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!

New Things

Here's some recent writing/art projects and endeavors I've been working on along with some recent publications:

My latest collage entitled "Skin."

I just had five poems published in the latest edition of Lost Coast Review.  The new Winter 2015 edition became available online on January 13th.  Here's the link the whole edition with contributor bios:

http://www.lostcoastreview.com/

This edition contains five of my original poems.  Here's a link to my poetry featured in this issue:

http://www.lostcoastreview.com/five-poems-by-kristin-lafollet/

The print edition of Lost Coast Review Winter 2015 became available on January 14th.  The issue contains some wonderful pieces from other fiction writers and poets - you can order your own copy on Amazon or Createspace.  Here are the links:

Createspace:  https://www.createspace.com/5240665
Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/Lost-Coast-Review-Winter-2015/dp/0692364978/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1422301347&sr=8-1&keywords=lost+coast+review

I also have a poem featured in the most recent edition of Really System.  Issue 5 became available online on January 23rd.  Here's the link to the issue:

http://reallysystem.org/issues/five/

And here's the link to "The Burial," my poem featured in this issue:

http://reallysystem.org/issues/five/the_burial/

I was finally able to get a library card here and the main branch is WONDERFUL (an understatement).  They have the biggest poetry selection I've ever seen.  These are my current reads (which I HIGHLY suggest):

House of Deer by Sasha Steensen
Bang Ditto by Amber Tamblyn
The Book of Goodbyes by Jillian Weise
On the Other Side, Blue by Collier Nogues

Aside from the usual writing and collage-creating, I've still been doing some freelance work on the side.  Life is good.

I've also been looking to get back into shooting photos; I've put photography on the back burner since the big move.  Here's a link to my photography site:

klafolle.wix.com/lsphotography

A COLLECTOR OF OLD THINGS

I am a collector.

If you have ever been in my home, you know how much I appreciate old things.  I have many random collections that I have gathered over the years, but I love my collection of antiques most of all.

It is so intriguing to me that each piece once served a purpose for someone - they bought it new, they used it with their family, it had value to them.  So many things are discarded in this day and age because people think they don't have value, but I love to imagine what these things once meant to someone else when they were new.  I love reminders of the way things used to be.  I love the simplicity of many of these antique pieces that sit in my home.  I love stories. 

Many of the antiques I have in my home have stories that remind me of the joyous, happy moments that took place when I found them, because it's truly like finding a treasure.  A treasure with so much history and a host of stories I will never know.  Treasures that were touched by the hands of someone's grandparent or great grandparent.  People that existed and lived brilliant lives but that I will never know.

So I give these old things, these antiques, the great respect they deserve.  I like to imagine what they meant to the people who owned them.  I like to think about their lives and stories. 

My husband and I moved to Ohio from Indiana.  We were very close to the Michigan border in Indiana, so we spent countless weekends exploring the southern part of Michigan and all of its splendor.  Three Oaks, MI, is one of my favorite places in the whole world, and it is home to many wonderful shops that house antiques and artwork and thrift store finds.  Justin and I also spent quite a bit of time in downtown Niles, MI.  I've never seen so many antique shops.  It would take us an entire Saturday to comb each antique shop in Niles, including the flea markets that often sold antiques, as well.  While Niles may not seem like much, I have so many cherished memories there with my husband - walking through each antique shop, scouring the shelves and touching the old metal and wood of objects made before my time, stopping at the Paris shop for ice cream, sifting through bins of old vinyl records looking for treasures. 

There was also a thrift store in Niles where we found many of the cherished antiques that now sit in various places in my home - old Polaroid cameras, a Super 8 film projector, an antique chess set. 

I have a Royal typewriter that my husband bought for me at an antique shop in downtown Mishawaka where we used to live.  I loved that store and I love my typewriter.  The keys still work, the typewriter just waiting to tell a story. 

And then there's the antiques that mean the most - the ones given to me by members of my family.  As I said in my last post, my great grandfather gave me a 1948 Philco radio phonograph last week that him and my great grandmother bought new.  I also have a stack of old records and a box of cameras that my great grandfather actually used to take photos of him and my great grandmother when they took a 28-day trip around the world back in the 70s.  Each camera has an individual story to tell.

