".... an oddly pleasant sense of anticipation."

     I have just discovered the writer Joyce Maynard. Not at all sure how I missed her. I have always been partial to reading native New Hampshire writers, but I was just introduced to her work by a mutual friend last week. A used copy of the good daughters (HarperCollins, 2010) arrived while I was out last night. A novel set in NH about women growing up I was anxious to delve in and did so this morning.
     On just page four I was struck so much by the closing paragraph I just had to share it;

"One thing about a hurricane: it turns everything upside down. You never know how things will be once the wind dies down. All you know for sure: the world will look different tomorrow. And perhaps it is  a sign of some restlessness in his nature, or more that that even, a hunger for something not yet found, that Edwin Plank heads out into the wild night with his heart beating fast. Life on this patch of earth could be totally different in the morning."


     I hope to spend the day tomorrow curled up with this book, maybe with my first fire of the season to light the room, while Angry Irene batters my doors and windows. I trust it will be a worthy diversion as I am already enthralled. Stay safe everybody.

Published last week in Seacoast Scene with photos;

Community Radio

By Tammi J Truax

     Did you know that you have your own radio station? Yes, it is yours. Portsmouth Community Radio, called WSCA 106.1, on the FM dial.

     Chances are you didn’t know it and haven’t been listening. Most radio listeners still choose commercial radio most of the time, and WSCA is a low power (LP) station that can’t be heard in some places, though anyone can stream it live on the computer by visiting the station’s web site.

     Portsmouth Community Radio got its start in 2000 when signs were posted around town announcing a meeting to discuss applying for a low power FM license due largely to the vision and efforts of Tim Stone who is still involved, and Jay Gardner, who sadly passed away before the station went on air, but to whom the station has been dedicated. WSCA 106.1 FM Portsmouth went on the air on September 12, 2004, after much work and a major “barn-raising”, and has since been broadcasting an eclectic mix of music, public affairs, arts, and cultural programming around the clock. It continues to grow and change, sometimes struggling, sometimes flourishing. Everyone is welcome to participate in whatever way best suits them.

     So what is a community radio station? Yours is a completely volunteer operated, non-profit and listener supported radio station offering diverse programming that is largely locally produced. (In the interest of full disclosure: I am co-producer of a show called Seacoast Journal.) Because the shows are created and carried out by locals who step up to offer them they reflect a wide variety of interests and orientations as does our general population thus it is a mixed format radio station. One listen will not be indicative of what you will always hear. The only thing you can be sure of is that you will not hear what you will always hear on mainstream commercial radio. Sometimes the surprises are amazing. I have heard some fantastic programming coming out of the little studio in an old factory building on Islington Street. Some of the volunteer DJ’s offer music programming of course. There has been everything offered from opera to heavy metal, as well as a nice emphasis on promoting local music. But in an unexpected evolution, many of the shows that have been offered is public affairs programming. That would include all sorts of talk radio from food to politics as well as local news. Station founder Tim Stone says that the locally produced public affairs programming found on WSCA is “the real richness” of the station, and he is proud that the station offers more of it than even NHPR.

     That type of home-grown journalism is not the only benefit to community radio stations. Said Policy Director of the Prometheus Radio Project of Philadelphia, PA, “Low-power stations save lives during emergencies, like WQRZ(LP) in Bay St. Louis, Miss., did in Hurricane Katrina, or KYGT(LP) did during a 2003 snowstorm in Idaho Springs, Colo. They give voice to underserved groups, like the Hmong community programs on KRBS(LP) in Oroville, Calif., or the disability community show on WSCA(LP) in Portsmouth, N.H. And they bring young people to the art of radio, like the “at-risk” youth on KKDS(LP) in Eureka, Calif., or the Radio Palante teen programmers on WCOM(LP) in Carrboro, N.C.”

     A specific example of that would be the recent broadcast on the aforementioned WSCA show called “Don’t Dis my Abilities” created and co-produced by Ronnie Tomanio who reported;

     “I had sent out a request through my network of friends that our show was looking for a poet who could express what it was like living with a disability. On a Tuesday in March 13-year-old Cheyenne Gemma, of Raymond, came to the radio station with her entourage of grandparents and a speech pathologist. We were told ahead of time that she did not like people talking for her, over her and about her. She made it known that she had a voice, even though it came through an electronic communicator, and she knew how to use it — thank you very much!

      Here is Cheyenne in her own words:

Question: How do you feel not being able to speak?

