“There are no compacts between lions and men …”

“There are no compacts between lions and men, and wolves and lambs have no accord.”

Homer

“The Authentic Woman” on Authors on the Air

I was introduced online last night to Shannon Fisher, host of “The Authentic Woman,” which will premiere on March 2 at 8 PM on the Authors on the Air Global Radio Network.  Ms. Fisher is seeking writers to interview as guests on her program.

The Authentic Woman “will explore every aspect of the female experience – society, politics, career, family, finance, spirituality, creative expression and sexuality.

“Interviewing both well-known public figures and everyday Janes (and Joes), Shannon will delve deeply into the world of writers, artists, community leaders and celebrities. Each week, Shannon and her guests will immerse themselves in themes that have sculpted their own personal perspectives – and their cultural and societal experience as a whole.

“The Authentic Woman will be a sounding board from which guests can dish about their lives, their work, their joys and their struggles. From historical figures to fictional characters to well-known personalities, we all have a story to tell. This radio show is the time and place to tell it.

“Email Shannon at shannon@shannonfisher.com with your show ideas and requests. If there is a particular writer, artist or public figure that you would like to see featured on The Authentic Woman, please let us know. We want to offer a wide variety of topics and guests to ensure we touch our listeners on a personal level, as well as offering a platform for public discussion about the important issues we face on the global stage.

Shannon Fisher:
www.facebook.com/ShannonFisherShow
www.twitter.com/FisherShannon

Authors on the Air:
www.authorsontheair.com
www.twitter.com/authorsontheair

“About Shannon Fisher: Shannon Fisher is a writer, civic leader and social justice advocate. A fervent activist for women’s rights, Shannon sits on the Board of Directors for UniteWomen.org, a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit advocacy organization, where she also serves as the Director of their Unite Against Rape program. A lifelong student of public policy, sociology and the arts, Shannon is a graduate of both The College of William and Mary and the Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership at The University of Virginia. Having worked in public and community relations for nearly twenty years, Shannon strives to enact positive change in the world – one day, one issue and one person at a time. “

“Ode To Insomnia”

ODE TO INSOMNIA:

O, Insomnia!
I thought I’d lost you,
You reappearing keeper of sleeplessness,
You ever awakening angel,
You fickle little midnight affliction …
(Seriously, though, fuck you.)

Do you want to know what a Tom Clancy freak I am?

A friend e-mailed me and mentioned her diet, and I immediately read “Diet,” as in the Japanese legislature (which is controlled by the bad guys in “Debt of Honor.”)

Seriously, I love that book.

Good little sunbeams …

“Good little sunbeams must learn to fly,
“But it’s madly ungay when the goldfish die.”

— Adrian and Francisco, from W.H. Auden’s “The Sea and the Mirror”

Testify, Roger!

“There was once a time, in decades not too long ago, when life for a young artist consisted of living in a threadbare apartment while trying to create great art, instead of trying to live in a great apartment while creating threadbare art.”

– Roger Ebert.

First Stephen King book I ever read.

I’m pretty sure “The Boogeyman” was my favorite story. (I might have borrowed it from my brother without his permission.)

For some reason, however, it was “The Tommyknockers” (and not “The Stand!!”) that really made me want to become an author. I read that one on a long car ride to visit my sister at college in Boston.

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Random Mary Washington College memories conjured from chats with alums:

$1 movies at Dodd Auditorium. (What a cheap date.)

Anyone else remember “Fantasia” or “The Birds?”

“The past is the only dead thing that smells sweet.”

Edward Thomas, Poems (1917)

I miss Roger Ebert.

I do.

If you’re a writer, you could learn hell of a lot about storytelling by reading his film reviews. Two areas he taught readers a lot, for example, were character development and avoiding cliche.

And not to sound like an anti-intellectual here, but I always trusted (and enjoyed reading) his opinion far more than those of the highbrow film school prof-type reviewers who seemed to feel that every movie needed to be “Citizen Kane.”

Nurse Your Favorite Heresies in Whispers