The Air in Me ... Soon an end to 2013

• The Air In Me … Soon an end to 2013 

And the beginning of 2014

Well, here we are again, just you and me. In less than a week 2013 will be in the history books and for me this has been an exciting year. Why you ask? Well for one thing, I came out of it pretty much unscathed older and wiser. For another thing, I’m in reasonably good health and then of course there’s the little book called The Air In Me, which is doing well. So, you see I have nothing to complain about, matter of fact I’m quite pleased.

What’s been going on?

Home Sweet Home

On December 8^th I had a reading/signing of my book at Westmorland’s Union Manor, and of course this gave me an opportunity to tell more people about my book, and thanks be, many of those in attendance bought copies, for which I am very grateful. Thanks to all the folk that bought books that day, I’m humbled and appreciate their generosity.

What’s coming up?

Thursday, January 2, I’ll be interviewed on KBOO Community Radio,, 90.7 by AM News and Public Affairs Director, Kathleen Stephenson.. The show is Between the Covers and it airs at 11 am. The fun thing about this is that the tables were turned and I was answering questions instead of asking, which is what I usually do. Thanks to Kathleen.

Meet a few of my friends:

Emily P Newberry

Christopher Lord

Leland Hall

Saturday, January 11, I’ll be joined by three other LGBT writers for a fund raiser for Sage Metro Portland. Leland Hall, Emily Newberry, Christopher Lord and me will read and sign our books at Friendly House, located at the corner of NW 26^th and Thurman. The event runs from 1 pm to 3 pm. Come and learn more about how Sage Metro Portland provides valuable services for the aging LGBT Community. Proceeds from book sales at this event will go directly back to Sage Metro Portland to help continue their many programs. This is another way to help support local indie writers that are a part of the growing LGBT community throughout the Portland Metro Area.

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About a year ago at this same time I wrote a poem titled Pouring, which is included in my book, and I’d like to share it with you. As I’ve said many times, I don’t make New Year’s Resolutions, but I do constantly try to make my life mean more than just going through the day, and I do this by being open to trying new and adventurous things.

Pouring

I find myself:

Pouring another cup of coffee, decaf, black, and a little ground cinnamon

Still I’m:

Pouring me into writing poetry, rhyme, doesn’t rhyme, I don’t care, and I need to write one more line.

I find adventure:

Pouring myself into doing new things for the first time, using Larry’s Mac Book, going to a Catholic Mass, adrenaline flows like sea billows roll. What’s next?

This year I’m committed to:

Pouring myself into finding out more about whom I am, give a little, gain much more, doing whatever I can do, writing from deeper places I’ve never been, giving more of me to nobler causes.

But for now I’m content to:

Pouring another cup of black decaf with ground cinnamon…and I feel so free.

If you’d like to pick up a copy of The Air In Me go to www.amazon.com/books

A note before I close this blog:

Eugene Woodworth

This afternoon, I received an email from a friend, advising me that Eugene Woodworth passed away, Saturday, December 21^st while his husband, Eric, was at his side. Eugene and Eric were together for sixty years and just two weeks ago they were legally married in Vancouver, Washington.

To me, Eugene was one of the quiet angels, always infecting you with his wonderful smile.

Eugene will be terribly missed, and I am happy to say that I was honored to know him.

Rest well my friend.

Eugene and Eric

As always, thanks for reading my blog and here’s wishing you a happy and prosperous 2014.

Thanks,

Dan

The Air In Me and Mulligan Stew

The Air In Me and Mulligan Stew

Please believe me, I’m not going to wax poetic about Mulligan Stew, but it does bring back memories from early experiences with The Boy Scouts and camping in the woods of Northern California.

As I recall everything but the kitchen sink went into making up really good Mulligan Stew. Potatoes, carrots, celery, onions, chunks of beef, lots of spices and anything else you may have left over from a week of camping.

Today’s blog is a lot like Mulligan Stew…I want to fill the pot with lots of stuff that I’ve experienced over the last few weeks…let’s get this pot stirred up.

First Ingredient: Linda Campbell:

Almost two weeks ago I had the privilege of listening to Linda Campbell speak at the Sage Gay & Gray Expo here in Portland, and I can guarantee that for the audience of over one hundred people, there wasn’t a dry eye In the house.