Cheyenne: Who knows what it feels like not to talk? Shut out of the world, and all alone. Not being able to share your thoughts, only listening to others talk about you. I want to cry and tell them how they hurt me. Words are wonderful; they should make me feel alive. I want to tell everyone how they make me feel.”

     That is the heart of a community radio station and yours is one of only about eight hundred in the country. It is participatory, and it gives a voice to the community. As in the above case, literally hours of work goes into producing the few minutes of words (or music) that make it on the air, but are carried out because every voice deserves to be heard. It really is your station. Give it a listen, or better yet get involved.

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.

The second time I have had to write an obituary;

Dr. Hugh A. Harter, Retired Professor Emeritus, Author and Translator

     Hugh A. Harter, of Portsmouth, NH, died Saturday afternoon August 13, 2011 at his home with the peaceful pull of the Piscataqua River outside his window to lull his passing.

     Professor Harter was born in Columbus Ohio in December of 1922, and raised there by his parents, Anthony and Georgiana (Hayes) Harter.  He received his BA cum laude in 1947 and PhD in 1959 from Ohio State University, an MA cum laude from Mexico City College, the University of the Americas in 1951 and a Doctor of Letters degree from Alma College. The latter honoring his innovations in international education. He began his teaching career while still a student himself.  He was the Andrew Mellon postdoctoral fellow at the University of Pittsburgh in 1960 and 1961. He also taught at Wesleyan University, Elmira College, Chatham College and Loyola University before becoming a professor at Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware where he taught from 1966 until 1984. For many of those years he served as chairman of the department of romance languages. He was also the Robert Hayward professor of modern foreign languages from 1976 to 1984. He found time to teach abroad including at the University Catolica de Santa Maria, Arequipa, Peru in 1969 and as director of academy program in Segovia, Spain from 1969-1998, serving as the director of the International Institute of Spain, where he was named professor emeritus. He lived in Segovia for years and in 1976 was made an Honorary Citizen of the city. He also taught and conducted research in Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia.

     Professor Harter was an author in several genres and several languages and became known internationally as a scholar of Spanish and French literature. He was particularly renowned for his translations of Nobel Prize winning Spanish poets. His bilingual editions of major poetical works, Shadow of Paradise and The Diary of a Newlywed Poet by Nobel Laureate Vicete Aleixandre and Juan Ramon Jimenez are widely recognized as masterful. He translated seven novels from the French. The books he authored include Gertrudis Gomez de Avellaneda, Tangier and All That, and more recently, Return to Patton's France, 1944's Odyssey Retraced, The Countess, which he called “a satirical novel in verse.” His most recent, a book of poetry called Flying With Nightingales was published in 2009. He co-authored and edited many other books.

     His distinguished career in education and literature was disrupted only once, for his service in World War II with the Military Intelligence 3d Army at Normandy and then the Air Transport Command. He was the recipient of medals of St. Calais, Vendome, Blois, Dombasle, Utah Beach, Avranches, and Ouzouer, as well as the medaille d'Honneur of Confedn. Europeene des Anciens Combattants, and many other awards. Hugh wrote extensively about his war experiences which affected him deeply, and returned to France for the dedication of Avenue Hugh Harter. He was also a business man, a visual artist, and an art collector. He created an original holiday card every year that he sent out to all of his loved ones, and his watercolors illustrated his favorite book, The Countess.

     Hugh would say his greatest achievement was winning the heart of his beloved wife Frances who predeceased him in 2006. Fran and Hugh traveled extensively but lived many years in New York City before retiring in Portsmouth, New Hampshire in 2003, where he will be missed by many. He was predeceased by a sister. He is survived by his step-children and their families, and his many dear friends.

     Services will be held Wednesday at 1 PM at Finnerty and Stevens Funeral Home at Great Barrington, Massachusetts, where Hugh will be buried next to Fran. A memorial service will be held in Portsmouth, NH at a later date.

Waves

Here when the wind dies,

The silence grows,

Ponderous and bold,

Like growing old,

As the sunset dims

And the sea turns gold

And the silence drifts

Towards us,

Thunderous and bold,

And the waves come lapping,

Lapping, lapping at the shore.

—HUGH A. HARTER,

A Writer’s Life

A Writer’s Life

Published recently in Seacoast Scene

Remembering President George Washington on the Fourth of July

By Tammi J Truax

     Ogling old houses is a Portsmouth pastime. It is our way of remembering and respecting our history. Locals love to do it, and visitors come from far and wide to join us. Most folks know of Strawbery Banke, our living history museum, with its many restored houses. Nearby are two that are sometimes mistaken as being part of Strawbery Banke, or overlooked altogether. I had never been inside either one until last week, and I don’t want you to make the same mistake.

