Busy at Brainripples

Greetings all: time for a little update on Jade Blackwater’s corner of the world.  Photos, notes, sketches, and ideas all pile up, but time just slips right past.  The June Solstice is a mere 10 days away!

Spring has had three main foci for me: garden, writing, and home.  As many of you know I am recently resettled in my home in the forests of Kitsap County, Washington; after nearly four years away, there’s a lot of work to be done.

The garden (i.e. the food supply) has been an important part of my springtime work, and I am pleased to say that small harvests of greens, herbs, fruits, and other cold-weather veggies are finally back on my table.  Pumpkins, corn, beans, melons, and other warm-weather crops are now in the ground.

My writing, while subdued, is slowly reemerging with the restoration of my personal creative studio and the return to my writing routines.  In addition, I’ve teamed up with Anita Marie Moscoso of Owl Creek Bridge to create the Pacific Northwest Pennwriters Chapter.  More on that ahead!

At the house, there are repairs and improvements to be made.  Mousies, bats, birds, insects, snakes, squirrels, and other beasties have all taken advantage of my absence.  Their slow, careful extrication is a part of chores like painting, sealing, cleaning, and clearing.  Gotta love forest life!

Speaking of forests, I am excited to share that Nalini Nadkarni’s book Between Earth and Sky: Our Intimate Connections to Trees was selected among the Best Spiritual Books of 2008.  If you haven’t found time to pick up this book, I hope you’ll add it to your reading list this season for a little green inspiration!

My projects this summer will include more of garden, writing, and home, hopefully with extra emphasis on the writing.  Now that I’m nearly settled I can tackle the hairy, scary task of sifting through several boxes of writing notes from the past five (ok, 10) years, and putting those ideas to work.  I’ll let you know when I find something good.

Until then, enjoy a hot, bittersweet cup of inspiration!

Monday Morning Muse

 

Greetings folks, and Happy 2009! I don’t know about you, but 2008 was one long, long year for me, and I am pleased to say “good riddance,” “so long, and thanks for all the fish,” “see ya later alligator,” and any other phrases of dismissal and departure, polite and otherwise, which might come to mind.

Barring any new and unexpected changes in plans (which in my life seem to be the norm) you can count on a return to regular blogging on the subjects of writing, art, and creativity here at Brainripples.

First up, I’ll be sharing a little update on my projects and goals, and then I plan to resume some of the regular features starting with Feature Artist Interviews.

 

May your year be inspired, creative, and productive!

Nalini Nadkarni tackles trees and people on NPR Morning Edition

Visit NPR.org to listen to an interview by Robert Krulwich with author and forest biologist Dr. Nalini Nadkarni:

“Going Out On A Limb With A Tree-Person Ratio”
Krulwich on Science by Robert Krulwich.  Morning Edition, November 12, 2008

In her new book Between Earth and Sky: Our Intimate Connections to Trees (University of California Press, July 2008), Nalini Nadkarni explores the many subtle and extraordinary ways that people rely on trees for the products they yield, the imagery they invoke, and the ecosystems they support.

It was my distinct pleasure to support Nalini Nadkarni in the creation of this book. You’ll hear me chime in with a few words in the middle of this NPR broadcast.

Tree Stories

Seeking inspiration?  Talk to a tree.  The Festival of the Trees 28 will be hosted at Arboreality on October 1, and I would like to share a little “art and arboreality”.

Many of us have specific, personal stories about a tree or forest from our lives. Blogging is a great medium for short story-telling, so that’s what I encourage this month: photoblog, videoblog, break out the crayons, sing a song, write a poem, whatever moves you: tell us a story about a tree or forest from your life. Or make one up. Or do something even cooler. (And then send me the link.)

Submission deadline is Saturday, September 27, 2008.  Submit your blog posts to me via email at jadeblackwater [at] brainripples [dot] com, or use the blog carnival submission form.  Spread the word: please feel welcome to invite others to participate!

To volunteer to host an upcoming issue, visit The Festival of the Trees coordinating blog.

Another month, another muse

Greetings from sunny, southern California.  Blogging will be light until the autumn while I travel, but I will be sure to stop in from time to time and share ideas, bits of inspiration, and new opportunities.  Currently I’m looking for open mic nights for poets in the Santa Barbara area… I’ll let you know what I find.

Happy Creating!

West Coast Inspiration

Greetings from the Emerald City!  I am settling in to the Pacific Northwest after enjoying a most excellent roadtrip from Philadelphia to Seattle.  I will resume blogging in June with a post frequency of 1 – 2 times per week on each blog: AppleJade, Arboreality, and Brainripples.

At Brainripples we will be sharing methods of creative exploration, successful approaches to working independently, and unique perspectives from featured artists.

At AppleJade we will be discussing healthy, happy lifestyle through attitude, gardening, cooking, and simple, green living.

At Arboreality we will be exploring the woods of Western Washington and other localities within reasonable driving distance.

You will also find me blogging at the Pennwriters Area 6 HQ, a new blog created as a resource for writers living in and around southeastern Pennsylvania.  I will be blogging with other Pennwriters about local news, events, information, and of course – writers!

If you are a writer in the Puget Sound Area (Seattle, Tacoma, Olympia, Kitsap Peninsula, Bellingham) and would like to join my newly forming Seattle Pennwriters Critique Groups, please contact me for more information.

More to follow!

PS – Today’s image of the Yellowstone River in Montana was taken on our road trip at the end of April.  Cold and beautiful!

PPS – Please bear with me as I acclimate to the new WordPress interface, and please let me know when things don’t look *quite right*.