Uvi Poznansky's Blog, page 265
September 6, 2012
The Family Dynamic
Father and Grandfather, Green Beret Operation & Intelligence NCO in Vietnam War, Bronze Star recipient for Meritorious Achievement, BS Degree from Bentley College (University now,) minor in English, president PDE, Honorary Journalism Society, editor-in-chief of Yearbook, twenty five years in the Caribbean Hospitality Industry--these are just some of the accomplishments of Roy Murry. He is the author of The Audubon Caper: Untold Story of the Theft of an American Treasure. So I am truly honored that he chose to read my book and placed this review of it on his blog.
"The family dynamic has been written about since the beginning of time: the Biblical story of Joseph, Macbeth, and in the 1930s, William Faulkner’s The Sound and The Fury. Like Faulkner, Ms. Poznansky uses more than one person to tell the story of “Apart From Love.” Faulkner used four. Ms. Poznansky uses two: Ben and Anita. Their voices are orchestrated close to perfection in a loving way.
Each chapter is told by one or the other, explaining their understanding of the events which leads to conflict within the family circle: Ben’s father and Anita’s twice her age husband, Lenny; Lenny’s first wife and Ben’s mother, Natasha; Anita’s mom; and three aunts round out the family Kaminsky.
Interwoven into the main character’s discourses are the normal family emotions: greed, sex, hatred, control, loneliness, procreation, legacy, and everything you may think of “Apart From Love.” No one ever uses the love word as in the phrase “I love you.”
Anita and Ben are young and are thinking about each other. Lenny is old and is thinking about Natasha and what could have been had she not gone into a vegetable state. Lenny is recording his fictional novel as to what he believes is happening between his son and second wife. The novel turns out to be his memoir.
There are family mishaps, joyous times, secrets, and torments. Each narrator fullfills their duty by translating their opinion of the events based on their background: Ben, a worldly educated one and Anita with her street smarts’ schooling. They each speak a different language, although are of the same generation. The reader will enjoy their terminologies.
Ms. Poznansky pulls off a well written story of dependency. Every one of the characters are dependent on one another and are looking for support right up to the end of this skillfully developed novel. A very good read if you’re looking for something Apart From Love.”
In addition, here are his questions, my answers in the interview he posted here.
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"The family dynamic has been written about since the beginning of time: the Biblical story of Joseph, Macbeth, and in the 1930s, William Faulkner’s The Sound and The Fury. Like Faulkner, Ms. Poznansky uses more than one person to tell the story of “Apart From Love.” Faulkner used four. Ms. Poznansky uses two: Ben and Anita. Their voices are orchestrated close to perfection in a loving way.
Each chapter is told by one or the other, explaining their understanding of the events which leads to conflict within the family circle: Ben’s father and Anita’s twice her age husband, Lenny; Lenny’s first wife and Ben’s mother, Natasha; Anita’s mom; and three aunts round out the family Kaminsky.
Interwoven into the main character’s discourses are the normal family emotions: greed, sex, hatred, control, loneliness, procreation, legacy, and everything you may think of “Apart From Love.” No one ever uses the love word as in the phrase “I love you.”
Anita and Ben are young and are thinking about each other. Lenny is old and is thinking about Natasha and what could have been had she not gone into a vegetable state. Lenny is recording his fictional novel as to what he believes is happening between his son and second wife. The novel turns out to be his memoir.
There are family mishaps, joyous times, secrets, and torments. Each narrator fullfills their duty by translating their opinion of the events based on their background: Ben, a worldly educated one and Anita with her street smarts’ schooling. They each speak a different language, although are of the same generation. The reader will enjoy their terminologies.
Ms. Poznansky pulls off a well written story of dependency. Every one of the characters are dependent on one another and are looking for support right up to the end of this skillfully developed novel. A very good read if you’re looking for something Apart From Love.”
In addition, here are his questions, my answers in the interview he posted here.
[image error]
Like, Tweet and Chirp
You are my ambassadors; so wherever you are
Please carry my message, near and far
Let the ripple spread north and south
'Cause all I can hope for is your word-of-mouth
So if you you come here--if you find what you like
Please take your finger out the hole in the dike
Let the flood happen, let me float home
Like, tweet and chirp, from LA to Rome
From Tel Aviv to San Diego, from Sydney to Delhi
Don't hesitate, dear friends: go ahead, share me!
