An Imperfect Vegan is the Only Kind There Is

[Psyched to report I'm on this week's episode of the Tranquility du Jour podcast, talking with Kimberly Wilson about the connection I've found between veganism and creativity as well as the workshop I'm offering at Fall Squam! And now back to your regularly scheduled blog post.]* * *Is there a perfect diet? Ha! You know what I say to that. But within veganism, is there a BEST way to eat? Should I try cutting all cooked food out of my diet? No oil, no salt, no caffeine? Will going raw make me even healthier than I already am? Should I start with a weeklong juice fast?I can ask myself these questions in a spirit of curiosity, but I know that for some (particularly those with food and body image issues) this line of inquiry is fraught with opportunities for self recrimination. But I heard vegetables lose most of their nutrients when they're cooked! There may have been refined sugar in those store-bought crackers, and white sugar IS NOT VEGAN! No Coconut Bliss for me, thanks—too high in fat!But my conscience isn't a drill sergeant—if there is a virtue scale on dietary choices, I have to admit I'm only fair to middling. I do eat oily, salty foods. Falafel is fried, and I can't get enough of it. I love toast and ginger biscuits and other not-so-nutritious comfort snacks. And the vegan baked goods? OH YES.  Sometimes I joke that "my body is a temple," but my diet is far from ascetic. If a food gives me pleasure, I will  indulge on occasion (Taza? Taza, anyone??) Ultimately I'm not doing "the cause" any good by being self denying about it. I always eat what I want to eat, and I enjoy it. Also, as Sharon Gannon notes in Yoga and Vegetarianism, "Patanjali gives ahimsa, or nonharming, as a 'practice,' which implies that it can never be perfected." No matter what I eat, raw and juiced and chia-seeded up the wazoo, I will never arrive at a place of perfection, and I'm fine with that.  

How to Value Creative Work

Recently I asked my friend Elizabeth what she thought about unpaid writing gigs that hold the potential for greater exposure. She looked at me in that wonderfully incredulous, no-nonsense way of hers.

"You do NOT write for free."

"No exceptions," she said.

Of course, I was free to do as I liked, but if I wanted to be taken seriously as a professional artist, I would need to say "thanks but no thanks" unless there were some sort of trade involved. I could write an essay in exchange for a massage, say, or a three-month supply of Fair Trade vegan chocolate. But to write for nothing, no exchange of energy, would be to disrespect my own talents, skills, and (ahem, expensive) education.

But what about start-up websites that may not have any advertising revenue yet with which to pay me? "You can leave those opportunities to people who just write for fun," Elizabeth replied. Part of me was resisting this advice, but I knew she was right.

Around the time we were having this conversation, my friend Kirsty (whom I met at Hawthornden last year, and will soon see at the Edinburgh launch of her debut story collection—for which I'll be doing another Q&A-contest, by the way!) reposted the following screenshot of two Craigslist ads, the second a response to the first: 

Absolutely silly.

"You wouldn't go up to a chiropractor at a cocktail party and say, 'can you just make this quick adjustment for me?'" Elizabeth went on. "And if you did, the chiropractor would say, 'I can take care of that. Just call my office and make an appointment. I charge $150 an hour.'"

Why is it, then, that artists are so often expected to work for free? Is there a pervasive cultural perception that because "anyone" can "make art," that only a very few should make a living at it while the rest of us remain happy to "dabble"?

So tired of this complete lack of professional self-confidence. Seriously. SO tired of it. I just want to kill it with a fork. #stabbity— Sarah/Katherine (@pennyvixen) March 27, 2014

I have been sitting with Elizabeth's advice for the past week or two. I have thought over the times when I have made school appearances, asking and receiving less than I was worth in return for my time, energy, and knowledge, because at the time I felt that speaking for free was simply a gesture of goodwill from a writer who had "made it" with a Random House book deal. I offered a free writing workshop (eight two-hour sessions) a couple of years ago because I wanted teaching experience and figured it would be a great way to make my own opportunity. I don't regret any of those decisions, but I do feel that the time has come when I can no longer say, "sure, I'll come speak to your students for free." I have been very, very nice—so nice and so generous that I have not actually behaved like a professional. I'd committed to two (albeit quick) unpaid writing projects before I had that conversation with Elizabeth, but in future, if there isn't at least a modest honorarium involved (hey, I know school budgets are tight), I simply cannot do it. (I'm excepting the Skillshare because a free exchange of knowledge is the raison d'être—at least in our version of a skillshare. And in that case, I received even more than I gave.)

Whatever the reason artists are so often expected to labor for nothing beyond a quick thanks a lot, the fact is, we writers and musicians and artists need to put a price on the work we're doing. St. Martin's didn't pay me for Bones & All with a pat on the head, now, that's for sure! In any given exchange in the professional arena, one of us has to value my time and talent—and if it isn't me then it certainly won't be you.

What do you think? Am I empowering or limiting myself by writing solely for pay? 

