The Haiku Foundation, the leading conservator of American haiku, has created the largest anthology of English-language haiku ever assembled. Montage: The Book features over a thousand haiku written by a variety of established haiku experts.

This book is amazing – it is really the Who’s Who of English-language haiku.

I am learning about haiku and Montage is really helping me to understand this beautiful art form.  Reading these perfect poems helps me to learn how to structure mine and find my haiku voice.

Peggy Willis Lyles, a former Woodrow Wilson Fellow and an associate editor of The Heron’s Nest, commented in the forward of Montage, “Those new to haiku could derive an education; those already deeply involved should find validation of their commitment.”

For those who think that haiku is only poetry for the elite, Montage will help them appreciate how down-to-earth this ancient art form really is. This book is designed to take a reader through a full year of haiku, giving them 53 installments (one for each week and an extra for the New Year).

Jim Kacian, award winning poet and founder of The Haiku Foundation said, “What makes Montage: The Book so vital is its unique conception—a thematic treatment of an idea or issue as explored by three illustrious practitioners of the art of haiku—and then its perfect realization of that conception. In this way we feel the power and range of the genre itself, and, at the same time, the individual responses and voices that are possible within it.”

Haiku is an art form that spans hundreds of years. When asked to define a haiku, Kacian said, “Haiku is a brief poem, which records an experience of a moment of revelation into the nature of the world, in an effort to share it with others.”

Montage: The Book is only available through membership to The Haiku Foundation – http://www.thehaikufoundation.org/publications/montage-the-book/ However if you go to their site you will find an online version that is magnificent!

Leigh-Ann Lemire is a talented writer who writes in many genres. I asked her to share her story on how she became a writer, when she knew that she could really write.

Please visit her on the web at: http://art-of-ilia.com/literary/

A Funny Story That Became A Lifelong Quest
by Leigh-Ann Lemire

Some writer’s start out with the desire to be a writer or a poet, that wasn’t how I began! Mine is a rather funny story. My cousin, Donna, when she turned sixteen, got a wonderful birthday present. She was the oldest daughter in the family and her gift was a brand new bedroom to call her very own, she no longer had to share a room anymore with her two younger sisters.

At her birthday party, she brought me to her new room telling me that she had saved one wall for her family and friends to write on. Then she asked me to write anything that I wanted on her wall. She left me to it as she skipped out of her room to welcome newcomers to her party.

After contemplating for some time, I decided to draw a set of stairs. Beside the picture I wrote about climbing stairs and life. I signed it and went off to see what was happening at the party.

Shortly thereafter, my aunt came to find me to ask “Do you know what you just did?” Well, what would your response be when you were young and an older person came up to you asking that question? My eyes opened wide while I trembled in my shoes, I found my voice and mumbled “No.”

“You wrote a prose,” she excitedly said to me.

I stood still, looking at my aunt rather dumbfounded as I didn’t know the definition of “prose.” My aunt must have figured that out as she said, “it’s like a poem but it doesn’t rhyme.” I brightened right up when I knew what she was talking about. I was also relieved to find out that I did something right and that I wasn’t in trouble!

After that party, the word got out in my family, I wound up with my aunt and two uncles as mentors. I was instructed on poetry structure and given writing challenges. I successfully work my way through the tasks given and received bright smiles that lit up the faces of my mentors. It was fuel to not only continue writing but strive to get better.

Another thing that has helped me as a writer was to become an avid reader, this happened about the same time I became a writer. Perhaps I should say that I’m not only an avid reader but a fussy one, too. If the work doesn’t grab me in the first few chapters, I just don’t read it and the author gets crossed off of my list of favorites. Over the years, my list of favorite authors has influenced my style of writing.

From the earliest days of writing till the present, mentors and friends that also write have opened my eyes up to endless possibilities. For instance, I was speaking to a friend just a few days ago about Indian ruins that are not far out of the city where I live and she suggested that I write it in a story. Doing so would have never occurred to me.

Now, I challenge myself to write in different styles. A recent story I wrote as Science Fiction was something that I hadn’t tried before. I was inspired by a drive at night from Los Angeles to Phoenix, most of which is on a desert highway. Although the setting was seemingly ordinary, in my story I added in a Nether World idea with a new twist that gives a surprising and unexpected ending.

