Author2's Weblog

HAY(NA)KU

Irene Uttendorfsky — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 02:50:28 +0000

In Robert Lee Brewer’s Poetic Asides Column in the January 2012 issue of Writer’s Digest I discovered this poetic alternative to haiku. According to Brewer, this three-line poem can be “meditative, descriptive or funny. Unlike haiku, the number of syllables in the first line of hay(na)ku don’t matter, but the number of words do. The first line must have one word, the second line, two and the third line, three. Strangely enough, the name is said to be a take-off on “Hay Naku” – a Filipino slang expression similar to “OMG!” Here’s my first attempt:
Susan
endures life
without a net.

Dazzle me with your hay(na)ku.

WHY DO YOU WRITE?

Irene Uttendorfsky — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 01:43:12 +0000

Do you hope to become famous – to leave a great literary legacy, like a NY Times best-seller? Or, is there something more? An urge to share your very self, to find your voice, to lay bare your soul and pour out your whole life’s essence on some empty page. Or, does inspiration spring forth only after being wrestled into submission by your relentless muse. Whatever the reason, once you discover your passion for writing, you will never want to stop.
Why do you write?

I REMEMBER CHRISTMAS . . .

Irene Uttendorfsky — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 01:42:32 +0000

when the only thing I had to do to get ready was to try be good, especially during those times when Santa or his elves might be spying. In religious education class, Reverend Buell told the Christmas story on the flannel board and the Spirit of Christmas poured into our hearts and minds as we traced Mary and Joseph’s journey to the stable at Bethlehem. It was a magical time, a time filled with gifts of good will, like the free movie at the Franjo Theater, thanks to the local Kiwanis club. I wonder how many other children in that crowded theater had never been to a movie before? And there was Santa, large as life, handing each child a little box of hard candy. On Christmas Eve, we “hung” our stockings on the back of the couch. I remember pulling on my snowsuit jacket and wrapping myself in mittens and scarf before i hurried out on the front porch to search the night sky for the star of Bethlehem. Sometimes I saw the northern lights flashing in the sky. On a clear night, when the frosty air froze in my nose, I would spy the brightest star in the northern sky, and run inside to tell my mother I had seen The Star!
We were poor back then, and in that drafty old farmhouse we barely noticed the meager heat from the Round Oak stove, but the warmth of Christmas filled our hearts.

“A GATHERING OF TALENTS” ART EXHIBIT

Irene Uttendorfsky — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 01:20:42 +0000

I attended the Gathering of Talents art exhibit at Lowville Free Church, Lowville, NY tonight. A very impressive display of some of our north country artist’s works. I enjoyed Andrea Lee’s oils and acrylics, especially the still life in those wonderful gold frames. Dawn Meyers, children’s librarian at the library, has unleashed an amazing talent. She had many unique and beautiful pieces on display. Kathleen Lehman also displayed her signature art. She had previously illustrated my middle grade novel, When Thunder Rolls, and I enjoyed the opportunity to see other aspects of her art. All in all, a wonderful celebration of artist and art!

Adirondack Editing

Irene Uttendorfsky — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 01:37:00 +0000

If you are looking for fresh eyes to review/edit your almost ready for submission manuscript, I recommend Adirondack Editing. She has been editing for me for several years and is currently offering this service to others free of charge as she expands her business venture.You may contact her through her website at www.adirondackediting.com

CHRONICLE BOOK FAIR

Irene Uttendorfsky — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 01:06:39 +0000

Autumn Leaves: The 16th annual Glens Falls Chronicle Book Fair
Sunday, Nov. 6, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
At the Queensbury Hotel in downtown Glens Falls
Admission is FREE!
Info: 792-1126 or email to arts@loneoak.com

