November Butterfly Launches in Occidental Today

We have been hard at work putting together a beautiful afternoon for you--if in Sonoma County, I hope you'll take the drive through the redwoods down along Bohemian Highway to the Occidental Center for the Arts (3850 Doris Murphy Way, corner of Bohemian Highway and Graton Road).

The doors open at 2:30 and the event runs from 3-5 p.m. and is free, though books and artwork will be for sale following the reading. Donations to the OCA are also accepted.

I will be reading poems from my first poetry collection, November Butterfly (Saddle Road Press, 2014) and screening movies we've made for poems in the Camelot section of the book, Mordred's Dream (originally published by Poetry Flash), Corridor, Thumbelina (originally published by the NonBinary Review / Zoetic Press and a finalist for Sundress Publication's Best of the Net Award in the category of poetry) and Amelia (awarded Juror’s Best of Show at the 2012 2D/3D visual poetry show held at the LH Horton Jr Gallery at San Joaquin Delta College).

Additionally, and in particular what adds a special dimension to the afternoon is that we will have artwork by Sonoma County Artists including Genevieve Barnhart (bronze sculptures), Loreen Barry (mixed media), Paul Beattie (ink print), Robyn Beattie (photography, including image of artwork by Christiane Vincent), Chris Boyd, Sandy Frank (ceramic sculpture--pictured here), Barbara Hoffmann (ceramics), Orion James (ceramics), Monty Monty (assemblage sculpture), and Ron Rodgers  (bronze sculpture).

November Butterfly was published in November of 2014 by Saddle Road Press.

(Cover photo by Robyn Beattie. Cover Design, Don Mitchell, Saddle Road Press.)

For more information: visit the full event description, with links to short radio interview, on my main website: November Butterfly Launches in Occidental. Here's the Sonoma Spotlight Radio Interview at KRCB with Roland Jacopetti.

Special thanks to the Occidental Center for the Arts: Suze Cohan, Judith Moorman, their volunteers, Lori O'Hara for helping today with books, Patrick Fanning on sound and Patrick Lizza, videographer.

Additional thanks due to Tracking Wonder's beautiful group of artists, and the work of Jeffrey Davis on #Livethequest.

March Events for November Butterfly

Author Signing, Coronado Public Library

I’ll be signing copies of my poetry collection, November Butterfly on Saturday, March 14^th from: 2-4 p.m. in the Winn Room of the Coronodo Public Library along with other local authors. I would love to see you there. 

Other writers you'll get to meet should you stop by include:

George Galdorisi, Leslie Crawford, Carl Luna, Jennifer Franks, Donald Hubbard, Raye Rinhgholz, Belinda Jones, Ted M. Nulty, Tamara Merrill, Jane Mitchell, Sue Crum, Cornelia Feye, Judy Eby, Alan Retzky.

Robyn Beattie, Guest Artist Exhibit in Sebastopol, "Get Pie-Eyed with Lauri Luck

Angel Bones by Robyn Beattie

at Dog House Studio"

My poetry movie collaborator Robyn Beattie is having an art show, hosted by Laurie Luck at Dog House Studio; if in Sebastopol for the weekend of March 14 and 15, stop in and see Robyn’s beautiful photographs. Visitors will be offered a piece of pie from 12-4 each day. Visit Robyn’s site: www.robynbeattie.com

Dog House Studio is located at 2371 Gravenstein Hwy. South, Sebastopol, CA 95472 (Turn at the Giant Yellow Duck and look for the “Lucky” sign).

Poetry, Poetry Movies, and Sonoma County Artists

Photo by Robyn Beattie

November Butterfly book launch will be hosted in Sonoma County by the Occidental Center for the Arts on Sunday, March 29 from 3-5 p.m. I'm very excited about this event which combines poetry reading, poetry movie screenings for Amelia, Corridor, Mordred's Dream, Thumbelina, and artwork. 