It is always a joy when someone reads my works and responds with compliments – especially when it is the first try in a new style. For my recent Science Fiction story, I have had nothing but rave reviews from surprised readers. That gives me the impetus to carry on creating more written works.

Leigh Ann Lemire aka ILIA is the author of the modern day fairy tales: “The Handiwork Clash”, “The Bouncing Boy”, “A Christmas Fairy Tale”, and “Ti Ana and The Giant”. Her poetry, along with other poets, has been published in the book “Bamboo Souls – Poetic Visions for a Better World”, in 2010 ILIA was one of the winners of the Turner-Maxwell Poetry Contest, her poem “A Thousand and One Singers” is published in “The Best Poems of the Year”  and she is the co-author of the “Cat Chat Book”.

Merry Rosenfield just published her first book, An Uncommon Life.  It is a wonderful account of her daughter’s life.  I asked Merry to share her  tips for aspiring writers and to discuss her book with us here.

On Writing a Memoir
by Merry Rosenfield

Recently I published my first book, a memoir of my daughter Cedar. I called it An Uncommon Life, because hers certainly was. Cedar was an extraordinary writer, visual artist, actress and dancer.

Because her life was so brief (she passed away in 2001 at the age of twenty) the body of work she left behind was all the more extraordinary. Two feature screen plays, starring roles in several independent films, watercolors and pastels, embroidery, pin and ink drawings, and one brief video of her dancing.

If you were lucky enough to know my daughter, you most likely have a funny story involving her. Despite being such a hard worker (she often wrote until the wee hours of the morning) she seldom took herself seriously, and we often played pranks on each other. I’m sure Laura Sherman, who was one of her best friends, knows exactly what I’m talking about!

To say that Cedar was a colorful character is an understatement. She was beautiful, funny and extremely talented.

But the idea of writing a book about her was a little daunting. Prior to this I had written very brief poetry, (haiku) comics about my life as a jewelry artist on the road and a few songs. But a book?

Luckily, I knew exactly where to turn for inspiration—a  little book that was written in 1938 by a writer named Brenda Ueland. The name of the book—If You Want to Write. In Ms. Ueland’s own words, “Everybody is talented, original and has something important to say…”

Brenda taught creative writing to the kitchen help, the truck drivers and the ditch diggers of the world. The printed samples of their writing are breathtakingly, beautifully honest.

I think every artist, no matter your preferred form of art, should read this book. Ueland doesn’t teach you how to write.  But she does show you how to find your own unique voice as a writer.

I believe all of us have a gift within us to communicate. Some of us just need the right nutcracker to get to the meat. For me, the nutcracker was If You Want to Write.

As a blogger and entrepreneur I use stock photography a lot. I admire the photographers who capture these images for us to use.

Brian Meeks is a fellow networker on Linkedin.com.  He and I belong to several groups and have chatted back and forth a lot.  I enjoy his writing and admire his photography, so I asked him to share some tips about becoming a stock photographer for my blog.

Brian Meeks On Stock Photography

 It is not unusual for my blog pieces to consist of strings of silliness, bound together in a tight wrapping of the absurd, to create a tidy package of blog drivel. Today I hope to break out of my pattern of compulsive rambler and provide something that may be helpful. Each day I like to include images and on occasion I have talked about my experiences in taking ‘Stock Photos’, and how it has helped me to improve my skills. This post is one that has been bouncing around in my addled brain for some time. I hope it is interesting and helpful.

One of the fastest growing and most exciting areas of photography is the royalty free market. A royalty free stock photo is one that can be purchased, granting the buyer a limited one time use of the image. The photographer retains the copyright and though they don’t earn much per image, but they are able to sell it over and over again. Sounds easy right?

The truth of the matter is that the photos submitted to stock sites are put through a rigorous review process. The image must be technically sound. It isn’t good enough to have a beautiful picture. This article is about how one joins a stock site, some tips to help one get accepted, and why it is such fun.