Linda on the right with her late partner Nancy

Many of you will remember how hard it was to talk to friends or family members during the 1950’s and 1960’s about being Gay, in most cases it was impossible Linda kept her secret for many years until she could bury it no longer.

Hearing Linda speak and recount the joy’s and sadness that has filled her life was a great experience, but to get a good picture you must read Mike Francis article from the Oregonian who wrote an excellent piece in February of this year. http://blog.oregonlive.com/oregonatwar/2013/02/in_a_first_va_approves_request.html

Hearing Linda share her story of love for Nancy and enduring strength to face life’s challenges was a real inspiration for not only me but the group of people that gathered that day. If there was one thing I was left with regarding Linda’s experiences, it was that in life, no matter the circumstances we must all stand for something…something like Oregon United for Marriage…it’s about time.

Spice it up with Oregon United for Marriage

The latest word from Oregon United for Marriage is that currently there are about 110,000 signatures gathered for the petition that will allow Gays and Lesbians in Oregon the right to marry whomever they choose.

Congratulations to the Illinois State Legislature for voting approval of Gay Marriage in the Land of Lincoln.

Stir in a good dose of KBOO-FM

KBOO-FM 90.7 is a non-commercial, member supported, volunteer powered community radio station that is celebrating 45 years of serving the Portland area, and I’m proud to be a part of this highly eclectic family of broadcasters.

One of the exciting things about being involved with KBOO is that we are not owned by one of the large conglomerate broadcast companies. Other than airing Amy Goodman’s Democracy Now and The Tom Hartman Show, almost all of our programming is locally produced all with volunteers and a paid staff of six. To read about KBOO’S history go to www.kboo.fm scroll down to the bottom of the page where you’ll find Station Info, then click on Our Story.

Flavor for taste, The Air In Me

The Air In Me is selling well, but it could always use a shot in the arm. If you have read the book and liked it, you would be doing me a great favor if you were to go to www.amazon.com and write a review of my book. If you have not yet purchased The Air In Me you can purchase it online by going to  https://www.createspace.com/4388287. 

One bit of additional news is that soon The Air In Me will be released as an ebook. I’ll let you know when that happens.

As always thanks for reading.

Dan

The Air in Me and Myrna D Badgerow

The Air in Me and Myrna Badgerow

For close to seven years I have posted much of my prose and poetry on the website, www.authorsden.com and it has for the most part been a rich and rewarding experience. One of the first writers I became acquainted with back then was a woman by the name of Myrna D Badgerow. It is for that reason that I want to introduce you to not only a fellow writer, but a dear friend.

Myrna is a lifelong resident of the Bayou country of Louisiana where she lives close to her children and grandchildren. Myrna attended the Louisiana School for the Blind and Louisiana State University where she majored in Psychology…but about 13 years ago Myrna’s true passion for writing soon became a driving force in her life. Myrna has written five books, co-written one book with E.W. Richardson and has been published in a number of periodicals. Even though Myrna has vision problems, she will not tolerate you feeling sorry for her and she shares those feelings in much of her writing. 

This book means a great deal to me

Over the years, Myrna and I have kept in close contact and have spent many hours talking about the craft of writing, creating image filled poetry, and powerful prose, while at the same time catching up on what’s happening in our lives. During many of these conversations we’ll say something like…’hey, listen to what I just wrote…tell me what you think.’  At that point one of us would read to the other our latest effort.

During one of our recent conversations, I asked Myrna what she considered the major difference between a good writer and a great writer, in her own words, Myrna weaves together her thoughts about those differences.

Good writer/Great writer:

“Both the good writer and the great writer will pay close attention to the fundamentals of writing, grammar, spelling, punctuation, and the like. The good writer will relate a story or journey.  They will paint for you an image with creativity's ink. Perhaps they will even write for you a song in the music of poetry.  The great writer, however, will invite you to join him on his journey or inspire you to embark on one of your own. The great writer will offer you his ink to create your own image. The great writer will not only share his music but will also teach you the words to his song.  The good writer will breathe his words into your thoughts. The great writer's words will make you catch your breath, invade your soul, and settle themselves within your heart. The good writer may be remembered but the great writer will never be forgotten.”

My thanks to Myrna for sharing a bit of her life, now all I’ve got to do is try to talk her into making me some Sweet Potato Pie. Myrna’s poetry can be found at www.authorsden.com or purchase her books at www.lulu.com.

As always, thanks for reading The Air in Me.

