Marge Piercy

Going around right now is this “top 15 authors that have affected you” meme, but I’m not doing that today. All I have for you on the topic of authors is this:

I just reread Marge Piercy’s 1993 novel He, She, and It (I’m proud to say that my copy was sent to me by Ira Wood when I was doing some typesetting work for the Leapfrog Press, back in around 1998-2000… but anyway).

I’d forgotten how good it was. Really. I inhale books; but as a result, very often a book can move me greatly and then within a few years I have only the vaguest notion left, or none at all, of what lived and breathed between its pages. (Though I have to wonder if I so vividly cast Yod as Brent Spiner the last time. I can only assume that I would have.)

Then, I picked up my copy of Woman on the Edge of Time (published 13 years earlier, in 1985).

Again, I had retained zero memory of what it was even about. At first I found it woefully unpleasant, to the point of thinking to myself “Yeah, I’m giving this away after I finish, ’cause who needs to read this again?” But by last night, a good third of the way into the book, I was engrossed. So if you read it and hate it at first, give it time; it has more to say.

The thing that gets me is how similar, in a way, some of the themes/motifs are (well, except for the cyborg bit… and the Jewishness…) — but they’re handled very differently. I could say more about this if I had time (sorry if that’s what you came here for! maybe later!), but I will just say this for now: While WOTEOT is still a fine book, it’s very, very much an earlier book. The way her style and storytelling matured from one to the other is just… startling.

Which produced the further insight that I, personally, had damn well better get cranking on writing my first novel, so that I can eventually write my tenth. X-)

That is all.

Things, and the Getting of them Done

The past several weeks have been much working, much thinking, little writing. A lot of my Rosh Hashanah pondering was about my goals for the year — not so much spiritually as practically, although even practical goals have spiritual implications in terms of what turns out to matter most, no? I swear I am making incremental progress on many important fronts, but it’s hard to see amid the vast chaos. The same could be said of my ~~actual~~ day-job work, of course, too.

In that vein, I’ve started experimenting with Getting Things Done — kind of backwards, in that I spent a while reading around it, largely by means of The Simple Dollar, then spent lots of time looking for a suitable (and free) online tool*, and only then actually sat down and read the book. I have still not done a proper Collection, which they would probably say explains why my anxiety level around my Stuff [to do] has generally risen of late even while I’m spending more focused time tackling it. But, on the whole, a net gain. Like “how could I, of all people, have done without this system for so long?”

*There are a million task- and project-manager sort of things, half a million of which are free, and I signed up for accounts on fully a dozen of them, but none struck the right combination of ease/elegance of use with functional categorization and project-vs-task manipulation. Finally I ended up at one that’s in beta called Nirvana, and I really, really like it. It stays open in the background all day so I can add everything as it comes up — and check it off as it goes out. There are, however, a few features I can already perceive as still missing; I’ll be interested to see what they add in future releases.

I suspect I was going to close this up with something pithy, but I have to go to work. :-}

Lox is the Jewish bacon

Nothing like working a 12-hour day… on a fast day (yesterday). I think it makes up for all the slacking I was doing coming in well after 10am for the past, like, two months while my various shows were going up. I also fear there are a lot more of these in store for me this July, due to a major new work project… and that I’m going to earn every penny of my recent “official” promotion, not to mention my week’s vacation in early August. Whew.

Anyway, so before I run off this morning, I bring you a Compare and Contrast:

Mmm…	Lox	Bacon
Salty	Yep	Yep
Smoky	Yep	Yep
Rich (oily)	Yep	Yep
Delicious	Yep	Yep
Protein source	Yep	Yep
Classic breakfast staple	Yep	Yep
Featured in fancy hors d’oeuvres	Yep	Yep
Texture	Silky	Crunchy
Fat content	High in omega-3’s	High in saturated fat
Kashrut	Fins and scales	“tameh hu lachem“ (unclean for you; Leviticus 11:7)

Conclusion: Lox is the Jewish bacon.

