One of My Fave Composers—Louis Rosen—Mines the Intimacies of Everyday Life in His Latest LP

On By Lorraine Devon WilkeIn Latest ThoughtsLeave a comment

It’s been a helluva week, hasn’t it? A roller coaster of unexpected highs, lows, and afterglow, a welcomed state we’re all reveling in. For me, the civic mood-shift offers a moment to focus my writerly attentions beyond the usual scope, reflecting on other matters that grab my interest—a sort of Substack “palate cleanser,”if you will”

David Mansfield (left) and Louis Rosen

Today that means a shout-out for prolific composer, lyricist, and singer, Louis Rosen, who’s launching his new album, Life After Before, this very day.

Treated to an early copy, I found this album to be deeply, sweetly personal, with a folksiness, a gentleness to it, that’s very moving. There’s whimsy in some of the storytelling, there’s proper romantic love songs; there’s wry, sometimes melancholic reflections on those ever-confounding elements we call “life” and “time.” The musical foundation of guitars and strings, a bit of a departure from Louie’s jazzier impulses, gives it appealing grit and warmth; rich, tactile, and rooted in … well … life!

Since I always feel it’s best to give the artist the opportunity to put their own words to their creativity, their process, their inspiration, I invited Louis to jump into this conversation with me, which he has so graciously done.

• LDW: Lou, as you put out Life After Before, your 15th album, your 7th solo album, it’s clear your prolificacy as an artist and composer is an essential part of who you are. I’ve heard from other artists over these years of political and social turmoil who’ve found it hard to stay focused on their creative projects, the noise and chaos too distracting and dispiriting. Since I know you to be very aware of the state of things in the world, how do you wrangle that balance?

LOUIS: I feel most centered when I’m writing songs, or composing, or orchestrating, preparing for a recording, etc. If too much time passes when I’m not engaged in making something, I start to feel out of sorts.

My sense is that one of the delightful ironies of enjoying living in the world is that we often strive for those moments when we’re able to leave that world behind, and burrow deeply into the making of something. There’s great pleasure in getting lost in the making itself that then makes the coming up for air and re-engaging with reality more palatable, and often even stimulating. You no doubt experience this all the time, writing fiction or your Substack column (I do!). I even explore this idea of escape from a couple of angles in two songs on the new Life After Before album – “Rhythm of the Road” and “45 Minutes to Somewhere.”

(By the way, despite the fact that I’m a mediocre golfer, escaping is one of the primary things I love about playing the game. You can’t think about anything else and have a chance of playing well that day.)

So, the intense political noise and social upheaval we’ve been living in over the last decade usually doesn’t get in the way for me. Sometimes, as you know, it’s a catalyst, as was the case with my previous album, American Sunset.

But, in the interest of full disclosure, I finished a nine-month project in late August, and nothing much has been happening on the writing front since. One reason is that I need a break, another is that I’m not sure what’s next. But I must confess: The mid-term elections couldn’t have been settled soon enough.

LDW: Oh, dear lord, ain’t that the damn truth? And now that they are largely settled, precluding any “sore-loser shenanigans,” many frustrated artists feel like they can once again take a breath, sleep without anxiety, and, yes, get back to those stalled creative projects.

Certainly, Lou, you’ve addressed the “world around” in your work: Your previous album, American Sunset (Cadence Magazine Top Ten Album, 2025) very sharply and incisively focused on issues of politics, social justice, corruption, etc. So, when it’s mentioned (in the press release) that this is “perhaps his most intimate album yet,” I’m intrigued to know what inspired you to get more personal this go-around?

LOUIS: Everything I write is personal, even American Sunset, in that it’s an expression of my thoughts and feelings about this dangerous and crazy national moment. The new album, Life After Before, is just personal in a different way. It’s more intimate, quieter, gentler, more introspective. Personal, by the way, as you well know, shouldn’t necessarily be conflated with autobiographical. The ideas offered in a story can be personal while quite separate from the writer’s personal experience. But back to what inspired the album …

It’s May 2024, and I hadn’t written a new song, music and lyrics, in three years. I spent two of those years orchestrating and recording previously written projects, and was then consumed for over a year by all that goes into making a major move—in this case from Brooklyn (after 42 years) to the Hudson Valley—settling in to a new house and new environment. I’d jot down ideas for songs from time to time, but songwriting wasn’t on the agenda.

I was enjoying living quietly in the Hudson Valley, thrilled to be away from the endless and sometimes deafening psychological noise of the city, but the subconscious does a lot of work for a writer. One of the ideas I’d jotted down a few years earlier—a possible title, “Ghost of Desire”—reared its head, and I finally understood what it was getting at: that despite (to quote the lyric to the bridge) …

All the aches and the pains

My body’s telling me things

That I’d rather forget

There are losses and gains

In what every day brings

I still don’t see the point of

Fading out just yet

(I love that, Lou!)

“Ghost of Desire” wrote itself within a few days, and after that, as always happens, songs beget songs. There must be a dopamine rush that comes upon finishing a song you’re happy with, that you feel is fresh, because you want to quickly experience that feeling again. So, those ideas I’d jotted down over the previous three years began to come alive: the next song appeared, and the next, and the next until about eight weeks later I realized I had a new album.

When songs come out in a wave like this, they inevitably tend to share a tone and a broad point of view. Taken together, they’re akin to a snapshot of that particular moment in time for the author. In retrospect, you can surmise that I was contemplating aging, love, marriage, relationships, fatherhood, the periodic temptation to escape the present—or make sense of some aspect of the past. It’s a meditation on the sometimes puzzling process of living day to day in a complicated world with the ever-present awareness that time passes quickly, that every day we are living “life after before.”

(By the way, this writing wave continued when the American Sunset songs began arriving after the November 2024 election.)

LDW: That’s a profound description of the creative process, something that can feel magical and elusive at times, even to the artist experiencing it. As someone who’s listened to your music over decades, I’ve always loved your ability to grab those ephemeral elements of life with lyrics that capture the nuances of our mercurial existences. Your words are very relatable to me, and will be, no doubt, to all your listeners. And your music—the arrangements, the style, tone, richness—brings those lyrics to vibrant life.

As for that music, let’s talk about it for a minute: Your previous works are firmly rooted in the jazz and musical theater genres, yet this one takes, as I mentioned earlier, a beautiful detour into more folk/Americana, with “only string instruments and spare percussion” to accompany your unique, evocative vocals. Did the more intimate songs and lyrical narratives suggest that choice, or were there other influences that led you in that direction?

LOUIE: Folk-based popular music and playing a folk-based style on the acoustic guitar in folk clubs is where I began as a musician and songwriter in my mid-teens—well, at least after my middle-school years as a drummer in a basement rock band. When I was 19 or so and starting music school, my focus switched to composing on the piano, and my musical language broadened.