September 5, 2012
The Easiest Demise
Written by Zeev Kachel
Translated by Uvi Poznansky
Oh Wind, where will you carry meToward what fate, what shore, what bay?Will I be dropped to an open seaOr else become an eagle’s prey?
For what is death? I can’t tellHow beastly, really, might it be?They say that Death will never fellA young-old person such as me.
And so, who knows? I have no answerNo need to trust all those deceits,Lift me slowly, oh Wind, oh motherOr I’ll take cover under sheets
Perhaps it’s better to seek protectionAcross the ocean, in a distant town?I have a passport, a professionCan apply some makeup like a clown
On the other hand, to live foreverIs not so good and not preferred,And it’s not written in any charterWhat in my life still lies ahead
All my acquaintances have long expiredFor me, I think, it is a sin,To be the last one is undesiredI do not wish to lose my kin
So if to die, then with no hagglingI choose the easiest demise,A prayer, “God is full of pity”A headstone for a modest price
With a rotating slab of granite!A splendid cantor, a deep voice too,The two trees, I say, cut down, just cutAnd let them not obscure my view.
Here’s how I wish to be interred:No eulogy at the graveside plot, Not nude; but with a flag, thus coveredAnd never mind the proper spot
Across a stunning slab of graniteMy name inscribed in golden lettersAs is my poem, and my portraitA funeral procession during stormy hoursThe largest crowd with scores of carsPretty women sob in abundant griefWiping their nose with a handkerchief.
Obituaries in the newspaperSome large, some small, both bold and dainty,And that is all. And with no torture.For now just bring me a cup of tea.
I published this poem earlier this year as part of a collection of a Hebrew poetry written be my father (if you can read Hebrew, click the rope image to 'Look Inside'.) Since then I translated all the poems in this collection to English. This labor of love, together with my own poems and prose, will soon be published in the book, Home.
Translated by Uvi Poznansky
Oh Wind, where will you carry meToward what fate, what shore, what bay?Will I be dropped to an open seaOr else become an eagle’s prey?
For what is death? I can’t tellHow beastly, really, might it be?They say that Death will never fellA young-old person such as me.
And so, who knows? I have no answerNo need to trust all those deceits,Lift me slowly, oh Wind, oh motherOr I’ll take cover under sheets
Perhaps it’s better to seek protectionAcross the ocean, in a distant town?I have a passport, a professionCan apply some makeup like a clown
On the other hand, to live foreverIs not so good and not preferred,And it’s not written in any charterWhat in my life still lies ahead
All my acquaintances have long expiredFor me, I think, it is a sin,To be the last one is undesiredI do not wish to lose my kin
So if to die, then with no hagglingI choose the easiest demise,A prayer, “God is full of pity”A headstone for a modest price
With a rotating slab of granite!A splendid cantor, a deep voice too,The two trees, I say, cut down, just cutAnd let them not obscure my view.
Here’s how I wish to be interred:No eulogy at the graveside plot, Not nude; but with a flag, thus coveredAnd never mind the proper spot
Across a stunning slab of graniteMy name inscribed in golden lettersAs is my poem, and my portraitA funeral procession during stormy hoursThe largest crowd with scores of carsPretty women sob in abundant griefWiping their nose with a handkerchief.
Obituaries in the newspaperSome large, some small, both bold and dainty,And that is all. And with no torture.For now just bring me a cup of tea.
I published this poem earlier this year as part of a collection of a Hebrew poetry written be my father (if you can read Hebrew, click the rope image to 'Look Inside'.) Since then I translated all the poems in this collection to English. This labor of love, together with my own poems and prose, will soon be published in the book, Home.
Home through a Different Lens
A month ago I posted my painting, My Father's Armchair; it described my childhood home from an angle I had discovered during the mourning period. This time I want to show you the same space from a different angle, and through a different lens; my father's.
