Acceptance

Have you ever put a mirror in front of a toddler and watch her smile? That baby loves the face in the glass. But then place that same mirror in front of an eleven-year-old and what does she do? Pick herself apart. By 21 most women, myself included, could give you a laundry list of a hundred things they want to change. For me it was, My nose is too long, my thighs too heavy, my hair is a frizzy wig, and oh shit another zit! Why can’t I have skin like Erin and a nose like Pam?

You know. It goes on and on.

What happens in those years? Why do we go from seeing our beauty to the opposite?

I believe it’s acceptance. Such a simple word. Easy to define. It’s something a child does without question. But adults, no way.

Today I woke up to yesterday’s smeared mascara, depressing book sales, hair I have no idea what to do with, and a chapter I can’t seem to finish.

And began to beat myself up.

Then I thought. What mirror always reflects the toddler I once was? What reflection is always beautiful? And I realized, my expression. My creativity.

So instead of looking in the mirror and at royalty reports I wrote.

And began to feel acceptance.

A teacher, Laurie Woodward is the author of several novels including Forest Secrets, and the fantasy series The Artania Chronicles. She also cowrote Dean and JoJo: The Dolphin Legacy and was a collaborator on the popular anti-bullying DVD Resolutions. Bullied as a child, Laurie is now an award-winning peace consultant and blogger who helps teach children how to avoid arguments, stop bullying, and maintain healthy friendships. She writes her novels on the Central Coast of California.

The Wonder Within: A Poem

Words

Swirling, Twisting, Leaping

Across the page.

A dance.

Celebrating

The wonder within.

You are a galaxy.

Showcase: Artists’ Studios

A glimpse inside…

Stop the Cruelty

Why would a 9-year-old child take her own life? What would lead this beautiful being to such a tragic end? Were there signs that the adults could have been on the lookout for? Last week a loving mother walked in to find her baby, Maddie Whittsitt, a fourth-grader from Birmingham, Alabama unresponsive. Ms. Williams attempted CPR and called 911 but tragically the child died three days later in St. Vincent’s East Hospital.

She had recently been the target of bullying.

We must stop the cruelty! How? As a peace consultant and educator, I have worked for many years to give children tools to become more resilient. Recently I asked one of my former friend mediator students, now sixteen, to join me on Dave Congalton Hometown Radio to look at the long-term effects of early intervention. Mikayla Thompson was the same age as this poor child when she volunteered her recesses to stop bullying on our campus. For two years of elementary school, she worked with a core group of students to promote peace on campus. Using scripts I wrote, non-violence techniques, and assertiveness training these kids helped to make our school a better place.

But I still didn’t know if the prevention and intervention we attempted had long term-term results.

On Monday, November 19th I picked Mikayla up for the ride to the KVEC Studio. What she shared then and during the next two hours blew me away. Not only has she stood up to bullies for these past six years but she also has comforted victims, helped her siblings work out conflicts, and gone on to volunteer for the Make a Wish foundation. She was a resilient child. I was so proud I just about cried.

During the interview she was poised, thoughtful, and kind as she shared some of her stories. Not only had early intervention made a difference in her life, but Mikayla was paying it forward and helping other teens to cope. For the entire interview, click on the following link:

Interview with Mikayla and Laurie

Tips for parents and educators:

Be on the lookout for changes in behavior. If a child suddenly becomes withdrawn or reluctant to attend school, they might be experiencing bullying.
Ask specific questions about how he/she is interacting with others.
Be vigilant with social media. Cyber-bullying is on the rise.
Role-play ways to deal with bullying as in the Peace Card.
Seek help. My website, Artania.net has scores of free lessons and ideas.

Out of the Earth: A Poem

Out of the Earth

We arise

Part air

Part water

Part dust

Part fire

Of the Earth

We absorb

Moving air currents through our lungs

Watching rivers flow through our veins

Tasting iron on our tongues

And feeling our blood burn at 98.6

To the Earth

We return

To air

To water

To dust

To fire

To arise once again

Out of the Earth

(Photograph, From a Single Grain by David Stroup)

43 Top Book Awards for Authors in 2018

Thanks to Scott Lorenz for these author tips.

Learn About Film Scoring from Composer Mike Hall

Imagine a movie with no music. No eerie piano and toning gong. No suspenseful drum kits and horns. No echoing synthesizer making you look over your shoulder for an approaching alien. It wouldn’t be the same, would it?

