New Photo Shoot

I had the pleasure of doing my little brother, Tyler's, senior photos this weekend.  It was quite an adventure - we went out into the woods and the water to capture photos of him doing what he loves.  I got photos of him with his baseball gear and in his college T-shirt since he's heading off to Manchester University to play baseball and study business this upcoming year.  It was a great day out in the beautiful spring weather and the whole family came out to join us.  These are some of my favorites from the day.  

These photos and more are available on my website at klafolle.wix.com/lsphotography.  Check out my site to see more of my work or to contact me to book a session (located in the Toledo, OH, area).  The weather is getting warmer and it's the perfect time to capture lasting memories of your family.  

Questions?  Comments?  Contact me through my website!

Me with my two brothers between shooting photos.

Behind the lens.  Photo credit:  Gary LaFollette.

Creative Stuff

I'm very excited to have gotten my photography website back up and running just in time for spring (well, supposedly it's spring but we did get snow yesterday).  I had a great time doing photography back in Indiana, and I'm happy to be doing it again here at our new home in Ohio.  I do outdoor photography (unless clients would like pictures taken in their home) and have experience with shooting couples, individuals, children, infants, and more.  I'm doing a senior photo shoot in April and my first wedding in August (yay!), but I still have lots of open slots.  Check out my website here:

klafolle.wix.com/lsphotography

You can contact me via email through my website to set something up or talk about options.  Prices and a gallery of my work are available on my website. 

A sample of my photography work.  This was a family shoot I did with my brother-in-law, Ryan, and my two adorable nephews, Nathan and Ian.  You can see more photos from this shoot and other samples on my website.

 Earlier this month, LEVELER Poetry Mag published my poem "Fawn" along with an amazing commentary by the editors.  The editors had no idea what I wrote this poem about, but I think their commentary was spot-on (from the LEVELER website):

"Before we discuss the context, we’d like to talk about how Kristin LaFollette’s poem ends: with the smell of rain. If you’re curious, there are reasons why rain smells the way it does. But to stay with the image, the smell of rain seems to evoke a universal feeling of freshness. It isn’t, however, a simple unsophisticated feeling you’d expect from, say, a sunny day (not to put down sunny days – not in a winter like this one). There’s something more complex about rain smell – it isn’t exactly pure; it isn’t easy-going. But it’s special. 'Fawn' ends with '[i]t smelled like rain' and 'it' is a heart. Our speaker remembers standing in the kitchen holding one, pressing on it. It is explicitly a 'real one,' not a metaphoric heart. Not the heart poetry may have grown weary of. For that very reason – this heart’s tangible, sensual existence in this stanza, 'purple tissue' and all, we are actually able to think of its underlying role. The speaker held this heart (a fawn’s maybe) and it smelled like a fresh thing. There’s an enigma to it. Perhaps the enigma is solvable, if you keep reading back. You’ll learn that boys lose their innocence early in Iowa. They’re taught to shoot, kill, be proud of bloody hands. Read further up. Our speaker watched such a boy. The boy became a man, learned to feel the still, sad music of humanity. The speaker watched it happen like she watched this heart, pressed it, maybe in order to try and grasp its essence. To us, this is a Romantic poem (as in Romanticism, not romance). We miss that boy. We know childhood ends this way more often than not. We learn to see things factually, let blood be blood. The smell of rain reminds us of a thing or two. The memory is ambiguous: metallic, wet. We handle it, we’re doing fine. Occasionally snakes come out of the corn."

Interested in reading the poem?  Head over to the LEVELER website to see the poem and commentary side-by-side:

levelerpoetry.com/fawn-levelheaded

The editors perfectly captured what I was trying to portray with this poem:  "We miss that boy...The memory is ambiguous:  metallic, wet."  "Fawn" just happens to be a coming-of-age poem I wrote about my little brother.

And in case you missed it with my last post, here is the latest edition of NEAT Mag, which features two of my poems:

neatmag.net/issues

What I'm most excited about right now is the new edition of Harbinger Asylum.  The new issue features several pieces of my artwork along with two of my poems.  I'm still waiting on my free contributor copy, but you can support this press and writers and artists like me by ordering a copy here:

createspace.com/5334557?ref=1147694&utm_id=6026

There are several other amazing writers and artists featured in this issue, as well.  And you can check out my collages and poems.  Cool stuff, I promise. 

Coming up in May, I have two poems being featured in Poetry Pacific.  And, as always, I'm still writing and submitting like crazy.

