Art is everywhere, if we look for it. If we’re open to it. Unobtrusive, or big and bold. Sanctioned or a surprise. And we’re art, too. But just like the beauty and creativity in the real world, sometimes it’s hard to see it in ourselves. If your canvas is blank, that’s okay. Because, in truth, it means that space is actually full — of ideas and possibilities, just waiting for you to set them (and yourself) free.
They say art is subjective, and it’s true. It’s about light and colour, how we see the world and ourselves, and how the world sees us. All of these influence our lens and our view. There are the themes I’m currently exploring in my work. (And actually, in going over my writing over the past year or two, they’ve been stirring in my brain longer than I realized!) In fact, in a couple of months, I’ll be lucky enough to spend time in Paris researching, appreciating, and writing about some of the most famous art pieces in the world. I’m excited snippets from my self-directed, self-created writing retreat with you. (There’s a strong chance that there won’t be a regular post in May, but I’ll make it up with some amazing photos, I hope!)
In the next month, challenge yourself to see what catches your eye — what stirs your own heart and imagination. If you’d like to share with me, please do! I’d love to see a glimpse of the world through your eyes.
Canada, Eh
A periodic reminder that in Canada, when you request that a library carry an author’s book, and/or when you sign out that book, it helps them get paid. Thank you, Canada Council for the Arts!
A Map of Words
The theme for The Wise Owl’s The Daily Verse for March is “Cartographies of the Self.” This theme invites poets to explore the inner terrain — the landscapes of memory, identity, fracture, and becoming.
I’m pleased to share my poem, ironically titled “this is not a poem,” was accepted! (scroll down on webpage to find and read the poem there)
Being Bookish
Them (seeing my new, plain case): Whose phone is this?
Me, later that day, so there’s no confusion:
In other decorating news, someone told me I HAD to have this cushion. Seeing it in my study, I’m thinking they were right.
Taking Flight
I’m going to allow myself a moment to feel proud of bringing the first issue of this new lit mag, Andorinha Press, into the world. But I’m also humbled by the trust people placed in me. I’m grateful to everyone who submitted, and I hope that I can continue supporting you and your work.
Spring is here, and so is our inaugural issue, fresh from the egg!
When we hatched this bird-brained idea to start a literary magazine, we had grand hopes and dreams of creating an inclusive, friendly space where we could give creatives, especially those just dipping their wing into putting their work out into the world, support, encouragement, and advice. And now here we are, with our first issue, and it’s so much more than we ever could have imagined. The poetry, micro-fiction, photography, and art came together to create this beautiful, cohesive, nurturing nest, and we’re humbled. Thank you to our contributors, and to those whose work wasn’t accepted this time around, for sharing your words and images with us – truly. We are rooting for all of you.
Issue 1 includes contributors from around the world, including Australia, Kazakhstan, and the United States, and from here in our own Victoria, British Columbia backyard. We love supporting local writers! Our flock includes several Canadian-based writers, and even a poem about the Okanagan Valley. The pieces fly from season to season, and cover themes like memory (harkening back to one’s younger years, for example); yearning (which we can never get enough of); loves new and old; and a healthy dose of bird content.
We hope you enjoy this first offering. Please reach out anytime – we genuinely love to connect.
We’re excited to build this little nest of ours, and to have you – contributors and readers – as part of it.
Interested in submitting work? We’re accepting poetry, micro-fiction, photography, and art for Issue 2, with the theme inspired by a quote from Pablo Picasso: “Art is the lie that makes us realize truth”
Write about the Hyphen
A fantastic article from fellow Portuguese-Canadian writer Devin Meireles was published this week by Luso Canada, and I couldn’t agree more:
“For those who create, and for those who quietly carry their heritage without ever naming it, there is a story there worth telling. And especially for young writers: your voice is not premature, and your experience is not incomplete. You don’t need permission, credentials, or a perfected identity to write from where you stand. It would be an act of cultural preservation and it would be refreshing to hear from you.
“Write about the hyphen, about the kitchens, about the silence and the pride, about the contradictions of loving a homeland you may barely know. Write about what it means to be shaped by a diaspora that is both visible and invisible. The history of Portuguese immigrants to Canada continues to be written and the stories of individual families have become part of the collective narrative of the Luso experience. So honouring them through the written word is like giving your family the greatest honour anyone can think of.”
Les Bouquinistes
The Lost Van Gogh, by Jonathan Santlofer
From the author of the much-praised The Last Mona Lisa comes another thrilling story of masterpieces, masterminds, and mystery.
For years, there have been whispers that, before his death, Van Gogh completed a final self-portrait. Curators and art historians have savored this rumor, hoping it could illuminate some of the troubled artist’s many secrets, but even they have to concede that the missing painting is likely lost forever.
But when Luke Perrone, artist and great-grandson of the man who stole the Mona Lisa, and Alexis Verde, daughter of a notorious art thief, discover what may be the missing portrait, they are drawn into a most epic art puzzles. When only days later the painting disappears again, they are reunited with INTERPOL agent John Washington Smith in a dangerous and deadly search that will not only expose secrets of the artist’s last days but draws them into one of history’s darkest eras.
Beneath the paint and canvas, beneath the beauty and the legend, the artwork has become linked with something evil, something that continues to flourish on the dark web and on the shadiest corridors of the underground art world.
Alternating between Luke Perrone’s perilous hunt for the painting, and a history of stolen art and stolen lives, The Lost Van Gogh is an intricately layered historical thriller perfect for fans of The Last Mona Lisa and The Night Portrait.
As always, thanks for reading. Merci!
Sonia
Sonia Nicholson 