The Backyard Tourist, part 3

(The Backyard Tourist, part 1; part 2.)Last weekend Kate and Elliot came up to visit, and we spent Saturday sightseeing with their friends Stephanie and Joe. First stop, Grasshopper for brunch! It's an Asian vegan restaurant in Allston, just a few doors down from FoMu. I'd been meaning to check it out for ages.    Most of us ordered juices too, which were actually smoothies, but still delicious. (You can order a smoothie with avocado in it!!)After brunch Stephanie drove us to Bunker Hill. (An entire year in Boston, and I hadn't been!)    Then we spent a little while at the museum across the street: By this time we were all feeling in need of a pick me up (the weather was foul, after all), so Stephanie suggested we head over to CuppaCoffee near North Station, her all-time favorite coffee shop. It's tiny and delightful and the friendly Aussie owner really knows his stuff!  Fortified by a French roast with almond milk and raw sugar, I moseyed over to the Revere House with the gang for another round of Revolutionary history. The building was lovingly restored a hundred years ago, and though you can only see four rooms, I found it well worth the $3.50 admission price.  I was geeking out, actually—my next novel is set in New England in the 1780s/90s, so this visit turned into an important piece of research for me. Kate had to come back into the house to retrieve me while the rest of our friends waited outside in the rain. (Sorry, guys!)(No photos allowed inside, by the way.)  On our way to dinner we stumbled upon the Holocaust memorial. (Did you know Boston had a Holocaust memorial? Me neither. And it's right down the street from the Writers' Room, too!) It was particularly moving to experience it as we did—at dusk in the pouring rain.  You all know how much I love my "little" sister, so you can just imagine how I felt when I read this panel:  On an infinitely happier note, we had a fabulous dinner at India Quality at Kenmore with Faith and Alex, who is headed off to the Peace Corps in Georgia in a few weeks' time. I'm so excited for him! 

Tips for Better Fiction, part 1

I whipped up this handout for my writing class at the Somerville Skillshare. Part 2 coming next week (or maybe the week after.) 

Be a voracious (and indiscriminate) reader.

Begin by reading everything you can get your hands on, not just the genre you're interested in writing. As you read, pay careful attention to what does or doesn't “work” for you. Let the book and its author teach you how (or how not to) tell a story—for example, to learn about plotting, read a lot of mystery and suspense novels even if you're not interested in writing mystery yourself. Whether or not it's a “good” book, and whether or not you enjoyed it, you are learning your craft.

Play...

Ask yourself, “What if...?” and see where your imagination takes you. To paraphrase Roald Dahl, those who believe in magic will always find it—but that said, don't be too earnest or serious about this process. The magic happens when you're too busy having fun to notice it sneaking up on you.

...And enjoy the balance between play and work.

A writer is always working, and never working. You get to live inside this neat little paradox!

Observe.

If you can stop and notice the vivid details all around you, your descriptive writing will grow crisper and more evocative in kind. (For instance, lately I have noticed a person outside the State House wearing a teddy bear costume and playing a keytar. There's no way I'd settle on “street musician” when he or she has given me that much to work with.) Which leads me to my next point:

Keep your pen and journal (or at least a piece of scratch paper) with you at all times.

You never know when you'll see something strange or overhear a priceless piece of dialogue you can build a story around. Even if you're just going to the bathroom, something cool might spontaneously occur to you while you're in there!

Experiment with work habits, styles, and techniques to figure out what works best for you.

It's always fun to read about what works for writers you admire, but there's no sense adopting someone else's process or “rituals” hoping for the same success. Also keep in mind that your habits and pet rituals will probably evolve over time, or vary from one project to the next.

Cultivate a sense of urgency.

Fall in love with your story, especially if it's a novel. Give your project the very best that's in you. Don't worry, there'll be more where that came from! And on that note:

Take time to “refill the well.”

When you're “stuck” or just in between projects, get away from your desk and reconnect with whatever gets you excited about life. Go to an art museum, see a play, read up on a topic that intrigues you, or meet up for coffee with a friend you haven't seen in awhile. I guarantee you that somewhere, sometime—as long as you're not looking for it!—your next great idea will tap you on the shoulder.

Invest in your characters.

If your protagonist isn't as real to you as your own best friend, he won't feel real to your reader either. Like a real-life friend, your protagonist should have a personality abundant in both virtues and flaws—but even if he's deeply flawed, make sure we still care about him. 

For more tips and frank talk on the writing life, check out my blog entries tagged “useful writing posts." I'd love to hear your suggestions for future entries! 

13 Hours in Manhattan

Since I moved to Boston I've been doing this wacky thing where I go down to New York just for the afternoon and evening (usually for a Yaddo get-together), then I take a late bus back so I can (in theory, anyway) have the whole next day at home to be productive. Here are some pics from a quick trip down the week before last: 

A light meal before yoga class at Jivamukti NYC: an Abundance smoothie (cherries, strawberries, raspberries, cocoa, coconut water) and steamed kale with turmeric tahini dressing. They do say you should eat as colorfully as possible, right? I got off the bus feeling generally off kilter, but this snack totally pepped me up for yoga.

(I went back for a sandwich after class, and overheard a guy telling his companion about a friend of his who buys old clothing on eBay with weird stories attached. For instance, she once acquired a 19th-century wedding dress with a gaping hole in the bodice, with dried blood still visible around the edges. It seemed the groom was already married, and when his first wife found out about the illegal wedding she came to the church and stabbed the second bride in a jealous rage.)

Then I met some of my Yaddo buds at Congee Village on Allen Street for dinner: 

Afterward we headed across the street to Berkli Parc for wine and coffee. My bus wasn't leaving until four (I know, I know! I am nuts), so it was actually the smart thing to do to order two "dirty chai" soy lattes (i.e., chai + espresso) between 10 and 11 o'clock at night. BOING BOING! 

I got good work done in the almost-hour after everyone else headed home, and when the cafe closed at midnight I went to Penn and wrote in the 24-hour Au Bon Pain on the lower level. (No way I was gonna wait for more than twenty minutes at the Port Authority. That place is sketchtastic.) 

Pretty street art. 

(Um, what? I Googled, to no avail.) 

I may not be ahead of the trend after all... 

@cometparty you working at a 24-hr coffee shop while waiting for your 4 am bus was inspiring. I have the poem taped to my journal. Thank you

— Mieke Zamora-Mackay (@MZMackay) March 28, 2014

A Glimpse Before Packing

I love perusing other people's bookshelves, so I thought I'd give you another peek at mine before I began packing it up.  As I mentioned the other week, I'm moving in with my friend Kelly in May, and before that (the whole month of April) I'll be on a working holiday in Ireland. (This will be my first trip back in three years, so you can just imagine how excited I am to reconnect with old friends. Then I go to London to see Seanan and have lunch with Hana, my editor at Penguin UK!) I'd hoped to finish blogging about Uganda before taking this trip, but you know how it is. Stay tuned for photos from West Cork, where I'll be revising the manuscript in a cottage apartment a twenty-minute walk from the sea. (How amazing is my life??) 

