OLD Whidbey Life Magazine

Category: Blogs

  • Vicky Brown brings life on the farm into fall and winter focus

    BY VICKY BROWN, Nov. 30, 2012

    The sky is falling! The sky is falling!

    Oh, wait.

    Those are just big maple leaves.

    At farmers markets, people often ask me what a day is like on the farm. I think they want to know what goes into the product in their hand. I love that they are curious about where their food is coming from.

    One of the largest rewards at Little Brown Farm in Freeland is for people to actually care about it. However, it is a challenge to answer such a question concisely. There is a lot of routine on the farm, but no two days are the same. Usually I address the question from the point of view of what is going on in that moment.

    For instance, right now it is autumn; the full-fledged frost-on-the-pumpkin autumn, and now racing towards winter.

    A chicken pecks at a pumpkin at Little Brown Farm in Freeland. (Vicky Brown photo)

    Although the seasonality of farming means things start slowing down, the preparation for winter requires a certain amount of frenetic activity. For farmers, autumn often feels like the squirrel rushing to collect nuts and seeds for the imminent winter ahead. Things are different now at Little Brown, with less cheese-making, less milking and fewer farmers markets. But we are no less busy.

    The animals still eat twice a day. They are still giving milk. The milk and cheese still need tending. The bills still need to be paid. This means changing gears, trying to figure out where to obtain the funds to sustain the farm through the long winter months, when expenses far exceed income.

    We certainly aren’t unique in this shift. Our friends growing produce are fighting off the frost to keep produce available for holiday meals. They are harvesting and hardening off the squashes and curing potatoes for winter storage. They are dehydrating and drying to make goodies for their community member’s soups and pantries. Life is different for them, too, this time of year.

    Autumn is part of the cycle. Seasonality is part of what sustains a farm. Our milk, at this time of year, is the richest and most luscious milk we have. Unfortunately the girls (goats) produce so little of it, as they prepare for their winter respite, and we can barely collect enough to make cheese. Oh, but when we do, the results are spectacular! Soon the girls will quit lactating completely, and their rest cycle will begin.

    When the animals are recharging and the fields are resting, is when farmers scramble to maintain income streams. Some of them make wonderful crafts, as Pam Mitchell of Pam’s Place Produce on South Whidbey does. She makes hats and mittens and fingerless gloves for winter! Others create market gift baskets with their products, such as does Georgie Smith of Willowood Farms in Coupeville. Some farmers make toffee and sweets that recall the delights of grandma’s house at Christmas time. That would be us and we make Little Brown Farm’s Laughing Bellies Toffee.

    Just because you don’t see your favorite farmers at market every week now doesn’t mean they are resting on their laurels, and it certainly doesn’t mean they don’t need your support now.

    As the frost is on the pumpkin when you look out your window in the morning, don’t forget the farmers that grew those pumpkins, they have some hard months ahead.

    Want to help your farmers through the winter and help make our local food system secure? Whether you’re buying some squash, cheese or a hat, your dollars matter. If you’re not sure where to go to support your favorite farmer, ask them. Call them up or send an email. They know best where their products are available.

    Here are some ideas to point you in the right direction:

    Little Brown Farm has just opened its Farm Store! Now in a shop in the barn, you can purchase cheese and the that now famous Laughing Bellies Toffee.

    Hours are limited, so check the website for details at www.littlebrownfarm.com.  Cheesemaking classes have started, as well.

    Here are some other markets still available in this colder season:

    Bur Oak Acres – a farm stand open year round, except Mondays, offering produce and products from its commercial kitchen and other local producers. Bur Oak Acres is easy to get to, offers plenty of parking and exceptional quality. Their stand is right outside of Langley center on Andreason Road, just off of Bayview Road.

    Bayview Holiday Market – in Bayview Hall Saturdays,  Dec. 1, 8, 15, and 22 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. There will be many local farmers selling there, as well as local artists and craftspeople that have created wonderful local gifts for holiday shopping (and don’t forget the BAKERS)!

    Whidbey Green Goods – did you know you can get local products delivered right to your door? WGG has taken the running around out of it for you. They source all of your favorite products from farmers and offer them to you, you pick what you want and it shows up on your doorstep. Talk about green goods – fresh and environmentally friendly.

    Endless Summer – Several local farms have joined together to make a weekly fresh-sheet offering for you for as long as their produce will hold out. Pick up is available at a few spots on the Island for your weekly goodies!

    Don’t want to cook?  Brand new in Freeland is the Roaming Radish. In Greenbank you can pick up Thai Food from Whidbey Rice Café. Both offer food you can take home to keep in your fridge or freezer and just heat up for dinner, so it isn’t just dining out it’s chef quality food on your dinner table without the cleanup. Also check with your favorite restaurant – ask them about their local fare (hint: you can get an excellent Whidbey Island Grown burger every day at the Clover Patch Café in Bayview!)

