Home Is Where the Art Is: Tony Fitzpatrick

Looking at the latest copy of Poetry, I found myself completely enamored with the cover art by New Orleans artist Tony Fitzpatrick. The events of Hurricane Katrina are something I care deeply about--watching the documentaries, reading various writers experiences, taking in the photographs. I don't have any direct ties to the community--no family or friends, never traveled there--but, years after the levees broke, I still feel this great empathy for the people of the region. In an interview with the Times-Picayune Fitzpatrick was quoted as saying: “We love in poetry but, unfortunately, we live in prose. Sometimes the two are not congruent. What we remember of love is usually a fiction. What we aspire to is haiku: short, sweet, perfect.” Aren't these collages doing just what poetry should? The music of the words, the energy of the images, the vital remembrance.

{Click images to enlarge and see all the wonderful detail.}

Making My Day: Kids Letters to Obama

This article from the NYTimes is absolutely endearing. A couple of my favorites:

Dear President Obama,

Here is a list of the first 10 things you should do as president:

1. Fly to the White House in a helicopter.
2. Walk in.
3. Wipe feet.
4. Walk to the Oval Office.
5. Sit down in a chair.
6. Put hand-sanitizer on hands.
7. Enjoy moment.
8. Get up.
9. Get in car.
10. Go to the dog pound.

— Chandler Browne, age 12, Chicago

Dear President Obama,

I am small, quiet, smart. I love to swim and play basketball. My mom and dad are from the Dominican Republic. I am going to the Dominican Republic next year. I think you should try to change the world by building shelters for the people who live in the streets. It’s the beginning of January, and it’s cold. Good luck being the president.

— Pamela Mejia, age 11, Boston

I Have a Dream

"At the center of non-violence stands the principle of love." Monday is Martin Luther King Day--this new year is flying already! I'm excited to enjoy the long weekend and give back on the National Day of Service. S and I are going to spend some time at our local women's center assembling HIV education kits. More information about opportunities near you on the Obama's USA Service site and the MLK Day site. Volunteering really feels like a great way to get geared up for the inauguration festivities!

Good Giving Back

Who doesn't need a new totebag? Macy's Shop for a Better World has some colorful, change-making new pieces--not to mention these black and white baskets, so covet-worthy! When better to give back than the holidays, am I right? I can think of a whole list of nonprofits I would love to support this season (see also here, here, here). What are some of your favorite shops and organizations working to make a happier, healthier, safer world?

Get Out the Vote!

Is there a way to make this image bigger and/or louder? S and I did the 'get out the vote!' dance over breakfast this morning. I admit, I got my little shimmy on--I can't wait to fill in those boxes! Vote and let your voice be heard!

UPDATE: Done! We did our little voting tradition--we walked the dog up to our polling place and switched off casting our ballots. Can't wait to watch the returns tonight...!

(Image by Mitzie Testani.)

Up Until Now...

...I've tried my best to be bipartisan on this blog but thisthisthis has me all fired up--it's all about the heirlooms with me!




With a $10 donation, you too could be entered into a raffle to win this remarkable Denyse Schmidt quilt. Just think: a crafted piece of political history and women's art history.

Discussing the social import of her work in American Craft, Schmidt says, "I guess my agenda has always been to make people aware of the beauty of the quilt. Not that it has to be defined as art—the object itself as a functional thing is such a beautiful expression. I love that from the same pattern in the hands of 10 different craftspeople, you’ll get a completely different look. There’s this amazing sharing of ideas and techniques and patterns that doesn’t exist in other art forms. Like songs that get passed along orally, quilt patterns get spread around, and the names change [...]. That little piece of our history is to me so beautiful, it’s really something I wanted to celebrate."

I can't get enough of celebrating her work. Yes we can!

(Via Heather Ross.)

Vote Love

It's officially election season and the buzz is in the air. Let's give democracy some love. Don't forget to register--the deadlines are coming!  In many states, it's Monday.

(Image found here.)

Sweet Find: Rosa Loves

Fashion, community, awareness, service--I saw Rosa Loves on Black Eiffel a couple weeks ago and I really admire their mission. The tee shop gives back to everyday people in need. I know I would love to wear one of these beauties and tell everyone its story.

Nie Nie Day

Two weeks ago, Stephanie Nielson, blogger behind the Nie Nie Dialogues, and her husband were in the crash of small aircraft. Their fellow passenger, Doug Kinneard, a flight instructor, did not survive his injuries. Stephanie and her husband, the parents of four young children, are currently in critical but stable condition. Surviving with third degree burns, their recovery is expected to take many months and be very expensive.

Stephanie's family and the blog community have created the Nie Recovery site: a place for donations to the fundraising drive for the Nielsen's recovery, an opportunity to learn more about the couple, and a benefit blog to stay updated. Gabrielle at Design Mom has dedicated today NieNie Day and encouraged fellow bloggers to participate by holding silent auctions. The complete list of auctions is available here. The outpouring of support is just tremendous and tremendously moving. I've already put in my bid and hope you will too!

