Calling all Artists! Accepting Submissions for March and April!

Call for submissions…all mediums welcome 🙂

Artists4Peace

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Upcoming Topics/Deadlines:

March

How does one find peace in daily life?

Submission Deadline March 1st
Selected Entries will be posted March 15th

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April

How does language influence peace?

Submission Deadline April 1st
Selected Entries will be posted April 15th

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Feel free to send in any other Peace related art at any time for consideration to be posted throughout the month. Remember just blog as you normally would and then email a link to your post to artists4peaceproject@gmail.com for consideration!

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Notes to ALL of our Fabulous participating Artists4Peace artists:

1-Please reblog, facebook, tweet, messenger pigeon 🙂 this post.  

We need to get the word out and get even more people sharing their art to promote love, understanding and peace throughout the world.

2-We ask that if you haven’t already please put the Artists 4 Peace logo on your blog.  It will not only show others you are part of the…

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Conversations With Death: A Love Story by Georgiann Carlson- My review

Hi All!  I happily shared the news of Gigi’s book debut last month and now thought i would share the brief review I just posted on Amazon. 🙂

5 out of 5 stars Funny, Engrossing, Evocative?? Without a Doubt!!

You will be caught off guard and then completely absorbed!

Conversations With Death: A Love Story explores some very heavy subject matter with such humor that I found myself smiling and literally laughing out loud. (Not to mention craving some pie.)

The entire novel is divided into brief conversations which makes this a fun and fast read… yet it stays with you. There is such a raw, unvarnished honesty within its pages; the sadness and anger ring true making it all the more relatable. I can say, without a doubt, you have never read a book about Death like this one. I highly recommend it; smart, funny, thought-provoking, philosophical and comforting.

I loved every quirky, beautiful, poignant moment of it. I’m waiting impatiently for Book 2!

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Go buy this book!

Conversations with Death: A Love Story, now available on Amazon Kindle.

 

Book Description

“Death stopped by far too often, as far as I was concerned. I needed a way to deal with my rage. I was furious. So, I decided to hunt down and, if possible, kill Death.When I wrote the very first Conversation, I was ready for a fight. I never expected to write a second Conversation, let alone an entire book full of them. But something happened when I met and started talking to Death. Something that made me understand what Life and Death were all about. The Conversations went in a direction I never could have imagined.We all have our own truth and this is mine. Conversations with Death is a give and take between a living human and Death itself.”

Links:

 Gigi’s Blog

Conversations with Death on Amazon

A trip to Haslam’s!

Brian and I went to Haslam’s today 🙂  It is one of my favorite places in St. Petersburg.

 

Haslam’s Book Store
2025 Central Avenue, St. Petersburg, Florida 33713

The place is huge.  It is so cool to wander around and see the diverstiy…they have old, used books as well as all the current best sellers.  They have some rare first editions and signed copies…some of these are kept in locked cases but many are one the shelves next to $2 books.  You never know what you are going to stumble across.

 

 

You really cannot see the size and scope of the place through these pictures.  But I will tell you they actually have little maps of the place so you can find your way around!

 

Oh and by the way, Jack Kerouac is rumored to still haunt the store.  He supposedly still moves his books to more prominent display locations as he did in life.  It is funny becaus everytime I go in I always spot new and different things…AND I always see a couple Kerouac!

Haslam’s was started in 1933 in the Depression by John and Mary Haslam, both avid readers, to provide other readers with used magazines and books at bargain prices.

 

Haslam’s celebrated 80 years this past December. Amazing, really when so many other book stores are closing…both indepedent and big box stores.

Today was fun AND I had to show remarkable restraint… oh I wish i was independently wealthy so i could take stacks of these home with me!!

 

~Melanie

common ground

Don’t talk to me of differences

Don’t talk to me of hate

Tear down your defences

it is time to communicate

If we get to know each other

we can find some common ground

teach our children to love one another

the change would be profound

war is not the answer

history can show us that

hate destroys us like a cancer

Peace and Love is where it’s at

~Melanie Blackwell

 

 

 

Artists 4 Peace ~We can make a difference

A couple of days ago Gigi posted a question “how can we, as artists (whatever our form),  bloggers and international friends, USE our art, intelligence, CREATIVITY and  our collective power, right NOW, to foster and spread peace and love throughout the world?  How can we work TOGETHER to bring about change?”

We believe your passion is your Art.  So whether your medium is paint, poetry, yarn, music or pottery YOU can be part of the movement.

There has been some discussion…please join in your voice is welcome!