    Also, don’t forget about the Whidbey Island specialty shops for certain holiday needs on all areas of the island, including bayleaf  in Coupeville and Oak Harbor, the Second Street Wine Shop in Langley,  and The Greenbank Store & Grille in Greenbank.

  • Sue the Screenwriter on the fight for characters

    SUZANNE KELMAN, Nov. 23, 2012

    “Writing Partners – The Good, the Bad and the Ugly”

    Writing with a writing partner can be great. Rosie Woods is my partner on some of my scripts and, on the whole, I love it and totally recommend it.

    But also be aware that in some ways a writing partnership can feel a bit like a marriage. There’s the good the bad and the ugly!

    The good is when a story is flowing and you are both finishing each other’s thoughts and sentences. The bad is when you have a critical story problem, which you are both trying desperately to solve, and the ugly is when two passionate storytellers think the story should go in a completely different direction.

    So, what happens when you find yourself knee-deep in the “ugly”?

    Rosie and I found ourselves in that position, while writing our most recent screenplay, “Violet Skye.”

    Our main character, “Violet,” seemed to have a mind of her own and we had been working our way through several structural issues that this character and her wayward traits had created for us. In trying to solve one of those problems, Rosie thought it might be a good idea to kill off one of her potential love interests, a direction I didn’t agree with. I found myself pleading for his life like a mother at a son’s stay of execution.

    It’s not that killing him off was a bad choice, ’cuz we had this other Colin Firth-type character waiting in the wings. But it would have made it a different story. So, on that day, our writing session went something like this:

    Rosie:  I think we should kill off David?

    Sue:  What?  No way! He’s the blonde, cute one.

    Rosie:  Well, Violet will never get to be with Marcus if we don’t.

    Sue:  Did I mention he’s the blonde, cute one?

    Rose:  But Marcus is Colin Firth in our heads, he is a better choice for Violet.

    Sue:  Every interesting man is Colin Firth in my head, but I still think we should keep the blonde, cute one. It’s a better resolution for the audience.

    Rosie:  I don’t think so. Marcus is a much more interesting choice.

    Sue:  But David is sexy, passionate and blonde!  He’s the one who stimulates her. You know I’m right.

    At this point, Rosie squints and tries to figure out her next move. She reaches for one of the cute little “wristies” she’s wearing and throws it at me. Then, I make another smart-assed comment (on purpose) and she responds by taking off the other one and throwing that one at me, too.

    I proceed to put on her wristies like I’ve just won a prize. (I love her personal style. Let’s see if she ever gets those back.)  Another 30 minutes of throwing clothing, pacing and pleading our cases ensues. In the end and in this particular instance, David lives, but only by the skin of his teeth. It could have gone either way.

    What I love about the ugly (the debate) is that we both have the same goal. Our choices are not dictated by ego, but rather by a passionate desire to tell the best version of our story.

    The good news about the ugly is that it always makes our story stronger. Whether a character lives or dies in one of our scripts is not incidental to a story. Each character has a place, a reason and a purpose for being there and after 30 minutes of the ugly, we know exactly what that is.

    I encourage you, potential screenwriters, to try writing with a partner. It can be really fun, but be aware that you may not always agree on what direction the story should go. However, don’t be afraid to challenge your writing partner about the story or to challenge your characters. If they are meant to be there, it will be obvious, no matter how many articles of clothing you and your partner throw at each other to get there.

    Suzanne Kelman is a multi-award winning screenwriter. Two of her screenplays have been optioned and are in development, while another is in pre-production and due to begin filming in Europe in 2013.  Kelman recently won “Best Overall” for her script “Illusion” in the 2012 Script-a-Thon contest. 

    Upcoming events:

    Kelman’s next session of her “Screenwriting 101” class will be from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, Dec. 1 featuring a lesson in:  “How to write compelling dialogue and action lines that leap off the page.” The cost is $45 and classes are held in Bayview. To sign up, email suzkelman@gmail.com.

    November 23-26   at the Clyde Theatre in Langley: 

    “Cloud Atlas” at 7:30 p.m. shows Friday through Monday
    “Frankenweenie” at  5 p.m. shows Saturday and  Sunday

     

    Consider becoming a member of Whidbey Life Magazine or support the magazine by buying an ad, making a donation or becoming a sponsor.

     

     

  • Musician Siri Bardarson revels in the pleasures of hearing live music

    SIRI BARDARSON, Nov. 23, 2012

    “Alive Audience”

    I have been in the audience a lot lately.

