Bronwyn Mauldin's Blog, page 10
October 23, 2011
GuerrillaReads No. 51: Occupy Poetry!
I dropped by Occupy LA again today, this time with a few gallons of water and a copy of my book, The Streetwise Cycle, to donate. The guy at the library told me that poetry and plays are the most popular items getting checked out. Which is great news! That's definitely not what they're pushing at the big box corporate bookstores.
While I was there, the library organized a poetry reading. Some folks read works by famous poets, while others read or performed their own work. Two of them were kind enough to do guerrilla readings of their own poems on camera.
First up, Courtney Klink.
I thought these lines from her poem were particularly timely:
Liliana is singing a sparkling revolution
It's too bad no one's listening.
Next is Tina Xu:
My favorite lines:
I can't get by one day without wanting to burst
So teach me, will you,
Teach me to shine on like you.
GuerrillaReads would love to post more work from Occupy writers! Send us your video, or drop me a line.
Tagged: guerrilla, literature, Occupy LA, poetry, reading, spoken word, writing
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October 20, 2011
GuerrillaReads No. 50: Steven Paul Leiva
Live from the West Hollywood Book Fair, it's Steven Paul Leiva with a guerrilla reading from his first contact novel, Traveling in Space (Blüroof Press). Leiva is a writer and producer who knows more than just a little about Hollywood and Ray Bradbury.
Writing about writing in a recent blog post, Leiva said,
Good writers do not channel in from some higher plain, they are simply human creatures who have a talent for expression and a talent, as Noel Coward would have said, to amuse. Brilliant writers combine those talents with a talent to reveal truths—or, at least, very interesting questions—about the human condition.
More about Leiva on his blog and Facebook.
Tagged: author, first contact novels, guerrilla, literature, novel, reading, science fiction, Steven Paul Leiva, West Hollywood Book Fair, writing
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October 17, 2011
GuerrillaReads No. 49: L.M. Quinn
L.M. Quinn's short story, The Red Lipstick, appears in the Latino young adult mystery anthology You Don't Have a Clue. Kirkus Reviews said of the book,
Along with scary tales of murder, attempted murder and kidnapping, less violent crimes solved by young detectives include stolen auto parts, santitos (religious figurines) and costume jewelry—along with an encounter with possible ghosts and a vision of the enraged Aztec goddess Coyolxauhqui rising up over Venice Beach.
Quinn did a guerrilla reading from The Red Lipstick at the Tia Chucha's 6th Annual Celebrating Words Festival.
Tagged: author, Celebrating Words Festival, guerrilla, L.M. Quinn, lipstick, literature, mystery, reading, short story
October 16, 2011
GuerrillaReads No. 48: Cecil Castellucci at Occupy LA
Author Cecil Castellucci (aka @MissCecil) stopped by Occupy LA with GuerrillaReads yesterday and read from her young adult novel, Rose Sees Red. It's set in 1982, and in this scene, Rose and her friends stumble upon the largest demonstration against nuclear arms in American history.
Castellucci has written YA novels, graphic novels, short stories, an opera libretto and more. She once told Bookslut in an interview
I think that everybody can live creatively and I don't see any difference between say, math and ballet. I think someone can even make something traditionally not "arty," like being a business person, a kind of art form.
More about Castellucci on her website. You can also find her on Twitter and Facebook.
Tagged: author, Cecil Castellucci, guerrilla, literature, novel, nuclear arms race, Occupy LA, protest, writing, young adult [image error] [image error] [image error]
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GuerrillaReads No. 47: Bronwyn Mauldin at Occupy LA
We went down to Occupy LA yesterday to engage in some literary solidarity of the guerrilla sort. Here I am reading from my book, The Streetwise Cycle. It's a short story collection about one of the 99%, a homeless man living in Los Angeles. In this story, he meets an unemployed financial analyst on the verge of losing everything.
If you haven't yet, be sure to check out all these writers who have signed onto the Occupy Writers statement of support.