When he retired from his job as a principal safety engineer at Israel's Electric Company, he could focus with renewed energy on the activities upon which he thrived: poetry and art. So here is his painting, called Home:
There are three things which I find particularly interesting about this painting. The first one is the somewhat awkward perspective. He drafted the lines in a manner that makes them converge not in the distance--the way they normally do. Rather, the lines converge at a point below the painting, perhaps at the heart of the observer. Done this way, the entire scene seems to be placed at a higher plane, as if you look up at the memory of home.
The second thing which is interesting to me, is the fact that the space is divided. On the right side is my childhood home, complete with the painting hanging over the red sofa, the small rug underneath, and the gorgeous design, carefully detailed, of the persian rug that adorned the floor. But then, on the right side, the shelves disappeared from view, the wall melted away to show the vision of an entirely different space: my father's childhood home! He remembered the red-brick fireplace, the warmth given off by the fire, and his mother's hand, rocking the cradle.
The third thing to note is the creatures incorporated into his world view. The moon shines upon the scene with great pity and compassion, but next to it is a dark, evil presence blowing cold steam upon the home. And through the window, a hungry wolf is peeking in from the dark. The wolf symbolizes the dangers awaiting this baby when he grows up and goes out into the world. At the same time, the wolf is the name-sake of my father, Zeev Kachel, which literally means Blue Wolf. By painting this creature, my father says that he is, at the core, a danger to himself...
Our poetry, titled Home, will be published in a month! Both editions--paperback and ebook--will have the cover described here.
When he retired from his job as a principal safety engineer at Israel's Electric Company, he could focus with renewed energy on the activities upon which he thrived: poetry and art. So here is his painting, called Home:
There are three things which I find particularly interesting about this painting. The first one is the somewhat awkward perspective. He drafted the lines in a manner that makes them converge not in the distance--the way they normally do. Rather, the lines converge at a point below the painting, perhaps at the heart of the observer. Done this way, the entire scene seems to be placed at a higher plane, as if you look up at the memory of home.
The second thing which is interesting to me, is the fact that the space is divided. On the right side is my childhood home, complete with the painting hanging over the red sofa, the small rug underneath, and the gorgeous design, carefully detailed, of the persian rug that adorned the floor. But then, on the right side, the shelves disappeared from view, the wall melted away to show the vision of an entirely different space: my father's childhood home! He remembered the red-brick fireplace, the warmth given off by the fire, and his mother's hand, rocking the cradle.
The third thing to note is the creatures incorporated into his world view. The moon shines upon the scene with great pity and compassion, but next to it is a dark, evil presence blowing cold steam upon the home. And through the window, a hungry wolf is peeking in from the dark. The wolf symbolizes the dangers awaiting this baby when he grows up and goes out into the world. At the same time, the wolf is the name-sake of my father, Zeev Kachel, which literally means Blue Wolf. By painting this creature, my father says that he is, at the core, a danger to himself...
Our poetry, titled Home, will be published in a month! Both editions--paperback and ebook--will have the cover described here.
September 4, 2012
I Don't just Make Stuff Up
"I don’t just make stuff up. I imagine new worlds and the people within them. And then quietly and with a curious eye, I spy on them to see what they will do next," says Van Heerling, the author of Malaika and Dreams of Eli. I had a lot of fun when interviewed on his blog, because his questions are different--as you will find out.
To read more, click here.
September 3, 2012
A Race to the Finish Line
Are you a competitor? During a race, are you reaching out for the target with all your being? If you are, we are alike, so here's a glimpse of the finish line, and of how I feel when I fall short of my target.
Last time I promoted the Kindle edition of Apart From Love, the book has reached its place among the top 100 on Amazon Bestseller Rank list for free books. In fact, it reached #85 on that list, which to me seems nothing less than amazing! Or perhaps, it was beginners luck... In addition, the book was ranked #6 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Fiction > Contemporary Fiction. So I was hoping that this time around, it would reach even higher.
I scheduled to promote the book at the end of summer, during Labor Day weekend, which is close to the Jewish new year and the beginning of school year; a time of change and reflection, a time to read. I built an entire campaign around this idea. I let a number of sites that advertise this kind of promotion know the date range. Also, I made change to the categories of my book on Amazon, a change that proved a costly mistake, which I am in the process of correcting.