    Thanks to invitations and gracious ticket giveaways by friends, I’ve attended four symphony concerts of late. I’ve sat in good seats, bad seats, right-up-front and way-in-the-back seats and regardless, I’ve been reminded of the thrill of listening as participation in a work of art. As a musician who ascribes to the religion of “Live music is best,” I’m on a spiritual high, let me tell you!

    The bass section of the Whidbey Island Community Orchestra rehearses recently with Debra Knight, Elliott Matteson and Sylvie Kaul-Anderson. (Photo courtesy of Susan Hanzelka)

    Listening to a symphonic work is like having my Tarot cards read. That is to say, be it the appearance of the Fool in the Tarot card layout or the perfectly composed chord played by the woodwinds beneath the singing violin, I have this chance to respond to the archetype. My feelings, buried way deep down in this Scandinavian girl, who is more a “human doing” than a human being, the feelings that I don’t, can’t and won’t acknowledge show up anyway. I can hear a work many times and, even though I have a favorite part, my current reality shapes the experience.  Maybe this is a function of all art – to nudge or lead, to be forever unresolved and always asking the questions that have no answers.

    When I lived in the Deep South for a few years,  my husband and I decided to join the crowd and go to church.  Every Sunday as I sat in my pew, I cried. I mentioned this to a friend and he said, “When you join, you’ll stop crying.”

    Maybe that is the symphony experience too; that humbling reminder of how human I am, when I can fully inhale the huge scope of symphonic work, all the moving parts, the incredible choreography of the composition, the breathtaking beauty of human discipline and skill.  Isn’t it wonderful to be a human being? Isn’t it beautiful and painful and relentless?  I am always overcome this way. This sounds kind of selfish; but it’s just me.

    Concertmaster Roxallanne Medley and Gloria Ferry-Brennan, both violinists in Whidbey Island’s Saratoga Orchestra, pay close attention to their conductor. (Photo courtesy of Saratoga Orchestra)

    There are other ways to go about being in the audience. There is my petty, unsettled way, which is an experience fully controlled by my egocentric monkey mind that will, in spite of having the best seat in the house at a wonderful concert, remind me that the lawn needs mowing or that will judge the person who wrote the program notes because he has done a lousy job, or overly scrutinize the orchestra members noticing  just how may shades of black actually can exist in concert attire, or focus on the petty fact that many people don’t comb the hair on the backs of their heads. Hmmm. Human for sure.

    I aspire to the other way; to participate in a great work of art as a willing audience member and be opened up and renewed in a deeply personal way.

    Yes to life, I say! Yes to: “Live music is best!”

    Go. Go and experience it for yourself.

    Siri Bardarson is a musician devoting this year to creative projects that synthesize her classical and popular music backgrounds via her new electric cello. She is ecstatically happy!

    Upcoming music events:

    • Whidbey Island Community Orchestra’s Fall Concert will be at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 30 at Langley Methodist Church in the Fellowship Hall. For more information email jameslux@whidbey.com.
    • Saratoga Orchestra will hold a Handel’s “Messiah” sing-a-long at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 2 at First Reformed Church, Oak Harbor and at 7 p.m. the same day at Trinity Lutheran Church, Freeland. Information is at www.sowhidbey.com.
    • Seattle Symphony Orchestra schedule of performances is at www.seattlesymphony.org.

  • Eric Mulholland, ‘Facebook: View from a Theater Artist’

    ERIC MULHOLLAND, Nov. 16, 2012

    I’ve been an actor for nearly 25 years and I love it.  As far as I’m concerned, there’s nothing better than witnessing live theater  the lights dim, the actors enter the stage, the audience stirs and off we go.  The experience of watching a live story unfold in real time thrills me.  So you can imagine how irritated I felt when the Internet started wiggling its way into my life.  It seemed to come at me from all sides, enticing me to spend countless hours on social networking sites.  I was surprised at how quickly I began to trade live theater for a night of YouTube and email.

    And then came Facebook.  After a few months of using it, I began to think it was a real drag. Logging on felt like I was volunteering to go back to high school and subject myself to the shallow conversations that littered the classrooms and hallways.  Trying to keep up with my “friends’” ever evolving status updates, I began to question if reading about their mundane activities had any real value.  How was this adding to our connection as friends?  It was beginning to feel like the superficiality I experienced in high school.

    Then one day as I scrolled through the news feed and read another litany of complaints about traffic and “mean people,” I decided to click on the profile of a friend I’d known since I was a teenager, long before Facebook was on the scene.

    On her page was a myriad of pictures and posts describing her life in full detail.  It was like peeking into her diary and having permission to read all the juicy details.  There were pictures of childhood adventures, the bad dress she wore to prom in the 80’s and comments describing her social and political views.  How had we been friends for over 20 years, and yet until I became her friend, I didn’t know half the stuff I learned in the 20 minutes it took me to read her Facebook page?