Then twenty years ago, I was writing my second album and feeling that I’d hit a wall regarding composing on the piano. The ideas felt stale. I picked up the guitar and the songs flowed again; and writing on the guitar naturally taps into that essential folk foundation of my style. The arrangements and harmonic language on many of my previous albums often come from a jazz, blues, and classical place, but folk music is always part of the equation. My 2013 album, Time Was, was the only previous time I went all-in on expressing this roots music foundation. Don’t know if you know that album… And my album of solo guitar pieces, Music for Guitar, comes from a hybrid folk-classical style.

(BTW: The American Sunset album songs, which are the most recent songs written, were the first songs written on piano in 20 years, which is why a folk flavor is largely absent.)

Now, the sound of Life After Before is actually based on an alternate reality premise: What if I’d written these songs in my late teens, in the early-to-mid 1970’s before I had migrated to the piano? I couldn’t have written songs of this quality or on these subjects then, but what if, in some alternate reality, I had? What would I have wanted them to sound like? I wouldn’t have arranged them with jazz or classical inflections; in fact, I wouldn’t have arranged them at all. The sound would have had to emerge in collaboration with fellow musicians. So, I called my friend, the world-renowned multi-instrumentalist David Mansfield.

David started his career as a member of Dylan’s Rolling Thunder Revue band, and has since played with far more people than I could ever possibly name. His immense talents range from being able to play most instruments that have strings, to being a gifted composer, arranger, and producer. We’d been playing and recording together since 2015, but my alternate reality premise provided the perfect vehicle for us to collaborate on a project from start to finish, as co-producers and arrangers.

We met a few times and made a general plan. Then I went ahead and worked out my guitar and piano parts, along with mapping out the bass and drum parts. But this left a lot of space for David to add his secret sauce to every song with the beautifully expressive parts he created on violin, viola, electric and acoustic guitar, mandolin, or banjo—each song getting a specific instrumental combination, color, and sound to match its particular feel and content. Alternate reality mission accomplished. And I love the way the album sounds.

LDW: I do too, Lou!

Before we wrap this up, I also wanted to share another very robust aspect of your musical career: You’ve been a long-time, and very popular, teacher: “instrumental in shaping the Music Appreciation, History, and Music Theory curriculum at the 92nd Street Y’s School of Music for over 35 years.” Many of your classes are conducted online, so if readers of this piece, or listeners of your new album, want to find out more about how to avail themselves of your classes, what’s the best link to share?

LOUIS: The main site page is at Round Table; my classes are listed here: Louis Rosen classes.

LDW: Thanks, Louie, for not only sharing specifics of this new album, but giving us a glimpse into your artistic process. It’s always an inspiring journey. Wishing you a smashing rollout!

LIFE AFTER BEFORE is available for download or as a limited-edition CD at https://louisrosencom.bandzoogle.com/life-after-before, and for downloading and streaming at all major music platforms as of today, NOVEMBER 6, 2026.

Review from Jazz Weekly: “SEPTEMBER OF HIS YEARS…Louis Rosen: Life After Before”

 

Dear Outsiders: We Are Not Feckless. We’re Fighters. Watch What Happens on Tuesday

On By Lorraine Devon WilkeIn Latest ThoughtsLeave a comment

“The scariest thing to outsiders about what is happening to America isn’t necessarily Trump’s destruction of it; it’s the lack of any opposition to the destruction of America.” Retrievals Resists

Harsh. But true?

Photo by Justin Veenema on Unsplash

Well, I take umbrage with the “lack of any opposition.” There’s plenty of opposition happening across and around this enormous country. But based on social media posts and articles penned by people outside the U.S., there’s growing consensus that Americans as a whole, at least in regard to Trump, are spineless, racist, passive, greedy, corrupt, disengaged, cultish, deluded, acquiescent, and stupid as fuck.

How pathetic is that?

Sadly, what’s really pathetic is that some of that is true. Some of that is America. MAGA. Trump supporters in general. Republicans en masse. White supremacists. Political cynics. Right wing snarlers. Detached non-committals. Civic apathetics.

But, dear Outsiders, that is not the majority of America.

Those inflammatory opinions coming from Canadians (who could blame them??), Europeans, Brits, Aussies, Greenlanders, everyone, are not, however, being pulled from wholecloth; they’re based on their observations, yes, but also their incredulity and confusion about how this great, grand country of ours could possibly “allow” Trump and his lapdogs to—seemingly with impunity—break any law, flout any norm, violate any Constitutional mandate, lie as a matter of course, alienate allies, send the gestapo after immigrants, kill protesters, wreck the economy, destroy any monument/animal/natural space, manipulate elections, throw insurrections, start and badly manage a foreign war, and even do stupid, mindless nonsense like rename bodies of water like preening 13-year-olds with sharpies and delusional wish lists.

“What are you doing, America? How can you let this criminal rapist keep raping your country?” (Twitter poster from Europe).

I get the question, but let’s clarify: we’re not letting him rape this country, any more than a woman “lets” her rapist rape her. Nor are we “allowing” him open season on our American democracy. It may look that way, but what you’re missing, dear Outsiders, is the hard truth behind our structure of government where the majority rules. At least purportedly. At least in Congress. Not so much in our elections, where the antiquated and arcane Electoral College mucks things up, but in Congress?

Yes, within the current congressional majority (i.e., Republicans), you’re right; there is quite literally no resistance to each and every act of corruption and destruction being inflicted by this POTUS and his administration on a daily basis. They’ve abdicated, caved, capitulated, those congressional Republicans. Democrats in Congress can raise a hue and cry against that onslaught of malfeasances, but without a majority, and with not enough Republicans willing to take a moral stand, Dems are disarmed (which is why flipping Congress on  Tuesday is so urgent).

But outside of the halls of government? The “majority” you speak of, dear Outsiders, is the millions of us out here in everyday land working doggedly in myriad ways to resist, protest, raise awareness, educate, promote activism, and so on. Given that, there’s something uniquely disheartening—and quite insulting, frankly—about being generalized as sheep-like self-defeatists shuffling along while a corrupt tyrant and his handlers destroy everything that is holy and precious about our home with little or no pushback. Like the Germans with Hitler. Someone even made that comparison in response to the following swipe from Canadian political scientist, Thomas Juneau:

“The weakness of the opposition to Trump as he sabotages the US – the sycophancy and cowardice of Republicans, the fecklessness of Democrats, the apathy of the majority of the population who oppose him but do nothing – is what should scare us about the future of the US trajectory.” Thomas Juneau

I’ll be honest, that made me angry. He can snarl that Democrats are “feckless,” but does he not grasp that “majority rules” in this country’s government (see earlier paragraph), or is he simply ignoring the tireless efforts of countless Democrats in Congress pushing tirelessly against Trump? Is he unaware of activists like Marc Elias and Democracy Docket, or journalists like Katie Phang holding MAGA perpetrators’ feet to the fire? Does he not see the millions of Americans marching, rallying, showing up at town halls, risking life and limb to protect immigrants, impoverished children, and Constitutional freedoms? Is he so blinded by his (justified) frustration with Trump’s attacks on his country that he dismisses bona fide activism to sneer about “the apathy of the majority of the population who oppose him but do nothing”?

