This beautiful lyrical essay about growing up in Tahiti and losing her father is by Lillian Howan, author of ‘The Charm Buyers‘. Lillian‘s writings have appeared in Asian American Literary Review, Café Irreal, Calyx, New England Review, Vice Versa, and the anthologies Ms Aligned 2 & Under Western Eyes. She lives in Berkley, USA.

Lights from a Distance

Whenever I visited my father in Tahiti, I arrived at night. After a several-hours flight over dark sea and sky, lights would start to appear, and a murmur would arise from some of the passengers – someone saying: look, lights! At first, the lights would be few and distant, scattered in the vast blackness, but then more and more would appear, random dots, and then a long cluster of lights along a coastline, the island of Tahiti appearing out of the darkness.  Continue reading TAHITI: THE IMAGE IN THE MIND →

I interviewed artist, printmaker and teacher Sheila de Rosa, who is based in Tring, Hertfordshire. Sheila says about herself, “My art combines themes from Sublime Art, through Feminist Theory and into Maternal Subjectivity, and my projects often include a form of printed impression. Materials and form determine my subject matter.”

Leslie: Can you tell us about your compositional methods, please.
Sheila: I don’t have a ‘one size fits all’ methodology. I usually depend on my aesthetic sensibilities to find potential in the world around me. In other words, an image has to appeal to me. Continue reading THE ART OF SHEILA DE ROSA – PRINTMAKING, EMPATHY AND PRECIOUS SCARS →

I asked Emily Midorikawa and Emma Claire Sweeney about how they wrote a joint book. They are the authors of ‘A Secret Sisterhood: The hidden friendships of Austen, Brontë, Eliot and Woolf’. They also run  SomethingRhymed.com together, a website that celebrates female literary friendship. Emily is a winner of the Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize, Emma is author of the award-winning novel Owl Song at Dawn.

The piece that follows was originally written for Women Writers, Women Books.

The Art of Co-Authorship
by Emily Midorikawa and Emma Claire Sweeney Continue reading THE ART OF CO-AUTHORSHIP →

I interviewed coffee expert Ender Turan about his life journey from rural Kurdistan to managing ‘Epicure’, a popular café in Berkhamsted, UK.

Leslie: Where did the idea of a coffee shop first come from? How far back does your interest go?

Ender: The idea began when I was young, living in Kurdistan. Let me explain… I was brought up as an Alevi, a traditional way of life in Western Anatolia. It’s one of the two main Kurdish groups. So I was raised in a self-sufficient farming village where men and women shared things and worked together. I don’t recall money in our village – instead people would exchange animals for crops and vice versa. It was a close, caring community. If anyone wasn’t self-sufficient they would be given food and other necessaries to live on. Continue reading COFFEE & PEOPLE – THE KURDISH WAY →

I interviewed Kendra Olson about how she works with writers as a ‘developmental editor’. Kendra has an MLitt in Creative Writing and is the author of the historical fiction novel, The Forest King’s Daughter. She enjoys writing short stories and creative non-fiction, including book reviews. When Kendra is not writing she spends time with her cats and reading as many books as possible. Continue reading WHAT GOES INTO AN EDIT? →

I interviewed Watford-based singer/songwriter Tom Craven who has played funk, pop, folk and high-energy rock and now runs his own events company. Tom says of himself: “My style is melodic song-writing. Involving big hooks, with generally acoustic-inspired arrangements. Mostly American in location, my music has included a lot of pop-rock sentiment, with melancholy rootsy vibes and a big emphasis on lyrical content. My heroes include Damien Rice, Neil Young, Tonic, Goo Goo Dolls, Gary Moore and Wishbone Ash.” Continue reading TOM CRAVEN – WATFORD ROCKS →

In part two of my interview with Smorgasbord blogger and indie author Sally Cronin, I asked about her upbringing, her love of language, and the differences between blogging and writing books.

Leslie: Can you describe the kinds of imaginative language you loved when you were growing up, please? Where did you get your ideas and help from? Continue reading SALLY CRONIN, BLOGGER AND INDIE AUTHOR, Part Two →