For starters.
1- all participating will display logo

2- we should create a monthly schedule of topics. I think it would be great  if we discussed and decide on particular subjects/causes and create a schedule of topics that we could all write and publish at the same time each month. For instance: August- Peace in general, September- Spreading Kindness, October- Child Abuse Awareness… ((just examples))

3 on the designated day each month each of us would post on the topic scheduled and display the agreed upon logo.
4- everyone participating will post to their own blog and then the moderators will reblog them on artists4peace as well.

While we have much to discuss and things to iron out… I am happy to announce a new blog

artists4peace.wordpress.com

where we can get to work on setting a foundation.

We will eventually have a monthly topic scheduled but for now if you have anything you would like to share on Artists4Peace please blog it and then email the link to artists4peaceproject@gmail.com so we can make sure to reblog it. That way nothing will be missed!

Thank you for reading and I do hope you will get involved!

~Melanie Blackwell

Here

My friend Jane of Cupid or Cats took a break from making me laugh to post this wonderfully written poem that made me cry. Please visit the original to like and leave comments. Thank you.

CUPID OR CATS

I see you suffer
Hiding behind the burnt skin and thinning hair
Smiling a little weakly
A feeble frail finger taps a hollow cheek to where my blood filled lips can touch
I fear a kiss may kill you

I see you moving
Crossing deserts in your kitchen
Glancing through your window at horizons you’ll never reach
The timer on the oven seems to be moving too quickly, too quickly
The dinner won’t be ready
The time will be up too soon

I see you folding children’s jumpers
Holding them close to your chest for seconds before you let them go
You’ll have to show them how to get creases out, so they will know
When the folding is done, and plans are made
You need to sit

I see you now, as you are, and I see you as you were
Vibrant, dancing, living,
Teaching, learning, yearning, dreaming
I…

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An Alterable Void by Yves K. Morrow– My review

Hi All:)

You may know Yves from her blog Mindlovemisery if you do not yet, believe me she is someone you will want to know.  I was happy to share an announcement awhile back about the publication of An Alterable Void.   I recently put the following brief review on Amazon and Goodreads.  I thought I would share it here as well.

“Once you have been introduced to this poet you will find that while you may see hints of the great poets gone before she has a voice all her own; delectable, dark and evocative.

Her first book, An Alterable Void is a deeply moving exploration of the roots of human behavior. This collection of Poetry is divided into three sections: Love, Mind and Misery to reflect the themes of her blog. Rest assured she depicts love, sensuality, self-doubt and discovery as masterfully as she paints a chilling Portrait of Evil.

Yves’s style is relentlessly intense and honest. Her writing has teeth that cut into you and hang on. You will be altered.”

~Melanie Blackwell

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All the details are below if you haven’t yet picked it up.

AVAILABLE NOW:

➤ The print copy is available on  LULU or AMAZON

➤ The ebook version is available on LULU

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Published Works

http://wordifull.com/2014/03/07/an-alterable-void-a-friends-debut/

My Book is Available!

Death and Life by B.G. Bowers– My review

Hi All:)

I was happy to share Bianca’s  announcement a couple months ago about  the publication of her first poetry book, Death and Life.   Well, I have had a copy of her beautiful book in my hands for awhile now and recently put the following brief review on Amazon and Goodreads.  I thought I should share it here with you as well.

“I hunger for poetry that stirs my soul. To me good poetry is all about expression, emotion and imagery. This is good poetry.

I’ve not only read Death and Life, I lived with it, savored it. This feast of emotion and imagery deserves more than a quick sampling.B.G. Bowers shares her journey with such honesty that one cannot help but be in the moment with her. I suffered her loss, heartbreak and anguish and was rewarded with liberation, self-reflection and love.”

~Melanie Blackwell

↓

All the details are below if you haven’t yet picked it up.

AVAILABLE NOW:

➤ The print copy is available on CREATESPACE or AMAZON

➤ The Kindle version is available on AMAZON

“Death is the great disruptor; it thrusts us opposite life’s mirror, invites our truthful exploration, and reveals the naked truth; from which rebirth is possible and we are free to reinvent ourselves anew.”

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In Death and Life, B.G. Bowers examines an eclectic life journey, masterfully illustrating various psychological, emotional, and spiritual experiences through poetry and essays. Death is not isolated to physical loss, but encompasses figurative deaths arising from innocence lost, depression, unfulfilled dreams, lost love, exile, spiritual death and rejection of childhood paradigms. Fortunately, these mini-deaths present opportunity for growth, evolution and renewal. That is to say, from death comes life.

 

 

 

 http://bgbowers.com/books/

http://bgbowers.com/books/reviews/

http://wordifull.com/2014/02/25/death-and-life-a-friends-debut/