Trust me, dear Outsiders (and Mr. Juneau), we hate him as much as you do, but the “majority” of us are not sitting on our hands doing nothing. And good people resent the tendency to dismiss and minimize the very real battles being fought every day in this country by so many dedicating their time, energy, and resources to fight for the preservation of our democracy, freedoms, and human rights.

My response to Mr. Juneau:

“Your generalizing on several fronts is wildly inaccurate, particularly when countless Democrats and millions of Americans work doggedly against Trump’s autocracy … and to shift the trajectory in the Midterms. I know it’s trendy to dismiss us all as lazy sheep, but it’s simply inaccurate.”

I would’ve said more but it was a tweet so … yeah, limited word count.

Obviously I am also aware that, despite those millions of us making “good trouble,” there remain other millions who are sitting on the sidelines “doing nothing.” Detached from the ongoing madness, claiming “it ain’t my problem,” pretending if it doesn’t touch them personally it’s not something they need to worry about; ignoring the fact that even their children and grandchildren will be deleteriously affected by the damage being done right this minute, across the globe, touching everything from the air we breathe to the economy we count on, by the corruption and criminality of the current administration.

As gobsmacked as you are, dear Outsiders, watching as our country gets pummelled beyond recognition by our very own leaders, know that we are as well … and are not complacent. Not apathetic. We’re outraged and activated. So quit insulting us, okay? We can only take so much…

And my fellow Americans, if you know someone who is apathetic and complacent, WAKE THEM UP. We need all hands on deck, to use a hoary trope. We’re just days away from November 3rd, the day of the Midterm Elections, and we cannot fail. We cannot. Not only is that the urgent mandate of all Americans who truly care about humanity, democracy, and decency, it’s the mandate of an entire world of “dear Outsiders” who do not want to see us fail.

Let’s make sure we don’t.

 

It’s a Mad World Out There … Let’s Throw a Party!

On By Lorraine Devon WilkeIn Latest ThoughtsLeave a comment

A political party. The kind where music is played and money is raised.

Photo by Zach Lezniewicz on Unsplash
A friend of mine told me the other day that though she appreciates my writing and usually agrees with my perspective, she can’t read my articles anymore. Says she can’t ingest even one more word about politics and the mayhem they’ve caused.

I don’t blame. Frankly, I get it.

I sometimes feel some version of that even as a writer. I’d like to muse more often on topics beyond politics—traveling, love, the squirrel in my front yard, my cat Georgy, why my penmanship has gotten hideous since grade school—but, strangely, when I do meander toward those more apolitical themes, less readership is sparked, typically less than my political rants. And that, after all, is what it’s all about, right, building readership?

Well, no, not completely.

Yes, I want to build readership, of course. I want all of you to want to click each pithy headline to see what my latest “musing” is about. But more importantly, I want to intrigue, provoke, entertain, and inspire while widening the spectrum and offering, perhaps, more varietal opinionating. One-note pontification (not that I’m doing that, certainly, but in general) can be both creatively unsatisfying, and, I’d guess, occasionally redundant. So I am going to mix it up a bit, “view stats” be damned … maybe I’ll even get my friend’s interest back.

Today that focal-veer inspires me to talk about why performing with my band is my most organic form of political activism (see what I did there … politics and creativity!).

But let me first lay the groundwork by addressing the impulse behind this week’s headline: We are at critical mass crazy. Every single day there’s some new outrage to ingest, and the constantly percolating rage is keeping us, as a nation (world?), in a state of cortisol-inflammation. Which is not good.

This week’s short list includes:

  • “AI is going to kill us.” We’ve been informed by countless perpetrators of the AI invasion that now that they’ve built and released their “agents” into the wild, those wily robots have learned to escape their “sandboxes” to wreak havoc, eliciting from their creators a rather tepid, “Oops, sorry; they’re might/could/are going to destroy humanity… and maybe pretty soon.” That sort of thing will keep anxious people up nights for decades to come.
  • Trump continues his swooning love affair with evil overlord Xi Jingping, inviting the dictator, with gushing pomp & circumstance, to enjoy our White House where he (Trump) demeans the former president, behaves like a mincing crush-buddy, and achieves absolutely nothing.
  • Whack-a-mole seems to have become the norm for conducting an election, at least for protectors of the realm (democracy) like Norm Eisen and the indefatigable Marc Elias and his Democracy Docket team (talk about being exhausted). Give these people your money, attention, and support whenever you can.
  • Pete “Gee, I wish I was an army man” Hegseth continues to behave stupidly while putting human life at risk, whether blowing up faceless boaters, or, most recently, inviting vacuous influencers with bad hair to skulk the Pentagon and give vacuous speeches (see: The Pentagon has unveiled its secret weapon: two idiotic influencers).
  • And so on…

The sheer volume of all that crazy is undeniably exhausting. I know I’m exhausted. I imagine you are too. So I appreciated Rev. Benjamin Cremer’s recent comment:

“If you are overwhelmed by all the cruelty and tempted into hopelessness, you are a good person and on the right side of history. Those in power want nothing more than to steal your hope and drive you into apathy. Keeping your empathy and hope alive is an act of resistance.”

Amazing thing to say. And true. It can be that simple, resistance. Keeping empathy and hope alive is something everyone can do, even without leaving home. Even without joining a movement, knocking doors, writing postcards, or wailing at rallies. I think good people are doing just that … while metaphorically holding their breath, waiting, hoping, for an essential shift in the dark continuum.

Read that again: Keeping your empathy and hope alive is an act of resistance. We can all do that.

But back to me and singing … it connects, I promise.

My most joyful act of resistance is setting up shop with my band and offering our music to fundraisers helping to fill coffers for Democrats—the party in general and/or candidates specifically. Yes, I’ve done postcards, marches, mailing list promotions, etc., and have been more than happy to participate in all those ways. But I can think of no better reason to get up on stage and tap into that most exhilarating of art forms—singing—than to help save the sanity of our country. That’s a noble reason to sing, but damn … it also feels like the very best quid pro quo.

Someone once said to me that every single person loves to sing and wishes they were a rockstar. I can’t confirm that, but I bet it’s true. It was certainly true for me, both parts of that. I may have aged out of the “rockstar” option, but singing? Never. And how delightful that I have a group of brilliant musicians with whom I can do just that, and together we can take this thing we love and do something good with it. Truly a gift.

Because ever since I was a little girl riding my bike down May Avenue toward Nippersink Creek park by the baseball field, climbing into a tree on the park’s edge and belting out, “I Could’ve Danced All Night” to no audience at all, the act of singing has felt to me like a blessed event. Transformative and exhilarating. I actually conjured up a quote I gave to one of the fictional characters in my last novel, Chick Singer, that completely encapsulates the experience for me:

“It climbs through you like electricity; up from your gut and through your throat, bursting into the air with such sound and fury you couldn’t hold it back even if you wanted to. It rushes ears, explodes senses; raises goosebumps, until they wail and scream and move to the floor, arms flailing, leg pumping, every word shouted in tandem, and when that happens, and you know it was you—your voice, your energy, your electricity—that inspired the joyful clamor, you rise up out of your body in pure exhilaration. And sing louder.”

