It's a Wonderful Life...the creativity of Pilar Pobil

DESPINA, WITH HER DEWEY ON ONE SIDE AND WITH HER HERO, PILAR POBIL, ON THE OTHER.

Just posted on Susan Henderson's wonderful blog, my response to her question, "Who is your hero?"
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While there are many people that I admire, there is one who stands out.

While Dr. Paul Farmer is an amazing person (see book, Mountains Beyond Mountains) who came from a very humble beginning to evolve into a man who has influenced and helped to re-shape the direction of the World Health Organization; while he has changed the way that we look at and treat aids and tuberculosis in Haiti and in prisons in the former Soviet Union, he is not at the top of my short list of heroes.

While a friend and former employer, Linda Dolny, was able to re-direct her life from divorced English teacher to a business woman who owns and leads a national leadership training company; while she is able to assist leaders from major companies all over the U.S. and Canada through their leadership transformation, she is not at the top of my list.

While there are so many heroes that I see and read about in everyday life, while I am inspired by every singe one of these people, the person who sits at the top of my short list of heroes is an artist in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Pilar Pobil, a woman who grew up on the Spanish island of Mallorca, who experienced the death of her father at age 7, whose own mother discouraged her learning and education, who met an American man on vacation in Mallorca, who married this man and had children with him and a life with him in Salt Lake City, this woman is my hero.

Pilar has encountered obstacles of all kinds throughout her life, and she has overcome all of them through some form of creative expression. She has educated herself by learning from others and from her experiences. In her mid-40s, after her children were all in school, she took up pottery. When the instructor couldn't give her all the attention and help she needed for throwing pots, she used her class time to develop her own style of amazingly beautiful small-scale sculptures. She exhibited, sold and developed quite a following. When she needed to grow creatively, she moved on to painting. Today, Pilar Pobil is one of the best-known artists in Utah, painting large canvas paintings and anything else that she sees. Her home is filled with walls, tiles, closet doors, tables, luggage and shoes...all on exhibit as a Pilar original work of art!

The University of Utah has purchased and commissioned several important works by Pilar Pobil, and they encouraged her to write a book about the stories of her life, which they published as "My Kitchen Table: Sketches from My Life". Oh, this is no 'little old lady', this is a vibrant and independent woman who lives with purpose and balance in her inspiring life. I read about her, I contacted her, we met and are now friends. Her life inspires me to take action towards the dreams in my own life.

www.pilarpobil.com
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And for an interview with Pilar Pobil, have a look at this.
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Grimm & Grimmer

A collection of tales in the traditional style of the Brothers Grimm, with a twist of the dark and warped.

Featuring a strange and grim tale from our friend, Aurelio O'Brien, author of the humorous sci-fi novel, Eve. Aurelio's story is called Agony & Ecstacy Jones.

The following is from the "Grimm & Grimmer" website, where you can learn more about the book or make a purchase.
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Back when folk tales and fairy tales were told as lore and not written down, these stories had an immediacy and were experienced rather than documented and shelved on acid-yellowing sheets of paper.This was both good and bad. Good, because the tales gained impact when recounted by professional bards with brandy voices and spellbinding charm. Stories could be honed and improved, updated and adapted to each audience. Bad, because tales might be lost altogether.Enter the Brothers Grimm, who, back in the early 17th century, dedicated themselves to collecting and transcribing folklore to the printed page, and saving it for posterity.But their collection of tales have grown so familiar that some of us wished to play the part of a bard again, to juice up the tales, and offer fresh adaptations.

This is the concept behind a new collection of short stories, Grimm & Grimmer, now available from Mundania Press. I participated in this collection with a contemporary fairy tale of my own told in the style of the Brother's Grimm, Agony & Ecstasy Jones. It will be available on Amazon soon, but you can pre-order and purchase it directly from Mundania Press now, where it is available in either a trade paperback or eBook formats.

Here's a quick rundown of the contents:

• Inspector Timber and The Three Pigs by Gary K. Wolf. Creator of Toontown and Roger Rabbit, tackles Fairytale Land in this Three Little Pigs satire.


• Agony & Ecstasy Jones by Aurelio O’Brien. Explore the magic land of Suburbia, where happiness and conformity can be achieved through miracle potions called Paxil and Ritalin!


• Most Wonderful Dream by Paul E. Martens. Stan Booth said he’d give anything to be a successful author, but such claims should never be made aloud; especially when an elf happens to be within hearing range.


• Rapugnent by Adrienne Jones. When the most beautiful woman in all the lands casts down her golden locks for men to climb, there’s GOT to be a catch.


• The Man and the Clone of The Man by Carlos Hernandez. Life’s not exactly been a fairy tale? Why not start over, and watch yourself succeed?


• Once Upon a Time in Alphabet City by Joel Best. Pinocchio’s gunning Luckies and knocking back bourbon at the bar when the fairy with the blue hair steps in from the street wearing a sheer day-glo blouse and hotpants that leave little to the imagination.


• Snow White by Chris Cox. There’s never a prince around when you need one. Sometimes a girl’s just gotta rely on a shotgun and a methadone clinic.


• Hans L and Greta L by D. Richard Pearce. If you’re gonna try to ditch a couple of kids in the urban jungle, make sure their daddy’s not the local mob boss, and that they don’t leave a trail of cash to find their way home.


• Fair ‘n Square by Jefre Schmitz. Rags to riches never happens overnight, unless perhaps there are magical forces involved. But if you’re fresh out of magic, a hearty helping of illegal sabotage works just as well.


• Betrayal by Darwyn Jones. They say beauty is skin deep, but what about purity? In this tale, the less than prudent are looking a bit dusky these days.


• Jack My Razorback by Jake Allen. If you’re going to curse yourself with a mutant offspring, then send it packing to live in the forest, you might want to clear out before it comes back with a chip on its spiny shoulder.


• Already There by Mike E. Purfield. Even with a perfect new fairy tale bride at your side, you should never grow so content as to fall asleep behind the wheel. The New Jersey Parkway is a bad place to wake up dead. Especially if you take the wrong exit on your way to Heaven.


• The Other Side of the Desert by Jessica Murray. The legendary Lilith comes forth in modern times, revealing the real story of Adam and Eve, and this dark tale is no Garden of Eden.

"Favorite" is a Verb? by Barry Parham

"Favorite" is a Verb?
A look into social networking sites, and why they may cause you to pass out from ennui
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1674456/favorite_is_a_verb.html

This is an earlier story from our wickedly witty wordsmith friend, Barry Parham. If it weren't for music, I'd say that Barry's writing is my number one addiction. Really, his writing is either going to become your best antidote to the depressing news of our times, or it's going to become the fastest way to say, "Them's fightin' words, pal!". Check it out, just to see what it does for you.

Here's another,
Things I've Learned from Television
It wouldn't be called the 'boob tube' if we could find a word that rhymes with 'idiot'.
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1674556/things_ive_learned_from_television.html