I can count on one hand the number of sleeps I have left on this bed. It's been a lovely year, but I'm ready. #movingsoon

— Camille DeAngelis (@cometparty) March 23, 2014

Bhakti Brunch

This month's focus in Jivamukti yoga is bhakti—devotion to the divine. There are many elements to a yoga practice, not just the physical asanas, and this passage in particular (by Sharon Gannon) is a useful reminder for me:

Even though bhakti and ahimsa are both tenets of Jivamukti Yoga, there could arise a tendency to forget bhakti, devotion to God, and become overly consumed with promoting animal rights, veganism and environmentalism—or you could say saving the world—as a way to practice ahimsa and develop compassion in one’s daily life. We must be careful not to allow our activism to take priority over our devotion to God. If we do we will undoubtedly be bound by avidya and asmita—ignorance and ego identification and all the debilitating vices that come with those hindrances, like pride, anger, revenge and impatience, for example.

I like to think I'm pretty good at connecting to the spiritual side of things, but when I get frustrated, say, overhearing a yoga teacher talking about the most delicious mac ’n cheese with bacon on top, I am engaging in ego identification—even though it seems on the surface that the problem is solely with the other person. (Ha! It never ever is!) So this month's focus has been really important for me.Last Sunday one of my lovely Jivamukti teachers, Reina Lovelace, offered a special class at Karma with kirtan (Sanskrit singing plus harmonium, SO gorgeous) by Irene Soléa, and afterward we enjoyed a vegan potluck "bhakti brunch." It was lovely to get to know some people I've been practicing alongside for awhile now; I can get caught up in my own practice and forget to engage, say hello, introduce myself. We come to practice in the same space for a reason!  Reina made the most AMAZING pumpkin chocolate chip muffins. I have to get the recipe from her!! The dish in the middle (below) is the fruit cobbler I made out of Robin Robertson's Vegan on the Cheap. It's the first recipe I've tried out of that book, and it was fantastic—and so easy, too. I prepped enough fruit for two cobblers so that Faith and I could have some on Saturday night (bless her for letting me use her kitchen!), and we gobbled it up right out of the oven. I can't even express to you how comfortingly delicious it was. (I will be doing more systematic cookbook explorations starting sometime this summer, and I might as well start with this one!)  I love it when no one coordinates what they're bringing to a potluck and yet it all comes out perfectly balanced.  On the savory side, a broccoli/asparagus tofu quiche (also by Reina), quinoa salad, avocado and black bean salad, and an Indian-inspired lentil dish. Everything thoroughly yummy! Good to the last bite (and then I had a muffin.) Several friends have commented to me recently about my healthy appetite. It's totally the yoga.

Brought to you by sunlight. #mudra #nofilter http://t.co/9z6g6g0S32— Brynne (@bhaflett) March 10, 2014

I'll be writing more about yoga over the summer—there's a big post gathering itself in my head, I just won't have the time for another long one until after I turn in my manuscript in June. But I'm really looking forward to the day when I can share with you some specific ways in which my daily yoga practice has changed my life for the better. (Talk about an understatement!) 

A Highly Unlikely Scenario giveaway!

When [Leonard] got home from school, he helped his grandfather to the toilet, then brought him a snack—usually canned peaches, sometimes herring with sour cream. Then he did his homework on the old man's settee, and when he'd finished, his grandfather would say, Listen, boychik, I need you to listen good, and he would pick one of his stories (he only had a few) and he would tell it, and after he told it he would say, You're a good egg, boychik, you tell no one about this except your grandson. 

***

I first "met" Rachel Cantor in October 2009 when we tweeted about our Yaddo acceptance letters. She and Nova and I were all going to be there in April, and we got to know one other online over that six-month interval. So when we all finally met face to face at the colony, it didn't feel like a first-time meeting. As I've written on the blog before, we had a great time together, chatting over dinner and wine and raucous games of PIG in the poolhouse (though I don't recall Rachel being quite so enthusiastic about that game as Cheryl and I were!)

Rachel is a big part of why my time at Yaddo was so rewarding. She's been very kind to me over the past four years, letting me stay at her place in Philly when I needed to figure out what I was doing post-Yaddo, and coming early to the Petty Magic launch party to help set up (bless her!!) After writing hard for years (publishing more short stories than even she can keep track of, I'm sure), Rachel got a two-book deal with Melville House in 2012—a richly deserved success. The first of those two novels, published in January, is A Highly Unlikely Scenario: or, A Neetsa Pizza Employee's Guide to Saving the World. The book has received an enthusiastic reception in the New York Times and many other publications.

Featuring time travel and fast-food political factions, medieval Jewish mystics, the unreadable Voynich manuscript, Marco Polo and Roger Bacon's Brazen Head oracle, Rachel's novel somewhat defies categorization: it's science fiction liberally seasoned with satire and clever wordplay, mildly absurdist yet wonderfully human (which, I can tell you from experience, is the last thing from easy to pull off when the plot is doing the driving.) One of my favorite aspects of A Highly Unlikely Scenario is the tenderness between Leonard, the awkward young protagonist, and his loved ones, especially his grandfather and his nephew Felix. (The timelines of these two characters don't overlap, which is perfect actually, because on the birth of his nephew Leonard feels he's been given a second chance.) This familial tenderness is present on pretty much every page, but it never gets mushy. Rachel's storytelling is playful, with a wonderful sense of curiosity, and I can't wait to read her second novel with Melville House! (See our Q&A below.)

