Saturday, April 20, 2013
Woman Seeing Red - the Poem
The poem itself, at some persons' request. Remember that the rhythm is irregular in places. That's the best I can do for enlarging for reading. It is long for one page.
Patricia's Poem Stepping Out in Style
Here in the note plus two pictures of how my poem "Woman Seeing Red" is being used for display by the Jana & Emilia Fashion Design Studio in Ottawa. It is exciting. You can see their website and contact info. below. What talented and gracious women!
The pictures are also manipulated in a picture editor to enhance details. I hope you like them as much as we do.
Thank you again for your wonderful contribution to our passionate Volcano Collection!
Kind regards,
Jana & Emilia
Fashion Design Studio
www.janaemiliafashion.com
info@janaemiliafashion.com
Hello Patricia,
With our pleasure we can email the pictures from our studio to you - featuring your beautiful poem there!
We had taken pictures with a high resolution, so that you'd be able to read the poem from the pictures too.
Thank you again for your wonderful contribution to our passionate Volcano Collection!
Kind regards,
Jana & Emilia
Fashion Design Studio
www.janaemiliafashion.com
info@janaemiliafashion.com
Monday, April 15, 2013
Mind with a View - You Tube
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aq2e5WDu09U As of a couple of days ago, here is where you can see me talking about my life as a writer. I'm more comfortable preaching or teaching than doing this, but feel it is worth the effort. I'm grateful to the Pembroke Library for the opportunity. Free-lancer writers can have work published world wide and still not be well known.
Saturday, April 13, 2013
Happy Birthday to Me!
 |
| Timmy enjoys a good book written by Patricia |
The book, Grandmothers’ Necklace, has taken over much of my life since it was published. Although I’m not ignoring that anthology, I’m once more focusing on my own writing and editing career, and happy to be doing it. Many manuscripts are out there and three poems were recently published on line.
April 10th, Jennifer, from the Pembroke Public Library, www.pembrokelibrary.ca (where you can also find two poems of mine—Press Pass www.pembrokelibrary.ca/poetrywinneraugust2012presspass.pdf and Cocktail Party See-Saw www.pembrokelibrary.ca/poetrywinnerjuly2012.pdf , did a video of me talking about my writing career.
Timmy, my youngest son’s chimpanzee, and other props went with me. Despite Jennifer’s kindness, I was relaxed only part of the time, remembering to look at the camera, but we’ll see how it turns out. I’ll let you know if it is actually posted on their web site.
In February 2013, “Mute Mutant”, a poem, was accepted by Bywords for their February on-site issue: www.bywords.ca/bios/index.php?poet=Elford%20Patricia%20Anne
Grandmothers’ Necklace, not having a stale date because of its content, is just as good as ever. http://www.valleyartisans.com/grandmothersnecklace.htm . Leslie White, Valley Artisans’ Co-op, continues to update the names of places across Canada which sell the book on our behalf for the Stephen Lewis Foundation. I was thrilled to hear that one of the clients for whom I am editing wants to buy seven copies of the book! She won a copy at Write! Canada last year, so she knows what she is getting.
Today, my too-long-lapsed membership in the Valley Arts Council http://www.valleyartscouncil.ca/ was renewed. At least, today I submitted my form and a few relevant photos. The membership fee will go tomorrow. Apparently, they are intending to focus again on writers in addition to performers and graphic writers. I expect they’ll eventually have some information about me on the site as one of the benefits of my being a member. Because I write and edit in so many genres, it is not easy to encapsulate my writing career in an easy précis.
My membership in The Word Guild www.thewordguild.com/ continues, with all its benefits, including a slightly decreased registration fee for the Write!Canada Writers’ Conference that is held, usually in Guelph, each year on Father’s Day weekend. I’ve signed up and submitted the advance materials required for the continuing class in which I chose to participate.
My registration packet should arrive soon and I can decide what else I wish to do (interviews with agents, selling #Grandmother’s Necklace in bookshop, preparing a goody for the loot bags [not a requirement, but a good idea], join in the morning or night readings, etc.) There is much to do! Looking forward to seeing some familiar and new faces there. Will get to meet another editing client in person.