I like to start with the fun stuff. I like fun, and cookies. Working on building an online stock portfolio improves one’s technical skills. I think most people enjoy improving at their craft, I know that I do. The next best part is the external validation. I was filling up my car with gas two summers ago and there was a hose lying on the ground. It had the tiniest pin hole in it. Water was spraying out and it looked interesting. I took my camera out and got two pictures. The fun came when I had my first sale of ‘Leaking Hose’. I made 25 cents, and one would have thought I had won the lottery. I was giddy. Now two years later, I still feel good every time it sells, and it has sold, numerous times.

Ok, so on to the tips.

1) The larger the photo the better. Prices increase with the size of the image, at most sites. Some people will want really large images, and those that have only the minimum size allowed will be left out.

2) Don’t upsize your image. The inspectors are very clever and they will reject it immediately. Most people aren’t even aware of how easy it is to take a small image and expand it in Photoshop. The problem is that when you do this, the computer is helping to fill in the gaps. It may not be apparent to you that the images have changed, or that it now has little imperfections, but it does. These imperfections will make the image useless to most publishers, and that is why you should never make your 1600 x 1200 image 2400 x 1800.

3) Learn and understand the sites rule with regard to copyright. If the image has a person who is identifiable, or a child of any sort, you will need a model release. The model releases can be downloaded from the site. If there are any copyrighted images within your shot, they must be edited out. This could be a logo on a pair of jeans, a sign above a restaurant way off in the background, or even building that is famous. The Eiffel Tower can be photographed during the day, but all the night photos, with the lights on are copyright protected. Any of Frank Gehry’s buildings are off limits. Don’t even think about using the Opera House in Sydney. And lastly, most all makes of car and all cruise ships, if they are the main subject, are not allowed by most places.

In the hotel photo, which has sold very well, I created my own art in Photoshop CS 3 and replaced the art on the wall in the room. It may seem that was being overly cautious, but the people who review photos will likely have rejected the image, had I not taken this step.

4) Learn to use Photoshop CS 2, 3, 4 or 5, or something similar. Stock photography is about creating images that are saleable, not about capturing ‘truth’ as one would do in journalism. On average I spend between 30 minutes and 3 hours working on a single image.

5) Shoot in Raw! This is worth repeating. Shoot in Raw! Raw gives one the most flexibility with regards to adjusting the white balance and getting the highest quality images possible. If you haven’t opened your manual in a while, give it a go, and look up raw. This setting takes a ton of memory for each shot, but it also captures the most information too. This means that if you look at the photo and decide it is overexposed, you can correct it. There are literally hundreds of adjustments one can make, because they shot in raw. Obviously it is best to get your settings correct when you take the picture, but sometimes, a picture is better with setting you wouldn’t have thought of, and by having the image in raw, you gain flexibility. The best part about raw is the ability to correct white balance. White balance is the adjusting for artificial light, or evening light, or morning light, so that the images appears the way your eye saw it. The point is this, shoot in raw, you will thank me later.

6) Learn to shoot images isolated on white. This gives your customers a good deal of flexibility; they can use the image in combination with their own designs.

Lastly where do you find the stock sites? A few of my favorites are www.istockphoto.com, www.shutterstock.com, and www.fotolia.com.

Stock photography is a bit different from artistic photography. Check out the forums on the sites and find discussion about the types of images that are selling well. Flowers may be beautiful, but there are lots of people with pictures of tulips, a leaky hose may sell better.

Brian Meeks has been a stock photographer since Jan 2008. He can be found as Ecocandle on www.istockphoto.com and others. His blog, http://extremelyaverage.com, updated daily, focuses on his journey into the world of woodworking and most days he includes photos. His writing style is, some would say, an acquired taste, as he often leans towards the silly and obscure. His second blog, which isn’t updated daily is at http://socialmingler.blogspot.com/ and deals with issues that people face when beginning to dip their virtual toes into social media platforms like twitter. He is chronicling the teaching of a student and his sister to use social media.

My friend Ofra Friedman is an amazing sculptor.  She uses a unique medium of wire mesh to create a feeling of freedom and lightness in her work.  Recently she got the opportunity to curate a museum art exhibit, which had been a long term goal for her.  I asked her to write a piece for my blog.

The two pictures featured below show two of her sculptures. Please visit www.thesculptor.org to learn more about Ofra and her work.