* * *

Everything about the book's invented setting evolved with the book; coming up with these details was one of the book's great pleasures. Nothing is more fun than starting a sentence not knowing how it will end.  

(from the interview at the back of the book)

The very first thing that struck me about A Highly Unlikely Scenario is what great fun it must have been to write! You mention in the Q&A at the back of the book that the novel is partly inspired by a conversation you had with a rabbi about the rich tradition of Jewish mysticism in the 13th century. How did the plot spin out from there? Tell us about the moment you knew you HAD to write this book.

The initial idea for the book came many years before I started writing, and by the time I did start writing, I’d accumulated so many additional ideas, images, and weird historical factoids that it’s hard to pinpoint the moment when I knew I had to write A Highly Unlikely Scenario. For ten years before I’d been working on a pair of other books—a story collection (Picnic After the Flood) and a novel (Door Number Two, forthcoming from Melville House in 2015). Both books were essentially quite serious and they both concern the same characters, so when I finished them, I was very ready to start something new. And I wanted the new thing to be very, very new! As in, something I’d never done before—and what I came up with was a story that combined a bunch of genres—sci fi/fantasy, adventure, historical, romance, satire … As you mentioned, I also wanted to have fun! In 2007, I had two residencies—at the Millay Colony and the sadly no-longer-operational Hall Farm Center—at just the right time. The time and space those residencies afforded me made A Highly Unlikely Scenario possible.

I always like to hear about how other writers organize their research. Juggling so many elements, how did you manage to keep everything straight?

I am very (very!) organized! Most importantly, I used document maps. I live by document maps! Document maps are a function in Word that allows you to create an always-accessible table of contents using headers. Basically, if you use headings, you can press the document map icon and get a navigation column featuring those headings. By clicking a heading in that column you can get to any section in that document instantly. So I had a “Research” file with lots of sections I could easily access, including a timeline, which tracked events from the thirteenth century (Rumi born, Isaac the Blind dies, Marco Polo’s travels begin); research on medieval Rome (with subheadings for various sources), Pythagoras, pilgrims’ dress, medieval words, etc.; a bibliography; and so on. I also kept a separate file with images culled from the Internet (e.g., building floor plans from medieval Rome, ancient maps). I also always have a notes file in which I talk through a story or book with myself, including how best to use research. Finally, and I think this is surprisingly important, I keep my research books together on the same shelf very near where I write.

Do you have any writerly rituals or superstitions? Any lucky foods, maybe?

Hah! Will you think less of me if I don’t? I’m such an irregular writer (not at all a write-everyday kind of writer) that I have no “usual” schedule, and therefore no set of rituals that prepare me to be at the computer. I wish I did! I definitely need my cup of Irish breakfast tea before I can write, though I also need my cup of tea before I put on my shoes or send an email!

@cometparty You look wonderful with @rachelcantor : pic.twitter.com/CZoAO4c974— Delia (@DeliaCabe) January 25, 2014

As I tweeted to Rachel the other day, my only complaint about her novel is that I wish it were longer—which is the best possible complaint-slash-compliment, right? I'm giving away a copy she signed for me at her Harvard Books event back in January, and to enter, all you have to do is leave a comment here and tell me your favorite historical character (since so many good ones make cameos in Rachel's novel!) As always, you get extra entries for Facebook comments, shares, tweets or retweets.

Contest closes 5pm Thursday, March 20th. Thank you and huge congratulations, Rachel! (P.S.—follow Rachel on Twitter!)

A HIGHLY UNLIKELY SCENARIO giveaway finished—time to pick a winner. Ding ding ding, @eireannmor! DM me your address! (@rachelcantor)— Camille DeAngelis (@cometparty) March 21, 2014

Vegan for the Weekend

 When I told my friend Jen about the Skillshare, the idea so intrigued her that she planned a visit to Boston around it. (Read her thoughts on the event in this lovely blog post.) While we were talking about what else we wanted to do while she was in town, she told me she wanted to eat vegan the entire (long) weekend. You can just imagine how psyched I was.  Her train was delayed that Saturday evening, but we still managed to get to Veggie Galaxy for a late dinner. Jen loved her veggie burger and shared my chocolate banana frappe. I ordered the glazed seitan loaf with sweet potato mash and sauteed rainbow chard—excellent, as always!(Food photos by Jen.) 

@cometparty @deianara_crush Hope you'll have a good time and enjoy your meal at VG tonight. Thanks for coming!— Veggie Galaxy (@VeggieGalaxy) March 2, 2014