Color (three happy and one sad)

1. gilana, call your office: Pantone consumer products!
http://ifitshipitshere.blogspot.com/2007/06/pantone-stuff-plusdinnerware-on-sale.html
http://ifitshipitshere.blogspot.com/2008/03/pantone-makes-your-world-more-colorful.html
http://ifitshipitshere.blogspot.com/2008/12/pantone-party-continues-with-more-new.html
http://ifitshipitshere.blogspot.com/2009/01/pantone-continues-their-colorful.html (I’m especially dying from this one: Gap meets Pantone! And I missed it!)
http://ifitshipitshere.blogspot.com/2009/03/pantone-plenty-again-now-for-kitchen.html
http://ifitshipitshere.blogspot.com/2009/10/pantone-folding-chairs-storage-boxes.html

2. Out of the sheer kindness of her little heart, sen-ichi-rei made me hand-knitted gloves! Fingerless gloves, perfect for computing! They are purple and green!

3. In unrelated news, as of this morning, my office has new carpeting which is blue and purple and — not really any green, but still also pretty.

4. Storyteller and local character Brother Blue passed away last night. Alav ha-shalom.

Interesting Jewish links: art and language

School’s out for summer, which means my work environment changes pace. Normally I spend a lot of time serving as a resource person — which is to say, responding to daily requests from other folks around the school for this and that, highly interrupt-driven. Over the summer, it’s a lot more project-based: big-picture time to think about things we need, or improvements we could use, and to dither around with possible ideas in creative ways. (Also to reorganize and clean out the ridiculous piles of crap that have accumulated in my office, but hey.) So although the way I’ve spent much of today could certainly be denigrated as “dicking around online”, it’s really also a mode of study and a recharging of creative batteries. If you want to know what I love about this job… it’s the fact that that can be true. That these things matter.

Moreover, I’ve also been doing a bit of introspection lately about my Jewish and/or artistic life, which is to say, the things that interest me most deeply and the ways in which they interact. Not that there’s anything new about my interests in language and lettering and prayer and depth of connection and the nature of the Divine — not to mention singing (literal and metaphorical) and the body (ditto) and nourishment and mysticism and joy and home. But — what do they mean? :-) What’s the Gestalt? What am I doing with them?

For some time now I have been mulling around elements for a work of YA Jewish fiction I want to write — write! — and every now and then I see a new piece of the puzzle and say “aha, maybe that fits in here somewhere”. I suspect I have another much larger post brewing on all these topics for later, and maybe the summer will be a good time for that. But for the moment, I’m just going to set out some of the network of interesting stuff from today.

So:

Yonah Lavery‘s awesome Talmud Comics, and the associated blog. I already emailed the artist to order a poster version of this one.

By way of the New Vilna Review: The Museum of Psalms (really more of an art gallery, it sounds like) in Jerusalem.

The Jewish Virtual Library has a section on Judaic Treasures of the Library of Congress.

In case there is anyone in the world who does not know about these (because apparently there still are such people), it is my duty to share my two favorite leyning (Torah reading/cantillation) resources: Ellie’s Torah Trope Tutor gives you the names and melodies of all the tropes. Navigating the Bible gives complete text and audio (i.e., sung through the trope) of all the weekly Torah readings (as well as the Haftarah portions). (And of course, anyone who would like to do any reading EVER at is always heartily encouraged to jump in and sign up. :-)

Lastly, in lieu of my usual Friday Hebrew lesson for my dear friend T, I commend to you all Balashon: The Hebrew Language Detective. It reminds me considerably of the work of Joseph Lowin (whose own site seems to be down or nonexistent) and the other topical Hebrew lessons at the amazing Jewish Heritage Online Magazine, one of my very favorite sites on the entire Internet. (To my mind, it’s not far from this kind of etymological exploration to Edenics and the work of Isaac Mozeson, but I’ll leave the really wacky stuff for another day. :-)

And with that, I’m out of here. Shabbat shalom, y’all.

