tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23488837765948408372024-03-05T14:17:48.258-08:00Fabulously CreativeWalter Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10780247928442366936noreply@blogger.comBlogger173125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2348883776594840837.post-29439474217872010642019-01-08T22:45:00.001-08:002019-01-08T22:45:40.323-08:00Creativity: Some reading notesReaders, I have had a rather dull and painful holiday period.<br />
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I had the flu most of December, and then in the final days of the year I had a tooth extraction which was rather traumatic and left me in horrible pain. I am still recovering from that. Rather unsurprisingly it has left me hesitant to go out at all, so I have been spending a lot of time at home, catching up on my reading and thinking about my creative life. Also, Sydney is horribly hot and humid at this time of year, so one doesn't really need an excuse to stay at home in bed with the aircon on. <br />
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One book I have been reading for an important creative reason is <a href="https://www.jaybaer.com/" target="_blank">Jay Baer</a>'s <a href="https://www.jaybaer.com/books-by-jay/youtility-2/" target="_blank"><i>Youtility</i></a>. I really hope to have a couple of books out in the next 18 months, and I have been thinking about how I can build their marketing into the creative process itself. <a href="https://www.jaybaer.com/youtility" target="_blank">Baer's book</a> just jumped out at me as the one to really inspire me to think laterally when it comes to marketing and promotion, and so far it is absolutely filled with good advice. It's all about attracting readers (customers) by being helpful and genuinely interesting.<br />
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Travel writing has been a favourite genre of mine since I was a teenager - I suppose that is why I became a travel writer! One travel book that I have long been fascinated with is <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_Leigh_Fermor" target="_blank">Patrick Leigh Fermor</a>'s <a href="https://patrickleighfermor.org/2011/04/17/adjusting-to-quiet-a-time-to-keep-silence/" target="_blank"><i>A Time to Keep Silence</i></a>, a wonderful account of a young man visiting monasteries in Europe. I have picked it up again because I have finally decided to write another book about Vietnam (I am quite excited about this) and this is really my inspiration. It is quite a perfect little book, and if I could write something even half as good as it I would be doing well.<br />
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And on matters travel, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Dickens" target="_blank">Charles Dickens</a> wrote two travel books quite early in his career: <a href="https://www.city-journal.org/charles-dickens-first-visit-to-new-york" target="_blank"><i>American Notes</i></a> and, later, <i>Pictures from Italy</i>. These are often collected into one volume, and I am reading such a volume right now. The main reason is because these two books together represent the Book of the Year for 2019 at the <a href="https://dickenssydney.com/" target="_blank">NSW Dickens Society</a> - of which I am Vice president. But even more importantly, I have to give a talk on them on Saturday June 1, 2019. It is interesting to see how seriously he took travel, making sure that, almost as soon as he arrived in America, he was off visiting institutions and educational places so that he could report back to his readers in England about them. No hanging about in the hotel room reading a book for Mr. Dickens!<br />
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Some spiritual creative sustenance for me with <a href="https://www.elizabethlesser.org/the-seekers-guide/" target="_blank"><i>The Seeker's Guide</i></a> by <a href="https://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/books/reviews/view/1771" target="_blank">Elizabeth Lesser</a>:<br />
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<i><b>"Some hear the word spiritual and are encouraged by its whispered promises of grace; others are threatened by it, afraid of looking too deeply at their own behaviour, the unlived parts of their life, and ultimately, death." </b></i></blockquote>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdc2MLBxvmPffOPQGiX42i5UR8yb4iWLapNkfIhDXiza-qCoLlZXNy-HHNG3zxyoZC6ZWHFlzfAzv9Gkqq6pmZkAa93kYzMqun83OAfc8NBhj2M1rBu_Jd8oPFrQAIplA-rk7nW4n1Vm8/s1600/B_Masters+of+Wisdom_Abdill_Ascended+Masters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="400" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdc2MLBxvmPffOPQGiX42i5UR8yb4iWLapNkfIhDXiza-qCoLlZXNy-HHNG3zxyoZC6ZWHFlzfAzv9Gkqq6pmZkAa93kYzMqun83OAfc8NBhj2M1rBu_Jd8oPFrQAIplA-rk7nW4n1Vm8/s400/B_Masters+of+Wisdom_Abdill_Ascended+Masters.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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Another creative project I have begun researching in earnest is a book about <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ascended_master" target="_blank">the Ascended Masters</a>, and to that end I have been reading an utterly fascinating book called <a href="https://www.penguin.com.au/books/masters-of-wisdom-the-mahatmas-their-letters-and-the-path-9780399171079" target="_blank"><i>Masters of Wisdom</i></a> by Edward Abdill. Its subtitle is: "The Mahatmas, their <a href="https://youtu.be/JcfwZcCZRf8" target="_blank">letters</a> and the <a href="https://mysteriousuniverse.org/2015/04/book-review-masters-of-wisdom-the-mahatmas-their-letters-and-the-path-by-edward-abdill/" target="_blank">path</a>," and it is a brilliant read combining <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_White_Brotherhood" target="_blank">occult wisdom</a>, historical gossip and some really deep-seated exploration of figures (and ideas) that very few people know about anymore. Walter Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10780247928442366936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2348883776594840837.post-65961530899600384042018-05-28T02:04:00.000-07:002018-05-28T02:05:02.968-07:00Creative inspiration and guidance using Alana Fairchild's Rumi OracleI have collected <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/life-and-relationships/how-tarot-cards-became-an-essential-part-of-my-daily-existence-20170612-gwpfuv.html" target="_blank">tarot</a> and <a href="https://www.gypsykallista.com.au/product/king-solomon-oracle-cards-36-messages-9-amulets/" target="_blank">oracle cards</a> for about 10 years now, and these days I have rather an enormous cupboard full of them. Now, some of them are right up the very back and may not see the light of day for years at a time. Other decks, however, are very much more loved and used and are kept on the filing cabinet right next to my desk. Right at the very top of these sits <a href="https://youtu.be/3-Z_g1b3_5c" target="_blank">Alana Fairchild</a>'s <a href="https://youtu.be/fOLjZstiPhg" target="_blank">Rumi Oracle</a>, with illustrations by Rassouli.<br />
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For some reason I just find that <a href="https://youtu.be/uyvzzggGXVY" target="_blank">this deck</a> feeds my creativity, and I use it in different ways according to my mood. On reflection I think I can probably break those needs down to:<br />
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<b>1. Inspiration</b><br />
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<b>2. Direction</b><br />
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<b>3. Story intervention and</b><br />
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<b>4. Tomorrow's work</b><br />
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We'll go into detail with how I do that in just a moment.<br />
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I came to this deck through sheer luck - I was actually given a copy of the deck by a publishing friend, and as soon as I opened it I realised I was in possession of something really special. I had known of <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Wisdom-of-Kuan-Yin-Alana-Fairchild/9781922161314?redirected=true&utm_medium=Google&utm_campaign=Base5&utm_source=AU&utm_content=Wisdom-of-Kuan-Yin&selectCurrency=AUD&w=AF45AU96ZNXLQRA80RP9&pdg=pla-104397809859:kwd-104397809859:cmp-680104063:adg-35441289072:crv-151945028117:pid-9781922161314:dev-c&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIucuF_qrW2gIVjR0rCh1YhginEAQYASABEgKdsfD_BwE" target="_blank">Alana's work around Kuan Yin</a>, and even had her <a href="https://www.booktopia.com.au/kuan-yin-oracle-cards-alana-fairchild/prod9780987204189.html?source=pla&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIucuF_qrW2gIVjR0rCh1YhginEAQYAyABEgLk6vD_BwE" target="_blank">deck</a> and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Divine-Lotus-Mother-CD-Meditations/dp/073874297X" target="_blank">CD</a> and <a href="https://www.booktopia.com.au/kuan-yin-dvd-alana-fairchild/prod9780738743714.html" target="_blank">DVD</a> of that work, which I liked, so I was very interested in seeing something else she did. I couldn't know that very soon we would be thrown together professionally and that I would be lucky enough to work with her on several occasions.<br />
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As always, I began working slowly with the <a href="http://alanafairchild.com/product/rumi-oracle/" target="_blank">Rumi deck</a>, taking it out whenever I felt like it, or noticed it in my room. Shuffling it slowly, drawing out a card and looking at it before returning it all to the box and putting it aside. I almost never launch myself into a deck, looking at every card and reading the guide book cover to cover. I want the pleasure to last longer than that!<br />
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What struck me was the occasionally enigmatic names of the cards and also the flowing, almost dancing, artwork of <a href="https://youtu.be/unkdTTNcOps" target="_blank">Rassouli</a>. And then, wouldn't you know it, someone gave me <a href="http://www.blueangelonline.com/rumi_revealed.html" target="_blank">Rassouli's book about Rumi</a> and <a href="http://novaholisticjournal.com/reviews/the-book-of-creativity-mastering-your-creative-power" target="_blank">his book on creativity</a>, and I was suddenly immersed in the work of this man who was responsible for the visual side of the Rumi Oracle. <a href="https://youtu.be/Ra3aeoohSEY" target="_blank">Rassouli</a>, originally from Iran, is a lifelong student of Rumi whose artwork has been inspired by him since he was a young man. <a href="https://www.thepeacepractice.com.au/blogs/the-peaceful-tarot/sacred-convergence" target="_blank">Alana Fairchild's</a> profound interest in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rumi" target="_blank">the poet</a> and his messages found a perfect partner in <a href="https://archangeloracle.com/2016/10/06/commitment/" target="_blank">Rassouli</a>, and the two of them have put together a very powerful tool for writers, painters, mystics and all kinds of creative people.<br />
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It wasn't long till I began using this deck in my teaching work. I found that students, who I allowed to draw a card each (and keep it, meaning I went through a number of decks quite quickly), responded really well to the <a href="https://youtu.be/HlW3jjtKtXA" target="_blank">images and the poetic names of the cards</a>. They also seemed to take students really deep really fast, which is always useful when you are leading a creative writing workshop.<br />
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Seeing the effect it had on my students, I became interested in using the cards with my own writing. Once again they seemed almost like the perfect companion, always providing me with an answer, a point of reflection or an action-based task that could keep me going and lead me perfectly to the next section of the novel I am currently writing.<br />
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There is nothing complex or sophisticated about the technique I use. I simply come up against a problem in my work (resistance, hopelessness, confusion, a headache...) and then I draw a card asking what Rumi has to tell me, by way of <a href="http://www.healertararose.com/spirit-blog/2017/8/25/vulnerability-and-intimacy" target="_blank">Alana Fairchild</a> and <a href="http://www.rassouli.com/publications.htm" target="_blank">Rassouli</a>.<br />
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So, to go back to the little list of questioning techniques I apply in using this deck creatively, here goes:<br />
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<b>1. Inspiration</b> - Sometimes I am just plain stuck. I may have lost any energy to keep writing, I may be questioning my own right to even claim to be a writer, or I may be telling myself that I am simply incapable of writing a novel. I need something, something outside of me, to give me a little nudge and offer me some hope. So I will simply pull out a card without any specific intention but to search for a metaphysical pick-me-up. And I always get one. So today I drew the "Commitment" card. I couldn't ask for a clearer message! Commit myself to this project and to seeing it through to the end. Have some tenacity and persevere. The accompanying quote from <a href="http://www.blueangelonline.com/rumi_oracle.html" target="_blank">Rumi</a>, to be found in the guidebook that comes with the cards is really quite firm, and perfect for this message:<br />
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<i><b>The awakened heart is like a lantern.</b></i><br />
<i><b>Keep it sheltered</b></i><br />
<i><b>from the turbulence</b></i><br />
<i><b>of the winds of desire.</b></i></blockquote>
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<b>2. Direction</b> - Writing comes in fits and starts. Some days I know exactly where I am going, and the passage and structure of the novel seem to all be in perfect place. And then suddenly, I am being plunged down a vortex of uncertainty and feeling lost and totally in the dark. This is when I will get the deck out and ask myself: "What is my direction here? Why the hell am I doing this? What is my reason to continue?"<br />
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Asking this, I pulled the card "The Human Gift." In the image an angel of inspiration, of remembering, seems to be paying a visit to a woman in despair. When I sit with this card I realise what it means to me. I have been given a gift, and if I don't use it then what am I even doing here? My human rebirth is absolutely precious and I should make the most of it - not even wasting a single hour.<br />
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Part of the verse from Rumi that is offered in the guidebook to accompany this card reads:<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><b>Such kindness is offered by the beloved,</b></i><br />
<i><b>yet so much defiance and resistance comes from you.</b></i><br />
<i><b>Such grace is offered by the beloved,</b></i><br />
<i><b>yet so much fault and failure comes from you.</b></i></blockquote>
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This isn't a guilt trip, and it is not about beating ourselves up and feeling even more miserable. It is about acknowledging the precious gift that we are, and the gifts that are offered us each and every day. It's about turning hopelessness into sweetness.<br />