     They are the Wentworth-Gardner and Tobias Lear houses, adjacent properties on Mechanic and Hunking Streets in Portsmouth’s historic south end. They are among the most important houses to the region both architecturally and historically, and both are in the National Register of Historic Places. Both just happen to have links to our first president, General George Washington. Though quite different from each other both are examples of classic Georgian architecture from the mid-1700’s. Both are well known for hand carved (from local pine) woodwork and other original building features. Local woodworker and board member Allen Breed describes just one of the special features, “It’s hard for a visitor to miss the spectacular spiral openwork newel post at the base of the ornate stairway that fills the front hallway of the Wentworth-Gardner house. This post is one of the jewels in the outstanding interior ornamentation of the house, and considerable time was invested in its construction as an ostentatious statement of the owner’s wealth.”

      Built first, in 1740 (when Washington was an eight year old boy), is the Tobias Lear house on Hunking Street. It is a hip-roofed colonial and appears much more modest than the stately Wentworth-Gardner though it is considered a mansion due to its size. There are eight original fireplaces. It was in the front parlor of this house that President George Washington visited his secretary’s mother, Madame Mary Lear, in 1789, where he was served tea while the colonial version of paparazzi gathered in the lane outside.

     The Wentworth-Gardner house, built in 1760, gets a great deal more attention, presiding majestically over the back channel as she always has. Originally built as a wedding gift for Thomas Wentworth and his wife Ann Tasker from Marblehead, no expense was spared in its creation, and in fact the house was meant to exhibit the wealth of the well-known Wentworth family. Its two massive chimneys have ten fireplaces, most decorated with hand-painted tiles. The kitchen has a cooking chimney with a beehive oven and built in fan and roasting spit. The third owner of the house was William Gardner, who had been a major in the revolution and worked in Washington’s administration.

     When the surrounding neighborhood known as Puddledock went into its lengthy period of decline both houses did too, but escaped serious damage even when rented out as tenant homes. Almost one hundred years ago both were owned for a time by the well known photographer Wallace Nutting, who was instrumental in their restoration. He sold the Wentworth-Gardner house to the NY Metropolitan Museum who owned it for decades with the intention of moving it to Central Park. In time both houses were purchased by the Wentworth-Gardner and Tobias Lear Houses Association, a non-profit organization formed in 1940 that still manages the homes, as well as the sail loft, an eighteenth century warehouse, that is one of the few remaining buildings of its type in the area. For a long time it operated as a sail maker’s shop.

     The association seeks new members, as well as volunteers to serve on the board or in helping to maintain and preserve the homes.

     Both houses are open to the public for tours until October, Wednesday through Sunday from 12 to 4 PM. Drop in for a tour or attend any of the following special events open to all;

Photography Show 6/15-10/16: featuring works by Wallace Nutting, Geneve Hoffman, and Philip Case Cohen.

Inspired Creations Show 6/26-8/8: Annual art show opens with a fresh selection of artwork created by talented artists and craftspeople and inspired by the Wentworth-Gardner House.

Member & Neighbor Picnic 7/17: Bring a picnic lunch and your family, sit by the river, and enjoy yourselves.

Twilight Tour 8/10: Visit seven historic houses in Portsmouth and enjoy seeing them in a new light. Houses on the tour include the Gov. John Langdon House, Rundlet-May House, John Paul Jones House, Warner House, Moffatt-Ladd House and Wentworth-Gardner and Tobias Lear Houses.

Fairy House Weekend 9/18 & 19: Favored annual event in the south end, see fairy creations around the houses, warehouse, and yards. Bring your own fairy house to add to the gardens!

For more info visit www.wentworthgardnerandlear.org.

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My column;

Sharon Jones: 'I thank God that I have the music' | SeacoastOnline.com

Half done?

Passed the 25,000 word count on my book this morning!

In Seacoast Scene this week;

“Now … bring me that horizon.” ~  Captain Jack Sparrow

By Tammi J Truax

   I’ve been hesitant to write this article. Part of me does not want to turn anyone else on to kayaking on the Seacoast. Selfishly I would like to keep the waterways to myself. The peacefulness of kayaking, what some call the yoga of kayaking, is what drew me to it in the first place. The sensation of becoming one with the water you are riding is a joy, and the quiet one can find on the water to observe wildlife undisturbed always feels healing to me.

