Uvi’s Comments (group member since Apr 09, 2012)

Uvi’s comments from the The Creative Spark with Uvi Poznansky group.

"A week drags by—seven sleepless nights—during which I find myself missing my ma so much that it hurts, because now that the little one is finally here, I don’t even get how she did it, like, how she managed to take care of me all these years, all on her own. No wonder she ended up being grumpy, which is one thing I’d rather forget."

Anita in Apart From Love

I so enjoy writing a character with an accent! It is such a delightful challenge! Anita Southern twang, her way of speaking and even thinking, marks a boundary between her and the people around her. She is a stranger in a strange land, if you will.

Take a listen to the how faithfully my narrator, Heather Jane Hogan, gives voice to Anita: Missing Her When She's Gone

Aniruddha wrote: "This is really awesome.
Every time you post something on your blog or thread; you make it appear new. Amazing!
That's the trick to reach out.
Hats off!"

Aw... Thank you Aniruddha!

And I am so glad you posted the link to your Children story! It looks so lovely! And the illustrations are endearing! And by the way, about this dialog here between you and your daughter, it is so touching, and tells so much about her curiosity and the fresh way of looking at things. My father kept an on-going diary about his conversations with me when I was this age...

Lovely to hear your voice here, Connie! Just reading what you've described about yourself makes me curious, because it is clear you have such a versatile experience in life and in your creative outlets. Looking forward to hearing more! Please feel free to post excerpt from your writing in the Writing discussion board.

Gone Viral:

I thought I knew what I was doing: Usually, an image of one of my sculptures, combined with a thought around the same theme, or about the process of my writing, calls the attention of readers. But yesterday morning, a simple post has gone viral, and I am still trying to figure this one out... This is what I posted on Facebook:

"Brian M. Hayden, a dear friend of mine and a great author, offered me the opportunity of writing a guest post for his blog. This time I chose to write about The Cyclical Process of Writing. Check it out..."

Then I gave the link, and here it is: Guest Post by Uvi

As you can see when you go there, this little post garnered 196 'likes' on Brian's blog (let alone all the likes and shares it got all over Facebook, which I cannot even count, but for which I am so grateful.) Brian tells me it was the highest visited post. Over 1,100 visits in a single day!

Funny thing is, I wish I knew what magic dust was used here, because then I could repeat this feat with my next post... My best guess is this: here is a case of two authors combining forces, one opening the door for another, creating an inviting environment--and therefore, the friends and followers of both of them come in too, and they do it in great numbers!

Have you ever listened, I mean, really listened to the lyrics of 'Twinkle, twinkle'? The words can truly take on different meanings, which is something I explored in moments of despair and moments of hope in my novel.

When Ben goes to Sunrise Home to visit his mother, who has been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's, he wonders about her. Can he reach her, can he evoke some memory in her mind? Her body is intact, but is it now merely an empty shell? He knows not what she has become, who she is... In the background, an old woman's voice can be heard, croaking a lullaby. And somehow, the words take on a meaning of a heart-wrenching farewell:

"Then, to the sound of the thin, painful voice in the distance, breathing the words, Though I know not... What you are... Twinkle, twinkle... Little star, I glance at my mother.
I wonder if what I am going to say about this or that photograph will make any difference, because now I am starting to lose heart. I doubt we can ever find a way—be it a way back, or a way forward—to connect to each other.
The time I remember is no more than a wrinkle for her."

Ben in Apart From Love


In another scene, Anita raises her eyes to the musical animal mobile, which she has hung up overhead, for her baby. She sings the words as she crosses her hands around her body, embracing him. Expecting new life, the lullaby takes on a meaning of hope:

"For now, I mean, until I get a cradle for my baby, it’s hung up in the bedroom window, right in the center, where the blinds meet.
So at night, when I feel sad, or tired, or just sleepy, I pull out the little string to wind the thing up, which makes the animals go fly—fly like a dream—so slowly around your head.
And at the same time, it brings out a sweet lullaby, chiming, Twinkle, twinkle, little star... How I wonder what you are...
I stand here, by the window under the mobile. I touch the glass between one blind and another, and watch them animals, mirrored. They come in like ghosts, one after another, right up to the surface, swing around, and fly back out, into the dark. Then I gaze at them stars up there, so far beyond, and ask myself if they’re real—or am I, again, misreading some reflection."

Anita in Apart From Love

The subject of motherhood is near and dear to my heart, and I express it in my writing and in my art, as you can see here:



To listen to the voice clips of these excerpts go here: A Mother's Lullaby

Aniruddha wrote: "True. I agree with you, Uvi. Thank you.
I'll be posting here quite often. Feels good being here.
:)"

Great! Looking forward to reading more of your musings...