Probably not hard to figure why getting up and singing for the benefit of a benefit is my most favorite form of political resistance.

We’ve got one coming up in a couple of weeks. By the time we’re on stage entertaining fundraiser guests on Saturday, October 10th, we’ll be just 24 days from November 3rd’s Midterm election … a very big election day. I’d love everyone I know in the LA area to come join us to help support that election. I’d love everyone reading this to click the QR code in the flier below to donate (the hosts have designated 50% for the Democratic Party, 50% specifically to James Talarico, that’s how important flipping Texas is!). Mostly, I’d love all of us to benefit from the success aided by the money raised, success that will help change the course of our country.

Join me however you can, from wherever you are. Mostly, though, keep your empathy and hope alive. I will certainly join you in that.

I’m also going to keep singing, with intention, resistance, and joy … and as loud as I can.

Money—and Music—Where Our Mouths Are: ‘Rockin’ for Democracy!’

On By Lorraine Devon WilkeIn Latest ThoughtsLeave a comment

Every single day something happens in our country, in our political world, that stirs anger, triggers fear and outrage, shatters people’s lives or just makes them less secure and hopeful. There seems no end to it and there’s much debate about how, when, and where we fight, push back, take a stand to change the trajectory we’re on.

One of the ways I’ve chosen to do that is to help raise money for Democrats, particularly those running in our upcoming Midterm elections. And if I can do that not only with my money, but with my voice, my songs, the incredible musicians I’m fortunate to work with, in a gathering of like-minded activists, concerned citizens, impassioned patriots, and good friends, all the better:

That’s what this event is about. Doing what we can. Leaving no stone unturned. Showing up in solidarity. Making “good trouble.” Refusing to be complacent, apathetic, or cynical. AND HAVING A GOOD TIME!  My band, Sixth & Third, has got a great couple of sets for you, the Tufty Manse is gorgeous, there’ll be food & drink, a great speaker, and lots of positive energy!

Saturday, September 5th, 6:30-9:00

Venue address on ActBlue Donation page.

Just click the QR code on the flier to make your donation (which serves as your RSVP and ticket in, bring a copy of the receipt with you). If you can’t be there, you can still participate: just go to the “Additional Cxontribution” box to make a donation and know that it’s be very appreciated.

Hopefully you can join us to see out the summer, enjoy a beautiful evening under the stars, listen to some good music, and contribute to an essential cause. Feel free to pass along the information—and an invitation—to other friends and activists … all are welcome.

Thank you and we’ll look forward to seeing you there!

 

 

Chick Singer Is Out In Audiobook and, YES, It Counts As Reading!

On By Lorraine Devon WilkeIn Latest Thoughts

The audiobook for my most recent novel, Chick Singer, is being released on Tuesday, June 30th and I am delighted. If I could invite you all to a party and celebrate with cookies and cheap champagne I would, but given logistics the best I can do is suggest a box of Crumbls and a visit to Amazon or Barnes & Noble (or these other places) to pre-order it … I will toast my thanks in spirit.

Paperback, ebook, audiobook?? What’s REAL “reading”?

I want you to get and enjoy it because this is a book I loved writing. Well, I’ve loved writing all my books, but this one has a certain echo that strikes me particularly as a singer, a creative. It’s not my story, but it is one about “sidelined dreams and second chances” (Kirkus Reviews), the pain and passion of creativity, even a feisty mother/cranky daughter plot line some have found both hilarious and familiar. I don’t have one of those, the cranky daughter, but I do know about the rest, and hearing that those topics resonated with many readers in many walks of life has been gratifying. Now I want listeners to have the same experience.

And, hey, it’s all the trend, audiobooks. According to the New York Book Forum: “Audiobooks are the fastest-growing format in book publishing, with market revenue recently surging past $2 billion. More than 50% of Americans have now listened to an audiobook.”

But, still, oddly, and even with that burgeoning statistic, there remains debate about how imbibing audiobooks compares to the act of reading them. Amongst various articles I’ve read on the topic, I recently came upon an online thread that took it on with vehemence—because apparently we humans have to argue about everything. In it, I was informed that there’s a BIG difference between reading a book and listening to one. In fact, one sniffing arbiter of (clearly 🙄) all things literary remarked, “People brag about ‘reading’ tons of books when really what they’re talking about is audiobooks. Not the same thing at all. Reading requires active involvement; listening is passive; it can be done while doing other things.”

And?? This is a problem? Sometimes when I’m on the phone I clip my houseplants, no less engaged and interested in the conversation as my ficus springs to life. If, say, I’m driving while listening to a book (as I often listen to NPR/LAist’s storytelling segments while stuck on the freeway), my enjoyment of said story is no less than when I’m curled in bed with my Kindle.

But the greater point is, why must we argue about this? Isn’t it enough that we’ve got the Reflecting Pool, Caitlin Clark, and debate over whether to wet your toothbrush before or after applying toothpaste?

And here’s the thing: OF COURSE LISTENING TO AUDIOBOOKS IS DIFFERENT THAN READING THEM! There is no debate there. But what does it matter? Who cares? Certainly I as an author don’t. A story is a story. How it’s told, the format with which it’s conveyed; the medium used by the consumer to avail themselves of that story is irrelevant to the merit and emotional impact of what has been written. Or imagined. Or passed down through families and cultures. Consider the history of storytelling …

Oral storytelling dates back over 40,000 years, long preceding written language. Early humans used spoken myths, rituals, and chants around fires to share survival strategies, preserve genealogies, and build community. It remains a vital living archive across indigenous and global cultures.

Given that, I’d say audiobooks actually hold stature over written books, yet there remains condescension to the discussion. The sense that—as some assert emailed “thank you” notes aren’t on a par with handwritten ones (I am not of that school; a “thank you” is a “thank you,” regardless of transmission)—reading is simply a higher, more intellectual form of literary consumption than listening.

A New York Times opinion piece by Brian Bannon, which analyzes the different ways in which the brain is engaged while reading or listening, supports that point:

As a librarian, I get a lot of questions. One I am hearing more often is: Do audiobooks qualify as reading?

Many people don’t think so. There is a pride — even a snobbishness — to being well read. Telling someone that you have only listened to a certain book usually comes out sounding like an apology. A recent NPR-Ipsos poll found that 41 percent of adults don’t believe audiobooks qualify as reading. One friend of mine, who argues with his husband over this, once memorably told me that listening to a book felt like seeing a musical in New Jersey instead of on a Broadway stage. Close, but not the real thing.…

… maybe, even as the traditional way of reading books is in decline, the destigmatizing of audiobooks offers a path toward a more nuanced way of thinking about literacy.

