Poetry on Postcards (or, Happy Warmer Days!)

March 20, 20143 Comments

I’m convinced most of the USA has been dreaming of this day–the first day of spring. Many of us have endured a brutal winter, so March 20 means the end of icy and snowy days (is near).

I’m working on a “Poetry on Postcards” swap and decided that I would introduce my partner to a poet she hasn’t read before–Tameka Cage Conley. I am proud to say I know this poet. She completed her undergraduate degree in English at the institution at which I grew up as a professor, scholar, leader, administrator.

Here is one of the postcards I designed for the swap:

“December Rose” and Excerpt from “The Cell Is the Song,” by Tameka Cage Conley

Conley is an extraordinary literary artist (poet, playwright, novelist) on the rise. You can read the full poem and one other poem, “If Sula Had a Daughter Raised by Nel,” on the Driftless Review site. Prepare for an experience with words, sound, texture, feeling.

Ironically, the photo was shot on a rainy December day in New Orleans, just outside my parents’ front door. Is it springy enough to wish you a “Happy Spring?”

My First Washi Tape Postcards

March 10, 2014March 10, 20149 Comments

How did I unwind this evening? I made not one, but two washi tape postcards!

Washi Tape Postcards-1

This (above) was the first one I made. They are simple enough to make–washi tape and a sturdy backing. I used The2Buds adhesive postcard backs. I’ve been using them for years and they’ve not let me down.

Washi Tape Postcards

I haven’t decided yet whether this will be “all” there is to the postcards. I’ve been experimenting with adding letters and images. I will probably keep the pink and green one “as is.” We’ll see about the red and black one…

What did you make today?

Happy International Women’s Day!

March 8, 20147 Comments

I’ve been busy, busy, busy with work and with one creative venture after another–working on a wedding album for my nephew and his new wife, Dr. Seuss’s Birthday (lots of fun), selecting and getting postcards ready for Liberate Your Art 2014, and of course, designing postcards for International Women’s Day (IWD).

In some countries, it is customary to give yellow flowers to women on IWD. In honor of that custom, I created these postcards–an easier way to share yellow flowers with women of the world and to stand with women worldwide as we move toward change and equality.

The first postcard features the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women’s (UN Women’s) theme for 2014: “Equality for women is progress for all.”

0001n2

I like the vintage feel of this postcard, but I created one using the same photo for those who prefer more realistic colors:

0001wC

And since I also like “Inspiring Change,” the 2014 theme featured on the global hub for International Women’s Day, I created a postcard with that theme as well.

0001VR

As I share these postcards with you, I’m reminded of the two seminars on Comparative Women’s Studies I participated in many moons ago and of how our group applauded our conveners, Beverly Guy Sheftall and Chandra Talpade Mohanty, with the chant– “Women’s rights are human rights…Women’s rights are human rights.” There’s something about the collective voices of women and those who partner with us that assures me that we will eventually disassemble all tools of oppression.