As you can see from the chart (produced by Amazon, my book moved from a rank of #85 several weeks ago, down to a rank of #344 by the beginning of the second day of promotion. However, the book reached #2 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Fiction > Drama > United States, which gave me hope. Then, by the end of the day, around midnight, it reach #371. I told myself that tomorrow I will reach out to more readers any way I can. I said to myself that last time, it was the last day of promotion that catapulted my book into the top hundred. Therefore, the last day would be the charm... Sales would simply create a ripple, a ripple that would widen in time.
And then--then, unfortunately, the free fall happened...
You can see it in the chart: the line just dropped! I asked myself, what happened? have I saturated the airwaves, so that my efforts the previous hours might have ticked everybody off? Even so, that would not have explained such a sharp, drastic change in the curve. And I could see that readers and fans on various social networks engaged vigorously in conversation, tweeting, liking, exchanging notes with me and sharing my posts.
No, something else was happening. The only other idea that came to mind was that some of the sites that advertise promotion stopped carrying my message, a few hours prematurely. I went to each one of them and indeed, I could not find a word about my book. It was the last day of the promotion, the last hours, and I had no support. It was too late to try to fix the problem. Sales fell off a cliff, and as you can imagine, so did my mood.
I went out that evening, as I always do, for a walk around the neighborhood, which cleared my mind. Coming back home I felt driven, for the sake of my book, and redoubled my efforts in all groups, all social networks. If I'm about to go down, let me go down in smoke! By now I could sense how some friends, living on the east coast, drop off the conversation, because it was way past midnight their time; other friends, living on far-away continents on the other side of the globe, started coming into it.
And somehow, the curve swung up, quite decidedly, during these hours (see the last segment of it, in red.) Having gone through a three-day race, it was now a sprint to the finish line. Perhaps it was my grit; but more realistically, I think it was you! You who shared my posts on your personal pages, spreading my word to your friends. You who left encouraging comments on my posts. You who helped tweet my little chirps.
So finally at 1:00am, as the promotion expired, this is how the finish line looked on the Amazon Best Sellers Rank list. The book reached #528 Free in Kindle Store. This is a respectable rank, though not the target I was aiming for originally. But despite it all, I feel so elated for having turned things around, and so grateful to you, for helping my novel Apart From Love pull through.
The book reached #3 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Fiction > Drama > United States:
Thank you so much! I want you to realize the power you have to let a work of art rise or fall, simply by sharing your opinion. So looking forward, please continue your support, let your friends know what you see here on this blog, and by all means, share me.
Last time I promoted the Kindle edition of Apart From Love, the book has reached its place among the top 100 on Amazon Bestseller Rank list for free books. In fact, it reached #85 on that list, which to me seems nothing less than amazing! Or perhaps, it was beginners luck... In addition, the book was ranked #6 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Fiction > Contemporary Fiction. So I was hoping that this time around, it would reach even higher.
I scheduled to promote the book at the end of summer, during Labor Day weekend, which is close to the Jewish new year and the beginning of school year; a time of change and reflection, a time to read. I built an entire campaign around this idea. I let a number of sites that advertise this kind of promotion know the date range. Also, I made change to the categories of my book on Amazon, a change that proved a costly mistake, which I am in the process of correcting.
As you can see from the chart (produced by Amazon, my book moved from a rank of #85 several weeks ago, down to a rank of #344 by the beginning of the second day of promotion. However, the book reached #2 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Fiction > Drama > United States, which gave me hope. Then, by the end of the day, around midnight, it reach #371. I told myself that tomorrow I will reach out to more readers any way I can. I said to myself that last time, it was the last day of promotion that catapulted my book into the top hundred. Therefore, the last day would be the charm... Sales would simply create a ripple, a ripple that would widen in time.
And then--then, unfortunately, the free fall happened...
You can see it in the chart: the line just dropped! I asked myself, what happened? have I saturated the airwaves, so that my efforts the previous hours might have ticked everybody off? Even so, that would not have explained such a sharp, drastic change in the curve. And I could see that readers and fans on various social networks engaged vigorously in conversation, tweeting, liking, exchanging notes with me and sharing my posts.