Music: The Streetwise Cycle, written and performed by Fascinoma.
Tagged: 99%, author, guerrilla, literature, Occupy LA, short story, unemployment, writing [image error] [image error]
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October 12, 2011
GuerrillaReads No. 46: Stephanie Hubbard
Stephanie Hubbard is an award-winning poet, screenwriter, memoirist and documentary filmmaker. Here she is doing a guerrilla reading from her newest book, Bluff Island Rescue Service.
Here's a brief intro to the book:
The year before she was born, Stephanie Hubbard's father – a Madison Avenue magazine writer – bought Bluff Island, an uninhabited forty acre island in the middle of the St. Lawrence River. Stephanie grew up on this island, a true believer in her father's idealized version of splendid isolation. But what began as a family adventure became a daughter's lifelong struggle….
Read more at the book's website or connect with it on Facebook.
Tagged: author, Bluff Island, guerrilla, literature, memoir, reading, West Hollywood Book Fair, writing
October 3, 2011
GuerrillaReads at the 2011 West Hollywood Book Fair
GuerrillaReads spent the day at the 10th Annual West Hollywood Book Fair yesterday, shooting videos of writers as they read in their native habitat. 14 new videos coming soon! In the meantime, here's a quick video summary of what we saw.
Also, check out these cool pics from WeHo!
Tagged: author, guerrilla, literature, reading, West Hollywood Book Fair, writing
October 1, 2011
GuerrillaReads No. 45: René Colato Laínez
René Colato Laínez is a writer and teacher. In this guerrilla reading he reads from his most recent work, the award-winning bilingual children's book, From North to South / Del norte al sur. Among the honors it has received are the 2011 International Latino Book Award for Best Bilingual Children's Picture Book and 2011 California Book Award Finalist.
Illustrations in North to South are by another guerrilla reader, Joe Cepeda.
In an interview with Paper Tigers, Colato talked about the challenge of becoming a professional writer and the importance of persistence and hard work:
It was definitely rocky and challenging, but all the rejection letters that I received did help me to craft my stories and make them better. I did not give up: I went to Vermont College and got a masters in "Writing for Children and Young Adults." I might not have had any of my books published if it weren't for those letters, in a way.
To see more of his books and learn more about the author, visit his website.
Tagged: author, border, Celebrating Words Festival, children's books, guerrilla, immigration, Latino, literature, reading, René Colato Laínez, writing
September 29, 2011
GuerrillaReads No. 44: Melinda Palacio
Guerrilla reader Melinda Palacio writes award-winning poetry and prose, and she's done journalism too. She says that her poetry training actually helps her as a novelist. In a recent interview, she said,
I went from writing journalism, reporting type of work, to getting deeper and deeper into language… Poetry has influenced how I write longer pieces, and each word does matter.
Here, Palacio reads from her new novel, Ocotillo Dreams.
More info on Palacio's website.
Tagged: author, Celebrating Words Festival, dream, guerrilla, literature, Melinda Palacio, novel, ocotillo, reading, writing
September 28, 2011
GuerrillaReads No. 43: Susan Orosco
Susan Orosco is a Certified Master Hypnotist who specializes in Latino Mind Reprogramming. As she explains,
I know it is frustrating to have big dreams and not know how to begin to accomplish them. You are taught since childhood to pursue traditional methods of success; like hard work, save, and invest. This is good advice but how do you get that kind of opportunity? How do you get money left over at the end of the month to save or invest? It seems all you can do is work hard! You find yourself in an endless cycle. You spin your wheels; dream some more and watch as everybody else is getting ahead.
In her book, Latino Power, Orosco offers seven ways Latinos can build a new mindset to help achieve your goals.
As Orosco says, "To find your purpose, you will always need your passion; and your passion will always need your persistence."
More about Orosco on her website.
Tagged: author, Celebrating Words Festival, guerrilla, Latino, Susan Orosco, writing
