You Can Vote For Best Actress, Boogie Willis!

September 8, 2019pondersavant Leave a comment

Hello Ponderbots,

I am thrilled to share with you that Boogie Willis has been nominated for Best Actress in the Anchorage Press Picks! And the good news is, you don’t have to be in Alaska to be able to vote for her! You are able to vote every day until September 27, 2019.

Follow this link, select Best Actress, then select Vote next to Boogie Willis’ name:

http://anchoragepress.secondstreetapp.com/Press-Picks-2019/gallery/?group=328356&fbclid=IwAR3rI_TyQksxU13aFRC8psuFFmZYVvYMrYdDAV8HsLg3gVJzAuyAa6R2OUo

Go Vote!

To see some of her work, go check these out:

https://pondersavant.com/2019/03/07/who-is-boogie-willis/

https://pondersavant.com/2019/03/12/dancing-with-the-boogie/

Jupiter Prime by Laura Minning

August 18, 2019August 18, 2019pondersavant 2 Comments

About the Artist

Laura Minning began writing creatively at the tender age of nine. Her first poem was published by her Alma-matter in 1989, and her second received an Editor’s Choice Award by the National Library of Poetry in 1993. Laura’s work has been featured both in hard copy and on-line, via publications like “Literature Today”, “Amulet” and “Stanzaic Stylings”.

Laura received her first International Merritt of Poetry Award in 1995 and her second in 1998. Both were presented to her by the National Library of Poetry. Her outstanding achievements in poetry were internationally recognized again in 2005 by Poetry.com, who was kind enough to bestow the title of International Poet of the Year on to her.

Laura’s first collection of poetry, “dear diary” was published by Vantage Press in 2003. Her second book, “sunburst” was published by Xlibris a year and a half later.

Laura’s artistic accomplishments have been equally impressive. She’s been creating and exhibiting abstract work since 2013. Her pieces have been displayed at venues like the Iowa Children’s Museum, the Trenton Free Public Library and Barcode. Her artwork, as well as her original photography, has also obtained publication status both in hard copy and on-line.

The Barcode exhibit was held in 2016. It featured thirty-six pieces of Laura’s original abstract artwork. Four of those pieces were sold over the course of the exhibition’s opening weekend, and the entire event was sponsored by Bacardi.

In 2018, Laura produced a chapbook, entitled “fusion”, which featured photographic images of her artwork.

As a person with legal blindness, Laura hopes to inspire other creative people with disabilities to never allow anything to hinder them from reaching for the stars and accomplishing their dreams. If you were to ask her about her creative successes, she would tell you that the difficult is but the work of the moment, and the impossible takes a little longer.

Laura Minning’s Artist Statement

“My creative passions began with poetry. I started writing at the tender age of nine as a means of expressing my own thoughts and feelings. A few years later, I developed a desire to share my work with others. This not only aided me in strengthening the bonds that I had with friends and family, it was also instrumental in helping me to come out of my shell and become less timid.

Toward the end of 2013, my attentions shifted from poetry to art. I immediately decided to fan the flames of my new passion by applying the methods that I had used for my old one. I subsequently found this to be rather effective in developing my artistic skills and techniques.

I began by utilizing acrylic paints. Next, I tried my hand at combining the paint with candle wax, crayons, nail polish, sidewalk chalk and glitter glue. I’d additionally affix original poetry or Imax film strips to the canvas board and incorporate the acrylic or wax based mediums around them. These techniques created some exceedingly colorful tactile and three-dimensional effects.”

Follow Her Work

For more information about Laura and her work, please feel free to log onto her web-site at https://brcartandpoetry.wordpress.com/

or any of the following sites:

https://www.patreon.com

https://linkedin.com/in/brcartistandpoetry

https://www.etsy.com/shop/BRCArtAndPoetry

https://www.gofundme.com/the-sensory-art-gallery-project

HOTC Kenya Team – Katie O’Loughlin Returns!

August 5, 2019August 5, 2019pondersavant Leave a comment

If your remember, several months back Katie O’Loughlin was preparing a trip to Kenya. See post: https://pondersavant.com/2019/03/16/dancing-to-far-away-places-with-katie-oloughlin/

Well, she has returned safe and sound, with vibrant stories to be told! Take a look at her video from her journey:

The Art of Depression: A Mini-Series/Artist Lineup

July 2, 2019July 21, 2019pondersavant Leave a comment

Hello Ponderbots! Boy, oh boy, do I have the lineup of artists for you this month!

This series will be including work from different parts of the world coming together to present their art. Each one will be reflecting different aspects and viewpoints of depression.

