Hi Everyone, I’ve been writing up a storm here in Corralitos and thought we might take the day off from our usual Q&A format. I just got a batch of photos from the workshop for the Lincoln in the Bardo opera and am going to share some of them below…such an inspiring weekend that very much woke up in me a sense of 1) art is real and alive and essential and 2) it can be done. There’s the outer life (what’s happening in the world) and the inner life (the baseline state from which we make sense of the outer life) and this little Cincinnati immersion was beneficial to both lives, it felt like. If nothing else, to see powerful people interacting in a positive and hopeful way was a beautiful antidote to so much of what is going on in the public/political sphere.
Congratulations! You are not only a great teacher of the art of writing, but also of the art of accepting praise and celebration of your works. The muse is universal and art is sharing the universal with all, perhaps. It is not personal and you model that with your care for readers/enjoyers of your work and creators and performers of operas from your works in such a heartfelt way. My ego is screaming "me! me!" and I am reminded that it is not about the artist at all. The artist in the flow disappears and universality remains. Thank you for the reminder.
Talk about an epiphanic moment. You must be in heaven seeing your work translated into music. I can’t wait to see it.🎄🎄🎄✨✨⭐️ you’re so right about art being a refuge from the world woes. Just last week in a writing prompt class run by the brilliant Francine Witte I had a similar thought when writing what turned out to be a crazy micro fable about a donkey who loved an eggshell that didn’t love it back. I flew through the rest of the day. Onwards to the words transforming and to music as salves for wounded souls ✨✨🎄🧿🎶and yay for the plumber last week🕶️🕶️
Thank you so much for the photos! I’m formerly from Cleveland, have lived in Chicago and rural TN, but currently reside in OTR in Cincinnati (have lived in Cincinnati for 30 years now) where this occurred and am proud of my city’s devotion to the arts. It’s a great place to live. I’ve travelled a bit and must say, I haven’t eaten anywhere else in the world that has much better food either. You can find it here. That and the city’s devotion to their parks and natural beauty make it a great home.
Oh, Goerke is a radiant being! I particularly love her recordings of the Bach cantatas. It looks like a fantastic cast in general, and I very much look forward to hearing this interpretation of your wonderful novel. Missy Mazzoli was a great choice as composer, too.
As a Cincinnati native, I'm so moved to read this! I wish I still lived there and could have attended. When can we expect to see the opera staged? Congratulations, George!
Congratulations, and thanks for sharing your antidote George. We all have these things around us in some fashion, but it's helpful to be reminded we do, so not to go crazy otherwise. I just looked up Corralitos, and it looks like a cool place, and pleasantly mild too. I'm just back from an antidote of sorts of my own, a two thousand mile loop from Seattle to San Francisco and back meeting people and places. Might make it an annual antidote. Thanks for the concept.
How euphorically exciting that must have been, George. A lifetime of work culminating in a kind of standing ovation in progress. And it’s only beginning. A refuge from pessimism for sure
Fascinating views. So interesting to see the players who are in process of taking the characters from the page to the stage. Thanks for sharing George.
Thank you George, for once again keeping us by your side on this fabulous ride that is your life and career. You are such a kind and wise person and it makes me feel like the world has some justice in it when I see art elevated like this, especially when it's yours, which in some tiny way feels like ours because in some tiny way we feel that you are ours and we are yours. (if that gushing makes any sense...) Bravo, break a leg, and I can't wait to be in the audience some day soon.
Such a wonderful way to celebrate the coming holidays. Thanks for sharing George. You must be over the moon. I will be when I can listen and enjoy. Sending hugs ad blessings from me to you and all our writers on Story Club.
So you and Lincoln in another artistic guise continue to teach. Hope the Club you and your family have a wonderful Xmas and the best New Year. Peace can be a Virus that humans can thrive with; may we all catch it in 2024^^
Congratulations! You are not only a great teacher of the art of writing, but also of the art of accepting praise and celebration of your works. The muse is universal and art is sharing the universal with all, perhaps. It is not personal and you model that with your care for readers/enjoyers of your work and creators and performers of operas from your works in such a heartfelt way. My ego is screaming "me! me!" and I am reminded that it is not about the artist at all. The artist in the flow disappears and universality remains. Thank you for the reminder.
Talk about an epiphanic moment. You must be in heaven seeing your work translated into music. I can’t wait to see it.🎄🎄🎄✨✨⭐️ you’re so right about art being a refuge from the world woes. Just last week in a writing prompt class run by the brilliant Francine Witte I had a similar thought when writing what turned out to be a crazy micro fable about a donkey who loved an eggshell that didn’t love it back. I flew through the rest of the day. Onwards to the words transforming and to music as salves for wounded souls ✨✨🎄🧿🎶and yay for the plumber last week🕶️🕶️
Thank you so much for the photos! I’m formerly from Cleveland, have lived in Chicago and rural TN, but currently reside in OTR in Cincinnati (have lived in Cincinnati for 30 years now) where this occurred and am proud of my city’s devotion to the arts. It’s a great place to live. I’ve travelled a bit and must say, I haven’t eaten anywhere else in the world that has much better food either. You can find it here. That and the city’s devotion to their parks and natural beauty make it a great home.
Write on!
Beautiful! Thank you, George, for the peek behind the scenes. Can't wait to be in the audience one of these days!
Oh, Goerke is a radiant being! I particularly love her recordings of the Bach cantatas. It looks like a fantastic cast in general, and I very much look forward to hearing this interpretation of your wonderful novel. Missy Mazzoli was a great choice as composer, too.
As a Cincinnati native, I'm so moved to read this! I wish I still lived there and could have attended. When can we expect to see the opera staged? Congratulations, George!
Congratulations, and thanks for sharing your antidote George. We all have these things around us in some fashion, but it's helpful to be reminded we do, so not to go crazy otherwise. I just looked up Corralitos, and it looks like a cool place, and pleasantly mild too. I'm just back from an antidote of sorts of my own, a two thousand mile loop from Seattle to San Francisco and back meeting people and places. Might make it an annual antidote. Thanks for the concept.
I want to get dressed up
And see this...ever coming San Francisco way?
How euphorically exciting that must have been, George. A lifetime of work culminating in a kind of standing ovation in progress. And it’s only beginning. A refuge from pessimism for sure
Fascinating views. So interesting to see the players who are in process of taking the characters from the page to the stage. Thanks for sharing George.
Thank you George, for once again keeping us by your side on this fabulous ride that is your life and career. You are such a kind and wise person and it makes me feel like the world has some justice in it when I see art elevated like this, especially when it's yours, which in some tiny way feels like ours because in some tiny way we feel that you are ours and we are yours. (if that gushing makes any sense...) Bravo, break a leg, and I can't wait to be in the audience some day soon.
Such a wonderful way to celebrate the coming holidays. Thanks for sharing George. You must be over the moon. I will be when I can listen and enjoy. Sending hugs ad blessings from me to you and all our writers on Story Club.
Wow! I can’t wait to see and hear this. Hope it comes to the San Francisco Bay Area!
So you and Lincoln in another artistic guise continue to teach. Hope the Club you and your family have a wonderful Xmas and the best New Year. Peace can be a Virus that humans can thrive with; may we all catch it in 2024^^
Congratulations -- what thrilling photos and captions! 🎶🎉💫