August 2024 Newsletter
Showtime! Author Seedbed Workshops, Writing Videos, Local Food
My First Rodeo
Photo by Christine Benton on Unsplash
We celebrate and honor expertise, experience, knowledge, and competence. We need these. I don't want to be the surgeon's first patient or fly with a pilot who hasn't practiced. And I wonder if we may over-emphasize experience and competence.
Maybe it's good for us to stray from our carefully constructed knowledge and competence. I admit I'm guilty of telling others, "This isn't my first rodeo." It's a cliche that implies you should unquestioningly trust that I have the experience and expertise to do, lead, execute, be the expert. I love the self-possession and assuredness that comes with confidence in my knowledge and competence.
This summer, I've ridden the wilderness trails of the novice. I knew nothing out here on the trail, not even what I didn't know. I understand now why rookies are often called tender feet or greenhorns. This novice experience is an effortless way to discover tender new shoots of green growth. The old knowledge and competence are dead wood, of no use to me. It is a tender place of vulnerability, mistakes, do-overs, and over and over again.
My wild ride started with an invitation from Kendra Wholert, owner of The Ragged Edge Art Bar and Gallery, to do a one-woman show. I enthusiastically answered the invitation, "Yes!" Later, a friend asked, "Didn't you write down everything you'd need to do before you said, 'yes'?"
"Nope. It was just, 'yes'."
Have you ever said yes to something you later regretted? I have—dozens and dozens of times. This yes, which came with plenty of surprises, held no regrets—not one.
At first, I said "yes" to The Grand Idea. I made outlandish lists of ways to wow and astonish an audience. Did I have time to learn to become a 60-year-old acrobat in fishnet hose and a leotard? No? How unfortunate.
Then came the day my friend Barb put her hands up to hold my face and arrest my attention. "You need to focus. You've got to start. No more dreaming. Do it." Ah, the crash of reality. I had to face all the things I didn't know how to do or failed many times. Things like measuring, graphic design, and power tools. I once promised a professor that if they'd give me a C in a class I needed to graduate, I would never, ever, tell anyone I knew how to measure or that I could do graphic design. Now, I had no choice. I had to do all these things I knew I couldn't do. Every mistake was costly in materials and time.
Thankfully, Barb, a professional photographer who owned a studio for 40 years, knew what I didn't. She knew how to measure, mat, and frame, and she wasn't frightened by power tools. Others who knew what I didn't came forward.
The beauty of first rodeos and wilderness trails is that you can't see the road ahead. You don't know where the gopher holes are or how far behind or ahead you are. It is an exhilarating, thrilling ride as long as you trust your horse. In this case, the horse was life. Life was living me. I couldn't direct or control it. It took me where it willed. What a relief it was to let life live me.
I've made it to the arena. I'm ready for my first rodeo. It will be raw and exciting, possibly embarrassing and unnerving. (Sadly no acrobat in a leotard.) I can't wait to see all the life lived in these moments. I don't want a life without some firsts. That's a life where surprises are unexpected and often unwelcome.
First rodeos are tender and gritty. They are charged with an air of expectancy, wild hope, and awkward moments. They require bravery, endurance, and humility.
Will you join me for my first rodeo on Thursday, 5-7, at the Ragged Edge Art Bar and Gallery, 504 Bluff St., Cedar Falls?
Giddy up, fellow life adventurers.
xo
Felicia
Building Community: Engaging with a Local Audience
Join us for an enlightening session with Emily Stowe, the founding editor of Mag Pie and Managing Editor and Visual Art Editor at North American Review. Emily will share her invaluable insights on publishing a magazine with a local focus, fostering writer communities through publication, and navigating the submission process for local versus national outlets. Don't miss this opportunity to gain valuable knowledge and guidance from an industry expert! here.
Tuesday, August 13, 10-11:30, Room AB
Discover Your Writing Niche
This workshop will delve into strategies for pinpointing your writing strengths and identifying the ideal niche for your work. Learn how to tailor your writing to showcase these strengths effectively, harnessing online tools to grasp genre and market trends. Plus, discover invaluable insights on packaging your strengths to connect with the perfect audience.
Tuesday, August 27, 10-11:30, Room AB
Bite Size, Actionable Advice
If you follow me on social media, the last few months have been art, art, art. So, to balance the scales, I wanted to share this fabulous free writing resource from my good friend Dorothy Winsor. Dorothy writes young adult fiction, with six published books and a new book, Dragoncraft, coming out Sept. 21.
She’s posting bite-size writing advice on Facebook and TikTok several times weekly.
Prepping for the gallery opening, I realized that I made much more progress in my skill development and achieved my ambitions when I took information in small doses and used it immediately. If you’re a writer, I highly recommend Dorothy’s videos; if you’re a reader, check out her books.
Enquirer: Notes of Interest
I collected little gems about art, literature, and nature this month. Many of these come from your ideas and suggestions. Drop me a note if you find or notice something that amazes and delights you. August is a bonanza of locally available foods, so the theme of the month is local food.
Do You Salsa?
Do you enjoy making and/or eating salsa? You’re invited to enter your favorite salsa creation for Prairie Parkway Garden’s annual salsa contest. Contest rules and registrations are available on the website. Don’t have a favorite recipe? Then come join us as a taster and enjoy time in the gardens. No cost to enter and no cost to taste.
Panache
Treat yourself to the Panache tea experience, 706 Jefferson St., Waterloo. Recently a group of us went to Panache for their extraordinary tea and goodies. We sampled the three-tier, a smorgasbord of pastry delight, the sandwich experience, and crumpets. I can’t wait to go back. I recommend calling or texting a reservation (319) 486 9793. They also cater afternoon tea platters, hors d’Oeuvres, Indian-South African meals and savory pies.
Hoffman Produce Farms
Photo Courtesy Hoffman Produce Farms
If you’re a regular reader, you know that Hoffman Produce Farms, 1011 Martin Road, Waterloo, is my nearly weekly stop for their weekly Friday afternoon, 3-6 on the farm market. Now instead of subscribing and ordering from a catalog you can just show up and select your own produce. Fresh corn on the cob, tomatoes and for the last couple of weeks apples and pears. Prince Charming thinks I over did this week on apples and tomotaoes. Wide-eyed with astonishment, I asked, “Can you ‘over do’ on home-grown tomatoes and apples in August?”
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