The next morning, Sunday, we got up really early to head over to Somerville to help set up for the event. I had bananas for us to eat on the T, and we figured we'd grab something between Porter Square and John's place (where we were meeting before heading over to the Armory). But you know how it is—you're running late and there's so much to do. John had a big box of doughnuts, which were transferred to the Armory along with all the other supplies, and at some point Jen just got too hungry and ate half of one. Later there was pizza, and she had a slice. (We had a vegan option, but it had olives and mushrooms on it and Jen doesn't do mushrooms.) It's really important to plan ahead at times like these, and we just weren't organized enough food-wise. I wasn't eating too well either—I literally had a vegan brownie from the Armory café for lunch (and it took me like two hours to finish it, I was that busy).Now, I have to tell you how impressed I was at how Jen handled the rest of the weekend food-wise. I know a lot of people who would set a goal of "vegan for the weekend" and, once they'd eaten something non-vegan, would say "oh, the heck with it," and give up the whole enterprise. Cheeseburgers and the like. Not Jen!As the post-Skillshare cleanup was drawing to an end, we talked about how poorly we'd eaten that day and what our bodies were craving to make up for it. I wanted, needed, a nice fresh juice for dinner. (No food, just juice—I'd really filled up on that cheeseless pizza from Flatbread.) Jen wanted juice and something with lots of veggies in it. We walked to Davis Square and satisfied our wholesome cravings at the Blue Shirt Café. I ordered a juice billed as an immunity booster, with carrot and garlic (!) and I don't even remember what else, but it was good and it made every atom in me sing.The other thing that strikes me about Jen's determination to come back and stick to her vegan-weekend plan is that she didn't get hard on herself for slipping. No one is perfect, and giving oneself (or anyone else) a hard time for falling short of perfection is a waste of energy. I am really proud of her.  For a prelude to breakfast on Monday, we stopped at Jugos, the excellent juice bar adjoining Back Bay station, before moseying down to Grey's Fabric in the South End. (I'd never been before, and it was such a treat. Gorgeous fabrics, great selection of indie sewing patterns, and excellent customer service.)  Monday night (after yin yoga at Karma) we headed out to Newton to try the Walnut Grille, which was lovely. I really appreciate that the menu offers several entrees without faux meat products. My Polenta Napoleon was really good—the corn cake satisfied that dinnertime need for something hearty:  One scoop of vegan pumpkin ice cream (from FoMu, which I still need to blog about!) Like I said, eating out for breakfast can be tricky as a vegan, but I'd had an awesome egg-free "sunshine" muffin (with pineapple, carrot, and raisins) at Flour a week or two back, and Jen was cool with a sandwich for breakfast, so that worked out fine. The hummus at Flour is more textured, which is nice for a change when you are usually eating the super-creamy kind from the supermarket:  After Flour, we returned to Jugos so Jen could board her train back to D.C. with another tall green juice. All things considered, it was a healthy AND tasty two-and-a-half days, and it was lovely to have a good friend there to share it with. (Of course I had to send Jen home with a sampling of the BEST chocolate in the universe!......And I ate the rest. Bwahahaha.) 

Skillshare recap, part 2

(Skillshare recap, part 1.)Two things: first, my creative writing workshop, and second, some reflections on helping to organize this marvelous event.  How did I cram a creative writing seminar into fifty minutes? Well, I didn't. I thought of what would've been most useful to me as a new writer—the only way to do it is to do it!—and that's what I gave them. They filled a conference table and spilled out onto the couch, extra chairs, and the floor, and a few more settled themselves on a couch outside and across the hall at the café. The turnout was, like every other class at the Skillshare, absolutely stunning. (John had originally said he'd be thrilled if seven people showed up for each class!) Judy, one of my Squam buds, came with a friend.So I laid my photo and postcard collection on the table, unfurled my mind maps, and said, here's a prompt and here's a technique, and here's how I use them. I'll be here if you need me; otherwise I want to see you writing for fifty minutes straight.Most of the people in the room promptly got down to business, though I did detect a mild whiff of panic. A few students came up to me and whispered that they needed more guidance, so we riffed back and forth until they felt confident enough to put the words down without judging what was coming out. One man came in late, and when I explained what we were doing he said, "That's it?" He wrote down his email address so I could send him PDFs of my handouts (I'd printed 30 each, and run out), and left. Someone hard at work on her mind map nearby remarked that he'd utterly missed the point.That said, you can't connect with every student; your approach won't lead everyone to a place of inspiration, and I really need to keep that in mind as I gain more teaching experience.(By the way, I'll be posting the content from those handouts on the blog over the next couple of weeks.)  Back in October, Amy Lou happened to run into John Massie during one of our Make Out! nights at the Armory. He told her he was planning the first-ever Somerville Skillshare and invited her to a planning meeting. I applied online to teach a writing class, then Amy Lou brought me along to that meeting at John's house, and before I knew it I was second-in-command on social media. It's been a busy few months leading up to that one immensely exciting (and gratifying!) day, and as I'm writing this, one full week later, I feel like I'm still winding down. My friend Jen coming all the way from Virginia to attend as many art classes as she possibly could only added to the thrill of it. (I'll blog about Jen's visit on Wednesday.)Since I landed in Boston last spring I've slowly been finding my way into pockets of community, writing- and yoga-wise, but joining the Skillshare planning team took my feeling of Boston-belonging to a whole new level. Everyone on the team is absolutely lovely, and I'm really looking forward to working with them on future events and getting to know them as friends. I'm so used to creating in solitude that I think this experience was even more life changing—or, to be more precise, life expanding—for me than it may have been for the others. We put in the work, hoping for a modest turnout, and our efforts were returned to us a thousand-fold—or at least it feels like that. Eight hundred people turned out for the event, and we'd have considered the Skillshare a success with only a quarter of that. It was exhilarating to see people enjoying their classes, the music, the camaraderie and the free samples of Slumbrew, and to know that I'd had a part to play in making it happen. It makes me wonder what further awesomeness I can dream up, on my own or as part of a team. Armory, 9:45am. Photo by John. When I joined the group I joked that I was an honorary Somervillian, but I'm thrilled to say that come May I'll be a REAL resident of Somerville. I'm moving in with my friend Kelly, who has a beautiful attic apartment not far from Davis Square. I'll have space to cook and make art and, you know, nest, and I'll blog more regularly about all that good stuff. (Kelly and I met at yoga last summer—she saw me wearing a Vaute Couture "V is for Vegan" tank and came over to talk to me after class, and since then she's become my closest vegan friend in Boston. You can just imagine how over-the-moon we are to be sharing a kitchen!)But back to the Skillshare—I'll close out with a few more photos: Miranda Aisling, author of Don't Make Art, Just Make Something (read her Q&A here). Eric Tondreau's contact staff class. Liz Corkery designed our gorgeous posters along with teaching the intro to screenprinting class. Many more photos on the Skillshare Facebook page. 

Skillshare recap, part 1

Salsa dancing with Sam Newland. It was WONDERFUL.

