J. M. Levinton

A Very Special Exhibit

• September 16, 2019
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© 2019 by Flash Rosenberg. Used with permission.

Art can say a thousand things with a glance. And a thousand more with a longer look, until we stare, captivated, at something that speaks to us without words.

I was privileged to be at the opening of The Art Students League’s Instructors’ Exhibition last Thursday. My friend, sculptor Paul Oestreicher, had a piece on display.

Remember, we’re getting closer to Halloween. 😉

Comparative Anatomy

Below are some of the pieces done by other instructors from the school. Look at them, savor them, and see which ones speak to you and what they have to say.

Woman in Red by Jon deMartin

US Custom House III by Michiyo Fukushima

Detail of Portrait Study by Sherry Camhy

Unrelenting Heartbreak by mARTha Bloom

Out of Africa by Rhoda Sherbell

© 2019 by Flash Rosenberg. Used with permission.

Cat II by Chin Yin Katz

Up in the Northern Catskill Mountains

• September 09, 2019
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Last weekend I stayed at Cuomo’s Cove in Windham, NY, a beautiful part of the Catskill mountains in Greene County. Me being me, I looked for bookstores and fortunately, Briars and Brambles was just down the road. In fact, they gave me a good story for my Halloween post, so stay tuned for that. 🙂

The reader above was tucked on the side of an antique shop in the village of Tannersville.

The view from my front door:

A cat snoozed outside the Catskill Mountain Country Store.

And I thought, who was I to deny my own quirkiness? I bought these on the last day:

Rain cleared to sun as I drove down the area and I managed to get this shot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There were a lot of pics taken but I’m still in quirky mode so I’ll leave you with this:

 

Short Travels

• August 26, 2019
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I went to a wedding in Delaware, a four-hour drive away. The terrain was flat. I mean cornfield flat, with houses and short, squat buildings barely touching the wide, wide sky. Very different from New York City.

By the time I got to the hotel, it was dark. So it wasn’t until the next morning when I looked out my window that I realized that a little cemetery resided on the other side of the parking lot. It looked odd, resting on a small plot of land while a bustling commercial strip raced by.

I loved the incongruence of it all.

And though the cemetery was quiet and peaceful, what if my mind imagined something more lurid? Well, welcome to my world.

 

A Mini Vacation

• August 12, 2019
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Getting ready to head out of state for a few days to attend a wedding. Have a good week!

Why is Writing Evil So Much Fun?

• August 04, 2019
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I’m editing a friend’s novella in the horror genre and what strikes me most is the passiveness of good. (I haven’t finished it yet so that might change but overall, in horror stories, evil has the most gleeful power.)

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Visiting Nature Centers

• July 29, 2019
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I spent a day visiting a few local nature centers. Enjoy!

 

 

 

Think You’re Too Old to Write? Read this Obituary

• July 21, 2019
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Yes, obituary. This was sent to me by author Carrie Vaccaro Nelkin and I find it completely inspiring.

Andrea Camilleri, the author of the Inspector Montalbano books, had his first bestseller at the age of 66. But did he stop? Nope, he wrote 90 more books until his death at age 93.

That’s not the only reason he inspires me. He forged his own path in another way:

 

What is not apparent to readers of the stories in translation or to the many non-Italian fans of the television series that sprang from them is that they are written in a language of the author’s creation: a blend of standard Italian with Sicilian dialect. 

To publishers, Camilleri’s linguistic mish-mash, which even non-Sicilian Italians have difficulty in understanding at first, must have seemed like a refined form of literary suicide.

 

He told good stories using a style that wasn’t for the sake of being unconventional but because it worked best for him. I am in awe.

I’m printing that obituary out and keeping it nearby to remind me to keep writing, keep improving, and yes, I’ll be reading his Inspector Montalbano books very soon.

 

Writers, Use Real Place Names or Not? Need Opinions!

• July 14, 2019
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I live in New York City. Many of the street names are well-known, and placing a character walking along Madison Avenue won’t create sudden visitors in real life tracking the route the characters have taken.

But my next novel is taking place in an area where the towns are miles apart and the population is small. I’m currently writing it with the real names of towns and streets and stores so that I know where everyone is. But in the end, should I fictionalize that part?

What do you do, and why? (And if you’re not a writer, I’d like your opinion too.)

 

Fairy Gardens Revisited

• July 08, 2019
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Fairy gardens are works of art. Designed to entice fairies to gather, they also show the creativity of the gardener-artist, offset by the weather and the mysterious (to me) part where flowers actually grow.

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Bits and Pieces

• June 30, 2019
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Last week had highs and lows.

Biggest high? Skyping with my group, The Penheads. They gave me valuable feedback on the first pages of the sequel to Magical Ties. There’s a long road ahead but it’s good to be back inside that universe.

And the low? Spending 6 1/2 hours in the dentist’s chair and not staying numb for the last hour. Not an experience I care to repeat.

 

For those who celebrate, have a safe and happy 4th of July!