      Here on the Seacoast we are most fortunate to be able to try just about every kind of kayaking there is; ocean and river, fast or slow, and from an easy calm water paddle all the way through death defying ocean treks. There is a little something for every one of all ages within the sport of kayaking. While a hot trend the last few years, the kayak is actually an ancient vessel first developed by the natives of the arctic regions of Asia, North America, and Greenland, who perfected the design of the boat as well as “the Eskimo roll”. I read that the husband in each family built the kayak specifically to fit his body using drift wood and bones, while the wife sewed the hides and coated them with animal fat that finished it off. The early boats used seal bladders filled with air to make them buoyant and almost unsinkable. These speedy little boats were well suited for hunting seals and walruses in the frigid arctic waters. In fact, the word kayak means "hunter's boat."

     Eventually, tales of their efficiency reached Europe. Before long Europeans began riding down rivers in kayaks for sport. These countries have many mountain ranges, and the rivers that plunge out of the rocky slopes offer challenging rapids. In 1924 kayaking became an Olympic sport. Kayaking has been a rapidly growing recreational sport in the USA for more than a decade.

     A kayak is a light and narrow one or two person boat one rides facing forward and maneuvers using a double paddle. This is really quite different from canoeing in a number of ways. The shape makes them fast. It also allows the adventurous to do some pretty neat tricks. The kayaker is often sealed into their seat using a skirt which allows wave riding. One can fish from a kayak though storage is limited. Sails can also be attached to them. The competitive can race.

     Among the most popular destinations for kayaking in our region are; Chauncey Creek, the Exeter River, the Lamprey River, Odiorne Point and Great Bay.

     But before you acquire a kayak and venture out on your own you should take the time to learn a few things. Read a good book of introduction, and take a lesson from an experienced kayaker. Lessons are not hard to find around here. Two noteworthy outfits offer lessons for all levels, as well as children’s summer camps. They are Portsmouth Kayak on Wentworth Road in Portsmouth and Plum Island Kayak in Newburyport. Both group and private lessons are available. The YMCA in Portsmouth sometimes offers affordable clinics in the pool which teach all of the basic safety skills needed. EMS offers an excellent array of classes, but seldom in our area.

     Once you understand the basics of kayaking, try out a few different types in several different conditions and places. That is the best way to learn what your personal style of paddling is and what your physical endurance is. One of the best ways to try a few things out is to take a group tour with a rented kayak. Both of the aforementioned businesses offer some wonderful tour options from full moon paddles to seal spotting tours, all the way up to fishing expeditions and Isles of Shoals excursions. The Discovery Center in Stratham offers some very popular educational tours on Great Bay including family paddles. For adults there is a Meet-up group of 850 members called NE Seacoast Paddlers who plan regular group outings that are outlined on their website. Again there are tours suitable for everyone, and having an experienced guide is invaluable.

     Once you have found your style and preferences and have committed to the sport only then is it a good time to buy your own boat. I made the mistake of buying my kayak too soon, and now I need to replace it with something more suitable to my needs. Remember that end-of-season sales can be big money savers. Kayaks are now available in every price range from a simple inflatable version to a hand-crafted wooden masterpiece.

     A few final points to remember; never go out alone, always tell someone where you are going, and always wear a PFD. Couldn’t hurt to remember a local joke too – What do fishermen call kayakers? … Speed bumps. Always boat responsibly.

Food for thought;

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/24/books/review/why-writers-belong-in-prison.html?_r=3&nl=books&emc=booksupdateemb3&pagewanted=all

The Gift Writers Give

It has been much too long since I read some Pam Houston.

Here are some inspiring words about inspiration;

The Gift Writers Give

Networking or Prostituting?

      Sandwiched around a delightful but much too brief trip to Cape Cod, I have been surging ahead in the not totally shameless self-promotion that is required of a writer today. I tend to make these changes slowly. Sometimes I have to be drugged and dragged into the present. I joined Twitter. I really didn't want to, finding that Face Book met my needs nicely, but I had been getting a fair amount of pressure from the larger writing community that I needed to. I don't like it much, and still have a bit to learn about it, but I am on there now.
     I also listed myself with a service called Inkubate. (www.inkubate.com) which seems like it could be very worthwhile for the undiscovered. Here in their own words is what they do;


What is Inkubate?

"Inkubate is your portfolio, online. It’s also a marketplace where publishers and agents find new work quickly, organized according to the categories they care about. More importantly, it’s the place where publishers and agents vie for the rights to negotiate with writers like you. You are paid whenever a publisher or agent views one of your excerpts, and when an auction—the object of which is to win the right to negotiate with you—is concluded."