I would like to write a proper recap, but my brain is still a little bit fried, so I'll save it for next week. In the meantime, here are some tweets and photos to give you an idea of just how well it went. 

Emily Garfield's imaginary mapmaking class is immensely popular – and they're making awesome stuff #SOMSkillsharepic.twitter.com/CdUzcT2GW3— SomervilleSkillshare (@SomervilleSS) March 2, 2014

Pics from @SomervilleSS are coming in! Check out this great one of me @aprlao+@audrey1653 all sporting #DMAJMS pride pic.twitter.com/0fDBkJeXYj — Miranda Aisling (@MirandaAisling) March 4, 2014

Yup, that's @Slumbrew giving out samples! #brewlove#localfavorites#SOMSkillsharepic.twitter.com/i6CXtxJaDW — SomervilleSkillshare (@SomervilleSS) March 2, 2014

#SOMSkillshare mastermind John Massie and his adorably fluffy pup: http://t.co/YttHkGANx4 — SomervilleSkillshare (@SomervilleSS) March 2, 2014

The #SOMSkillshare is so hot, we had to evacuate the Armory! (Fortunately classes were only interrupted for 5ish minutes.) — Camille DeAngelis (@cometparty) March 2, 2014

#SOMskillshare let me fulfill my dream: to make my girlfriend a bouquet of duct-tape flowers. They made her smile! #happygf@SomervilleSS — Evil Librarian (@evil_librarian) March 2, 2014

So, the #SOMSkillshare was a big success – lots to build on, lots to celebrate. Proud to have been an organizer for the inaugural event. — Those Who Wander (@ThoseWW) March 3, 2014

Great job by John Massie & everyone in the #Somerville community at today's #SOMSkillshare! pic.twitter.com/Sfv7ig8jNR— Mike Connolly (@MikeConnollyMA) March 2, 2014

So gratifying to see a roomful writers scribbling away at my #SOMSkillshare class earlier this afternoon! http://t.co/20RuFTnueK— Camille DeAngelis (@cometparty) March 2, 2014

We love you @FlatbreadSville. pic.twitter.com/p84izilSLj— SomervilleSkillshare (@SomervilleSS) March 2, 2014

Best way to end the day MT@OneBrickBoston: Winding down from a busy day of #volunteering at @SomervilleSS w/some @Slumbrew! #Somskilllshare— One Brick - Melissa (@OneBrickMelissa) March 2, 2014

More soon! (And in the meantime, there are loads of great photos on the Facebook page.) 

Skillshare tomorrow!

More yummy stuff from Vegan Cuts, and general happiness

After breakfast, lunch. Everything Elizabeth makes is delicious. This is going to be a bit of a hodgepodge post. (Can you tell I'm still phoning it in? Hopefully not for more than a week or two longer!)I got my third and final (for now) Vegan Cuts beauty box in the mail last week, and it was fantastic. Full-size gorgeously scented hand cream, a soy-wax votive candle, yet another deodorant brand to try, some funky hair whip, and pickles-and-ice-cream flavored lip balm (!!!) I appreciate that they always include at least one coupon for one of the brands in the box. I was going to give away the lipstick since I never wear it, but maybe I'll try it the next time I have a big night out.  I placed a separate Vegan Cuts order for more North Coast Organics deodorant along with a new yoga tank and another brand of lip balm (Fanciful Fox):  This stuff tastes like mint chocolate chip ice cream (although I will give the pickles a try, haha)—and I love the biodegradable packaging!I also have to give another shout-out to North Coast Organics for taking the time to handwrite a note—“Thanks for your second order, Camille!"—even though I'd ordered through Vegan Cuts that time, not direct. Like I said, excellent customer service!I will leave you with a pic of my post-yoga brunch this morning at Veggie Galaxy. I finally tried the tofu "egg," and it was really yummy—it sort of has the consistency of mashed potato, and it's very flavorful (turmeric, not sure what else?) Much tastier than the real thing, actually! I look back on all the diner (like, real diner) egg-and-potato breakfasts I had over the first thirty years of my life, and I...well, I don't feel good about it. There's a lot of food you couldn't pay me to eat nowadays.  I got a side of tempeh, seasoned with balsamic vinegar. I also had a Taza hot chocolate with cayenne and it was, as my grandmother would say, out of this world. I have been buying way too much Taza lately. I think I might be addicted. (They are one of our Skillshare sponsors, by the way!)* * *It's funny, I'm only fully realizing recently just how useful it is to you guys that I post pictures of what I'm eating. Several of you have emailed me to say you're moving slowly toward a vegan diet, that it feels intuitively right to you, and I want you to know how THRILLED I am to hear that. Going vegan made such a difference for me, so I wish everyone as healthy and joyful a life as I have! (I'm waiting until the first day of spring to brag that I officially did not have a single cold ALL WINTER. That has never happened before. I credit veganism + daily yoga. It's a great feeling, knowing my immune system is really strong!) 

Where We Make: Sarah Greenman

I'm thrilled to be hosting artist Sarah Greenman on my blog today! Sarah and I got in touch through Squam and I'm so looking forward to meeting her at the Fall 2014 session. I bet you'll find her workspace as inspiring (and, yes, enviable!) as I do. 

***

Hi all! I’m Sarah Greenman and I work from home in a converted garage. It is absolutely, hands-down, without-a-doubt my most favorite place in the whole wide world. (Whoever thought I’d be saying this about a garage!)

I do a lot of different things and need a big space to accommodate my various enterprises. I’m a freelance artist, writer, blogger, actor and photographer. This means I usually have multiple things happening in my studio at once. I also have two young children, Walker (6) and Charlie (3), who love to join me in my studio while I work.

