Soprano Ariel Pisturino performing THELMA’S ARIA from Gamma Skupinsky’s opera, “The Gilgul,” at the West Hollywood Fiesta Hall Concert, August 20, 2011.
Watch it here!
Video: Ariel Pisturino Sings THELMA’S ARIA
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Video: Ariel Pisturino sings MONA’S ARIOSO
Soprano Ariel Pisturino sings MONA’S ARIOSO from Gamma Skupinsky’s sci fi opera, “The Zone,” at West Hollywood’s Fiesta Hall Concert, August 20, 2011.
Watch it here!
Video: Ariel Pisturino Performs Bach and Hindemith
Soprano Ariel Pisturino performing selections by Bach and Hindemith in her Lenten Recital on March 20, 2013 at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Glendale, California. Watch it here!
Art by Rebekah Joy Plett FOR SALE!
This is your chance to buy the stunning, grotesquely beautiful, insanely unique art of Rebekah Joy Plett. Rebekah's art has been featured in several galleries in which the price is generally out of most people's price range. So here is your chance to buy several of her paintings at a discounted price (NOTE* prices do not include packaging and shipping).
Rebekah is a fantastic artist and the artistic director for Underneath the Juniper Tree.
Throw Back Thursday. Story Time.
The Day Came Sooner For Me
Written by Harley Samson / Illustrated by Michael Murdock
From the August 2011 issue of Underneath The Juniper Tree
The UNDERNEATH THE JUNIPER TREE anthology will be out soon!
WRITERS: MIND YOUR MANNERS!
A MESSAGE FROM JON BARD, MANAGING EDITOR OF CHILDREN’S BOOK INSIDER:
“If you spend a fair amount of time online, perhaps you’ve noticed it:
People are becoming ruder. And angrier. And more entitled.
Really, I’m simply amazed at some of what appears in my e-mail inbox. Folks with whom I’ve never corresponded are sending me demanding messages such as “SEND ME THE EBOOK!!!!” and “I WANT TO GET PUBLISHED. TELL ME WHAT TO DO!”
People (non-customers) send us long, detailed questions out of the blue and expect immediate responses. If they don’t get one, we often receive an abusive message as a follow up.
And then there’s the magic words that many people seem to be using as a justification for curt, nicety-free missives:
“Sent via my iPhone.”
Look, I’ve been doing this a long time, and I’ve got a pretty thick skin. So I raise this not to prevent my feelings from being hurt, but rather as a cautionary message about how *not* to sabotage your writing career.
As a 21st century author, your ability to communicate is paramount to your success. Editors, agents, bloggers, book reviewers, distributors, promotional partners and readers are just some of the people who are important to your career. For goodness sake, treat them with more respect than “Here’s my new book. Write a review!”.
Here then, are my tips to help you be seen as a courteous author worthy of consideration:
• “Dear”, “Thank you”, “Please” and “Sincerely/All the Best/Yours Truly” aren’t archaic leftovers from the distant past. They’re still as important as ever. Use them. Please.
• Composing a message from your phone or tablet is not an excuse for overly-direct curtness. If you have a business message to send, wait until you have the time to write it properly.
• If you’re contacting someone for the first time, make the effort to introduce yourself, and clearly state the purpose of your message.
• If someone doesn’t get right back to you, don’t fire off an angry e-mail accusing them of ignoring you. Perhaps the message got lost. Maybe they’re on vacation. Perhaps they’re ill. Calmly send another friendly message restating your request or comment.
• Remember that you’re dealing with human beings. In our case, every piece of e-mail is read either by me or by Laura. We don’t have a building full of underlings to take care of that for us. When you send us kind words (and many of you do — thank you!), it feels great. When you’re rude or angry, it stings. Treat me with respect — I think I’ve earned at least that.
The vast majority of you are nothing but gracious in your communications with us. That bodes well for your future success. Keep at it, and gently work to correct those who aren’t minding your manners.
For the few of you who may have let your etiquette slip, please take heed of the points I’ve laid out, and make a resolution to make the online world just a little bit more courteous.
That’s it — venting over! Onward….”
THANKS, JON!
Dawn Pisturino
Video Clip: SUSANNA’S SECRET
THE PRODUCTION WAS A BIG HIT, AND I’M SUPER PROUD OF ARIEL AND SCOTT FOR THEIR INITIATIVE, CREATIVITY, AND HARD WORK.
Good Job!
