Doin' Laundry in Prague
I write from the computer here at the launrodmat in Prague. Although I have a week left, I need to get some clean clothes as I have begun to reach the end of my outfit choices!
The laundromat is really cool! I love it! I would actually hang out here even if I wasn't doing laundry! They offer complimentary tea and coffee served on these cute little trays. There are tables to read at and there's a little lounge area with comfy red couches. The decor is funky with pictures of Prague and pictures of black and white Ansel Adams-y shots hanging on light blue walls. Odd and weird murals are painted at the front desk area. It's a place for travelers to come to relax while they take care of laundry.
We had a great trip to the Moravian wine region this weekend. Jan's trip was packed full of activities and meeting photographers. It was kind of comical because he rented this bus that just exactly held our number of people. So, there we were with 20 people stuffed close together in this van-like blue bus. As we traveled, it felt smaller and smaller. Rather like a large clown car.
We met two photographer friends of Jan in the two of Brno. Yup--no vowel there! But, it's pronounced like "Bruno". These were two of the "younger" genereation as Jan kept saying. Basically, they are around my age. We went to this young photographer's apartment. He was very welcoming of us and invited us into his living room. His wife had made delicious peach coffee cake and he offered us mate, a tea. Then, we all sat around as he showed us his actual prints of his work. It was amazing to be so casually looking at this stuff on his living room floor! And such a privilege to get his running commentary on it as he displayed each print. His work is related to the idea of mandala. He takes one image and then rotates it around the page four times so that it becomes abstract. Some look like mandalas others like kaleidoscopic images. I really liked the work--especially because of the abstract qualities the everyday scenes he took possessed once he put them in this form. He and his wife live this hippy artistic lifestyle. They played this low, kind of haunting and charming music the entire time we were there. Their other hobbies are building a Cob house (I don't know much about this, but he said that is his bigger hobby...beyond photography...) But, even for this "small" photography hobby of his, he won a competition and then recevied this huge exhibition at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Not bad!
Then another artist arrived at this man's house. We had already seen an exhibition of his work at the Leica Gallery in Prague two weeks ago, so it was fun to actually meet him. He does black and white and showed us his prints too--there on the living room floor! He described the way that he has fought to remain independent from doing any commercial photography, even though it is of course, financially challenging for him to do so! Both of these guys said how they don't have enough money to have a full darkroom, so they do all of their developing in their own bathrooms!
It was great to see the camaraderie between the two of them, and even cuter to see our photography teachers kind of sparring with them and teasing them about being younger. Jan made jokes with them like, "Ok--so, you say you will never go over to digital --just you wait! You won't be able to be pure for so long!" It's fun to see the way people in a field see the world together and interact with each other. Often I don't get to see several artists in the same field together. Jan and Miro, the teachers we have had in Prague these weeks, were great on the trip as they would come up with creative shots on the spot and then order us to get into place to do them! And Jan would tease Miro about his bad camera or how slow he was being in setting up a shot! Very adorable.
The night we arrived at our hotel Jan had arranged for us to be at this photography workshop. The Czech Republic's most respected photographer Jindrich Streit presented his work and gave a narrative of his techniques. He also showed a short film on his work and then answered questions. He had been arrested because of his photos (sometimes he used the photos to voice his disagreement with the regime) and taken from his job as a teacher and headmaster during the Communist Era. He was forced to work on a cooperative farm and then came back to photography in 1989. Since that time he has published many books and had many exhibits.
One more photographer finished off the evening workshop by showing his work. I liked it a lot--especially his scenes of public spaces. He is doing a project where he photos the sort of ignored landscapes that we see everyday and stop noticing. He had shots of parking lots, gas stations, train stations, etc etc. I have always had this idea of photographing parking lots as I think they are sort of this forgotten public space that we could use for more than we do. Like, at night, when cars are gone, they just sit there, empty, and they have this poignant kind of emptiness about them. Both dramatic and boring at the same time. So, encouraged to see that this work is something others are looking at, I am going to go out and photograph parking lots when I get home!
We stayed up having wine after the workshop--the wine right from the vineyards nearby. Delicious and sweet. The next day we saw a lot of small towns with castles. The bus trip home was hilarious because everyone had bought wine and started passing around bottles on the bus. Miro, our teacher, was quite jolly and having a good time with the wine too. And, of course, all of this was on the world's smallest bus as the Czech countryside flew by. It was a trip home to remember!
Well, my laundry may be done. This is our last week coming up. And, while I will be sad to go, I also feel like I still have a whole week, and, already, today, I can feel that I am getting to know the city more and have more of a feel for it. So, I am enjoying the experience of letting the city sink in and make an impression on me.
This week we will be seeing Ivan Klima, a major Czech writer who also spent time in Terezin concentration camp. I purchased his book The Spirit of Prague and have been reading it here at the laundromat in anticipation of seeing him speak. It is quite interesting what he has to say about writing under the communist regime and the ways writers had to fight to preserve their artistic voice while also still keeping their jobs and lives under the regime. He also talks in the book about the underground publishing movement that happened. I think he may talk more about that this week in the speech he gives. Looking forward to it.
Final thoughts--today, as I was listening to the Czech language being spoken around me on the tram, it occurred to me that it is sometimes one of the best things to immerse yourself in a world where no one speaks the same language. And, while it can be frustrating sometimes to communicate (and really, for the most part, people know English) there is a beauty to having a foreign language and culture around you. It's a way of seeing the variety and complexity of life. And, sometimes I think in the globalization of a lot of our culture, it seems like we are being dumbed down to the extent that everything is understandable--languages are the same, stores are the same, music is the same. Everything becomes mind numbingly understandable-- culture can become oppressive in its complete and utter simplicity! And so, it can feel like a kind of poetry or music to sit on a train and hear this language being spoken around you that you don't understand. Czech's complexity as a language is discussed by everyone in our program as we try to learn even the fewest expressions! And yet, I think it is this complexity and richness within any culture that makes our lives richer. Here's to preserving the not easily accessible or understandable!
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Thursday, July 23, 2009
A Sense of Play by the River Vlatava
Creative. Sweaty. Inspirational. Dirt-covered. Spontaneous. And loads of fun. That is how I would describe our photography class this afternoon. We went with Miro Svolik, our guest teacher for this week, to a bridge a few stops on the tram away from our school building. The bridge allowed us to shoot in his style which is essentially the following: arrange people, scenes, props, etc on the ground, using the asphalt as the canvas, and then go up on the bridge, high above, shooting down, so that the scene that we have constructed below comes alive. Key component of the shoot: people arrange themselves on the asphalt as if in lying down they are actually "standing" up in the world of the asphalt or cobblestones. I may not be verbally explaining it right. But, it essentially means that we are posing on the ground, lying down, but creating the effect that we are, in fact, merely walking along...
Anyway--we started out with Miro's plan. He had us "walk" along --which really meant that we all lay down on the nasty cobblestones by the river, complete with cigarette stubs embedded around us and some of the weird smells emanating up from the water, and he shot from above. The effect was really cool. We looked like school children walking along holding each others' hands!
Once we did that, he got our creative juices flowing. The great thing was that our class, four of us, worked together to talk out ideas and concepts and set up scenes on the ground, so that we were able to be photographers, models and scene setters all at various points throughout the afternoon. And, the most amazing thing was the way our ideas and brainstorms built off of each other. For example, Bryon, our classmate who went first, created two stick figures using his clothing and then random "found" objects for the body (like tripods for legs and bags for heads and a large water bottle for an arm...) Then, we photographed these figures from above and they looked fun. Very cartoonish. Then, I was going to do my concept which involved trying to illustrated my character from my short story Eliza Looking Away. I had bought this beautiful flower (a pink lily with three blossoms) on the street to bring as part of my props. My idea was to show Eliza as lying down, sleeping (since, in my story she is hit by a bus and in the hospital). She would be holding a flower and then I would have two guys fighting over her. That was the scene I intended to set up. But then, as we spontaneously got ideas, we realized that Beth, one of our classmates who was wearing a beautiful white sundress (which later became a huge part of the shooting we did throughout the day) could lie down and then these two stick figure guys we had used for Bryon's scene could be the ones fighting over her (instead of using real human models...) So, we set it up. Someone had brought a long sheet of red crepe paper which we lay down for Beth to lie upon, since it heightened the color and separated her from the two stick figures. Then, we laid the flower over her. It was quite beautiful. She looked heavenly, while the two stick figures were a hilarious contrast! It was this type of organic inspiration which really made the day meaningful. The juxtapositions and funky shots we got were different from what we expected, but even better because of the way they evolved out of our sense of play and creativity.