A two-car garage allows me to work multilaterally without having to constantly clean up after myself. I have divided my studio into separate areas. One entire wall is devoted to painting replete with taped butcher paper on the walls and drop cloths underfoot. When I make art, I get messy.

One corner of the garage looks more like a traditional home office and this is where I write and edit photos. A large antique breakfast table sits at the center of the room and usually serves as a catch-all for papers, files, a sewing machine, task lighting, lunch left-overs and various statuary.

I also have some storage and seating so that I can stuff everything away and make guests comfortable when hosting workshops or open studio tours. Since I have two little ones, I am constantly creating work during the in-between moments. Essays, photo shoots and paintings occur between diapers, dinner and impromptu fort-making. To have a transitional space that allows me to waltz in and pick up where I left off is essential to completing work.

In my best moments, this space serves as a nest where I lay, hatch and groom my most inspired ideas. In my worst moments, it’s a space where I can crash, burn, cry and dissolve without upsetting the natural order of my home.  

Thanks, Camille, for having me! You can find me making art at www.sarahgreenman.com or blogging at www.maisonboheme.com and www.helpcharlieheal.com. 

Empire of the Sun

 The best part of being a knitter is loving something you made so much you never want to take it off....And, admittedly, the compliments. It's always fun when a non-knitter is completely gobsmacked when I tell them I made what I'm wearing.Thanks to my dear Elizabeth for all these gorgeous photographs! Having a confident photographer take FO pics was a real treat.  The buttons are from Jo-Ann—I'd been hoping to find the perfect vintage buttons on Etsy, but I really wanted turquoise and I couldn't find any in the right size.  The pattern is Gudrun's Empire. The King Charles brocade pattern hits that sweet spot of easy yet impressive, and I picked up a few new tricks too (the bias bind-off and the i-cord bind-off around the collar). My Ravelry project page (with detailed notes) is here. There are definitely more designs by Gudrun in my knitting future—maybe Laar next? (See Anne's gorgeous version!)  Hempathy is, like all plant-based fibers I suppose, advertised as a warm-weather yarn; but I have been wearing this cardi and my Pomegranate sweater and just a tank top underneath, and with my Vaute Couture coat I'm perfectly toasty. (I still have to blog my Pomegranate photos, which Elizabeth took on the RISD beach back in November!)  (You can tell in this shot that I didn't pick up the wraps. Haha. Knerd alert!)   I will leave you with this hilarious piece of over-the-topness (although the ladies' costumes are definitely not vegan!): 

The Somerville Skillshare Kickstarter campaign!

As you know, I'm teaching an intro to creative writing class at the first-ever Somerville Skillshare, and this week we launched a Kickstarter campaign to keep the event 100% free. We're hoping to raise two grand for space rental, class materials, and publicity expenses (which feels totally do-able—fingers crossed!) Many of us teachers are offering private lessons for a pledge of $125, and mine consists of a two-hour session of writing coaching (which I'd ideally format as two one-hour in-person meetings plus reading time, although Skype or Google Hangout would work as well. You certainly don't have to live in the Boston area to take advantage of this!)

I especially want to see us meet our fundraising goal because the primary organizer, John Massie, has been working with superhuman dedication to pull this thing together.  In case you're still wondering what the heck a Skillshare is, I want to share an email John sent out to friends and family today:

As most of you know, I'm from Somerville. One thing that's always impressed me about this city is its diversity and the number of creative people who live here, from artists to hobbyists to crafters to just...funky individuals with weird stuff going on. It's one of the many things that gives this city its character, and something that I've always loved about this place (and probably one of the reasons I ended up back here after graduating college a few years ago).

So last summer, I heard about this thing that's happened in a few cities called a "Skillshare." It's basically a day where a random assortment of people from a given community gather in one location to hang out and teach each other interesting stuff. I thought to myself, "it would pretty darn cool if something like this could happen in Somerville." And if it can happen in Brooklyn and Seattle, why not Somerville, a 75,000 strong community chock full of artists and creative types? I bounced the idea of a few people (i.e. my Dad, my brother, and my roommates) and got some encouraging responses.

So on a muggy August day I walked into the Somerville Armory (a community education space and performance hall located near Davis Square) knocked on a few doors until I met the Director (an awesome lady named Lea), and pitched the idea. She thought it sounded interesting. Twenty minutes later, I walked out, feeling both excited and slightly foolish, because I had just written a check for many hundreds of dollars to book the entire building for a random day in March, 2014. I was committed.

Fast forward six months. Since that day--and many email blasts, excited conversations, new friends, headbangs against the wall, late night pizza deliveries, daydreams at work, tantrums about HTML, "oh shit!" moments, group meetings and furious notetakings later—this idea is actually happening.

In fact, it's just not happening, it is happenin'. We've got 8 talented, committed organizers (Danielle, Spencer, Paula, Camille, K.Adam, Isaac, Sarah, Courtney, and Melissa! Y'all rock.), a fancy-pants Wordpress website, nearly 40 local teachers lined up to teach nearly 40 free classes on everything from bookbinding to salsa dancing to stock investing, 3 local food sponsors (Flatbread, Slumbrew and Taza Chocolate), 10+ volunteers lined up from One Brick, a few articles written about us in some local publications like Somerville Beat (and more on the way!), a modest-but-growing Facebook platform, some unique, original content about some of Somerville's most interesting residents, and even a short video put together by one of the organizers that features nothing but original footage of our teachers. It's been a wild ride, and a ton of fun, and we're completely making it up as we go (which has perhaps been the most rewarding part). And we have absolutely no idea if anyone is going to show up to the event.

Here's the conclusion to this story. Somerville Skillshare is happening in less than three weeks, on March 2nd, 2014, at the Somerville Armory. And I'd like to ask for your help making it happen.

So if you can chip in a few bucks, we'll all be incredibly grateful. I hope to see you at the Armory on March 2nd! My class is on at 1pm in the yoga studio (fittingly enough, haha). 

