JaZzArt en València

#art, Por las calles de Valencia – On the Streets of Valencia

(Photo property of Francisco Bravo Cabrera)

Las calles de Valencia contienen tanta historia que hay que ir mostrándolas poquet a poquet (poco a poco). Aqui escenas del barrio gótico, El Carmen, la Ciutat Vella (La ciudad vieja).

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The streets of Valencia contain so much history that we must show them to you little by little. Here are scenes from our gothic neighbourhood, El Carmen, the «Old City».

(Fotos propiedad de Francisco Bravo Cabrera/Derechos Reservados – *Photos property of Francisco Bravo Cabrera/All Rights Reserved*)

GRACIAS – CHEERS

#poem, Thank You Cindy!

An Interview on me on JaZz Art en Valencia Today

Source: Featured Interview of Me on JaZz Art en Valencia Today

#poem, POETS & WRITERS Series, page #3: Cindy Georgakas

Welcome to the series for and about poets, writers and artists, a series that you can join if you write or paint simply by sending us a reply with your email address and we will send you all the information.

Page three of the series features Cindy Georgakas, a poet and a writer from California, US. Cindy has replied to the three survey questions and as well she has provided some interesting information about herself and her work.

CINDY’S INTERVIEW

1) Who are your major literary/artistic references?

Any and all literary work that makes me think, catches my attention by moving my soul. Poetry and prose have become one of my main stays. Art like yours that is bright and bold with a story to tell is also fascinating. Plays and musicals are also high on my list and musicians who put their heart and soul into their work and pulling my pen out to take notes.

2) What makes you a writer? What do you like to write about? What is your plan for the next five years?

Butt in Seat, plane, bed, sleep walking, walking outdoors and penning down words, make me a writer. In other words I draw inspiration from my surroundings. Natures gifts continue to awaken me to joy and gratitude. I write about things in my life that give me insight and courage that are often inspired by nature, people and everyday moments. Staying present allows me to feel into what I write and sometimes writes itself.

Poetry and prose move me and continue to show up in my work. I write what wants to be expressed through me with the hopes that I give others acceptance and insight. My Fun Fri-Yay is a staple to entertain, make people laugh, think and not take life so seriously or move them to tears. Life is meant to be lived and not sitting on the sidelines. While the world affairs can make my blood boil like all of ours, I choose to find good news that is all around us if we open our eyes.

In the next 5 years I see traveling more, writing my Companion Poetry Book to Re-Create & Celebrate, another book on aging perhaps and a children’s book while nestled in reading to my expanding grandchildren that light up my life. And blogging of course.

3) Do you write about your life, your feelings/emotions, yourself?

I’m an open book and share what’s in my heart and for better or worse as you most likely know, Francis, I don’t mince words. Yes, it gets me in trouble sometimes but I’m honest and real. I try not to take myself too seriously and laugh at myself as well. Life’s too short not to have fun and find joy and love. I also write about poignant moments that make your heart stand still always trying to leave my reader with hope to embrace another day. I thank the creator everyday for my many blessings and I thank you my friend for inviting me to be part of your interview. You are so gifted in all aspects of your drawing and writing and inspire all of us in our blogoshpere.

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CINDY’S POETRY

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CINDY’S BIO

Cindy is Author of Re-Create and Celebrate: 7 Steps To Live The Life Of Your Dreams, a teaching memoir and workbook with poetry. Cindy shares her life story with honest testaments and peppered in humor to uncover aspects of self you may have never discovered before even if you have delved deeply into mindfulness and awareness.

You can purchase her book at Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Re-Create-Celebrate-Steps-Dreams-Reality/dp/1739404416/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?crid=2ODNIL168P03E&keywords=recreate+and+celebrate&qid=1685508665&sprefix=recreate%2Caps%2C264&sr=8-1

She was voted Author Of The Year, Spillwords Press New York 2023.