I'm very excited about the poetry scene here in our new city.  The downtown library does a poetry series called Poetry Speaks every spring.  I was able to attend the first installment of that earlier this month and hear some wonderful writers read their poetry.  The most exciting thing about that night was that they had several poetry books from featured authors on a shelf up front in the room.  I was beyond excited to see that one of the featured authors/books was The Bottom by Betsy Andrews.  That book was published by Indiana University South Bend's publishing press, 42 Miles Press, which is based out of the English department and is run by my favorite professor there (I went there for my undergrad and grad school and taught in the English department there for three years).  My husband and I were both there at the release for that book and listened to Andrews read from it. 

There is some great poetry coming out of South Bend, folks. 

There is another Poetry Speaks reading this Thursday at 6:00pm, but I won't be able to make it to that one because of work.  Speaking of, my new job is going well.  The kids are great and I haven't picked up any major illnesses yet (every time I've had a job working with kids, I seem to be sick ALL of the time).

Life is good.

Now, go read some poetry.  

Sharing in LOVE

Justin and I went to Ann Arbor, MI, this past weekend.  It was my first time there and it is a beautiful city with lots of wonderful antique/vintage stores, an amazing farmer's market, and lots of fun locally owned downtown shops.  We had a great time there.

As we were walking back to our car, a homeless man sitting on a bucket to the side of the sidewalk stopped us.  He looked rough, but had the most vibrant blue eyes behind glasses, his long hair pulled into a ponytail.  If you know my husband, you know how he loves to wear shorts all year round, even in the winter time.  On this particular day, Justin was wearing a bright green sweatshirt with blue and red plaid shorts with skater shoes and a red hat (I love his uniqueness).

Laughing as we walked up, the homeless man said, "First, do you have any spare change?  And second, did she help you pick out your outfit!?"

Neither of us were offended.  He was laughing and joking with us and probably just needed someone to speak to him, to provide some human contact that he had probably been missing out on but craving so much.  Lots of people walked by on the street as he sat off to the side, ignoring him, maybe not even with negative intentions, but probably just because seeing a homeless person in downtown Ann Arbor is a regular sight, so much so that they don't even notice anymore.  These homeless people - they almost cease to be human.

As Justin and I stopped to talk to him, we laughed and I pointed out that he typically wears shorts, even when it is cold outside.  The man said he didn't mean to offend us, and I told him that it was nice to have a good laugh.  I searched my pockets for some spare change or a dollar, but came up empty.

"Don't worry," he said.  "You guys laughing with me was enough."

To me, this was one of the saddest things I've ever heard.  The fact that someone stopping and enjoying a small moment of laughter with him was such a happy occurrence probably meant that people didn't typically notice him.

When does a person's situation cause them to lose their humanity?  Isn't that how we are all ultimately connected - through our shared humanity?

I told him we were happy to have talked with him and, as Justin and I walked back to our car, thought about all of the people who miss out on the necessary human contact that we all desire because of poor circumstances.  I don't know what that man's story was, but no situation should keep a human being from enjoying the community of other humans.

Isn't a person's humanity enough?  Shouldn't people deserve respect based on their humanity alone?

Kindness.  It can go a long way.

If Justin and I had kept walking and ignored the homeless man in tattered clothing smoking a cigarette on the sidewalk, he would have missed out on a moment that meant the world to him and that ultimately affected Justin and I for the better.  It didn't take anything more than Justin and I acknowledging him and having a conversation with him - letting him know that someone cared enough to hear what he had to say.

I think this world is losing sight of something that is so important - each and every person in this world is deserving of love and respect based on nothing more than the fact that they are human beings.  We are made in God's image.  Shouldn't that be enough?

Jesus said we should love God and love others as we love ourselves.  So how can we do that today for the people in our lives?  For strangers?  For people that wouldn't normally receive the love and care that they deserve?

I have been so bogged down lately by the negativity that surrounds me.  People gossip, spread rumors, criticize, and refuse change based on their own selfish desires (we are all guilty of this at some point in time).  People have been unwelcoming, rude, and downright mean.  I get so tired of the negativity from people who should be sharing and spreading God's love and it makes me lose faith in humanity.  But then moments happen like what I experienced on Saturday and remind me what it's all about.  Nothing will change unless we all make an effort.  One person can start a revolution and change the world.

So what can you do TODAY to spread God's love?  How can you show love to someone who needs it?  How can you help stop the negativity present, even in our churches, and create an atmosphere of love, friendship, and kindess?

God is love.  Help others feel that love, one random act of kindness at a time.