PSAs: music and publishing

Two quick PSAs before I run away:

(1) Honorable Menschen’s debut CD, By the River (featuring myself!) is now available for PREORDER! Release date is slated for 12/13/2008, with a free concert at Temple Beth Shalom of Cambridge. Order in advance for best discount, and pick it up at the concert, or have it shipped in time for Chanukah.

(1a) (We’re also having auditions Nov. 2 and Nov. 5, for those who are interested. Click the link for more info.)

(2) Hey all you Boston-area people interested in publishing… it’s time once again for Bookbuilders of Boston‘s free intro-to-publishing Fall Workshops!

In order to bring a new focus back to our educational mission, Bookbuilders of Boston will offer six free Fall Workshops. We will chart the course of the modern book through the editorial, design, production, and manufacturing processes, and provide insight into who we are, what we do, and why it matters.

Although aimed at entry level staff and students, there’s enough here to attract seasoned pros as well. We have assembled our finest panels ever to offer a better understanding of how books are made.

On six consecutive Thursday evenings at 6:00, from October 9th through November 13th, come to Pearson’s 9th floor at 501 Boylston Street, Boston. Doors open at 5:30, and light refreshments will be served.

And yes, the Fall Workshops are free.

Marty Rabinowitz, President
Kirsten Sims, Chair of the Board
John Walsh, Education Director

Thursday, October 9, 6 p.m.
SESSION ONE: THE OVERVIEW
Brief outline: The story of publishing in Boston; the path of the book, from concept and contract into the editing process, rights and permissions, art and design, production and manufacturing, and marketing; the kinds of publishing done here and the types of jobs available; the story of Bookbuilders and how networking enhances your opportunities; Q&A.
Speakers: to be announced

Thursday, October 16, 6 p.m.
SESSION TWO: EDITORIAL
Brief Outline: Acquisitions, contracts, list planning, publication planning, editing styles, manuscript preparation, artwork issues, developmental editing, proofreading, indexing, book design.
Speakers: to be announced

Thursday, October 23, 6 p.m.
SESSION THREE: PRODUCTION
Brief Outline: Production techniques, scheduling, estimating, vendor relations, composition and page make-up, processing artwork, electronic prepress, proofing options, the PDF workflow.
Speakers: to be announced

Thursday, October 30, 6 p.m.
SESSION FOUR: JACKET AND COVER DESIGN
Brief Outline: How designers reconcile the needs of authors, editors and marketing people with their own aesthetic sense, from concept to approval, through proofing, printing and post press considerations.
Speakers: to be announced

Thursday, November 6, 6 p.m.
SESSION FIVE: PAPER
Brief Outline: The varieties, finishes, qualities, weights, shades and calipers of paper seem almost unlimited and can be intimidating to many people in our business. Where do the increasingly important aspects of recycled content fit into this equation? How can the publisher choose the right paper and control costs? What roles do the printers, the paper merchants and the paper mills play?
Speakers: to be announced

Thursday, November 13, 6 p.m.
SESSION SIX: BOOK MANUFACTURING
Brief Outline: Electronic prepress, printing one, two, four colors (and up), offset v digital, paper considerations, component printing, binding styles, binding materials, domestic v overseas, packing, delivery, fulfillment.
Speakers: to be announced

I Enjoy Being A Geek

In the department of “stop me before I volunteer again,” I am officially blowing off a Shabbaton planning meeting at shul tonight in order to go see Juno with ablock (7:20pm at the Somerville). Go me!

I am also thinking, as I sit here munching on wasabi peas, that I should write a filk of “Burning Down the House” called “Eating Down the Chametz“. ‘Tis the season.

This reminds me that I never posted the song I wrote (with help from Tiger Boy) for this year’s Purimshpiel, to great popular acclaim: “I Enjoy Being A Geek”. (If you’ve never heard the original, it’s here; whether you have or not, you might enjoy this version.)

INTRO:
I’m a geek, and by me that’s only great!
I am proud that my glasses are like bottles,
And I’m longing to find a Jewish mate
For a love that’s like Tzeitel’s and like Motel’s.