“Alien Craft” Sound Track by Mike Hall

Composer Mike Hall is very much aware of the the mood music can create. He has made it his life’s work to design, produce, engineer, and master the parts of films that you and I take for granted. Growing up in the small town of Tipton, Iowa and later moving to LeClaire, home of the History Channel’s show American Picker, his earliest influences came from the rock records his parents would play. Even though this was Buffalo Bill Cody’s birthplace, his parents didn’t stick to listening to Bluegrass and Country. Instead, his house on twenty acres was filled with the eclectic sounds of Buddy Holly, Ricky Nelson, Elvis Presley, and The Beatles.

Music filled his mind as he explored the towering bluffs, raced along the Mississippi River walks, and climbed ever higher in the deciduous forests. From his perch high in the silver maple or cottonwood tree he often watched deer graze, raccoons and squirrels scurry in and out of gooseberry and wild grape bushes, or wild turkeys peck for grubs on the leaf-carpeted forest floor.

Sometimes, he’d be lucky enough to catch a bald eagle flying overhead. While the beating of its wings echoed rhythms in his ears, he would tap on his faded jeans and dream of song.

As he grew, music became ever-more important as he trekked to the local record store searching for albums and tapes that might inspire. That’s when he began to notice film scores and listen with a more discerning ear. Then in high school he joined his first rock band with some friends. He may have known, “just enough to get by,” but his lack of of experience didn’t stop Mike.

Self-taught, he continued practicing, honing his craft until he was thrilled to begin performing as a guitar player and singer in the old school death metal band, rock band Angelkill. For the next few years Mike toured and played in a variety of bands of the same genre such as Mortuary Oat and Helmsplitter, which the Spirit of Rock Ezine called “..extreme metal that takes you on a roller coaster..” Spirit of Metal Article

During this time Mike was contacted by a German filmmaker who asked to use one of his songs in the end credits of his film. As he sat watching a film with his music playing, it got him to thinking; What inspires me the most? He considered this for a while, but the answer soon became clear. Composing. Creating musical scores for film.

For example: “Post Apocolyptic” by Mike Hall

Now Mike can often be found in his home studio working the keys and dials as he composes. While he has done several jobs for hire, Mike says, “The work that has the most meaning and thrill for me is the music I do that has no project tied to it…there are no pressures…no expectations…just me and the the music.”

Eventually most of these compositions find their way to a record, video game, or film but even if they don’t, it’s fine with Mike. He loves that time of no pressure. That moment he is creating for the sheer joy of making music.

That passion and joy have paid off as Hall’s movie credit’s continue to grow.When the Night Comes, Pretty Little Things, and Evil Deeds, Full Circle are just a handful of the films he has scored to date.

Today Mike is sharing his passion with young musicians around the country mentoring and guiding them as they set out on their own musical journeys. He says, “I was I was really kind of isolated growing up with no one encouraging me to do music. That’s why I think it’s so important to be a mentor to others and offer encouragement when and where ever you can. It can make a difference.”

Yes you can, and do Mike.

Listen to “Invincible,” and feel the power.

More about Mike Hall can be found on YouTube, Sound Cloud, and Stage 32.

You Are an Artist

Art. What does it make you think of? Is it a canvas splashed with paint or a sculpted bust? Do you think it’s important for our society and should children pursue this ethereal discipline?

Some would say no, arguing that children need reading, writing and math to compete in today’s global economy. And as a teacher, as well as an author I agree. Some of the time. I want every single one of my students to have the skills they need to succeed in an ever-changing economy.

But not by forgetting the people they are inside.

I believe that every man, woman, and child have a wondrous inside of them that is absolutely unique. It is their creative selves. And when we foster it, magic happens. That’s why I wrote The Artania Chronicles.

As a teacher, I’ve seen many changes over the years. And one of the saddest I saw was the increased emphasis on testing with less and less of the arts. It started to feel as if we were denying a beautiful part of children. As I explored this idea, my mind began to turn art into living beings that carried out their lives in a parallel dimension.

That was the birth of Artania. There the Mona Lisa, the David, and the Thinker go about their lives. But they aren’t independent of us. For every time a human child turns away from his/her true self and denies their artistic gifts, an evil race gains power.

To me, the hunch-backed, yellow-eyed, dream-invading monsters, I call Shadow Swine, represent the destruction of that most beautiful part of humanity. That incomparable part that is our art.

Some of you might be painters whose canvases are splashed with color. Others might pursue dance or music. A few might find the art in their athleticism or acting or creating the perfect meal. Or perhaps you are a writer, like me, and love the places the words take you to. But the cool think is that no one can act, sing, dance, paint, wordsmith, arrange, or bake exactly like you.

Because you are each an artist in your own way.