     Lastly, and this was more a result of my old cell receiving a final death blow than a well thought out plan, I bought an iphone 4. I've owned it less than 24 hours and I am already happily utilizing features that will contribute to my work. I love the note taking feature for example, and the simple-to-use calendar. The free kindle app was a big selling point for me too. I'm looking forward to discovering other apps for writers and would love to hear any recommendations....

Getting High Every Morning

     So I want to apologize. I know I have been terribly remiss in my blogging. And I am sorry for that. I do feel bad. But not very. The thing is I have been immersed in a very prolific period. I have been writing like crazy. Can't stop. Most mornings I  am at it by 5 AM. And it's been wonderful. I am having a great time. I've been on a roll, on a tear. I can't stop writing. It might be that I'm mulling over choosing the one right word for an hour, or writing a whole scene in ten minutes. I just can't stop! Even when I'm not at the computer I'm writing. It might look like I'm walking the dog, but I'm writing. It might look like I'm taking a shower, but I'm writing. This morning I had to go pick up my son from his college apartment  in another state and I was writing most of the way. I can be passing a long stretch of Winnebago's on their way to Maine for the Fourth while rocking out to the Allman Brothers and I'm still writing. In fact, if I ran into writer's block right now, I'd just run right over it with big mean monster wheels. Not even stopping to pat it on it's rough little head, even though we have been intimate so many times before.
     So I haven't been stopping to do too many other things. I just want to ride this out as long as it lasts. I do hope it will see me all the way to the end of the novel. I adore the high it gives me. It just might be addictive. I call it a creative buzz, and it's better even than an organic pomegranate cosmopolitan. So if you'll forgive me and excuse me, I've got to go get high again.

This just ...

answered a question I was after, so I thought I'd share it;

http://crofsblogs.typepad.com/fiction/2004/12/how_many_pages_.html

Something I wrote recently that didn't make it to print;

Cup ‘a Chowdah?

By Tammi J Truax

   “… when that smoking chowder came in, the mystery was delightfully explained. Oh, sweet friends! hearken to me. It was made of small juicy clams, scarcely bigger than hazel nuts, mixed with pounded ship biscuit, and salted pork cut up into little flakes; the whole enriched with butter, and plentifully seasoned with pepper and salt. Our appetites being sharpened by the frosty voyage, and in particular, Queequeg seeing his favourite fishing food before him, and the chowder being surpassingly excellent, we despatched it with great expedition...”

     There has been a lot of chat around here lately about chowder. Former-for-a-little-while-governor Sarah Palin tried a bowl at a Seabrook clambake recently. Four thousand less well known people turned out at the 27^th Annual Chowder Festival in Prescott Park on June fourth to sample tastes of thirteen different chowders presented by area restaurants who contributed 500 gallons of their very best in a competition that brings tourists from far and wide to eat what we can have every day.

     The festival culminates in six awards; first through third place chosen by judges, and the paying people, who never agree on the same three. This seems to be the one truth when it comes to chowder. There is no agreement. Never has been. Never will be.

     There is no agreement on the origin of the word chowder. Maybe French. Maybe not.        

     There is no agreement on the origins of the recipe. Often it is said to have migrated south from Newfoundland, but is also attributed to area Native Americans, sometimes the Micmac. Most likely both are somewhat true as there has probably been a chowder of some sort brewing in the pots of seafaring people all over the world throughout history.

     And there is definitely no agreement on what is the best or correct way to prepare chowder. Sometimes there is vehement disagreement. In 1939 a bill was introduced in Maine to outlaw the addition of tomatoes to chowder. Each region of New England, and points beyond, have their own versions, influenced by the ethnicity of the people who settled those regions. The chowder pot is an excellent metaphor for the melting pot.

     They did all start out in the same basic way. A pot of water stewed into as a tasty a broth as providence would allow with salty gifts from the sea. To that was added, in layers, hardtack (or sea biscuit), a flour and water cracker that could be stored somewhat safely for months. If possible onion fried in or with pork fat was added.  Onion was the only acceptable vegetable until rather recently.

     In New Hampshire the availability of dairy products allowed the addition of milk, cream and butter, and eventually hardtack was replaced with potato. For a century or two no one messed with that basic recipe, but culinary adventurousness and global influence have changed all of that and today’s chowders vary widely from your basic baby clam to saffron scallop chowder. There is not even agreement about if clams or quahogs are best.

