Almost Out of Ink

My printer is almost out of ink. Just like this year. Pages and pages of white paper with blotches of life splattered legibly, maybe not so legibly. Supply is low. Refill or what?

Hit ‘print’. Let’s see how low it can go before just blank comes out. Does blank make a sound in the forest? I’m a block from Staples. They have ink. But do they have 2012?

I’m writing for a client. No need to print – just pdf and email. It’s a story about a pretty place in Normandy, France. If people go there, they will be rejuvenated. They will refill their supply. When they leave, there is even a chance that they will have left their mark.

I’d like to leave my mark. So, yes. I will get a fresh cartridge of life for 2012. I will write and print and fax and sign and sing. I will find a home with a yard. I will tell stories worth re-printing somewhere with a larger circulation than this quiet room.

Almost out of ink. Supplies running low. Re-fill. Re-fuel. Re-commit. Re-cycle used cartridges properly. xo

Show & Tell

Show & Tell began for me in San Francisco in 2007. I invited a few people over, asked them to bring something to talk about – an actual thing to show us that would reveal something about them we didn’t know. What happened next was unexpected. We got addicted to the ‘purpose parties’ as I have come to call them. And the rest is history…and also present tense, here in Los Angeles.

Storytelling is an age-old pastime.  So are salons. So are house parties. Show & Tells are a tasty mix of all three. They happen in different homes each time, so the crowd is always a slightly different mix of people. Since LA is so spread out, it’s hard to feel cozy and connected. It’s double hard to meet new people and stay in touch. I’ve watched how Show & Tell has worked against all these odds to reshape our expectations about how it feels to live in LA. It feels pretty good when Show & Tell is part of the mix.

I’m interesting in co-hosting these not just all over the city, but just all over.   Tell me you want to host one in your home and I’ll help you plan it and run it. If I could do one of these each week, I couldn’t think of a better way to spend my time.

See you soon -

Deborah
415.307.3181

Arists for Literacy – the ReMix

In 2000, I launched Artists for Literacy. This last decade, we focused on connecting low-level readers to books through songs inspired by literature. We ran song contests, enlisted music geniuses like Bruce Springsteen, David Bowie, Tom Waits, Aimee Mann, Suzanne Vega and Rosanne Cash to donate their songs about books, and we raised awareness and money for free literacy projects around the country. We got praise and press and all was right with the world. We made an impact and still today our lesson plans and CD’s are being used by hundreds of teachers and reading tutors.

Recently, I decided to re-ignite the organization and follow-through with a new vision that’s been churning in my head that leverages social media and the proliferation of songs and videos online. It’s called the Literature ReMix Project.  It involves kids and songs and glue. All exciting. I’m also building a new board that will help AFL leverage our skills to serve many literacy initiatives including health literacy and media literacy.

The new site is launched so thanks for taking a spin around it. Enjoy! Please share this post with anyone who you think might appreciate it. Thanks xx