New Blog

Check out my new blog Humna Humna

I'll be posting there from now on.

Thank you

To everyone who donated for the Light The Night walk. In the rain's mist walkers took their places at Penns Landing last weekend to show their support of friends and loved ones impacted by Lymphoma and Leukemia.

Want to know more? Light The Night

Are You Normal?

I took the "Are You Normal?" test but my results aren't surprising. No one should question my "cute but psycho" shirt. Oh wait. No one questioned it.

Nevermind.

My Normalcy Quotient is: 39 out of 100.

My quiz results make me a Marvelous Maverick

Giddy-up partner. I'm a maverick and don't know what the definition of normal is. That's a-okay because I'm now part of a fascinating group of desperadoes. Wherever I ride, it's sure to be off the beaten path because it's way more fun to find the path least traveled. (For those who know me, I didn't write this text I swear. I just changed the "you" to "me" so I didn't sound like a complete sociopath by posting this on the blog. Okay, done with the disclaimer.)

What about you? Take the test and let us know your results.

Take this free personality test by Clicking Here>> or going to http://www.chatterbean.com/runormal/

Zadie Smith's Questions - Discussion.

Thank you to Jade and Vikram for responding to this post. I enjoyed reading both perspectives on these topics.

My opinion? To the first question about multiculturalism I'd like to throw an additional bit to ponder. I recently attended the Tesoros (Treasures) traveling exhibit of art from Latin America currently at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. This exhibit contains artwork demonstrating that in the 1900s immigrants from China, Spain, and Africa all lived in Latin American countries. As an American I found this fascinating because I think, sometimes, we forget that the concept of a "melting pot" isn't unique to the United States but is a truth that exists for all countries.

The concept of borders conjures images of invisible walls that prevent us from moving to another location. The reality is that the moment a human became curious and decided to see what existed beyond the horizon or over a mountain, the possibility of cultures intermixing existed.

I don't say this to minimize the current challenges that exist in Europe or within any country but to add a different perspective on the topic.

In terms of the second question, I agree with Ms. Smith. Characters should be created to be full of life, not to stereotype a group, ethnicity, community, etc. All writers are tasked to create characters that live on the page and in the reader's mind. Hence why there are so many workshops on character development.

Thank you again to Vikram and Jade for responding. I'd still love to hear additional perspectives on these two topics.

Zadie Smith Reading and Topics for Discussion

Last night I attended a reading by Zadie Smith at Bryn Mawr College. Ms. Smith is a wonderful reader. She adds accents to her characters’ dialogue, which enriched the time spent.

What I was most impressed with was the question and answer session. When asked her opinion of the spread of multiculturalism and where it’s going, she retorted (and I’m paraphrasing) that multiculturalism isn’t something that can be boxed or policied or compartmentalized. It is a natural progression of a global society. The moment humans were able to cross an ocean and climb into a plane the blending of cultures and ethnicities was destined. In other words, it just happens.

I also thought it was interesting when another audience member said that she thought Ms. Smith’s characters were vivid and truly represented entire groups. Ms. Smith’s retort (again paraphrasing) was that characters shouldn’t represent an entire group but stand on their own as representing the individual character and nothing more. If one character seemed to represent an entire ethnic or religious group then those are the sections of text in which the writer has failed.

What are your opinions regarding these topics? I’ll save mine until I receive some responses to this post.

Crime? What Crime?

I'm attending a meeting in State College next weekend. In preparation, a friend and I were trying to find good places to eat in that area. My friend stumbled upon the latest link to the right, the Center Daily blog. If you want a good laugh then read the fruitful activities and interesting antics of the college town.

A great way to start the weekend.

Frank Wilson Interview

Last night I interviewed Frank Wilson, the Book Review Editor for the Philadelphia Inquirer. Look for that interview on the Picolata Review in upcoming months.

Light The Night

On September 30, I will be walking for the Light The Night Leukemia and Lymphoma Society fundraiser at Penns Landing. I'm sure many of us have known someone ill with Lymphoma or Leukemia. Recently a few friends of mine have been impacted by Lymphoma, so this walk holds something dear to me. I will be walking in memory of Ken Mullin, a good friend who passed away in June from complications related to Lymphoma.

If you would like to contribute to the fundraising campaign, please go to the link below and donate as little or as much as you choose.
http://www.active.com/donate/ltnPhilad/1780_lcoutant

Thanks,
Lisa