Her blog The Unique Times is uniquelyfitblogs.com

CHEERS

#art, VALENCIARTIST anuncia: Poetas, escritores y artistas de WordPress – VALENCIARTIST Announces: Poets, Writers and Artists of WordPress

(«El trompetista» de/by Francisco Bravo Cabrera/Derechos Reservados/*All Rights Reserved*)

Si, la trompeta anuncia una nueva sección de nuestro blog/revista de arte VALENCIARTIST. Vamos a presentaros a los poetas, escritores y artistas que hemos conocido a través de nuestros años en WordPress. Comenzamos el lunes 27 de mayo 2024 a las 0600 horas (en Europa occidental).

Si quieres unirte a este grupo, te haremos una breve entrevista y publicaremos una muestra de tu obra y daremos el nombre y el link de tu blog. Avísanos con tu correo electrónico y te mandaremos la información completa.

Comenzaremos con escritores (y poetas) primero y después todos los demás…

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Yes, the trumpet announces a new section of our art blog/magazine VALENCIARTIST. We’re going to introduce you to the poets, writers, and artists we’ve met through our years on WordPress. We start on Monday, May 27, 2024, at 0600 hours (Western Europe time zone).

If you want to join this group, we will conduct a brief interview with you and publish a sample of your work, as well as provide the name and link to your blog. Send us your email and we will reply with the complete information.

We will start the series with the writers (and poets) and later every one else…

#poem, (Esp/Eng) VALENCIARTIST: Algo nuevo, series de poetas y escritores – VALENCIARTIST: Something New, Poets and Writers Series…

(«El trompetista»/*«The Trumpet Player»/*de/by Francisco Bravo Cabrera/Derechos Reservados – *All Rights Reserved*)

Saludos a todos vosotros, compañeros poetas, escritores, artistas, pensadores etcétera etcétera. Hoy damos debut y bienvenida a una interesantísima serie aquí en VALENCIARTIST titulada «Poetas & Escritores», pero en ella caben artistas de todos los géneros.

Día tras día vais a disfrutar del arte de algunos de nuestros favoritos escritores, poetas y artistas de las redes y de la vida fuera de ellas también. Sin censura ni cambios, publicaremos, en sus propias palabras, lo que sienten, porque escriben, y como guían y enfocan su arte y su carrera. Tambien vais a leer muestras de su obra literaria o artística y llegareis a conocerlos mejor. Hay que destacar aquellos que se adentran y buscan adelantar la cultura, sabiendo y reconociendo que la cultura es universal y no tiene fronteras.

Ya tenemos una lista de poetas y escritores interesados que van a participar, pero si tú, si, tú que me estas leyendo, quieres participar también, venga, hazlo que es muy simple. Contesta, a través de este post, y déjame tu correo electrónico. En cortos días te mandaremos un email con toda la información para que puedas participar.

Gracias. espero leer vuestros comentarios y solicitudes, pero sobre todo espero que disfrutéis de esta nueva serie.

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Greetings to all of you, fellow poets, writers, artists, thinkers, and so on and so forth. Today we debut and welcome an incredibly interesting series here on VALENCIARTIST!

Day after day, you will enjoy the art of some of my favourite writers, poets, and artists from the networks and life outside of them as well. Without censorship or changes, we will publish, in their own words, what they feel, why they write, and how they guide and focus their art and career. You will also read/see samples of their literary or artistic work and get to know them better. It is important to highlight those who delve into and seek to advance culture, knowing and recognizing that culture is universal and knows no boundaries.

We already have a list of interested poets and writers who are going to participate. But if you, yes, you reading this, also want to participate, come on, do it because it’s very simple. Reply to this post and leave us your email address. In a few days, we will send you an email with all the information so you too can participate.

Thank you! I hope to read your comments and replies and more than anything I hope you’ll enjoy the series.

GRACIAS – CHEERS

#poem, POETS & WRITERS Series, page #3: Cindy Georgakas

CINDY’S INTERVIEW

1) Who are your major literary/artistic references?

Seat in but, plane, bed, sleep walking, walking outdoors and penning down words, make me a writer. In other words I draw inspiration from my surroundings. Natures gifts continue to awaken me to joy and gratitude. I write about things in my life that give me insight and courage that are often inspired by nature, people and everyday moments. Staying present allows me to feel into what I write and sometimes writes itself.

