novel ideas…

books… i've always found them to be a sensory pleasure, a sensual experience - the touch, the smell, the caress of the pages as you lose yourself in another life, another time, another world – but I’d never thought of them as tools for sculpting… after coming across a number of references and various graphics on different sites, i couldn’t resist following the trail to a more comprehensive article on a specific series of sculptures - 10  all up, anonymously left at various libraries and literary venues around edinburgh throughout 2011... here are 4 of those wonderful creations…

the scottish storytelling centre found a dragon nesting in a window with a note "once upon a time there was a book and in the book was a nest and in the nest was an egg and in the egg was a dragon and in the dragon was a story"

a gramophone and a coffin, sculpted from a copy of ian rankin’s "exit music" ... this one found at the national library of scotland with the note "A gift in support of libraries, books, words, ideas….. (& against their exit)"

this one includes a teabag filled with cut out letters, on the tag of which are the words “by leaves we live”. the cup on the top has a swirl of words which read ” nothing beats a nice cup of tea (or coffee) and a really good BOOK”, and on the ‘tray’ next to the cupcake it says “except maybe a cake as well”... left on a signing table at the edinburgh book festival with the note " ‘A gift’ This is for you in support of libraries, books, words, ideas…… & festivals xx

a tree, a ‘poetree’ with a paper egg lined with gold and a scatter of words which, when put together, make “a trace of wings” by edwin morgan... left anonymously at the scottish poetry library... the note for this one read "we know that a library is so much more than a building full of books… a book is so much more than pages full of words.… this is for you in support of libraries, books, words, ideas….. a gesture (poetic maybe?)"

they are amazingly delicate and intricate creations, but ohh the mystery and intrigue of it all... if your curiosity is piqued you can view all 10 and read their stories in this article "mysterious paper sculptures"...

while on the topic of books, i must recommend my last read...

turn of mind by alice laplante - no relation to lynda... the author has written non-fiction before, but this is her first novel, and what a stunner it is...

told from the perspective of jennifer white, a once-brilliant surgeon now suffering from alzheimer's and the prime suspect in a murder mystery... we learn the details of the crime through fragmentary conversations between jennifer and various people — some of them living and some dead...

it was a new style of writing for me and i was totally mesmerised - i couldn't put it down... it'll be a hard act to follow though...

while on the topic of writing...

do you have a story just waiting to be written? not just any story, but one that relates to the human-animal relationship? if so perhaps this is 'right up your alley'...

voiceless will be awarding a prize to recognise the best australian short fiction and non-fiction that "has at its heart the place of animals in the world we have made", and writers of fiction and nonfiction are invited to reflect on the ethical relationship between humans and animals.

"there is a rich world literature which takes animals - their feelings, wishes and desires - seriously." ... j.m. coetzee...

submissions should be between 5,000 and 10,000 words and should focus on animals produced for food or found in the australian landscape.

the winner chosen by the judging panel will receive $15,000, while the public will vote for the people’s choice to receive $5,000. all writers published in the collection will receive $500.

if you think your writing fits the brief, you can read more on the guidelines, and how to enter here... but don't procrastinate, entries close march 16...


while not on the topic of singing or music...

i can't end this post without acknowledging the death of the wonderful etta james, an extraordinarily talented singer... her life story is worth exploring in more detail - but she deserves a post of her own... so for now i'll leave you with some of her music...