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Friday, June 24, 2016

Make this work!

I'm gonna try changing the color.

Doing this AFTER the stuff is typed.



I'm dubious.

blah blah blah

Huh. It worked.

sweet

Tuesday, June 21, 2016

Book Bucks!

This is a good way to shake up a Tuesday:


"  Your Credit from the Apple eBooks
    Antitrust Settlement Is Ready to Use  "

Sweet.  An Amazon credit?

I'll be right book!

err.... Back!

xo
sash

Sunday, June 19, 2016

Pride - a WIP

Text from the Rev  "Do we have some rainbow fabric that we could loan to Rose City Park Presbyterian for Sunday?"

Obviously the question was about the loaning cause you KNOW we have rainbows.

Take all of it.   Represent!  I'll bring rainbows from home for the Bridgeport sanctuary.

I wish this quilt was finished.  It's close - pieced, sandwiched, & mostly quilted. Just a few more seams & a binding

Then again, maybe it's ok the way it is?  Beautiful.  Vibrant.  Incomplete.

Artistic vision realized (with work still to come).

Over time, without the rest of the quilting, the quilt would get all lumpy.  Some places would be thin & unsupported.  Other places would be thick & bunch up - putting strain on the whole piece.

And binding.  That's the worst part of quilting.  I like designing, picking fabric, piecing it together.  Binding is like hemming jeans or patching socks.  Boring.

But without wrapping this thing up & taking care of the edges, the seams that hold the beautiful pieces together will ravel.  The whole piece will be weak. Water & dirt will get into the rainbow & my creation will sour & rot from the inside.
Block 04854

(I'm not into subtle metaphors.)

  
Like The Names Project, quilt as metaphor in the queer community isn't about subtle.  Giving names & faces to those lost.  Laying all those feels out there for those who thought their lives were complete separate from homosexuality.  


Quilts may be soft & comforting, but a 54-TON Quilt is not subtle.




So I proudly place my WIP* on the altar: 

I'm really pleased with this quilt top.  PROUD of it, in fact.

It's important to feel PRIDE.  About who we are.  About all that we've done.

Then it's important to remember that this is a work in process.
  • For the dark spaces like Orlando.  
  • For the vulnerable edges like our transgender brothers & sisters.  
  • For those seams that aren't yet reinforced & secure like our queer children & youth.  
  • And for all of us - feeling safe & strong in the center of this beautiful patchwork - to guard against clumping ourselves up, lumping others away from us, & allowing the dirt & damp of prejudice & complacency to rot away at the center of our rainbow.
Happy Pride!  Have Fun!  Be Safe!  Be Bold!

Then let's get to work.  Writing letters, Reaching out to those on the edges, Fighting for our kids, Evening out the lumps & bumps that distort our center. 

We have built something beautiful & our work is not yet done.

xoxo
auntie sash

Hey - I see you.  I love you.  I need you to stick around.


Wednesday, June 1, 2016

Ghosts of Writers Future?

There is a bizarre juxtaposition between the ephemeral nature of mankind & the vast lifespan of the written word.  Or even, in modern times, the data-entered word.

I'm accustomed to the Linked-In invites from friends who were probably not aware of being linked-in even before passing away & who are certainly not, at this point, requesting my connection.

I'm comforted by revisiting a blog or facebook account,  looking at photos, & reading comments from other bereaved friends.

I'm a little surprised, I must admit, when my "New Books By Authors You've Read" list from Goodreads is dotted with new releases from authors who are dead.  It's sorta amazing to me.  I've never finished writing one book, & these people are still creating from beyond the pale???

OK - I'm going to set that aside for now & get on with the books.  Some exciting stuff from authors (living & not-so-much) coming out this month.

From the vault of Terry Pratchett




This is the 5th & final book in The Long Earth series.  It's supposed to ask (& maybe answer) questions about  The Nature of Things (note the capital letters).

I'm more addicted to the Discworld series (rumor says there's another Tiffany Achin book in that vault) but perhaps this finale will inspire me to reread the whole Long Earth series.







From Stephanie Perkins (of Anna & the French Kiss, etc) there is an anthology of YA short stories. Check this out:


Doesn't it just call out for a porch swing & some sweet tea?







From Sci-fi to YA - how about some magic?  From Charlie N. Holmberg (Paper Magician Trilogy) there will be a new (stand alone?) released on June 28th. 


This looks delightful (that cover is so pretty) & engaging.  Another good summer read!






There are also new releases in June from

AND, returning to the less corporeal authors releasing books this month, a new book from Franklin L. Dixon. Yeah - you read that right.  Those Hardy Boys are at it again!  And yeah - I know it's a pen name that has been passed along for generations now.  It's still just a little weird & disconcerting to have Frank & Joe show up on my newsfeed. 


It's not going on my summer reading list, but for sentimental reasons, here it is: 


So many nights reading Nancy Drew 
(then the Hardy boys & the Bobbsey Twins).
So many pictures of Parker Stevenson cut
from Tiger Beat magazine.

(Shaun Cassidy just never did it for me). 




What new (or old) releases are on beside your lounge chair this summer?  For more ideas, check out the upcoming releases page at Powell's or Goodreads.

Maybe instead of being disoriented by books from the dead, I'll just be reassured knowing that, if the authors never stop publishing, I'll never run out of books to read!

Happy Reading,
sash