Special guests: TV’s Fabulous Beekman Boys!
Brent Ridge and Josh Kilmer-Purcell, known to fans of their reality cable television show as The Fabulous Beekman Boys, make a special appearance at the Glens Falls Chronicle’s 16th annual Book Fair at 1 p.m. in the Warren Room at the Queensbury Hotel. They will also be selling and signing copies of their new, first cookbook, The Beekman 1802 Heirloom Cookbook.
The duo own an impressive 1802 Georgian/Federal home and farm near Sharon Springs, N.Y., about 80 miles southwest of Glens Falls in Schoharie County. The tale of how they stumbled upon the property and decided to buy it during a weekend apple picking excursion away from their Manhattan apartment is told in The Bucolic Plague — How Two Manhattanites Became Gentlemen Farmers, Josh’s best-selling 2010 memoir. Their reality TV show ran for two seasons on Planet Green, a digital cable network owned by the Discovery Channel. They are in discussions to continue the show on another network.
Headliner: Tom Rivers, with ‘Farm Hands’
Tom Rivers, a reporter for the daily paper in Batavia, N.Y., worked alongside and told the story of the migrant workers who are are a huge but largely invisible presence that is increasingly crucial to our Upstate economy — not just picking fruits and vegetables, but working in quarries, garden centers, dairy farms and other businesses. His straightforward, unbiased reporting has earned the praise of farmers, farm workers, and even government officials. He’ll be here all day, and speaking about his book at noon in the Warren Room.
120 presenters, each with a tale to tell
That’s far from all. Again this year, guests may mingle with more than 120 authors, booksellers, publishers, non-profits and other groups at the Chronicle Book Fair — all passionate about the stories they have to tell, and the work they do. We are very pleased about this year’s lineup.
We’ll fill the downstairs of the Queensbury Hotel all day with author displays, book signings, readings and panel discussions, children’s activities, demonstrations, food samples, slide-illustrated talks and much more. You’ll find children’s books, regional history, travel books, Adirondack titles, hiking guides, photography, poetry, mystery and detective novels, science fiction, cook books, antique and used books and much more.
This year at the Book Fair:
• Adirondack photographer Carl Heilman II with his new how-to photography book, calendars, photo essay books and more
• Maury Thompson’s new illustrated biography of Adirondack Balloon Festival founder Walter Grishkot
• Photographer Mark Bowie, on night photography, plus numerous Adirondack titles and posters
• Several literary and non-fiction offerings from the new Hudson Press, based in Glens Falls, including Dr. Kim Jung’s important work on sexual trauma and mental health
• Sunny Buchman, with a uniquely helpful guide inspired by her late husband Paul’s struggle with Alzhemer’s disease, including interviews with Paul
• Doug Gladstone’s lively history of Major League Baseball retirees who were shut out of retirement benefits
• Lawrence Gooley, with a new collection of fascinating true Adirondack stories, plus his best-selling history about Adirondack serial killer Robert Garrow
• New fiction by local favorites Joseph Cutshall-King, Mike Mender, Ralph Kylloe
• The Monks of New Skete with their new puppy training book — and cheesecake samples from the Nuns!
• Kimerer LaMothe’s Family Planting, on creative movement, family and love
• New and favorite titles from The Adirondack Mountain Club, SUNY Press, the Chapman Historical Museum, Hyde Collection art museum, The Adirondack Museum, Dog Ate My Homework and other booksellers
• Outdoors writers/sportsmen Dan Ladd (Chronicle outdoors editor), Bob Elinskas, Steve Sawn and Don Wharton
• Russell Dunn and Barbara Delaney’s guides to waterfall hikes
• Steve Sheinkin’s Benedict Arnold book for young readers, and his Rabbi Harvey graphic novels
• Children’s books by Zackary Richards, Nancy Means Wright, Amanda Shaffer, Heather Schwartz, Jame Richards, Jodi Auborn, Irene Uttendorfsky and others
• Gardening expert Kerry Mendez of Perennially Yours, and cookbook author/kitchen garden designer Ellen Ecker Ogden
• And that’s just a very small sampling!
Find us on Facebook at Glens Falls Chronicle Book Fair. Info: 792-1126 or arts@loneoak.com.
The full program and schedule of events will be printed in the Nov. 3 issue of The Chronicle.
Please contact us for author photographs and interviews.
Questions? Call Chronicle Managing Editor Cathy DeDe – 792-1126 or arts@loneoak.com
We’ll see you there! Happy reading!

Cathy DeDe
Managing Editor
The Chronicle
Northern NY’s Leading Newspaper
PO Box 153
Glens Falls NY 12801
arts@loneoak.com
518-792-1126

BOOK REVIEW: I SEE MYSELF IN YOUR EYES

Irene Uttendorfsky — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 01:30:49 +0000

I purchased a book from a fellow author, Joanne De Stefano, at the Old Forge Library Author’s Fair. The title: I See Myself in Your Eyes, invited me into her book. Joanne dedicated her book to “all the wonderful women who have come into my life. . . . The title relates to a photo of her mother, who died in childbirth at the same time Joannne was born. A mix of prose and poetry, this book is often poignant, sometimes powerful and always faith affirming. The author’s watercolor illustrations add to the overall appeal. At the end of each poem or chapter of prose the author has included a blank page where readers are encouraged to write their own personal thoughts, and memories.
I See Myself in Your Eyes, encourages you to look back at your own life experiences and see them in a different way, it strengthens your faith and uplifts your spirit. This book draws you in and holds your interest. The only disappointment was turning the last page and wishing for more. For more information: www. iuniverse.com