***

If you read my blog at all, you probably know about my best friend, Dee (also known as Cohen).  She has been up against the battle of a lifetime since she was diagnosed with an incurable brain tumor in 2013.  She just turned 26 in January, so she is no longer on her stepfather's insurance and her disability/Medicaid paperwork is taking too long, so she is currently without medical insurance.  Because of this, she has had to put off her next chemotherapy and radiation treatments and hasn't been able to go to her check-ups.  She also has been spending ridiculous amounts of money on her very important medications since she is uninsured.  When she was first diagnosed, my friend, Elisabeth, and I started a fundraiser for Dee to help offset her medical costs.  I just started it up again to help her get the treatments, appointments, and medications she needs to stay on top of her very dangerous brain tumor.  No one deserves to be in the situation she is in, so please, if you can contribute anything at all, visit her fundraising site at youcaring.com/deesbraindefenders.  The site is secure and uses PayPal to process all donations.  Every single penny goes to Dee and will help her until she can get insurance coverage again.  The site also shares her story, photos, and updates on her condition.  Thank you all for your love and support.  I also keep a Facebook page for her where I post photos and updates at facebook.com/deesbraindefenders.

***

I also wanted to share that I got a job this past week!  After moving to Ohio about four months ago, I was relieved to finally get a job interview (after applying to over 30 jobs).  I am now an employee of the Boys & Girls Club!  I start the new job on Monday and am excited to jump in and work with the kids.  I feel like this job will be a lot like my experiences at Recess (see my blog posts from summer 2011 and 2012), a summer camp for at-risk children.  Either way, I'm happy to be working again!

Since I start my new job next week, I decided to visit Cohen and then visit my family.  So I'm here in Indiana until Thursday!  It's been a great week so far.  While I'm excited to start my job, I will miss the freedom of working from home!

***

I had another publication this past week in NEAT Mag, a literary magazine based in the Midwest.  View the latest issue and my two poems at neatmag.net/issues.  These two poems are particularly special to me - one is about my father's struggle with illness and the other is about Cohen's struggle with illness.  Check out my poems and the other great work in this issue and support the literary community!

Here's my latest publication at LEVELER Poetry Mag - levelerpoetry.com/fawn-levelheaded.  I love that this magazine includes an editor's discussion alongside the poem.  Follow the link to see my poem and the editor's note!  They captured the emotion of the poem perfectly.

New Film Releases

I love movies.

As a humanities major in college and grad school, I had the opportunity to take several film classes. 

They ruined me.

I can't watch movies anymore without analyzing every scene, every line, every angle, every use of lighting.  It's a blessing and a curse. 

But I still love movies.  All kinds of movies.  I enjoy artistic, independent movies and romantic comedies alike. 

My favorite movies?  That's hard to say, but I am particularly fond of Fight Club and A Clockwork Orange (or anything from Kubrick, really) and other films like them.  And there have been lots of great films released lately. 

Have you seen the movie Nightcrawler with Jake Gyllenhaal?  Oh Jake Gyllenhaal.  He has been one of my favorites ever since I happened upon Donnie Darko with it's strange DVD cover - a young Gyllenhaal brandishing an axe with a man in a creepy rabbit suit in the background (it sounds crazy, but seriously, it's a great film). 

My husband and I watched Nightcrawler together and we both loved it.  Gyllenhaal's performance was amazing and the film offers a fresh plot and dialogue.  I've certainly never heard of people making money from filming crimes after hours and selling them to news stations, and I'm still not sure that it actually happens, but this plot in the film seems secondary to the true social commentary it portrays - that humans are selfish and will make attempts to get ahead no matter the costs.  Gyllenhaal's character, while strange and probably somewhere on the autism spectrum, gains momentum throughout the film as a sociopathic videographer, losing all sense of morality and (SPOILER ALERT) even going as far as to kill his partner in the end because he wasn't obedient enough and wanted too much money.  The film definitely struck me as a social commentary about humanity's treatment of humanity, and while I think Gyllenhaal's character was a bit of stretch in attempting to accurately portray this concept in society, it was overall a fresh, unique film with great performances from Gyllenhaal and his co-stars. 

Now after all of the Oscar wins, I just HAD to see Birdman.  I watched it tonight and was actually very impressed.  First off, the film reached some amazing technical feats with the extremely long shots and, secondly, I loved the performances by Michael Keaton, Emma Stone, and, of course, Edward Norton (who plays the "real" Tyler Durden in Fight Club).  The film is both strange and unique (which is right up my alley) and blurs the line between what is real and what isn't.  I think it definitely deserved the wins it received at the Oscars.

Justin and I also saw Theory of Everything last weekend and I was so excited when I found out Eddie Redmayne won an Oscar for his performance in the film as Stephen Hawking.  I thought the film was a beautiful tribute to the Hawking family and did a lovely job of portraying the relationship between Hawking and his wife and the struggles they experienced because of his ALS diagnosis.  I definitely recommend this film.  You will not be disappointed by Redmayne's performance.