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<b>3. Story intervention</b> - This is where it comes closest to actually cheating, but all writers do this in one way or another and so I am simply being honest. Sometime I reach a place in my work where I have done everything, and it is all there, down on paper, except the spirit. I could read over it and think: "Well, that is perfect prose, but why am I so damn bored reading it?" This is where I know I need to inject a little extra, and for me it is a sense of spirit. What might my character be thinking, or where might she be heading. What quality is at work here, or should be? If the actual text won't offer up its mysteries (and after a couple of hours it can be a stubborn beast!) I know I can open up my lovely box of Oracle cards and see what the Universe, by way of Rumi, might have to offer me. Then I can go back over the chapter I have written and make a change, or an addition. Sometimes it is the tiniest thing - just a word or two, and yet the entire piece is transformed because of it. no mystery of course. I have just allowed a greater force of spirit into my writing.<br />
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So I drew the card "I surge on the uprising wave of love" and I almost gasp at the beauty of the idea, and of the sense of reassurance. But of course, at this moment it is not about me - it is about my character. I am applying this to her. And what do I do? I keep writing knowing that the outcome of this situation I am describing, until now unresolved, will in fact be a positive, even an inspiring, one. It will prove the love of this universe.<br />
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<a href="http://juliesuzanneparker.com/alanafairchild/" target="_blank">Alana's</a> advice for interpreting this card reads:<br />
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<b>"What we always have at our disposal is choice as to how we respond to these affecting movements and cycles."</b></blockquote>
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My character has a choice to employ her power.<br />
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An interesting side-note: I always draw this card. It is obviously a message I need to hear over and over again.<br />
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And finally....<br />
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<b>4. Tomorrow's work</b> - I always like to finish somewhere tidy in my creative work - normally right at the very end of a chapter. This helps keep things organised, but one of the downsides is that I am left in a state of high excitement. How am I going to resolve all of this? What is going to happen in the next chapter and how can I possibly relate it to this one I have just finished?<br />
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My answer is often to pull a card and give me a bit of an overview as to what might be swaying things tomorrow. I will keep this card out, propped up against my computer screen to remind me: you have a message from the Universe. make sure you keep writing.<br />
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For this one I pull "The all-encompassing hand," and even looking at the exquisite artwork helps me to understand jut what tomorrow has to offer, and why I am engaged in creative work in the first place. I do feel led to this, and when I am really in the flow I feel exactly right - as though I am cupped in that exquisitely soft and comfortable all-encompassing hand.<br />
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When I look at the guidebook to see what channeled guidance <a href="https://youtu.be/BLxSPoCk6rI" target="_blank">Alana</a> has brought through after I have gazed at this beautiful picture, I read:<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>"This sacred grasp pulses with love divine, and there is one hand, holding and held, one being, loving and loved, though we may appear by less ecstatic angels to be two."</b></blockquote>
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Naturally, you don't have to use this deck to achieve the same results. I just wanted to use it as an example because it is one of my own most-used items of creative inspiration. <a href="https://archangeloracle.com/2018/05/18/viracocha/" target="_blank">Any oracle deck</a> will do - you will know yours when you find it. But I can vouch for the efficacy - and beauty - of the <a href="https://www.booktopia.com.au/rumi-oracle-deck-alana-fairchild/prod9781922161680.html?source=pla&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIp5vYj4ao2wIV1I6PCh0adQerEAQYASABEgKK1PD_BwE" target="_blank"><i>Rumi Oracle</i>.</a> <br />
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<br />Walter Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10780247928442366936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2348883776594840837.post-62337916508260820822018-01-02T01:11:00.001-08:002018-01-02T01:11:18.125-08:00Sydney author Rosalind Bradley will be talking death at the New Church in Roseville, Friday 23 rd February 2018, 7:45pm,<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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One of the cornerstones of my <a href="http://www.waltermason.com/2015/11/james-fry-on-creativity-and-finding.html" target="_blank">creativity</a> system is to go to <a href="https://litreactor.com/columns/what-an-author-reading-is-and-why-you-should-go-to-one" target="_blank">author talks</a> and lectures. It's incredibly stimulating for the creative mind, you get to meet some fascinating people, and you can absorb new and interesting ideas.<br />
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I am also a really big proponent of dealing with <a href="http://www.destination-saigon.com/2010/02/dia-tang-vuong-bo-tat.html" target="_blank">death</a> in a mature way, and I think it's something we really don't do very well in Australia.<br />
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So I am very excited to announce that my friend <a href="http://rosbradley.com/" target="_blank">Rosalind Bradley</a> is talking about her book <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Matter-Life-Death-Rosalind-Bradley/9781849056014" target="_blank"><i>A Matter of Life and Death</i></a> at the New Church in Roseville in February.<br />
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I am definitely going to this event, and I think you should too - it looks fascinating:<br />
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<a href="http://www.swedenborg.com.au/journal-of-dreams" target="_blank">Swedenborg Association of Australia</a>, Friday 7:45pm, 23rd February 2018<br /><b>at the New Church <br />4 Shirley Road, Roseville</b><br />$5 members, $7 non-members/concession<br /><br /><b>The Circle of Life</b></div>
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<br />Presented by author <a href="http://rosbradley.com/books/a-matter-of-life-and-death/" target="_blank">Rosalind Bradley</a></div>
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<br /><a href="http://rosbradley.com/a-matter-of-life-and-death-2/" target="_blank">Ros </a> talks about her latest book for which she collected 60 amazing stories from a fascinating range of people from all walks of life. <br />Sharing their unique insights and wisdom about death and dying using a chosen image or passage which best expresses death for them, they reveal that beyond the heartache<br />and mystery of death lay invaluable lessons on how we live our lives.</div>
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<br />About<a href="https://www.booktopia.com.au/a-matter-of-life-and-death-rosalind-bradley/prod9781849056014.html" target="_blank"> Rosalind</a></div>
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<br />After life in the UK, <a href="http://palliativecare.org.au/palliative-matters/a-matter-of-life-and-death/" target="_blank">Ros</a> had an eclectic career from teaching in remote Papua New Guinea to <br />freelance marketing in Sydney. <br />She worked for charities including The Fred Hollows Foundation, was Board Member of The Asylum Seekers Centre of NSW, and Eremos, a forum for exploring Australian spirituality. Her interfaith interest was triggered while in London during the 2005 bombings, resulting in her book <a href="http://rosbradley.com/books/mosaic/" target="_blank"><i>Mosaic: Favourite prayers and reflections</i></a>.</div>
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<br />Her mother’s death sparked a curiosity into death leading her to compile <a href="https://www.amazon.com.au/Matter-Life-Death-Rosalind-Bradley/dp/1849056013" target="_blank"><i>A Matter of Life and Death</i></a>.</div>
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<br />A volunteer biographer at Sacred Heart Hospice in Sydney, Ros also worked with PalliativeCare NSW and their Volunteer Program.</div>
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<br />More SAA events info at <br /><a href="http://www.swedenborg.com.au/">www.swedenborg.com.au</a><br />Walter Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10780247928442366936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2348883776594840837.post-91504455719562581412017-10-05T01:01:00.001-07:002017-10-05T01:01:06.281-07:00The 1968 club - 30 October to 5 November, 2017<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I love the blog <a href="http://www.stuckinabook.com/" target="_blank">Stuck in a Book</a>, and I recommend you put it on your regularly checked blog list.<br />
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They often list reading challenges, though I am always hopeless at such things.<br />
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Still, I have decided to do this year's <a href="http://www.stuckinabook.com/the-1968-club-is-coming-this-month/" target="_blank">1968 Club</a> - a pledge to read a book published in the year 1968, and to blog about it between the 30th of October and the 5th of November.<br />
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I was going to do <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_K._Dick" target="_blank">Philip K. Dick</a>'s <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Do_Androids_Dream_of_Electric_Sheep%3F" target="_blank"><i>Do Androids Dream of Electric Sleep?</i></a>, but I was worried that that might just be a little TOO trendy at the moment, with the<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_K._Dick%27s_Electric_Dreams" target="_blank"> new TV series</a> and all. Anyway, I went downstairs to my fiction shelves and, while looking for Dick (yeah, they aren't in any kind of order), I stumbled upon one of my favourite childhood books: <a href="https://www.textpublishing.com.au/books/i-own-the-racecourse" target="_blank"><i>I Own the Racecourse!</i></a> by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patricia_Wrightson" target="_blank">Patricia Wrightson</a>.<br />
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This is an Australian children's classic, and used to be a huge book, though it seems to have been forgotten. I recommend it to everyone, and even sent a copy of it to the wonderful author <a href="http://www.hellobookcase.org/interview-vanessa-berry/" target="_blank">Vanessa Berry</a>, who told me she loved it and read the whole thing in a day.<br />
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So, I will read it and see how it has dated. <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2010-03-25/aussie-kids-author-wrightson-dies/378970" target="_blank">Patricia Wrightson</a> is a fascinating writer, and I have been thinking about doing a talk on her for some time.<br />
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Maybe this will inspire me?<br />
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Oh, and one of my firm beliefs about creativity is that reading old books inspires you to be more creative. Even better is re-reading old books, especially books that meant something to you a long, long time ago.<br />
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What book would you select from your childhood reading to re-read today? What year was it published in? Walter Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10780247928442366936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2348883776594840837.post-15711704377955509242017-07-24T16:51:00.002-07:002017-07-25T18:38:14.235-07:00Researching a new talk: Monsignor R. H. Benson<i><b>Sadly this subject DID prove too obscure - I have found out the talk is not going ahead :-( But keep an eye out - I will attempt to resurrect it in some other form in the future. And I have become so absorbed I am seriously considering doing a book....</b></i> <br />
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One of the ways I love best to explore my creativity, learn new things and force myself to work hard is to give public talks. On Friday I am giving a two hour talk on <a href="http://www.catholicworldreport.com/2015/07/10/the-fiction-of-robert-hugh-benson/" target="_blank">Monsignor Robert Hugh Benson</a>, an admittedly obscure subject, and it has been tough getting people to book in. But, as with most obscure subjects, it is absolutely fascinating, and I have been loving the research.<br />
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My research always begins at home, and not online. I have a substantial personal library which I have been building since I was 17 years old, so for almost any subject I could prepare a talk just using the resources I have on my own bookshelves. This morning I am looking up tidbits about <a href="http://www.thenewearth.org/LifeAfterDeath.html" target="_blank">R. H. Benson</a> in <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60092.E_F_Benson_As_He_Was" target="_blank">Geoffrey Palmer </a>and <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/obituary-noel-lloyd-1200175.html" target="_blank">Noel Lloyd</a>'s <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Benson-As-He-Was/dp/1909040223" target="_blank"><i>E. F. Benson as He Was</i></a>.<br />
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This is a charming book, with a smattering of facts about <a href="http://www.catholicity.com/mccloskey/lord-of-the-world.html" target="_blank">baby brother Hugh</a>'s life. I will see if they are sufficiently interesting to include in my presentation, or to flesh out a point I have already made in what I have written so far.<br />
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My next step is always the NSW State Library.<br />
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I love being there, for a start, and there is something about being stuck in the reading room that makes you work really hard.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnib-3ALAwaKDOZ9H-zsuFYwdWeBVpP2PaO7JDS7T-X2VyOYV-UtoQdTXXtFVWBlhMt3YLiESshtIDRQh5yE4iV7aKdZPSD9JPtgMaAjEYZjbO-7kaaEulpEHSt5uz829TyUobZDM6dpU/s1600/B_R+H+Benson_research+notes_handwritten_State+Library+of+NSW_Walter+Mason.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1066" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnib-3ALAwaKDOZ9H-zsuFYwdWeBVpP2PaO7JDS7T-X2VyOYV-UtoQdTXXtFVWBlhMt3YLiESshtIDRQh5yE4iV7aKdZPSD9JPtgMaAjEYZjbO-7kaaEulpEHSt5uz829TyUobZDM6dpU/s400/B_R+H+Benson_research+notes_handwritten_State+Library+of+NSW_Walter+Mason.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My research notes from a gorgeous 70s biography of Monsignor Benson written by a nun. I didn't even know about this book until I visited the State Library of NSW</td></tr>