Earth Visions Exhibition 
by Ofra Friedman

As a sculptor, showing my art in various exhibitions has been a very successful promotional tool for me.  The best art platforms are museums.

In the past I took part in curating gallery exhibitions, and had plans to organize a juried show, featuring many artists’ talents. I am very glad today of the opportunity to accomplish this goal by curating an art exhibition at the Museum of Science and Industry Arc gallery, and promote many artists.

I invite all artists to submit images of their art for the thematic exhibition at MOSI.  My goal is to feature as many artists as possible, presenting diverse and high quality contemporary works of art.

The EarthVisions theme is about producing a vivid mental image from imagination.  It could be a future goal or aspiration.  It might include a person or item of extraordinary beauty. Any of these concepts can be explored as they relate to Earth.

This theme was chosen in celebration of the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day 2010.  Many types of art media will be featured (including painting, sculpture, photography, installation and video art).

MOSI is the winner of the 2009 National Medal for Museums by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the nation’s highest honor for museums.  I am honored to be a part of this project!

by Karen Cantwell
It’s a crazy business, this world of writing. Sometimes I wonder, “Why?” Why do I do this? Spend hours pouring over words on a computer screen, writing, editing, writing, thunking myself over the head because I can’t think of “just the right word.” Why?

I always thought it was the ultimate joy of creation. Of devising, molding, growing each character and the story that is theirs.

Truthfully, that is part of it. There is huge satisfaction in that creativity. But I realized, recently, it goes far beyond that for me. Because the real reason I write, is to entertain. To cause someone to laugh or smile or possibly even cry (in a good way, I hope), but to give them a diversion. A break from the everyday, hum drum, rag tag world around them, and find a little slice of something fun.

The interesting thing about entertaining, I have come to realize, is that this too, is creation. It is the creation of an effect. In my case, I always strive to create a GOOD effect. I prefer to leave my readers with smiles on their faces. Because really, is there anything better than a smile?

That’s why I write.

_______

Karen Cantwell was a semi-finalist in the 2009 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Contest for her unpublished novel, Monkeys in My Trees (since re-titled, Take the Monkeys and Run). Her short story, “The Recollections of Rosabelle Raines,” has just been published in the mystery anthology, Chesapeake Crimes: They Had it Comin’, available on Amazon.com. She posts short stories at http://www.fictionfordessert.blogspot.com .

I asked my friend, Michelle Carlbert, to write a piece about fanfiction. I don’t know about this area, but she does. When she posts a story she gets thousands of visitors! To learn more about her work, please visit: www.MokisFanfictionBlog.com/blog.

Using Fanfiction To Improve Your Writing

by Michelle Carlbert

What is “fanfiction” you ask?

Fanfiction is work written by fans based upon published work – books, television shows, movies, comics, etc. People write fanfiction purely for fun, but it can also be a great way to practice your writing skills.

I have been writing fanfiction for the past four years. When I started, I didn’t have much confidence as a writer and didn’t think anyone would like my work. After getting lots of positive feedback I soon found myself with the courage to write my own original work. I now do freelance writing and run two separate blogs – all of which came about directly because of those first tentative steps I took in the world of fanfiction.

Here are some of the benefits of writing fanfiction…..

Get feedback right away

Why wait for your work to be published to hear back from your readers? With fanfiction you can often get a response within days, if not hours (or sometimes even minutes). Also, many of the readers of fanfiction are also authors, providing quality feedback.

Post a story before it’s complete

There’s no need to wait weeks or months until you’ve completed a story to post it. In fact, posting before a story is complete can help give you an idea of what works and doesn’t work, as you hear back from your readers. This allows you to do corrections as you go along.

Try as many genres as you like

Never written a romance? Want to try your hand at a humorous story? There’s no limit to what you can write in fanfiction. From romance to action to poetry, there are people interested in reading it all.

Build up a fanbase

Readers of fanfiction are very loyal. Having a ready-made group of fans can be a very nice thing to have when getting ready to publish your own original work.

Contests

Many fanfiction sites run contests based on “prompts” (a word or phrase used as a jumping off point for a story). Taking part in these contests is not only a lot of fun; it can really keep you on your toes.

So pick your favorite tv show, movie or book and start writing!