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CINDY’S POETRY

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CINDY’S BIO

She was voted Author Of The Year, Spillwords Press New York 2023.

Her blog The Unique Times is uniquelyfitblogs.com

CHEERS

#art, VALENCIARTIST anuncia: Poetas, escritores y artistas de WordPress – VALENCIARTIST Announces: Poets, Writers and Artists of WordPress

Comenzaremos con escritores (y poetas) primero y después todos los demás…

+++ +++ +++

We will start the series with the writers (and poets) and later every one else…

#poem, POETS & WRITERS Series, page #3: Cindy Georgakas

CINDY’S INTERVIEW

1) Who are your major literary/artistic references?

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CINDY’S POETRY

+++++++++

CINDY’S BIO

She was voted Author Of The Year, Spillwords Press New York 2023.

Her blog The Unique Times is uniquelyfitblogs.com

CHEERS

#poem, POETS & WRITERS Series, Page #2: Barbara Leonhard

Welcome to page #2 of the POETS & WRITERS Series. This series features some of the outstanding poets, writers and artists of our WP community and of the rest of the world. In their own words they reply to three survey questions and talk about themselves, their history and their trajectory into the future.

Today we feature Barbara Leonhard, editor of Masticadores USA, and this is how she replied to our survey questions:

1) Who are your major literary/artistic references?

It’s difficult to pinpoint all those who have influenced my thinking and writing. It’s interesting that I’ve returned to those whose works I was introduced to in my undergraduate and graduate years. I was profoundly influenced by Carl Jung. His Red Book taught me to journey inside, to go deep into the self. Joseph Campbell’s The Hero with a Thousand Faces taught me about archetypes and mythic figures, all of whom are at the soul of all my writing. Aristotle and Plato have also influenced how I interpret symbols and organize my thoughts.

Many poets have taught me over the years. Emily Dickinson, her mystical lines and slant rhyme. Anne Sexton, her clever, dark, and crafted works. Robert Frost, his attention to format, rhythm, and rhyme. Elizabeth Bishop, her attention to detail and craft. I envy all those who were able to write ancient and modern epics. I’m drawn to humor and noir, so today, Nolcha Fox and John Yamrus influence me. Of course, Shakespeare, Blake, Burns, Herbert, Wordsworth, and other classic poets influence me. I also love poetry from other countries and cultures. Lately, l’ve been reading Palestinian poets. I’m drawn to study those who become poet laureates, such as Joy Harjo, Ada Limón, Ted Kooser, and Walter Bargen. I have also been influenced by Robert Bly, David Whyte, John O’Donahue, and the contemporary wisdom teacher and philosopher Michael Meade, who writes of the powerful interplay of our archetypes and mythic figures in our current lives.

2) What makes you a writer? What do you like to write about? What is your plan for the next five years?

I’m a writer because I’m compelled to explore feelings and tell stories. I started writing poems and stories at age 8. School and work always competed, but I had some publications in college. After I retired in 2017, I’ve had much more time to write, and having learned a great deal in my life, I had more to say, as well.

Currently, I’m the Editor for MasticadoresUSA, which I donate time to, and it’s so much fun. Having also published Three-Penny Memories: A Poetic Memoir (EIF- Experiments in Fiction, 2022), I’m looking for a new project. Nolcha Fox and I have a book releasing sometime this year with Garden of Neuro Publishing. It’s called Too Much Fun to Be Legal, a collection of collaborative noir poems about aging, grief, and loss.

3) Do you write about your life, your feelings/emotions, yourself?

I tend to write memoir poetry, but I also write articles about topics that matter to me, such as measles encephalitis, which almost killed me when I was six going on seven before the MMR (Measles, Mumps, Rubella) vaccine was available. The year I caught measles was the worst outbreak in the U.S. Encephalitis is dangerous brain swelling, which causes paralysis, coma, and death. Surviving measles encephalitis without disability and brain damage is rare. Miraculously, at age 7, I taught myself how to walk again.

