Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Elizabeth Gilbert on the Source of It All; plus A Piece of Crap





I don't know Elizabeth Gilbert from a lamppost. I know of her, as I'm in the business of books, and she scored a big time bestseller.

After watching this video, I've fallen in love.

Sent along by the wonderful poet, Michael Newell, this short talk addresses inspiration via her own experience as a writer. The incredible stories of Ruth Stone and Tom Waits (remind me sometime to tell you another Tom Waits story, this one about driving and "the hair in the gate") are why you should show up for this, but what will hook you, reel you in, and land you, happily, in the bucket for this evening's repast is one simple word: inspiration.

In spire ... the breath in. In spire: to inflame, to blow in:

c.1300, "immediate influence of God or a god," especially that under which the holy books were written, from O.Fr. inspiration, from L.L. inspirationem (nom. inspiratio), from L. inspiratus, pp. of inspirare "inspire, inflame, blow into," from in-"in" + spirare "to breathe." Online Etymology Dictionary

Spirit. The thing, that which moves us, moves in us, moves about.

The is.




on my sleeve
catching his breath...
worn-out firefly
Issa
translated by David G. Lanoue




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After a refreshing week in the woods of Southwestern PA, it's time to put the nose to the grindstone. With 4 issues and a chapbook to get out in the next 60 days, I returned to a printer which made like it was giving up the ghost. When I hooked up another (inferior, aka "piece of crap") printer, suddenly it came back to life.

For the moment, all is well. Hopefully more news soon.



best,
Don


PS And, for a piece of crap, it doesn't get much better than this:


8 comments:

Elisabeth said...

Elizabeth Gilbert is inspirational. I love her take on creativity.

Issa's Untidy Hut said...

Yes, I was very happy to encounter her work for the first time, albeit thru a video. Thanks for the comment.

Don

LoneStarLibrarian said...

Very lively and natural.I don't usually take time to watch movie files on the net, but this was woth my time. Thanks for posting!

Charles Gramlich said...

when I first heard the name I thought it was the young Half pint from Little House on the Prairie. that was melissa gilbert, though.

Anonymous said...

that photo "the nose to the grind-stone"

seems to me I saw the entire scene in an olden daze movie.... maybe a silent motion picture, before sound! This a still from it?

Issa's Untidy Hut said...

K, very glad you liked this one ...

Charles, ask and you shall receive ...

Anon, hmn, that could very well be, need to investigate this.

Jim H. said...

That Neal Young song is inspirational. Had never heard it before..will head over to iTunes right now!

Thanks again, Don.

Issa's Untidy Hut said...

Jim:

Hey, truly a song where form matches content, the man is an f'in genius when he isn't simply behaving like a loon. A seriously underrated song.