I asked a friend of mine, Lee O’Hara, to share his thoughts about writing.  He authored, “Beef Secrets Straight From the Butcher”, a popular book that gives a complete education about beef. He also produced several DVDs on organic gardening.

I was pleased when Lee agreed!  Below you will find his article.  Please feel free to ask Lee any questions about his writing adventures and successes. 

Lee is passionate about his subjects and is very knowledgeable.  Although he is very busy, he will personally respond to each of your questions. 

If You Love To Write, Write!

By Lee O’Hara

The professor of the specialized education class I was in during my last year of college told us that the expected papers we were to write would require at least 5, maybe 10 or 20 pages.

We were to discuss in detail a new and controversial book, complex and thick. He had read and graded our papers and was going to go over the assignment. All but one of the 20 or 30 in the class hadn’t gotten it, he complained. He would now read the one that had nailed the essence of the book. It was a half page; a few paragraphs. To my immense embarrassment, it was mine.

Until graduation, whenever the professor saw me on campus, I was in for a lecture about how I should write professionally.

Sex, murder, mystery, mayhem and busted heads are stories that sell. I never wanted to write on those subjects, though I did love to write. There was just nothing that would provide enough income that fell within my band of knowledge. I had a wife and kid to support and there was nothing I knew anything about that would interest anyone. I satisfied my desire to write in compiling reports, letters, etc., relative to my profession as a real estate broker and appraiser; not very compelling story lines.

A couple of years ago a good friend wanted to put up a web site for me. She was awed at the quality of the food we served and had a variety of questions about meats. The more I told her, the more she insisted that I share my knowledge, so I took some pictures and wrote some “how to” explanations to go with the photos.

In the following months I had so many “thank you” emails and so many questions that I started writing in more detail. A friend of my wife, a book publisher, wanted to read what I had, loved it, and insisted I finish it up so she could publish the book. I did, and now I’m a “published author.” The success of that book inspired me to now finish what people have been asking for since my organic gardening DVD’s went on the market—a book that goes more in depth to follow and expand on the data in the DVD’s. I hope to soon finish that work.

There are 3 things about writing that stopped me, because I never believed them: 1) If you love to write, write! There are people interested in things you know or can imagine, regardless of how mundane you imagine your offerings might be. 2) Ditto. 3) Ditto.

To learn more about Lee’s book visit: www.meatbasics101.com

To find out about his DVDs, please visit: www.organichomegardener.com

I host regular writing contests on Linkedin.com through my group called, “Write On, Networkers!”

We ran a contest last month, which invited writers to write an uplifting holiday story (or end of the year story). Our judge was Charlotte Babb, who announced Diane Hall as the winner a few days ago.

Diane’s winning story is “Jessica’s Wish”.  I wanted to share it with you here.  Diane is a freelance writer and qualified proofreader. Visit her blog to read more of her writing.

If you have any questions for Diane about her story, please feel free to ask her and she’ll be happy to answer here on my blog!

Jessica’s Wish

I struggled to read through my tears, my daughter’s letter to Santa. Above her entry of this year’s must-have toy (Barbie – whose 112th edition was accompanied by a magnificent prancing pony) – was her dearest wish:

"Santa…pleeeease can I have my Daddy come home. I need him to see the presents you get me. Please make him stay."

Her childish scrawl, which, on the whole, was steadily improving as she progressed through infant school, still took up most of the page. I stared across at my little sleeping angel and turned off her nightlight.

John had only been in the army six months when I met him, so it was a fairly new experience to both of us. It had been exciting at first, to follow him half-way round the world, though after a while all the barracks looked the same wherever they were. Once we became serious I made it clear I wasn’t prepared to drag any family we had round in the same way. We chose a great village in North Yorkshire to settle down in, turning this beautiful cottage into a warm and welcoming family home – something that would keep John wanting to return to us each time he left.

So life fell into a pattern. I got a job in a bank and gradually got used to sharing my husband with around fifteen other men – those of his regiment. Toby was born a couple of years after we settled and Jessica came a few years after that.