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It's also handy because I can go off on a research tangent.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimqpL-et_faTbhejfiJYD-NR28OvNLp9Ozd6PnE-PLFcLWs2GaDl94Kw-cRtsbh3wG_BzTK0PBR3OBFKKk4v_uGnHKKiKQg3ufsuY4tJWBsY94oG58kVxFefuIWymhdAtqN3e2hCHsStY/s1600/B_R+H+Benson_research+notes_new+directions.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimqpL-et_faTbhejfiJYD-NR28OvNLp9Ozd6PnE-PLFcLWs2GaDl94Kw-cRtsbh3wG_BzTK0PBR3OBFKKk4v_uGnHKKiKQg3ufsuY4tJWBsY94oG58kVxFefuIWymhdAtqN3e2hCHsStY/s400/B_R+H+Benson_research+notes_new+directions.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A list of new research directions I plan to follow up. I note these down as I discover them in other books. As you can see, I went in principally to research Monsignor Benson and ended up looking into upcoming talks about Dickens and Kenneth Grahame</td></tr>
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I can also work on multiple projects while I am there, filling up pages in my daybook with notes and research for future projects as well as the one I am working on. I actually have to limit myself with my library visits, as I could easily spend my entire time there going down research rabbit holes.<br />
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And finally it's <a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/4052" target="_blank">ebooks</a> and the net, never my favourite place to research, though perfect for finding out essential last-minute information.<br />
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And it's also cheap and convenient. So, instead of going to <a href="https://www.abebooks.com/books/ANZ/?&cm_mmc=ggl-_-AU_AbeBooks_Brand-_-Website%20esvg_3747232-_-abe%20books.com" target="_blank">abebooks</a> and ordering an Edwardian hardcover and waiting 2-6 weeks for it to arrive from Maine or Ireland, I can get a free ebook of <a href="https://ethicscenter.nd.edu/assets/156934/robert_hugh_benson.pdf%22%3Erobert_hugh_benson.pdf" target="_blank">R. H. Benson</a>'s famous dystopia <a href="https://aleteia.org/2016/04/08/why-are-two-different-popes-telling-us-to-read-lord-of-the-world/" target="_blank"><i>Lord of the World</i></a> from <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/" target="_blank">Project Gutenberg</a> and start reading and highlighting relevant sections.<br />
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I am also reading <a href="http://archives.nd.edu/episodes/visitors/rhb/bensonl.htm" target="_blank">his book on Lourdes</a>, and the brilliant and quite eccentric biography of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Benson_(hostess)" target="_blank">Mary Benson</a>, his mother, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2011/jun/09/good-god-mary-benson-review" target="_blank"><i>As Good as God, As Clever as the Devil</i></a>.Walter Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10780247928442366936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2348883776594840837.post-57562059470833968702017-04-26T18:34:00.000-07:002017-04-26T18:34:23.016-07:00Gay May Reading listSeems I will be going gay for the month of May, my list being made up of books by, or about, gay men. It comes about because this month I did a talk about <a href="http://www.waltermason.com/2012/09/writing-personal-as-we-were-by-e-f.html" target="_blank">E. F. Benson</a>, and I am in about the fourth month of a <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Denton-Welch" target="_blank">Denton Welch</a> obsession, courtesy of a previous <a href="http://newtownreviewofbooks.com.au/2015/07/16/ann-allestree-barbara-pym-a-passionate-force-reviewed-by-walter-mason/" target="_blank">Barbara Pym</a> obsession. So, here is my Queer Lit. reading list for May (from the top):<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEYq0LCkGvCc0AcMSxjUsKMRREx_J37xZRaj6_BxADcqPDSn2eShWcwwbfXnikMbV1KhmgShW6T7IK05ebf9rCrrKvRPYnxzPMTTGa2HpeWVoxopn7PXLBpwP-1XBU0ItHvWveD_hU7gk/s1600/B_Gay+literature_May+2017_Denton+Welch_E+F+Benson_Harold+Acton.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEYq0LCkGvCc0AcMSxjUsKMRREx_J37xZRaj6_BxADcqPDSn2eShWcwwbfXnikMbV1KhmgShW6T7IK05ebf9rCrrKvRPYnxzPMTTGa2HpeWVoxopn7PXLBpwP-1XBU0ItHvWveD_hU7gk/s640/B_Gay+literature_May+2017_Denton+Welch_E+F+Benson_Harold+Acton.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com.au/Challoners-E-F-Benson/dp/B01IEZ6IJY" target="_blank"><i>The Challoners</i></a> by <a href="http://www.waltermason.com/2014/01/final-edition-e-f-benson.html" target="_blank">E. F. Benson</a> - I don't think I have ever truly enjoyed <a href="http://www.waltermason.com/2013/09/queen-lucia-by-e-f-benson.html" target="_blank">Benson</a>'s non-<a href="https://youtu.be/oaqiBGNhmco" target="_blank"><i>Lucia</i></a> fiction - it is all very much of its time. But I am going to give it another go and try this one, written in 1904.<br />
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<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Enfants_Terribles" target="_blank"><i>Les Enfants Terribles</i></a> by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Cocteau" target="_blank">Jean Cocteau</a> - Oh, I didn't mention my Jean Cocteau obsession as well. I am going to France in September so looking forward to visiting all of the <a href="https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems-and-poets/poets/detail/jean-cocteau" target="_blank">Cocteau</a> spots. I am also, slowly, piecing together a talk about him which I haven't pitched to anyone yet. If you want me to come and give it, let me know.<br />
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<a href="https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/denton-welch/the-journals-of-denton-welch/" target="_blank"><i>The Journals of Denton Welch</i></a> - Enough said, really. And do listen to the <a href="http://podbay.fm/show/1063252175/e/1468068284?autostart=1" target="_blank">podcast about Denton Welch on Backlisted</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Lucia-Victrix-E-F-Benson/9780140119633" target="_blank"><i>Lucia Victrix</i></a> and <i>Lucia Rising</i> by <a href="http://www.waltermason.com/2012/10/more-oscar-wilde-in-as-we-were-by-ef.html" target="_blank">E. F. Benson</a> - These are compendium editions which contain all six novels between them. Because I deserve it.<br />
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<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Voice_Through_a_Cloud" target="_blank"><i>A Voice Through a Cloud</i></a> and <i>Maiden Voyage</i> by Denton Welch<br />
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<i>Cecil Beaton's Fair Lady</i> - I have twice given a talk on <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/photography/8128794/How-Cecil-Beaton-captured-the-world.html" target="_blank">Beaton</a> in Sydney and it has been surprisingly very popular with big attendances each time. re-reading this diary of his time making the movie of <i>My Fair Lady</i> and considering doing the talk again somewhere else.<br />
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<i>Three Extraordinary Ambassadors</i> by <a href="https://alchetron.com/Harold-Acton-1335485-W" target="_blank">Harold Acton</a> - <a href="http://lapietra.nyu.edu/project/the-acton-photograph-archive/" target="_blank">Acton </a>is one of my favourite writers and should be better known. His books always enchant me.<br />
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<i>Lucia in London</i> by <a href="http://newtownreviewofbooks.com.au/2013/07/25/e-f-benson-his-life-and-times-an-appreciation-by-walter-mason/" target="_blank">E. F. Benson</a> - This means I will be reading this book twice in May, but why not? It's my favourite of the <a href="https://penguin.com.au/books/queen-lucia-miss-mapp-9781101912102" target="_blank"><i>Lucia</i> novels</a>, and I read it at least once year. He lets <a href="https://youtu.be/9-Hn1C5ztKQ" target="_blank">Lucia</a> get truly horrible in this one, and it's great.<br />
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<i>As We Are</i> by <a href="http://www.waltermason.com/2012/09/oscar-wilde-in-as-we-were-by-ef-benson.html" target="_blank">E. F. Benson</a>, this work of memoir written late in his life is just beautiful, and at times very funny. Right up there with the Lucia books in terms of entertainment value.<br />
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<i>Jean Cocteau</i> by <a href="https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/claude-arnaud/jean-cocteau/" target="_blank">Claude Arnaud</a> - Yep, I have to bite the bullet. I know I will love it, but gosh it's huge! Walter Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10780247928442366936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2348883776594840837.post-5718981199906407862017-01-21T00:42:00.002-08:002017-02-19T23:37:57.538-08:00My cultural 2017 in lists This is a fabulous idea I have blatantly stolen from the fabulous <a href="http://andyquan.com/" target="_blank">Andy Quan</a>.<br />
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I have long kept a record (in a special journal) of my reading, but I love Andy's idea of listing the other stuff I have seen. This list will be maintained throughout the year, as a record of how I found creative inspiration and where I went to find it.<br />
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<b>Concerts</b><br />
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<b>Theatre</b><br />
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<b>Lectures and Author Talks</b><br />
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<a href="https://www.hachette.com.au/neil-mcdonald/" target="_blank">Neil McDonald</a> talking about his <a href="https://www.newsouthbooks.com.au/books/life-and-work-chester-wilmot-war-correspondent/" target="_blank">Chester Wilmot book</a> at both State Library of NSW and Ashfield Library Feb. 2017<br />
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<a href="http://www.johenwoodstoryteller.com.au/" target="_blank">Jo Henwood</a> on the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2008/oct/03/1" target="_blank">Icelandic Sagas</a> at Ashfield Library Feb 2017<br />
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Collins Hemingway on the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napoleonic_Wars" target="_blank">Napoleonic wars </a>in <a href="http://pictorial.jezebel.com/british-life-during-the-napoleonic-wars-yes-including-1712251911" target="_blank">the time of Jane Austen</a> at the Jane Austen society of Australia, Feb 2017<b><br /></b><br />
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<b>Exhibitions</b><br />
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Beyond Words - calligraphy exhibition at <a href="https://youtu.be/wNx_om17B3c" target="_blank">AGNSW</a>, January 2017<br />
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Margaret Olley exhibition at <a href="http://www.shervingallery.com.au/" target="_blank">S H Ervin Gallery</a>, February 2017<b> </b><br />
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<b>Books</b><br />
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<a href="http://www.booktopia.com.au/ransacking-paris-patti-miller/prod9780702253393.html" target="_blank"><i>Ransacking Paris</i></a> by <a href="http://newtownreviewofbooks.com.au/2015/04/23/patti-miller-ransacking-paris-a-year-with-montaigne-and-friends-reviewed-by-jeannette-delamoir/" target="_blank">Patti Miller</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Coffinman-Buddhist-Mortician-Shinmon-Aoki/dp/0972139508" target="_blank"><i>Coffinman</i></a> by <a href="http://www.livingdharma.org/Living.Dharma.Articles/OnenessOfLifeDeath-P.Nakai.html" target="_blank">Shinmon Aoki</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Tales-Wonder-Adventures-Chasing-Autobiography/dp/0061154261" target="_blank"><i>Tales of Wonder</i></a> by <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/spiritofthings/huston-smiths-world-religions/8272608" target="_blank">Huston Smith</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/421159.The_Way_of_the_Traveler" target="_blank"><i>The Way of the Traveler</i></a> by Joseph Dispenza<br />
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<i>55 Keys</i> by <a href="http://alanafairchild.com/online-training/" target="_blank">Alana Fairchild </a><br />
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<a href="http://www.booktopia.com.au/the-memoir-book-patti-miller/prod9781741149067.html" target="_blank"><i>The Memoir Book</i></a> by Patti Miller <br />
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<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kali_the_Mother_(book)" target="_blank"><i>Kali: the Mother</i></a> by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sister_Nivedita" target="_blank">Sister Nivedita</a> <br />
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<b>Movies</b><br />
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<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_Green_Was_My_Valley_(film)" target="_blank"><i>How Green Was My Valley </i></a><br />
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<b>Television</b><br />
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<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2707408/" target="_blank"><i>Narcos</i></a> Series 1 and 2<br />
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<a href="http://www.eonline.com/au/news/791999/checking-in-on-the-real-housewives-of-melbourne-yes-these-are-real-stories-from-the-show" target="_blank"><i>Real Housewives of Melbourne</i></a> Seasons 1, 2 and 3 Walter Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10780247928442366936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2348883776594840837.post-10979089905667445162016-09-21T19:34:00.000-07:002016-09-21T19:34:36.119-07:00The 1947 Club<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpqGGxPdXIFFlesxde7J-6IMO_njMdwIoAC9ivxNKOXVZhzwqrngsKHvTBLNPBkBneozqSrFvLgWpCRHOx5u0sfVDdEymVbApS6twKTLPa8Lj2JrawT_D7n_OdoPIiAMkZcy8DNWxqsos/s1600/B_1947-club-pink.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpqGGxPdXIFFlesxde7J-6IMO_njMdwIoAC9ivxNKOXVZhzwqrngsKHvTBLNPBkBneozqSrFvLgWpCRHOx5u0sfVDdEymVbApS6twKTLPa8Lj2JrawT_D7n_OdoPIiAMkZcy8DNWxqsos/s400/B_1947-club-pink.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I like online reading challenges because they are often so bizarre and arbitrary that they encourage me to read something I normally would never consider, or that I have a long way down my "Must Read" list.<br />
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I have already signed up for the <a href="http://www.waltermason.com/2016/09/the-1924-club.html" target="_blank">1924 Club</a>, but then I noticed that, the week before, they are running the <a href="https://kaggsysbookishramblings.wordpress.com/2016/09/11/get-ready-for-the1947-club/" target="_blank">1947 Club</a>. How could I resist?<br />
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So basically, to take part in this challenge you have to read in the set period (10-16 October) one or more books written in 1947. My first instinct was to go to <a href="http://www.universalheartbookclub.com/2015/12/walter-mason-on-books-hell-be-re.html" target="_blank">Nancy Mitford</a>, but the book she published in 1947 was <a href="http://www.waltermason.com/2013/12/nancy-in-hot-climate.html" target="_blank"><i>The Pursuit of Love</i></a>, and I have already read that twice this year. It would be cheating to do it the third time, and besides, despite my great love for that book I don't really feel like reading it again just now.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHJoFCXdSjoZtYG8wJgqXtEj4GrsICyiXfEjMTnjOK2iyyl4E6Y0h6FXkdPljrDO4YNxbqvC1IbWEpOrT2LbCUlaSrlgJLgMVLTP18P0E5B7_M-2YsxNpWHHVzldGrEwhz_NDHkjZE13c/s1600/B_Taylor-A-View-of-the-Harbour.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHJoFCXdSjoZtYG8wJgqXtEj4GrsICyiXfEjMTnjOK2iyyl4E6Y0h6FXkdPljrDO4YNxbqvC1IbWEpOrT2LbCUlaSrlgJLgMVLTP18P0E5B7_M-2YsxNpWHHVzldGrEwhz_NDHkjZE13c/s400/B_Taylor-A-View-of-the-Harbour.png" width="250" /></a></div>