Then, it was super hot (literally one of the hottest days here...) so we took a beer/water/coke break at a nearby bar. After about 45 minutes, we returned, and it was cool because we did seem to be rejuvenated and have new ideas. Miro's son was with us. He is 16. He "painted" a model of the earth on the cobblestones using flour. We then posed in various "walking" states all around the globe. Later, we photographed just Beth in her beautiful white dress sitting atop the globe. And later still, we photographed Bryon "holding up" the globe as the lay on the cobblestones underneath the globe.
It was geting very cloudy and windy. Prague weather is very fickle. Or rather, it is quite predictable--on really hot days, it will always rain at around 5 pm--in a monsoon-ish down pour with wind and sheets of rain and cloudy dark skies. So, we were trying to get in one more shot before the rain. Maran and Bryon "drew" a large wine bottle out of flour on the asphalt and then two of us posed within the wine bottle drawing in various states of apparent drunkeness. Hard to describe, but the scene we shot was a hilarious view of drinking! And, as we lay there on the cobblestones, it began to rain. But we continued lying there posing as Miro shot from above--he protected by his umbrella, and showing out "Good!" "That's great!" "Hold that!" etc etc while we all became soaked below. It was hilarious. But we were so into the process we didn't want to stop--and were "suffering" for our art! hahaha.
Anyway--a really exhilarating day--and a great artistic experience. Honestly, the sense of inspiration and play was amazing. And, it was the type of thing that we all had to do together--the way our ideas worked off of each other and the way we got ideas in a split second from looking at our scenes was so fun. We were truly in the midst of a sort of deep flow there for awhile.
Afterward, we escaped into the tram just as the rain came down in sheets. We watched people outside the tram running for shelter, and Miro pointed out that these would make great photos! We headed to Cafe Slavia, an old cafe in Prague that has the look of the 20s about it. Many actors and artists from the National Theater used to go there since it is right across the street. We ordered food and drinks and talked art with Miro. He is a very nice man who was very pleased with our day of shooting--it was great to have felt that way myself and to also see that he too had been inspired by our day.
Finished off the night with going to a reading at the Ypsilon Theater. I took my dirty sweaty self there right after Cafe Slavia. Stuart Dybek and Cynthia Hogue read. I really liked Cynthia's work. Now, I am home, packing for our photo overnight trip to Lednice and Brno--the Moravian wine region. Looking forward to it, especially after all the work we did today!
Good night!
P.S.--Since I know it is hard to picture our shots as I describe them on here, I will be posting them soon on facebook. If I am able, I will try to post a few on this blog too (in the next few days)...
Creative. Sweaty. Inspirational. Dirt-covered. Spontaneous. And loads of fun. That is how I would describe our photography class this afternoon. We went with Miro Svolik, our guest teacher for this week, to a bridge a few stops on the tram away from our school building. The bridge allowed us to shoot in his style which is essentially the following: arrange people, scenes, props, etc on the ground, using the asphalt as the canvas, and then go up on the bridge, high above, shooting down, so that the scene that we have constructed below comes alive. Key component of the shoot: people arrange themselves on the asphalt as if in lying down they are actually "standing" up in the world of the asphalt or cobblestones. I may not be verbally explaining it right. But, it essentially means that we are posing on the ground, lying down, but creating the effect that we are, in fact, merely walking along...
Anyway--we started out with Miro's plan. He had us "walk" along --which really meant that we all lay down on the nasty cobblestones by the river, complete with cigarette stubs embedded around us and some of the weird smells emanating up from the water, and he shot from above. The effect was really cool. We looked like school children walking along holding each others' hands!
Once we did that, he got our creative juices flowing. The great thing was that our class, four of us, worked together to talk out ideas and concepts and set up scenes on the ground, so that we were able to be photographers, models and scene setters all at various points throughout the afternoon. And, the most amazing thing was the way our ideas and brainstorms built off of each other. For example, Bryon, our classmate who went first, created two stick figures using his clothing and then random "found" objects for the body (like tripods for legs and bags for heads and a large water bottle for an arm...) Then, we photographed these figures from above and they looked fun. Very cartoonish. Then, I was going to do my concept which involved trying to illustrated my character from my short story Eliza Looking Away. I had bought this beautiful flower (a pink lily with three blossoms) on the street to bring as part of my props. My idea was to show Eliza as lying down, sleeping (since, in my story she is hit by a bus and in the hospital). She would be holding a flower and then I would have two guys fighting over her. That was the scene I intended to set up. But then, as we spontaneously got ideas, we realized that Beth, one of our classmates who was wearing a beautiful white sundress (which later became a huge part of the shooting we did throughout the day) could lie down and then these two stick figure guys we had used for Bryon's scene could be the ones fighting over her (instead of using real human models...) So, we set it up. Someone had brought a long sheet of red crepe paper which we lay down for Beth to lie upon, since it heightened the color and separated her from the two stick figures. Then, we laid the flower over her. It was quite beautiful. She looked heavenly, while the two stick figures were a hilarious contrast! It was this type of organic inspiration which really made the day meaningful. The juxtapositions and funky shots we got were different from what we expected, but even better because of the way they evolved out of our sense of play and creativity.
Then, it was super hot (literally one of the hottest days here...) so we took a beer/water/coke break at a nearby bar. After about 45 minutes, we returned, and it was cool because we did seem to be rejuvenated and have new ideas. Miro's son was with us. He is 16. He "painted" a model of the earth on the cobblestones using flour. We then posed in various "walking" states all around the globe. Later, we photographed just Beth in her beautiful white dress sitting atop the globe. And later still, we photographed Bryon "holding up" the globe as the lay on the cobblestones underneath the globe.
It was geting very cloudy and windy. Prague weather is very fickle. Or rather, it is quite predictable--on really hot days, it will always rain at around 5 pm--in a monsoon-ish down pour with wind and sheets of rain and cloudy dark skies. So, we were trying to get in one more shot before the rain. Maran and Bryon "drew" a large wine bottle out of flour on the asphalt and then two of us posed within the wine bottle drawing in various states of apparent drunkeness. Hard to describe, but the scene we shot was a hilarious view of drinking! And, as we lay there on the cobblestones, it began to rain. But we continued lying there posing as Miro shot from above--he protected by his umbrella, and showing out "Good!" "That's great!" "Hold that!" etc etc while we all became soaked below. It was hilarious. But we were so into the process we didn't want to stop--and were "suffering" for our art! hahaha.
Anyway--a really exhilarating day--and a great artistic experience. Honestly, the sense of inspiration and play was amazing. And, it was the type of thing that we all had to do together--the way our ideas worked off of each other and the way we got ideas in a split second from looking at our scenes was so fun. We were truly in the midst of a sort of deep flow there for awhile.
Afterward, we escaped into the tram just as the rain came down in sheets. We watched people outside the tram running for shelter, and Miro pointed out that these would make great photos! We headed to Cafe Slavia, an old cafe in Prague that has the look of the 20s about it. Many actors and artists from the National Theater used to go there since it is right across the street. We ordered food and drinks and talked art with Miro. He is a very nice man who was very pleased with our day of shooting--it was great to have felt that way myself and to also see that he too had been inspired by our day.
Finished off the night with going to a reading at the Ypsilon Theater. I took my dirty sweaty self there right after Cafe Slavia. Stuart Dybek and Cynthia Hogue read. I really liked Cynthia's work. Now, I am home, packing for our photo overnight trip to Lednice and Brno--the Moravian wine region. Looking forward to it, especially after all the work we did today!
Good night!
P.S.--Since I know it is hard to picture our shots as I describe them on here, I will be posting them soon on facebook. If I am able, I will try to post a few on this blog too (in the next few days)...
