Looking for holiday gifts for the readers and writers in your life? Here are a few ideas:
and check out these stores…
Or, how about a year’s membership in The Childrens Book Hub (www.childrensbookhub.com), or a gift certificate for the Just Write for Kids children’s book writing course (www.justwriteforkids.com)?
And for those of you who are already Hub members, don’t forget the Hub store! http://www.cafepress.com/beechtreebooks
Happy holidays!
If you need a speedy gift for someone, I have limited copies of
Letters From Rapunzel at home that are available for signing and immediate shipping to you or your chosen reader. $16 covers it all, including postage.
I'll toss in one of my nifty red "Read * Write * Believe" pencils
too.
Email me: email(at)saralewisholmes(dot)com or use the link in the sidebar.
You're giving books for the holidays, right?
Yup, thought so. But if you need something to accompany said books, consider these add-ons...
Clip to a page, horizontally or vertically.
Talk back to the author.
File the 3x5 card later.
A mini-poster. Consult daily.
And then, of course, wrap your books and everything else in gorgeous paper.
Santeria Garments and Altars is a literate, accessible, beautifully photographed book by a man who is a member/initiate in a house of Oshun. Its subtitle is, ‘Speaking Without A Voice.’ How appropriate! The emphasis is the striking photographs of the variety of altars to the different deities, members of a variety of houses preparing for, or engaged in aspects of worship.
By way of background information -- A ‘house’ is a group of devotees of a particular god or goddess under the leadership of a ‘babalawo’, or priest/priestess. Oshun is another one of the Seven African Powers who represents the archetypical female principle and the power of eros. Interestingly enough, abstinence or asexuality, and a virginal principle of female sexuality has no icon, nor any particular social importance.
Another interesting feature is that the author is a male practitioner, much in the tradition that the gods choose individuals to serve them regardless of gender. My own Catholic upbringing was full of gender separation, nuns as brides of Christ, servants of the male hierarchy, etc. While there are some tasks separated by sex, it does not appear to be as rigid, as attenuated as in a Christian/Catholic context.
One off the major tenets of this religious practice is the construction of altars, which every believer is required to do. There’s a synthesis between aesthetic and spiritual significance. It is considered one’s duty to create, as service to the deity to whom one has pledged oneself. A further illustration of the nexus between creativity and belief is the Santeria/Yoruba belief in ‘ache’, the universal life force present in all things. Each devotee is assumed to have within them the power to create a beautiful altar, one infused with ‘ache.’
In my performance pieces, there are ‘anchor ‘ points--static elements that have life infused into them. (In REM/Memory, there is a central, supine figure, hidden in a mass of blankets, who comes alive as the piece starts, and the nightmare begins. In Resurgam, a chaos of white fabric is stripped away to reveal a captive figure who finds release as the piece begins.) I see a similarity between a finished altar containing ‘ache,’ and a performance’s ‘anchor’pieces being the place where it all comes alive, more specifically, where it reflects at least the possibility of sacred ritual.
There are several points of connection for me here. When the author created an altar to Oshun, it was clear that it could also be seen as a ‘site-specific installation.’ Size of the space, mood of the space, prominent observation points are all taken into consideration. These are the same consideration I make with each piece, the same considerations any installation artist might make.
In the design of an altar dedicated to Oshun, ‘found’ elements are brought into the piece that symbolize her attributes. Since Oshun represents eros, obvious choices illustrate sensuality. Honey, honeycombs, silks and laces are standard items in such an altar. I constantly bring found items from daily life into my performances, hoping to create common imagery for myself and the audience as it unfolds as a shared experience. In Resurgam, during the 'communion’ section, I offer a papaya sliced in half to the audience, sharing its womb shape with them as the symbol of The Living Body--juicy, ripe, the source of all things, ever replenishing.
Lastly, I want to comment on the Santeria idea of ‘coolness.’ Essentially, it is the principle of balance, harmony, a reflection of the connectedness of all things. An altar, no matter how ornate, is not considered ‘cool’ if it does not have these attributes.
Even though my approach is spare, I try to layer things enough to suggest complicated ideas and experiences. It's work with a a consistent point of view, root motifs that I communicate to the audience, an arc of interconnectedness between myself, how I tell the story, the audience, and a unifying force that exists in the moment of performance, a force that I call Spirit.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxAbout the author:
Dr. Flores-
Peña was born in San Juan,
Puerto Rico. Studies: University of
Puerto Rico, B.A, Catholic University of
Puerto Rico, MA. Ed. UCLA M.A and
Ph.D. Publications and lectures on Afro-Caribbean Ritual Art and Afro-Cuban religious cultures and Latino Folklore. Lecturer at WAC, Center for Afro-American Studies, and Adjunct Professor at Otis College of Art and Design.
ISBN-10: 087805703X
ISBN-13: 978-0878057030
Lisa Alvarado
What a great gift idea! I'd like to purchase one for the Garden of Angels.
http://newport2newport.livejournal.com/158168.html?mode=reply
It doesn't need to arrive by Christmas -- they're hosting a benefit auction on Valentine's Day, and it'd be nice to offer an autographed copy of your book.
Newport2newport AT gmail DOT com
BTW - I love yoru cover!
shelli
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