
Wishing
you all a pleasant holiday season
and
A Happy New Year – PLEA-S-S-S-E !!! –☺
What
a year 2020 has been! Creatively, I have found it particularly
challenging. Though, I don't always stay on course ... I do try to
begin a piece of writing, by giving a thought to expressing a bit of
positivity as I write my way through to the other side. That, of
course, doesn't always pan out, but I have found that trying to, at
least, 'head-off' in somewhat of a life-affirming direction is more
emotionally restorative. Finding my way to that 'starting place' has
been a tall – if not impossible – order, in these Days of COVID.
In
the early days of the virus, I decided that ... while I waited for
inspiration to return ... I could go in other directions. My son,
Patrick filmed and edited short video pieces that I added snippits
of poetry and lines of dialogue to. I wrote and featured a few
articles that highlighted resources and websites that I had found
beneficial over the last 10 or so years of writing. And I resolved
to – once and for all – gather together some of my writing in the
form of books.
After
considerable digging-around (and not finding anything comparable in
Canada) I decided on an American publishing company. There's more
info about this on the 'Whatnot' website – under the heading of
'What to do with all that poetry' – which I will link to, later in
this post. Needless to say, the extra exchange and postal costs are
not 'good-news' for Canadians. But, I am philosophic about it.
Nothing establishes your life-goals/bucket-list more incontrovertibly
than running up against a world-wide pandemic ... at 70 ... and
gathering some of my work together WAS important to me. If, indeed,
it is important to you (whether it is poetry or short stories or a
family history that you would love to see clasped, for years to come,
in the pages of a book) I would certainly share with you that
(though, it may require planning and saving and waiting for the
financial repercussions of the virus to pass): It is a very
doable dream (and indeed, one that has helped me, to cope with
COVID).
Once
you settle on a publisher and on the content you want included in
your book, you will need an illustration or photo for your front
cover ... an ISBN number ... and you're good to go.
ISBN
Numbers are offered as part of their service by some publishers, they
are provided free in some countries (such as Canada), and are
supplied, for a small fee, in other countries. (I just Goggled 'how
to apply for an ISBN number, and there it was.) Your publisher will
create a matching barcode for the back cover ... and "voilà "
... you've got yourself a book.
So
far, I have published Love
of a Dog – A Tanka Celebration of Life ... Lived with a Dog.
It began as a project combining video (that Patrick had taken of his
Dog, Jackson, at the beach) with tanka I had written. It has a
brief explanation of tanka and encourages the reader to
give-it-a-try.
The
second book (which is just out) is Nearest
and Dearest: A Poetry Celebration of Family.
It contains poems that are remembrance centric, day-to-day-living
inspired and humorously themed ... as well as expressions of
introspection and affection. It is illustrated with
black and white photos taken all over British Columbia and on
holidays, elsewhere, as well as old family pictures.
Patrick
... I have just noticed ... has pulled out all the stops on our
'Whatnot' website – promoting the books as Christmas presents
(which will help us achieve our goal of donating to the SPCA's
monthly support program, for 2021). It can be checked out at:
Whatnot Press and Productions
Speaking
of 2021 ... I am hoping to finish Between the Busy Spaces (my
third – biggest and most ambitious book) early in the year, as it
is almost done. It contains some of my favorite poetry pieces –
as well as, short prose and colored photographs that have been
featured on my blog.
Once
that is completed, I hope to get back to blogging regularly and begin
the process of – what else? – creating material for one last book
~ smiles ~
All
the best to you and yours!
Warm Wishes for Better Days Ahead!
Stay
Safe!
– Wendy
note: I just spent several hours trying to get a collage of family Christmas pictures posted - but no luck (hence this oldie - but goodie). I have to chuckle, though. What a fitting 'Adieu' to 2020.
photo:
Happy Holidays - W. Bourke
©
2020 Wendy Bourke