If all goes as usual, our house and cats will be enjoyed by our son and daughter-in-law while we are away and both Robert (husband) and myself will stay at the home of our daughter and her husband in Burlington when I’m not actually staying on site for the writers’ conference. It will be good to see the grandchildren in person, too.
My apologies to anyone who has knocked here frequently to find stale news and nobody at home. If you have questions about obtaining Grandmothers’ Necklace, or wish to do a review of it, please contact me at granniesnecklace@hotmail.com.
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Two Grand Pianos to Go?!
Greetings,
I’m sitting in a cluttered study at 3:34 a.m. of August 1, 2012. Have been working odd hours day and night and sleeping in between as I prepare spaces for the arrival of various items from my mother-in-law’s (Jean Turnbull Elford) estate. You may remember her humorous piece in #Grandmothers’ Necklace. (“No Exceptions”) Never asked her, but suspect it really happened to her.
The family had a big celebration for Jean’s 100th birthday on a very hot Sarnia Day in September, 2011. It was held in her home, where she still was living. As usual, Jean had all her wits about her, and despite the extreme heat, obviously enjoyed the large crowd of family, neighbours, friends and honoured guests who came and went, greeted and congratulated, ate and drank and entertained.
In January 2012, during a stay in hospital, Jean died. She was ready; she wondered aloud why it was taking so long. We’re glad for her, but we certainly miss her. In addition to her professional writing, she was a family letter writer without parallel. Each one contained tongue-in-cheek humour and was geared to the age and interests of the recipient—Treasures to keep. Am also hoping to create a book of the writing she had published for children. Her tear-sheets and contributor’s copies are stored upstairs.
Now, after things were gradually sorted out, my late father-in-law’s Steinway grand piano is to arrive here by the end of the week, along with a few other treasured items. The piano has been coddled for many years. Its new environment will be a bit of a shock. Wait! Don’t we already have a 100-year-old Nordheimer grand piano? How many grand pianos does a family need?
A great deal of prayer went into plans. Our own grand is to be adopted by a local Presbyterian church, where a talented pianist will use it well. Later this week— as we are both reassured and threatened by the movers— our house will be invaded, a huge dresser, handcrafted by Jean’s ancestor, will be sweated up and around and up our stairs, to sit in what I call Grandmothers’ Room, where the remaining copies of Grandmothers’ Necklace and all materials related to it and Petawawa Grannies’ events are already saved. (+ Jean’s materials…she was a proud great-grandmother, after all.)
The newer piano and some boxes and a few smaller furniture items will be carted in. The old piano will be transported to the church. The piano tuner said he can fit in caring for our new addition on August 13th. Then, for as long as his emphysema allows, my husband can then enjoy playing his father’s piano, the one which Robert played as a young music student, and later, taking favourite music with him, played every time we visited Sarnia. Gradually, we will assign the new items to locations, but I must also get back to some Grandmothers’ Necklace bookkeeping work and promotion, to editing a client’s book manuscript and, to my own writing projects.
Back to Grandmothers’ Necklace. It is still selling. The important thing is that people are exposed to it. Then, it usually sells itself. Unfortunately, two independent bookstores which carried Grandmothers’ Necklace are closing or changing owners, one in Ottawa and one in North Bay. They have been stores of good quality, with warm and enthusiastic long-term owners. Please Support your local independent bookstore!!
GN will be featured at various Petawawa Grannies’ Fall and Winter fundraising events. Our Grandmothers’ Tea and African Dinner are particularly popular.
I’m sitting in a cluttered study at 3:34 a.m. of August 1, 2012. Have been working odd hours day and night and sleeping in between as I prepare spaces for the arrival of various items from my mother-in-law’s (Jean Turnbull Elford) estate. You may remember her humorous piece in #Grandmothers’ Necklace. (“No Exceptions”) Never asked her, but suspect it really happened to her.
The family had a big celebration for Jean’s 100th birthday on a very hot Sarnia Day in September, 2011. It was held in her home, where she still was living. As usual, Jean had all her wits about her, and despite the extreme heat, obviously enjoyed the large crowd of family, neighbours, friends and honoured guests who came and went, greeted and congratulated, ate and drank and entertained.