Keep an eye out for these artists:

anonYmous – July 15^th

Kelly Berry – July 15^th

Danni Blackman– July 16^th

James Pompey – July 16^th

Heather Pease – July 17^th

Saoirse Love – July 17^th

Jack Freedman – July 18^th

Kaci Skiles – July 18^th

Rachel Cunniffe – July 19^th

Lindsey McAdams – July 19^th

Jack Droppers & the Best Intentions– July 20^th

Carl Scharwath/Jennifer Link – July 20^th

Amirah Al Wassif – July 21^st

Suman Kabiraj – July 21^st

CL Bledsoe/Tony Mancus – July 22^nd

Ann Privateer – July 22^nd

Mark Blickley/Amy Bassin – July 23^rd

Jennifer Carr – July 23^rd

Alexandria Drouin – July 24^th

Kelsey Bryan-Zwick – July 24^th

Meg Smith – July 25^th

David Estringel – July 25^th

Dylan Newitt Allen – July 26^th

Adebisi Amori – July 26^th

Chella Courington – July 27^th

Lauren Scharhag – July 27^th

Acoustic Librarian – July 28^th

Young Toledo – July 28^th

Andrew Wetmore – July 29^th

Kirsty Niven – July 29^th

Marc Cid – July 30^th

Evan Hall – July 30^th

Shannon Light – July 31st

Karly Robinson – July 31st

Calling For Submissions!

May 22, 2019pondersavant 1 Comment

Calling For Submissions! The Art of Depression: A Mini-Series

Come, be brave and inspire others by your creativity.

I am calling for art submissions that are inspired by depression/anxiety for my upcoming mini-series. The art can be validating the struggle, challenges faced within it, hope beyond it, etc. The goal is to remind people they are not alone, and to see some beauty come out of an otherwise painful experience.

To have your work considered to be a part of this blog series, please follow the instructions below.

Submit:

1 piece of artwork of any medium inspired by depression/anxiety. Poems, music, drawings, paintings, or something completely different!
Your contact information. If you have a website that you would like to be promoted, please send as well.

Submit to:

Mia Savant at pondersavant@gmail.com

Submit by:

June 30^th, 2019

Poetry Like You’ve Never Seen: Poetry in Motion – The Undulating Line

May 2, 2019pondersavant Leave a comment

A New Form of Poetry

As I sat at an open mic poetry, soaking in the delightful poems being presented, there was one poet that stood out to me that particular evening. A woman named Shannon went up on stage and courageously stepped outside of the norm to perform her poem while simultaneously bellydancing. It’s not a combination that I would’ve ever considered go together, but it was quite magical and intriguing. I immediately wanted to know more.

As if she read my thoughts, after she finished, she mentioned her Poetry in Motion workshop that she was a part of, and there was an upcoming event in the month of April. I could not resist the opportunity to see more and explore this blending of art forms.

A Warm Environment

I had no idea what to expect when going in, but I entered, fully prepared to feel completely incompetent and inadequate. What I found was two inviting teachers, Aruni and Shannon, who immediately put my mind to rest that I did not need to be skilled in any way. Don’t get me wrong, I was still very bad at dancing, but I was able to not worry so much about that. They made it incredibly easy to simply enjoy watching them share their knowledge and there was no judgement on my humble attempts at following their direction.

Bellydancing – Aruni

Aruni led the bellydancing portion of the class, and elegantly demonstrated each move. Aruni is a poet and she has over 20 years of experience in bellydancing. The amount of grace she has in her movements is astounding. You could see her heart has poured into this style and it is truly a wonder to watch. I almost forgot at times that I was trying to learn the moves as I was captured by examining the skill that clearly took hours upon hours to perfect.

What I liked about her teaching was that she focused on individuality. She said that we don’t need to dance like other people, rather we should dance from our own hearts. She encouraged us to feel the music and express it the way that we perceive it. Finding my own perception was rather difficult for me, as none of the movements felt natural to my non-rhythmic body. However, I do think my awkward turtle dance is probably still a somewhat accurate reflection of how I see the world.

The concept behind bellydancing was quite empowering. Aruni said that it is a way to get out of your head and into your hips. It is not for some sort of gawking eyes to watch, but to be sensual for yourself. Bellydancing is primarily a dance that women do together, not so much as a way to entice men. It’s about embracing your body as your own, feeling free, throwing away body shaming thoughts, and enjoying your own curves. I found this to be strangely soothing, like a unique form of self-care.

Poetry – Shannon

The second half of the workshop was taught by Shannon, a publisher and poet. Middle Eastern style music and dance is not in her heritage, but it feeds her soul. She is so excited about her work and such an encouraging person to be around. I love the way she is all about building up poets and eagerly wants to display their work. She diligently stays connected with all of the poetry outlets to be able to direct her authors where to place submissions.

Shannon directed us through poetry exercises, relating to the dance and movement. The idea was to get out of our heads through dancing, and then back into our heads with a rejuvenated perspective. There was a refreshing peace to be able to transition this way, and it did give a little bit of a clear mind to work with when writing.

Book in the Making

In addition to teaching, these creative individuals are putting together a book wherein they collect poems that are created in the class! They are collaborating the uniqueness of their talents to design something new and fresh in the poetry world.

Inspiration

I was so impressed by the work that these individuals are doing. It was so clear that they do this not because of money, but for the love of the art. They lose themselves in the creative process while at the same time diligently work to make their concepts a reality. In a chaotic world of day jobs, bills, and families, they are still making art and passion a priority in their lives.

They have more workshops coming up! Go check them out and share them with your friends!

You can find them by clicking on the links below:

Picture Show Press

Poetry in Motion: Bellydance and Poetry Workshop