SUSANNA’S SECRET
ARIEL PISTURINO (my daughter) and her friend, E. SCOTT LEVIN, recently formed CHAMBER OPERA PLAYERS OF L.A. Their first short production will be SUSANNA’S SECRET, a comic one-act opera written by E. Wolf-Ferrari in 1910. Originally written in Italian, the opera has since been translated into contemporary English. Ariel and Scott are both well-educated, highly-talented performers with the gumption and creativity to succeed. I am enormously proud of them both.
SYNOPSIS: A man who suspects his wife of fooling around discovers the real secret behind his wife’s strange behavior.
Starring ARIEL PISTURINO and E. SCOTT LEVIN. Directed by JOSH SHAW, Artistic Director of Pacific Opera Project.
BUT COME OUT AND SEE IT FOR YOURSELF!
January 25-26, 2013 at 8 pm
ST. MARK’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH
1020 N. Brand Blvd.
Glendale, CA 91202
213-260-0007
performances in the Parlour Hall with reception to follow
ADMISSION FREE! Donations appreciated.
HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!
MARTIN LUTHER KING"S SPEECH
http://youtu.be/smEqnnklfYs
Martin Luther King's Birthday
Americans honor the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. with a national holiday celebrated on the third Monday of each January.
The holiday was established to serve as a time for Americans to reflect on the principles of racial equality and nonviolent social change advocated by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
As a political organizer and advocate of nonviolent protest, King was pivotal in persuading his fellow Americans to end the legal segregation that prevailed throughout the South, and in gaining support for the civil rights legislation that established the legal framework for racial equality in the United States.
A great man who has inspired countless numbers of people around the world to work towards justice and humanity for all.
TOO MANY BOOKS, TOO MUCH COMPETITION
In an interview with the blog SIX QUESTIONS, John Raab, Publisher/CEO/Editor-in-Chief of Suspense Magazine, answered the following question:
“What can you truly expect to get out of your writing?”
“I feel that many authors have false expectations and think they are writing the next NY Times Bestseller. Here is the problem with that. Just because your book is not high on a list or selling that great, doesn’t mean you can’t write. Authors have to remember that anybody can now publish an EBook on Amazon or Barnes and Noble. What does that mean? That means that readers now have to navigate through thousands of more books to find one they like and readers only have a certain amount of money to spend. If you don’t have thousands of marketing dollars behind your work, then you have to spend triple the amount of time marketing to fans than it took you to write the book. Writing the book is the easy part, getting paid from it is the difficult part. Authors should expect to not retire off their work, but instead write for the love of it, because it is your passion. Writing and music are the same thing, you see a great band in a bar and say ‘They are better than anything I hear on the radio, why aren’t they signed?’ Writing is the same way.”
Is it true? Are there too many books on the market? Writers don’t just write for the love of writing, they write to make a living. But if thousands of self-proclaimed authors are flooding the market with books, how can someone achieve that goal?
For myself, I stopped buying books because I was tired of wasting my money on mediocre crap that was marketed as best-seller material. A slick cover and a wide audience do not a-book-worth-reading make. Extensive marketing will not salvage a poorly crafted commodity. Readers might buy from you once, but they won’t come back again.
The book market is, in fact, overwhelming. Every time I go into Barnes & Noble, the stacks of unread (and unbought) books makes me want to swoon. Scanning through Amazon and Goodreads makes me feel the same way.
The books shout in my head: READ ME! READ ME!
It’s the same on Facebook. Thousands of self-proclaimed authors scream at me: BUY MY BOOK! BUY MY BOOK!
Millions of blogs and online publications float around in Internet outer space, vying for attention.
TV, movies, and video games also provide tough competition. And to top it off, a recent poll suggested that only 75% of the population ever reads a book (print or digital.)
So, what’s a writer (and reader) to do in an age of information overload?
1. Write the best damned book you can, using original ideas.
2. Don’t write derivative material because thousands of others are doing the same thing. We don’t need anymore books about vampires and wizards unless the slant is so original, and the characters so unforgettable, that the world just can’t live without them.
3. Define your goals realistically. If you are only writing out of love for the craft, then be content to do so. But if you dream of making a living as a writer, then treat it as a business.
Personally, I think the publishing industry bubble is going to burst, just like the dot.com bubble and the housing bubble. Too many books means too many choices and a flattened market. After all, people don’t have the time or the money to spend on reading all the books out there. And traditional publishing houses depend on blockbuster best-sellers to keep themselves afloat.
I will continue to write because I love to write. But don’t be fooled: I want to make a living off of my writing as much as any other writer. The question is: can I beat the competition?