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So I checked <a href="https://kaggsysbookishramblings.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Kaggsy's Bookish Ramblings</a> and one of the books suggested over there was <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2012/may/11/elizabeth-taylor-novelist-english" target="_blank">Elizabeth Taylor</a>'s <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/how-the-other-elizabeth-taylor-reconciled-family-life-and-art" target="_blank"><i>A View of the Harbour</i></a>, so I am taking the opportunity to finally read <a href="http://www.nyrb.com/products/a_view_of_the_harbour?variant=1094928941" target="_blank">Elizabeth Taylor</a>. I have also decided to read <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/jul/03/evelyn-waugh-life-revisited-review-philip-eade" target="_blank">Evelyn Waugh</a>'s obscure novella <i>Scott-King's Modern Europe</i>. In fact, until I googled "Evelyn Waugh 1947" I hadn't even heard of it.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ7JKsf9qZP7TsrpFZTKibVc3IXQiGy2Uw7xtDrUsj_edejh-qhWuYgNddxv2bRv1Lu68Ciyd-U2ydgCP2u2xjBnWUQxwuTw7uGQYdbVh3ITGC0hbA674xvZTsDhhJ_AhpuXB-wDWcikk/s1600/B_scott+Kings+Modern+Europe_Waugh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ7JKsf9qZP7TsrpFZTKibVc3IXQiGy2Uw7xtDrUsj_edejh-qhWuYgNddxv2bRv1Lu68Ciyd-U2ydgCP2u2xjBnWUQxwuTw7uGQYdbVh3ITGC0hbA674xvZTsDhhJ_AhpuXB-wDWcikk/s400/B_scott+Kings+Modern+Europe_Waugh.jpg" width="273" /></a></div>
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So won't you join me? <br />
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Walter Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10780247928442366936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2348883776594840837.post-13052511429773592082016-09-03T18:56:00.002-07:002016-09-04T23:23:36.048-07:00A successful talk about Cecil Beaton at Ashfield Library<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibrIjp8z4Dq06GDlwqPfU3XIcWGjxcxsB-gZcvun_Zf1wbd0J2zuJ2W1c2aGZZwnSZ8bVeEEo2a7mdC0JucjWJRAtMk9dwoQO0mfiMRz1S8-CUPIYM0fikwdbprwElOVeTXWWOTkjpjq8/s1600/B_Walter+Mason_Ashfield+Library_lecture.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibrIjp8z4Dq06GDlwqPfU3XIcWGjxcxsB-gZcvun_Zf1wbd0J2zuJ2W1c2aGZZwnSZ8bVeEEo2a7mdC0JucjWJRAtMk9dwoQO0mfiMRz1S8-CUPIYM0fikwdbprwElOVeTXWWOTkjpjq8/s400/B_Walter+Mason_Ashfield+Library_lecture.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by Thang Ngo</td></tr>
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I did one of my Saturday illustrated lectures at <a href="http://www.ashfield.nsw.gov.au/page/library.html" target="_blank">Ashfield Library </a>yesterday and it went swimmingly.<br />
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The subject was the fabulous and glamorous Cecil Beaton.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGDDodltp7rnEiOHJuKmEEdy1otfNWbTvEYjAqFUeA8qTN65BpWVdPES2NuqAoirum0KypGH4tLadU_hdZY2-yFv0uYZviO6INHR9BPGUkqZRjQ2ks6GDNKU8FjqbcIVXJRCRz2u1kep4/s1600/B_Cecil+Beaton_Alice+B+Toklas.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGDDodltp7rnEiOHJuKmEEdy1otfNWbTvEYjAqFUeA8qTN65BpWVdPES2NuqAoirum0KypGH4tLadU_hdZY2-yFv0uYZviO6INHR9BPGUkqZRjQ2ks6GDNKU8FjqbcIVXJRCRz2u1kep4/s400/B_Cecil+Beaton_Alice+B+Toklas.JPG" width="367" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cecil Beaton and Alice B. Toklas</td></tr>
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Good numbers, which was encouraging. I spent some money, for the first time, on doing a sponsored post on Facebook, and I think this made a difference - more of my friends came than usual, I am sure because they had noticed the post. Not sure it had any impact in bringing in new faces, though, but there were certainly plenty there.<br />
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I was happy to note quite a few people who usually only go to weekday sessions coming along to a Saturday morning talk, so that was good.<br />
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The celebrity-studded audience included <a href="http://www.aww.com.au/" target="_blank">Women's Weekly</a> <a href="http://www.jessicaadams.com/" target="_blank">astrologer Jessica Adams</a>, <a href="http://www.truelocal.com.au/business/lindfield-bookshop/lindfield" target="_blank">Lindfield Bookshop</a> owner <a href="https://twitter.com/scottwhit27" target="_blank">Scott Whitmont</a>, lecturer and literary historian <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/lifematters/forgotten-australians-special/3085908" target="_blank">Joanna Penglase</a> and writer and guru <a href="https://youtu.be/6T8QIiU09pc" target="_blank">Maggie Hamilton</a>.<br />
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The talk went seamlessly, except for one slip-up where I showed a slide and said it was <a href="http://gretagarbotheenigmaticstar.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">Greta Garbo</a> when it was in fact <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katharine_Hepburn" target="_blank">Katharine Hepburn</a>. Embarrassing :-) But they were a forgiving crowd, and I soon got over that little slip up.<br />
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These talks take up a lot of time and requires hours and hours of reading a research, so I am glad that people come along and enjoy them. These kinds of activities are an increasingly important part of the public service that libraries offer their communities, but they can only continue if people actually support them. To see so many there yesterday was heartening indeed. The<a href="http://www.ashfield.nsw.gov.au/page/authors_at_ashfield.html" target="_blank"> program at Ashfield Library</a> is particularly good, rich and varied - do check it out, and do schedule in all of the amazing talks and activities you can.<br />
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On that note, here are some of my upcoming activities at Ashfield Library:<br />
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Hope to see you there!<br />
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<br />Walter Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10780247928442366936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2348883776594840837.post-15061157160063716712016-07-26T19:40:00.000-07:002016-08-15T00:11:29.385-07:00Doing the meaningful things first <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Sometimes we don’t get around to <a href="http://www.fastcompany.com/3028465/work-smart/10-surprising-ways-to-transform-your-creative-thinking" target="_blank">doing our creative work</a>.<br />
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We get busy doing all the things that need to be done and before you know it it’s 3 in the afternoon and we are too tired or have a headache or think we might be <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/caroline-l-arnold/how-to-be-more-creative_b_5389969.html" target="_blank">more creative tomorrow</a>.<br />
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It’s never going to happen if you do it that way. Let's face it, you’ve tried it, and it didn’t work.<br />
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Instead, make a small commitment to <a href="https://designschool.canva.com/blog/design-new-every-day/" target="_blank">do something creative every day</a>, and do your <a href="http://alittlecreative.com.au/blogs/blog/13874409-a-creative-commitment" target="_blank">small creative commitment</a> first thing. I know some people who even do it <a href="http://alittlecreative.com.au/blogs/blog/13874409-a-creative-commitment" target="_blank">before breakfast</a>, but I need food and <a href="http://storey-lines.com/2015/09/14/why-do-writers-love-to-write-in-coffee-shops/" target="_blank">caffeine</a> too much for that. But you do need to move your creative expression right up the list, right to the very top. Then things will start happening.<br />
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Be aware of how you’re spending your time and who you are spending it with. Create your days with some <a href="http://www.growingwithgratitude.com.au/blog/5-life-changing-steps-to-intentional-living/" target="_blank">intention</a> – don’t let them drift by in <a href="http://www.lifehacker.com.au/2014/11/overcome-procrastination-by-writing-down-all-of-its-side-effects/" target="_blank">chores</a> and <a href="http://www.writerscentre.com.au/ep-94/" target="_blank">distractions</a>.<br />
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Let’s answer these questions:<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><b>What did you learn to do better this year?</b></i></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<i><b><br />What activities have been taking up more of your time than you would like?</b></i><br />
<i><b><br />Do you have enough time for the people you love?</b></i><br />
<i><b><br />Are there any things you’d like to be doing that you don’t do?</b></i><br />
<i><b><br />Is there any way you could make faster progress in doing the things you’d like to be doing? </b></i></blockquote>
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<i>These questions come from p. 9 of <a href="http://www.selfgrowth.com/david_riklan.html" target="_blank">David Riklan</a>’s excellent book 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life.</i><br />
Walter Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10780247928442366936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2348883776594840837.post-59419750178230000552016-06-12T05:03:00.000-07:002016-06-12T05:03:33.074-07:0040 days of journal writing....<br />
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Yep, that's it.<br />
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I am making a pledge to <a href="http://fourhourworkweek.com/2015/01/15/morning-pages/" target="_blank">journal every morning</a> for 40 consecutive days, and I will chart my progress on here. Of course, I journal 4 or 5 times a week as it is, but I want to explore this as a creative and spiritual discipline and see where it might take me.<br />
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We need to create a <a href="http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/newslocal/central-coast/keeping-a-journal-helps-you-learn-about-yourself-and-work-through-tough-times/news-story/2962e188bd7f7b4f14f730d716e70b2f" target="_blank">habit of journal writing</a>.<br /><br />I would invite you to join me, from today, in your own 40-day <a href="http://itsmyvoice.org/the-writers-circle-thirty-day-writing-challenge/" target="_blank">challenge of journal writing</a>.<br /><br />The best thing about a challenge is that, if the well really is dry, we can write about that very sense of not knowing what to do.<br /><br />But in our creative life there is always something to write about – some challenge, some question, some joy, some realisation.<br /><br />If we are on the creative path, every day offers a new insight – at the very least a sentence we can write.<br /><br />Even if we did a sentence a day – what a fascinating 40 sentences that would be!<br /><br />But I would urge you to consider 40 days, 5 minutes a day, simply asking the page: what do I need to know right now?<br />
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<br />There is no right or wrong answer!<br /><br />Sometimes our creative spirit is expressed in the quotidian. Perhaps the very best and most powerfully creative thing you could do that day is the ironing – it’s been piling up for days.<br />But write about how you feel – what were your thoughts during the ironing? How might we have made it a creative task? Or perhaps it already was? Walter Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10780247928442366936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2348883776594840837.post-69908594559009238432016-06-06T02:13:00.002-07:002016-06-06T02:13:49.415-07:00Journal Your Challenges - an exercise<br />
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Sometimes our challenges really build up and begin to suffocate us.<br />And sometimes we are not in a position to share these worries with other people. Sometimes sharing them with others is not the right thing to do. <br />But we can always share them with our journal.<br /><br />Exercise:<br /><br />Write down a few sentences about a challenge you are currently facing in your life.<br /><br />Write down the principal emotions that challenge evokes in you.<br /><br />Can you turn this challenge into a question? Or is there some specific element you need to work out? Write it down.<br /><br />Now lets sit together in meditation for a few minutes, our eyes closed, asking ourselves that question, looking for answers. But please just stay in meditation – no writing anything down.<br /><br />Keep asking yourself that question, over and over. It is your mantra, your koan.<br /><br />Now write down any responses or answers you received. They don’t have to make sense. They don’t have to be the perfect answer, or any answer at all. Just write down what came to you as you sat with that question.<br /><br />Any insights?<br />
<br />Were you prompted to take some action?<br /><br />I want you to review the observations that come to you during this process. What doesn’t make sense today may be perfectly clear in two days time.<br /><br />These responses have come from somewhere deep inside you – or perhaps outside of you.<br /><br />Either way, this is a process that makes you realise that your journal is an invaluable practical friend. And it will never get bored with your silly questions – and it cant be hurt by your doubts or annoyed by your anxieties.Walter Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10780247928442366936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2348883776594840837.post-50818244270988298212016-01-16T00:07:00.000-08:002016-01-16T00:07:17.168-08:00MONDAY, 8th February 2016 at 7.30pm - Walter Mason will lecture on Om Mani Padme Hum & the Dragon Kingdom of Bhutan<h2>
<span style="color: blue;"> </span></h2>
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<h2>
<span style="color: blue;"> </span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.aol.org.au/blog/2015/12/16/aol-bulletin-16th-december-2015-peace-love-to-all/" target="_blank">MONDAY, 8th February 2016 at 7.30pm at the Academy of Light</a></span></h2>
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<img alt="Walter Mason" class="alignleft wp-image-13432" height="151" src="http://aol.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/Walter-Mason-300x272.jpg" width="167" /><br />
<h2>
<a href="http://www.waltermason.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Walter Mason</span></a></h2>
<h2>
<span style="color: blue;"><strong><a href="https://soundcloud.com/manishpilani/om-mani-padme-hum-original-1" target="_blank">Om Mani Padme Hum</a> & the Dragon Kingdom of Bhutan</strong></span></h2>
<span style="color: blue;">Walter has recently returned from the