Best Adirondack Books of 2010 Honored

Irene Uttendorfsky — Sun, 19 Jun 2011 00:36:53 +0000

As announced by Nathalie Thill, Executive Director:
BLUE MOUNTAIN LAKE –Writers, editors, publishers, and book lovers gathered at the stunning Blue Mountain Center in Blue Mountain Lake on Sunday, June 12, 2011, to hear the announcements of the Adirondack Center for Writing’s (ACW’s) annual Adirondack Literary Award winners.
The Adirondack Literary Awards celebrate and acknowledge the books that were written by Adirondack authors or published in the region in the previous year.

All of the books submitted for consideration this year were on display, giving visual sense of the scope of our Adirondack literary achievements, and many of the authors had signed copies of their books for sale.
And the winners are…..for
Best Children’s Book: The Rock Singer by Betsey Thomas-Train, published by Shaggy Dog Press.
Best Book of Fiction went to author Jeffrey G. Kelly for Tailings published by Creative Bloc Press.
Best Memoir went to Green Fields by Bob Cowser, publisher, UNO Press (University of New Orleans) with an honorable mention to Kristin Kimballs’ The Dirty Life.
Best Book of Nonfiction went to Adirondack Nature Notes: An Adirondack Almanac Sequel by Tom Kalinowski and published by North Country Books, with an honorable mention going to the collection, Why We Are Here edited by Bob Cowser and published by Colgate University Press.
Best Book of Poetry went for a record third time to the three Adirondack poets: Elaine Handley, Marilyn McCabe, Mary Sanders Shartle for their collection, Winterberry Pine: Three Poets on Adirondack Winter (30 Acre Wood Publishing).
The People’s Choice Award went to Karma in the High Peaks, a poetry collection with contributions by David Parkinson, Charles Watts, Mary Randall, Mary Anne Johnson, Judith Dow Moore, and Chuck Gibson, published by RA Press.

ACW is very proud of the judges for the Adirondack Literary Award; they are careful and dedicated readers. The judges are:
Nonfiction and memoir: Linda Cohen and Jerry McGovern
Fiction: Ellen Rocco and Joseph
Poetry: Stephanie Coyne-DeGhett and Maurice Kenny
Children’s Literature: Danielle Hoepfl and Nancy Beattie
For a complete list of the books considered this year, go to our web site, www.adirondackcenterforwriting.org.
The Adirondack Center for Writing is a non-profit organization that supports the literary arts throughout the Park. They present workshops, writing and publishing conferences, and also organize public readings where they present both regional and nationally acclaimed authors. They’re supported in part by the New York State Council on the Arts. Paul Smith’s College donates office space and services to the organization, while members also provide a great deal of the operating budget through membership dues and contributions. Come visit us at our new offices at the Paul Smith’s College VIC.
While it is a membership-based organization, all of the events, including workshops and conferences are open to the public. For more information, contact The Adirondack Center for Writing, Tel: (518) 327-6278, e-mail: acwevents@gmail.com; www.adirondackcenterforwriting.org.
Nathalie Thill
Executive Director
Adirondack Center for Writing
518-327-6278
www.adirondackcenterforwriting.org
Please support your regional literary organization, become an ACW member today!

WE WON!

Irene Uttendorfsky — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 15:52:33 +0000

Just got wonderful news! The first chapter of “Taken by Mosby”, my unfinished, unpublished, historical fiction novel about my Great grandfather’s experiences in the Civil War, won second prize in the 2011 Writers-Editors Network International Writing Competition’s Novel Chapter category. Two other members of Our Wish Upon a Word Writer’s Group also won awards, JoAnn White in Poetry and Susan T. Davis in Children’s Literature. Hooray for us!

I’M HERE, IN THE DOLDRUMS

Irene Uttendorfsky — Thu, 26 May 2011 01:50:18 +0000

Trying my best to work my way out of this listless state, adrift between dead calms and fluctuating winds. I keep busy editing and rewriting, but I long to move on – to create anew. I tell myself how sorry I am for me, so sad I have so much to do and so little time. But that’s not true, I argue. Didn’t I manage to weed the front flower bed after supper and still find time to write this post? Time to add up all the good in my life and stop searching for the bad.
Tomorrow I will finish the last edit and, if I’m lucky, find time to paint. I can’t wait.