Other films I've seen recently and enjoyed:

The Skeleton Twins with Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader as twin brother and sister both dealing with some crazy life circumstances (that they brought on themselves).

What If with the wonderful Daniel Radcliffe and (my FAVORITE) Adam Driver.

Horns, another movie with Daniel Radcliffe based on the novel written by Stephen King's novelist son, Joe Hill.  (This movie is creepy and confusing at times, but worth watching).

Under the Skin with Scarlett Johansson.  If you want to watch a confusing movie about an alien disguised as a human seduce and capture human men, this one is for you.  (In all seriousness, I actually really liked this film). 

Men, Women, and Children with Adam Sandler.  This movie didn't get great reviews, but I thought it was a refreshing look into what teenagers (and adults) have to deal with in this day and age. 

So these are my thoughts on some recent films.  Now get out there and support the art world!  (And let me know what your thoughts are on these films!)

***

I just had two more poems picked up for publication at NEAT Mag, a really cool literary publication that only showcases poetry and fiction from Midwestern writers.  Look for my work in the upcoming issue!

WRITER/ARTIST COLLABORATION

My most recent publication with The Light Ekphrastic became available last night and I'm very excited about this project/collaboration.

I do art.  I do writing.  But as a writer, I've never done a collaboration with an artist on some ekphrastic poetry.

According to poetryfoundation.org, here is the definition of ekphrastic poetry:

An ekphrastic poem is a vivid description of a scene or, more commonly, a work of art. Through the imaginative act of narrating and reflecting on the “action” of a painting or sculpture, the poet may amplify and expand its meaning.

So that's the aim of The Light Ekphrastic - to pair and artist and a writer and have them create a collaboration based on each other's work.  

I think this collaboration turned out wonderfully.

First off, I was paired with artist Brett Busang (you can view some of his work at brettbusang.com).  From the poems I submitted to the magazine, Brett chose to create a new painting based on my poem "Cat People."  His new painting is called A House in the Distance and is quite stunning.  It's all of the emotion I imagined coming from my poem.  From the paintings I had to choose from, I chose to create a new poem on Brett's painting, Rockpile.  The poem is called "Deed's Creek."

It's interesting that Brett chose to use the poem he did.  "Cat People" means a lot to me because I wrote it about my best friend, Cohen, and our experiences growing up together.  His interpretation of the poem through his painting really captured the emotion and the sadness I felt when writing the poem.  I love his painting and the title - A House in the Distance.  I chose the painting Rockpile because it immediately reminded me of a memory with my younger brother from our childhood.  When we moved into the house my parents live in now, it was one of very few houses in the subdivision and we were surrounded by empty lots.  It was great for my brother and I; we used to ride our bikes and build things together.  The poem "Deed's Creek" recalls many of our adventures together.

So I can't wait for you all to see this writer/artist collaboration and all the effort that went into it.  

Here's the link for The Light Ekphrastic website and to Issue 21 of the magazine:

thelightekphrastic.com

And here's the direct link to my collaboration with Brett (poems and paintings) - I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed working on it:

thelightekphrastic.com/issues/february-2015-issue-21/lafollette-busang-feb-15/

Here's a link to my writer bio along with Brett's:

thelightekphrastic.com/issues/february-2015-issue-21/artist-bios-feb-15/

As always, thanks for reading, my friends. 

Feels like Going Home

Justin had another grad school class at Bethel this week, so this time I headed back to South Bend with him.  Let me tell ya, this place still feels like home.

I'm loving our time here so far.

We got into town Monday evening and met up with Natalie and Annie for late-night doughnuts at Krispy Kreme.  Natalie and Annie are two very sweet high school juniors who are near and dear to Justin and I.  They were a part of our youth group at our old church here and we were able to be their small group leaders and help mentor them.  We love them and it was great to catch up and see how things are going in their lives.

Tuesday was my 26th birthday!  I took Justin to class and went to some of my favorite South Bend spots (and also looked on in admiration at Notre Dame's campus - never thought I'd miss it).  I met my good friends Jill and Dawn for lunch at McAllister's Deli (LOVE) and we talked and caught up for three hours.  Jill is the leader for the St. Mary's Impact Bible study I was a part of while in South Bend.  That Bible study and the girls I shared life with there are very close to my heart.  They prayed with me every week while Justin was in the interview process for the job he has now in Ohio.  I love them and am so blessed to have them in my life.

