Short Stories

After my tremendous success (mental, spiritual and professional) with "The Making of a Modern Woman" in the Morris Jumel Mansion book, I have decided to pursue- or at least write more-short stories.

There has been a shift from dialogue to description in my head, plus I would like to start getting bite sized pieces out into the word vs plays.  Too hard and not satisfying enough in the long term. I'd rather get something out in a format which doesn't deteriorate from the original, or if you can't make it to the show-you should still be able to get the full effect.

Besides, I've been having so much FUN working on this latest project (Imaginary Friend was the NaNo title).

How creative can you be at work?

One of the benefits of creativity is the ability to switch perspectives. Big picture, little picture.

Sometimes you need to get away from the details.

Metaphors can help (Or make things muddy) but always be aware of the Narrative that you are sharing.

About the product, the process, the people, etc.  You always have control over how you tell the story.  There are plenty of details that will get in the way of a solution, but you have to adjust the story or fight through those details. 

Very creative indeed.

Published Short Story & Reading

Big month!! 

Published a short story in the Morris- Jumel Mansion Anthology ("The Making of A Modern Woman")

And doing a monologue from my series of short stories currently called "Imaginary Friends and Other Enemies" (info below)

GOLDEN FLEECE LTD.
THE COMPOSERS CHAMBER THEATRE
Lou Rodgers, Producing Artistic Director

presents

THE ARGONAUT SERIES

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SUNDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2016 AT 8:00 PM
ARGONAUT SERIES #74 (PLAYWRIGHTS IN PROGRESS)

Presenting Playwrights:

Sal Anzalone
Stuart R. Brown
Julia Genoveva
Lou Rodgers
Tammy Rose

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Studios 353
353 West 48th Street (between 8th and 9th Avenues), 2nd Floor, New York, NY

FOR RESERVATIONS AND INFORMATION, CALL (212) 691-6105.

Art Critique at Java

Critique at Java

Sculpture, short story and film.

Great way to spend a rainy Friday night!

Clay and UX Journeys

Working on plays and novels and blogs, but mostly work work.

One of the crossovers is when you can create something practical.  Something that you can hold in your hands, like a clay bowl (or 5).

And also User Journeys.

The story of a human who is using an app, website or other imagined interaction.  The idealized version of whatever program you are trying to code.

There's a lot of adventure to be had.

My current app invention is called Imaginary Friend.  Lots of possibilities indeed.

Thoreau Summer Plays of 2016

Thus far, I have done 2 different sets of plays for Thoreau.

I'm excited by this approach which I seem to have discovered/pioneered/stumbled upon.  As a curious reader/researcher who is obsessed with the impossible questions, I love bringing together a wide variety of quotes and sources, to tell a story from a somewhat modern perspective.  As if a scholar could dramatize their research.  Or give the great minds access to the internet & the variety of ideas that are more commonplace in our modern age.

One, July 6th, for the opening of the Thoreau Society, a play called "Thoreau Vs Schultz: Skimming the Surface".  It was a rebuttal to Pond Scum in the NYer, everyone was utterly delighted by it.  A comedy.  I included LOTS of Thoreau's critics' quotes.  Emerson, Robert Louis Stevenson, even where he was called Hitler.  (The other "play" offered was a video of pages of quotes with minor introductions.)

The second was a series of performances, called "the Transcendental Ghosts of Fairyland Pond".  There was a birthday performance (July 12th, we had cupcakes made by my mother!) And then 2 more, July 16 & 17th.  One geared for children-I had a dream that I needed to lead everyone around the Pond, to keep my audience interested.  It was a gift from Henry, who taught class like that.  And it was a great way to discover art and flowers-PIPSESSEWWA- for the audience.  We did it again for the grownups the next day.  I also attended a moonlight walk on July 19th, which was incredible.

As an offshoot of the above, I've begun researching Brister (of Brister's Hill and Stream) and Peter Hutchinson-who knew more about the woods of Concord than any man alive.  Black Walden and a lecture by Dr. Lois Black of Weslyan about the hidden history of Concord.  I am NOW working on a performance of a meeting between Ellen Garrison and Thoreau for the Robbins House, for the opening of the African American Museum on September 24th. (And perhaps for an event on September 17th, as well)!

Fate vs Blind Persistance

Putting on plays and making art is a great burden.

So much effort for such a short amount of time.

And the tangibility

Is so ephemeral.

Someone dropped out of a controversial show.  I was determined to go on and do it as a monologue.

But I realized that a person is never so alone when he/she refuses to ask for help.

I asked and the show is better.

But I'm still terrified of rejection.

And hard work that won't go anywhere.

But so what?

It makes me happier than I'd like to admit!

New Art for Open Studios

A Tally of Greenpoint Life

A painting hung in the new cultural cafe in Santa Maria, last week.

In two weeks, May 10 & 11, a play. MINDFULNESS, in the One Minute Play Festival.

In Concord, June 2 and July 12 and beyond, several performances of the Transcendentalists in the forest next to Fairyland Pond.

Also in Concord, Thoreau vs Schultz.

McCarthys Bookstore & Cafe is displaying 3 of my works, and maybe a sign, if I can finish it before I leave.

And this weekend, Open Studios in Greenpoint. An incredibly crowded opening night party & then 2 days of opening my studio to the world. Lots of great conversations, and lots of great reception for my work, even objects I now see as old or experiments. I love how art reverberates with different people.

I LOVE my studio & space & that everyone else who steps inside sees what a tremendous energy is contained in here.

Also heard from a sick friend this week, whom I had assumed disappeared.

So grateful that it is all so beautiful here now.

New Plays & Art

Many exciting updates on the playwriting front:

THE THREE OF US was featured at a TRU event....

Thoreau in the Forest will appear during several days this summer in Concord, MA

And I'm working on The Craziness Projects in the Java Studio

Yes, it is that large.  5 ft? By 3? 

Actually twice that size (another piece behind it). For installation in the hallways? 

The world needs more color.

Weekly Books

I love to take large pieces of found paper and fold them into mini books.

I have 3 of these.

I have 7 of these.

I have 1 of these.

2 of these.

And/or paper bags. And paper tablecloths. Or wrapping papers.

I like the wrinkles.

Diversifying My Writing Portfolio

I have several projects that are growing nicely.

1 about a band, nonfiction

1 about music, fiction

1 about a language & culture, nonfiction

1 with stories about language and culture.

I used to have a project about creating 1 handmade book per week, featuring a scene/theme for the week.  Like a type of journal, with pictures. I need to get back to it.

I am thankful to be creating on a regular basis & keeping an Idea Journal (every day for months).  One of my favorite habits and one I've been trying HARD to work on developing.

Thoreau Theater

So the latest idea is to celebrate Henry David Thoreau's birthday year, 2017. He'd be 200.

Since Concord is so close by (to where I grew up), and since I seem to spend so much time with him as an imaginary friend, I hope to make use of that.

There are MANY houses, museums and sites which would probably/might be interested in hosting some kind of event.

Maybe a one woman show?  Maybe a series of them?

Maybe they could be filmed, and assembled into a movie?  Or at least a year's worth of performances?