I am new to goodreads and I am very happy to have found this group, as well.
A little bit about me: I live in New York City and grew up in Hungary. I arrived in the States when I was ten years old with my parents. We spent the first few years in Brooklyn but as soon as I was admitted to the High School of Music and Art we moved to Manhattan. I was raised on West 86th Street off Riverside Drive. (A saga about my 'Hungarian' past is in the works).
I attended Stony Brook University (for a year) and then CCNY. I was very fortunate to have many talented writers-in-residence there at that time including Kurt Vonnegut and Anthony Burgess, among others. Upon graduation I was given the 'Best Poet' (Markovitz) Award from the English Department.
Most of my life I have written poetry, some of which has been set to music and performed at Carnegie Hall (and also recorded on Grenadilla Records). I have been published in literary magazines as well as online. But the vast majority of my work is in my private collection and I have not yet submitted it for publication.
However, the poems that were performed at Carnegie Hall and recorded by William Vollinger came from a small anthology called 'Crevelations' (now out of print).
I joined forces with another writer and we published the first legitimate 'Who's Who in Poetry in American Colleges and Universities.' The project was endorsed by famous writers-in-residence such as the late James Dickey and other English Department Chairpersons. They selected and then submitted their three best poets. (The students/poets got a copy of their book and it was the university and college libraries that - optionally - purchased the books).
After a career in publishing an assistant editor at Atheneum (which at the time was headed by Alfred Knopf) I obtained my MS in Special Education and continued to write poetry and fiction while teaching.
My latest venture is somewhat of a departure for me in that I am more interested in writing 'mainstream' fiction and poetry. But one thing led to another and I found myself 'creating' an innovative book for a niche audience (which curiously has grown quite large, recently). The book is a tribute to the late John Lennon from the point of view of one fan but attempting to capture the emotions dormant in all fans and for the generation that had the Beatles and Lennon as a soundtrack to their lives. You do not need to be a John Lennon fan to appreciate the universal themes in the book (though I clearly see that the book would appeal to certain readers more than others).
Though it is a slice of pop culture the poetry in it is also actually very dark and 'serious.' It is my personal take. It is unique in that It is the only 'interactive book John Lennon. (I will explain this, below).
The prototype of 'Dear John: Letters from a Fan in New York City, An Interactive Book,' has received many accolades and the great Sid Bernstein has given it his blessing. In addition, Sid loved the book so much that he wrote the foreword for the next, upgraded version of the book.
The new book will have many more Lennon and Beatle-related people contributing their comments and anecdotes alongside fans' works in the form of illustrations, art and short text. As of now, the new book contains an anecdote submitted by May Pang who just published 'Instamatic Camera,' a book of her own about John.
There will be pages provided where the reader can put in his or her own comments, thoughts, art, memorabilia or whatever - thus making each edition a unique volume to share with others face to face, or in a cyber-forum (also given in the book).
I am still looking for contributors; this has been not only a labor of love but a work in progress which continues to evolve. (With all that this process is requiring I am still working on other projects; two novels and poetry).
The new book will come with either a CD or a DVD in which text and poetry will be narrated, juxtaposed upon images and with background music - either original music or the music of John Lennon. If possible, I would have well-known artists from both the musical world and theater read the text.
I have also added stunning black and white photography of John Lennon's New York City haunts by professional photographer Dave Beckerman (you can see his work at his web site. He is truly amazing. There is a link to him on my web site).
I have an agent (at the Harold Matson Company) but he has not been able to get this book the attention it deserves. For one thing, it is a very different kind of book (than he is used to handling) and he has also had difficulty with the submission because it must be seen in its entirety to be appreciated.
Sending out an excerpt or a few pages of this book did not work; and he agreed that sending out portions would be like sending out a couple of lines of a good poem or a few notes of a symphony. It is totally impossible to get the whole picture; especially the emotional impact contained in its visual and graphic elements. Thus I am pursuing this project on my own while he represents my fiction; and I am hoping that someone with my vision will one day see this as a worthwhile, artistic, and special project.
My web site is continually being updated by a volunteer who is also a huge Lennon fan. (Thank you, Jeff, you are a very talented web designer and a 'mench' for helping a struggling author).
The site is by no means finished but if you'd care to take a look and give me some feed back I would be most grateful.
Its at www.dearjohnlennon.com. There you'll also find are also snippets from reviews of the prototype, images and YouTube videos I created and other information about me. The YouTube videos contain two sample poems as narrated by someone else (Ken, '30andout,' who has a voice perfectly suited to the work). Please let me know what you think.
I stopped marketing the prototype on Amazon.com because I would like to focus on the new book as well as other obvious reasons.
The new book will be on a whole new level and it will be much more inclusive. The prototype was to get reviews and feedback on the interactive concept and the quality of the writing; and to see whether there was interest in a book if it were taken to new heights: to present as a work of art, a collectible and beautifully packaged gift-book for Lennon and Beatle fans.
I am new to goodreads and I am very happy to have found this group, as well.