 On hand that afternoon we will have works of art featured in the four movies we will be screening by Sonoma County Artists Genevieve Barnhart, Loreen Barry, Paul Beattie, Robyn Beattie, Chris Boyd, Sandy Frank, Barbara Hoffmann, Orion James, Monty Monty, and Ron Rodgers. Sonoma County musicians Michael Greenberg, Lori O'Hara and Stephen Pryputniewicz provided the music behind the poetry movies. Stephen Pryputniewicz will be playing piano live for the event. 

New post up at Laundry Line Divine

At the invitation of Suzi Banks Baum, I wrote a post about the concept of The Village: Who Else Mothers When I am Here:

When the Mirror Daughter surfaces and the Empress fails to soothe, I turn to my tribe, in person, and online. Writing, collaborating, reaching out. Sorting through my poetry movie collaborator Robyn’s  beautiful images, searching for the ones that nail the day’s litany—today, Mirror Daughter, Water Mobius, twin Auburn Seed Pods, Girl Surfacing. Images and phrases merge in this healing mobius of collaboration, sometimes image first, sometimes words. Named, thus loved, brought into the open where they can be explored outside of the charged moments of living. My collaborators then, are also at the table while I mother.

Read the rest of Radiating Color: Mirror Daughters, Tarot Archetypes and Web Mothers.

Tarot for Two: Ace of Disks and Princess of Swords

Mary Allen and I continue to blog at Tarot for Two. This month's card of the month writings focus on the Ace of Disks and the Princess of Swords. 


Excerpt from Mary:

The Ace of Disks in the Thoth deck represents the wings of the Archangels, or at least that’s always how I describe it when I’m reading the cards for someone:  There are layers on layers of deep blue-green peacock-feather like wings, and there are some brown rings like the growth rings of bark in a tree, and at the center is a circle with two pentacles, one inside the other, inside it, and inside that are three little disks, which, I read somewhere recently, represent actual money, the angel’s wings and the bark representing layers and levels of spiritual growth and gifts. 

Excerpt from Tania:

I’m always drawn to the green light in the Princess of Swords. I was going to say that the green light shrouds her, but it doesn’t—she is green, thighs and arms and face lined gold due to the light emanating from behind rubble of dark clouds substantial enough apparently to brace her two slippered feet. Her sheer blue gown drapes off her thighs in swordfish pleats through which the green gold of her body permeates. Her helmet is the same dim blue as down-facing sword she holds in her right arm, having just finished a decisive swipe at the sky. The loose infinity loop of light could be something she wards off, or it could be the energy created by her act of protection.

Read the rest of Ace of Disks and Princess of Swords. 

Interview up at TCJWW

Jen Teeter-Moore was kind enough to post this interview about November Butterfly at The California Journal of Women Writers.

Upcoming Classes:

Classes are forming for my next Tarot and Writing Course offered online through Story Circle Network. Sign up here for Wheel of Archetypal Selves: Lovers to Strength.

Or join me in person at San Diego Writers, Ink for Intermediate Blogging.

Velvet Lives I Long To Try: Valentine's Day Posts

Photo by Robyn Beattie

Night’s obsidian!

Velvet lives I long to try,

One redwing blackbird.

Here’s a Heart Tree from Robyn (my title), and a Haiku I wrote in the Haiku Room for you…Happy Valentine’s Day. Other heartworthy news: Alessandra Bava translated Corridor, Sylvia (Part III) and Joan, 21 Century into Italian; read both versions of the three poems here at Patria Letteratura (poems published this fall in November Butterfly by Saddle Road Press).

And I’ve gathered a few prior Feral Mom posts on the subject of valentines:

Feral Valentines: Thomas, Nijinsky, Plath

On this anniversary of (Sylvia Plath’s) passing, Brain Pickings posted, The Quicksand of Existence: Sylvia Plath on Life, Death, Hope, and Happiness, pouring us once more through highlights of The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath (published back in September 2000), celebrating the whole, feral poet, with light of previously edited passages bringing Sylvia's passion and skill for hunting the moment down into focus. All is fair, as they say, in love and war: if you are going to love any girl, love all of her. Happy Belated Valentine’s Day. Read the rest of Feral Valentines here. (For more on Plath and an amazing Italian poet, see Alessandra Bava's post: Sylvia Plath and Amelia Roselli.) And for a bit of modern day Nijinksy, here's a link to a video of Sergei Polunin dancing to Hozier's Take me To Church in a beautiful sunlit studio (up at Elle).