A Perfect Breakfast

At 7am, coffee with frothy almond milk sprinkled with cinnamon. Two hours later, a beautiful plate of fruit. (Agggh how I love visiting Elizabeth!)Going out for breakfast can be tricky as a vegan—I recently called a bakery café in Roslindale to make sure they had something I could eat, and it turned out they didn't even have oatmeal on the menu!—but at home, or at a friend's house, it is so simple and so delicious. 

The Glass Casket giveaway!

I imagine myself sneaking in through your window with a knife between my teeth to steal velvet ribbons out of your brain, but then you wake up and we just have tea instead.

—McCormick Templeman (to me, via email)

My dear friend McCormick Templeman's new novel, The Glass Casket, is on sale today! I read an advance copy and I can tell you that I very quickly lost count of how many times I felt that I-wish-I'd-written-this envy. ZOMBIE SNOW WHITE, how brilliant is that? It's an awesome idea, but even more importantly, it is beautifully executed. Here's the full synopsis:

Death hasn't visited Rowan Rose since it took her mother when Rowan was only a little girl. But that changes one bleak morning, when five horses and their riders thunder into her village and through the forest, disappearing into the hills. Days later, the riders' bodies are found, and though no one can say for certain what happened in their final hours, their remains prove that whatever it was must have been brutal.

Rowan's village was once a tranquil place, but now things have changed. Something has followed the path those riders made and has come down from the hills, through the forest, and into the village. Beast or man, it has brought death to Rowan's door once again.

Only this time, its appetite is insatiable.

Now you want a copy, right? I'm giving one away! (Read on.)

Because McCormick and I have already done a couple of Q&As on the blog (see The Little Woods and Dipping Your Toes in Different Realities), we thought we'd do a round of this-or-that.

Zombies or cannibals? Romero zombies.

Typing or longhand? Longhand for notes, typing for drafting.

Juice or smoothie? Smoothie.

Telepathy or levitation? Telepathy.

Austen or Shelley? Both Shelleys.

Peaches or pears? Peaches.

Krishna or Zeus? Krishna.

Tea or coffee? Coffee (but secretly, tea.)

Sky-diving or scuba-diving? Scuba-diving (but also sky-diving)

Rapunzel or Cinderella? Cinderella, but mostly the mice.

Angels or witches? Witches!

Gaiman or Pullman? Pullman.

Poker or tarot? Tarot.

Chocolate or chocolate? Pickles.

Ha!

To enter the novel giveaway, all you have to do is leave a comment answering one of these this-or-thats. (And/or you can tweet, retweet, or share on Facebook, all of which get you more entries.) Contest closes Thursday at 5pm ET.

Congratulations to my dear friend!  

Edit, February 19th: and congrats to BekahCat, who has won the giveaway! Thanks so much to everyone who entered.

More Book Love

What I'm reading, and what I'm looking forward to reading: a very partial list. I've only recently discovered the magic that is an inter-library loan system. Here I have two long-since out-of-print novels by Lord Dunsany, the Anglo-Irish fantasist who has influenced the likes of Neil Gaiman and H.P. Lovecraft. Funny how someone felt the need to cross out his title (repeatedly; and these are books from two separate libraries, too). Irish nationalists hiding in libraries all over Boston!  For Love of Animals, as previously discussed—I'm hoping my mom (a devout Catholic, in case I hadn't mentioned that already) and I can read it at the same time and I can include some of her impressions in my book appreciation post.And while we're on the topic of Christianity + activism, here's a book my sister gave her, which I'm also very interested to read: I met Renée Rosen at the Midwest Literary Festival all the way back in 2007. This is going to be a juicy read! An incredibly thoughtful Christmas gift from Todd & Bill! (They'd given me the first Wolf Gift novel awhile back—also autographed. So so nice.)  Humans of New York, a gift from my literary agency. Beautiful book, beautiful photographs. Another reason I'm excited to have a kitchen come spring—Amber Shea Crawley's Practically Raw Desserts, which I won on a Chic Vegan giveaway! (Review forthcoming.) No longer timely, I know (you can tell how long I've been intending to post this), but this Christmas card from Jen made me laugh out loud! 

On Not Hiding Your Eyes

I've been thinking a lot lately about the word "cruelty" and how we use it, not least because of the annual dolphin slaughter in Japan that's only recently made international headlines thanks to Caroline Kennedy.

Looks like the photo credit belongs to Ric O'Barry's Dolphin Project. I reposted this Facebook photo, horrible as it is, because the previous poster makes an excellent point. Our notions of animal cruelty are astonishingly inconsistent, aren't they?  Nobody would ever stand by and watch a dog get kicked by its owner, and yet no one seems to notice or care when a woman boards the T dressed in an ankle-length fur coat. When I see this I want to say, Have you ever considered how many dozens of animals were anally electrocuted so you could wear that? How would you like it if somebody put you in a cage for months or years before doing the same to you?I don't say it. But I want to. We see some acts as cruel, and other facts and behaviors we turn a blind eye to.So the next time you're about to buy anything—anything at all—I encourage you first to ask, Where did this come from? Was anyone harmed or in any way exploited in the making of it? (And yes, I do want to refer to an animal as "anyone" rather than "anything.")Take cosmetics, for instance. Look for the "leaping bunny" logo.  One more point on the subject of animal cruelty: it makes my skin crawl whenever I hear someone refer to "cruelty-free" meat or dairy products. Friends, there is no such thing. Eat it if you're going to eat it, but don't pretend you're being fair to the animal.That said, I don't want to come off too much like an angry vegan here, so I will leave you with a shot of the funniest item in my January Vegan Cuts beauty box:  This made me smile. I'll have to let you know if it works as well as North Coast Organics!