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Went to Prague Proms at the Municipal House tonight--Prague's gorgeous Art Nouveau theater. We had some champagne beforehand in the theater and watched all the well-dressed people stroll in. The performer was a Norwegian singer and her band plus the Prague National Orchestra (or something like that)--she wasn't that amazing or anything--but the setting was great.
Earlier today--we met up with a new photographer, Miro Svolick who showed us his works and then had us experiment with taking silhouettes of objects that we might then be able to incorporate into photo collages later. Our assignment for Thursday is to come up with a concept for a book cover. We are to use the human body and paint, colors, even flour if we want to paint or shade the background we are working with (which will be somewhere out in the outside environment...)
One thing that was really cool about seeing his life's works was that his earlier photos are of walls that contain either damaged or rusty paint/stucco, etc. This is the type of thing I like to take pictures of now. It's all about texture and shading. So, I am going to show him some of mine and see what he says in terms of critiquing them.
Must sleep!
Earlier today--we met up with a new photographer, Miro Svolick who showed us his works and then had us experiment with taking silhouettes of objects that we might then be able to incorporate into photo collages later. Our assignment for Thursday is to come up with a concept for a book cover. We are to use the human body and paint, colors, even flour if we want to paint or shade the background we are working with (which will be somewhere out in the outside environment...)
One thing that was really cool about seeing his life's works was that his earlier photos are of walls that contain either damaged or rusty paint/stucco, etc. This is the type of thing I like to take pictures of now. It's all about texture and shading. So, I am going to show him some of mine and see what he says in terms of critiquing them.
Must sleep!
Monday, July 20, 2009
Hello from Monday night....
Here's a quick entry to keep up on things!
Today was our new teacher for fiction class, Melissa Pritchard. Although it was a bit hard at first to let go of our attachment to Bret, I think she will be great in a totally different way. She is all about writing as an art and she brings in other arts into her study and preparations for writing. She is a bit new agey--which, I actually kind of like! She says she writes all of her drafts in these big art notebooks--the blank, big sketch pads you can get at art stores. That way, she lets herself write and draw if she needs to or bring in any other thing that comes up. I think this would be a great technique for me to try. Even seeing her big art notebook as she was reading from it totally opened up my view on what writing can be--it makes me think of it as a craft. Gets me thinking outside the lines on the page. It also might enhance the ability to see the story as it unfolds visually--to see it spatially on the big page--I can see myself using a notebook like that to sketch out scenes in relation to each other--like a storyboard of sorts. She also talked about thinking in threes--how that's a good number for characters. events--any number of things. One hint she gave that I really liked was the idea that you should simplify on the surface and then go deep. That means--fewer characters, perhaps, but more depth to the few you have.
Also--another great idea: When writing the story and figuring out how events or scenes are going to go, you can list possible events that might happen to a character on a continuum from outrageous, life changing events to mundane, hum-drum actions. And then, as the writer, try them out in the scenes. It helps you make decisions and see what is available to you.
One other great quote that came up in class today, in relation to some things classmates were saying about committing to writing and the risks you have to take to do so, is "Leap, and the net will find you." I love that! It applies in so many ways--not just to writing. But, I think when it comes to writing or committing yourself to this work, there is a certain leap that one makes or needs to make. And it is scary. Whether it be the leap into the story when you sit down to write. Or, whether it be a leap into the writer's life where you decide to put writing first or at least take a step toward making it more serious or a bigger part of your life. All leaps. Big and small.
So, she will be very valuable in teaching us.
Well, off to bed. Tuesdays are busy days here.
Went back to the little tea place that is becoming a favorite. Tried out funky new one today--a cold tea that when poured into the pint glass they serve it in comes out looking like beer. This, of course, would be a great hit in Prague! But, it tastes really sweet, and is quite refreshing. Downed two of these tonight at the little tea shop!
And, of course, had a great red beer earlier in the day at lunch--Herold beer or something like that. Divine.
more later!
Here's a quick entry to keep up on things!
Today was our new teacher for fiction class, Melissa Pritchard. Although it was a bit hard at first to let go of our attachment to Bret, I think she will be great in a totally different way. She is all about writing as an art and she brings in other arts into her study and preparations for writing. She is a bit new agey--which, I actually kind of like! She says she writes all of her drafts in these big art notebooks--the blank, big sketch pads you can get at art stores. That way, she lets herself write and draw if she needs to or bring in any other thing that comes up. I think this would be a great technique for me to try. Even seeing her big art notebook as she was reading from it totally opened up my view on what writing can be--it makes me think of it as a craft. Gets me thinking outside the lines on the page. It also might enhance the ability to see the story as it unfolds visually--to see it spatially on the big page--I can see myself using a notebook like that to sketch out scenes in relation to each other--like a storyboard of sorts. She also talked about thinking in threes--how that's a good number for characters. events--any number of things. One hint she gave that I really liked was the idea that you should simplify on the surface and then go deep. That means--fewer characters, perhaps, but more depth to the few you have.
Also--another great idea: When writing the story and figuring out how events or scenes are going to go, you can list possible events that might happen to a character on a continuum from outrageous, life changing events to mundane, hum-drum actions. And then, as the writer, try them out in the scenes. It helps you make decisions and see what is available to you.
One other great quote that came up in class today, in relation to some things classmates were saying about committing to writing and the risks you have to take to do so, is "Leap, and the net will find you." I love that! It applies in so many ways--not just to writing. But, I think when it comes to writing or committing yourself to this work, there is a certain leap that one makes or needs to make. And it is scary. Whether it be the leap into the story when you sit down to write. Or, whether it be a leap into the writer's life where you decide to put writing first or at least take a step toward making it more serious or a bigger part of your life. All leaps. Big and small.
So, she will be very valuable in teaching us.
Well, off to bed. Tuesdays are busy days here.
Went back to the little tea place that is becoming a favorite. Tried out funky new one today--a cold tea that when poured into the pint glass they serve it in comes out looking like beer. This, of course, would be a great hit in Prague! But, it tastes really sweet, and is quite refreshing. Downed two of these tonight at the little tea shop!
And, of course, had a great red beer earlier in the day at lunch--Herold beer or something like that. Divine.
more later!
Friday, July 17, 2009
Week Round Up:
I just went to another student reading. I really liked listening to the playwrights since they get to, essentially, write all in dialogue or voice. It gives you the chance to be really real and casual. I would like to try it sometime. Earlier today, Bret Lott took our class to this really good Italian restaurant today for lunch. It was to celebrate our last class with him. I have to say, Czechs really do Italian well! I had raviolis that totally looked delicately hand made! We gave Bret at T shirt that said "I know nothing" in Czech. It is essentially his motto. He loved the T shirt and kept folding it up and then unfolding it again to look at it. I think he was really touched! We also all read something aloud in the restaurant. He coached us on how to read for our own student reading next week. I may not be able to read next week as I am going on a photo field trip. That is still yet to be determined. I have to say, reading in front of this audience is a bit intimidating. I have definitely read my stuff before at other conferences. But, I feel intimidated here. Oddly so, since I get along with a lot of the people. I just think it's a really high caliber group to read in front of! Perhaps it's because I get along with them that I am intimidated--I want to do well in front of people I like!
I wanted to describe the other day going out to our photo teacher's village or "willage" as he calls it. We took metro, tram and bus to get out there and finally arrived at this old building he has access to as a place where he and the town do art installations. He demonstrated studio lighting techniques which were really cool. Then he demonstrated a way of taking photos so that you get multiple exposures of one person in one shot. That was super fun. We partnered up and I worked with another student Bryon to figure it out. It took a ton of trial and error, but by the end, we had created a few pictures that contained multiple exposures of ourselves in ways that looked kind of funky.