No, something else was happening. The only other idea that came to mind was that some of the sites that advertise promotion stopped carrying my message, a few hours prematurely. I went to each one of them and indeed, I could not find a word about my book. It was the last day of the promotion, the last hours, and I had no support. It was too late to try to fix the problem. Sales fell off a cliff, and as you can imagine, so did my mood.
I went out that evening, as I always do, for a walk around the neighborhood, which cleared my mind. Coming back home I felt driven, for the sake of my book, and redoubled my efforts in all groups, all social networks. If I'm about to go down, let me go down in smoke! By now I could sense how some friends, living on the east coast, drop off the conversation, because it was way past midnight their time; other friends, living on far-away continents on the other side of the globe, started coming into it.
And somehow, the curve swung up, quite decidedly, during these hours (see the last segment of it, in red.) Having gone through a three-day race, it was now a sprint to the finish line. Perhaps it was my grit; but more realistically, I think it was you! You who shared my posts on your personal pages, spreading my word to your friends. You who left encouraging comments on my posts. You who helped tweet my little chirps.
So finally at 1:00am, as the promotion expired, this is how the finish line looked on the Amazon Best Sellers Rank list. The book reached #528 Free in Kindle Store. This is a respectable rank, though not the target I was aiming for originally. But despite it all, I feel so elated for having turned things around, and so grateful to you, for helping my novel Apart From Love pull through.
The book reached #3 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Fiction > Drama > United States:
Thank you so much! I want you to realize the power you have to let a work of art rise or fall, simply by sharing your opinion. So looking forward, please continue your support, let your friends know what you see here on this blog, and by all means, share me.
August 30, 2012
A Second Chat with Rob at Cowboy Wisdom NLP Radio
I am very honored that host of Cowboy Wisdom NLP Radio, Rob Wilson, invited me for a second interview! Rob is a certified professional coach and motivational speaker, generating, facilitating, and illuminating life's possibilities in all people. He is a regular on the Stu Taylor Radio Show, 'Equity Strategies and Business Talk' and a published author of several books: The Wisdom of a Cowboy: Crossing the River and Climbing the Mountain, Wired for Change by a Journeyman and American Worker: Prison Wagesin the Private Sector.
We will talked about my art, about my novel, Apart From Love, which I'm going to offer free starting at midnight tonight (for three days Aug. 31-Sep. 2, 2012) and about my upcoming poetry book, Home. You can listen to it here.
We will talked about my art, about my novel, Apart From Love, which I'm going to offer free starting at midnight tonight (for three days Aug. 31-Sep. 2, 2012) and about my upcoming poetry book, Home. You can listen to it here.
August 29, 2012
Let Me Play
Bring me along, when you celebrate Labor Day I'm free--Apart From Love... I'm your prize It's a chance to imagine, to let me play A story of passion before your eyes Take a deep breath and take me outdoors Watch the leaves falling, never mind autumn blues If you touch me, I'll be all yours My pages will rustle, and awaken your muse.
Apart From Love will be free Aug. 31-Sep. 2, 2012
Apart From Love will be free Aug. 31-Sep. 2, 2012
August 28, 2012
T'was a Hot Summer Evening
T'was a hot summer evening, Anita laid eyes on Ben But summer's gone now, and so is their kiss The only witnesses left are my paper and pen Let me tell you what happened, from conflicts to bliss T'was a hot summer. And now, touch my hand Let me give you my book. Here, turn a page Being Apart From Love is hard to withstand Here are Ben and Anita... Let them take stage
Apart From Love will be free Aug. 31-Sep. 2, 2012
Apart From Love will be free Aug. 31-Sep. 2, 2012
The Breath of Autumn is Here
Summer comes to its close, the breath of autumn is hereTime for reflection, time for a breakBut before you go there, lend me your ear:Apart From Love is free, so make no mistake--
As golden leaves drift aimlessly in the airCome cuddle with me, open my cover My heart is throbbing, not a moment to spare Ben, Anita and Lenny are for you to discover
Apart From love will be free on Amazon Aug. 31 to Sep. 2, 2012