Thresholds

Penina shares my sun, moon, and rising sign—our birthdays two days apart-- my “older sister”, 11 years my senior. The news of her father’s heart attack registered as a physical pain in my heart and I needed to make this for her. Her father: deep orange and red, poppies, monk, wise man, gentle. A beautiful, tall, strapping Samoan man with a large Samoan heart. He nurtured Penina, urged her to follow her heart and write. I intended to have many poppies, but instead, this is what came: a door, the spiral path to the heart. Read the rest of Thresholds here.

Notes from the Road: Footprints, Storefronts and Valentine Mimes

Envy

the mime his concentration

like the chased in a pair of lovers

lost to the now, so busy moving,

gloved hands ever edging the door,

or women their addictions of the moon,

marking their gardens with morning blood...Read rest of Notes from the Road here.

Sandy Frank

Winter Solstice Sculpture Poem:

Winter Solstice

Live long enough and you outlive

somewhere a lover, one you cast aside

or one you chased. One who didn't want you--

at least, not then--or one you cried to leave, but left.

No matter what the parting, there's a last meeting

in the eggplant black of dream...Read rest of Winter Solstice Sculpture Poem here.

Sculptures by Sandy Frank. A link to our other projects: Collaborations for Bread.

Sculpture by Sandy Frank

Additional News:

An Afternoon of Poetry and Poetry Movies:

I'll be in Sonoma County in March on November Butterfly book tour...I hope you'll join me for an afternoon of Poetry and Poetry movies featuring the work of Sonoma County Artists at The Occidental Center for the Arts Book Launch Series. Artwork featured in the movies will also be on display that afternoon. Free Admission. Refreshments sold. OCA is located at 3850 Doris Murphy Court, Bohemian Hwy at Graton Rd. For more info: see The Occidental Center for the Arts.

Upcoming Classes:

Wheel of Archetypal Selves: Lovers to Strength starts March 16 (in person)

I have had a beautiful time teaching Wheel of Archetypal Selves: Fool to Visionary the past month. Next class begins March 16 and runs through April 27: Wheel of Archetypal Selves: Lovers to Strength. We spend one week on each Major, writing our way into a deeper understanding of our lives as they relate to the archetypes. For an idea of the type of writing our classes elicit, here's a post by Marsha Rosenzweig Pincus, "Tarot or Not Tarot?" on her blog Her Own Terms: a post mid-life woman writing for her life. And for an understanding of how I approach the Tarot, check out Tarot for Two where I co-blog with Mary Allen.

Intermediate Blogging starts on April 7 (on-line)

This class picks up where our Beginning Blogging section leaves off, but all level of blogger is welcome to join us for ongoing blog support. We will cover growing blog network and connecting to one's tribe through social media and strengthening blogging habits. We also take a look at post titles and tags and vlogging (video blogging). We always create content while having fun brainstorming. Course is offered through San Diego Writers, Ink; sign up here.

Coronado Friends of the Library Author Event: 

and last but not least...a big thank you to my father; here's the November Butterfly write-up the Friends of the Coronado Library put together for a beautiful evening celebrating local authors last week. 

What inspired you to write your first piece:

My father tells me the day I was born he took me outside to hear the melting snow. I wrote my first poems to please him; they were haiku written on the Illinois prairie. 

Biggest influence: 

My father, a musician and piano tuner, is a perpetual punster (rutabaga, archipelago, Winnebago). He kept an Underwood typewriter on the table for us stocked with a fresh sheet of paper and all manner of art supplies ever at our disposal.