Ranjit Kaur Have a listen to this new podcast featuring Ranjit Kaur, author of The Dancing Maharani, https://www.facebook.com/dancingmaharani/ her new book of short stories. I was in London last week and had a chance to interview her. Given 4.5 stars in Asian Image, the reviewer says 'this compelling book is reminiscent of what all our … Continue reading The Dancing Maharani
The Ruthie Chronicles
Chapter 2: Winters’ Bakery In honour of Ruthie being named as a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit, we present a new chapter in the Ruthie Chronicles. She tells me (Lisa) the story of Winters' Bakery, a magical place in her childhood during the 1940s-50s. As the American born child of immigrants who … Continue reading The Ruthie Chronicles
Uncle Isaac – new podcast
Ruthie in Prague. My dear friend Ruthie (retired Associate Professor of Law at the University of Waikato Ruth Busch) tells a story about her Uncle Isaac. For those of you who have heard Ruthie speak, you know what a brilliant storyteller she is. Ruthie’s extended family died in the Holocaust, though her parents and two … Continue reading Uncle Isaac – new podcast
The Imperial Lumber Company
This is The Imperial Lumber Company a podcast of a 500-word story I wrote on the theme, 'Can't see the forest for the trees.' It's got some facts from my family's history in it but even so, it's a work of fiction through and through.
Celebrating Berenice Abbott
Sometimes I wish more than anything I could have lived as an American in Paris after the first World War. Yep, me hanging out with my hero Janet Flanner – who found even Greenwich Village too stultifying and fled the States – as well as the other women (straight and gay) seeking to live free … Continue reading Celebrating Berenice Abbott
Sacred healers
Fran Antmann talks about her book: Maya Healers - A Thousand Dreams in an interview on Photo.com She's been living and working in Central and South America for years and foregrounds the sacredness of indigenous people's work and lives. "As a writer and photographer, I saw firsthand how healers, bonesetters and their patients are part … Continue reading Sacred healers
Patriarchal myths about the West explode!
"Much like fake news, fake history becomes a truth that functions to influence the thoughts and belief of the present. For the past three years I have been photographing the American West to examine western mythology and the elevation of hyper-masculinity." That's what Greta Pratt has to say regarding her photo series on the western … Continue reading Patriarchal myths about the West explode!
Migrants & refugees: a positive spin…for once
From the Guardian (geez, I love their photography section), a photo essay on the value of immigrants and refugees. Writer Lorenzo Tondo and photographer Sean Smith teamed up to showcase five people in Sicily triumphantly defying and denying the Italian right's stigmatisation of refugees and migrants. Moving stories.
I lost a day along the way
Studio Art Supplies garage door on Crummer Road. The door was painted a few years ago, but I like how the stickered rubbish bins compliment (or is it complement?) the aesthetic.
Magnolia magic
The little magnolia tree around the corner always punches above its weight when springtime rolls around.