remote and mysterious Himalayan <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhutan" target="_blank">Kingdom of Bhutan</a>. In this tiny <a href="http://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/people/bhutan-the-price-of-paradise-1.2496614" target="_blank">Buddhist nation</a> almost everyone is devoted to the practise of the mantra of “<a href="https://youtu.be/6j2AIIw5v3E" target="_blank">Om Mani Padme Hum</a>,” and believe it brings them good health, luck,
enlightenment and peace of mind.</span><br />
<span style="color: blue;">In this talk <a href="http://www.destination-saigon.com/2010/03/nova-magazine-destination-saigon-review.html" target="_blank">Walter</a> will discuss the
practise and meaning of this mantra, and how we can incorporate it into
our own lives. We will also explore the crazy wisdom of their beloved
sage Drukpa Kunley, devotion to the <a href="http://fpmt.org/mandala-today/medicine-buddha-prayers-for-those-suffering-injured-and-killed/" target="_blank">Medicine Buddha</a> and some of the
other fascinating elements of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dzong_architecture" target="_blank">spiritual lives of the Bhutanese</a>.</span><br />
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<h2>
<span style="color: navy;">Where : Mosman Arts & Community Centre, <strong>Cnr of Art Gallery Way and Myahgah Road.</strong></span> <span style="color: navy;"> When: Monday Nights <strong>7.30pm – 9.30pm Entry : $15.00, Concession $10.00 Finish time is 9.30pm</strong></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="color: blue;">ALL WELCOME – ENJOY LOVE, LIGHT & LAUGHTER</span></h2>
Walter Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10780247928442366936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2348883776594840837.post-14238576420961710912015-12-30T17:49:00.003-08:002015-12-30T17:49:52.077-08:00The 16 books I'm going to read to inspire my creativity in 2016<br />
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I just read <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/16-books-2016-my-reading-list-year-ahead-danielle-duell?trk=hp-feed-article-title-like" target="_blank">Danielle Duell's post on Linkedin</a> in which she listed the 16 books she plans to read in 2016, and I thought it was a terrific idea. So here are the 16 books I have selected to read next, books that I think will especially stimulate my creativity throughout the year.<br />
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1. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walden" target="_blank"><i>Walden</i></a> by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_David_Thoreau" target="_blank">Henry David Thoreau</a> - I've never read this classic of American literature, and I feel it's time.<br />
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2. <a href="http://books.simonandschuster.com/One-Day-My-Soul-Just-Opened-Up/Iyanla-Vanzant/9780684841342" target="_blank"><i>One Day My Soul Just Opened Up</i></a> by <a href="https://youtu.be/nfDOzu-4wwc" target="_blank">Iyanla Vanzant</a> - I read this back in 2010 when I was travelling around Cambodia, and it had a profound effect on me. I feel it's time to re-visit it.<br />
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3. <a href="http://www.makealivingwriting.com/ebooks/fear-not-confidence-building-insights-tips-and-techniques-for-freelance-writers/" target="_blank"><i>Fear Not</i></a> by <a href="http://www.caroltice.com/" target="_blank">Carol Tice</a> - I think it was recommended in a blog post or on a podcast, but I just feel like this might do me some good. My confidence waxes and wanes.<br />
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4. <a href="https://youtu.be/U0uRp7BoPVY" target="_blank"><i>The Miracle Morning</i></a> by <a href="http://www.thebookseller.com/news/john-murray-acquires-self-published-self-help-book-hal-elrod-318371" target="_blank">Hal Elrod</a> - I don't actually need much convincing that early rising is a great productive habit. I do need to discipline myself more, though.<br />
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5. <a href="http://www.positivityblog.com/index.php/the-hidden-secret-in-think-and-grow-rich-review/" target="_blank"><i>Think and Grow Rich</i></a> by <a href="http://www.success.com/mobile/article/rich-man-poor-man" target="_blank">Napoleon Hill</a> - I have actually read this one a couple of times before, but not in a few years, so it's time to see what I might be able to get out if it right now.<br />
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6. <a href="http://www.theachievementhabit.com/" target="_blank"><i>The Achievement Habit</i></a> by <a href="http://www.mentorcoach.com/roth/" target="_blank">Bernard Roth </a>- You can tell I am having anxiety issues about productivity.<br />
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7. All of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P._G._Wodehouse" target="_blank">P.G. Wodehouse</a> - OK, this is a bit of a big ask, but at some stage in 2016 I want to teach a course on the English comic novel, and this just has to be done.<br />
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8. All of <a href="http://www.ianrankin.net/" target="_blank">Ian Rankin</a> - Another mammoth project. I am working on a crime novel of my own, and everyone says that <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/tv/firsttuesday/s3763878.htm" target="_blank">Rankin </a>is the one to study.<br />
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9. <i>Letters to a Young Poet</i> by <a href="http://www.onbeing.org/blog/rainer-maria-rilke-on-loneliness-and-connection/5576" target="_blank">Rainer Maria Rilke</a> - Never done it, and it is a glaring gap in anyone's library of creativity. Plus I'll be able to look my friend <a href="http://www.stephaniedowrick.com/" target="_blank">Stephanie Dowrick</a> in the eye, as she wrote <a href="http://www.stephaniedowrick.com/published-works/books/in-the-company-of-rilke/" target="_blank">the book on the subject</a>.<br />
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10. <a href="http://www.jacklondons.net/writings/CruiseOfTheSnark/SnarkCruise-toc.html" target="_blank"><i>The Cruise of the Snark</i></a> by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_London" target="_blank">Jack London</a> - I loved <a href="http://www.biography.com/people/jack-london-9385499" target="_blank">Jack London</a> novels as a boy, and I still think he is an absolute master. This is a book of his I haven't read, and hadn't even heard of it till I saw <a href="https://youtu.be/avFegu_RkpE" target="_blank">Susannah Fullerton</a> give a lecture on the <a href="http://blog.oup.com/2015/12/jack-london-mills-boon-first-world-war/" target="_blank">Mills & Boon</a> company, who originally published this.<br />
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11. <a href="http://illimitablemen.com/2014/04/25/how-to-apply-the-48-laws-of-power/" target="_blank"><i>The 48 Laws of Power</i></a> by <a href="https://twitter.com/RobertGreene" target="_blank">Robert Greene</a><br />
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12. <a href="http://www.npr.org/2015/09/15/440397728/mary-karr-on-writing-memoirs-no-doubt-ive-gotten-a-million-things-wrong" target="_blank"><i>The Art of Memoir</i></a> by <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/books/article/The-Art-of-Memoir-by-Mary-Karr-6498781.php" target="_blank">Mary Karr </a>- Because I am a memoirist, and because I teach memoir writing and love the form.<br />
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13. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Art_of_War" target="_blank"><i>The Art of War</i></a> by <a href="http://www.suntzustrategies.com/about/who-was-sun-tzu" target="_blank">Sun Tzu</a> - I've never been able to finish it. But I'm meant to know a lot about Chinese culture, so it's kind of embarrassing.<br />
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14. <a href="https://youtu.be/cuWH2Ehleg8" target="_blank"><i>The War of Art</i></a> by <a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/five-best-steven-pressfield-1403893748" target="_blank">Steven Pressfield</a> - I love it, and this will be my third time. I always get inspired by this book.<br />
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15. <a href="http://artofworkbook.com/" target="_blank"><i>The Art of Work </i></a>by <a href="http://creativewarriorsunite.com/jeff-goins-the-art-of-work-whats-calling-you/" target="_blank">Jeff Goins</a> - Because he's a nice guy and one of the thought leaders I've decided to follow closely this year.<br />
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16. <a href="https://ronbc2.wordpress.com/2013/02/07/bleak-house/" target="_blank"><i>Bleak House</i></a> by Charles Dickens - I adore Dickens, and I am a member of the <a href="http://dickenssydney.com/" target="_blank">NSW Dickens Society</a>, but I have never read this one. More gap-filling.<br />
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<br />Walter Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10780247928442366936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2348883776594840837.post-65896997010737285952015-12-02T22:32:00.000-08:002015-12-02T22:32:09.403-08:00Todd Henry's Die Empty - a review<br />
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I don’t think I have ever endorsed a book with such a controversial title. For me it is without any import – I rather like the idea of dying empty, having used up each and every ounce of creativity and passion. But a surprising number of people react negatively to the title and the concept. I have used this book several times now teaching creativity courses, and there is always one or two people who shrink from the title.<br />
<br />If you are one of those, I apologise, but I also urge you to overcome you initial reaction because <a href="https://youtu.be/7hWRva_sPeE" target="_blank">Todd Henry’</a>s book is really quite exceptional and has been a major source of creative inspiration to me for some time now.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5wHzfMl7Kn253Vfh-WC-Uz7G81Db_clgRzk0mKVaS6m3GHzRwptzVfl5ozE93gDosGEIe66Q5t56d3rxTCQNtFS-9fYVKhX5us4KvUsPEi-pxZ47lVl9hNR1BjMUo_Y0b3VZfZOS9OTw/s1600/B_todd-henry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5wHzfMl7Kn253Vfh-WC-Uz7G81Db_clgRzk0mKVaS6m3GHzRwptzVfl5ozE93gDosGEIe66Q5t56d3rxTCQNtFS-9fYVKhX5us4KvUsPEi-pxZ47lVl9hNR1BjMUo_Y0b3VZfZOS9OTw/s400/B_todd-henry.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Todd Henry</td></tr>
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<br />In <a href="http://www.toddhenry.com/dieempty/" target="_blank"><i>Die Empty</i></a>, <a href="https://www.penguin.com.au/products/9781591846994/die-empty-unleash-your-best-work-every-day" target="_blank">Todd Henry</a> offers some indispensable advice on avoiding the aimless life and recognising the potential for happiness here and now. Henry is one of those ubiquitous modern marketing gurus in the <a href="http://www.sethgodin.com/sg/" target="_blank">Seth Godin</a> mould who have sprung up in the age of podcasting and social media with a unique style of life and career advice specifically aimed at a media and technology savvy generation. He is always interesting, and never more so than in this book.<br />
<br />It is also quite brutal advice, encouraging people not to be self-deluded. <a href="http://www.toddhenry.com/blog/" target="_blank">Henry</a> offers the example of the hapless, hopeless contestant of the TV reality talent show, the one destined for the “worst of” show who is surrounded by well-meaning mothers and friends who encourage them in their delusions. Yes, well have innate talents, but in any cases these talents require a great deal of careful discernment, and can potentially be overshadowed by externally-imposed (or confected) dreams of greatness.<br />
<br />Neither is success necessarily about wealth or possessions. <a href="http://www.toddhenry.com/" target="_blank">Henry </a>is not of the “3 Ferraris” school of motivation, with a cheque for a million dollars pasted up on one’s ceiling. Not that there’s anything wrong with wanting some sort of material comfort, it is just that <a href="http://www.toddhenry.com/theaccidentalcreative/" target="_blank">Henry</a> suggests much of what fulfils us and uses our greatest talents may not necessarily be big moneyspinners. It is ultimately more important to create energising personal narratives built around more lasting motives.<br />
<br /><a href="https://www.accidentalcreative.com/" target="_blank">Henry</a> advises us all to take “small, calculated risks” each day in our quest to become greater and to be of greater use in this world. It is passion for our actions that drives us and makes us happy. The age of duty is perhaps over, at least for those of us living in the more privileged world. If we are not bound to take on work that will support our families and guarantee their welfare then we find our moral obligations in other places, principally in the direction of those vocations where we find ourselves belonging. Our moral duty has shifted to an obligation to make the most of our talents, and to use them in life-celebrating and fulfilling ways. To ignore these talents and focus instead on a mundane life is its own sort of sin.<br />
<br />It’s a challenging book, as the title indicates, and is not for readers who want to look for excuses. <a href="http://www.accidentalcreative.com/articles/" target="_blank">Henry</a> tells us we have to acknowledge the areas of resistance in our lives (echoes of <a href="https://youtu.be/Urjb3OJ_UhU" target="_blank">Steven Pressfield</a>’s work here) and move on through them. Perhaps at heart we all want to be great, or at least to contribute something to the greater good of humanity reading <a href="https://youtu.be/6l7cx3FbYHk" target="_blank"><i>Die Empty</i></a> might make you start taking this destiny more seriously, and convince you to start planning the final years you have left. An uplifting and motivating read, this is a book I am certain to return to again. Check it out. <br /><br />Walter Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10780247928442366936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2348883776594840837.post-73554450598076909972015-11-09T15:00:00.004-08:002015-11-09T15:00:44.288-08:0020 Ideas a Day<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjePftiWf7WPCodXeKP6S59BuLt46oQqS3KG0JQdYRGr3_s-PULrHL9dvJAIxgcJobRw_gz0ox3Kh2HBhyIThK5eLIZcj0o-B4TMdCcGlN3PxLuAWwxjTBl6OkovJK0HI9ddKenP1b1D3Y/s1600/B_20+ideas.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjePftiWf7WPCodXeKP6S59BuLt46oQqS3KG0JQdYRGr3_s-PULrHL9dvJAIxgcJobRw_gz0ox3Kh2HBhyIThK5eLIZcj0o-B4TMdCcGlN3PxLuAWwxjTBl6OkovJK0HI9ddKenP1b1D3Y/s640/B_20+ideas.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>“Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people.”</b><br /><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eleanor_Roosevelt" target="_blank">Eleanor Roosevelt</a></b></blockquote>
<br /><br />One of the daily practices that has enriched my life and convinced me that I am an endlessly creative machine is the ’20 Ideas’ ritual. It is something that still excites me, and I love it so much I can’t wait to sit down and do it – on the train, at my desk, at a coffee shop and sometimes even in bed just before I go to sleep at night.<br />
<br />It’s a simple idea, and one which I first heard listening to one of <a href="http://briantracyglobal.com/" target="_blank">Brian Tracy</a>’s <a href="https://youtu.be/6hjP_7zYdIk" target="_blank">audio programs</a>. Much to my shame, I can no longer remember which one, and it is one of my projects to re-listen to them so that I might be able to reference it more properly.<br />
