THE DICKENS PROJECT!

Where have I been?  Immersed in design projects, story projects, and audiobooks!  Check out the pictures on my Design site of the beta test of The Dickens Project, whose ultimate realization would be an interactive virtual environment where you could walk in the steps of Ebenezer Scrooge through a detailed virtual environment, guided by a live storyteller and the words of Dickens ... all of them!

The Dickens Project - Virtual Immersion in Literature

 

FYI : I will be reading the entirety of A Christmas Carol Live in two sessions (half the novella each) in Second Life (c) as I have for the past several years - December  23rd at 3:00pm Pacific Time, and December 24th at 3:00pm Pacific Time. 

The Dickens Project is free, donations accepted to benefit the Community Virtual Library.  http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Info%20Island/179/204/23

DECEMBER 9th: "Yes Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus"

I remember the very first time I heard Frank P. Church's letter from the New York Sun, and really understood it.  I still read it every December, and frequently with a few tears.  He so perfectly states my own feeling that there is so much in this world that is unseen and unseeable, that we really cannot honestly pretend that we have a handle on it all.  Or as Shakespeare wrote,“There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.”  

It is a time of year when we need belief.  The winter is upon us. Even thought the spring comes every year as the great wheel continues around, we have our moments of doubt in the cold and dark.  Doubts in the world around us, nature, the universe, in others, and most profoundly in ourselves.  The answer is always the same, if we just listen and trust, "Yes ..."  Believe.

Yes Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus by Francis P. Church

Recording (c) 2012 by Judith Cullen
NOT for Commercial Use

DECEMBER 6th: "Meet Ebenezer Scrooge"

"Old Marley was dead..."  begins Charles Dickens' classic ghostly tale of discovery and redemption.  From a previous post you'll not that I am working on a Dickens Centenary event in Second Life (c) called The Dickens Project.

Dickens was written to be read aloud.  In fact the author diligently read his work to family and friends.  Remembering there were no radios, televisions, vhs or dvd, much less internet in those days.  Gathering to hear stories read or told was a common social activity.  In fact all those things I listed are also storytelling tools, though one might argue that they are getting more and more impersonal.  But that's another conversation.  Dickens was meant to be read and read aloud.

The language is delicious, and while I might not give it the same quality that a Patrick Stewart, Albert Finney, or Ian McKellen might, it is still a grand story beautifully if not economically told.  I have read it out loud every year for the past four years and every time I discover something new.

Consider reading it yourself!  It can be gotten free at several online sites, including Project Gutenberg.

"Meet Ebenezer Scrooge" from A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

Recording (c) 2012 by Judith Cullen
NOT for Commercial Use

NOVEMBER 30th: Happy Saint Andrew's Day!

Today is Scotland's National Day.  My family has deep roots in both Ireland and Scotland.  We initially believed, growing up, that this was on my Father's side only with names like Cullen and MacAllister.  But recently we discovered that a branch of my Mother's family was part of a Clan that was thrown out of Scotland for being unruly - by the Scots!  That explains a whole lot about my maternal line. Half of them ended up in Ulster and the other in Holland and Atlantic Germany. 

I also have friends in Scotland.  As the Scottish Referendum for Independence approaches in 2014, this seemed like a timely poem to celebrate Saint Andrew's Day.  I dedicate today's post to them (even though by the time it posts their day will be more than half over) Go raimh maith agat, LmC!

Henry Scott Riddell was a poet and songwriter composing in Scotland in the late 18th Century.

Scotland Yet by Henry Scott Riddell

Recording (c) by Judith Cullen 2012
NOT for Commercial Use

THE DICKENS PROJECT ~ December 14 - 27 in Second Life (c)

For years, I joined those who scoffed at annual productions of A Christmas Carol ... I admit it - guilty as charged! Maybe that's because there are so many bad adaptations and productions out there. It is easy to get lost in the superficial moments of the story and lose the depth it has.  At around 28,800 words it is about a three hour read out loud (less if you are reading it to yourself), and totally worth it.  Dickens packs so much into those words.  From savoring plenty and embracing poverty and need, he covers a lot of ground.

For the last four years I have presented the entire text in voice performance in Second Life (c) and it has given me a refreshed perspective. I now realize why there are people who do not feel their year is complete without some exposure to this story. Every time I read it, I find something new that touches me.

This year, I am developing an interactive virtual venue called The Dickens Project (because other names just became too damn cheesy) which is a beta version of a hopefully more expanded interactive project in the future. It is coming along well with a great group of folks involved from all over the world. It is based around a variety of live readings of A Christmas Carol as well as other works by Dickens.  Check it out!

THE DICKENS PROJECT in Second Life (c)

A Review of "Master of My Heart"

An Audible member in the UK posted this review, and I am happy to share it with his permission ... Thank you, Sir!

By John (Dunfermline, United Kingdom) Nov 20, 2012

"It is a real change to hear a story of this kind told in a warm mature voice. The interpretation of the story is wonderful; just as if you are listening to a woman telling of her own experiences.

"The story itself has a true to life feeling unlike any other I have experienced in this genre. There is no high living multi-millionaire Master in this tale but a typical middle class couple leading a real life.

"Listen and enjoy as I did!"

Master of My Heart by Marie Shore (Narrated by me) is available on Amazon in the U.S. as well, and on Audible. If you are into audio books, if you join Audible as a new member and this title is one of the first ones you choose, they kick back a little extra towards the creators. I'm just sayin'!

 NOTE:  This is story is of the erotica genre, and elements of it may not be for everyone.

Part 2: "The Heart of a Woman"

Now for the Lady's Perspective . . .

Georgia Douglas Johnson (1880 - 1966) was an American poet and a member of the Harlem Renaissance.  Johnson was born in Atlanta to Laura Douglas and George Camp. Her mother was of African and Native American descent, and her father was of African-American and English heritage.

Johnson graduated from Atlanta University's Normal School in 1896. On September 28, 1903, Johnson married Henry Lincoln Johnson, an Atlanta lawyer and prominent Republican party member. Johnson's husband accepted an appointment as the Recorder of Deeds from United States President William Howard Taft, and the family moved to Washington, D.C. in 1910.[2] It was during this period that Johnson began to write poems and stories. Johnson credits a poem written by William Stanley Braithwaite about a rose tended by a child, as her inspiration for her poems.

She began to submit her poems to newspapers and small magazines. She published her first poem in 1916 when she was thirty-six. She published four volumes of poetry, beginning in 1918 with The Heart of a Woman. Johnson also wrote songs, taught music, and performed as an organist at her Congregational church.

It is interesting to note that this poem inspired contemporary poet Maya Angelou, and her book of the same name takes its inspiration from Johnson's work.

The Heart of a Woman by Georgia Douglas Johnson

Recording (c) 2012 by Judith Cullen

NOT for Commercial Use

Note: Pardon the blonde in the art, but the style and vibrancy of the color reminded me of the Harlem Renaissance, and that's why I chose it.