Category Archives: Culture

Author Events, Culture

Upcoming NOLA events

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Hello there, Beastie fans! Just a quick note to keep you guys posted on some local upcoming events!

What will I be doing between May and October, you ask?! Putting my nose to the grindstone to get the manuscript for Book 2 done and the gears rolling to finally get it published. My goal is to have it done and ready for Japan Fest in October. Keep your fingers crossed for me! (The gods know it’s been a long road!)

Enlight97May 12, 2018 – Worldbuilding Without Harm (Panel Discussion). I’ll be at Tubby & Coo’s Mid-City Book Shop for Independent Bookstore Day on May 12th from 1 PM to 2 PM for a panel discussion on Worldbuilding Without Harm! How do authors go about building their fictional worlds without causing harm to real-life groups of people? This is a topic I had to seriously consider when I decided to write about Japan and their traditions. Come join us to discuss!

If you’d like to know more about the full day Event, which includes other panels with some amazing local NOLA authors, please visit Tubby & Coo’s Event Page here.

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Japan Fest 2017 – Kitsuke Demonstration

October 6, 2018 – Japan Fest 2018 (NOLA).  I’ll be at Japan Fest again this year, signing and slinging books (and tea), and teaming up again with the Japan Society of New Orleans for another kitsuke (kimono dressing) demonstration. If you’ve never been to our local Japan Fest, I highly recommend it. Come join us to celebrate and learn about Japanese culture! Stay tuned on this page, and on my social media, for more specific information as the festival gets closer.

  • Date & Time: Saturday, October 6, 2018, from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM
  • Location: New Orleans Museum of Art, One Collins C. Diboll Circle, City Park
    NOLA
Author Events, Culture, Writing

On some upcoming NOLA events

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For all you NOLA Beastie fans out there, there are a few upcoming events (in April and May) that might tickle your fancy. It’s going to be an eventful spring! I hope to get to meet some of you there!

IMG_2441April 9, 2017 (Book Discussion & Author Q&A) – The Kwaidan Book Club (the Read Japan aspect of the Japan Society of New Orleans) has chosen The Butterfly Crest as their April read and will be discussing the book, and hosting an Author Q&A with yours truly, on April 9th!  If you’d like to know more about this Event, please visit the Facebook Event Page here.

May 14, 2017 – Kimono Pop-Up Shop & Book Release Party.  The Second Edition of The Butterfly Crest hit the local shelves recently and what better way to celebrate than with friends, readers and kimono?! So I’ve teamed up with Kawaii NOLA and JA&T Kimono on May 14th for a Kimono Pop-Up Shop and Book Release Party!! Come join us to celebrate! If you’d like to know more about this Event, please visit the Facebook Event Page here.

  • Date & Time: Sunday, May 14th from 1:00 to 4:00 PM
  • Location: Kawaii NOLA, 4826 Magazine St, NOLA

May 22, 2017 – Kimono and Kitsuke Workshop. For those of you who’ve read my book, you know I’m a little (a lot) obsessed with kimono. If you’ve ever wanted to learn about kimono and kitsuke (the art of wearing kimono), come join me and the Japan Society of New Orleans on May 22nd for a Kimono and Kitsuke Worksop and Demonstration!

Culture, Photography

Festes Sant Bartomeu

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Since late August, I’ve been promising to post my photographs of the closing of the Festes Sant Bartomeu. My apologies for the delay, but the photographs are finally here! I sincerely hope you enjoy them.

Just a little bit of background, the festival took place in Soller, Mallorca between August 22nd and 24th. I was told by my relatives that the festivities close every year with an enactment that somehow involves fire. I wasn’t sure what to expect, to be honest, whether it would be actual fire or fireworks. It turned out to be the latter, and it was unlike any fireworks display I’ve ever seen. I’m so glad I was able to see it. If you ever find yourself visiting Soller, Mallorca in late August, I recommend seeing the closing of this festival (make sure to pack an old pair of jeans, a long sleeved shirt and something to cover your hair, if you intend to join in the fun!).

A quick note before you dive into the gallery, please stay tuned in the following weeks for more indie reviews, writing updates, an ebook giveaway (October), and a Butterfly Crest Blog Tour (November).

Festes Sant Bartomeu : Soller, Mallorca : August 24, 2014
Festes Sant Bartomeu : Soller, Mallorca : August 24, 2014
Festes Sant Bartomeu : Soller, Mallorca : August 24, 2014
Festes Sant Bartomeu : Soller, Mallorca : August 24, 2014
Festes Sant Bartomeu : Soller, Mallorca : August 24, 2014
Festes Sant Bartomeu : Soller, Mallorca : August 24, 2014
Festes Sant Bartomeu : Soller, Mallorca : August 24, 2014
Festes Sant Bartomeu : Soller, Mallorca : August 24, 2014
Festes Sant Bartomeu : Soller, Mallorca : August 24, 2014
Festes Sant Bartomeu : Soller, Mallorca : August 24, 2014
Culture, Photography

A day in Palma

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Arabian Baths, Palma de Mallorca. Image by Eva Vanrell.
Arabian Baths, Palma de Mallorca. Image by Eva Vanrell.

Spent all day walking around Palma de Mallorca. I saw a few things I hadn’t seen before, including the Arabian Baths. I went expecting something involving water, but they were actually steam baths. They used burners beneath the floor to create the steam, and the rooms were scented by burning rosemary.

Sunday’s closing of the Saint Bartholomew festival was really great. I got some pretty good shots, but I’ll need some time go through them and a steady internet connection to post – so please stay tuned.

 

 

Culture, Musings

On winter blooms

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Sparrows in the Sazanka in Snow by Ando Hiroshige


kismet |ˈkizmit, -ˌmet|
noun
destiny; fate

Sometimes that’s what it all comes down to. An image. An unexpected discovery. A fractional moment in time. Bijou, small and elegant.

You can step in and out of it in less than a second, but it is no less transcendent. One minute nothing. The next, a jewel.

It may be the smallest of things, in my case only an image that lasted a second, but it can be the catalyst for something beautiful; that one thing you didn’t even realize you were searching for or needed.

When the moment comes, there’s a shift. It’s tangible. Real.

It is important not to dismiss those moments. Do not label them as flights of fancy or underestimate their strength. Accept them. Be humbled by them. Follow them into the great beyond, because it’s those small moments that lead us to the extraordinary…

Like a flower that blooms in winter.