In January 2012, during a stay in hospital, Jean died. She was ready; she wondered aloud why it was taking so long. We’re glad for her, but we certainly miss her. In addition to her professional writing, she was a family letter writer without parallel. Each one contained tongue-in-cheek humour and was geared to the age and interests of the recipient—Treasures to keep. Am also hoping to create a book of the writing she had published for children. Her tear-sheets and contributor’s copies are stored upstairs.
Now, after things were gradually sorted out, my late father-in-law’s Steinway grand piano is to arrive here by the end of the week, along with a few other treasured items. The piano has been coddled for many years. Its new environment will be a bit of a shock. Wait! Don’t we already have a 100-year-old Nordheimer grand piano? How many grand pianos does a family need?
A great deal of prayer went into plans. Our own grand is to be adopted by a local Presbyterian church, where a talented pianist will use it well. Later this week— as we are both reassured and threatened by the movers— our house will be invaded, a huge dresser, handcrafted by Jean’s ancestor, will be sweated up and around and up our stairs, to sit in what I call Grandmothers’ Room, where the remaining copies of Grandmothers’ Necklace and all materials related to it and Petawawa Grannies’ events are already saved. (+ Jean’s materials…she was a proud great-grandmother, after all.)
The newer piano and some boxes and a few smaller furniture items will be carted in. The old piano will be transported to the church. The piano tuner said he can fit in caring for our new addition on August 13th. Then, for as long as his emphysema allows, my husband can then enjoy playing his father’s piano, the one which Robert played as a young music student, and later, taking favourite music with him, played every time we visited Sarnia. Gradually, we will assign the new items to locations, but I must also get back to some Grandmothers’ Necklace bookkeeping work and promotion, to editing a client’s book manuscript and, to my own writing projects.
 |
| Anatole warms up the piano |
Am I writing? Oh, yes! I’m writing and submitting liturgical materials to two publishers. My Cuddle of Cats manuscript has been sent to the agent I met at the Write!Canada 2012 conference. For excerpts, please see http://issuu.com/vst_calendar/docs/via_volume_1_no_1 , pp.15-17. Two other projects are partially finished, soon to be sent away, God-willing. Two poems won in recent Pembroke Public Library monthly competitions: “Cocktail Party See-Saw”, re. male-female relations, for June (posted during July) and “Press Pass”, of particular interest to writers, (to be posted for most of August) http://www.pembrokelibrary.ca/
Back to Grandmothers’ Necklace. It is still selling. The important thing is that people are exposed to it. Then, it usually sells itself. Unfortunately, two independent bookstores which carried Grandmothers’ Necklace are closing or changing owners, one in Ottawa and one in North Bay. They have been stores of good quality, with warm and enthusiastic long-term owners. Please Support your local independent bookstore!!
GN will be featured at various Petawawa Grannies’ Fall and Winter fundraising events. Our Grandmothers’ Tea and African Dinner are particularly popular.
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Won't You Come Along With Me
1) Bagheera, regal, in indignity
2)Earlier Stittsville Artists & Writers GN display
(Eileen watching the shop).
Once more I step into the world of the bogged blog.
For any who haven’t given up on visiting this site, if you haven’t already read it, during this past week the interview with me that was conducted by Jayne Self was posted. It can be found at www.christianswhowrite.ca/?p=355Cached and www.christianswhowrite.ca/?p=360Cached . There are a few photos you won’t have seen before.
If you’ve already read it, you’ll know that when asked, I talked about preparing sermons and various liturgical components as being my favourite writing activity. What I couldn’t know when I was interviewed is that during the very week the interview was posted, I would be thoroughly enjoying gathering those very materials of many years, organizing and shaping them to meet the needs of two responsive publishers who have expressed interest and specific encouragement.
I’m certainly not guaranteed that all will be published, but there is the joy of preparing and the hope of publishing and payment. If any pieces are published, I’ll have the added joy of serving the wider church in this capacity, AND I can do this work without leaving my husband at home for long periods of time, something I’ve less and less inclination to do as he deals with his emphysema. We’ve been separated enough over time with each of us obtaining our theological education in different provinces and at different times, with minimal overlap.