Today I am happy to invited to Laurie Hanan's MONDAYS ARE MURDER interviews. This is how she opened the conversation:

"It’s my pleasure to have as my guest today Uvi Poznansky. While she doesn’t write murder mysteries, according to Uvi her characters do harbor murderous thoughts. Here’s what she has to say about them..."

Check out my interview, which she titled Murderous Sparks and Murderous Rages.


On a different note:

A new author page now showcases highlights of my literary work: book descriptions, cover images, author's bio, excerpts, links and what not...
What, you may ask, is AUTHORSdB? Here is a quote that explains it:
"There are very few places where authors are able to add their information, one time, including promoting links to buy their books on all bookseller platforms. A place where authors continue to write while expert SEO people can assist in Social Media Marketing for free. Authors need an unbiased place to shout out about their creative works without 'big brother's' control—without fear of loosing to unknown algorithms."
-Angel Investor-

Take a look at my new author page and please, tweet or like it:
Uvi Poznansky's New Author Page

Aniruddha wrote: "Today, when I look back at those bygone 38 years of my active life (still active, though), I wonder what extra-ordinary have I accomplished. Nothing. It surely was a life, which included a humble c..."

This is so remarkable, Aniruddha, that the muse struck you in such a way, almost by surprise! Indeed, this poem is a reflection on the wonder of existence. Just lovely! Thank you so much for posting, and feel free to post more.

In addition to the Writing Contest in my launch event, I am announcing a new fun activity, somewhat similar to Join the Musical Chorus, which happened a few weeks ago. So, what will it be this time, you ask? Wouldn't you want to know! Together, we will be transforming the space of my large oil painting, titled There is no room to grow here anymore II, taking it from isolation to embrace, just in time for Mother's Day.



This painting has been inspired by an earlier one, titled There is no room to grow here anymore I (the banner image of my blog) where the space was harshly lit, parched dry, yellow, and utterly desolate. At the time, I asked myself: what would happen if I turn off the light, and turn every line in the first painting into a metal wire? What would happen if I drench the space in darkness, and let characters emerge from it? How would they relate to each other, and to their flimsy, confined existence, hanging somehow inside this contorted cage?

Despite the presence of these characters, the space retains an atmosphere of isolation... So here is what I ask you to do: help me transform it!

✿ First, join the event (if you haven't already.) Go here: ♥ Love ♥ then click Join.
✿ Then--in celebration of the upcoming Mother's Day--find an image of the most important woman in your life: your mom, or the mother of your children... The image can be a photograph or even a freehand sketch--anything goes! In it, she should give--or else, receive--a hug or a gift. The gift can be anything: flowers, wine, or a book (and why not give her my novel, Apart From Love... Hint hint...)
✿ Send her image to me through a private message on facebook; use Add Photo in that message. I will then add her into this scene, and we--all the mothers--will party together with a lot of hugs, gifts, and flowers!

Aniruddha wrote: "Thanks again, Uvi!

I've had been lagging in updating my blogs until last week. Time flies. :)
For "Writing discussion" do I use "The Writing Process" or "Points of View" thread? Sorry. I admit my ..."

It doesn't really matter... Lately I tend to use The Writing Process for excerpts, so perhaps that would be best.

Aniruddha wrote: "Thank you much, Uvi. Your review and rating on Wings of Freedom, means a lot to me."

My pleasure Aniruddha!

Just finished reading UP THE "DOWN" LADDER ~ Simple Ideas to Overcome Depression, and here is my review:

In UP THE DOWN LADDER, Dolores Ayotte reflects on her own lifelong learning, and aided with a great literary knowledge--as evident by the extensive bibliography at the end of the book--she offers the best, most compassionate advice for getting out of the rut. She does it with faith in the human spirit, and in the most gentle, tender way, which allows you to open up to her, and take it in.

With great understanding she encourages you, as a first step, to honestly admit what you are experiencing. Is it your job that is causing you grief? Is there an imbalance in the relationship between the husband and wife, particularly as they compare the sharing of family duties? In every difficulty you experience, the author suggests the first step in your journey toward personal fulfillment: instead of just spinning your back wheels, it is wiser to make some smaller life altering changes in order to get out of your negative situation. She proposes an honest question-and-answer session with yourself, to pinpoint the problem areas in your life and focus attention on finding a solution.

By design, each chapter begins and ends with a quote, both of which crystallize the ideas she has expressed here, and allows you to linger on them, to taste the words and with them, take yourself a step forward. The quotes also suggest that the wisdom here is more than one single woman, but rather the careful channeling of aggregate sagacity, belonging to many writers and philosophers. My personal favorites: Chapter 1, Little Things, ends with "Put the uncommon effort into the common task... make it large by doing it in a great way." Chapter 5, Dare to Dream, opens with "The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams."