Until next time, please remember to support your local starving writer.  https://www.createspace.com/4388287

Dan

   

                                                                                              

The Air in Me...Meets Mr, Matsurra and his friends

The Air in Me,

Mr. Matsuura and his friends come to Portland.  

On September 13 I took part in a conversation with a group of friends from Sage Gay & Grey that got together at Friendly House in Portland, Oregon. That meeting, for me, was one of the most exciting things to happen in my life in a long, long time.

From left to right…

Front: Ms. Masae Ido, Independent Literary Agent (former member of the House Counselors, the national Diet of Japan),  Ms. Haru Ono (Founder/Director, Rainbow Families Organization), Jo Hamilton, Sharon Messerschmidt, Mr. Daigo Matsuura (Director, Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) First Chapter of Akita Prefecture District of the House of Councilors)

Back: Glen Ulmer, Peg Hackenbruck, Mya Chamberlin, Mr. Gon Matsunaka (Founder and Representative, Good Aging Yells)

We met in a rather large space that could have fit far more than the small group that gathered for that two hour meeting.

That's me, shaking hands with Mr, Matsuura

There we were meeting with a group of Japanese citizens from their LGBT communities, touring the United States as guests of the U.S. State Department. Their mission was to discover what was happening in America to advance the cause of the LGBT community.

Mr. Matsuura and his friends came to Portland, Oregon to specifically see what life was like for aging Gays and Lesbians. Sage Gay and Grey, a part of Friendly House,  was chosen because of its active and vital Elder Gay community outreach.

Members of our group shared their experiences in coming out for the first time, what it was like to secure safe and affordable housing, quality healthcare and lasting relationships. Some of the testimony from our group brought tears to everyone, including our guests.

Peg Hackenbruck sharing her experiences with Miss Ono, through a translator..

We were allowed to ask questions of our guests about life in Japan for members of the LGBT community and one thing that became quite clear was that in many respects, Japan lags behind the U.S. in how gays and lesbians are treated and playing a larger role in those attitudes are cultural differences that exist in Japan that young gays and lesbians in America will never have to face.

There were two things that I was left with. The first is that even though the LGBT community in America has made great progress in addressing and advancing equality issues in America, we still have a long way to go. The other thought I was left with was the ongoing struggle our Japanese friends have in the years ahead.

Having an opportunity to be in the room, make new friends and talk about common interests was a joy that I will not soon forget.

My new book is out and thanks to you it is starting to find room in your library. To find out more about my book The Air In Me, just follow the link below.

 https://www.createspace.com/4388287

In my next blog I’ll introduce you to one of my favorite independent writers in America.

Thank you, as always for reading The Air in Me.

Dan

The Air in Me...Has Arrived

The Air in Me … Has Arrived

 

I am pleased to announce that my second book is now available and I’m about as giddy as an old gay guy could get. How giddy is that? Well imagine how it would be to get a phone call from Johnny Mathis wanting to take me out on a date…that kinda giddy.

Yes The Air in Me is now available in this cute little paperback, now look to the left and you’ll see my book. The Air in Me is a collection of prose and poetry that I’ve written over the last five years and is now available for world-wide distribution.

The Air In Me can be found on Amazon.com and you can access the book by clicking on the link…go ahead, don’t be scared, while you’re there admiring the fine cover provided by Suzanne Deakins, the publisher of One Spirit Press, you can order the book and it will be gracing your bookshelf in no time at all.  https://www.createspace.com/4388287

 Now for a little excitement from the home front:

Well to be perfectly honest the last few weeks have been totally chaotic. It all began when my PC decided to have ‘issues’ if you know what I mean. The experts are saying two things. The first thing they say is; ‘I’ve never seen a problem like that’ then they want to know exactly what I was doing when the alleged problem occurred…well I didn’t spend much time talking to those guys, and then the other guys say; ‘we can fix anything’ we’ll just need your left lung to get started…then there’s the blokes that want to take my money and repair my beloved computer from the confines of some secure place in God knows where? I had a chat with one of these guys as he diagnosed the problem by accessing my laptop and all the time sending IM’s to assure me that indeed my PC was in dire need of repair and he could fix it “NOW” for more bucks than I could come up with so I said a definite “NO” but every time I said “NO” he lowered his price, I lost total faith in the guy.