Then, our teacher said he was going to take us out to the field to shoot an installation of sorts. Basically, he has these giant paper rings that are made by another artist. And, in his own work he lays these out in a field or wherever else and then photographs them. So, he took us out to a poppy field in his town. The only thing was, he hadn't told us he would be doing this, and several of us were wearing skirts and sandals. And, of course, several of us, or just me, are not fond of bugs and brambles and sweating. Regardless, we finally arrived after walking through long grass and poppies and no path whatsoever. Several of us got nettles in our feet. I was showing my true suburban roots by not smiling! I honestly would have been MUCH better if I had had jeans on and sneakers! But, we finally arrived there and set ourselves up and then our teacher and his son threw these ring-things into the air as they came to settle on the poppies. We got some kind of cool shots. The best thing about this teacher, Jan, is that he really is both a photographer and an artist. And he is just as much about thinking of interesting designs and creative installations as he is about photographing them. So, we photographed and then headed back to Prague on the bus and metro and tram.
Last night I also got to see my friend from NJ Caylie as she and her father have also been in Prague. I haven't seen them that much as we are both kind of on different schedules. But we were able to meet up last night at her hotel and go up to the rooftop bar her hotel has. There there was an absolutely unobstructed view of Prague Castle. We had wine and beer and looked at the night.
Tomorrow, the program has planned a trip to Terezin, a concentration camp. I think it will be a lot to take.
Good night.
I just went to another student reading. I really liked listening to the playwrights since they get to, essentially, write all in dialogue or voice. It gives you the chance to be really real and casual. I would like to try it sometime. Earlier today, Bret Lott took our class to this really good Italian restaurant today for lunch. It was to celebrate our last class with him. I have to say, Czechs really do Italian well! I had raviolis that totally looked delicately hand made! We gave Bret at T shirt that said "I know nothing" in Czech. It is essentially his motto. He loved the T shirt and kept folding it up and then unfolding it again to look at it. I think he was really touched! We also all read something aloud in the restaurant. He coached us on how to read for our own student reading next week. I may not be able to read next week as I am going on a photo field trip. That is still yet to be determined. I have to say, reading in front of this audience is a bit intimidating. I have definitely read my stuff before at other conferences. But, I feel intimidated here. Oddly so, since I get along with a lot of the people. I just think it's a really high caliber group to read in front of! Perhaps it's because I get along with them that I am intimidated--I want to do well in front of people I like!
I wanted to describe the other day going out to our photo teacher's village or "willage" as he calls it. We took metro, tram and bus to get out there and finally arrived at this old building he has access to as a place where he and the town do art installations. He demonstrated studio lighting techniques which were really cool. Then he demonstrated a way of taking photos so that you get multiple exposures of one person in one shot. That was super fun. We partnered up and I worked with another student Bryon to figure it out. It took a ton of trial and error, but by the end, we had created a few pictures that contained multiple exposures of ourselves in ways that looked kind of funky.
Then, our teacher said he was going to take us out to the field to shoot an installation of sorts. Basically, he has these giant paper rings that are made by another artist. And, in his own work he lays these out in a field or wherever else and then photographs them. So, he took us out to a poppy field in his town. The only thing was, he hadn't told us he would be doing this, and several of us were wearing skirts and sandals. And, of course, several of us, or just me, are not fond of bugs and brambles and sweating. Regardless, we finally arrived after walking through long grass and poppies and no path whatsoever. Several of us got nettles in our feet. I was showing my true suburban roots by not smiling! I honestly would have been MUCH better if I had had jeans on and sneakers! But, we finally arrived there and set ourselves up and then our teacher and his son threw these ring-things into the air as they came to settle on the poppies. We got some kind of cool shots. The best thing about this teacher, Jan, is that he really is both a photographer and an artist. And he is just as much about thinking of interesting designs and creative installations as he is about photographing them. So, we photographed and then headed back to Prague on the bus and metro and tram.
Last night I also got to see my friend from NJ Caylie as she and her father have also been in Prague. I haven't seen them that much as we are both kind of on different schedules. But we were able to meet up last night at her hotel and go up to the rooftop bar her hotel has. There there was an absolutely unobstructed view of Prague Castle. We had wine and beer and looked at the night.
Tomorrow, the program has planned a trip to Terezin, a concentration camp. I think it will be a lot to take.
Good night.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Painting with Light
Spent an amazing night doing light painting in photo class. We gathered at the studio at 6 p.m. to practice this technique in which you set your camera and then paint the light in front of your scene with a flashlight or really any type of light. Because of the long exposure time of the camera, you get these funky effects that add a sort of painterly or cartoonish quality to the photo. It was really fun to experiment with it in his studio. And then, at around 8:45 p.m., we started on a 20 minute walk to a specific part of the Castle where Jan knew the light would be good between 9:15 and 9:45. He kept stressing that we had only a very small window of time to catch the best light. He then told us to set up, frame the shot, set our apertures and shutters and then go. It was pretty much a lot of experimenting. And the photos are certainly wacky! But, it was really neat. The best part about the whole thing is that as you do the "light painting" in front of the camera, you look sort of like a mad magician with a magic wand dancing around. You can't stand still because you don't want yourself to appear in the phot--just the light. So there's the hilarious scurrying action that everyone is doing in front of their tripods...it was quite a fun sight to see. Anyway--this light painting is really Jan's main medium. He looks very free and artistic when he dances around with the flashlight. And his results are certainly much more controlled and done on a bigger scale than ours. We will continue working on this technique Thursday.
Today--sat out at a winebar by the vineayrds of the Castle. There was a great view of the city and we had lunch and tried different wines. It felt like sitting up there we were surveying our domain--the owners of the castle!
Had a great lecture from this Czech scholar on Feminism in the Czech Republic both before and after Communism. There are lots of paradoxes because of the way that in some ways, Communism granted more equality to the sexes! It was only after 1989 that women started to feel the effects of being forced into gender specific roles due to the way money-earning dictates roles in the family, etc. The Feminine Mystique became really popular in the Czech Republic after 1989--even though it had been big in the U.S. in the 60s and 70s.There are a lot of other facts--I will try to include them in some point on the blog. Basically, one of the most intriguing lectures we've had so far.
Good night!
Spent an amazing night doing light painting in photo class. We gathered at the studio at 6 p.m. to practice this technique in which you set your camera and then paint the light in front of your scene with a flashlight or really any type of light. Because of the long exposure time of the camera, you get these funky effects that add a sort of painterly or cartoonish quality to the photo. It was really fun to experiment with it in his studio. And then, at around 8:45 p.m., we started on a 20 minute walk to a specific part of the Castle where Jan knew the light would be good between 9:15 and 9:45. He kept stressing that we had only a very small window of time to catch the best light. He then told us to set up, frame the shot, set our apertures and shutters and then go. It was pretty much a lot of experimenting. And the photos are certainly wacky! But, it was really neat. The best part about the whole thing is that as you do the "light painting" in front of the camera, you look sort of like a mad magician with a magic wand dancing around. You can't stand still because you don't want yourself to appear in the phot--just the light. So there's the hilarious scurrying action that everyone is doing in front of their tripods...it was quite a fun sight to see. Anyway--this light painting is really Jan's main medium. He looks very free and artistic when he dances around with the flashlight. And his results are certainly much more controlled and done on a bigger scale than ours. We will continue working on this technique Thursday.
Today--sat out at a winebar by the vineayrds of the Castle. There was a great view of the city and we had lunch and tried different wines. It felt like sitting up there we were surveying our domain--the owners of the castle!
Had a great lecture from this Czech scholar on Feminism in the Czech Republic both before and after Communism. There are lots of paradoxes because of the way that in some ways, Communism granted more equality to the sexes! It was only after 1989 that women started to feel the effects of being forced into gender specific roles due to the way money-earning dictates roles in the family, etc. The Feminine Mystique became really popular in the Czech Republic after 1989--even though it had been big in the U.S. in the 60s and 70s.There are a lot of other facts--I will try to include them in some point on the blog. Basically, one of the most intriguing lectures we've had so far.
Good night!
Monday, July 13, 2009
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Tea!