I’ve also written about the dangerous effects of diethylstilboestrol (DES), a drug prescribed to pregnant women from 1938 to 1971. This drug harmed the fetuses’ reproductive systems and created cancers later in life. Fortunately, I found a DES specialist who prevented many cancers from developing in my body.

I’ve written about other health topics, such as Alzheimer’s, from the viewpoint of caregiving. My debut poetry collection, Three-Penny Memories: A Poetic Memoir, is about my caregiving for my mother, who had Alzheimer’s. It also covers my DES wounding and her care of me when I had measles encephalitis.

I’ve written some poems about my husband and me which are not sentimental love poems, mostly ironic and humorous with a story line involving events in our lives.

I am also inspired to write poetry about current events, such as the war in Ukraine, the January 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S Capital, the death of George Floyd, the development of artificial intelligence, and other current topics.

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SOMETHING ABOUT BARBARA

Barbara Leonhard’s poetry is curated in various literary magazines and anthologies. She’s also written a best-selling poetry collection Three-Penny Memories: A Poetic Memoir (Experiments in Fiction, 2022), which is about her relationship with her mother, who suffered from Alzheimer’s. Barbara’s poetry has received awards and honors from Well-Versed 2021 and Spillwords Press. She has been nominated twice for the Pushcart Prize. Trending Poets named her Poet of the Year 2023. This year, Barbara and Nolcha Fox will launch a new book, Too Much Fun to Be Legal, with The Garden of Neuro Institute. Barbara is also the Editor for MasticadoresUSA. She lives in Mid-Missouri with her husband and their cat Jasper, who refuses to go on drives to count deer.

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BARBARA’S POETRY

This sample poem is in my book Three-Penny Memories: A Poetic Memoir. In a rogue dream poem, the poet reimagines a tragic outcome. In my case, I reimagined my mother’s death in mythic terms.

Mermother: A Rogue Dream Poem
-After Melanie Figg

I.
Mother sits, her back to me.
How can I see into her eyes,
into her maelstrom of memories,

tossing and turning thoughts,
clouds reflected in vertiginous waves.
Watching for mishaps,

I guide her onto a lifeboat.
“Where do you want me, Hon? Here?”
“Sit there, please.”

She sits elsewhere.
I salvage the bills and pills,
her CPAP for clear and calm dreams.

“Whatever you want, Hon.”
“Not what I want. What you need.”
She removes the mask when I leave.

II.
She slips away into tumbling waves.
Mermother, her stories of elusive coral treasure.
Her travails in Kulilu and Melusina. Rescues

of sailors who solved her riddles. Her songs
with her lover, Trewhella. Her battle with Hecate
to retrieve her pearls.

Suddenly I am her octopus friend.
I gather her in my arms
and swim up for air.

III.
The good days at the mall,
shopping for rings, new handbags,
Alfred Dunner outfits.

Lunch at Panera’s, ice cream
at Café Court and a movie. At Hallmark,
we shop for sympathy cards.

I am spending too much money.
My husband says, “You have to.
She’s your mother.”

IV.
When the storm waves recede,
I find my mermother laid to rest on the shore,
her string of pearls broken.

Her eyes meet mine. I wipe her gills.
Her lips turn blue
and pulse to stillness.

CHEERS

NOTA BENE

This series captures, in their own words, the thoughts, feelings and poetry of the main protagonists, the writers and poets participating. We do not edit, censure or change anything. Their poetry and images belong to the respective authors supplying them for this purpose and cannot be copied or used in any way without the expressed, written permission of the owners.

If you, yes, you, the one reading this now, would like to participate, wonderful, we would love to have you. All you have to do is reply to this posting with your email address and we will send you the information.

#art, VALENCIARTIST anuncia: Poetas, escritores y artistas de WordPress – VALENCIARTIST Announces: Poets, Writers and Artists of WordPress

Comenzaremos con escritores (y poetas) primero y después todos los demás…

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We will start the series with the writers (and poets) and later every one else…