As it turns out I’m going to have this old guy who lives just down the hall...make no difference that he's pushing 90 I'm gonna let him use his voodoo…he uses a divining rod and touches it in various places along its black and chrome case. Every time the rod drops on a spot, he rubs his chin, pulls out his notepad, scribbles something then breaks out into a chant of a few words in some unknown tongue and then walks around in circles for twenty minutes, beats his drums and then says, “OK kid, hang on this is going to be a bumpy ride.” Of course I’m only kidding, well sort of. Anyway he’s assuring me he can get my computer up and running, I just need to be patient.

In the meantime I have my laptop computer which is OK, but my fat clumsy fingers have a hard time navigating the keyboard, but at the end of the day my blog will live to face another day. Well that’s about all the air I have left in The Air in Me for one day.

Thanks to Suzanne Deakins from One Spirit Press for putting up with my antics.

As always thanks for reading and you’ll notice I’ve left the link to my new book in case you missed the first…Hey, I’ve got to go; I think Johnny Mathis is calling.


To order The Air in Me just click on the following link, thanks in advance. https://www.createspace.com/4388287

 

 

Dan

The Air in Me Lifts Passions Power

The Air in Me Lifts Passions Power

In my last blog I started a three-part series on the importance of each writer finding their own source of inspiration…the inspiration that creates the poetry, novels, short stories, plays and whatever else it is you write, maybe even a blog.

I said that in my bag of tricks I have three sources of creativity that help me find the words I’m trying to write.

The first trick in the bag that I mentioned was that every writer must dip their toes in the pool of Life, you need to experience life; including the joy of success and the drama of failure at least once.

This week we’re going to look at how the writer; you and me, must feel passion coursing through our veins whenever we write.    

Passion is such an emotional word, and little did I expect to be touched in such an emotional state when two weeks ago I found passion knocking on my door through the death of a friend. It all started when I received word that my friend and colleague, Cal Brady had passed away. 

Cal owned Calcomm Stations in Seaside, Oregon (Licensed to Cannon Beach). Q949 was his baby and he lived and breathed its success with such unbridled passion.

Cal had hired me over the phone to come to Seaside to be the stations General Sales Manager, so the day I actually met Cal we were moving the station into a new location and he was helping move a heavy piece of equipment up a flight of stairs, and struggling I might add, so I came from behind and helped him move slowly to the top. In every way Cal operated Q949, he was totally hands on. Until he became ill, Cal was the GM, the Program Director and he even did an air shift called ‘Night Train.’

One of the first things I learned about Cal was that no matter what he was involved in, he wanted to do it right so it was not uncommon to see and feel the intensity by which Cal took on each challenge. I only hope that a little of the passion that flowed through Cal will also flow through me.

We writers need to see and feel that same passionate intensity when we write. That means we don’t count the numbers of times we rewrite a sentence, a paragraph, a page because we too, like my friend Cal want to get it right. Have you ever been out some place, a bar, a restaurant, and it comes to you, that hook you’ve been looking for in your novel? You look for a scrap of paper to write it down before it escapes and even more compelling, you can’t wait to get home to finish that poem, novel, article or even a letter to a friend.

Remember, without Passion in your bag of tricks, your writing will lack soul and never flow with heart and depth. That’s Passion!

I would like to finish with recommending a book that is a must for all writer's; it's titled, "Writing Down the Words" by Natalie Goldberg. This book will help keep

you on track as a writer. 

Finally, thanks to Cal Brady for the joy of his friendship. And thanks to his wife Jody Miller.

In my next blog; The Air in Me is filled with Unchained Joy.

As always thanks for reading The Air in Me! (Said with much Passion)

Dan

The Air in Me Whispers More Stories

The Air in Me Whispers Stories But Where Do They Come From?    

Over the years I have heard the question asked many times to writers; where do you get your inspiration?

There are as many answers to that question as there are the numbers of times it has been asked. Each writer has their personal bag of tricks, and I am no different.

To the young writer struggling to find that magic pill that will transform him or her into the next best thing on the New York Times Best Sellers List, let me suggest three favorites of mine.

Over the next three weeks I am going to share three from my bag of tricks; they work for me and if they end up working for you, that much the better.

Life:

It’s going to go on with or without you…so take your place in line

The first thing any writer needs to experience is Life. I think Mr. Thoreau had the right idea.

If you have experienced the sadness of heart break through the death of a loved one, the pain of divorce, the joy of birth, the climb to the top of the mountain and the tumble down…then you have experienced Life, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.  

