Reflections on the UCLA Writer’s Faire, An Introduction

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Authors, Books, Creativity, Inspiration, literature, Mentors, Reading, travel, ucla extension, UCLA Writer's Faire, vacation, Writers, Writing

Was it worth it to drag myself out of bed at the crack of dawn on a Sunday morning to head over to Los Angeles for the annual UCLA Writer’s Faire? Absolutely!

The Writer’s Faire is a program hosted by the UCLA Extension Writing Program and it’s held annually every August. I first attended this event many years ago as a spy . . . . sssshhhhhhh…….. I say that because I wasn’t writing back then, only dreaming of it, talking about it, pretending to myself that I was serious when it was so much easier to avoid doing anything. I’d yet to make the COMMITMENT to making writing an active part of my life. I’d yet to say “Yes” to allowing my writer-self out of the closet so she could finally breathe after years of being suffocated. And truth be told, when I last attended, I felt a little guilty, a little out-of-place. I wasn’t writing after all, not a word, and so could not in truth call myself “a writer.”

But I also remember being absolutely impressed and moved by what I heard that day and the people who came and gave of themselves and their time so that other people — like me — might have the courage to pick up the pen and do what their hearts had been calling them to do.

Fast forward to today and I AM writing — have been in earnest for a year now — and have made the commitment I was lacking before to be the disciplined writer I knew I could be. Thus, today’s experience was even better than the previous one. I came away energized, inspired, and motivated to recommit myself to my project and to continue to choose to embrace the hard work of writing. The writers I listened to today are regular people, just like you and I, who don’t take themselves too seriously and who truly see themselves as writing mentors. They seem approachable and they encouraged those in attendance to consider becoming a part of a caring and supportive community of people who genuinely want to help others succeed at living a literary life. Many, if not all, of the writers who spoke on today’s panels juggle full-time (non-writing) jobs, families, and lives outside of writing. All of them write and all of them teach in the extension program, in addition to the burden of their daily responsibilities. And all of them at some point or another were students in the Extension Program. They came across, therefore, as very approachable, as having lived through the trenches not once, but on a continual basis, and as being open and willing to share their experiences with others.

This all left me feeling even more strongly the need to give back, to make a gift of my writing life and to build on the sense of community I was gifted with today by sharing what I learned in a series of four short posts over the next week or so. If you’ve been hem-hawing around, worried about getting started, doubting yourself and listening too much to the nagging voice that whispers (or shouts) “What are you thinking?! Who do you think you are? You can’t WRITE!” then I encourage you to stop by for a share in the healthy dose of inspiration and encouragement I received today. Do it for you and do it for the story that is inside you. Cheers!

A Unique and Writerly Gift

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Absinthe, Art, Authors, Bram Stoker's Dracula, Creativity, Inspiration, Literary Places, little green fairy, Paris, Poetry, The Green Fairy, travel, Writers, Writing

For Mother’s Day, I was given the gift of “the Green Fairy.” That’s right. My husband bought me a beautiful bottle of authentic French Grande Absenthe, complete with a gorgeous traditional absinthe spoon and a box of sugar cubes, to make the drink that apparently summons the little mystical green muse of the Belle Epoque.

Truth be told, I am not a drinker. Red wine is my limit, and that, only with food. But I’ve been long intrigued by the allure of absinth in the lives of many writers and artists. I’m not at all sure I’ll even like this metamorphic green elixir — licorice flavor and I are not on speaking terms — but I figure trying it once has some historical and cultural value, and since I’ve only recently discovered that the heroine of my novel will at some point be given a soporific blue potion by the story’s villain, I suppose there is some literary value, as well.

It was in Bram Stoker’s Dracula, by Francis Ford Coppola, that the beauty of the absinthe ritual first caught my eye. This scene is simply gorgeous…and Gary Oldman talking about the little green fairy’s mischievous impulses makes it that much more appealing.

It appears that, similar to ouzo, the absinthe changes from a clear emerald green color to an opalescent fairy green when mixed with water. The recipe for my French absinthe is one of the oldest traditional recipes from the south of France. From the box:

In the late 19th century during the Belle Epoque era in Paris, the renowned Absinthe culture was at its height of infamy. To evoke this glorious time, Grande Absente, Absinthe Originale recalls one of the oldest traditional Absinthe recipes from the south of France. Hand crafted in Forcalquier, located in the Alps of Haute Provence, Grande Absente is made exclusively with the highest quality spirits and botanicals including a full measure of the legendary botanical Wormwood, also known as Artemesia Absinthium. Grande Absente is 138 proof so please drink with extreme caution!

To make the drink is a refined and simple elegance and ritual enhanced the enjoyment of drinking absinthe in the last century. Simply pour 2 oz absinthe into a glass. Place the absinthe spoon across the top and position a sugar cube on the spoon. Slowly dissolve the sugar cube with 3 oz. cold water. Stir and enjoy.

Photo credit: Eric Litton

The verdict?

Hard to say…..it’s quite syrupy — the legs on this stuff would put a nice, rich red wine to shame — and you can really smell the anise even if the glass is removed a bit. Lots of fumes! The color looks a bit like Mountain Dew, but it turns opalescent as you add the sugar and water, and this was truly lovely. (Note: The pictures above don’t do the color justice at all.) The drink is strong, and very sweet, better up front on the tongue than taken towards the back. I sipped tiny bits and was overwhelmed a bit by how sweet it was. I am amazed that people could sit and drink this stuff so seriously in the Belle Epoque and beyond. The recommended portion is way, way too much for this lightweight. I recommend cutting that in half and sharing it with a good friend….or two. The ritual is quite beautiful and I have never had any other drink that comes close to this sort of “event”. That alone seems enough to warrant the popular “Green Hours” held in cafes in Europe when absinthe was in its prime. It seems to me quite a lot of work to “summon the muse”, if that is in fact what enough of it might do to any random soul……I think I’d rather just sit down and write, without the green fairy’s help. When all is said and done, this writer won’t be trading in her glasses of red wine for trips to the local absinthe bar anytime soon. But I’m glad to say I’ve tried it, and I’m none the worse for wear.

Cheers!