Odd that we’d even have to “destigmatize” audiobooks, given the aforementioned tradition of oral storytelling, but that’s just the way of the online “let’s debate everything” world we live in these days, isn’t it?

As for my own “oral story,” some of you asked if I narrate the book myself, and though I wanted to—pitched myself for the job, hoping my acting bona fides, union status, and background in the music biz gave me a foot in—but Tantor Media (the audiobook publisher) wanted someone with specific experience in the arena of book narration, as well as a following and draw of her own. A fabulous artist named Natasha Soudek was picked to bring the Chick Singer to life.

Natasha Soudek is an Audie-nominated, multiple Earphones Award-winning actress and narrator who has been featured in more than 200 audiobooks and television commercials. Star Trek fans may recognize her as the first blond Vulcan in Trekkie history, Lt. Soudek, from the movie Star Trek Voyages: Phase 2.

Clearly, I’m in good hands.

Let me know what you think. Get your copy, listen, enjoy, and don’t hesitate to send me your feedback. This is my first audiobook, so I’m intrigued to learn how it strikes those listening.

Because, ultimately, Brian Bannon’s summation in his article is mine as well, the perfect answer to all the book curmudgeons caught up in the debate about how books, stories, should be consumed.

“However we read — by eye, by ear or both — it all counts. What matters is that the words get in, the brain makes meaning and the identity of being a reader takes hold. We need more readers, however they get there.”

I could not agree more.

Audiobook links for your convenience… thank you and enjoy!

Amazon. Barnes & Noble. Apple Books. Rakuten Kobo

Our Brains vs. AI: Why Would You Cede Your Creativity to Robots?

On By Lorraine Devon WilkeIn Latest Thoughts

“Before we work on artificial intelligence, why don’t we do something about natural stupidity? ~ Steve Polyak

Photo by Studio KVR on Unsplash

We have now reached the stage of human evolution where the robotic sensibilities of AI have reached far beyond academic research, sensitive medical procedures, and arcane developmental conundrums of science to students asking ChatGPT to write their essays, literary groups creating certification programs to confirm, “no AI was used in this book,” publishers cancelling contracts over profligate AI incursion, and authors scrambling to date every draft so they can’t be accused of allowing AI incursion.

What the hell, H.A.L.?

I know AI has many valuable uses; I know there’s no stopping it. I’m aware that many, many people gleefully dump their questions and queries into ChatGPT or Gemini or OpenAI every single day and just love love love what they get back, but here’s my stance:

I HATE IT.

At least as it pertains to the creative activities of human brains. That will not be news to anyone reading this Substack. I previously covered my seething disdain in, “Nope. Don’t Want Robots Writing My Fiction,” and, “Then They Came After My Books…,” and still there’s more to say because every day there’s more infiltration, new twists in the metastasizing story of, “what is AI doing to our creative arts?” (I cover those simply because it’s the angle I know; there are, no doubt, many other [mis]uses of AI in many other industries.)

Here’s the question I’d put to ChatGPT or Gemini or OpenAI if I deigned to utilize their insentient services: Why on earth—at a time when so much attention is being put on matters of mental health, on protecting our brains, on stimulating our thinking and doing everything possible to avert diminishment and dementia as we age—would we cede our very thought processes, our brain work, our creative explorations and exercises to the fucking robots?? Why?

Isn’t that in direct violation of the “use it or lose it” maxim? If we continually and progressively offload our creative processes—or the ways we puzzle out problems or questions, or the best wording for a letter or a class paper—to the robots, it seems to me we’re just handing them our brains on a platter saying, “Here, eat mine. I’m not using it cuz it’s too hard to conjure up a plot outline, or a letter to my boss, or an article for my school paper,” or whatever the challenge.

To which I say: Where did our pride of creation and accomplishment go?

I’m told current generations don’t see any/much value in “wasting their time” puzzling out problems or crafting their creations when AI can git ‘er done, which, if true, is quantifiably discouraging.

“Technological progress has merely provided us with more efficient means for going backwards.” ~ Aldous Huxley

And it does feel regressive to me. When sharpening our brains and fine-tuning our abilities is overwhelmingly encouraged and prescribed to maintain mental acuity, why would we offload such activities to AI? When providing enjoyment and insight with great stories, artistic imaginings, and emotionally rendered translations of life seems the elevated goal of humankind, why are we, instead, eager to dump our most salient creative questions and challenges into the swirling eddy of robotic interpretation and perception?

Cuz it’s easy. It’s novel. It’s fun to submit a prompt, a query, a question and, like pulling the lever on a slot machine, seeing what comes out. We can then take that easily-delivered data (“no taxing of my brain at all!”) and zhuzh it up enough to pass it off as ours.

Which means it’s also lazy.

Deflective. Passive. Even plagiaristic. An abnegation of our mandate as thinking, creating humans to explore, investigate, do the work with our own minds to come up with answers and ideas.

I ponder where the brains of people immersed in AI will be after a few decades of relying on robots to generate answers to everything. Will they be atrophied with disuse? Will we see an uptick of early-onset dementia? An inability to answer even the most simple questions due to loss of brain muscle memory? An inability to conjure up even a greeting card message?

But even in this moment, what is it doing to actual original thought? Creativity? Imagination? I got into a back & forth with a fellow on social media (something I rarely, if ever, do) after someone posted the link below about a publishing contract being cancelled due to evidence the author largely used AI to “write it.” (She blames her editor. I say, “sure”🙄 … and the dog ate her homework.):

Horror Novel ‘Shy Girl’ Canceled Over Suspected A.I. Use

Its publisher, Hachette, will not release the novel in the United States and will discontinue its U.K. edition, citing its commitment to “original creative expression and storytelling.”

I like that commitment from a publisher, any publisher, and I said so on the post. A guy I don’t know commented:

“There are no original thoughts in our world anyway. It’s all generated by past generations, brick by brick.”

I had to respond: “I don’t agree with that at all. We learn and are inspired by past thinkers, creators, writers, yes, but every human being comes to this earth with their own imagination, thoughts, and creativity, and from that we get unique, individual, brilliantly expressed new ideas from those courageous enough to put them out into the world.”

He volleyed, fine-tuning his argument to something I could actually agree with: “OK, I’ll buy that, but I’d push it further — originality isn’t just unique thoughts. It is the courage to be vulnerable with them. AI can remix everything ever said, but it can’t risk anything. No skin in the game. What makes a novel powerful isn’t that ideas are ‘new’ — it’s that a real person exposed their inner world knowing they might be misunderstood. No algorithm replicates that.”

“YES. Exactly!” I shouted (in my head). “Though I continue to believe ideas can be ‘new’ because they’re generated and imagined by a new mind with a completely different set of experiences and perspectives. But your statement about AI’s remit–remixing the work & imagination of others–is correct. Courage and vulnerability are the purview of thinking, feeling humans; AI is a replicator, cold, calculating, and, utterly unoriginal.”