I want to share a story that happened the other day. I was waiting for the bus and an old lady came my way. She was rather rotund, limping from a bad leg, and she had a little Pomeranian on a leash. This friendly old lady sat next to me, perspiration falling from her forehead, breathing heavily, she calmed herself enough to tell me a story about her little dog. “I got him for free from the Humane Society,” she said, taking in a breath of air, she went on, “I went to the Humane Society and told them I was looking for a replacement for a dog I’d had for a long time. I described what I was looking for when one of the volunteers said, come back tomorrow, that’s when we give the dogs away for free to senior citizens.”

Now stopping long enough to give her little buddy a doggie biscuit, she went on with her story. “They were so nice to me, showing me a selection of pets to choose from, they were all adorable, but I knew immediately when they brought him in that he was the one I would take home. He came up to me, jumped on my lap and stayed close, hoping I would take him home.

One of the volunteers said, ‘he’s got a few flaws, he is not perfect.’ I protested asking what’s wrong with him. The volunteer said, ‘well, he has an under bite and his left eye wanders.’ I simply replied, just look at me; I’m old, overweight, filled with flaws from a tough life, which tells me, we’re a perfect fit. We each faced the storms of life to come out on the other end, together.

This old lady truly understood that Life does happen and occasionally it offers a happy ending, and that always makes a good story.

My challenge to you, young writer is to think about your Life experiences and then go out and find an old lady at a bus stop, a person sitting alone in a coffee shop, or a neighbor you have never talked to, and I would be willing to wager that she or he has a story for you.

In his book, “The Art of Dramatic Writing” Lajos Egri says, “You, however, should never write anything you do not believe.” 

In my humble opinion, Life is the greatest gig I could ever get.

In my next blog we’ll discuss the power of passion in a writer’s life.

Photos are courtesy of Google Images and Jody Miller

.

As always thanks for reading The Air in Me.

Dan

The Air in Me Blows Rebelliously

The Air in Me Blows Rebelliously

When I first met Stan Grimes I knew instinctively that he was, and still is, a trouble maker. My suspicions were confirmed after I read two of his books, one a Science Fiction novel and the other a mystery story. In addition I have read much of his poetry.

We met in 2007 when we were posting prose and poetry on www.authorsden.com and have stayed in contact over the years watching each other’s progress. As for Stan he seems to be cranking out his novels with the fire of a fired up rebel with a cause.

Stan lives in a small city in Indiana with his wife, Debbie, a cat, and a dog.  He graduated from Indiana University and has worked for many years as a social worker.  Currently he is retired and devotes much of his time to writing science fiction and mystery novels.  He has published five fiction novels, three with Double Dragon Publisher, one with Wild Child Publishing, and of course his latest “Snowdrift Murders” with Club Lighthouse.  His first love has always been poetry.  Stan has written in this genre for thirty years…at least.  He enjoys walking along the river with his dog and piddling around in the yard.  He loves classic rock and alternative music.  His favorite authors are Robert Frost and Sylvia Plath. Here is one of Stan’s favorites: Clockwork We have suffered you and I but the years have smoothed edges of our rock hearts, time doctors repair broken clocks nonstop second hand  feelings. It is now time to enjoy our sun and summer breezes whispering tunes of destiny sweet lightening love. You can visit Stan’s web site at http://stangrimes.webs.com be patient, though, he may be piddling around in his yard. Thanks to Stan Grimes for sharing a little bit of his writing life. ~~~ I’m often asked what books I’m reading so I thought I’d leave a short list of my most recent reads. I am currently reading: The Art of Dramatic Writing by Lajos Egri  If you’ve ever wanted to learn how to write a screen play…they say (don’t ask me who they is) this is the writer’s bible of play writing. Landscape With Female Figure by Andrea Hollander. As you may recall I featured Andrea in my last blog The Murder of The Century by Paul Collins A great story about murder, corruption, scandal and the birth of the tabloid wars in New York, City. The Shape of The Eye, a memoir by George Estreich George tells the story of his family raising a child born with Down syndrome…a compelling read. The Truth Tree by Myrna D. Badgerow A collection of stories based around the life lessons one can learn from a tree deeply rooted in wisdom. As always thanks for reading The Air in Me  and allowing me to introduce you to a few of the many great writers I’ve come in contact with. Dan