    And then it hit me … people have a need to tell their stories.

    Now, I admit that I am still old school and prefer my storytelling to be a live experience.  There is nothing like the rise and fall of a person’s voice and the ever-changing physical expressions that follow a good story.  But I have to admit … Facebook is providing a new platform for storytelling and it’s not such a bad thing.

    Story has been central to humans since we first formed societies.  Whether it’s a pictorial account of hunting on the inside of caves or stories set around the campfire, humans crave connection.  We need to tell each other about our life experience in order to make sense out of this crazy world.  Sure, we’re not gathering around the fire to hear about the great hunt like our earlier ancestors did, but modern technology has ushered in something greater; a virtual “campfire.”  We gather around the warm white glow of our laptops and smart phones to read about that new haircut, how we got cut off in traffic or about the death of someone dear to us.  Whatever the story is, it’s our story and we are authoring it every day.

    In this ever growing technological age where smart phones are becoming another appendage to the human anatomy, I find it reassuring that story is alive and well; that a part of this modern technological wave is affirming our basic need to tell our stories.

    I believe there will always be a need to hear a live voice; to share space in real time and listen to each other describe our joy and pain.  But if this new human technology that we ingest as part of our daily nourishment affirms our need to tell a story, then bring it on.  And if storytelling is the glue that holds us together, then Facebook is a welcome page in the book of human history.

    Eric Mulholland is an actor, teacher and writer living on Whidbey Island. 

     

    Upcoming theater events:

    “Big River, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” is running through Nov. 18 at the Village Theatre in Everett.

    The Broadway tour of “Wicked” is at the Paramount until Saturday, Nov. 18.

    OutCast’s “Greater Tuna” runs for one more weekend tonight through Sunday, Nov. 18.

    “Scrooge, the Musical” opens at Whidbey Island Center for the Arts Nov. 30.

    Whidbey Children’s Theater in Langley presents “Willy Wonka” Dec. 7-22.

     

    Consider becoming a member of Whidbey Life Magazine or support the magazine by buying an ad, making a donation or becoming a sponsor.

     

  • In Search of Truth and Beauty, with memories of the desert and Glitter Gulch

    JONI TAKANIKOS, Nov. 16, 2012

    Some friends of mine, a wonderful couple, who moved to the island a couple of years ago, asked me to a small dinner party some months ago. My friend’s parents were coming to visit, and her father is a retired English professor. She thought he might enjoy meeting a local poet so I was honored to attend.

    Of course both of her parents turned out to be charming, as she is herself, and very interesting. Her mother is a cartoonist, but that might have to wait for another entry.

    Early on in the course of the evening, her father inquired as to where I was from. That has always been a rather loaded question for me. I was born in Las Vegas, Nevada and for most of my 20s and 30s I was highly reluctant to mention my origins. As I became older, I realized that even though being born in Las Vegas invokes some interesting assumptions, it is the landscape and background that shaped me. Although I am always quick to point out that I spent large portions of my childhood in Santa Barbara, Calif. and the White Mountains of Arizona.

    But now I proudly admit that Vegas was the main character that influenced my early years. Of course, the desert landscape has a beauty like no other. I still miss the springtime rains in the desert, with the accompanying lightning storms that I watched sail over the backdrop of mountains, feeding the dry ground. In the days that followed, I’d see an eruption of purple, red and gold wildflowers rise up from the dry ground.

    And then there was the crazy light show of the early Vegas strip and its elegant and sumptuous casinos, with the serious gaming tables nestled below crystal chandeliers. In those days, the slot machines were on the borders and in the alcoves. Now most casinos seem to have fields of these “one armed bandits,” as they were once referred to, although these days they are only electronic, so there is no exercise involved. Even before I was of age, my father would let me pull the handle down, and we would watch to see if we had all cherries, or some other fruit, lined up for a jackpot. These instances occurred while we were snaking our way through the casino, on our way to a dinner show to see the stars of the day, Johnny Carson, Sonny and Cher, Shirley MacLaine and many others.

    When I was 14, I went to see Elvis Presley at the beginning of his comeback. I stood in a packed line, rather bored, having been roped into seeing the show with my older sister and her husband. We ended up sitting at a table that had been added, due to the overflow crowd, right next to the stage. Two women, who were schoolteachers from the Midwest, sat with us. They had come specifically to see Elvis and they were very excited. I really did not understand the draw. Elvis was just a movie actor to me, and certainly his music (in my opinion at that time) was no big deal either.

    A huge neon cowboy sign adorns a downtown souvenir shop in Las Vegas, Nev. (Photo courtesy of www.casinoguide.com.)