Wandered around today. Went to this tea house in Wenceslas Square. It was very meditative and hippy-dippy. Loved it! There were these cushions that you could sit on so that you were basically sitting close to the ground. I had chai, but I know I will have to branch out the next time I go. I can't only get my favorite chai when there are so many other teas on the menu! Here's the website for it: http://tea.cz/cajovna/
Then, Shara and I wandered over to the Museum of Communism. It was a really interesting experience. The museum wasn't that big--but it was well done. It portrayed the Czech expereince with communism. I felt like a lot of the stuff I was reading overlapped a lot with the books I read for the Hannah Arendt seminar I took in 2006. She and the museum both talked about the ways that the society used fear as well as a nebulous, constantly changing target for this fear as a way of controlling the society. There were some amazing pictures of the tanks rolling into Prague in 1968. But there were some equally amazing photos of the people gathering in Old Town Square to protest in 1989. So, these major sights have been the place where major historical events have taken place.
Tonight in Old Town Square there was a concert. A huge stage went up virtually overnight amongst the old buildings and I was able to see about three groups tonight. Shara and I were remarking on the fact that the beer was still cheap (at U.S. concerts they take you for all you're worth!). And the people weren't making this huge mess by throwing stuff everywhere. Also, people were remarkably quiet, even though the square was packed! I keep noticing that about Prague. In restaurants, on the street, on the boat ride I went on last night, it's quiet! I feel like if I were amongst a bunch of Americans on a boat where there was a bar and buffet the din would be quite loud!
Anyway, tomorrow I meet with Bret Lott at 9 a.m. over coffee in a paneteria near school before class to go over what he thought of my story and to reflect on how the workshop went last week. I realized I haven't even talked about the experience of workshopping my story last week. I will have to do that. For now, suffice it to say I found it very helpful, and, the best advice Bret gave to me last week was --go back to your original impulse to write the story, whatever it was. (For me it was an image of this woman rather spacily walking around town, so much so that she was truly in a zone that was perhaps hard for others to figure out...)
So, he said go back to that impulse and try to peel back the layers of that and write from there. There are parts of my story that feel contrived and sort of like I am just having the characters do stuff to do stuff. I agree with him on that...and I also remember that when I was writing the story, I was sort of obsessed with this idea of having plot--which I now know is a no-no. Plot will come. So, I was giving the characters all of these things to do that might lead to some kind of action. But, really, I think the thing to do (and the hardest thing, at that)--is to write, and to wait and see where the character leads on her own...This takes a sort of patience and sort of release of ego--a getting out of one's way...that is my challenge...It is sssssllllooowww! but, it is where the true action is at!
Wandered around today. Went to this tea house in Wenceslas Square. It was very meditative and hippy-dippy. Loved it! There were these cushions that you could sit on so that you were basically sitting close to the ground. I had chai, but I know I will have to branch out the next time I go. I can't only get my favorite chai when there are so many other teas on the menu! Here's the website for it: http://tea.cz/cajovna/
Then, Shara and I wandered over to the Museum of Communism. It was a really interesting experience. The museum wasn't that big--but it was well done. It portrayed the Czech expereince with communism. I felt like a lot of the stuff I was reading overlapped a lot with the books I read for the Hannah Arendt seminar I took in 2006. She and the museum both talked about the ways that the society used fear as well as a nebulous, constantly changing target for this fear as a way of controlling the society. There were some amazing pictures of the tanks rolling into Prague in 1968. But there were some equally amazing photos of the people gathering in Old Town Square to protest in 1989. So, these major sights have been the place where major historical events have taken place.
Tonight in Old Town Square there was a concert. A huge stage went up virtually overnight amongst the old buildings and I was able to see about three groups tonight. Shara and I were remarking on the fact that the beer was still cheap (at U.S. concerts they take you for all you're worth!). And the people weren't making this huge mess by throwing stuff everywhere. Also, people were remarkably quiet, even though the square was packed! I keep noticing that about Prague. In restaurants, on the street, on the boat ride I went on last night, it's quiet! I feel like if I were amongst a bunch of Americans on a boat where there was a bar and buffet the din would be quite loud!
Anyway, tomorrow I meet with Bret Lott at 9 a.m. over coffee in a paneteria near school before class to go over what he thought of my story and to reflect on how the workshop went last week. I realized I haven't even talked about the experience of workshopping my story last week. I will have to do that. For now, suffice it to say I found it very helpful, and, the best advice Bret gave to me last week was --go back to your original impulse to write the story, whatever it was. (For me it was an image of this woman rather spacily walking around town, so much so that she was truly in a zone that was perhaps hard for others to figure out...)
So, he said go back to that impulse and try to peel back the layers of that and write from there. There are parts of my story that feel contrived and sort of like I am just having the characters do stuff to do stuff. I agree with him on that...and I also remember that when I was writing the story, I was sort of obsessed with this idea of having plot--which I now know is a no-no. Plot will come. So, I was giving the characters all of these things to do that might lead to some kind of action. But, really, I think the thing to do (and the hardest thing, at that)--is to write, and to wait and see where the character leads on her own...This takes a sort of patience and sort of release of ego--a getting out of one's way...that is my challenge...It is sssssllllooowww! but, it is where the true action is at!
Friday, July 10, 2009
Happy Friday!
We had a student reading tonight. All of the students from certain workshops were allowed to read in the theater we've been using for all of the big readings. It was a great group of writers-- really varied. Some people are totally experienced in readings and poetry slams and performing in general. Others were first timers. Regardless, it was such a huge array of different genres and talents. I found it even more enjoyable than the famous author readings because I felt like people really exposed their work--shared a piece of themselves. And, the people are really talented.
Just had dinner tonight at a restaurant called Luka Lu...it was adorable, having funky upside down tea party tables hanging from the ceiling, almost like Alice in Wonderland. We sat out on the sidewalk and enjoyed the good food. One dish we ordered was the soup called "chicken beg"--containing mixed vegetables, broth and "aphrodisiacs" according to the menu! We ordered up! It was a nice chance to hang out with two women who I have enjoyed getting to know. Both of them are full time writers--a fact I find admirable and quite gutsy. They are both very different--Shara is a non fiction writer working on a book about a trip to China. She is in the editing stages--quite far along in her project. The other woman, Heather, has an MFA and is now traveling around on these various writing grants and fellowships she has received.
Earlier in the day I found a mall in Prague. I happened to it quite by accident. It was crazy--the whole time was walking through it, I was thinking--I want this mall in my town! Jersey, the mall capital of the world, has nothing on Prague! But, I also was shocked by this--I mean, who expects that Prague will have a fancy, fully decked out 3 story mall! What about the slow move to capitalism?! Clearly, in twenty years, Prague has caught up in its mall quality! I won't be spending a lot of time at this mall during my time here. But, still, it was bizarre to see such a glamorous and fancy mall over here in the former communist state. At the end of the day, I admit it, it's comforting to walk through a mall, no matter where it is.
Good night!
Just had dinner tonight at a restaurant called Luka Lu...it was adorable, having funky upside down tea party tables hanging from the ceiling, almost like Alice in Wonderland. We sat out on the sidewalk and enjoyed the good food. One dish we ordered was the soup called "chicken beg"--containing mixed vegetables, broth and "aphrodisiacs" according to the menu! We ordered up! It was a nice chance to hang out with two women who I have enjoyed getting to know. Both of them are full time writers--a fact I find admirable and quite gutsy. They are both very different--Shara is a non fiction writer working on a book about a trip to China. She is in the editing stages--quite far along in her project. The other woman, Heather, has an MFA and is now traveling around on these various writing grants and fellowships she has received.
Earlier in the day I found a mall in Prague. I happened to it quite by accident. It was crazy--the whole time was walking through it, I was thinking--I want this mall in my town! Jersey, the mall capital of the world, has nothing on Prague! But, I also was shocked by this--I mean, who expects that Prague will have a fancy, fully decked out 3 story mall! What about the slow move to capitalism?! Clearly, in twenty years, Prague has caught up in its mall quality! I won't be spending a lot of time at this mall during my time here. But, still, it was bizarre to see such a glamorous and fancy mall over here in the former communist state. At the end of the day, I admit it, it's comforting to walk through a mall, no matter where it is.
Good night!
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Gallery Hopping...