After lunch, I went to my FAVORITE antique store in the whole world (Mishawaka Antiques in downtown Mishawaka) and went to a few other places before picking Justin up and starting my birthday celebrations.  We used my birthday coupon for a drink at Biggby Coffee and then headed to Niles, MI, for dinner at Pizza Transit (oh how I miss that place) and a movie at Wonderland Cinema (one of my favorite places in the whole world because of their amazing ticket and snack prices).  We totally saw The SpongeBob Movie:  Sponge Out of Water.  Hey, I may be 26 now, but I will never be too old for SpongeBob!

Today I took Justin to class again and met my good friend Samantha (we went to college and grad school together) for lunch at Scotty's Brewhouse, another one of my favorites.  We had a great time catching up (and I had my gourmet grilled cheese) and then I headed to downtown Niles to hit all of my favorite thrift stores and antique shops (I know, I have an old soul).  I picked Justin up after class and then we went to dinner with my in-laws and my nephew at Hacienda.  They had the staff come out with the birthday song and the sombrero and everything.  I feel loved.

Tomorrow I don't have any big plans, but I'm looking forward to visiting some of the places I've missed since we moved to Ohio.

Things I miss about South Bend:

1)  Notre Dame
2)  McAllister's Deli
3)  Scotty's Brewhouse (but luckily there is one in Fort Wayne which is closer to where I live)
4)  The short drive to Niles, MI (the ANTIQUE SHOPS and the THRIFT STORES and the PIZZA and the CHEAP movie theatre!!)
5)  Knowing every road like the back of my hand and not having to use my Google Maps to get everywhere
6)  Bethel College
7)  The University Park Mall
8)  My friends
9)  Whole Foods
10)  Super Target (they don't have them in Ohio!?)
11)  That feeling of "home"

It was been an amazing week so far.  Justin and I have been in Ohio for about three months now and I was starting to feel a little homesick.  This week is giving me just what I needed - a taste of home and time spent with old friends.

God is good all the time.  All the time God is good.

P.S.
I had another publication this week at Poetry Pacific.  They accepted two of my poems for the upcoming spring issue which will be out May 5th!

To Glue

I'm VERY excited to announce my first artwork publication forthcoming from Harbinger Asylum, a publication from Transcendent Zero Press.  Four of my collages will be featured in the upcoming edition of the journal.  I'm also excited to say that Harbinger Asylum will also be featuring two of my poems in the same issue.  Both of the poems are actually about the same subject, so I think they will fit together nicely.

Here's a link to the Transcendent Zero Press website:

http://transcendentzeropress.org/

Collage art is something very near and dear to my heart.  I had to take an art elective while I was working on my undergrad, so I took a class I knew nothing about that was titled "Narrative Collage" in the course catalog.  It turned out to be my favorite class I took as a college student.  The class focused on the Dada and Surrealist movements and how art changed and developed during that time in order for people to cope with a world that was in the midst of the chaos of war.  Artists and writers like Max Ernst and Rene Magritte were changing the definition of art by creating tensions between image and text in their work.  Artists were creating "readymades" or ordinary objects that were changed or altered in some way and called art.  Artists were creating art from "found objects," putting together collages from unexpected materials such as tickets, newspapers, magazines, and more.  This particular class focused on what has recently been termed "narrative collage," a loose literary term that refers to works that combine elements of image and text.  We created our own collages and 3D art pieces as well as a whole work of narrative collage that we self-published with Lulu.  An excerpt from my narrative collage, which was called Lights that Grow Dim over Time, was published in the IU South Bend literary magazine and I also read a portion from it at a live poetry reading in college.

My 3D art project made from Goodwill finds.  It's about my younger brother and  I titled it Baby.

My collage journal that I used in my narrative collage class and beyond.

My narrative collage piece about a trip I took to Florida in college complete with my own original photography.

Inside Lights that Grow Dim over Time.

I loved that class so much that when I got to my final year of graduate school and had to start working on my thesis, I proposed a narrative collage project to my panel of poets, fiction writers, and scholars.  Fortunately for me, they approved the project and my final thesis was a 100-page narrative collage I titled Like Las Vegas.  The project was about a young girl caring for her younger brother in the midst of a tumultuous family life.  The story was told through text and anatomical images and diagrams.

My graduate thesis (with original photography).

Two of the collages that will appear in this magazine are from my graduate thesis project.

The other two are collages I've put together in the years since my college studies.

Did you know the term "collage" comes from the French word "coller" which means "to glue"?

Thanks for reading, and don't forget to check out some back issues of Harbinger Asylum to help support emerging artists and writers, small presses, and the art and literary community as a whole!