I can charm you with scholarly discourse,
I can quote you from Torah or rabbinics,
But you ask me about religious wars,
And I’ll start explaining Windows, Mac, and Linux!

VERSES:
I’m hooked on the Sci-Fi Network,
I can read twenty books a week,
I love playing Fluxxx or Settlers
I enjoy being a geek!

I have a degree in physics
I think cloaks are the height of chic
Every summer I go to Pennsic [note: this line did not garner a single laugh, I was shocked]
I enjoy being a geek!

BRIDGE:
I own every episode of Buffy,
The Lord of the Rings was really great,
I stayed up all night for Harry Potter —
How I wish there would be a volume number 8!

VERSE:
From Vericon to Arisia
I have looked all around to see
Whether somewhere in Cantabrigia
There’s a boy who would enjoy
Having a geek like me!

(My character in the ‘shpiel was Esther the Second Gabbai… with a cameo by Tiger Boy as the Nice Jewish Boy who comes in as the tenth for minyan and sweeps her off her feet for a happy ending. Awww.)

Bookbuilders of Boston Free 2007 Fall Workshops

(Since I know there are some publishing-interested types on my list here, I’m passing this info along. Of course, this also reminds me that I never have put together that publishing salon I once talked about, but that’s a topic to resume another time.)

Expand your book publishing knowledge by attending the free Bookbuilders of Boston 2007 Fall Workshops! Each free workshop will focus on a particular aspect of the publishing process and will be presented by seasoned professionals.

Wednesday, October 24, 6 p.m.- 8 p.m.
Last year’s evening with Lissa Warren was such a big hit, we’ve invited her back to present:
REINVENTING BOOK PUBLICITY FOR THE 21ST CENTURY: The state of the book review, the “new” author tour, and how to prioritize in a world of so many books.
Speaker: Lissa Warren, VP Senior Director of Publicity at Da Capo Press and Adjunct Professor at Emerson College and Boston University.

Thursday, November 1, 6 p.m.- 8 p.m.
THE GREENING OF THE BOOK BUSINESS: How The Green Press Initiative and Others Promote Earth-Friendly Publishing
Speaker: John Wash, Director of Production at the Harvard University Press.
Additional speakers TBA

Wednesday, November 14, 6 p.m.- 8 p.m.
AN INTRODUCTION TO MULTI-CHANNEL PUBLISHING: Reuse and Repurposing of Content
Speaker: Jamie MacLachlan, Production Technology Analyst at Cengage Learning.
Additional speakers TBA

Light refreshments will be served!

All workshops will be held at:
Houghton Mifflin Company
222 Berkeley Street, 5th floor
Boston, MA (Arlington Green line T-stop)

Al Mishkavi Baleylot

Now that I’ve installed NoteWorthy Composer (the official music software of Honorable Menschen), last Thursday I wrote my first full piece of original music, an art-song sort of setting of my favorite section of Song of Songs (3:1-5). The arrangement/accompaniment needs some work (or editing by someone with more music theory than I have), but it’s basically complete, which is exciting.

Progress on the creative front

(1) I spent much of this afternoon updating MuffinButtons.com! Specifically, there are whole new pages of my Harry Potter and Kingdom of Loathing buttons that I’ve sold at cons but haven’t had online at all until now.

(2) I haven’t yet revamped my Computer-Aided Judaica site yet (next on my list is to update the portfolio section and add PayPal buttons for framed and unframed art pieces as well as greeting card packets). But I do have one new art piece I finally did last week, and since I’ve now uploaded the images, I can at least post about it here.

There are four holy cities in Israel,
which, according to the Jewish mystical tradition,
correspond to the four elements: water (Tiberias),
fire (Jerusalem), earth (Hevron), and air (Tzfat)….

Click to enlarge.

… And now, has sent me another new book chapter, so I’d best get back to the work-for-hire. :-)

Erica Schultz Yakovetz

Judaica, technology, art and design, music, writing, and the human condition.

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