He wrapped up with a question to me: “Has this AI era changed how you think about what you share creatively?”

I answered: “No. AI is the morass which I avoid all together.”

We ended it there, but the conversation continues in myriad circles: authors fighting off AI media-predators trying to scam their marketing dollars, content creators seeing their work stolen by voracious AI companies looking to “train” their robots, and yes, publishers attempting to fend off the siege. Just the other day, the New York Times ran this piece:

A.I. Is Writing Fiction. Publishers Are Unprepared.

Book publishing has few safeguards in place to prevent the unwitting publication of a novel heavily generated by artificial intelligence…

It’s as though MAGA-think has seeped beyond politics and social issues to encroach on yet another thinking/feeling avenue of humanity: our creativity.

As a novelist, a writer, that reality exhausts and enrages me. It was hard enough when, in an earlier career of mine, the value of being a top-notch session vocalist who could cut a perfect track in one or two takes became irrelevant when digital manipulation replaced that human skill. Now, as a novelist, I and my fellow creators have to deal with AI not only stealing and co-opting our thoughts and words, but watching some amongst our ranks get seduced by the pull of lazy creation:

This post by another person I didn’t know struck me: “A guy just told me that if I use AI to write my first draft but then spend hours and weeks writing and revising subsequent drafts, I still can’t call myself a ‘writer,’ which I think is just bullshit. What do you guys think?”

What do I think? I think if you want to be called a writer, you write. YOU. Leave AI out of it. Challenge your own damn brain, curate your own creativity, demand more from yourself than the ease of sloughing it off to the machines. But if you do invite AI to feast at your table, make sure everyone knows your collaborator is a robot. They’ll decide, then, what to call you.

What’s the Expiration Date on a Book?

On By Lorraine Devon WilkeIn Latest Thoughts

Does a book have an expiration date? That date when it becomes irrelevant, old news, “NEXT!”?

Of course, the answer is, “NO,” but in the industry of publishing, at least the traditional, Big 5, NY-based industry of publishing, a book that’s been out for a year is considered “backlist,” a literary “has been,” which relegates it off the shelves and into “if you look for it you can find it but we’re not promoting it anymore” status.

Bookstores tend to focus on new launches, journalists have moved onto new books, even readers quickly pivot to “what’s next!?” often long before a book has the chance to gain traction in this oversaturated, “shiny new thing” world.

Ever since the internet — and Amazon in particular — opened the doors for individual authors to publish their own work, and small, independent companies decided to take chances on authors and books the big guys rushed over, the modus operandi of “how things are done around here” has been tossed in the blender of evolving business models, and, of those, there are many.

Yes, those big guys are the ones who put out a new book, and after months of fanfare, advanced reviews, loads of high profile hoopla, reviews, awards, Reese Witherspoon, maybe Oprah, that book gets backlisted … unless the author is famous and  doing all sorts of famous-author things. Otherwise, it slips into the ethers of Google search.

Luckily for us indie authors, most indie companies don’t do that. They may strategically focus more loudly on the “new season,” the new list, but they don’t just leave the old list standing at the playground gate waiting for their ride …. they come pick them up too. And that’s appreciated …

… because my latest novel, CHICK SINGER, has now hit its one-year birthday.

It’s still struggling to get reviews, sales, but I’m still out there at book festivals, private events, and anywhere interesting where I can talk about it, share its story of women, men, love, hate, creativity, reinvention, and reconciliation. And since I feel like I’m still just getting started (despite its “agedness”), I wanted to, in effect, light a birthday candle for this book that means so much to me.

No one writes a book they don’t care about (at least no author I know); every story I’ve ever put into form has captured my heart and soul, which is why I want it to capture the hearts and souls of readers too. I want them to get it, to dive into its themes around music and creativity, mother/daughter conflicts, loss of dreams and demands to reinvent; struggles to overcome trauma and find strength to triumph. Yes, enjoy the humor, enjoy the machinations of a hopefully captivating plot, but feel the heart and soul imbued in that plot… that’s my hope.

So, as a First Birthday celebration, I’m once again bringing CHICK SINGER to the attention of any readers who may have passed it by in the ever-flowing posts of new books. The audiobook, I’m promised, will be available in late June, so I’ll holler again when that finally comes to fruition, but for now…

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY” to the Chick, with an invitation to you to grab a copy and dive into a story that will hopefully entertain and provoke in equal measure! Thank you to all who’ve already read and reviewed, and thank you in advance to new readers… you’re ALL appreciated. ❤️

For all purchase options, click to its page on my website: Chick Singer

 

‘It’s Complicated’: Our Evolving, Exasperating Relationship with Book Reviews

On By Lorraine Devon WilkeIn Latest Thoughts

Ah, reviews. The Holy Grail of every merchant, company, production, businessperson, artist, entrepreneur, and, yes, author.

Photo by Deniz Demirci on Unsplash

We need them, we want them; we pursue them, convinced they’re not only heartening to the soul but essential to the business, yet they’ve become harder to get and sometimes as vexing when received, a reality affirmed and experienced by many an author.

In the olden days, when print media was king and three networks were the sole providers of news and opinion, people were informed of everything from the latest crimes to the most recent blockbusters by those very limited media sources. There was no cable news, no social media, no internet influencers; no podcasters, bloggers, or Substackers; no Yelp, Google, or Amazon. Viewers, readers; customers were relegated to simply being the audience, the receivers of information and commerce. They were not only not burdened by the expectation to review everything from their cat sitter to their doctor to their neighborhood coffee shop, but there were no places to fulfill such obligations anyway.

Sounds kind of blissful, doesn’t it? Especially considering where we are now.

Where we are now is my insurance agent requested a review for simply providing an ID card with both my and my husband’s names (which she should have done in the first place … I didn’t write one). The guy who tinted my car windows presented his bill with a card designating their preferred review site. My dentist has a sign in the lobby with review links but still texted and emailed me on the matter. And, of course, every restaurant makes clear how much they’d appreciate something on Yelp or Google or wherever … and the list goes on and on and on. Everyone expects everyone to review everything, resulting in a growing resistance to leaving reviews for anything … including your and my books.

When my most recent novel was published (CHICK SINGER, Sibylline Press 2025), I didn’t expect an onslaught of reviews (I’m an indie writer, it’s a small press; I’m realistic) but I did expect at least as many as I’d received for my first novel, self-published in 2014. Hasn’t happened. Despite overwhelmingly positive responses, despite my requests to family, friends, fellow writers, subscribers, even those who designate themselves as “fans,” relatively few went to Amazon (or Goodreads or BookBub or B&N) and left a review. Despite my assurances that, “a couple of lines is enough, just what you sent in this email is great. You don’t have to gush; 5 stars is not required; even a short review will help me a lot,” follow-through was feeble. Even with other authors whose books I’d reviewed. Even with people to whom I’d gifted books with their agreement to leave a review. Even with readers who expressed enthusiasm about this book they’d just read. The only thing I didn’t do was beg … though the thought briefly crossed my mind.

