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between the slices (part one): what kind of sandwiches do writers love?

~ jama ~ 32 Comments

"Too few people really understand a good sandwich." ~ James Beard


Well of course.

If you ask a bunch of writers what their favorite sandwiches are, they’re not going to be satisfied with simple answers like "ham and cheese" or "tomato."
 
No, they will pause a moment, conjure up a recent reubenesque rendezvous, then proceed to give you all the living, breathing details. Writers thrive on sensuality. It’s in the genes like genoa salami. And there are always conditions, little things that spell the difference between ho-hum and heavenly. Writers are, if nothing else, specific. 

When I took "orders" for sandwiches last week, I was reminded of the restaurant scenes in "When Harry Met Sally." Reading everyone’s preferences was a delicious meal in itself — types of bread, cheeses, meats, veggies, spreads and condiments had me salivating all afternoon and craving a good dilly dally with a dagwood. 

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update on lindsay luppino

~ jama ~ 6 Comments

My friend and former neighbor, Lindsay Luppino, who recently starred in the 10th Anniversary National Tour of Footloose, is now performing as part of the ensemble in a summer production of "Singing in the Rain!"

For those of you in the southern Maine area, you can see Lindsay now through September 12th at John Lane’s Ogunquit Playhouse (ticket info here). My favorite rising star recently got an agent and is lovin’ her current gig, as it is her first Actors Equity theatre. Here’s a trailer for the show; look for a tall brunette with a bob in the chorus line!

We love you Lindsay!!

friday feast: maintaining altitude

~ jama ~ 21 Comments


photo by idua_japan.

 

IN FLIGHT
by Jennifer K. Sweeney

The Himalayan legend says
there are beautiful white birds
that live completely in flight.
They are born in the air,

must learn to fly before falling
and die also in their flying.
Maybe you have been born
into such a life

with the bottom dropping out.
Maybe gravity is claiming you
and you feel
ghost-scripted.

For the one who lives inside the fall,
the sky beneath the sky of all.

~ from How to Live on Bread and Music (Perugia Press, 2009).

I stumbled upon this poem by accident, and it was yet another saving grace. The lines, “maybe you have been born into such a life,” and, “for the one who lives inside the fall,” seem to perfectly describe the writer’s existence. As far as I’m concerned, writing chose me, not the other way around. Anyone in his/her right mind wouldn’t willingly choose the loneliness, insecurity, rejection, or compulsion to constantly compare oneself with others — the roller coaster of ups and downs that truly feels like trying to stay aloft without wings.

The Himalayan birds are “born in the air,” wings intact. Writers start out earthbound, then must depend upon words to take flight. Writers have to take that leap of faith every day, hurling themselves off high cliffs with no safety nets in sight, trying desperately to grow wings while battling gravity. We are told to “shine,” “spread our wings,” “dig deeper,” answer to a higher purpose, “to thine own self be true.” Most of the time it is a matter of flapping the few feathers we have — clumsily, haplessly, hopelessly. There are moments of glistening and gliding, the sun warming our backs. But each time out, with each new project, we must learn to fly all over again, eternal fledglings in search of just the right pocket of air.


photo by MaryBrooke.

Wherever you are in your journey, I wish you sunny skies and a good tail wind. I hope the expansive vista surrounding you comes into sharp focus and affords practical inspiration. Soar! ♥

Today’s Poetry Friday Roundup is being hosted by Kyle at
The Boy Reader. Alight on a few blogs and enjoy the poems!

your favorite sandwich, please!

~ jama ~ 27 Comments


August is National Sandwich Month, and I’m dying to know if there is any one particular kind of sandwich writers, poets, illustrators, and/or book bloggers prefer.

Please share your faves in the comments, and I’ll post the results next week. I want a list as big as this dagwood ☺.

Thanks! ♥

let’s go to the farmer’s market!

~ jama ~ 17 Comments

"We are stardust. We are golden. We are caught in the devil’s bargain. And we got to get ourselves back to the garden." ~ from "Woodstock," by Joni Mitchell.

Happy Monday! Hope you had a groovy weekend and treated yourself to a little 60’s music to celebrate Woodstock. Today we move from Max Yasgur’s farm to the farmers’ market (how’s that for a cool segue?).

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