You’re wondering about GRANDMOTHERS' NECKLACE Necklace? Sales have slowed, but certainly not died. We hope to sell some more copies at an upcoming AFRICAN DINNER, Wednesday, March 28th, that the Petawawa Grannies are presenting for an area group called WIN (Women’s Initiative Network) and interested friends, though many of those persons will already have bought copies at last year’s dinner. In other parts of Canada, sales continue. People tend to forward the money to me when they’ve gathered a $100.00. I wait until I have $100.00 or more before I submit each month. I wonder what it is like for the African grandmothers and children waiting, while we wait for $100.00? Which projects are on hold?
On Wednesday, April 25th, I’m invited to have a display at the Pembroke Library Book Fair, ENTITLED, to help more people become aware of the book’s existence, value, purpose and contributors. (Though our mailing address is Pembroke, we actually live in Petawawa and persons from either of these two communities, busy with their own lives, are often unaware of what is happening in the other.)
We’ll have some contributors to the book present for signing copies, always more fun. On one-third of the table I will also do a little self-promotion as writer-editor with samples of work done, to help catch up on time that was put aside for preparation and promotion of Grandmothers’ Necklace. There are to be publishers, authors, other types of writers and editors and other related displayers there. Whether or not there will be readings is uncertain at the moment. We’ll be ready, just in case.
Also hope to go again to the ARTISTS AND WRITERS IN THE PARK and on Sunday, May 27th, in Stittsville, near Ottawa. This time we’ll be able to refer interested persons to two popular independent Ottawa bookstores carrying GN, in case purchasers wish to buy copies for friends and relatives after reading their own books. This often happens, thank goodness. Exposure to the book's contents is the key.
If I participate in WRITE!CANADA on June 14-16th, a The Word Guild conference for Christians who are writers and editors of all types and levels, some of the books will go with me. Our son Daniel and wife would care for the cats and house here. Robert would be happily visiting with our daughter and family not far from the Guelph site, where I would join them after the conference for Father’s Day activities and a rest before returning.
Had intended to post some related photos but another thunder storm appears to be starting and can't take a chance, despite the "safe-guards".
One fried computer since we arrived here is more than enough!
B-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l country! BUT some "i-n-t-e-r-e-s-t-i-n-g storms!
For any who haven’t given up on visiting this site, if you haven’t already read it, during this past week the interview with me that was conducted by Jayne Self was posted. It can be found at www.christianswhowrite.ca/?p=355Cached and www.christianswhowrite.ca/?p=360Cached . There are a few photos you won’t have seen before.
If you’ve already read it, you’ll know that when asked, I talked about preparing sermons and various liturgical components as being my favourite writing activity. What I couldn’t know when I was interviewed is that during the very week the interview was posted, I would be thoroughly enjoying gathering those very materials of many years, organizing and shaping them to meet the needs of two responsive publishers who have expressed interest and specific encouragement.
I’m certainly not guaranteed that all will be published, but there is the joy of preparing and the hope of publishing and payment. If any pieces are published, I’ll have the added joy of serving the wider church in this capacity, AND I can do this work without leaving my husband at home for long periods of time, something I’ve less and less inclination to do as he deals with his emphysema. We’ve been separated enough over time with each of us obtaining our theological education in different provinces and at different times, with minimal overlap.
You’re wondering about GRANDMOTHERS' NECKLACE Necklace? Sales have slowed, but certainly not died. We hope to sell some more copies at an upcoming AFRICAN DINNER, Wednesday, March 28th, that the Petawawa Grannies are presenting for an area group called WIN (Women’s Initiative Network) and interested friends, though many of those persons will already have bought copies at last year’s dinner. In other parts of Canada, sales continue. People tend to forward the money to me when they’ve gathered a $100.00. I wait until I have $100.00 or more before I submit each month. I wonder what it is like for the African grandmothers and children waiting, while we wait for $100.00? Which projects are on hold?
On Wednesday, April 25th, I’m invited to have a display at the Pembroke Library Book Fair, ENTITLED, to help more people become aware of the book’s existence, value, purpose and contributors. (Though our mailing address is Pembroke, we actually live in Petawawa and persons from either of these two communities, busy with their own lives, are often unaware of what is happening in the other.)