     Another change is that the fancier the recipe has become the less often we eat it. Chowder used to be a staple of the local diet, both on land and sea. Now it is more likely to be a treat, and with the addition of bacon, butter and cream in copious quantities that is probably just as well. Some of you will remember establishments like Clarence’s Chowder House on Market Street as being favorites for a hearty supper. You can still get a cup of chowder at most local eateries, but it is likely to be an appetizer, and not what you accept as a meal in itself. We are more likely to do so when we make our own, and that isn’t hard to do. Any local fish monger will advise what’s best for chowder today, and may have a pot simmering in the shop. If you are away you can order The Old Salt’s award winning chowder online.

   The overall winner this year was The River House Restaurant on Bow Street, a chowder I have enjoyed. The manager attributes their three year reign to the talent of Chef Gerry Walsh, explaining it takes years of perfecting the right blend of herbs and seafood constructed in a particular order for the proper blend of flavors.                                      

     When making your own chowder ignore any claims that say it is alright to use clams from a can. Whatever seafood is your preference it should be fresh. Clams should be steamed a bit, maybe potatoes too. Onions should be sautéed with garlic, celery and bacon. Milk or cream should be scalded but not boiled so it is always the last addition. I love to add as many fresh herbs as I can lay my hands on and use sherry or wine. Broth should be very thick, but never lumpy like you would get from a can. Chowder should be served warm, not hot, with an artisan bread and a chardonnay or pale ale. I like to make chowder the day after a back yard clam bake using all of the leftovers in the pot which seems to simplify things while being practical and delicious. Those are my rules. What are yours?

     “Chowder for breakfast, and chowder for dinner, and chowder for supper, till you began to look for fish-bones coming through your clothes. The area before the house was paved with clam-shells.”

      ~ Both quotes from Herman Melville’s 1851 Moby Dick.

2011 Chowder Festival Winners

Judges choice             Peoples choice

1^st        The Kitchen                The River House

2^nd        The River House         Captain Hutch’s

3^rd        Jumpin’ Jay’s              Bob’s Clam Hut

     This is superb in its simplicity. Called stew instead of chowder because you mustn’t add vegetables, it really is a chowder. The important distinction regarding chowder is quick cooking time. Soups and stews can be left to simmer for a long time which will ruin any seafood.

Old Fashioned Oyster Stew

2 pints raw shucked local oysters with their liquor
4 tablespoons butter
3 cups milk or half and half
1 shake Tabasco sauce
salt, pepper, and paprika , handful of minced shallots
minced parsley, sliced chives, or sliced green onions

     Be careful to avoid overcooking oysters, which causes them to become tough. Drain the oysters, reserving their liquor. In a large heavy pan over medium heat, melt butter. Sauté shallots. Add oysters and simmer very gently for about 2 to 4 minutes. While the oysters are simmering, in a separate saucepan over low heat, slowly heat the milk/cream, and oyster liquor (do not boil). When the oysters are cooked, slowly add the hot milk mixture to the oysters, stirring gently. Season to taste. Remove from heat. Serve in warm bowls and garnish with greens and herbed oyster crackers.

Herbed Oyster Crackers

1 1/2 tablespoons melted butter

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme, crumbled

1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary, chopped fine

1 1/2 cups oyster crackers

     Toss together and toast on a cookie sheet at 350 for ten minutes.

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My two cents on the local public art conversation;

      Published in the current edition of Seacoast Scene with photos:

Pondering Public Art in Portsmouth

By Tammi J Truax

      Anything that sets a town to talking like the current debate about public art in Portsmouth has done can only be a constructive. First let’s clarify what we are talking about. Public art is defined as art that we encounter as part of the everyday landscape, making it accessible to far more than art displayed in galleries or museums will ever be, and it benefits communities in a variety of ways. Sometimes the art is commissioned by the city, maybe with the input of the people. Sometimes it is guerilla art, like graffiti, though when done without permission, it is usually illegal. Art is always meant to communicate, and sometimes to provoke.

     Public art is not new to Portsmouth. Remember the giant ant in Market Square? Overnight Art sponsors installations every other year by a variety of area artists. The Poet Laureate Program has added several works to the city. The mural behind Gilley’s, painted by John Perry of Wells, was paid for by the city. The Wyland Whaling Wall, one of the most important and site relevant gifts this city has ever received, continues to deteriorate in a shameful state of neglect.

     The Portsmouth Museum of Fine Art recently brought six international street artists who were specifically chosen for the variety and popularity of their work which has been displayed in cities around the world. The MFA says “Street art has its roots in rebellion. Once considered underground … it has over the last thirty years gained acceptance … in the art community.” The current exhibit showcases that work on and off the street. The artists are world renown. Chrzanowski, of Germany, whose outdoor work can be seen at 75 Pleasant and 653 Islington Streets (now vandalized) is widely recognized as possibly the best photorealistic spray paint artist in the world and has developed groundbreaking techniques.