    When he took the stage, I understood. He was his own lightning storm, and his charisma extended outward in enormous beams. Women threw their underwear and room keys onto the stage. It was quite a phenomenon to witness, and he seemed to remain in his own bubble of sweetness and rather surprised, I think, at his own charisma.

    But, back to my friend’s dinner party.

    Her father, the retired English professor, asked me to describe growing up in Las Vegas in a sentence or two. I laughed and told him that I would work on that assignment, and on his return to the island, I would present him with a haiku of my experience.

    Her parents returned recently, and for me a deadline is always a demanding muse, so I wrote the haiku in time for another lovely dinner party with them. In writing the haiku, which is a distillate of experience, I realized that my earliest and strongest memory of Las Vegas was not the elegant strip, and the great dinner shows, but the old downtown, which was called Glitter Gulch where the lights were always on. On Sunday mornings we would go downtown for brunch and I remember the giant neon cowboy waving his arm and saying “Howdy Pardner!”

    A Vegas haiku

    Neon cowboy through
    Desert lightning rains echo
    A Howdy Pardner

     

    Joni recommends one of her favorite book of haikus, “The Essential Basho” by Matsuo Basho, as translated by Sam Hamill. Order it at your local island bookstore, Moonraker Books in Langley, Anchor Books and Coffee in Clinton or Wind & Tide Bookshop in Oak Harbor.

    Joni Takanikos is a poet, chanteuse and cartographer of Truth and Beauty. Her home realm is Whidbey Island, but in recent years she has begun an exploration of other lands, which is a grand and exhilarating adventure in the “there and back again” style. Takanikos is currently playing Edith Piaf in Martha Furey’s play, “The Songbird of Paris: Edith Piaf,” at the Marsh Theater in Berkeley, Calif. through Dec. 1.

     

  • ‘Writer at her Work’ honors veterans and the pursuit of literary freedom

    Writer at her Work
    MOLLY LARSON COOK, Nov. 9, 2012

    Words worth fighting for

    In a couple of days, we’ll celebrate Veteran’s Day, which began as Armistice Day to mark the end of World War I, a grim and costly battle for liberty, the War to End All Wars. Since then, of course, we’ve seen more wars than we’d like to remember, all in the name of liberty.

    For writers and readers, that liberty includes the freedom to write and read what we choose.  Among our choices are stories about the wars themselves recounted by those who were there or those who waited at home for loved ones to return.  My list of the best war stories is headed by Tim O’Brien’s Vietnam novel, “The Things They Carried,” and by his nonfiction account, “If I Die in a Combat Zone: Box Me Up and Ship Me Home.”  Close behind are Michael Ondaatje’s “The English Patient,” Joseph Heller’s “Catch-22,” and Ernest Hemingway’s “A Farewell to Arms.”   Hemingway famously told an interviewer that he rewrote the ending to “A Farewell to Arms” 39 times. When the interviewer asked what the problem was, Hemingway replied, “Getting the words right.”

    For any author, “getting the words right” is always the problem.  Serious writers work hard at that task.

    A young marine in Da Nang, Vietnam taken by an unknown photographer. (Photo courtesy of the National Archives website)

    Although the novels I mentioned are favorites, and although the list of good war novels is long, the one that most affected me was Dalton Trumbo’s “Johnny Got His Gun.” Trumbo was a screenwriter who was inspired to write the novel after reading about a soldier who had been so badly injured in World War I that his only means of communication was to tap out Morse code on his pillow.  The anti-war novel was published in 1939 and won the National Book Award, although Trumbo was later blacklisted by the infamous House Un-American Activities Committee.

    Our literary freedoms do not come easily.  But we keep writing and telling the truths of our lives and history.

    Writers often look for prompts to get the juices going in their own work.  I suggest this one in honor of Veteran’s Day and all it means.  Consider the impact of war, any war, on your life. Maybe you missed the draft for Vietnam. Maybe you didn’t miss it and went to war in the 60s.  Maybe your dad or grandfather fought in Europe or the Pacific in the 40s. Maybe you were a kid who understood about rationing and saving tinfoil during that same war. Maybe you or someone you loved went to Iraq. Or Afghanistan. Or stayed home to keep the home fires burning. Maybe a loved one died on a battlefield on one continent or another, and the hole in your heart will never be healed.  Write about it.  Let it come and see where it takes you.

    It took Karl Marlantes almost 40 years to write his opus, “Matterhorn: A Novel of the Vietnam War,”  but it’s a masterpiece.  My own Vietnam novel is still a work-in-progress and might always be.

    Writing is a way of coming to terms, and I’m still trying.

     

    Related event:

    The Freeland Library will sponsor Book-It Repertory Theatre’s presentation, “Danger: Books!” at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 16 at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Whidbey Island (20103 Highway 525, 2 miles north of Freeland.)