We’ll have some contributors to the book present for signing copies, always more fun. On one-third of the table I will also do a little self-promotion as writer-editor with samples of work done, to help catch up on time that was put aside for preparation and promotion of Grandmothers’ Necklace. There are to be publishers, authors, other types of writers and editors and other related displayers there. Whether or not there will be readings is uncertain at the moment. We’ll be ready, just in case.
Also hope to go again to the ARTISTS AND WRITERS IN THE PARK and on Sunday, May 27th, in Stittsville, near Ottawa. This time we’ll be able to refer interested persons to two popular independent Ottawa bookstores carrying GN, in case purchasers wish to buy copies for friends and relatives after reading their own books. This often happens, thank goodness. Exposure to the book's contents is the key.
If I participate in WRITE!CANADA on June 14-16th, a The Word Guild conference for Christians who are writers and editors of all types and levels, some of the books will go with me. Our son Daniel and wife would care for the cats and house here. Robert would be happily visiting with our daughter and family not far from the Guelph site, where I would join them after the conference for Father’s Day activities and a rest before returning.
Had intended to post some related photos but another thunder storm appears to be starting and can't take a chance, despite the "safe-guards".
One fried computer since we arrived here is more than enough!
B-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l country! BUT some "i-n-t-e-r-e-s-t-i-n-g storms!
Edited version: Above is one related photo and one because I thought you might like it. Still very new at this and don't do it frequently enough to be sophisticated about it.
Peace,
Patricia
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Lull in the Whirl - Back in Touch
Expo 150 - Grandmothers' Necklace selling sites, local contributors and some of the press clippings.
Before the big rush, 100th Caroline at Fall Showcase 2011
Birthday Party
GranAfriCan Tea, 2011, Jean LeBreton and other Drummers
Birthday Party
GranAfriCan Tea, 2011, Jean LeBreton and other Drummers
Drumbeat Literary Issue
Here comes the bride... Shall we dance?
EXPO 150 -
Shows the reason for the Petawawa Grannies'
displays & work
Greetings!
EXPO 150 came and went...a very successful happening overall, despite being a tented event with some rain and wind. As I promised eons ago, here are a few pictures from our display. As you will soon discover, this is a form of editing in which I've never engaged before: On-site with photos. Learning... Please, "bear" with me.
EXPO 150 came and went...a very successful happening overall, despite being a tented event with some rain and wind. As I promised eons ago, here are a few pictures from our display. As you will soon discover, this is a form of editing in which I've never engaged before: On-site with photos. Learning... Please, "bear" with me.
Pet-Gran,
Mascot
First shift on duty at the Petawawa Grannies booth
Another event which kept family busy preparing was my mother-in-law’s 100th birthday event in Sarnia. She is Jean Elford, a Grandmothers’ Necklace contributor, an author of two books and writer of many, many, many articles. We family members arranged to have the party catered in her own home and, despite the muggy 100 degrees F heat, friends and relatives kept the house active for some time! All of us, led by our daughter Alexandra, had gathered photos and web images which related to Jean’s 100 years of a very active life. Even the Google map photo of her home includes her image returning from a daily walk!!
Kind persons bought copies of Grandmothers’ Necklace from me and asked Jean to sign it. Jean, a little horrified that I might have been actually flogging the book at her birthday party, was, nevertheless, gracious about signing. (In fact, people had recognized the opportunity themselves and had asked me about getting a copy at the time.)
Kind persons bought copies of Grandmothers’ Necklace from me and asked Jean to sign it. Jean, a little horrified that I might have been actually flogging the book at her birthday party, was, nevertheless, gracious about signing. (In fact, people had recognized the opportunity themselves and had asked me about getting a copy at the time.)
Despite car challenges, we were back in Petawawa for a local event called Showcase where the Petawawa Grannies had a display and an opportunity to sell the Grandmothers’ Necklace book, jewellery and pashminas for the Stephen Lewis Foundation.
NOTE: In my original set-up for this blog entry, I had lovely photos interspersed among the lines of writing. Some of them were framed in different shapes. However, as I haven't a single clue about how to anchor the photos properly, and refuse to waste any more time on that fruitless effort, I will put the rest of them at the bottom or top of the text and hope that they will at least co-operate with that approach.
