The spooky fades into the beautiful
Ever wonder how you can incorporate writing into your life-- even if you are not a writer? As a reader, do you have a story to tell?
It seemed only apropos that three authors with supernatural themes in their books would meet at a quaint bookstore on the eve of the full (pink) moon.
Our event at Medina Books and Coffee in Coopersburg, Pa., last week was a big success for everyone. Combining three authors with three very different styles and themes made for an energetic conversation. The mini-talk at the beginning of the event encouraged everyone to consider why authors write about fear and potential monsters— and why people read about it/them.
Does it make us feel better about our lives?
Writers use the supernatural to explore dark topics, stretch reality and create their own physics and challenge human values, strengths and weaknesses. The group that assembled last week had a great discussion about these ideas. I made some of the discussion points into a slide show which I shared with paid subscribers at the end of this newsletter.
DID YOU KNOW…
For less than $2 an issue, you can support PARISIAN PHOENIX BOOKISH BABBLE as a paid subscriber. Benefits include: 1. Free chapters and excerpts of new books. 2. Curated lists and annotated reviews of podcasts, writing books, and bookstores. 3. Full, unlimited access to ALL of my slides from my writing workshops. PLUS unlimited access to the archives of all my posts.
April winds down with more free events
On Friday, April 18, Echo City Capers will be signing books at Barnes & Noble, Lehigh Valley Mall in the evening, followed by a day time book event at Barnes & Noble, Promenade Shops, Center Valley on Saturday, April 19. Last chance to get custom-signed children’s books for Easter baskets.
On Saturday, April 19 from 1 to 4 p.m., Dianna Sinovic will be at Barnes & Noble Southmont in Bethlehem Township to launch Scream of the Silent Sun. She was recently featured in an interview as part of the International Thriller Association’s Debut Author Program. Read the interview with Dianna here.
On Thursday, April 24, at 7 p.m., Larry Sceurman will tell the French-Canadian fish story, “String of Trout,” as part of EarthWoven: Stories of Connection, Creation, and Wonder, at Bethlehem’s Ice House with support from WDIY. Tickets are free. Donations accepted. Reserve your space here. (Nancy Scott and Darrell Parry will read some of their poetry that evening as well.)
From the event’s official materials:
The evening fare features master storytellers Ingrid Bohn, Jim Cyr, Robin Gow, Charles Kiernan, Denise McCormack, and Larry Sceurman, each known for their ability to bring narratives to life with depth and resonance, as well as favorite regional poets Darrell Parry, Nancy Scott, and Latrice Young whose poetry embodies the participatory power of spoken word, each sharing selections of verse inspired by the EarthWoven theme.
On Friday, April 25, downtown Easton’s Book and Puppet Company and Noble Quills host PoetPalooza 3 from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. Several poets will feature. There will be prompts and little workshops and Parisian Phoenix will be on site to answer any questions about book publishing.
On Saturday, April 26, Thurston Gill is offering a free emergency preparedness seminar at Kutztown University. Please see Thurston’s Phulasso Living newsletter for more details. Click here for more information.
Writing Advice of the Week
And for all the writers out there wondering how to develop a writing “habit” or how to establish discipline and/or a consistent writing practice, you might want to read the essay E.H. Jacob wrote for Hippocampus Magazine. Read the essay on Hippocampus here.
He’ll give you his strategies of how he writes even when he’s busy.
For a taste, see this excerpt:
When I’m working on a piece, I have dialogues and character interactions going on in my head all the time — sometimes background, sometimes foreground, but always there. It’s like my brain is split between two parallel worlds that co-exist in the same space and time. So, I would always have my computer open on my desk, and if I had just ten, or even five, minutes between patients or phone calls, I would quickly empty as much as I could of what was in that literary part of my brain into a document on my computer, to be continued, refined, revised or discarded later.
And for those of you lingering in the in-between space, knowing you have a story to tell but unsure if you are “writer enough” to tell it or thinking that you don’t have the skills— mark your calendars for Saturday May 31. Larry Sceurman and I will deliver a interactive talk on Storytelling as a First Draft, where Larry will encourage you to develop your story (whether for entertainment or to preserve a family legacy or share a personal lesson) and hopefully I can scare away any fear of grammar or other technical issues that keep people from putting pen to paper. That will be at 10:30 a.m. at Hellertown Area Library, 409 Constitution Ave., Hellertown, Pa.
Keep reading and support your favorite authors and small businesses.
As always—
Angel
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Parisian Phoenix Bookish Babble to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.