Certainly, some indie authors get more reviews than others, and, of course, the Jodi Picoult/Jojo Moyes crowd gets thousands, but I’m hearing from other indie and self-published authors that they, too, have found scaring up reviews to be exponentially more difficult than it was in earlier years.

Why, exactly?

I put this question to Google: “Are people not reviewing books as much as they used to?” and was assailed by articles affirming that, “Yes, people are not reviewing books as frequently as they used to,” ascribing the downturn largely to reviewer fatigue (see above).There’s also the matter of Amazon getting twitchy when they suspect fake reviews and reviewers, or disproportionate family/friend onslaughts of 5-stars. And lastly, there’s the unavoidable fact that many, many people simply do not like writing reviews.

Main reasons stated?

They don’t think they’re good at writing them.
They “just don’t know what to say.”
They feel too much pressure to applaud books they didn’t love for the sake of not offending friends or colleagues.
Understandable. Writing a good review does take some thought, some analysis of what’s essential to include (honest feedback, emotional impact) and what’s not (no one needs a synopsis; they’re already provided on the sales site). It takes choosing a “star rating,” (and, sometimes, when you’re reviewing people you know, that can get tricky). It requires you go back to the site where you purchased the book, or the Amazon page the author requested, input your review in the right spot, and, if you’re really a mensch, into other sites as well (Goodreads, BookBub, etc.).

All of that takes times, takes thought; takes sitting down and doing it. Which means readers either have to be inspired enough by what they’ve read to do that work, or supportive enough of the author to just buck up and git ‘er done. Sometimes both apply, and readers still struggle on follow through. I’ve had some people—RL friends, online friends, and colleagues—confess that, “I keep meaning to do it, then I forget.” Which is frustrating, but it’s likely these good people don’t fully understand it’s not about needing our writer’s egos fed (though it’s always nice to get good feedback); it about how essential (or at least helpful) reviews can be in terms of book marketing. Too few reviews can make a book seem flatlined (even when it’s not), while more reviews trigger extra marketing on book sites like Amazon (which, say what you will, is statistically where most people purchase their books).

But let’s go back for a minute to the issue of “stars.” This has become a sticky subject amongst some writers and various writers’ groups. I had one author colleague declare that she gives 5 stars to everyone in her particular group regardless of how she actually feels about the book. There are others who say they won’t even review a book if they can’t honestly give it 5 stars. And some authors take true offense if you leave 4 stars, even if you also leave a positive response in the body of the review. Clearly the topic needs some rethinking.

Here’s the basic breakdown of the star system:

  • 5 Stars (Excellent/Loved it): Highest rating. The book was exceptional, and the reviewer highly recommends it.
  • 4 Stars (Very Good): A positive experience that exceeded expectations or was generally enjoyed, perhaps with minor flaws.
  • 3 Stars (Average/Okay): Satisfactory but not outstanding; the book was average or just met basic expectations.
  • 2 Stars (Below Average): Negative or mediocre. There were noticeable issues or poor quality.
  • 1 Star (Poor/Terrible): A very poor experience, often indicating significant problems, dissatisfaction, or a waste of time.

Now, let’s be honest: not all books are going to inspire or warrant 5-star ratings, whether written by a friend, a colleague, or even a famous person. And it’s OK to not succumb to the pressure to affix 5 stars to every book you review. You can love a book but still feel it doesn’t quite hit that top rating for you. And, come on! A 4-star says, “a positive experience that exceeded expectations” … what’s to complain about that?

In fact, having your book page packed with only 5-stars can be problematic from various points of view. As mentioned, in the early self-publishing days, people would rally friends and family to literally bombard their Amazon book pages with 5-star reviews, sometimes without even having purchased or read said book, and Amazon got wise to the ruse. Many reviews were deleted, certain perpetrators were banished (I actually know a few of those), and savvy readers resented seeing copious 5-stars on books that turned out to be sub-par. All of that ultimately created backlash for authors who had only 5-star reviews, the presumption being that most were padding from friends and family (even if they weren’t!). Articles written by wise people in the business suggested a better balance of stars was viewed as more authentic, more believable, and more credible.

I took that to heart. Though a sincere 5-star is always delightful, I’m a tad relieved when a reader or two weighs in with a 4-star for exactly those reasons!

But the issue is—I’ll say it again—tricky. I was surprised when an author I don’t know but who’s in a shared group got upset with my 4-star review that was actually very positive and complimentary. She asserted in a thread that she felt everyone in the group should give everyone else in the group 5-star reviews as a matter of principle, as a matter of showing support. I responded with some version of the two previous paragraphs, but I suspect she was unassuaged.

Wherever you fall on the matter, I believe we’ve got to approach the topic of reviews with both grace and acceptance. Our mission as authors is to write with our whole hearts and souls to create wonderful works of literary expression. Once we’ve done that, readers’ response is out of our hands, and theirs to offer. Just as with gift-giving, we do our best to deliver the best possible gift, but it behooves us to not get too bothered if our friend is less enthused about the orange sweater we thought would look amazing on them.

Though I’d certainly appreciate more reviews for any of my books for the sake of their marketing value, I always hope the ones I do get are honest, authentic, and sincere, regardless of the number of stars affixed. It means that someone read that book, which is grand; it also means someone cared enough to write about it, even grander; it means—well, it means a lot to me all around … especially given the current climate of “reviewer fatigue.” To all those reviewers I offer a hearty, “thank you.”

 

NEW BOOK ALERT: The Mother of My Reinvention—essays, stories & lyrical assemblages.

On By Lorraine Devon WilkeIn Latest Thoughts

There’s something joyful about putting out a new book … no matter what it is, who is (or isn’t) publishing it (in this case… me!), or what expectations you might have (or not have) for its life beyond your imagination. It’s joyful because it’s about creativity; about getting it down, getting it done, then getting it out into the world with a hearty “bon voyage, book!”

 

This one started some time after my last novel, CHICK SINGER, was published in April of 2025. With another novel set for Sibylline Press publication in 2027, and a just-completed short story I happened to love, I decided it would be a refreshing pivot to pull some of my favorite shorter works together in a collection; hence, this book.

Included are essays and short stories (some award-winning, some older, some new), favorite commentary pieces and personal family memoirs, as well as select song lyrics with background anecdotes and accessible links to their recorded tracks… which I thought you’d enjoy! 😊

Here’s the back book jacket description:

Roland Caine, a man lost in retirement, finds his life forever changed by a visiting peahen. Prudie Kayfall, a clumsy, recent widow, struggles to define her purpose against creeping invisibility. Feisty grade-schoolers led by Racie Walker heist a dreaded teacher’s weapon of destruction. The gut-punch of a shattering hit & run ripples over countless lives. Essays shine light on caring for an aging mother, navigating family politics with a loving grandmother’s hand, the value of creating legacy, and our cultural obsession with youth at all costs…

Each piece is imbued with my somewhat irreverent view of the world, and I hope each will move, provoke, intrigue, and entertain readers and listeners alike.