Five Stars.

Here is my review for Wings of Freedom by Aniruddha Sastikar:

Maiden Musings is a treasure of lovely moments, written by the talented poet Anirrudha Sastikar. His artistry with words is amplified by the attention he gives to the way in which words form chunks of dark against the whiteness of the page, as he did, for example, in his poem Live REM, which starts with a long line of text and gradually--line by line--gets contracted to the shortest of breaths.

In his poem, Decades of Love, his words are as light as a feather, touching upon the shared moments of love, of embrace, of both lovers losing their selves to come together as one. And as one, they cast a look back at the moments from the past, the moments that bind them together. In another poem, Live REM, he captures with great sensuality the 'A far flung / clacking sound of stiletto heels'--which makes the reader find herself in the moment, hearing that unique sound. His poem The Garden again lets the reader awaken to every sense, with the words 'The cool breeze, the fragrance of flowers, softness of the green grass, Huge hugging trees, the sight of children running and laughing.' Lovely images, that together construct a world view of happiness and of cherishing the moment.

For readers stirred by poetry, I highly recommend Wings of Freedom].

Hi Aniruddha! Pleasure to see you here!

Great that you've added the link to your blog. Also, you can use the Writing discussion to quote verses from your poetry book any time! And tell us where your book can be purchased.

"The piano towered over everything. It seemed so massive, so out of place that you had to squeeze around it, or else crawl underneath the belly of the thing.
But when mom played it, all that did not matter. The walls vanished and so did the clutter, because it was so riveting to watch her. You could see her long, delicate fingers as they went flying over the keys, to the point of turning, magically, into a blur. Her hands became transparent, and her ring, I remember, turned into a glow. She was air, she was music! Even when she stopped playing, those strings inside were still reverberating..."

Ben in Apart From Love

Going back to his childhood memories, Ben unveils his unflinching admiration to the most important woman in his life, up to this point: his mother, the inspired and inspiring pianist. His admiration will later stand in the way of him accepting her present condition. But for now, it is focused on one aspect: her hands. Long, delicate fingers, a symbol of her talent, and the one physical aspect that serves as a contrast between her and Anita.

Click here to listen to Ben (narrated by my gifted narrator, David Kudler, for the audiobook) describing his mother's hands: She Was Air, She Was Music

Aniruddha Sastikar authored two poetry books entitled “Maiden Musings – Vol. 1” published in October 2012 and Vol. 2 in January 2013. He credits learning Haiku Poetry to his dear friend & former Lt. Col Shyam Kumar Sharma, who resides in New Delhi, India. Aniruddha authored a short story book for children – “Once upon a time...” published and released through good friend & Publisher - Brian Wrixon, Burlington, Canada and Blurb Inc., in December 2012 and is working toward writing a fiction. I am honored that he has posted this ★★★★★ review on Goodreads for A Favorite Son:

Writing a review on a book authored by a talented and skillful artist, writer, and poet - Uvi Poznansky, is in itself an honor and privilege for an amateur poet and writer like me.

I am incapable to review work of such an educated, elegant, and accomplished artist, but I’ll try to do so.

“A Favorite Son” by Uvi Poznansky is a wonderful combination and presentation of love, sacrifice, jealousy, fear, hate, hopes, wistfulness, and much more to it. Images through out the book are excellent. They really are captivating and transports the reader to that location, literally; as if the reader is observing the characters, live. I haven’t had read any Biblical tales till date, but “A Favorite Son” introduced them to me. It is noteworthy how a mother (portrayed in “A Favorite Son”) plays a significant role in bringing up her children. Her sacrifices, her love, and her plans. Aren’t all these found in a Mother? Yes. They are an inbuilt characteristics of a Mother anywhere on earth.

There’s no doubt Uvi carries a strong vocabulary and has that ability to create a picture using them, which keeps the reader gripped till the last page. Apart from being an outstanding writer, she’s a first-class artist and sculptor, which is noticeable from the cover art of this book and visiting her blog site.

For those who are looking to read on strong family ties, I highly recommend “A Favorite Son”.

This review can be seen here: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

I have just read a truly enlightening article written by David Kudler, the gifted narrator of my upcoming audiobook. In it, he draws parallels between two of his recent projects, especially the use of music in both of them. Here is how he opens it:

"I’ve just wrapped recording on my second full-length audiobook this month — David Wesley Williams lyrical novel of sex, family, and rock ‘n’ roll, Long Gone Daddies. As I was listening through just now, I realized that there were a lot of similarities between this bluesy book and my most recently completed (and soon-to-be-released) project, Uvi Poznansky’s Apart From Love. Both books dissect tangled, dysfunctional families featuring deeply fractured father-son relationships, each of which is hiding some very important secrets. And music is very much at the heart of each.

