North Shore pictures

These are my favorite pictures I took from my North Shore vacation:

The Summer of Fun

I've labeled this summer "The Summer of Fun." Not too original, I know, but it suffices. I was trapped in the house all winter, both by snow and by work. In the summer, I purposely back off on work to catch my breath and to have time for things I normally don't have time for. So far, here's my little list of "new" things I've done this summer:

1. Bought a Canon Digital Rebel XT. Lots of manual settings to enhance creativity. I'm having a blast with it and slowly learning what it takes to create a good picture.
2. Went to the stock-car races in Arlington, MN. Just had to see what all the fuss was about. I'll probably go back.
3. Bicycling like a maniac. After years of running, I'm a little bored. In July I was able to put on 90-100 miles a week on the bike. This week, I'm getting an actual road bike and I'm looking forward to even more mileage.
4. Reading Harry Potter for the first time. Not like I'm opposed to the guy, but I tend to shy away from things that are all the rage. Besides, the heft of the later books intimidated me. I'm almost done with "Sorcerer's Stone" and I'm liking it a lot. It feels good to read fiction because I rarely do.
5. Had a Web site created. But of course you know that if you're reading this blog.

If I think of more things, I'll keep posting.

Back from the North Shore

I just returned from a wonderful couple of days on Minnesota's gorgeous North Shore of Lake Superior. I could go back there again and again and never get bored. I love everything about it: the pines, the massive lake, the cool breeze and fog that rolls off the lake. If I had a money tree, I would move there instantly.

I bought a few books (like I need more books!) but I wanted to support the independent booksellers in Duluth and Grand Marais. Besides, it seemed wholly appropriate to buy "North Woods" type of books and read them while relaxing on the shore. So I bought books by Sigurd Olson, Paul Gruchow, and one of Jim Brandenburg's photo books. Now that I've gotten more into photography, I find myself looking at professional photos in a new light. I wonder where the photographer was when he/she took the picture, what type of lens was used, what shutter speed was used, etc. Then I think, "I'll have to try that." Except with Brandenburg. It's like I could not even come close to doing what he does -- he's in another league, another galaxy, far, far away from me and my abilities! His photos to me will remain beautiful eye candy.

I took more than 200 pictures up there. I found about 40 that are worth tinkering with. I'll post a couple on here.

Bellingham Review

I received my Spring 2007 issue of Bellingham Review, the one in which my essay appears. I'm pretty excited to be included in this issue. I was notified of its acceptance in May 2006; wow, this publishing world is slow! I better get used to it!

Here's a link to the journal:

http://www.ac.wwu.edu/~bhreview/index.htm

Book delivery

This shipment was delivered to me today:

These are the books I wrote for Creative Company last fall: The Slave Trade, the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, Gladiators, Knights, Samurai, and Pirates. Finally, my name on a book!

Good news!

I got a call from the program director at The Loft today letting me know I'm one of four participants chosen for the Mentorship Series in nonfiction. I'll be working with Barrie Jean Borich, who wrote the memoir, "My Lesbian Husband." I read it a few years ago; it's a compelling story.

I really stressed in my essay that I want to use the mentorship to work on revising the entire manuscript. The mentorship lasts the academic year, so I hope it will result in a good end product.

It's funny, too, because the past few days I've really been wishing for some good news. I've been putting so much out there -- book excerpts, grant applications, cover letters/resumes for more children's nonfiction work -- and not hearing anything back. It's like I just wanted some outside validation, and I guess I got it!

Weekly Reader Thursday, July 12

My guests this week on the Weekly Reader are John Gaterud, his daughter Abbey, and contributors to Blueroad, a new literary journal/book in southern Minnesota. Tune in if you want to learn more about the publication and hear some of the writing contained within.

The show airs 10:30 a.m. Thursday, July 12, on 89.7 FM in the Mankato area, or on the Internet at www.kmsu.org.

Blueroad Reader publicity

The Mankato Free Press ran an article on July 8 about John Gaterud's new literary journal venture, Blueroad. This is one quality publication, and I'm not just staying that because I'm in the inaugural issue! I've known John for more than a decade and you will not find a more committed person to the craft of writing. He knows how to visually present creative work.

http://www.mnsu.edu/news/read.php?id=1183990823

Check out Blueroad's Web site: http://www.blueroadpress.com/

Free Press opinion piece

On Sunday, July 8, The Mankato Free Press published an opinion piece I wrote about the economic value of arts in our communities. I felt it was my duty as a Prairie Lakes Regional Arts Center board representative to get the word out about the monetary value of art.

You can view the piece here:

http://www.mankatofreepress.com/letters/local_story_189004842.html

Don't let the gigantic head shot of me scare you away! That picture is about five years old, back from the days when I used to work at the paper.

A neutral mail day

Received writing-related mail on Thursday -- while no one was exactly raving over me or my work, they weren't shooting me down, either.

I've sent out several packets over the last week to various children's nonfiction publishers, asking to be considered for possible freelance work. I include a self-addressed stamped postcard with a few choices -- "Yes, I'm interested, call me; no, I'm not interested in hiring at this time; I'll keep your information on file for future assignments." I got a card back yesterday with the latter one marked. Now hopefully I'll actually be called! I've really enjoyed every one of the 12 nonfiction kids' books I've worked on in the past 18 months; I'd love to do more of that work.

I also got a short essay returned yesterday. I had submitted it to a contest earlier this year. There was a handwritten note on the top -- "Please consider submitting this to the memoir contest we're having next year." It's nice to get that type of encouragement, even if the first submission didn't work out.

I don't have a good track record this year on contest/journal submissions. Last spring, I submitted twice and batted .500. Beginner's luck, I suppose. But if the pieces I'm sending out this year aren't hitting anywhere, that's a sign that something isn't working and I need to take a closer look at how they're written.

Great book to read before July 4th holiday

I bought "Where Valor Rests," a photo book about Arlington National Cemetery, a couple of weeks ago. I didn't have time to page through it until this past weekend. I'm glad I read it right before the July 4th holiday, as it got me thinking about our country, those who choose to engage in combat, and those who die doing so.

As a budding photographer, I found the photos in this book to be incredible. There were a variety of shots, and even some infrared photos. I plan to experiment with infrared photography later this summer.

Many of the pictures brought tears to my eyes, especially shots of family members during graveside services.