“Even if only the people in your writing group read your memoirs or stories or novel, even if you only wrote your story so that one day your children would know what life was like when you were a child and you knew the name of every dog in town – still, to have written your version is a honorable thing to have done. Against all odds, you have put it down on paper, so that it won’t be lost. And who knows? Maybe what you’ve written will help others, will be a small part of the solution. You don’t even have to know how or in what way, but if you are writing the clearest, truest words you can find…this will shine on paper like its own little lighthouse. Lighthouses don’t go running all over an island looking for boats to save; they just stand there shining.”
Annie Lamott

This comforts me to no end.
I have been working through some snags with this site. My apologies to you, my trusted readers, for being silent and out of touch.
My friend Maria Sirois sends out inspirational quotes and this one aided me in keeping my paddle in the water.

Last week was our April break. I just had to let things go with my writing work and spend the days with fingers knit in to my daughters’ as we walked the streets of Manhattan, then explored a handful of college campuses with my son and husband. Catherine and I played with a new movie app, Super 8, on our phones. I will share the results, once I figure out the details on that one.
So, til things are no longer buggy, I give you Anne Lamott and this:

I am here being my note. Laundry Line Divine is becoming a place that I too turn to for solace, inspiration and insight. The very act of preparing posts for you to enjoy, of culling the jewels from these brilliant days and offering them to you urges me to stay open, loose and ready to express.

Be Your Note

Remember the lips where wind-breath
originated, and let your note be clear.

Don’t try to end it.
Be your note.

I’ll show you how it’s enough.
Go up on the roof at night
in this city of the soul.

Let everyone climb on their roofs
and sing their notes.

Sing loud!

Rumi

Whenever you don’t find me here on the Line, head over to my Face book page. I post things there daily. And, if you are feeling very adventurous, my Tumblr page or Pinterest page are places where I play visually on the web. Or, just look for me out back in my garden.

Love and doodles,
S

Jaq Belcher

Access Point 2012
hand cut paper, 5,071 cuts
42″ x 42″ framed

“The most regretful people on Earth are those who felt the call to creative work, who felt their own creative power restive and uprising, and gave to it neither power nor time.”

Mary Oliver

I have quite a mouthful to say about time and being creative.

But, being Friday evening with dinner and all the rest is at bay, I give you this immensely beautiful creation by my friend Jaq Belcher.
Jaq is a paper sculptor. She does things with paper I never imagined.

Here is where you can find her work.

Here is where her work will be exhibited in New York City with an opening on May 10.

And here, on the Laundry Line is where you can be assured that whether a doodle or a paper cut like this, your individual expression is important in the world and worth the time it takes to create.

This is what my friend Lissa Rankin, who posts messages like this one from ‘Your Inner Pilot Light’ on Face book. Lissa is celebrating three years since a major career change and big shift in her life choices. You can see her blog post about the celebration here. Lissa’s ‘Out’ post is here.

Why is it that we so often prioritize work and trivialize creative expression? How long has it been since you’ve written in your journal, pulled out the watercolors, made candles out of beeswax, created jewelry, knitted a sweater, made a scrapbook, or decorated a table with fall leaves? When you create, you give me an opportunity to come out and play. And here’s the secret most don’t understand.When you let me come out and play, your work reflects how awesome I am and it all comes full circle. All work and no play makes me dim my light.

The planet is counting you shining your light. 
Brightly. 
I send you all my love for this coming weekend.
Now, about dinner, 
S

P.S. I retrieved this post from the jumble that happened when I switched servers. This was originally posted on April 27. Whatever we had for dinner must have been good or at least passable. Tonight we are having these beans from my dear Janet. They have become my Monday meal. I must tell you a funny story about Jonathan and those very beans. xo S

My head is spinning from this week of the Berkshire Festival of Women Writers. When I first contemplated the events I wanted to attend back in February when I got hold of the booklet, I did not imagine the amount of inspiration I would take in every week. I have been on a diet of elevated inspiration delivered by the Festival and all the women participating for this entire month.

It is a blur.
My writing journal is full of quotes.

In an effort to share this week of wonderment with you, I will offer you a few photos with accompanying thoughts. And, a preview of the week ahead.

Sunday, March 18. Saw 2 Movies. Sarabah and Granito: How To Nail a Dictator.
I met Pamela Yates, director of Granito. She said, “When the hand of destiny touches you, you have to act.” and Ricky Bernstein of the Berkshire Human Rights Speaker Series said of the Festival and these two movies, “we begin to see the immense scope of contribution women make every day”.

Tuesday March 20 I was at IWOWWOW (in words, out words, women’s own words) an evening of live spoken words at Deb Koffman’s studio in Housatonic. 20 women shared for five minutes each- poems, songs, stories and one report from a naturalist. It was an evening of high energy; the full house applauded all 20 women warmly. I read a segment of Laundry Line Divine: A Wild Soul Book for Mothers. The evening was full of lush descriptions of love, loss and living, rich with phrases like Pooja Karina’s “ love is something that must be spent, a currency that is liquid in your hands” and Caroline Forsman’s “an intimate intense purpose” (describing a trip to her dentist).

I took off Wednesday and Thursday. Life at home beckoned. Then Friday, JNB and I attended “A Woman’s Work” at the Unicorn Theatre. It was an evening of women’s stories and excerpts from 3 plays. We were completely taken by Lisa and Fran Mandeville’s music. Listen to them sing ‘Little Bird’ here.