A little bit about me: I live in New York City and grew up in Hungary. I arrived in the States when I was ten years old with my parents. We spent the first few years in Brooklyn but as soon as I was admitted to the High School of Music and Art we moved to Manhattan. I was raised on West 86th Street off Riverside Drive. (A saga about my 'Hungarian' past is in the works).
I attended Stony Brook University (for a year) and then CCNY. I was very fortunate to have many talented writers-in-residence there at that time including Kurt Vonnegut and Anthony Burgess, among others. Upon graduation I was given the 'Best Poet' (Markovitz) Award from the English Department.
Most of my life I have written poetry, some of which has been set to music and performed at Carnegie Hall (and also recorded on Grenadilla Records). I have been published in literary magazines as well as online. But the vast majority of my work is in my private collection and I have not yet submitted it for publication.
However, the poems that were performed at Carnegie Hall and recorded by William Vollinger came from a small anthology called 'Crevelations' (now out of print).
I joined forces with another writer and we published the first legitimate 'Who's Who in Poetry in American Colleges and Universities.' The project was endorsed by famous writers-in-residence such as the late James Dickey and other English Department Chairpersons. They selected and then submitted their three best poets. (The students/poets got a copy of their book and it was the university and college libraries that - optionally - purchased the books).
After a career in publishing an assistant editor at Atheneum (which at the time was headed by Alfred Knopf) I obtained my MS in Special Education and continued to write poetry and fiction while teaching.
My latest venture is somewhat of a departure for me in that I am more interested in writing 'mainstream' fiction and poetry. But one thing led to another and I found myself 'creating' an innovative book for a niche audience (which curiously has grown quite large, recently). The book is a tribute to the late John Lennon from the point of view of one fan but attempting to capture the emotions dormant in all fans and for the generation that had the Beatles and Lennon as a soundtrack to their lives. You do not need to be a John Lennon fan to appreciate the universal themes in the book (though I clearly see that the book would appeal to certain readers more than others).
Though it is a slice of pop culture the poetry in it is also actually very dark and 'serious.' It is my personal take. It is unique in that It is the only 'interactive book John Lennon. (I will explain this, below).
The prototype of 'Dear John: Letters from a Fan in New York City, An Interactive Book,' has received many accolades and the great Sid Bernstein has given it his blessing. In addition, Sid loved the book so much that he wrote the foreword for the next, upgraded version of the book.
The new book will have many more Lennon and Beatle-related people contributing their comments and anecdotes alongside fans' works in the form of illustrations, art and short text. As of now, the new book contains an anecdote submitted by May Pang who just published 'Instamatic Camera,' a book of her own about John.
There will be pages provided where the reader can put in his or her own comments, thoughts, art, memorabilia or whatever - thus making each edition a unique volume to share with others face to face, or in a cyber-forum (also given in the book).
I am still looking for contributors; this has been not only a labor of love but a work in progress which continues to evolve. (With all that this process is requiring I am still working on other projects; two novels and poetry).
The new book will come with either a CD or a DVD in which text and poetry will be narrated, juxtaposed upon images and with background music - either original music or the music of John Lennon. If possible, I would have well-known artists from both the musical world and theater read the text.
I have also added stunning black and white photography of John Lennon's New York City haunts by professional photographer Dave Beckerman (you can see his work at his web site. He is truly amazing. There is a link to him on my web site).
I have an agent (at the Harold Matson Company) but he has not been able to get this book the attention it deserves. For one thing, it is a very different kind of book (than he is used to handling) and he has also had difficulty with the submission because it must be seen in its entirety to be appreciated.
Sending out an excerpt or a few pages of this book did not work; and he agreed that sending out portions would be like sending out a couple of lines of a good poem or a few notes of a symphony. It is totally impossible to get the whole picture; especially the emotional impact contained in its visual and graphic elements. Thus I am pursuing this project on my own while he represents my fiction; and I am hoping that someone with my vision will one day see this as a worthwhile, artistic, and special project.
My web site is continually being updated by a volunteer who is also a huge Lennon fan. (Thank you, Jeff, you are a very talented web designer and a 'mench' for helping a struggling author).
The site is by no means finished but if you'd care to take a look and give me some feed back I would be most grateful.
Its at www.dearjohnlennon.com. There you'll also find are also snippets from reviews of the prototype, images and YouTube videos I created and other information about me. The YouTube videos contain two sample poems as narrated by someone else (Ken, '30andout,' who has a voice perfectly suited to the work). Please let me know what you think.
I stopped marketing the prototype on Amazon.com because I would like to focus on the new book as well as other obvious reasons.
The new book will be on a whole new level and it will be much more inclusive. The prototype was to get reviews and feedback on the interactive concept and the quality of the writing; and to see whether there was interest in a book if it were taken to new heights: to present as a work of art, a collectible and beautifully packaged gift-book for Lennon and Beatle fans.
Thanking you all in advance for taking a look.
Cheers,
Judith Furedi
www.dearjohnlennon.com.
PS (I will be out of the country staring tomorrow for two weeks and I will be able to respond to your comments when I get back).