    “Danger: Books!” is an ongoing series of readings from books that have been banned or challenged in the United States. Professional actors will present selections from “Brave New World,” “All But Alice,” and others.

    Molly Larson Cook is a recent Whidbey Island ex-pat who lives in Bellevue, Wash. She is a novelist, writing coach and editor, who teaches writing through her Skylark Writing Studio. She is a prolific websketcher at Good Golly Miss Molly, a blog about everything, and at The Flowered Cow, which focuses on the craft of writing.

    Consider becoming a member of Whidbey Life Magazine or support the magazine by buying an ad, making a donation or becoming a sponsor.

  • Sue the Screenwriter gives advice on what questions not to ask

    SUZANNE KELMAN,  Nov. 2, 2012

    Sometimes I find myself thinking that everyone else has a much more glamorous life than my own. I find this to be true of others when I tell them what I do.

    I’m a screenwriter. People think that’s glamorous, and I suppose, compared to a proctologist, it is. But it still always surprises me how eyes light up when I tell somebody what I do. The reaction is nearly always followed by one of these three questions:

    “Have I seen any of your movies?”

    or …

    “How about getting me a part in your next movie?”

    And, my all-time favorite …

    “I have this great idea for a movie. Why don’t I tell you about it, then you can write it and we can split the money?”

    Let me answer those three questions here, so the next time you meet a screenwriter, you will be all the wiser.

    1.  The majority of screenplays that are written never get out of what is known as “development hell.” Getting a movie made is a delicate balance. It’s like juggling broken glass while walking a tightrope over a bubbling volcano. All the stars have to align for a picture to be made. That means all the investors need to get onboard and all the producers, actors and crew have to be available at exactly the same time and same place to make it all happen.

    It takes just one tiny slip, one misalignment of the stars, and your work is toast – or more like ash.

    But, hey, screenwriters don’t really mind because you know what? They often get paid anyway.

    Robert McKee, master teacher and “Lord of the Screenwriting World,” tells a story about how he managed to pay off his first mortgage with a script that has been sold six times since the 1970s, and yet still hasn’t been made into anything other than paper airplanes.

    2.  As much as I would love to cast you, me and Erma’s dog in a movie, that comes down to the director’s choice and screenwriters rarely have a say in casting. I know all about this from my own experience as an actor.)

    3.  Let’s see if what you suggest is fair. You offer me the idea, perhaps it’s the story of your life, but you haven’t written any of it down and haven’t created any of the dialogue, or even though about a beginning, middle and end to the story. Considering how much time it takes the screenwriter to organize, research, write, rewrite and pitch a script, I don’t think this sounds like a great deal to me. So folks, don’t bother a writer with unrealistic pipe dreams. She’s got plenty of her own.”

    So now we’ve done away with all the misconceptions of screenwriting. Here are what I believe to be some the truths.  If you’re looking for the most invisible way to have a writing career, screenwriting is for you.

    I mean, if you’re doing it right no one will even know you exist, right? Heck, even I walk away from the TV to get a cup of tea when the winning screenwriter is announced at the Academy Awards. And, is it my imagination, or do screenwriters get the shortest amount of time for their thank you speeches?

    I know why that is; because on the whole, screenwriters are not part of the glamorous set in Hollywood. They’re normally packing a few pounds into a badly fitted suit, and their teeth aren’t quite as white and straight as everyone else’s. But that’s OK because screenwriters are typically in the business of telling stories, and are blessed that they don’t have to worry about what they look like on camera.

    A good screenwriter’s passion is creating stories that are clever, witty, and breathtakingly beautiful and memorable. So the reality is, that the majority of our time is spent underground talking, arguing and relating to a bunch of make-believe characters that fill our days and nights. There just isn’t much time to get our teeth straightened.

    Here’s some advice for the next time you meet a screenwriter: Look them in the eye and ask them about characters, plots, their new log line and treatment. Ask them about what excites them about the screenplay on which they are currently at work.

    Trust me – they will give you a smile with all those yellowing teeth and tell you all about it.

    And you will have just made their day.

     

    Suzanne Kelman is a multi-award winning screenwriter. Two of her screenplays have been optioned and are in development, while another is in pre-production and due to begin filming in Europe in 2013. Kelman teaches a basic screenwriting class for beginners who want to learn how to craft a professional standard script to show to producers. The class meets one Saturday per month at her Bayview home writing studio. If interested, email suzkelman@gmail.com for details.

    See a movie on Whidbey Island:
    The Clyde Theatre in Langley
    Oak Harbor Cinemas

    Consider becoming a member of Whidbey Life Magazine or support the magazine by buying an ad, making a donation or becoming a sponsor.

     

  • Cheesemaker Vicky Brown, Riff on ‘soul food’

    VICKY BROWN, Oct. 26, 2012

    I am an eater. I like food a lot.