Then Saturday, I trekked up to North Adams for a day of ‘exploratory letterpress’ with Melanie Mowinski. I have worked with Melanie before and had a vision to create a piece of art to commemorate ‘Out of the Mouths of Babes’ to use as a give-away for this week’s drawing. (which you can register for my subscribing to this website) Here is Melanie.
I had a blast. Letterpress is an antique art being revived by printer makers and mixed media artists. PRESS is a public art installation, which offers workshops, classes and exhibitions of area letterpress artwork and visiting shows.

Plus, while I was in North Adams, I visited Gallery 51 to see The Mother Tree by Helen Heiburt. The show was curated by Melanie and features the artwork of three paper artists. Follow the link if you would like to learn more. Let it rest here with these words, there are an abundance of ways for women to describe their journeys as mothers and I am thrilled every time I witness one. Absolutely thrilled.

Which brings me to this week.

You can see my dear Michelle Gillett’s poem set in letterpress type at PRESS’ new show that opens this Thursday. Two of the pieces I created will be in the show too.
Michelle, who graced our March 2 event with her words and perspective as the mother of 2 adult daughters, is a poet who inspires readers of all ages. One of my favorite frames of ‘Out of the Mouths of Babes: An Evening of Mothers Reading to Others’ was Michelle’s thoughtful responses to audience questions. She is a great listener. Michelle and I were guests on Radio2Women earlier that week and I loved talking on the air with Michelle who beamed the whole time like a lighthouse of joy.
And, I also love working out with Michelle, but that is another story.

Michelle Gillett and Gina Hyams by Christina Rahr Lane

Also this week, Hester Velmans is appearing in a talk about self-publishing. Hester is a Berkshire author whose experience as an author, mother and daughter of an author are captured perfectly in this interview with Serene Mastriani and Susie Weekes on Radio2Women. Hester’s blog post is here as part of the ‘Out of the Mouths of Babes’ series.

Is your head spinning now too?
The only thing I can offer you is to snuggle up with a copy of Alana’s cookbook and dream about making your own potato chips. You can register to win a signed copy of this beautiful new book by subscribing to the Laundry Line. Other gifts to be won are two limited edition letterpress prints of my commemorative art created at PRESS. Or five of you could win the brownie recipe by Janet Reich Elsbach and a souvenir program from our March 2 event.

Okay. I am going to get a cool compress and lay down for a while. All this inspiration is making me dizzy.

Thanks for being here.
If you like please:
Read Hester.
Listen to Lisa.
Visit Melanie.
Register for the drawing, which will take place next Saturday, March 31.

Nightnight.
Love,
S

PS This week you can expect guest blog posts from this outstanding line-up of mother/authors.

Kathy Drue
Susan Hajec
Leah Strimbeck
Linda Wisneiwski
Sharon Pywell
Ali Smith

You could probably do a nice bit of analysis of my historic doodles. In high school I was forever illustrating my journals and notebooks with that hilly sort of vista that has a sunburst at the cleft of the furthest mountain. In college I doodled dahlias or some other many petaled blossom that I could make bigger and bigger. I illustrated a whole theater playbill like that. It was very pen and papery. I loved it. I think I was in the minority. I have gone through doodling hearts, single blossoms, squares in perspective, block letters. How about you?

Now I get urged by one of my heros- Paulus Berensohn to doodle. Look what he did for his pal Mary Oliver’s book cover. That gorgeous leaf and emanating design is Paulus’ doodle! Get out our pen and let yourself doodle while you are on the phone. My friend makes the most amazing doodles when she is on the phone. She uses her intricate drawings with words in her collages. Doodling is a very gentle way of letting your inner artist play for a while. Doodling is noodling- really healthy brain time while your awareness is elsewhere. A phone is not required to doodle. Take a leap and just doodle. No agenda, just time with you and your paper. For me, doing it while I am on the phone takes the weight off. Otherwise if I have a pen and paper I must be drawing.

Last September I was with Paulus for an artist’s retreat on the Cape. He talked about the value of letting your self go with doodling, just to see what happens. Lately, while I am on the phone and resisting dusting or folding wash, I let my subconscious have a ride on my pen. The page below is the result of a weekly call I do on Wednesdays. I am intrigued now to see how all those spirals fit together.

Pix of Paulus

http://www.flickr.com/photos/louis_z_bickett_ii/sets/72157606697343733/

Interview with Paulus

http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=520614

Last weekend in Michigan I had my Moleskin Travel Journal with me.

My friend Paige Orloff from “The Sister Project” www.paigeorloff.com asked this morning how we collect images and ideas. Here is how I do is these days.

I have stacks of small sketchbooks that I have carried in my purse for years. They started with little lined notebooks, switched over to plain small drawing pads for my kids to doodle in during church or for me to quickly sketch something that caught my eye and now- I have a Travel Sketchbook, a pad in my purse for us all to use and a pile of other artist journals for various reasons.

I am a different sort of documentary maker.

“Like a beachcomber, a collector, or a scavenger wandering among ruins, the assembler discovers order as well as materials by accident.”

this is from the book Assemblage Wm. Chapin Seitz published in 1961

Here is a little slide show XO S