I felt another pang of guilt and pain as I held the letter to my chest. The kids didn’t usually ask after daddy; they just accepted it, and didn’t really know any different. To them he was a larger-than-life stranger who scooped them into huge hugs when he was on leave, only to disappear a week or two after. I was the mainstay, the one they could rely on – daddy was just a bonus.

I could tell that John’s last visit had been different. Jessica had been having problems at school with a boy who’d insisted on teasing her. He’d told her horrible things about soldiers (God only knows how he knew what he did) and had frightened the living daylights out of her. She’d become clingy and when John was on leave, she wouldn’t let him out of her sight. He’d returned back to his duties a few hours early, slipping away in the night; we thought it had been for the best, so as not to cause a scene. Now I can see that that idea had probably made things ten times worse.

I slipped Jessica’s note into my diary and tried to write down my thoughts. I needed to be able to tell her – and Toby – of the phone call I’d had that afternoon. John had been involved in an accident; he hadn’t been killed but he was badly wounded; he’d actually lost both his lower legs. He was being transferred to a local hospital as soon as was practical but was at a military hospital in Surrey for the time being, making visits extremely difficult. He had also been discharged from active service.

I found my moment the next afternoon. Toby, being the eldest, had guessed something was wrong and wouldn’t let up until I told him. Jessica sat on my knee as I explained in the simplest way I could what had happened to their father.
Toby sat quietly on the settee – pensive. Jessica threw her arms around my neck and hugged me tight. I hugged her back, just as fervently, hoping that I could ease her pain. As she drew away, I was stunned at her beaming smile.

"Santa has brought me my Christmas present early!" she said.

"Santa? What Christmas present?" I struggled to understand.

"Daddy! Santa has brought me daddy!" she said.

"Oh, sweetheart. Daddy will be home soon, but he’s very hurt. I don’t think this is your Christmas present" I said, trying to soothe her.

"It is!" she insisted, "If he’s got no legs, he can’t run away from us again….."

So politically incorrect. And probably a very warped way to celebrate her father’s return – but to a six-year-old girl, this was her greatest wish fulfilled. Daddy was coming home, for good this time.

Colin Taufer is the headmaster of Delphi Academy, my children’s school. He is a writer, one I respect a lot. Recently he wrote this piece for his newsletter.  He kindly gave me permission to reprint it here.

Exploring Education

by Colin Taufer

Ours is a technology driven society. Every day newer, better, faster, smaller, more powerful micro-gadgets hit the street, pushing yesterday’s older, slower, less powerful, not-so-micro-gadgets aside. The advance is swift. Technology marches on.

As a child, one of my most treasured micro-gadgets was a Sony Walkman. I could listen to an album’s worth of my favorite music on a compact cassette tape; it was my own personal concert. The sound quality was fair. The music would speed or slow according to battery strength. But it was cutting edge technology and it was fantastic.

Comparing the technology of the Walkman to today’s is laughable. With no moving parts, today’s digital music device can hold 40,000 songs and is a fraction of the size of the Walkman. And if that’s not enough, it’ll also store and display 200 hours of video. Incredible!

So what happened to yesterday’s micro-gadget maker?

The answer lies in this famous quote by educator Dr. Laurence Peter: “Everyone rises to their level of incompetence.”

Unfortunately, yesterday’s micro-gadget maker, the expert in the technology of compact cassettes, is a master of a dying technology. We can hope his expertise advanced apace with the technology and he is today gainfully employed in a related field. If this is the case, and we hope it is, we can correctly assume his core competencies, his ability to study, to read, to mathematically compute and to reason, were fully achieved in his schooling as a child.

But what of the micro-gadget maker lacking these solid academic basics? Without these components of competence in place, like yesterday’s discarded micro-gadget, his ability to make his way in today’s world has vanished. He has gone from king to pauper.

How does the educator of the present prepare today’s students to be competent with the unknown technologies of tomorrow?

The answer lies in the teaching of the basic academics, the traditional core competencies: reading, writing and arithmetic. Beyond that the teacher must add still more competencies: the ability to study, to communicate, to research and to reason.

All of these abilities, fully taught to a very high standard, give the young student a firm foundation upon which all future education can be built. And from there he can build his own kingdom no matter where the tides of technology and change carry him.

For, as the Scottish writer Thomas Carlyle said, “The king is the man who can.”