Thursday night--just back from another cool author reading. Tonight it was Bret Lott and Robert Eversz. They had a great rapport between them during the Q and A, which is really interesting since the two of them write such different work. I am intrigued by Eversz's books. They all center around this character Nina Zero who is an ex-con paparazza who wants to be an art photographer. It all takes place against the backdrop of L.A. It is entertaining and rather humorous/dark stuff.
We went to a bunch of little galleries for photo class today. Our teacher just led us around the city to each one. Then we critiqued the various techniques of each one. One gallery was having an opening that he wanted us to go to. He was very much at home, knowing a lot of the people there. We also had a guest photographer show us her work: it was documentary photographs of Prague at key points in history. The one I was most interested in was her series on the leaving of the Russian troops in 1990 and 1991 after they had been in Prague since 1968. The pictures were stark and weird. The soldiers didn't look happy. It was also interesting to see the way they had literally set up a home at the base in Prague for 20 years. For some, it was their home. The photographer said that she is one of the best known female documentary photographers in the Czech Republic since it is not as common for women to do this as it might be in the U.S. She said it's mainly because it's a more traditional society and women have a harder time balancing the domestic role with the call of being an artist. Interesting.
She also had pictures of 1989--the actual throngs of people who came out when Comunism fell. Her pictures showed many people of the older generation who were showing a mix of feelings. There was a sense of hope. But, one of her photos showed a woman who looked grim. The photgrapher said she was trying to capture the fact that the older generation was happy that comunism had fallen, but it was also a bittersweet moment since, for many of the older people, this fall of communism came too late for them. It would not play such a big role in determining their lives as it would for the yonger generation.
Tonight at dinner there was a huge downpour. We were sitting in an outdoor garden restaurant--but luckily it had some covering. Still, the rain kept coming down in huge sheets and it was literally weighing down the awnings. We dashed over to the theater for the readings, soaked through and through. Apparently, we are in monsoon season!!
more soon...gotta read for class tomorrow...:)
Thursday night--just back from another cool author reading. Tonight it was Bret Lott and Robert Eversz. They had a great rapport between them during the Q and A, which is really interesting since the two of them write such different work. I am intrigued by Eversz's books. They all center around this character Nina Zero who is an ex-con paparazza who wants to be an art photographer. It all takes place against the backdrop of L.A. It is entertaining and rather humorous/dark stuff.
We went to a bunch of little galleries for photo class today. Our teacher just led us around the city to each one. Then we critiqued the various techniques of each one. One gallery was having an opening that he wanted us to go to. He was very much at home, knowing a lot of the people there. We also had a guest photographer show us her work: it was documentary photographs of Prague at key points in history. The one I was most interested in was her series on the leaving of the Russian troops in 1990 and 1991 after they had been in Prague since 1968. The pictures were stark and weird. The soldiers didn't look happy. It was also interesting to see the way they had literally set up a home at the base in Prague for 20 years. For some, it was their home. The photographer said that she is one of the best known female documentary photographers in the Czech Republic since it is not as common for women to do this as it might be in the U.S. She said it's mainly because it's a more traditional society and women have a harder time balancing the domestic role with the call of being an artist. Interesting.
She also had pictures of 1989--the actual throngs of people who came out when Comunism fell. Her pictures showed many people of the older generation who were showing a mix of feelings. There was a sense of hope. But, one of her photos showed a woman who looked grim. The photgrapher said she was trying to capture the fact that the older generation was happy that comunism had fallen, but it was also a bittersweet moment since, for many of the older people, this fall of communism came too late for them. It would not play such a big role in determining their lives as it would for the yonger generation.
Tonight at dinner there was a huge downpour. We were sitting in an outdoor garden restaurant--but luckily it had some covering. Still, the rain kept coming down in huge sheets and it was literally weighing down the awnings. We dashed over to the theater for the readings, soaked through and through. Apparently, we are in monsoon season!!
more soon...gotta read for class tomorrow...:)
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Schedule today:
9 a.m.--Survival Czech Language. Very fun--teaching pronunciation and a hopefully a few key words!
10 a.m.--lecture given by Pietro_______ must look up his name....an expert on Czech Literature. He gave a talk on female figures in Czech literature from ancient myths to the present--way cool!
11:30 a.m.--lecture given by Alison Hawthorne Deming--an author that I have enjoyed reading before. She is a distant relative of Nathaniel Hawthorne. I read one of her non-fiction books: Temprary Homelands, as well as her poetry. She has a special meaning for me because I remember I was reading her when Grammy, my dad's mother, was in the hospital. I read it to Grammy as a way of getting through the hours. Seeing Deming on the reading schedule made me happy!
then--lunch for an hour...spinach pasta and bleu cheese...hmmm...rather bizarre combo--but it worked!
Photography Class--2:00-6:00 p.m.
This is heaven to me. How can I describe it? We followed our teacher up the hill to his private studio. He kind of reminds me of Mr Degroat my high school orchestra teacher...but in appearance only. He gave presentations on light, color, use of space and shape. He shared a huge amount of his own work which was really funky. Basically, for his photos, he manipulates the living environment through various means, creating almost like an art installation outdoors. And then he photographs it. The effect is almost like supernatural photos--looking like otherworldy planets, etc. Jan Pohribny is his name.
7:30-9:30--Then, on to two hour night Reading Series at the Ypsilon Theater, this theater downtown where there is a funky bar open for drinks before the readings. Then, we descend down into this actual theater that has a small, intimate feel to it. Alison Hawthorne Deming read some of her poems and an essay. Michael Waters, a poet, read several cool poems. Then a Q and A.
Now--home to bed! haven't been home since 8:30 am this morning!
But, great day. Honestly--looking at the photos in photo class and thinking about light and compostion and shape--felt like heaven. Such an indulgence to be able to do this! is what I kept thinking to myself--but--i doesn't have to be an indulgence! It is something I really love to do!
The photographer's studio is exaclty what I pictured. A lot of room for lights and other equipment that he uses to set up his work. It is in a lower level--a basement. He has one bare wall for projecting his photos. A table for laying out his work. And, he even has a little area where he makes coffee or tea for us during our breaks!
Heaven.
other funny details: i am living in the land of the tatooes, the pierced and the smoking. I'm not talking about the Czechs--although they may have all of these too. No, I am talking about the artsy undergrads who are in this program. They are cute. I think I need to get some crazy tattoos and pierce my nose in order to fit in. :)
Don't worry mom--just kidding! :) Although I do like that pierced nose look...
9 a.m.--Survival Czech Language. Very fun--teaching pronunciation and a hopefully a few key words!
10 a.m.--lecture given by Pietro_______ must look up his name....an expert on Czech Literature. He gave a talk on female figures in Czech literature from ancient myths to the present--way cool!
11:30 a.m.--lecture given by Alison Hawthorne Deming--an author that I have enjoyed reading before. She is a distant relative of Nathaniel Hawthorne. I read one of her non-fiction books: Temprary Homelands, as well as her poetry. She has a special meaning for me because I remember I was reading her when Grammy, my dad's mother, was in the hospital. I read it to Grammy as a way of getting through the hours. Seeing Deming on the reading schedule made me happy!
then--lunch for an hour...spinach pasta and bleu cheese...hmmm...rather bizarre combo--but it worked!
Photography Class--2:00-6:00 p.m.
This is heaven to me. How can I describe it? We followed our teacher up the hill to his private studio. He kind of reminds me of Mr Degroat my high school orchestra teacher...but in appearance only. He gave presentations on light, color, use of space and shape. He shared a huge amount of his own work which was really funky. Basically, for his photos, he manipulates the living environment through various means, creating almost like an art installation outdoors. And then he photographs it. The effect is almost like supernatural photos--looking like otherworldy planets, etc. Jan Pohribny is his name.
7:30-9:30--Then, on to two hour night Reading Series at the Ypsilon Theater, this theater downtown where there is a funky bar open for drinks before the readings. Then, we descend down into this actual theater that has a small, intimate feel to it. Alison Hawthorne Deming read some of her poems and an essay. Michael Waters, a poet, read several cool poems. Then a Q and A.
Now--home to bed! haven't been home since 8:30 am this morning!
But, great day. Honestly--looking at the photos in photo class and thinking about light and compostion and shape--felt like heaven. Such an indulgence to be able to do this! is what I kept thinking to myself--but--i doesn't have to be an indulgence! It is something I really love to do!