For an audiobook narrator/producer, music is both a joy and more than a bit of a challenge. Audiobooks — for the most part — are not meant to include music tracks (Audible and Amazon don’t like them), and so any music must be created purely by the narrator in the character’s voice. When a song is known, that can be great fun; when it’s created by the author, that’s fun too… but can sometimes take your breath away."

To read more, and to take a listen to Aunt Hadassa, click the link:

You Haven't Lived Until You Heard Her Singing

Looking for the perfect Mother's Day gift? Why not get the print edition of Apart From Love! It has a beautiful cover image (based on my own art) and its audiobook edition is just around the corner... The novel comes highly recommended. So many eloquent reviews--48 and counting! If you ask me which of them I cherish the most, two come to mind.

The first one is not a review but a a testimony. Jt Sather, the author of How to Survive When the Bottom Drops Out, is a dedicated son. He placed Apart From Love in the hands of his mother, and here is what he wrote to me while she was reading it:



Now I sure hope it's not the story that makes her yawn... lol!
The second review I cherish was written by the inspirational writer Dolores Ayotte. It was voted 'most helpful' by readers--not an easy feat to achieve! Here it is:

★★★★★ Unique & Spellbinding!! May 18, 2012
By Dolores Ayotte
Format:Paperback

Author Uvi Poznansky is an artist! There is no doubt about it. As I read "Apart from Love", I was drawn into a masterfully created piece of artwork. This is no ordinary novel. It richly depicts the product of a dysfuntional family and how they are drawn together, yet so repulsed by each other.

There is a quality so deep and raw in "Apart from Love" that it's almost impossible to put this book down. In my opinion, Uvi Poznansky writes like a painter. She starts with a clean canvas and dabs a little paint here and a little paint there as she develops her characters and creates her masterpiece. Her strokes then become broader, more passionate, more vivid and vibrant as she continues to let her characters' stories unfold. She draws you in to a deeper level than you might actually want to go as she ignites the fire to your own love, passions, and fears.

Ben, the 27 year old son grudgingly returns home many years after the divorce of his parents, Lenny and Natasha. He finds that there is a mutual attraction between his father's young wife Anita, and himself. Their stories, along with Lenny's are related in a narrative as each person has the opportunity to share his side of the events that take place. "Apart from Love" reminds me of a movie I enjoyed many years ago...Cat on a Hot Tin Roof because it is a well-written drama that could take place on a stage similar to this movie. In "Apart from Love" Ben states..."In our family, forgiveness is something you pray for, something you yearn to receive but so seldom do you give to others." There is defintely a great need for forgiveness both on the giving end as well as the receiving end in this novel.

Similar to any other work of art, the artist leaves so much of themselves in their work. Author Uvi Poznansky has done just that! Kudos to her on a job well done!

“What matters is only what’s here. I touch my skin right under my breasts, which is where the little one’s curled, and where he kicks, ‘cause he has to. Like, he don’t feel so cosy no more. Here, can you feel it? I reckon he wants me to talk to him. He can hear me inside, for sure. He can hear every note of this silvery music..."





It ripples all around him, wave after wave. I can tell that it’s starting to sooth him. It’s so full of joy, of delight, even if to him, it’s coming across somewhat muffled. Like a dream in a dream, it’s floating inside, into his soft, tender ear.
I close my eyes and hold myself, wrapping my arms real soft—around me around him—and I rock ever so gently, back and forth, back and forth, with every note of this silvery marvel. You can barely hear me—but here I am, singing along. I’m whispering words into myself, into him.”

Anita in Apart From Love

What she is envisioning is motherhood, which is the subject of my sculture by the same name. It is hard to imagine this is actually bronze, because the patina is made to look like marble. I polished the piece until it became completely smooth to the touch, as if nature--by gusts of wind and the flow of water--has buffed this rock over time, the way pebbles come to be.

But in the back, I 'carved' into the piece, so as to make it look as if it has broken. This makes for an interesting balance, as if you try to make a rock stand on edge. But more importantly, it is symbolic, for self-sacrifice is the nature of motherhood.

Looking for the perfect Mother's Day gift?
Get the beautiful print edition
Audiobook coming soon!

As part of the launch event ♥ Love ♥ for the audiobook edition of Apart From Love, I am announcing a Writing Contest for all who take part in the celebration. Would love it if you join!