To me, things don't lose value as they age.  The only get better with time. 

Wonderfully Made

So despite the fact that my husband and I moved from Indiana to Ohio back in November, he is still a graduate student back at Bethel College in Mishawaka, IN.  I'm so proud of him - he has worked full time since he started his full time graduate studies back in spring 2012, even through adversity (like breaking his arm and having to be in a full arm cast, etc.).  He has two semesters to go, so he is nearing the end!  His program is non-traditional, so most of his work can be done online, but he has to travel to Mishawaka for a week of class time for every class he takes.  So this week he had an Authentic Leadership class at Bethel, and since I'm still a technically "unemployed" poet-artist-freelance writer-whatever, I decided to go with him.  It has been a great trip so far.

We left Monday after Justin got off of work for the day and headed to Indiana.  Instead of going with him to Mishawaka, he dropped me off at my parents' house so I could spend some time with family, visit my grandfather, and celebrate my best friend's 26th birthday with her.

Justin said his class has been going great and he's had the opportunity to meet up with lots of old friends after class to catch up.  I plan on heading back to Mishawaka with him for his next class (which is actually on my birthday!) to meet up with friends and celebrate my birthday at some of our favorite places in our old stomping grounds.

On Tuesday, I went with my dad to visit my great grandfather.  He is kind of amazing.  He is almost 96 years old and still lives at home (on his own).  He has lots of people to check in on him, so he's been able to maintain his independence.  My dad is his main caretaker, so I tagged along and we took him lunch and spent the day talking and listening to his infinite stories.  (He was born in 1919, so he has some amazing stories to tell).  My dad told him I love antiques and he asked me what kind of antiques I liked.  To make a long story short, he sent my dad and I into the attic and basically told me to take whatever I wanted.  For an antique lover like me, it was paradise.  I couldn't believe the great things he had kept over the years.  I ended up leaving with a stack of old clay records, a whole bag of antique cameras with old film and flashbulbs, a vintage suitcase, and a 1948 Philco radio phonograph.  A 1948 PHILCO RADIO PHONOGRAPH!  He said him and my great grandmother bought it new (the Philco website says there were roughly 48,000 of them made and they sold for $159.95 in 1948), but that it had been in the attic for 50 years.  I love antiques and I love family heirlooms.  It was a wonderful day and I'm so glad I have these things to remind me of my grandfather and the wonderful life he has lived thus far.

Today was another great day.  Since Justin has our car at school, my dad drove me to Fort Wayne to visit my best friend and have a celebratory birthday lunch with her and her mom.  The four of us met for lunch at Scotty's Brewhouse, Cohen's favorite place.  My brother once took us to the Scotty's in Bloomington, IN, when Cohen and I went to visit him our junior year of college and we've been hooked ever since.  We were both ecstatic when they built new Scotty's restaurants in Mishawaka and then Fort Wayne.  We had a wonderful lunch talking and laughing and being our regular silly selves.  We really do have our own language.  A lot has changed over the years, but Cohen will always be Cohen and we will always be perfect (as our saying goes).  I never thought when I met her on the first day of seventh grade that we would become sisters or that we would go to the same college or that we would be roommates or that we would get our first place together after graduation or that she would be my maid of honor or that she would get sick.  It's been an amazing, wonderful, scary, bittersweet, blessed journey and I'm so glad God has blessed me with her along the way.

Celebrating Cohen's birthday today at Scotty's.

We don't have any big plans for tomorrow, but I'm certain it will be a good day.  I may clean up my old radio and give the wood some shine.  I might try to listen to one of the old records.  I might try to take a look at some of the film that's still in the cameras I found.

And as this week comes to an end, I will celebrate the life of my best friend, Cohen, and what she means to so many people.  And I will remember and celebrate the life of my grandma, who passed away in 2013 but who shared a birthday with Cohen.  They would always call each other on their birthdays each year and we would often celebrate together, and I will smile as I think of those memories this year.  Life is such a precious gift.

So remember to smile.  Life is a wonderful thing.  YOU are wonderful and beautiful!  You are made in God's image and you are fearfully and wonderfully made. 

God, wonderful are your works and my soul knows it very well.