I just got a kick out of the black Santa and the Buddhist prayer flags living side-by-side. It is things like this, not the waving of American flags and the thumping of our chests, which make me patriotic.
21
Dec
09
Scream reunion show
In general, I am against band reunion shows (though I admit to going to a few of them). It’s like a relationship—there must be a reason you broke up in the first place, so why beat a dead horse? Last night I went to see Scream, a harDCore band I’d seen many times in the 80s, and I’ve gotta say—it was awesome! Part of the excitement was the music. I surprised myself with all of the lyrics I remembered. But much of the night’s happiness, for me, was seeing old faces in the crowd and reconnecting with people. Before Facebook, before the Internet, before Twitter, the only way for me to see many of the people I shared this love of punk music with was to just show up at a show. There were faces I’d see over and over again, people that I never even talked to but who felt like family just because I always knew they’d be there. We’d acknowledge one another with a nod or a smile. There was a real sense of community. With moving and age and career pursuits and venue closings my horizons have expanded, but I’d also forgotten that feeling of instant familiarity. Last night, it came back. I was a part of this scene and it was a part of me. It nurtured the writer and the rebel in me. For the first time in a year since moving back to DC, I felt like this was my home. Hello, again, old friends. And thanks.
