THREE for SUNDAY Preview!

I'll previewing Miracles: A Trio of Island Tales this Sunday, June 15th a three different times (all Pacific time).

10am at the Seanchai Library on the Kitely Grid, and streamed live online.

Noon at DNA Arts & Music in Second Life, and streamed live online (this will be a mix of the book and some other essays).

4pm at Poesy on the Kitely Grid as guest of Freda Frostbite, and streamed live online.

Here's an excerpt from the Introduction to the story collection:

"My Christian friends and colleagues might be critical that I do not push a specifically Christian agenda (with these stories).  I most emphatically do not.  That has nothing to do with my own beliefs, and everything to do with my understanding of the nature of faith.  It is something that can be neither dictated nor legislated – you cannot make someone believe as you do.  Earnest belief must come from within, completely genuine and totally heartfelt.

"Belief is woven into all three stories in 'Miracles: A Trio of Island Tales.'  These stories are fictionalizations of Tongan history and family stories shared by my collaborator, Ilaisaane Filikitonga Tome.  She is a native born Tongan: an amazing Polynesian kingdom in the South Pacific known for the friendliness of its people, an exceptionally high literacy rate, and for devoutly faithful Christians. The power of her stories is moving and undeniable.  You may or may not share her belief system, and that does not really matter.  It is hard to hear her stories and not recognize the essential power of them."

CLICK HERE to go to the instruction tab about live streams.  Do not wait till the last minute!  Trust me.  The information on this site is not all inclusive of all the possibilities of every operating system or media software. Each session will be roughly an hour long, and will be simultaneously live in these virtual worlds to audiences there, and live on my stream.

Fell free to share your applause, comments, virtual snapshots etc here or on facebook or on Google + (Judy Cullen).

COFFEE FRIDAY: "Invisible Me"

Invisible Me

By Judith Cullen

© 2014

Is it just me?  Am I getting old?  I accept that with maturity come certain challenges with “data retrieval.”  I am starting to wonder if it is more than just the natural evolution from the laser-like certainties of your 20s and 30s to the accumulated wisdom of life at its median and beyond.  I have gained so much in 50 plus years in wisdom, patience, and knowledge.  Now if I could just remember it all!

Do you ever get the feeling that no one is paying attention?  People seem so overcome, overwhelmed, and overexposed in the Digital Age that they cannot fully take in all the information buffeting them 24/7.  It seems like daily I send a communication and the reply makes it clear that the person did not entirely read or comprehend the message.  Sometimes it is in conversation.  Sometimes it happens multiple times. I end up replying and restating (or copying and re-pasting) the same thing again.  I start to wonder if I am losing my grip on language.  I want to scream, “Pay Attention!”  

This is not wholly about getting older. I expect these sorts of still-frustrating communication glitches with my 83 year old Mother.  In the natural course of things, some misunderstandings are inevitable. I also think that the near epidemic frequency with which this seems to happen to myself and others these days is a product our times in general. 

We are so bombarded with IMs, tweets, posts, plurks and blurbs that it all becomes a mess and, in our rush to try and keep up, we sacrifice comprehension.  There are so many people out there “communicating” – just firing their messages into the ether like so many poorly aimed arrows - that it all becomes the intellectual equivalent of packing peanuts.  Remember when a 30 second news flash was a rush?  These days it is a leisurely stroll when compared to 140 characters, including the spaces.  

I do it myself, I admit it.  I react or respond to something and then go back and take a second look only to realize that I completely misunderstood. The capacity of the human brain is infinite, taken as a whole.  But at any given moment, there’s only so much you can effectively take in.

So I share the invocation I have begun for myself with you: Slow down!  Life is not passing you by if you take a moment to absorb it.  Be thoughtful. The older you get the more doubt becomes a constant companion, so be generous in giving the benefit there of. Asking clarifying questions is okay.  But in the mean time, be sure and give attention to the important stuff and the people that matter in your life.  And when the inevitable misunderstanding happens (where two or three are gathered together, someone’s going to not get it the first time around) be gracious. 

Maybe we should spend less time “communicating” and more time just talking and listening together.

No one likes to feel like they are howling to the wind.  No one likes to feel invisible. 

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 NOTE:  Looks like Sunday I will be streaming at three different times: 10am, Noon, and 4pm.  Look for a post Saturday to confirm this.

(COFFEE FRIDAYS = my weekly trip to a local coffee shop with my laptop to get a change of scene and refresh my literary batteries with multiple large mochas, no whipped cream.)

PREVIEW of MIRACLES: A TRIO OF ISLAND TALES live Sunday!

Sunday, June 15th at 10am Pacific, I'll be reading from this collection which will release come hell-or-high-water this month.

If you are a metaverse traveler, I will be live in voice in #kitely.  You can drop into the Seanchai Library homeworld (http://www.kitely.com/search?q=seanchai) and click on the volcano panel in the main landing zone to take you to the story site. 

I have also been asked to present from my works at Noon that same day in #secondlife at DNA Arts - contact myself (Caledonia Skytower) or Luna Branwen to get the location. I may or may not be reading from this collection, but I will be reading from my original works.

For those of you who are determinedly corporeal, I'll also be streaming BOTH sessions live online.  So you can tune in and listen to "Radio Judy" which will either add to the serenity or the hilarity of your Sunday.

To get info for listening via my stream, Click Here

Be sure and check out my first ever book trailer/teaser !