The Home Is Where the Art Is: Alma Allen

I can't recall where I first heard of Alma Allen's sculptures. There was a show or radio segment or blog entry somewhere about her eco-modern home and studio outside Joshua Tree. Having gone to college out that way, the California high desert is a landscape I love and I can't help but swoon at the beautiful space she's created. The very witty home-building blog is available here. Aren't these shapes sensational? The top pieces remind me of the desert tortoises I've always heard about but never seen.

Sweet Find: Pillow Dreams Project

On one of the very last pages of the new Domino, they have a great 'giving back' feature including Pillow Dreams Project. Fifty percent of profits benefit children living in the continents in which the pillows were made. I snuck a quick look and there are just so many nice craft pieces. I'm thinking about a new pair of throw pillows for the bedroom but, wow, so many options to choose from...!

Wedding Photography Giveaway!

In celebration of the new civil rights achievement in California (yes!), the very awesome Jessamyn Harris is giving away a photo package to a lucky couple getting married at SF City Hall. For details, check out her blog here.

Wedding To Do: Welcome Bags

First thing, I really, really need a new camera. Forgive the blurry photos! I just put up the essentials because, wow, yikes....

I've been working away on the welcome bags for our out-of-town wedding guests and just finished putting them all together. Reading the wedding blogs was a huge help in this area--I gathered so many fun and practical ideas. I found the bags here--they were really inexpensive and eco-friendly (made of bamboo!).

What's included:
1) 2 bottles of water,
2) a wedding cd mix in one of these Paper Source enclosures & a fun label (it reads: "From This Moment On" referring to the Cole Porter tune),
3) the weekend schedule rolled up into a scroll and bound with a piece of paper from our invitations,
4) one rubber duckie,
5) a composition notebook with a certificate of contribution to a literacy fund & two pencils tied with a red bow (we're both writers and care deeply about education),
6) a "something's hiding in here" bag (I can't say enough about the wonderful work of these etsy artisans!) filled with party toys & chocolates,
7) animal crackers (in the classic box),
8) a disposable camera,
9) a mason jar with dry ingredients & our recipe for cornmeal cookies (because, well, we live in the Cornhusker state),
and, last but not least,
10) a door-hanger envelope (the label says "Welcome to Lincoln" with a small city graphic, the envelope is this Paper Source enclosure) with brochures to local sites (like here, here and here), a map & list of our favorite places and a postcard with postage.

It's amazing how much you can pack in a little bag! A little cellophane, a bow and we're set.

Now, off to buy a new camera...! Thank goodness for the timely tax relief.

Find It on Film: Senator Obama

Our documentary of the week. I'm quite hopeful that our next president will care about Africa--the place, people, culture--and bring about compassionate change.

Sweet Find: Global Girlfriend

I first heard of Global Girlfriend last year--their lovely jewelry has received good press (check out these bracelets!). Today, I found out that, in addition to their beautiful fair trade wares, they've just expanded their site to include "gifts that give more"--microgrants, water kits, medical care and scholarships. Just in time for Mother's Day!

Find It on Film: Motherland Afghanistan

As I've mentioned before, I adore documentaries. If you get the chance, I highly recommend watching this one.

Gratitudes: Week in Review

Just when you think things can't get any better...they do. I've been having to make so many lists lately I figured I might make one in the spirit of this very fine week.

I'm thankful for:

1) Communities of love, as bell hooks describes them, and the budding love stories of others (especially those I love very much).
2) The patch of white daffodils in my backyard.
3) Mail, including the big shipping box of sparkling wine that arrived on my doorstep this afternoon.
4) The fact that I was able to walk our dog three times in a single day.
5) Short & sweet conversations with my officemates.
6) Crisp, new travel itineraries.
7) Young poets and literary friendships.
8) Paintings and cool museum boardrooms.
9) Witticisms.
10) The promise of summer teaching.
11) Diana Krall. Tift Merritt. Kate Wolf. Anita O'Day. Ray Charles.
12) Putting my sandals back on for good, for a good, good while.
13) Having enough. Not too much, just exactly enough of what I need.
14) Finding new causes and new causes for hope.

(Picture found here and for sale!)

Find It on Film: The Business of Being Born

I can't imagine my life without documentaries and I highly recommend this one.

Home Is Where the Art Is: Here and Beyond

Save The Mount! Edith Wharton's 'autobiographical' home in Lenox, MA is faced with imminent foreclosure and with it the stunning Italianate gardens. You can help by donating online today.

Saint Valentine's

Thinking about Valentine's Day: what if we kept Neruda's words in mind?

Laugh at the night,
at the day, at the moon,
laugh at the twisted
streets of the island,
laugh at this clumsy
boy who loves you,
but when I open
my eyes and close them,
when my steps go,
when my steps return,
deny me bread, air,
light, spring,
but never your laughter....

Happy Freedom to Marry week--have a good one!