      Much of the criticism of this exhibit is that local artists weren’t included and that the chosen artists didn’t respond to our community. Local artist Bill Paarlberg, whose work many are calling for, responded, “If the Museum wanted a show of graffiti artists, then they were correct to go out and get some known graffiti artists to be in their show.” It isn’t hard to see that some of the artists did respond to their surroundings, especially in Bumblebee’s plain “Bee is for broke” statement painted across a defunct gas station on Islington, and that each responded to their assigned canvas. Participation in one of the several types of tours that the museum offers, including a self guided cell phone tour, is likely to hasten understanding of the artists objectives.

     My teenage son called the exhibit “commissioned graffiti” and claims “it takes all the essence out of the art form”, the guerilla factor being important to him. Yet attendance at the opening reception of this exhibit was remarkable for the wide range of ages in the capacity crowd.

     There is a growing trend we have yet to see here called yarn bombing or grandma graffiti. A global phenomenon, according to Face Book June 11 is International Yarn Bombing Day, when “Fiber artists of the world unite to bring color and beauty to our urban landscape.” (Google it for a delightful gallery tour.) Like commissioned graffiti these knitted works are harmless and/ or temporary. Many are meant to beautify something ugly, like the visiting artist, Chrzanowski, who got started by using abandoned telephone booths and newspaper dispensers and turning them into something else, often with an underlying social commentary. Sometimes they are celebrating something already beautiful, like a doily wrapped tree. Video projection, street installation, and even flash mobs are considered other forms of street art.

     One question that doesn’t seem to be part of the discussion is if Portsmouth is doing enough about public art. Several objectives in the Master Plan make it sound like a priority. We do have an ordinance requiring one percent of the cost of new public construction be spent for public art. Private developers don’t have to bother. Our next exciting installation, a memorial for the African American burying ground downtown by sculptor Jerome Meadows of Georgia (which will incorporate the art of local schoolchildren) is receiving some public funding. It will enhance the city in a multitude of ways for decades to come. His work in cities like Albuquerque and Anchorage attests to that. The outcry about this exhibit calls our commitment to public art into question. Paarlberg asks, “How can a town that requires all its buildings to look like The Greatest Hits of 1820 Red Brick be at the same time one where creativity flourishes? “

     Portsmouth resident and Button Factory based artist Tim Gaudreau commented, “ I think The Portsmouth Museum of Art's recent street exhibition is really provocative in putting new stuff out in our city, but most of the already existing work is quite traditional -- that work seems to function as memorial or commemoration rather than creating statements of exquisite beauty or provocation.”

      Portsmouth could look to Newburyport as an example of what public art can do for a city. Gaudreau is one of several artists who are making a sustainable garden and pedestrian path along their Rail Trail. It was designed to heal a hurt piece of land and to strengthen the public’s relationship with nature. Among its many features are two grass couches that will function as living park furniture created by Gaudreau. A real green and interactive park, nothing at all like the costly and gray “green space” recently appearing on Ceres Street. Newburyport’s vast array of permanent public art can be inspirational to us all.

For More Information:

www.portsmouthmfa.org

www.cityofnewburyport.com

www.sustainablecitiescollective.com

There Are No Rules

If I had an e-book I would do this. I confess that I'm starting to cave. I've been having a strong desire to buy my kids the Nook lately. Not for me, for them. But it is starting to seem that the e-book is inevitable. I have said before, "You can have my hard copy book when you pry it from my cold dead hands." And I meant it when I said it. They, paper pages bound together within a lovely cover that I can cuddle up with, will always be my preference, but I am beginning to accept that some of our information, in the not too distant future, will only come to us in this form. That actually takes choice out of the equation. Like it or not.

There Are No Rules - 5 Free E-Books Every Writer Needs

I found this to be

worth sharing.
     Poet and editor Nate Pritts was quoted in a recent issue of Writer's Digest as saying, "... keep the faith. I think you need to do something that you know is right and keep doing it until everyone else is convinced, too. And I suppose I would encourage poets to realize that writing a poem is a small portion of what they owe to poetry. A poet doesn't just write poems. A poet starts a journal or starts a press. A poet gives a reading or organizes a reading. A poet reads poems - thousands of them. A poet cares about your poem as they care about their own."
     I am keeping the faith.

