Looking for literary magazines

I've been looking at and looking for literary magazines.  Luna Park Review estimates there are 28,000 literary magazines and far from going extinct, they seem to be at least surviving.  Luna Park Review's Directory of literary magazines does not have 28,000 entries, but there seem to be hundreds.

Literary Bear

It is not surprising there is intense concern for who reads the literary magazines.  The print versions do struggle with the cost of production.  The on line magazines try to figure out how to make them pay for themselves and not have a "pay wall" too high so they are accessible.

In a The Millions article  On Getting Paid: Literary Magazines and Remuneration Nick Ripatrazone discusses the dilemma of literary magazines and writers.  For the most part the readers of the literary magazines are writers, students and whannabe writers.  Magazines can't pay much if anything.  Is publication enough?  But we're in America.  Getting paid is a statement of value.  Even a small amount is an honorarium which helps a writer feel valued.  And there is always the hope there is a way to pay for itself and maybe a little bit more.

Maybe publication (and a free copy) has to be considered similar to the unpaid internships so popular this days.  Put in the time, produce the work, have it be judged and keep on keeping on.

Creating a routine to create

attentive to what is there

There is a website Zen Habits that is dedicated to changing habits.  In the article "29 ways to successfully ingrain a behavior" they have the simple steps of habit change: 1. Write down your plan. 2. Identify your new routine.  3. Focus on doing the new behaviors every day for about 30 days.   And some great quotes.  "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit." which is attributed to Aristotle.   Advice is keep it simple, one behavior at a time and do a 30 day challenge.

With the blog I gave myself a 30 day challenge that started 12/31/11 to do an entry a day.  I did 30 days and I'm into the second 30 days.  Okay so I feel strong.   Next comes a routine for creative writing.  There is a ton of advise on the web.  It comes down to building in the time, the motivation and doing it.  This is my write it down part, not a plan, but saying it out loud. 

Matt Love and teachers as social control troops

Matt and Ray

Ever since I read My great writing dog in the Oregonian last year, Matt Love is one of my favorite Oregon writers.  A quote from his essay, which is a heart felt eulogy to a companion, has stayed with me. 

   "For many writers, writing begins with conversations, ones you have with others, ones aloud with yourself, ones you overhear, and ones with documents and ancient texts."

I have the quote tacked to my wall.  For Matt, his conversations started with his dog Ray as they traveled around Oregon.

Recently Matt wrote an Opinion piece Oregon's overreach: Are teachers the troops in a war on individualism? in the Oregonian.  He tells a story of he and his high school students field trip to do a performance at another high school.  After 18 years of teaching he is feeling "complicit" in shaping students into the American consumer corporate mold.  To me he was expressing an existential angst in recognizing his discomfort as being part of the control machine. 

Matt and Ray

If Matt were sending the opinion piece as a letter to Dear Sugar at Rumpus , I could image Sugar responding, "There, there, sweet pea, you have been complicit, as a teacher you are absolutely part of the social control troops shaping our good children.  But it's okay.  You work within.  It is usually easier to open a window from inside a house than outside."  

The response to Matt opinion piece showed how differently we hear what is being written and what we choose to react to.  The article was shared on Facebook and among my "friends" the comments were the "Nice article" kind of typical pablum Facebook comments.  I read the Oregonian readers comments which were argumentative.  Some responded to the word "corporate", some focused on the "standardized testing".  For the most part they put Matt Love into a political caricature and argued against their own construct.  They were having fun, some quite eloquent. 

I wonder how we can get from dueling monologs to conversations.

Paintings to the Gallery

Maple in Fall

We deliver painting to Portland Art Museum Rental Sales Gallery tomorrow.  Liz has been working on her talk about her work coming up this Saturday.

The rural landscapes are quiet and peaceful.  Her city scapes and urban scenes are full of motion, intensity and humor.



The contrast of her two style is amazing.

Wiggle

The rural scapes are contemplative. They let you breath.  The urban scapes  are wild, complex and engaging. You wonder if you can find your way out.

Studio space to work to relax

Meadowlake Clay studio

Under glazing tiles for the Cedarwood bathroom is a calm repetitive task.  Okay, boring.  But there is a challenge.  The last batch of test tiles the glaze developed pin holes.  Nasty little creatures sometimes as difficult to get rid of as ants.

And for a bathroom pinholes are not acceptable.  They will eventual blister and pop.  Then it means pulling them and replacing.  Not fun.

small tea bowl

But when I look up from the work table the studio relaxes.  There is a calm that settles through me.  I wonder about moving to a new space, untried and unknown.  

Tea bowls and masks and sculptures and tiles gives me more projects than I can keep up with.  Luckily it is not a job.  Another reason to relax.

Elizabeth Santone featured artist

Featured Artists Poster

Elizabeth has been with the Portland Art Museum Rental Sales Gallery since the early 1990s.  Her unique watercolors depicting urban life are always popular.

When she moved to the country she began to work in oils and plants and natural landscapes developed.

This coming Saturday she will display watercolor urban scenes and natural subjects in oil.  

Garden Art

Garden Sculpture

Winter time in the garden lets the art stand naked and waiting for Spring.

I'm working on several garden sculpture projects.  There are many Garden Art Blogs to get ideas.   I am interested in sculpture which lives with and within a garden. 

A sculpture garden, which is all about sculpture that sprouts from the landscape and is the main feature of a place.  There are some very beautiful sculpture gardens or parks like the  Minneapolis Sculpture Garden