The photographer's studio is exaclty what I pictured. A lot of room for lights and other equipment that he uses to set up his work. It is in a lower level--a basement. He has one bare wall for projecting his photos. A table for laying out his work. And, he even has a little area where he makes coffee or tea for us during our breaks!
Heaven.
other funny details: i am living in the land of the tatooes, the pierced and the smoking. I'm not talking about the Czechs--although they may have all of these too. No, I am talking about the artsy undergrads who are in this program. They are cute. I think I need to get some crazy tattoos and pierce my nose in order to fit in. :)
Don't worry mom--just kidding! :) Although I do like that pierced nose look...
Monday, July 6, 2009
First Class Today...
First fiction class today. Bret Lott has a really nice style that is hard to put my finger on...essentially, he's very down to earth, very relatable, kind of funny...He tells the story of working as an R and C cola man for awhile. He seems very defined by this sort of American childhood--father an R and C salesman--he moved the family whenever his job transferred...Bret worked at the company too before he ever figured out he wanted to be a writer...
Sitting in a fiction workshop is so different from sitting in a different type of class...Instead of writing down facts or information, I feel instead that I am sitting at the foot of a master writer and I am just absorbing nuggets of wisdom or advice about the writing craft--all with the caveat, of course, that anything he says, may or may not work for me as a writer personally. So much of it is about following the muse/magic/vision/instinct that works for you. He says things like, in order to be in this class, we all have to kind of acknowledge that we don't know any one answer to writing... (like Socrates!)
We read John Gardner's On Becoming a Novelist as prep before coming here. The line that keeps standing out in this book, for me, is his idea that the novelist creates a vivid waking dream--and his job is the engage in that and to keep up the continuous waking dream in the work he or she writes...the image of the continuous waking dream really works for me because I think the act of writing can be engaging in a sort of waking dream, a trance-like state. But then of course, whatever I write, if it is good, should engage the reader in his or her own sort of waking dream. And the idea is to not artificially or accidentally interrupt this dream with awkward or "dishonest' moments in the writing.
Our clases meet downtown in this building that is across from one of the major bridges of Prague. When we walk out the building we have a beautiful view of Prague Castle up on the hill.
Ventured in to a major shopping area today in search of spiral notebooks...finally found them at this huge bookstore...Luxor Books. Nice place, I am sure I will revisit! It ain't Borders or Barnes and Nobles...which is a nice change!
First fiction class today. Bret Lott has a really nice style that is hard to put my finger on...essentially, he's very down to earth, very relatable, kind of funny...He tells the story of working as an R and C cola man for awhile. He seems very defined by this sort of American childhood--father an R and C salesman--he moved the family whenever his job transferred...Bret worked at the company too before he ever figured out he wanted to be a writer...
Sitting in a fiction workshop is so different from sitting in a different type of class...Instead of writing down facts or information, I feel instead that I am sitting at the foot of a master writer and I am just absorbing nuggets of wisdom or advice about the writing craft--all with the caveat, of course, that anything he says, may or may not work for me as a writer personally. So much of it is about following the muse/magic/vision/instinct that works for you. He says things like, in order to be in this class, we all have to kind of acknowledge that we don't know any one answer to writing... (like Socrates!)
We read John Gardner's On Becoming a Novelist as prep before coming here. The line that keeps standing out in this book, for me, is his idea that the novelist creates a vivid waking dream--and his job is the engage in that and to keep up the continuous waking dream in the work he or she writes...the image of the continuous waking dream really works for me because I think the act of writing can be engaging in a sort of waking dream, a trance-like state. But then of course, whatever I write, if it is good, should engage the reader in his or her own sort of waking dream. And the idea is to not artificially or accidentally interrupt this dream with awkward or "dishonest' moments in the writing.
Our clases meet downtown in this building that is across from one of the major bridges of Prague. When we walk out the building we have a beautiful view of Prague Castle up on the hill.
Ventured in to a major shopping area today in search of spiral notebooks...finally found them at this huge bookstore...Luxor Books. Nice place, I am sure I will revisit! It ain't Borders or Barnes and Nobles...which is a nice change!
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Getting to Know this Community of Writers...
Our classes start tomorrow. Today felt much more normal--am over the jet lag--and totally getting into the whole experience. We met our teachers today. Bret Lott, my fiction teacher, seems very chill. I hung out with him for a bit at the opening party tonight and we have a rather goofy rapport, which is cool. It is a bit weird since I read his memoir. I keep wanting to say some fact I know about him--but then I realize that, of course, that's from his book--and it would be really weird if I were like, "How's your son, Zeb?" Even though I have read all about Zeb in the memoir. Not a normal cocktail party question...Bret might get some serious stalker vibes from me if I say some of these facts that I know about him!
Anyway--beyond that, the photo teacher also seems very cool. All of our classes will be at his studio, and he seems fine with me being in the advanced class. I think for him it's all about the images we actually shoot--not so much about our ability to manipulate images on the computer, etc. So, more on that once we have our first class.
One thing I was saying to another woman I met today--it's really cool to be around all of these writers who are both seemingly very normal looking. Like, I wouldn't think, wow--that woman over there has a book length manuscipt she's working on! But, yet, they quietly have these projects that they're working on. And, It's exciting to meet people who do take their writing seriously. It's definitely a model for me--to work towards.
And already, over beers at the opening party tonight, I had a conversation with a woman about one story I'm working on. She hasn't read my story, but I was telling her about the problem I'm having where I feel like the character I am creating in my story, "Eliza Looking Away" is purposely ambiguous and indirect--that's part of who she is--but, this is not working out too well for the story. And this woman told me that she thinks it's helpful when the writer really knows the character well, unambiguously. So that even if the character comes across as elusive, etc--the writer has such a command of the character that the ambiguous-ness feels 100% purposeful and fine. (Instead of troublesome and vague, as I feel like my character is right now...)
How cool that this is conversation that just arises casually as we hang out!
Well, more soon!
One of these days I might actually post a real piece of meditative writing on here! But, until then, these will just be chatty posts about the day's events!
Ciao!
Our classes start tomorrow. Today felt much more normal--am over the jet lag--and totally getting into the whole experience. We met our teachers today. Bret Lott, my fiction teacher, seems very chill. I hung out with him for a bit at the opening party tonight and we have a rather goofy rapport, which is cool. It is a bit weird since I read his memoir. I keep wanting to say some fact I know about him--but then I realize that, of course, that's from his book--and it would be really weird if I were like, "How's your son, Zeb?" Even though I have read all about Zeb in the memoir. Not a normal cocktail party question...Bret might get some serious stalker vibes from me if I say some of these facts that I know about him!
Anyway--beyond that, the photo teacher also seems very cool. All of our classes will be at his studio, and he seems fine with me being in the advanced class. I think for him it's all about the images we actually shoot--not so much about our ability to manipulate images on the computer, etc. So, more on that once we have our first class.
One thing I was saying to another woman I met today--it's really cool to be around all of these writers who are both seemingly very normal looking. Like, I wouldn't think, wow--that woman over there has a book length manuscipt she's working on! But, yet, they quietly have these projects that they're working on. And, It's exciting to meet people who do take their writing seriously. It's definitely a model for me--to work towards.
And already, over beers at the opening party tonight, I had a conversation with a woman about one story I'm working on. She hasn't read my story, but I was telling her about the problem I'm having where I feel like the character I am creating in my story, "Eliza Looking Away" is purposely ambiguous and indirect--that's part of who she is--but, this is not working out too well for the story. And this woman told me that she thinks it's helpful when the writer really knows the character well, unambiguously. So that even if the character comes across as elusive, etc--the writer has such a command of the character that the ambiguous-ness feels 100% purposeful and fine. (Instead of troublesome and vague, as I feel like my character is right now...)
How cool that this is conversation that just arises casually as we hang out!
Well, more soon!
One of these days I might actually post a real piece of meditative writing on here! But, until then, these will just be chatty posts about the day's events!
Ciao!
Saturday, July 4, 2009
July 4th--no thoughts of fireworks today!