<br />It is also an idea that had popped up again more recently in a book by Claudia Altucher called <a href="http://www.amazon.com.au/Become-An-Idea-Machine-Currency-ebook/dp/B00S1PRTL4" target="_blank"><i>Become an Idea Machine</i></a> – one to check out. Writing out ideas harnesses the power of intention – we make solutions seem possible, and remind ourselves of our own incredible resourcefulness. And we provide ourselves with physical evidence.<br />
<br />So, now to explain this radical method and how it works. Prepare yourself to take copious notes as I expound on it in intricate detail. Here it us:<br /><br />Sit down at some point, every day, and <b>write down 20 ideas about a subject that is worrying you</b>.<br />Or anything at all.<br />
<br />That’s it.<br />
<br />20 numbered points, one beneath the other.<br />
<br />Then go and get a cup of coffee or listen to an <a href="https://youtu.be/2MyJmBq1qTs" target="_blank">old Chantoozies song</a>. Your work is done for the day. <br />I do it every day. Beginning a project, in the middle of a project or deep in the detail of trying to make a project work. I simply sit down and think of a problem or challenge or event that is happening in my life. And then I think: “What are 20 things I could about this, 20 ways I could approach it, 20 ways to make it happen?<br />
<br />And then I list them. The thing is, it needs to be 20. The first 4 or so are easy. The next 5 get harder, and the last few are impossible and you start writing down crazy stuff, or consulting other resources. And that’s where the magic happens. You must make yourself write down 20 possibilities, no matter how ridiculous. Interesting things can often crop up right at the end.<br />
<br />Now don’t get stressed. This is not a “To Do” list. You don’t have to do anything with any of the ideas. They are there to prove a point – the point that you are an inventive, resourceful person who has a practical response to anything. And sometimes we need that proof.<br />
<br />Let me give you a practical example, using a real-life situation and an actual list.<br />
<br /><b>Topic: I want to sell more copies of my <i>Destination Cambodia</i> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Destination-Cambodia-Adventures-Walter-Mason-ebook/dp/B00FD9L1XS" target="_blank">ebook</a></b><br />
<br /><b>Ideas:</b><br />
<br />1. Do a blog tour<br />
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2. Do some Facebook ads<br />
<br />3. Do some more talks about <a href="http://www.waltermason.com/2011/11/5-best-books-about-cambodia.html" target="_blank">Cambodia</a> around the place<br />
<br />4. Get people to review the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Destination-Cambodia-Adventures-Walter-Mason-ebook/dp/B00FD9L1XS" target="_blank">ebook on Amazon</a><br />
<br />5. Pay some attention to my<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Walter-Mason/e/B00E9ZVLDM/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1" target="_blank"> Amazon author page</a> to see if I can attract more readers<br />
<br />6. Do a blog series on Cambodian topic with this as the call to action<br />
<br />7. Review some more Cambodia-related books<br />
<br />8. Take a new trip to <a href="http://www.universalheartbookclub.com/2013/10/walter-mason-wins-again-with.html" target="_blank">Cambodia</a> to give me some more material to write articles etc. and so remind people about the book<br />
<br />9. Host a travel-writing workshop at the local <a href="http://www.cbsnsw.org/" target="_blank">Cambodian temple</a><br />
<br />10. Lead a Cambodian-themed food tour through <a href="https://www.zomato.com/sydney/battambang-cambodian-restaurant-cabramatta" target="_blank">Cabramatta</a><br />
<br />11. Teach my Cambodian history course again at adult education places<br />
<br />12. Do my talk about Angkor Wat at some more places<br />
<br />13. Do some more library events<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>[OK – these all came easily. But right here I was officially stumped. So this is when I draw upon my resources – either start dreaming or look up some ideas online or in my own notes]</i></blockquote>
<br />14. Lead a tour to <a href="http://spiritjourneythrough.blogspot.com.au/2015/07/walter-mason-on-cambodia.html" target="_blank">Cambodia</a> [having already failed to get one of these tours up it is a painful and quixiotic idea, but it is still an option and still something I’d like to do].<br />
<br />15. Get some ideas for promotion from <a href="http://www.success.com/" target="_blank"><i>Success</i> magazine </a>[this from a master list I keep of things that I have done before to promote things. <a href="https://twitter.com/successmagazine?ref_src=twsrc^google|twcamp^serp|twgr^author" target="_blank"><i>Success</i> magazine</a> is a great resource for ideas, which is why I have subscribed for years].<br />
<br />16. Publish some Cambodia-related pieces on Linkedin [from <a href="https://youtu.be/Hm_FqsRt2Dg" target="_blank">Fauzia Burke</a>’s blog post <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/fauzia-burke/ways-to-promote-your-ebook_b_3963836.html?ir=Australia" target="_blank">7 Great ways to Promote Your Ebook</a>, which I just Googled].<br />
<br />17. Do some promoted posts on my Facebook Fan Page. [I’ve never actually done this before, and have no idea if it would work, but I am here to try new ideas, right?].<br />
<br />18. Send a special reminder to my email list [from <a href="https://youtu.be/VCG3S0WsOjM" target="_blank">Denise Wakeman</a>’s blog post <a href="http://denisewakeman.com/marketing-trends/19-ways-promote-ebook/" target="_blank">19 Ways to Promote Your Ebook</a>, which I just discovered online. I normally don’t send such sales-ey emails, using my enewsletter to promote events, blog posts and interesting things I have discovered. I am sure my list would forgive one such].<br />
<br />19. Use Canva to create some really eye-catching images for Google+ with a link in the description. [OK, I know Google+ is pretty much a spent force, but the people left on there seem really committed, and I know for a fact that most of them have never bought my book. Some might not even be aware of what I write about. This could result in a couple of sales]. <br />
<br />20. Create a list of friends, fans and supporters and approach each of them individually and ask if they would send out an email or social media message on my behalf [this from a blog post on <a href="http://okdork.com/">okdork.com</a> called <a href="http://okdork.com/2014/05/07/10-marketing-tactics-to-net-41000-downloads-on-amazon/" target="_blank">How to get an eBook to #1 on Amazon</a>. I sometimes do ask friends to help spread the word, but I have never compiled a proper list as this writer suggests doing. This has worked quiet well for me in the past, and I have also recently been approached by someone to do just this, which I was more than happy to do. Some people like being asked to help].<br />
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<b>So there you have it. 20 rather good ideas that I am actually going to take the next step with and turn into a real Campaign. But maybe more on that process in another blog post. </b><br /><br /><br />Walter Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10780247928442366936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2348883776594840837.post-14033902269973111552015-07-22T22:29:00.000-07:002015-07-22T22:30:33.193-07:00The Fabulously Creative Emily Maguire<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8lU2eVJwwwWF30S5yFV-ktKN92tmcLWvPi72iMIGuPIdxF1Hyq3jc1zXSpXUF8_r4rsjHW_4JT4NyewI8SguCDjX1wtFY75-yWaNm7ekzSYVWtDwREfTvY4NZOR7oCENT6yCBdIjBWNQ/s1600/B_Emily+Maguire.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8lU2eVJwwwWF30S5yFV-ktKN92tmcLWvPi72iMIGuPIdxF1Hyq3jc1zXSpXUF8_r4rsjHW_4JT4NyewI8SguCDjX1wtFY75-yWaNm7ekzSYVWtDwREfTvY4NZOR7oCENT6yCBdIjBWNQ/s400/B_Emily+Maguire.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Emily Maguire</td></tr>
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Before I went to hear Sydney author <a href="http://www.universalheartbookclub.com/2012/11/emily-maguire-talks-about-coming-to.html" target="_blank">Emily Maguire</a> speak at Leichhardt Library last night, I dropped into <a href="http://berkelouw.com.au/stores/leichhardt" target="_blank">Berkelouw's on Norton St</a>. There I saw lots of copies of the new winner of the <a href="http://www.milesfranklin.com.au/newhome" target="_blank">Miles Franklin Award</a>, <a href="http://sofielaguna.com/" target="_blank">Sofie Laguna</a>'s <a href="https://www.allenandunwin.com/browse/books/fiction/literary-fiction/The-Eye-of-the-Sheep-Sofie-Laguna-9781743319598" target="_blank"><i>The Eye of the Sheep</i></a>. And who should be endorsing it right on the front cover but <a href="http://www.universalheartbookclub.com/2012/11/walter-mason-reads-emily-maguires.html" target="_blank">Emily Maguire</a>! It was a sign. I definitely have to read this one. <br />
The last Miles Franklin Award winner I read was <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/books/the-interview-michelle-de-kretser-20121004-270bp.html" target="_blank">Michelle De Kretser</a>'s <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/books/tour-de-force-with-no-final-destination-20121026-28aq9.html" target="_blank"><i>Questions of Travel</i></a>, which is simply one of the most superb Australian books ever written. I always have a soft spot for the Miles Franklin award because A) I rather like old <a href="http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/franklin-stella-maria-sarah-miles-6235" target="_blank">Miles and her dabbling in Christian Science</a> and B) <a href="http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/newslocal/north-shore/words-considered-too-offensive-for-the-stage-in-1948/story-fngr8h9d-1227330442878" target="_blank">Sumner Locke Elliott </a>won it in 1963.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Walter Mason and Emily Maguire </td></tr>
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<a href="http://www.emilymaguire.com.au/" target="_blank">Emily</a> was there to talk about her most recent novel, <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/books/fishing-for-tigers-20120915-25ysd.html" target="_blank"><i>Fishing for Tigers</i></a>, a book set in <a href="http://www.destination-saigon.com/2010/05/why-i-love-hanoi.html" target="_blank">Hanoi</a>. I was fascinated to hear about her experiences as a writer in <a href="http://www.waltermason.com/2012/12/hanoi-nostalgia-some-pics.html" target="_blank">Hanoi</a>, trying to make sense of a new culture and also of the other Westerners living there and how they lived alongside the Vietnamese. This is very much what the novel itself is about, and so I was fascinated to hear about the thoughts and experiences that lead to it. <br />
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<a href="http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/books/love-in-a-foreign-climate-20120922-26d32.html" target="_blank">Emily</a> said she first had the motivation to write a Hanoi novel while sitting at Van Mieu, Hanoi’s <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_of_Literature,_Hanoi" target="_blank">Temple of Literature</a>. This old <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnamese_philosophy" target="_blank">Confucian</a> university is indeed a beautiful place and, if you can catch it on a quiet day (increasingly difficult) it is a great place to reflect on matters literary. She searched for silence in <a href="http://www.tripadvisor.com.au/Tourism-g293924-Hanoi-Vacations.html" target="_blank">Hanoi</a>, a city she described beautifully as "overwhelmingly cacophonous." It was in this cacophony, however, that she began to write her fourth novel. <br />
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She had been in <a href="https://youtu.be/x7ENbAp92QY" target="_blank">Hanoi</a> on an <a href="http://asialink.unimelb.edu.au/" target="_blank">Asialink</a> fellowship, and she was working there editing English translations at the state publishing house. And while she was inspired, her central character didn't come to her till she was walking around <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanoi" target="_blank">Hanoi</a>’s fabulously grey neo-gothic <a href="http://www.tripadvisor.com.au/Attraction_Review-g293924-d311082-Reviews-St_Joseph_s_Cathedral_Nha_Tho_Lon-Hanoi.html" target="_blank">Cathedral</a>. This district, too, is an incredibly romantic and inspiring one, and I am not surprised the muse descended there. <br />
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<a href="https://twitter.com/emmaguire" target="_blank">Emily</a> speaks of her fascination, as well, with the expat community in <a href="http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Asia/Vietnam/Thu_Do_Ha_Noi/Hanoi-1481679/Things_To_Do-Hanoi-TG-C-1.html" target="_blank">Hanoi</a>, a community she admits to spying on in the bars and restaurants that catered to them. And while at work she was learning about Vietnam's long history of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tr%C6%B0ng_Sisters" target="_blank">female warriors and heroes</a>, a history that spoke to her feminist convictions. She also spoke about her return to Australia when she realised that there were considerable differences in perception of and feeling towards modern Vietnam among <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overseas_Vietnamese" target="_blank">overseas Vietnamese communities</a>. <br />
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Emily Maguire is an ambassador for the <a href="http://www.roomtoread.org/Page.aspx?pid=413" target="_blank">Room to Read charity</a>, which works in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_Vietnam" target="_blank">Vietnam</a> providing books and educational facilities to disadvantaged children, with a particular focus on girls' education. She spoke about how writers can use their creative platforms as a tool to do greater things. Sometimes there is no place in our work for didacticism, but we can use our art to help us teach people about issues and ideas so that, in Emily's words, "the creative project and the project of being a decent human being can be entwined."<br />
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Most excitingly, Emily told us that she has a new book coming out in March 2016 called <i>An Isolated Incident</i>. I can't wait!Walter Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10780247928442366936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2348883776594840837.post-37044795873655494372015-05-29T18:29:00.000-07:002015-05-29T18:29:15.509-07:00The craft and art of Jane Austen - Jane Austen Society of Australia, Sydney meeting, June 20, 2015, 2:00 pm<br />
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People are always unprepared for the size and scope of the<a href="http://jasa.com.au/" target="_blank"> Sydney Jane Austen Society</a> meetings.<br />
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The <a href="http://roseville.unitingchurch.org.au/" target="_blank">Roseville Uniting Church</a> hall is packed with at least 200 people every two months who come for friendship, a fascinating talk on some aspect of <a href="http://janeaustenfestival.blogspot.com.au/" target="_blank">Austen</a>, and a truly astounding afternoon tea - all for $4!<br />