Hugh A. Harter, doctor of letters | SeacoastOnline.com

A tribute for a friend;

Hugh A. Harter, doctor of letters | SeacoastOnline.com

Wouldn't I have loved to be in the room

for this conversation?!

http://studentactivism.net/2011/05/20/

     And here is one of my favorite quotes on writing;

     "You write in order to change the world ... if you alter, even by a millimeter, the way people look at reality, then you can change it."
 ~ James Baldwin

And of course you know her famous quote on changing the world;

      "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."
 ~ Margaret Mead

     This is the book the kid is talking about;

Building Bridges Real and Imagined

NHPR.org - Building Bridges Real and Imagined

        Last night I attended a talk given by Katherine Paterson, a remarkably prolific writer, primarily for children, whose work you are surely familiar with, and was fortunate to be invited to a more intimate reception for the author before the lecture, because of my work with Connections (described in the link above).
      I didn't expect much of the reception, figured it would be the usual rather boring mix-up of a group of people reflecting a lack of diversity listening to obligatory remarks and noshing on crudite' and cheeses. Instead, though I didn't get to meet the author, I had a very interesting time.  The setting was stunning to me, a law firm with a beautifully designed sky-lit atrium punctuated at one end with a massive spiral staircase. The other end, where we were milling about, held the only non-modern object in the space; a Revere bell that had once hung in The Stark Mill in downtown Manchester pealing people to work with a 4:30 AM ringing. I was rather impressed with all of that but what I loved the most was the diversity of people in attendance. From a NH supreme court justice and assorted political protege' to young refugee participants in the Connections program, everyone coming together to celebrate promoting literacy in the state of New Hampshire. Then, a surprise, I had a chat with my freshman high school English teacher. A first for me. We reminisced a bit about The Lottery, a story she had us enact in the ninth grade, (when I was the age my daughter is now) and I remembered rudely raising my hand and saying "I want to get stoned!", and that one day during silent reading time while I perused a magazine she had left out for us, I came across an article exploring Springsteen's lyrics, and I became enthralled with the poetic power of words right there in my plastic chair, and haven't been the same since. I told her that, and she told me that she was 21 then and it was her first year of teaching. I hope it was a nice moment for her too.
     Then we all made our way over to the beautiful Palace Theater, where I saw my first Shakespearean play at about the same time that I discovered Bruce's lyrics. (The latter would remain my bard of choice.)  The talk given by Mrs. Paterson was quite interesting. She made me laugh and frown, which I think is the mark of a well-rounded speech. She got those reactions from me because she is a truth teller which I guess is what all writers are.
     She said that the best advice she had ever received as a writer was to rewrite if you don't see any of yourself in your villain until you do, otherwise s/he won't be a complete character. Here are the books I bought at the event, there are many more I still want to get to. And I have never seen the film version of Bridge to Terabithia which I am now intrigued with.



     I was interested in the subject matter of Lyddie and started it as soon as I got home. I bought Flip-flop Girl for my daughter but will probably read it too. The picture book of her interpretation of Saint Francis of Assisi's Canticle of the Creatures was just an irresistible purchase. It is everything a picture book should be. I bought the last one, The Spying Heart: More Thoughts on Reading and Writing for Children for obvious reasons, I want more guidance from Mrs. Paterson who, though she begs to differ, certainly does know what she is doing.

On Partners

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2011/05/obama-poetry-night-white-house.html

      There they are. And at least they got noticed, even if it was mostly negative press coverage.

     I added something new to my writing regimen yesterday. I now have a fiction writing  partner, and we met for work-shopping for the first time yesterday. I think there is no question that this is going to be a very productive partnership. I completely concede that I wouldn't have gotten the work done (on a new novel idea) if I hadn't had the deadline of our meeting (though I must confess that I did not meet the five page quota I was supposed to). And the sharing, discussing and critiquing, of each others work is, of course, invaluable. Today I revised the piece and added quite a bit to it. Best of all, is that my writing partner is quite talented, and I'm really looking forward to watching his growth as a writer. There is no doubt in my mind that this is going to be fun and rewarding, and I will meet my quota next time. I am much more inspired to do so.

poetry night | Nikki Schwab | Yeas & Nays | Washington Examiner

      Man, I wish I was invited to this party! A poetry party at the White House.  Still, I am so very happy that my president and first lady are having it. The connection she is making with schoolchildren so that they may benefit from the event too, is under-appreciated. And did you see the photo of the president reading Chicka Chicka Boom Boom!? I'll post it for you. Wish I could hear that too. Can you hear me sighing?

Obamas to hold White House poetry night | Nikki Schwab | Yeas & Nays | Washington Examiner