Well--a very busy day!
After trying to sleep, to no real avail, I read for awhile. Then, a thunderstorm came in--and all I could think about was--no more rain! Just like we've been having in the northeast for like the past month! The thunderstorm subsided, and then we met outside for what I thought would be a short orientation tour. Try three hours! It was very interesting--it was just funny trying to absorb everything in my semi-conscious state!
We went on a tour of the city with this really cool dude--he has long affiliations with the program--although I can't tell if he's a teacher in the program or if he's just their resident tour guide! Anyway--he led us all around--through a lot of places that I hadn't seen before--off the beaten track. He's really passionate about architecture, etc--and knows all sorts of random minutiae about what we are seeing--makes us pay attention to details! The best parts are when he goes of on tangents about music (rock and roll and classical)--and talks about his opinions. He brought us to this living memorial to John Lennon--basically this huge spray painted wall--pretty funky--good for pictures! He says he can't overestimate how important rock music was to a certain segment of the population, especially during communism.
He pointed out places where executions and trials were held, where Obama spoke earlier this year, where Frank Gehry contributed his dancing house, where another artist made this beautiful tunnel through the hills in 2000 that looks like a basket weave on the interior only it's made out of brick--really modern, funky photos there for sure.
I have met some interesting people--there's a real mix of ages. At first it's hard to tell if people are in college or in a graduate program. But, a lot of people are getting their MFAs--which makes for very interesting conversation as I can pump them for details on what they're doing.
One girl I met is a photographer--she has had some shows and isn't even taking the photography course. She's just here for non-fiction.
Anyway, so, an interesting group.
Prague is so nice in that it is very laid back. No pushiness. Everyone--the people and the atmosphere--both seem very chill.
Tomorrow the tour guide guy is taking us on another big tour of a different section of the city. Most of us were going to skip it thinking we had already gotten our tour today--but then realizing that he is a font of information and passion for Prague--we're going on that one too. It should be fun.
Happy Fourth of July! Hope the fireworks are awesome!
After trying to sleep, to no real avail, I read for awhile. Then, a thunderstorm came in--and all I could think about was--no more rain! Just like we've been having in the northeast for like the past month! The thunderstorm subsided, and then we met outside for what I thought would be a short orientation tour. Try three hours! It was very interesting--it was just funny trying to absorb everything in my semi-conscious state!
We went on a tour of the city with this really cool dude--he has long affiliations with the program--although I can't tell if he's a teacher in the program or if he's just their resident tour guide! Anyway--he led us all around--through a lot of places that I hadn't seen before--off the beaten track. He's really passionate about architecture, etc--and knows all sorts of random minutiae about what we are seeing--makes us pay attention to details! The best parts are when he goes of on tangents about music (rock and roll and classical)--and talks about his opinions. He brought us to this living memorial to John Lennon--basically this huge spray painted wall--pretty funky--good for pictures! He says he can't overestimate how important rock music was to a certain segment of the population, especially during communism.
He pointed out places where executions and trials were held, where Obama spoke earlier this year, where Frank Gehry contributed his dancing house, where another artist made this beautiful tunnel through the hills in 2000 that looks like a basket weave on the interior only it's made out of brick--really modern, funky photos there for sure.
I have met some interesting people--there's a real mix of ages. At first it's hard to tell if people are in college or in a graduate program. But, a lot of people are getting their MFAs--which makes for very interesting conversation as I can pump them for details on what they're doing.
One girl I met is a photographer--she has had some shows and isn't even taking the photography course. She's just here for non-fiction.
Anyway, so, an interesting group.
Prague is so nice in that it is very laid back. No pushiness. Everyone--the people and the atmosphere--both seem very chill.
Tomorrow the tour guide guy is taking us on another big tour of a different section of the city. Most of us were going to skip it thinking we had already gotten our tour today--but then realizing that he is a font of information and passion for Prague--we're going on that one too. It should be fun.
Happy Fourth of July! Hope the fireworks are awesome!
Well--I have arrived! it's about 11:10 a.m. here.
Just received my orientation packet--the woman in charge is very energetic. Already able to get on the internet--I say this is a sign of good organization!
I have to take a moment to describe my dorm. You know--there are times in one's life when you know you're no longer a college student. And this morning, as I arrived at my dorm around 7 a.m., I was struck by the fact that perhaps I, Cindy Darling, have reached the age where I want some standards in my housing!
hehehe...
anyway--long story short--I am actually feeling more "at home" now that I have set up my room and put my clothes away, etc. But, I am staying in a dorm that is clearly a hold over from communism. That's a given. It's walls are bright yellow. The place has a feel of old communist architecture. I have a lock on a cabinet in my room--for safekeeping of things--if only the door with the lock on it didn't fall off on its hinges when I open it!
Regardless, the saving grace is that I love the view out my window--it looks out on a beautiful little park. And there's a place for me to perch on my desk and look out the window.
On the airplane, I met one of the teachers for the program. She's a woman in about her 60s who actually started here as a studnet in the program and then went through and got her MFA through the Prague Low Residency MFA program. She was great--and she got me excited about meeting all the different people. One of the main guys in charge here is a riot. I read his bio--and he has written all of these memoirs about growing up with a criminal father who was always on the run from the law...I am interested to hear his poetry...
I shared a cab ride to the dorm with two very sleepy Vassar College students. They were cute. i felt both like a college student and then also very aware that I wasn't a college student (which, I think i should remind myself now and again!)
anyhoo-- I am going to go for a walk to get my bearings...
ciao!
Just received my orientation packet--the woman in charge is very energetic. Already able to get on the internet--I say this is a sign of good organization!
I have to take a moment to describe my dorm. You know--there are times in one's life when you know you're no longer a college student. And this morning, as I arrived at my dorm around 7 a.m., I was struck by the fact that perhaps I, Cindy Darling, have reached the age where I want some standards in my housing!
hehehe...
anyway--long story short--I am actually feeling more "at home" now that I have set up my room and put my clothes away, etc. But, I am staying in a dorm that is clearly a hold over from communism. That's a given. It's walls are bright yellow. The place has a feel of old communist architecture. I have a lock on a cabinet in my room--for safekeeping of things--if only the door with the lock on it didn't fall off on its hinges when I open it!
Regardless, the saving grace is that I love the view out my window--it looks out on a beautiful little park. And there's a place for me to perch on my desk and look out the window.
On the airplane, I met one of the teachers for the program. She's a woman in about her 60s who actually started here as a studnet in the program and then went through and got her MFA through the Prague Low Residency MFA program. She was great--and she got me excited about meeting all the different people. One of the main guys in charge here is a riot. I read his bio--and he has written all of these memoirs about growing up with a criminal father who was always on the run from the law...I am interested to hear his poetry...
I shared a cab ride to the dorm with two very sleepy Vassar College students. They were cute. i felt both like a college student and then also very aware that I wasn't a college student (which, I think i should remind myself now and again!)
anyhoo-- I am going to go for a walk to get my bearings...
ciao!
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Welcome to Prague Blog
Prague Blog!
Well, it's here! A trip to Prague that I have been looking forward to--as much for the Prague part of it as the writing part of it! I will be taking a fiction class with Bret Lott and Melissa Pritchard. Additionally, I will be taking a photography course.
I am setting up this blog as a way to keep in touch with my peeps in the states and also as a way of giving me a place to record little snippets of cool and exciting things I see and do. My posts may not be long. They may, in fact, not even be often (depending on the habits I get into over there...) But, I hope that the posts I do make capture a bit about the experience for me as a writer and as a traveler.
Cheers! and happy reading!
Well, it's here! A trip to Prague that I have been looking forward to--as much for the Prague part of it as the writing part of it! I will be taking a fiction class with Bret Lott and Melissa Pritchard. Additionally, I will be taking a photography course.
I am setting up this blog as a way to keep in touch with my peeps in the states and also as a way of giving me a place to record little snippets of cool and exciting things I see and do. My posts may not be long. They may, in fact, not even be often (depending on the habits I get into over there...) But, I hope that the posts I do make capture a bit about the experience for me as a writer and as a traveler.
Cheers! and happy reading!
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