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All are welcome - you don't need to be a member - but I advise you to come early because it fills right up. A few months ago I got there at 2.05 and I had to sit on the floor!<br />
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It really is tremendous fun, and it is so heartening to see literary societies in Sydney do so well. I think that such organisations do a lot to inspire people's creative lives, and I always encourage people to join (the <a href="http://dickenssydney.com/" target="_blank">Sydney Dickens Society</a> is also a very well-attended and well-organised group that you should look into).<br />
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So the <a href="http://jasa.com.au/event/jasa-sydney-meeting-the-craft-and-art-of-jane-austen/" target="_blank">next JASA meeting is on June 20, 2015. It starts at 2</a> (on the dot!) and goes till 4. As well as a fascinating and in-depth talk there is also a really good book and gift stall offering all kinds of fascinating stuff for the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janeite" target="_blank">Janeite</a>. And even if you haven't read <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/hay-festival/11627179/Sex-sea-air-and-stupidity-5-things-we-learned-about-Jane-Austen.html" target="_blank">Austen</a> in a while, why not come along and see for yourself this unexpected cultural phenomenon, lead by literary dynamo <a href="http://susannahfullerton.com.au/" target="_blank">Susannah Fullerton</a> (one of my own personal gurus).<br />
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<b> JASA Sydney meeting: The craft and art of Jane Austen<br />June 20 @ 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm | $4.00</b></div>
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Join us at a regular JASA Sydney meeting to hear Ruth Wilson<br /><br /><b>Date: June 20<br />Time: 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm <br />Cost: $4.00 <br /><br /><br /><br />Venue<br /><br /> Roseville Uniting Church Hall <br /> 7 Lord Street, Roseville, NSW 2069</b></div>
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<b><br /> </b>Walter Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10780247928442366936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2348883776594840837.post-3822204114648642382015-05-13T03:07:00.002-07:002015-05-13T03:07:46.122-07:00Get Your Poetry Up and Out There - Free literary event in Parramatta, May 2015 It's great to have interesting arts events in Western Sydney, and <a href="http://singaporereviewofbooks.org/2012/07/27/small-indiscretions/" target="_blank">Felicity Castagna</a>'s curated series of literary explorations is fantastic.<br />
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I'll be going along to this month's which concentrates on poetry, and I hope to see you there. It's also a part of the <a href="http://www.swf.org.au/" target="_blank">Sydney Writers' Festival</a>:<br />
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<a href="http://goo.gl/MTAEM7" target="_blank">Get Your Poetry Up and Out There</a><br />
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Thursday, May 21 2015 6:30 PM - 7:30 PM Free, no bookings<br /> <a href="http://www.parramattastudios.com.au/" target="_blank"> Parramatta Artists Studios</a>, Level Two, 68 Macquarie St, Parramatta<br />
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From taking the traditional route of <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/" target="_blank">magazine</a> and <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/books/poetry" target="_blank">book publishing</a> to <a href="http://news.ku.edu/2015/05/11/page-stage-book-explores-poetry-performed-spanish-america" target="_blank">performing</a>, <a href="http://www.writeoutloud.net/blogs/" target="_blank">blogging </a>and <a href="https://youtu.be/x5GxVJTqCNs" target="_blank">YouTubing</a>, this panel gives you all the advice you need to get your<a href="http://www.poetrylibrary.edu.au/" target="_blank"> poetry</a> out there.<br />
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Featuring some of the most innovative and prolific poets and editors in Australia right now: Elizabeth Allen (<a href="http://www.australianpoetry.org/competitions/vagabond-press-presents-the-noel-rowe-poetry-award/" target="_blank">Vagabond Press</a>), <a href="http://www.waltermason.com/2012/09/fiona-wrights-knuckled.html" target="_blank">Fiona Wright</a> (<a href="http://www.uws.edu.au/newscentre/news_centre/more_news_stories/giramondo_publishing_recognised_in_nsw_premiers_literary_awards" target="_blank">Giramondo Publishing</a>), <a href="http://southerlyjournal.com.au/2012/07/26/erasures-of-the-self-the-bodys-poetry/" target="_blank">Michelle Cahill</a> (<a href="http://mascarareview.com/" target="_blank">Mascara Literary Review</a>) and Ahmad Al Rady (Bankstown Poetry Slam). Come for a drink, a chat and a listen. BYO your own material for the open mic.<br /><br />Supported by the University of Western Sydney and Parramatta City Council<br />
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<br />Walter Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10780247928442366936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2348883776594840837.post-75531409253297491792015-02-09T23:07:00.002-08:002015-02-09T23:07:50.066-08:00Journal writers recommend....I think that to lead a fully creative life some sort of journal-keeping is necessary. We need to have some way we can record our feelings, impressions and inspirations. And have some way of going back to them later for ideas and reminders. <br />
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I have been a sporadic journal-keeper since my late teens. Some years I go really hard, and other years I will only journal occasionally. I have also used <a href="http://www.universalheartbookclub.com/2012/10/rosamund-burton-on-letting-books-go.html" target="_blank">Julia Cameron</a>'s <a href="http://juliacameronlive.com/basic-tools/morning-pages/" target="_blank">Morning Pages</a> system and have done <a href="http://www.waltermason.com/2013/03/the-progoff-journal-writing-workshop.html" target="_blank">Progoff's Journal Workshop</a> a number of times. Whenever I am consistently keeping a journal I always see the benefits in my life, and I only ever abandon it out of sheer laziness. <br />
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Naturally, when I am travelling I journal quite seriously, many pages a day and taking an hour or so at a time to record my ideas and impressions. These are then the basis for my books. <br />
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As part of my <a href="http://www.waltermason.com/2015/01/2015-year-of-cheer.html" target="_blank">Year of Cheer project in 2015</a> I have made a commitment to journal daily. As part of that process, and to give me prompts and ideas to keep my journalling fresh, I have been reading and working with a really lovely and practical book called<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Keeping-Journal-Love-Sheila-Bender/dp/1582970688" target="_blank"><i> Keeping a Journal You Love</i></a> by <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/writingitreal" target="_blank">Sheila Bender</a>. It has been a tremendous help, and a fascinating read, and I recommend it wholeheartedly.<br />
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One of the things that has me captivated are the books that are referenced, both by <a href="http://youtu.be/iNtGgFUJ6jY" target="_blank">Bender</a> herself and by the various writers she uses as case studies. Book recommendations within books are always interesting, and I often make a note of them. I have discovered many fascinating books this way. <br />
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So I thought I would share with you some of the books that are being recommended and talked about on the pages of <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/815133.Keeping_a_Journal_You_Love" target="_blank"><i>Keeping a Journal You Love</i></a> and why. I think you will agree it makes for a most intriguing reading list:<br />
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1. In the excerpts from Denise Levertov's journal (one of my favourite parts of this book) she writes about enjoying reading <i>Emma</i>, which she says is better than <a href="http://www.publicbookshelf.com/romance/pride-prejudice/" target="_blank"><i>Pride and Prejudice</i></a> (an opinion, incidentally, shared by two Australian writers and Austen experts: <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2015/01/21/4166156.htm" target="_blank">Susannah Fullerton</a> and <a href="http://damon-young.blogspot.com.au/" target="_blank">Damon Young</a>). <br />
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2. <a href="http://www.thebohemianbeat.com.au/poetry/denise-levertov/" target="_blank">Levertov</a> also writes about <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/jun/04/journey-around-my-room-review" target="_blank"><i>Voyage Round My Room</i></a> by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xavier_de_Maistre" target="_blank">Xavier de Maistre</a>. I must say that I have seen this book referred to before, but reading its description now makes it sound fascinating. I must read it. <br />
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3 Ditto for <a href="http://www.randomhouse.com.au/books/gita-mehta/raj-9780099515937.aspx" target="_blank"><i>Raj</i></a> by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gita_Mehta" target="_blank">Gita Mehta</a>, another of Levertov's readings. <a href="http://biography.jrank.org/pages/4588/Mehta-Gita.html" target="_blank">Gita Mehta</a> is the author of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karma_Cola" target="_blank"><i>Karma Cola</i></a>, one of the most funny and insightful looks at the meeting between Western mind and Indian spirituality. I have read that book several times, so shall seek out <a href="http://www.booktopia.com.au/raj-gita-mehta/prod9780749394813.html" target="_blank"><i>Raj</i></a>. <br />
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4. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denise_Levertov" target="_blank">Levertov</a> also talks about re-reading <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Awakening-Prayer-Augustine-Ichiro-Okumura/dp/0935216227" target="_blank">Okamura</a>'s <i>Awakening to Prayer</i>. I have never heard of this book before, but it has gone right to the top of my "Must Read" list. <br />
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5. Poet <a href="http://www.randomhouse.com.au/authors/maxine-kumin.aspx" target="_blank">Maxine Kumin</a> says that she is "keenly interested" in <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/3094683-the-unabridged-journals-of-sylvia-plath" target="_blank">Sylvia Plath's journals</a>. <br />
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6. <a href="http://authors.simonandschuster.com/David-Mas-Masumoto/48582788" target="_blank">David Mas Masumoto</a> loves <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joan_Didion" target="_blank">Joan Didion</a>'s very apropos essay "On Keeping a Notebook" contained in her legendary collection (<a href="http://www.brainpickings.org/2012/11/19/joan-didion-on-keeping-a-notebook/" target="_blank">much beloved of Brain Pickings</a>) <i>Slouching Towards Bethlehem</i>.<br />
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7. Poet <a href="http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/william-matthews" target="_blank">William Matthews</a> talks about <a href="http://cordite.org.au/chapbooks-features/sound-rhythm-and-meaning-a-pacific-northwest-chapbook-curated-by-david-wagoner/" target="_blank">David Wagoner</a>'s edited edition of Pulitzer-prize winning poet <a href="https://www.coppercanyonpress.org/pages/browse/book.asp?bg={4E000D70-708F-4E5E-B4B1-01ADC44CD488}" target="_blank">Theodore Roethke</a>'s notebooks, <a href="http://books.google.com.au/books/about/Straw_for_the_Fire.html?id=SewGaFTILa8C&redir_esc=y" target="_blank"><i>Straw for Fire</i></a> and how <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodore_Roethke" target="_blank">Roethke</a> would go through his notebooks looking for inspiration for new material. <br />
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8. <a href="http://www.audible.com.au/pd/Biographies-Memoirs/Geography-of-the-Heart-Audiobook/B00FMFZ4Q8" target="_blank">Fenton Johnson</a> writes about how fragments of his letters written during his partner's death from AIDS later found their way into his novel Scissors, Paper, Rock.<br />
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9. Novelist <a href="http://www.roberthellenga.com/" target="_blank">Robert Hellenga</a> writes about how he has been influenced by <a href="http://www.booktopia.com.au/becoming-a-writer-dorothea-brande/prod9780874771640.html" target="_blank">Dorothea Brande</a>'s classic book on <a href="http://www.amazon.com.au/Becoming-Writer-Dorothea-Brande-ebook/dp/B0063LHSN2" target="_blank"><i>Becoming a Writer</i></a>. He is not alone there - it is still a book that inspires many. <a href="http://www.readings.com.au/products/17158150/wake-up-and-live" target="_blank">Brande</a> was also a prominent <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_New_Thought_writers" target="_blank">New Thought teacher</a>, though she is remembered now mostly for her <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/76788.Becoming_a_Writer" target="_blank">seminal book on writing</a>. She is utterly charming.<br />
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10. Sheila Bender writes about how she is inspired by a passage from a book by Reginald Gibbons called <i>Sweetbitter</i>.<br />
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11. She says journal groups (what a lovely idea!) might benefit from working with <a href="http://www.waltermason.com/2014/01/julia-cameron-on-tenderness-of-universe.html" target="_blank">Julia Cameron</a>’s aforementioned <a href="http://www.universalheartbookclub.com/2013/06/rosamund-burton-reflects-on-importance.html" target="_blank"><i>The Artist's Way</i></a>. I was part of an Artist's Way group this time last year, run by my friend, the talented travel writer Rosamund Burton. Doing it as a group is a great way to keep discipline and motivation up. <br />
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12. Some noteworthy book mentioned in the bibliography include: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1489793.The_Collected_Short_Prose" target="_blank"><i>The Collected Prose of James Agee</i></a><br />
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13. <i>The Journals of Andre Gide</i> - these are fascinating and I still have my battered edition pulled from a junk heap on Victoria Rd in the mid 90s :-) <br />
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14. <a href="http://www.centerautobio.org/about/" target="_blank">Tristine Rainer</a>'s <i>The New Diary</i> - a beautiful book I have also worked with in the past. Must pick it up again. <br />
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15. Virginia Woolf's <i>To the Lighthouse</i> - most people know I am NOT a Woolf fan. I have read this book several times (including studying it at university). Still none the wiser. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kathleen Alcala</td></tr>