September 11th was Petawawa Grannies’ popular GranAfriCanTea with drummers, market stalls. A beautiful quilt as one of the prizes.
September 11th was Petawawa Grannies’ popular GranAfriCanTea with drummers, market stalls. A beautiful quilt as one of the prizes.
I had the honour of being guest editor for the literary edition of Drumbeat, September issue, the newsletter for the Ottawa-Gatineau Grandmothers Network.
October brought two special events on the same extended weekend for us. Our niece, Mary Ann Wilson, my brother Bill’s daughter (a journalism graduate who contributed a touching and amusing piece “Grandmother’s Necklaces”, to Grandmothers’ Necklace) married Neil, in St. Jacobs, ON.
October brought two special events on the same extended weekend for us. Our niece, Mary Ann Wilson, my brother Bill’s daughter (a journalism graduate who contributed a touching and amusing piece “Grandmother’s Necklaces”, to Grandmothers’ Necklace) married Neil, in St. Jacobs, ON.
We hurried back the next day, topped up our own partially pre-packed car and drove to Sands on Golden for a reunion with a group of friends (and their spouses) all of whom had graduated from Ottawa Teachers’ College at the same time. We’ve been having reunions regularly, narrowing the number of years between them as we creak into old age.
This was another happy experience AND several copies of Grandmothers’ Necklace were sold and signed AND the hospitable Sands, with its delicious food and modern accommodations, has now been added to our list of places carrying the GN book!! See:http://www.valleyartisans.com/grandmothersnecklace.htm
Before the sun sets on today’s entry, I’d like to share the news that, thanks to the help of a family-tree tracing cousin and the kindness of the editor of the Biggleswade Chronicle there, I’ve been contacted for the first time by Haddow relatives in Biggleswade, Bedfordshire, England.
If you read my little piece, “Daisy Chain”, in Grandmothers’ Necklace, you’ll know that my mother was orphaned by eight. Her older brother was sent to English relatives and she was raised by an aunt and uncle here. Biggleswade was the name on a wedding photograph I found in my mother’s belongings.
This was another happy experience AND several copies of Grandmothers’ Necklace were sold and signed AND the hospitable Sands, with its delicious food and modern accommodations, has now been added to our list of places carrying the GN book!! See:http://www.valleyartisans.com/grandmothersnecklace.htm
Before the sun sets on today’s entry, I’d like to share the news that, thanks to the help of a family-tree tracing cousin and the kindness of the editor of the Biggleswade Chronicle there, I’ve been contacted for the first time by Haddow relatives in Biggleswade, Bedfordshire, England.
If you read my little piece, “Daisy Chain”, in Grandmothers’ Necklace, you’ll know that my mother was orphaned by eight. Her older brother was sent to English relatives and she was raised by an aunt and uncle here. Biggleswade was the name on a wedding photograph I found in my mother’s belongings.
It has felt as though I’ve suddenly become the central character in one of the mysteries I enjoy reading, and the clues are opening up. In England I’ve now been identified as the daughter of the sister of Art, the brother who was sent there. I’m excitedly looking forward to seeing photographs of the family and hearing more about them.
If you’ve stayed with me this long, thank you for reading. The Word Guild, an organization for writers and editors who are Christian, http://www.thewordguild.com/ is posting some information about me on the parts of the site that are for editors and professional writers.
Potential clients will be encouraged to look here. Eventually, this blog should become more of a showplace for some of my skills and years of experience.
NOTE TO BROWSING POTENTIAL CLIENTS, PLEASE don’t judge my editing or writing work habits by the length of time that passes between my entries on this boggy blog. If I’m working for a client, I can’t always be working for me at the same time. That is a choice I make.
In addition to the above, I’ve been nursing a sick cat, tutoring a CFB Petawawa officer in English, dealing with some of my own and my husband’s ailments, editing a YA novel, scanning and organizing a zillion photos and objects, and (gasp!) WRITING, refining, organizing and submitting ms. on my own behalf (e.g. one poem was in the October issue of Drumbeat. Another small piece won me a promo position for GN on the radio.)
During this brief ( ?) hiatus, I have hopes of getting more of the W.O.R.S. completed as I await/seek the next editing/writing contracts.
I'll save the picture of sunset on Golden Lake for the next entry.
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