Dan Jorgensen's Blog, page 97

A Writer's Moment: 'The Most Important writing award'

A Writer's Moment: 'The Most Important writing award':   “One of the nice things about books as opposed to television and movies … is people really do get involved, and they do...

A Writer's Moment: 'Dealing with possibilities, present and future'

A Writer's Moment: 'Dealing with possibilities, present and future':   “The historical novelist has to consider what has actually happened, while the SF writer is dealing in possibilities, b...

'Dealing with possibilities, present and future'

 

“Thehistorical novelist has to consider what has actually happened, while the SFwriter is dealing in possibilities, but they are both in the business ofimagining a world unlike our own and yet connected to it.”– Pamela Sargent

Born on this date in 1948, Sargentis an American science fiction author and editor and winner of the prestigious NebulaAward.  She also has been presented The Pilgrim Award for Lifetime Achievement from The Science Fiction Research Association. 

 

Her best-known works are a series on the terraforming of Venus; theediting of various anthologies celebrating the contributions of women in thehistory of science fiction; and herexcellent Firebrands: The Heroines of Science Fiction and Fantasy(co-authored with Ron Miller) and the Womenof Wonder series.   

                                                                        

 Sargent has penned some 30novels and half-dozen story collections and collaborated on several novelsin the Star Trek series.  Her work isnoted for its connections between time periods. She said history is crucial to Sci Fi writing. “A feeling for history isalmost an essential for writing and appreciating good science fiction,” shesaid.  “(It’s crucial) for sensing theconnections between the past and future that run through our present.”

 

 “My grandfather allowed as how I might live long enough to see a Marslanding,” she said.   “I haven't, ofcourse, except in fiction, including my own, and strongly doubt that I everwill.”

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And the beat goes on

 

“Themature man lives quietly, does good privately, takes responsibility for hisactions, treats others with friendliness and courtesy, finds mischief boringand avoids it. Without the hidden conspiracy of goodwill, society would notendure an hour.” – Kenneth Rexroth 

 

Born on this date in 1905, Americanpoet, translator and critical essayist Rexroth laid the groundwork for whatwould become the 1950s beat movement. Dubbed the "Father of the Beats" by Time magazine, he was among the firstU.S. poets to explore styles like haiku. 

  

His poetry is marked by asensitivity to Asian writings from throughout history, an appreciation ofAncient Greek lyric poetry, and of the work of women poets.  He co-created a wonderful anthology ofChinese women poets, titled The Orchid Boat, and he worked tirelessly inhis last decade (he died in 1982) to promote the work of female poets inAmerica.

 

 Not sure what he Rexroth meant when he wrotethe following line, but thought it created an interesting point for discussion:  “Man thrives where angels would die ofecstasy, and where pigs would die of disgust.”

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A Writer's Moment: And the beat goes on

A Writer's Moment: And the beat goes on:   “The mature man lives quietly, does good privately, takes responsibility for his actions, treats others with friendliness and courtesy,...

"Everything's a potential scene; everyone a character'

 

“Idon'tenjoy doing a lotof research, preferring as a rule, to ‘make up my facts.’ That's why I writefiction. I firmly believe that if you want facts, you read non-fiction; youread fiction to discover the truth.” – Joy Fielding

 

Fielding, born in Toronto, Canada onthis date in 1945, said she knew early in her life that she wanted to be a writer,and to date she’s followed through big time. She is the author of 29 novels and 1 novella – many of them bestsellers –including the extraordinarily successful SeeJane Run and her 2022 book The Housekeeper.

    

Fielding said she loves writingbecause she feels like she’s in complete control.  And, she looks upon everything around her asa potential scene and everyone as a potential character.  While snippets of her ideas come frommagazine and newspaper articles, more often they are from things that happen toherself or someone she knows. 

 

 “I use whatever I can and nothing is sacred.Of course, nothing is exactly the way it is in real life. A writer borrows abit from here, there and everywhere, and adapts it to her own purpose.  (But) I find that the more of me I include,the more successful the book, the more readers can identify with.”

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A Writer's Moment: "Everything's a potential scene; everyone a charac...

A Writer's Moment: "Everything's a potential scene; everyone a charac...:   “I don't e njoy doing a lot of research, preferring as a rule, to ‘make up my facts.’ That's why I write fiction. I firmly bel...

A Writer's Moment: 'Poetry is a call to action'

A Writer's Moment: 'Poetry is a call to action':   “Poetry can tell us about what's going on in our lives - not only our personal but our social and political lives.”...

'Poetry is a call to action'

 

“Poetrycan tell us about what's going on in our lives - not only our personal but oursocial and political lives.” – Juan Felipe Herrera

The author of two dozen books,Herrera (born in 1948) is a poet, performer, writer, cartoonist, teacher and activist whoseexperiences as the child of migrant farmers has shaped much of his work.   His children's book Calling the Doveswon the Ezra Jack Keats Book Award and his poetry book Half the World inLight won the National Book Critics Circle Award.  In 2023 he was awarded The Frost Medal for Lifetime Achievement in American Poetry.

 

“Poetry is a call to action, and italso is action,”  he said.  For Saturday’s Poem, here is Herrera’s,

         Let Me Tell You What A PoemBrings 

Before you go further,
let me tell you what a poem brings,
first, you must know the secret, there is no poem
to speak of, it is a way to attain a life without boundaries,
yes, it is that easy, a poem, imagine me telling you this,
instead of going day by day against the razors, well,
the judgments, all the tick-tock bronze, a leather jacket
sizing you up, the fashion mall, for example, from
the outside you think you are being entertained,
when you enter, things change, you get caught by surprise,
your mouth goes sour, you get thirsty, your legs grow cold
standing still in the middle of a storm, a poem, of course,
is always open for business too, except, as you can see,
it isn't exactly business that pulls your spirit into
the alarming waters, there you can bathe, you can play,
you can even join in on the gossip—the mist, that is,
the mist becomes central to your existence.

 

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'Living in a story'

 

“Ithink the job of writing and literature is to encourage each one of us tobelieve that we're living in a story.” – Naomi Shihab Nye

 

Born in 1952, Nye is aself-designated "wandering poet," traveling the world to lead writingworkshops and conduct inspirational talks. She lives in San Antonio – where she earned a degree in EnglishLiterature at Trinity University. 

 

Her writing career, which includescontributing to or publishing some 30 books of poetry, several novels, and manystories for kids and young adults, began as a child growing up in St. Louis, whereher first poem was published at age 7.

 

Among Nye’s most notable works isthe YA novel Habibi, the story of a14-year-old girl and her Arab father and American mother who move from a homein St. Louis to live in Palestine, mirroring a time in her own life.    The semi-autobiographical piece, the titleof which means “beloved,” addresses a wide range of themes including change,family values, war, peace and love. Winner of multiple awards, the book was named by the American LibraryAssociation as one of the best books for Young Adults written in the 20thCentury. 

 

“Poetry calls us to pause,” Nyesaid.  “There is so much we overlook,while the abundance around us continues to shimmer, on its own.”

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