    I’ve had nearly every kind of food. I enjoy sushi and oysters and pasta and pizza. I like steaks and hamburgers and fries and salads. I like healthy food and I like comfort food and I like food that shouldn’t be classified as food. Really, I like food.

    But I have a favorite, and surprisingly, although I’m a cheesemaker, it isn’t cheese. It’s soul food.

    I know a few people might get upset with my definition of soul food. I apologize in advance if my interpretation offends anyone. No disrespect is intended for those that find the collard greens at the BBQ Joint to be the epitome of soul food. And they are. (Incidentally, that food also fits my definition because actually those collard greens come from my friend, farmer Georgie at Willowood Farm).

    Brown buys bread from Tree Top Baking at the Bayview Farmers Market. (Photos courtesy of Vicky Brown)

    When I speak of soul food, I don’t mean the usual definition of the phrase, which describes southern cooking or even the nostalgic idea of the home-cooked meals of a simpler time. Soul food to me is something more. Soul food nourishes the soul and is art for your mouth.

    When you enjoy a sculpture, a painting, a print or a photograph, what is it that makes you respond? Maybe at university you were trained in Art Appreciation 101 and learned what made good art. Maybe it reminds you of the work of a famous artist and that’s what gives it substance for you.
    Or perhaps it stirs something inside you, flooding you with feelings, emotions, endorphins, grief, joy, peace or pain.

    Good food prepared well does all those things for me. Good food stirs my soul. Good food, to me, is art.

    When I buy bread at the local Farmers Market, I know the person whose hands kneaded the dough, scored the loaf, wrapped the bread and applied the label. This is the bread I want to grace my table. It suits my palate and, more importantly, it feeds my soul.

    When I buy jam to spread on the bread and I notice razor thin nicks on the surface of the skin from the hands that take my money, I am aware that these hands washed, peeled, sliced and diced the fruity sweetness that will tantalize my taste buds and feed my soul.

    Brown buys Heavenly Fig Jam from 3 Generations jam makers at the farmers market.

    When I buy ground beef, I see the hands that tended the cattle, oversaw their diet with the precision of top rated nutritionist, cared for them if they fell ill or were injured and ultimately made the hard decision of slaughter day. These are the hardworking hands that nourish my soul.

    When I buy cheese (Yes, even though I make cheese I still buy it too!), I meet the person who nourished the mammals everyday regardless of weather, provided shelter and comfort, stayed up through the night taking temperatures and drenching electrolytes, was doula for dozens of deliveries, handled the milk and, ultimately, conducted the exquisite tango of science and art to turn the fluid to curd and mold the curd into cheese. These tired eyes and sore hands are the ones that nourish my soul.

    When I buy my veggies, I shake the dirt-stained hands that nourished the soil, planted the seeds, stood guard over the growing crops, stooped over and over and over again, massacred intruders (often pulling one by one), and harvested, bundled and hauled the produce to market. The creases and nails are stained a fertile black on these hands that nourish my soul.

    Soul food.

    The things all these foods have in common is that my money feeds their businesses and, in turn, their businesses feeds my body. It is more than just food that nourishes my body and provides fuel, it’s food that nourishes a community, fuels a business and feeds employees and neighbors. It’s a cycle of nourishment for all souls.

    Vicky Brown cuts curd for the “Pheta” cheese made at Little Brown Farm in Freeland. Brown sells her cheeses at local farmers markets.

    A local chef wrote a book about soul food, but from a different angle. Her perspective follows the money specifically through the community. “Bucky the Dollar Bill” by Lisa Nakamura  is an adorable book that hit my heart. (Look for it and support it and get some soul food for your brain.)

    Don’t think too hard, listen to your heart. Embrace the food of your community; seek out your local farmers and let them nourish your soul.

    To read more posts from Little Brown Farm, visit Brown’s regular blog here.

    Upcoming events:

    The Bayview Farmers Market at Bayview corner will be offering the last farmers market of the regular season from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 27, rain or shine.

    The Holiday Bayview Market will host many of  the island’s favorite vendors inside Bayview Hall on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dec. 1, 8, 15 and 22.  The holiday market offers everything from baked goods and cheese to fresh produce and toffee  and handmade gifts  ranging from lotions and soaps to fine jewelry and art.

    Vicky Brown, Chief Milkmaid at the Little Brown Farm, puts her passions on the page writing about food, agriculture and the tender web of community.

    Consider becoming a member of Whidbey Life Magazine or support the magazine by buying an ad, making a donation or becoming a sponsor. 

  • ‘Thank Blog it’s Friday’ it is

    Duff ‘n Stuff, Oct. 26, 2012

    Whidbey Life Magazine would like to thank everybody who participated in the search for a name for the Friday guest blog.