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16. And finally, one of the contributors is <a href="http://youtu.be/0AojCaVsPLE" target="_blank">Kathleen Alcala</a> who wrote an interesting collection of short fiction called <i>Mrs. Vargas and the Dead Naturalists</i>. Walter Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10780247928442366936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2348883776594840837.post-15859007923945444402015-01-18T02:59:00.000-08:002015-01-18T02:59:11.954-08:00Talk with Susannah Fullerton at Leichhardt Library - 12 February 2015<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimJACUpn3TNGUfZZzwnjzCNTSQNexmRYQC6UhAjacbrwbtm7n1C3D_SdMZgW6HRiAn4DaqfGvTKqXvyAFWcEz8uBIPJf7huQGLfekxVYG_BqZt0SQtQCsoYZ90STcjOvEVXnWvbnb_8dg/s1600/B_fullertonsusannah01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimJACUpn3TNGUfZZzwnjzCNTSQNexmRYQC6UhAjacbrwbtm7n1C3D_SdMZgW6HRiAn4DaqfGvTKqXvyAFWcEz8uBIPJf7huQGLfekxVYG_BqZt0SQtQCsoYZ90STcjOvEVXnWvbnb_8dg/s1600/B_fullertonsusannah01.jpg" height="400" width="270" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Susannah Fullerton</td></tr>
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One of the things I always tell writers and creatives in my classes and workshops is that the best way to get excited about your own creative projects is to go and see a genuinely creative person in action. I get many of my best ideas in attending talks, classes and workshops, and find the careers, interests and habits of other writers endlessly fascinating.<br /><br />If you're in Sydney in February you have the opportunity to see one of this city's most creative and energetic writers in action - and all for free! The fabulous <a href="http://www.waltermason.com/2013/04/200-years-of-pride-prejudice.html" target="_blank">Susannah Fullerton</a> is really one of my teachers and mentors, and I am in awe of her energy, her commitment to writing, literature and education and her skills as a writer and speaker. I can genuinely say I am a fan boy, and I go to see her at every opportunity. <br /><br />On the evening of the 12th of February <a href="http://www.universalheartbookclub.com/2014/08/walter-mason-on-literary-travellers.html" target="_blank">Susannah</a> is at <a href="http://www.leichhardt.nsw.gov.au/EventViewTrainingDetails.aspx?Bck=Y&EventID=1609&DisplayType=C" target="_blank">Leichhardt Library talking about Sydney’s literary visitors</a>, drawing from her tremendous book <a href="http://www.panmacmillan.com.au/display_title.asp?ISBN=9781405039505&Author=Fullerton,%20Susannah" target="_blank"><i>Brief Encounters</i></a>. I'm going, and I know a lot of other people will be as well, so I really recommend you book your free spot now. <br /><br />Details:<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.leichhardt.nsw.gov.au/EventViewTrainingDetails.aspx?Bck=Y&EventID=1609&DisplayType=C" target="_blank"><b>Evening Talk with Susannah Fullerton @ Leichhardt Library</b></a><br />When:<br />12 Feb 2015<br />What time:<br />6:30 PM - 8:00 PM <br />Where:<br />Leichhardt Library<br />Piazza Level -Italian Forum, 23 Norton St<br />Leichhardt , NSW, Australia <br />Event Details:<br />Join renowned literary lecturer <a href="http://anzlitlovers.com/2010/01/15/brief-encounters-by-susannah-fullerton/" target="_blank">Susannah Fullerton</a> for a discussion of her popular book 'Brief Encounters : Literary Travellers in Australia'. Free event. <a href="http://www.leichhardt.nsw.gov.au/EventRegistration.aspx?EventID=1609&StyleFolder=0&m=0" target="_blank">Bookings - Online</a> or call 9367 9266.<br />More information:<br />In <i>Brief Encounters</i> <a href="http://susannahfullerton.com.au/" target="_blank">Susannah</a> examines a diverse array of distinguished writers who came to Australia in the 19th and 20th centuries - <a href="http://www.australiangeographic.com.au/blogs/on-this-day/2014/03/on-this-day-charles-darwin-departs-australia" target="_blank">Darwin</a>, <a href="http://melbourneblogger.blogspot.com.au/2015/01/literary-visitor-to-australian-shores.html" target="_blank">Trollope</a>, <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/media/2014/nov/20/bbc-drama-adaptation-joseph-conrad-the-secret-agent" target="_blank">Conrad</a>, D.H. Lawrence, <a href="http://iipdigital.usembassy.gov/st/english/article/2010/05/20100506143521naneerg0.4666499.html#axzz3PAXlIMx5" target="_blank">Twain</a>, Agatha Christie, <a href="http://youtu.be/qetyf_hv4Io" target="_blank">Kipling</a>, H.G. Wells and others.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNxAxcGWKArmiQHU2_9cKeIUHXHroGrew7_szuHClCgcRhEMraepgv9ckpM_xj8qd1mc_7LY6Ia5PW2LmrtCwtZarbIXLVSGFbyRH2vJktdTSNTbLU_DJl4UkcDHykVmMiUkq4qekQxLo/s1600/B_D_H_Lawrence_passport_photograph.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNxAxcGWKArmiQHU2_9cKeIUHXHroGrew7_szuHClCgcRhEMraepgv9ckpM_xj8qd1mc_7LY6Ia5PW2LmrtCwtZarbIXLVSGFbyRH2vJktdTSNTbLU_DJl4UkcDHykVmMiUkq4qekQxLo/s1600/B_D_H_Lawrence_passport_photograph.jpg" height="400" width="307" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">D. H. lawrence</td></tr>
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Why did they make the long and arduous trek to Australia, what did they do when they got here, how did the Australian public react to them, and how were their future works shaped or influenced by this country?<br />Thursday 12 February<br />6:30pm<br />Leichhardt Library<br />Free event - All welcome - Refreshments served<br /><a href="http://www.leichhardt.nsw.gov.au/EventRegistration.aspx?EventID=1609&StyleFolder=0&m=0" target="_blank">Bookings - online</a> or call 9367 9266<br />Walter Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10780247928442366936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2348883776594840837.post-42739925933935444112014-10-22T14:47:00.000-07:002014-10-22T14:47:52.544-07:00Fabulously Creative - A New Direction<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTrJQh60QS2jV4QOuCWM9k0FwOJ5bP2HD8AFmVE4Xxzs98YjG8iHgwzhYvBt3eV9n0YlACGWo1RtAsErqMCbfl55BE0clw4kovb1SY3Gh_3JGMqrKZr1-ZMrS2cKAT5I_tQIIId3BDtWA/s1600/B_Gplus_Hyde+Park.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTrJQh60QS2jV4QOuCWM9k0FwOJ5bP2HD8AFmVE4Xxzs98YjG8iHgwzhYvBt3eV9n0YlACGWo1RtAsErqMCbfl55BE0clw4kovb1SY3Gh_3JGMqrKZr1-ZMrS2cKAT5I_tQIIId3BDtWA/s1600/B_Gplus_Hyde+Park.JPG" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
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This old blog has now served its previous purpose. It was where I (not all that frequently) blogged the process of my doctoral thesis in the history of Australian self-help writing. That dissertation is now completed (currently in edits) and I was wondering what to do with this old space - how to keep it active?<br />
Then I realised that the entries could all be really useful resources for my latest project - a book about creativity, inspiration and the creative process. This project is, tentatively, called "Fabulously Creative," and so welcome to this re-christened blog.<br />
I will take you through various tips to inspire creative expression and help you take yourself more seriously as a creative personality.<br />
Hope you'll join me.Walter Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10780247928442366936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2348883776594840837.post-52884640316618716632013-01-30T14:26:00.000-08:002013-01-30T14:26:28.194-08:005 Lives to LiveThis year I am engaged in a modified version of <a href="http://www.chrisbrogan.com/3bd/" target="_blank">Chris Brogan's three book diet</a> (which, incidentally, he has already given up on), in that I have selected three self-help books that I am reading repeatedly and doing my best to apply practically. Read more about how <a href="http://www.waltermason.com/2013/01/three-books-for-2013.html" target="_blank">Walter Mason will re-reading self-help books</a> all through 2013.<br />
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One of the books I have chosen to engage with intensively all year is <a href="http://www.barbarasher.com/index.htm" target="_blank">Barbara Sher</a>'s classic <a href="http://wishcraft.com/" target="_blank"><i>Wishcraft</i></a>, a book I have never previously read all the way through.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-070Dzr5tD0wMrK4dzbNbFcQSWeCz0NtlbwGmbhi_S4Bl9hZpgUATtXOwkS3yhfK0LAfLLbL7KkOCDqJ6syU-ZLYfT1SlyWjl2cM8IVyXY7_FMITjJ8n2ZkDuCCF7vUHxOtG13uNj0fY/s1600/B_Wishcraft.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-070Dzr5tD0wMrK4dzbNbFcQSWeCz0NtlbwGmbhi_S4Bl9hZpgUATtXOwkS3yhfK0LAfLLbL7KkOCDqJ6syU-ZLYfT1SlyWjl2cM8IVyXY7_FMITjJ8n2ZkDuCCF7vUHxOtG13uNj0fY/s1600/B_Wishcraft.jpg" /></a></div>
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One of the practical exercises in this book is Five Lives. In it, <a href="http://www.barbarasher.com/about.htm" target="_blank">Sher</a> asks us to imagine we have five simultaneous lives, and to record what we would actually be in each one. Here's what I wrote:<br />
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1. A <a href="http://www.waltermason.com/2010/02/about-walter-mason.html" target="_blank">writer</a><br />
2. An academic<br />
3. A New Thought minister<br />
4. A <a href="http://youtu.be/en4xm46pq6U" target="_blank">Buddhist monk</a><br />
5. A film maker<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRr8oQCKzghOnTHdd4cZt2Kq-gIpOalXP5j89FKI93c_AhY3bs3MojhAamIqfFn18spTm_uMPjtbxaWVfWFyZXzSNbOWPZA4WKwxJ1GGRwWtVNdMJA6LaTXbZkPlNnVNBADKHN7gXL4Jk/s400/b_Walter+Mason+biog+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="343" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRr8oQCKzghOnTHdd4cZt2Kq-gIpOalXP5j89FKI93c_AhY3bs3MojhAamIqfFn18spTm_uMPjtbxaWVfWFyZXzSNbOWPZA4WKwxJ1GGRwWtVNdMJA6LaTXbZkPlNnVNBADKHN7gXL4Jk/s400/b_Walter+Mason+biog+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Walter Mason as academic</td></tr>
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The purpose of this exercise? <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Wishcraft-How-What-Really-Want/dp/0345465180" target="_blank">Sher</a> writes: <b>"In each of your "lives" is something you love very, very dearly and need to get into your one life - <i>and you can</i>."</b><br />
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You must have five things you'd like to be if you had five separate lives? Would you like to share them in the comments?Walter Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10780247928442366936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2348883776594840837.post-36622455753245404482013-01-23T03:04:00.000-08:002013-01-23T03:04:06.072-08:00This day could be your lastI am reading a really exceptional book at the moment, called <a href="http://www.kendavis.com/book-review/20000-days-and-counting/" target="_blank"><i>20,000 Days and Counting</i></a>.<br />
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It's a work of Christian self-help, and is constructed in quite a post-modern way, but it's a terrific read, and really quite incredibly inspiring.<br />
I discovered in it a quote from Emerson that I hadn't encountered before, and I thought I'd share it with you:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAF8Gddx8wgp2lf1IO22iQ5au86ENiHMCOyTytr574lO2KiMYbyHlFEoR0VX4m1JbyX787Ki7SEIyU_UgXYVlaLSZbOKVZX8gMqtDXUBkz9X0SWsRnFApG2I3xGcIbRhuaV3s57XQLDFU/s1600/B_Emerson-lg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAF8Gddx8wgp2lf1IO22iQ5au86ENiHMCOyTytr574lO2KiMYbyHlFEoR0VX4m1JbyX787Ki7SEIyU_UgXYVlaLSZbOKVZX8gMqtDXUBkz9X0SWsRnFApG2I3xGcIbRhuaV3s57XQLDFU/s400/B_Emerson-lg.jpg" width="310" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Ralph Waldo Emerson</i></td></tr>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b><i>"One of the illusions [of life] is that the present hour is not the critical , decisive hour. Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year. No man has learned anything rightly until he knows that every day is Doomsday."</i></b><br />
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<b><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/essays-ralph-waldo-emerson/id182748985" target="_blank">Ralph Waldo Emerson</a></b></blockquote>
Walter Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10780247928442366936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2348883776594840837.post-58058209339781371522013-01-20T20:17:00.000-08:002013-01-20T20:17:09.148-08:00Monday BlogcrawlI have been absolutely immersed in a self-help book in recent days, y ou won't be surprised to hear. And what is the book? Dancer and choreographer Twyla Tharp's simply brilliant <a href="http://vivascriva.com/2012/06/the-creative-habit/" target="_blank"><i>The Creative Habit</i></a>. You really must read it. And in the meantime, here is some more self-helpey stuff from the net this past week:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.sonorachase.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/HarryHedwig-300x204.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.sonorachase.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/HarryHedwig-300x204.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.sonorachase.com/thesolution/" target="_blank"><i>Do we want the answer or the solution?</i></a></td></tr>
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<li><a href="http://getbusylivingblog.com/a-letter-to-those-who-feel-hopeless-about-life/" target="_blank">A Letter to those who feel hopeless about life</a> </li>
<li>Why kindness has <a href="http://www.examiner.com/article/if-kindness-was-your-income" target="_blank">repurcussions</a></li>
<li>David Harman does a <a href="http://www.betternetworker.com/videos/view/personal-development/success-secrets-exceptional-performance" target="_blank">video review </a>of Rob Yeung's <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Exceptional-New-Science-Success/dp/1447209982" target="_blank"><i>E is for Exceptional</i></a>!</li>
<li>A review of <a href="http://philosophymasters.wordpress.com/tag/controversial-reading/" target="_blank"><i>Pragmatism: A Reader</i></a>, which is edited by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Menand" target="_blank">Louis Menand</a>, who wrote the quintessential history of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metaphysical_Club" target="_blank">Metaphysical Club</a></li>
<li>The <a href="http://www.coastweek.com/xin_180113_06.htm" target="_blank">Prosperity Gospel </a>is taking Zimbabwe by storm</li>
<li>Self-help writer <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alison-patton/from-oprah-to-chopra-is-a_b_2441855.html" target="_blank">Alison Patton</a> joins the anti-optimism bandwagon</li>
<li><a href="http://www.simplemindfulness.com/" target="_blank">Simple Mindfulness</a> urges us not to let our <a href="http://www.simplemindfulness.com/2013/01/20/not-doing-what-you-love-is-literally-killing-you/" target="_blank">passions</a> die </li>
<li><a href="http://www.hayhouse.com.au/authorbio.php?id=64" target="_blank">Cheryl Richardson</a> offers some advice on how to <a href="http://www.healyourlife.com/blogs/cheryl-richardson-blog/how-to-start-your-day" target="_blank">start</a> the day</li>
<li>A fabulous affirmation from <a href="http://www.louisehay.com/affirmations/" target="_blank">Louise Hay</a> </li>
<li>A blogger writes about <a href="http://www.bkhall.com/2013/01/16/attitude-of-gratitude/" target="_blank">studying</a> self-help books </li>
<li>A sculptor is inspired by <a href="http://peggycampbellsculptor.blogspot.com.au/2013/01/inspiration-tama-kieves.html" target="_blank">Tama Kieves </a></li>
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Walter Masonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10780247928442366936noreply@blogger.com0