AVAILABLE IN EBOOK & PAPERBACK:

Amazon  •  Barnes & Noble  •  Apple Books

Rakuten kobo  •  Bookshop •  Google Books

 
I thank you in advance for the purchase, the read, the enjoyment, the reviews, the help in getting the word out. I’m always grateful for that essential collaboration between author and audience, so know you’ll have my appreciation.

Mostly … ENJOY!

Come Join Me @ Books at the Source: North Bay Literary Arts Summit

On By Lorraine Devon WilkeIn Latest Thoughts

I’m excited to be participating as an author and speaker at this fabulous event, along with several of my author cohorts. Registration starts today, and one ticket includes 7 hours of comprehensive workshops and presentations with highly qualified professionals (like me and my cohorts!) and includes breakfast and lunch. They’re encouraging students to attend by offering discounts for those with active student ID’s. (check the FAQ page). This ticket also helps to support their non-profit community art center and its continued literary arts programming, so a good cause is also in the mix.

Please check out the information below and make a plan to be there!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 01/16/26

Books at the Source: North Bay Literary Arts Summit Sebastopol Center for the Arts

Saturday, March 14, 2026; 10AM – 6PM | Registrations are Open!

282 S. High Street, Sebastopol, CA, 95472 https://www.sebarts.org/literary-arts

Contact: Luna Sorrenti, Program Director at LunaS@sebarts.org or 707-829-4797 x1004

Sebastopol Center for the Arts is excited to share our newest offering to the Literary Arts community. On Saturday, March 14th, 10AM – 6PM, Books at the Source: Literary Arts Summit will feature panel presentations and workshops by authors and teachers of fiction, memoir, nonfiction & poetry at our 17,000 sq ft facility in the heart of downtown Sebastopol. A co-presentation with LitQuake San Francisco, this is a special opportunity to connect with Bay Area talent and go to the source with authors who share their inspiration and purpose.

_________________________________________________________

The Summit will start with check-in from 9AM – 10AM and special access to a private viewing of our Paper & Book Arts Exhibition, combining works of book makers, pulp wranglers, paper-makers and print-makers. Paper is one of the oldest forms of artistic medium- from parchment to books to vellum to wood products. Humans print on every surface and make inks from everything on earth. Come early to view these marvelous works of art! Afterwards, grab coffee, tea, and breakfast foods provided by SebArts in the Main Auditorium to fuel up for the following activities!

At 10AM, we kick off the summit addressing questions of purpose and endeavor: “What fuels your passion? How do you persist in your creative intentions when faced with difficulties?” Five writers, all with multi-faceted careers, reveal the powerful summons for their books featuring characters in the creative arts who speak across generations, cultures, and politics. The authors explore how the primary relationship of an artist—dancer, painter, poet, singer—to an art form propels choices in life, as well as in fiction. They discuss how artistic impulse, desire, barriers, and destiny empower expression and resilience. Sharing how the crafting of their characters’ stories informed their own intentions, they address ways to fulfill writing projects, develop skills, and sustain rewarding practices and pursuits in the arts, while always in the process of becoming. [NOTE: I’m one of the participating authors in this opening panel… it will be a good one!]

For the next two hours, 11AM – 1PM, attendees can choose from several breakout rooms to explore panel presentations and workshops of their own particular interest. For example, “Word Palettes:Painting Poetry & Prose with Visual Language” where you will explore how writing needs a tone, a voice, a rhythm that feels consistent. Registrants will learn exercises with word play to develop prose and poetry we can see. We will parallel composition, shape, and color palettes in fine art to the same elements in writing with words. Another option is “Writing Forward from the Past- Inspired by Family Artifacts, Others’ Words, Truths of Character,” a panel presentation that asks: how does the trace of a life manifest into a literary work that illuminates the past and brings it forward with meaning and relevance? The authors will discuss joys and challenges of working with archival material, fictionalizing or representing real lives, and seeking truths—of character and through character. These are just a few of the options to choose from during this time frame, there’s more!

Check out the full schedule here.

From 1PM – 2PM, SebArts will provide lunch and time for attendees to meet the featured authors, purchase their books and get them signed. This hour will also be an ample opportunity to network with local literary lovers from various walks of life.

After lunch, we will continue from 2PM – 5PM with more breakout sessions, including an option such as “Community Matters in Writing Craft & Career” (at 3PM) wheresix authors share their experiences with participating in and building communities. They will discuss personal trials and triumphs in writing and publishing, and also speak broadly to what a lifestyle can be when writers combine their goodwill.

[NOTE: I’m one of the participating authors during this time slot in a in a breakout session titled, “Connecting through Content & Causes: The Long Life of Your Writing Career.” It will run from 3PM to 3:50 and I hope you’ll come join us in that one!]

Or you can explore “Writing on Purpose- Poetry & Prose for Social Justice” an interactive workshop, practicing techniques of poetic storytelling that foster an “inside-out” understanding of the issues, perspectives, and desires of writers affected by incarceration as participants work toward their own personal restoration and social justice. A discussion on the importance of personal stories in social justice and fostering social change will be included, during which participants will be invited to write about and share their experiences through poetry and prose.

In the last hour, 5PM – 6PM, we close the event with an Open Mic- Speaking Out: Homegrown Poetry & Prose. This is an opportunity for attendees to share their writing themed by sense of place, nature, and community, whether in a small town, big city, or rural California. Let’s celebrate how we live and work in our diverse state, among people of varied backgrounds and interests, and with a dedication to the arts, culture, and the environment.

Registration is open now! Learn more & purchase your ticket at

https://sebartsbooksatthesource2026.sched.com/

Be sure to utilize this 10% coupon …   put in promo code: SEBMEMB10 at checkout here: https://sebartsbooksatthesource2026.sched.com/list/simple

We are also offering several full and partial scholarships, application form here: https://forms.gle/kSRUFFJDLFXQnFeV8

Note that the value of one ticket includes 7 hours of comprehensive workshops and presentations with highly qualified professionals, (that’s you!) including breakfast, lunch, and early access to our biennial Book and Paper Arts exhibition.
This ticket price also helps to support our non-profit community art center and its continued literary arts programming. Please help us in spreading the word!

That’s the official information … please avail yourself of the provided links and jump in! If you have any questions, reach out to Program Director, Luna Sorrenti, whose contact information is at the top.

I’m delighted to be participating as an author in this really thoughtful and comprehensive dive into books, the “writers’ life,” and the many and various aspects of literary creativity.

For those interested, we will have our books there to be sold, and it would be wonderful to meet many of the people who I’ve been in touch via social media, this blog, or my Substack in real life and in person!

Please feel free to share this information with others in your circles who might be interested … we’d love to get a big crowd there in support the the organization. Look forward to seeing you there!