    John Olsen offered “Thank Blog it’s Friday” and thanks to him for the catchy, somewhat nerdy (but in a good way) title.

    Olsen is not only a mastermind at naming blogs, he is also a photographer and a Whidbey Life Magazine member. You can see his work in the directory and check out what he’s up to lately regarding his work.

    We hope readers will enjoy “Thank Blog it’s Friday” every week as our guest bloggers weigh in on everything from the local food scene to all things artistic and happening on Whidbey Island.

    Friday, look for local agriculture blogger Vicky Brown, one of our culinary arts members and the chief milkmaid at Little Brown Farm in Freeland. Look for “Sue the Screenwriter” blog next week by Suzanne Kelman.

    From the heart,

    Patricia Duff

    Consider becoming a member of Whidbey Life Magazine or support the magazine by buying an ad, making a donation or becoming a sponsor. 

     

  • Anne Belov, $$$ from the Cosmos …

    Anne Belov, Oct. 19, 2012

    Thanks to Patricia Duff and “the Dragons” for inviting me to become a guest blogger for Whidbey Life Magazine.

    Having just completed the second of my successful Kickstarter campaigns, I thought it would make a good topic for this post. Wait a minute, hold the phone…just what in the heck is Kickstarter?

    Artist Anne Belov creates the “Panda Chronicles” among other visual artistic pursuits.

    If you haven’t heard of Kickstarter, it’s possible you may have lost your radio’s remote or forgotten your computer’s password. Kickstarter is the hottest thing in project funding since sliced bread: A crowd sourced funding platform available to you through the magic of the internet.

    A person creates a project, determines a monetary goal, sets a time limit to raise funds, submits the idea to the Kickstarter powers that be, and once approved, lets the good times roll.

    If only it were that simple.

    The far reaches of cyber-space are strewn with the carcasses of unsuccessful Kickstarter projects. There are rules to be followed, types of projects that Kickstarter will and won’t fund, as well as rewards that you can and can’t offer.  Oh, did I forget to mention the rewards?  In return for backing a project, the project creator must offer his/her supporters rewards, at levels depending on pledge amount.

    My recent project was publishing a book with my Panda Chronicles cartoons.  While I raised the amount needed in order to do a creditable job on the book, I did not exceed my goal by much.

    Did I mention the fact that unless you meet your goal amount in the time period available (usually 30-60 days) you don’t get zip? The reasoning behind Kickstarter’s prohibition on incomplete funding is that if you don’t get the full amount, it is possible that you will not be able to complete your project, your backers won’t get their rewards (especially those that are dependent on completing your project) and the next thing you know, Kickstarter’s offices are crawling with lawyers.  There are several other crowd source funding sites, some of which let you keep what you raise whether or not you reach your goal. One is at slushpub.com, which is solely for book publishing projects and the other is indiegogo.com, which supports a wider range of projects than Kickstarter.

    The Kindness of Strangers

    Most of your support is going to come from people you know.  This is not a bad thing in and of itself. Both of my projects were primarily funded by people I knew in real life or from Facebook.

    I have to offer a word of caution here.  My virtual FB friends were willing to support my project because I interact with them regularly.  They read my cartoons; we have conversations about real pandas and life events. My personal connection with them transcends this project.  Your friends may see to it that you make your goal..  They want your project to succeed.  They don’t want to finance your trip to Aruba next winter. If you join Facebook with the sole intention of gathering project supporters, you will be disappointed.  Not to mention, annoy the heck out of a lot of people.

    To go over the top, your project must have viral potential.

    You want to attract the attention of the Kickstarter staff right away: they send out weekly newsletters featuring favorite projects. My second project was featured in their blog, but while I did get some new people supporting me, it was not enough to make my project go viral.  If there is a formula for viral success, I wish I knew it.

    I have supported several wildly successful projects. Ukiyo-e Heroes was finishing just as mine was starting;  a joint project by Jed Henry, illustrator and Dave Bull, wood-block artist.  Their project goal of $10,400 ballooned to just over $313,000. The other project, which is still in play as I write this, is the Kerfuffles Marshmallow project that Spring Barnickle started with a goal of just $2023 and is now funding at $60,000 with seven days to go.  Both the what of their projects, as well as the how of the presentations are outstanding. Check them out, especially if you are thinking of launching a project of your own.

    A Kickstarter project is a wild ride, whether it goes through the roof or down to the wire.

    If you want to launch your own project, you should follow and back a few projects, to see how it all works. All it takes is  $1 and an Amazon account. I warn you: supporting Kickstarter projects can be addictive. There is a new project that I must  support…oh, sorry.

    Next time, I’ll get into more specifics about creating a project, contacting supporters, and what happens when your project funds. (Um…there will be a next time, won’t there?)