On Other Art Forms and Creativity

 

    The other day Katie Moran ( a writer) tweeted what other art forms writers enjoy. Good question. I replied that I enjoy music.

    Not that I am musical. There are a few poems about that. But I love music of all types. Often I write to it, especially string music.

    I also enjoy paintings, but I definitely would never try to create one.

    All I do is write. Poetry and literary fiction: one novel, some short stories. 

    But I admire artists who do one or more art forms well, or who try to. Let me tell you about two of them. One is a long-term friend, the other newer.

    Carol Worthington-Levy played guitar, sings in choirs that do serious music, and creates amazing artwork like my book covers. Check out https://worthingtonfineart.com/

    Aurore Sibley writes poetry and prose, writes and performs her own songs, https://www.auroresibley.com/

   I am in awe of these artists and admire anyone who creates in more than one artistic field.

https://www.blurb.com/b/10799783-the-botleys-of-beaumont-county

https://www.amazon.com/Arthur-Turfa/e/B00YJ9LNOA%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share

Finished Thomas Mann's "Doktor Faustus"

     This book was too long to be read in a seminar back when I was a German graduate student, but it was referenced quite often. During my short time at UC Berkeley, I took a class on Mann taught by his son, Michael, whose recommendation helped me switch to UC Irvine, where I obtained a teaching assistantship.

     Although Mann and his family did not have to leave Nazi Germany, they went anyway and spent time in Los Angeles anyway. After the war, Mann moved to Switzerland, not Germany. Doktor Faustus is his next-to-last novel and blends the Faust myths, Goethe's classic, and the Nazi period. 

     Adrian Leverkühn is the protagonist,  a composer whose academic studies started with theology. Dedicating himself to composition, he makes a deal with the devil. The narrator is his boyhood friend, Serenus Zeitblom, who interweaves Adrian's tale with the Second World War. 

    When I finished I was overwhelmed by the story and how masterfully Mann pulled it all together. There is a lot to reflect on about the creative process, the madness that overtook a civilized nation, and the element of evil.No spoiler alert is necessary, as I will betray nothing. This is not a fast read (I read in German), but it is worth one's time.

I am Glad He Kept the Name

    During my high school days, Mr. McNulty was a substitute teacher we saw often and enjoyed doing so. He had been a member of a Roman Catholic religious order (Oblates of St. Francis de Sales) and decided to leave and become an English teacher. In the meantime, he filled in for absent teachers.

    Anyway, The First Churchills were airing on the local PBS station, and I asked Mr. McNulty if the United Kingdom would be comfortable with a Charles III, given the feelings against not only the two kings of that name but also Bonnie Prince Charlie, the Young Pretender, who considered himself "Charles III". Mr. McNulty said a long time had passed, and that Prince Charles (the Prince of Wales) was not likely to ascend to the throne soon. That was all back in 1969.

     There was some buzz that the Prince would take the regnal name of George, after his grandfather, and reign as George VII. All that might have been clickbait, but Wikipedia reported it all the same, so I assume there was some serious discussion. I am glad that the King kept his given name, as did his mother in 1952. His full name is Charles Philip Arthur George. I would still feel the same had he chosen Arthur.

     Granted, Charles I was hard-headed, but Cromwell was even more so. Charles II lived in exile until the Restoration and was easygoing. The Stuarts are my favorite dynasty since there were very interesting and if you include the Jacobites, the story gets even more interesting. For the record, the Hanoverians proved to be much better monarchs.

     Long live the King! 

Not this one...

     

        

     

Time to Share my Book Links Again!

   Who says reading has to stop after Labor Day?  Below are links to my literary novel and poetry books! Contact me if you wish, and/or use your favorite vendors. Thanks!

https://www.blurb.com/b/10799783-the-botleys-of-beaumont-county

https://www.amazon.com/Arthur-Turfa/e/B00YJ9LNOA%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share

Jeffrey E. Koth's " A GXd For the Rest of Us- The Voice of the Cross"

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BB84MMKL/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i0 

      I reviewed this on Amazon and Goodreads, but here I will say a little more about the book and the author. Pastor Koth and I were seminary classmates, and we have kept in touch thanks to Facebook. Four decades of parish ministry (along with his painting) have given him some unique and valuable insights into theology and how to explain it to people, especially those who are unchurched.

     The "Gxd" I will let the book explain. I see this book as suitable for a class setting, but of course, individual reading is also an option. Koth divided the book into short sections, epistles, actually, consisting of communications between God and a human. 

     There are excellent insights, and documentation, and Koth deftly incorporates Scripture into what he writes. I recommend this book for all those who seek to learn about the core of Christian theology, those who deliver sermons, those who teach Christina theology, and for those who have never been exposed to the essence of faith.

Happy Labor Day Weekend! A Look Back, a Look Ahead

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0q6hePqHAE 

    Amidst the "end of Summer", the football, boating, going to the beach, grilling on the deck, etc., there is more to this weekend.

    The song is about a century old and reminds us that those who marched, struck, and suffered for things like the 8-hour-workday and Child Labor Laws, also desired the beautiful things in life.

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bread_and_Roses

   I was a union member twice in my life. Once at UC-Berkeley library in AFSCME, and for a longer time in Pennsylvania as a teacher. In South Carolina, I was an Association member, since unions are outlawed for teachers. 

   Unions are not perfect, because people are not perfect. I get that. But especially on this weekend, do not forget those who made life better for us. And then work on whatever it is you can to make life better for people.

  For me, that is VOTE BLUE, NO MATTER WHO!

From the Wikipedia article referenced above-