A Cautionary Tale About Money and Art Very often States large and small deploy Arts funding systems to help Artists develop their work, and sometimes, with the best of intentions, it doesn't work out as intended. This essay explores an imaginary country's attempts, and the increasingly serious problems associated with allowing artistic freedom full expression … Continue reading The Next Big Thing
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More Notes on Story
In terms of navigating and understanding the world we live in, few things are more important than the idea of story. Through the mechanism of story we piece together what we perceive as reality in terms of cause and effect. We are therefore part of a bigger story. Story telling thus can give a supremely … Continue reading More Notes on Story
Notes for a 21st Century Artistic Manifesto
The Place of Literature.Art is the imitation of life by means of signs, symbols and plastic objects. Literature is the imitation of life using symbols and signs to tell stories. To understand what life means we use art as a skeleton key into what has always been the greatest of mysteries and challenges. Here in … Continue reading Notes for a 21st Century Artistic Manifesto
Let the Good Times Roll
But when people say, Did you always want to be a writer?, I have to say no! I always was a writer Ursula le Guin When I ask people 'So, what's your image of a writer?', usually they talk about a guy. Even the women I ask, they tend to talk about a man. … Continue reading Let the Good Times Roll
The Dragon
It’s extraordinary how much a city can change in a short period of time. Take Dublin. In 2013 when I last lived here full time, Dublin was a vibrant city in the midst of change, just pulling out of the last vestiges of a huge economic slump. There was a sense of hope, of expectation, … Continue reading The Dragon
Olive Kitteridge isn’t having any fun at all
One of the most refreshing and unusual pieces of television I have seen is the strange story of Olive Kitteridge. An HBO mini series based on the Pulitzer winning book by Elizabeth Strout, Olive (Mc Dormand) is an interesting character to be sure. Sharp tongued, incredibly witty, dismissive, self contained, cerebral, self reliant, she is … Continue reading Olive Kitteridge isn’t having any fun at all
Bo Peep and the literary butler
Bo Peep in micromanagement mode The hardest lesson I ever learned about being a writer was when I spent time on Bo Peeps farm. It was a long time ago (20 years at least) in another country (I'd rather not say), and most of the people involved are long dead now (so I'm given to … Continue reading Bo Peep and the literary butler
Six Types Of Writers
I came across this on the net a long time ago . There's a full analysis of each of these six types of writers at http://alexeimaximrussell.blogspot.ca, and the Writer and Blogger Alexei Maxim Russel is the originator of the above meme. I really enjoyed this the first time I saw it. And I kept it … Continue reading Six Types Of Writers
Pretty Woman Three Miles from the Czech Border
I am watching the movie Pretty Woman with Richard Gere and Julia Roberts. Gere is so stereotypically leading man material. However his tendency not to look directly at his interlocutor, this shy downward glance followed by his knowing smile is a little irritatingly condescending. That being said, his acting skills and his commanding presence overcomes … Continue reading Pretty Woman Three Miles from the Czech Border
Annus Horribilis
ANNUS HORRIBLIS 2014 is a year I will very gladly put behind me. It was without question the worst year of my life. Sarah Lundberg (1968-2014) died under the most tragic and awful circumstances and I and so many others are still reeling from the shock of her death which was so unexpected and so … Continue reading Annus Horribilis
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