Special Events
Visionary Demands
For the October 2014 Austin Writers Roulette, “Visionary Ideas,” I imaged myself as the future global leader of the world. Not too far fetched, considering that most of the world’s population is female, brown-skinned and English-speaking (as a first, second or third language). There were ten changes that I wanted to see in the world. … Continue reading
Night of Interactive Installations
For my first stop, I experienced art through all of my senses, starting with smell. Given a small satchel to sniff, I immediately recognized the barbecue scent. Then the lights were raised and I saw how the the smell of barbecue had inspired the photographers. For the next sensual stimulus, I touched the items in a … Continue reading
Eat, Drink & Volunteer
One of our local, upscale grocery stores recently celebrated their 20th anniversary. This is the type of event I love to volunteer for. Not only that, but the icing on the 20th anniversary cake is that they really did not need outside volunteers. After their own in-house paid employee help, there were no gaps in the … Continue reading
Spoken Word for Insomniacs
During the first day of the 2014 Austin Feminists Poetry Festival, the rain poured down. Despite the inclement weather, I’d prepared 30 booklets for my “Spoken Word for Insomniacs” workshop just in case. I also took the opportunity to set up a stylish display of my book and Austin Writer Roulette business-card-sized fliers. The space … Continue reading
44th Birthday Celebration
My 44th birthday prequel started on Saturday with the Brazilian Day Austin celebration. I’d never been to the venue before, but knew I was in for a treat when my fellow capoeiristas mentioned “outside” and “barn.” Despite the tiny, well-lit stage, we played in the small loose gravel-covered ground, which gave our performance both an … Continue reading
Writing on the Air Interview
For my first radio interview ever, I was part of a four-artist panel. Three out of four of us where there because of our participation in the upcoming Austin Feminist Poetry Festival. The lone duck artist with the second best hair, only to my dreaded head, was a documentary filmmaker, searching for his birth mother. … Continue reading
Hamilton Pool
For an area in perpetual drought, the city of Austin and its surroundings have a surprising number of springs. When one of my friends invited me to visit Hamilton pool, she described it as a natural spring in a cave. Of course I was in! I did a little research just to make sure I could … Continue reading
Ignorance Slayer
This Saturday, I attended my hottest poetry event yet…started off as 90 degrees when I arrived and swelled to 95 by the time I left. Nonetheless at the base of Philosopher’s Rock and the entrance of Barton Springs…that 68-degree natural waters would’ve actually felt refreshing if I didn’t have another reading afterwards. I first explained … Continue reading
Blues Semi-Finalists
For a change of pace, I limped to a downtown blues place that hosted a music competition. I arrived early enough to order a burger that was half the size of my head, but I was so hungry, I ate it all before thinking, “Hmm, I should have taken a picture of it!” Adding to my … Continue reading
Ceramic Wine-Glassmaking
Whenever an event starts off with two goblet-sized wine glasses, I’d say I’m off to a wonderful start! The one made of glass had a delicious Californian blend, the other made of ceramics, was the creative challenge. Although you cannot tell from this picture, I spent an extraordinary amount of time sketching out my design … Continue reading