Image, Letter and Identity

By Ellen Blum Barish
Posted on February 26, 2015

So after eight years – off and on- penning my blog, I finally committed to a title and put it in the hands a very gifted graphic designer. Though the blog always had the mission to explore writing craft and creative process, it was a nameless one. As a word person, that lack of identity was making me feel a bit ungrounded, I guess.

And so now, I’m officially rolling out the logo for my blog that really says how I feel about artistic process (and also has a bit of fun with my initials).

Since launching Thread last December, and also diving deeper into photography, I’ve discovered something really interesting. We understand the contemporary word logo as a symbol or image that introduces a product, a service, a team, a company. Yet the word logo in Greek means word. And logos refers to the principles of order and knowledge. It appears that there is an even more intimate relationship between words and images than I first imagined. There’s not only a language inherent in the one we make with our alphabet, but also in the ones that come from shape, color, line and value. And then there’s an entirely different thing created when the two are paired together.

I just love this stuff.

My deep appreciation to Amanda Good who worked tirelessly with me on this design as well as the Thread logo, and did a beautiful job in having them “talk” to one another. The process was a beautiful and worthwhile lesson in art unto itself.

In this blog, I offer up a myriad of musings on writing from our lives and turning those stories into art. I shine a light on people who are doing it really well and I also explore the challenges of writing in this form. But mostly I feel like I’m championing the process itself, leading the cheer and urging you to find some version of it for yourself.

I’d love to have you subscribe, as well as to Thread, and to hear what you have to say on these subjects. I stared this blog after writing a monthly column for 13 years in which I loved hearing from readers. We can learn so much from one another. Feel free to send me a line if you are so inclined.

Journaling, Joni and the Writing Journey

By Ellen Blum Barish
Posted on February 24, 2015

When Richard Reeder invited me to be the featured speaker at last night’s Chicago Jewish Authors Literary Series, it was a multi-layered gift.

It was a chance to talk about essays, something I’ve loved since I was 14.

An opportunity to read from my collection of essays, Views from the Home Office Window.

A possibility to excite one or more people in the room about the essay form, perhaps for the first time.

The prompt to connect some dots for myself about my artistic influences.

And, finally, a Max and Benny’s corned beef on rye with Russian dressing and cole slaw.

Such joys!

My deep gratitude to Richard for the invitation, and to his curation of a very exciting line up of authors each month at Max and Benny’s. Click here for future author presentations.

This is Richard and I before the presentation began.

Interestingly, it wasn’t until I was preparing for last night that I saw the connection between my affinity for the short essay to my early journaling practice, those pages that safely allowed me to express feelings, explore relationships and ponder big questions.

Here’s a photo of the cover of my first journal, circa 1974.

And, the second influence: my deep love of the music, poetry and art of Joni Mitchell.

Joni and I were introduced when I was 11, at summer camp when I first learned to play guitar. Looking back, I have my guitar teacher to thank. She dared to teach Joni’s complex music and special tunings. Joni’s art left an indelible mark on me: that a woman can be boldly confessional with her art and can say so much in so few words. I didn’t know it at the time, but I had found Joni at a perfect juncture in my life, that open and absorbent moment of pre-adolescence. I guess it isn’t so surprising that for me, the most beautiful essays are the ones that mimic the structure and lyricism of a well-written song sung by the songwriter herself.

I can’t even begin to express how context giving it is to have identified these early influences. We really are, to a large degree, a product of our times.

My thanks, once again, to Richard for the invite, for the impressively large group of you who showed up in 15-degree temperatures to hear me read my songs in essay form, and for the thoughtful and provocative questions about writing personal narrative. Thanks also to David, my husband, for lugging the huge box of books, taking photographs, and for being sure that I got that corned beef sandwich home safe and sound.

Special thanks to the ongoing gifts provided to me by my journals and Joni Mitchell’s music, reminders that we can be bold and brave in the exploration of self and, that it can, someday, turn into art.

Want to stay updated on Thread, readings and workshops?

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Nurturing the Pages

By Ellen Blum Barish
Posted on February 3, 2015

January brought a stunning selection of essays for Thread. Such gifts! Reading them is like being seated at a magnificent banquet, a glorious tasting of my favorite recipes. In less than three weeks, I found six beautiful expressions of the human heart that touch on, among other things, memory, geography and epiphany. I can’t wait for you to read them.

But wait, we must. Because as easy and swift as it would be to copy and paste these writers’ words into the site and insert the images I’ve taken or collected to highlight them, I’ve entered that time in publishing that’s unique to literary publications: edit mode.

That final edit is a reminder of why I’m doing this. Not only because a careful edit reduces misspellings and typos. Sure, that’s a huge part of the process. But a good edit also brings out what’s best in a piece; it can make the words more true, encourage some of the words to actually pop off the page, to make the whole piece sing.

I’ve certainly posted lightly edited lines on Facebook, Twitter and sent quickly crafted emails. But I’m old school when it comes to publishing. I think the time consuming, detailed nature of editing is what makes literary publications different from everything else. I think this is why we enjoy reading them. Well edited words leave a trace; a light, fragrant scent of being well nurtured like a fine, hot house plant.

So the Summer issue of Thread is slated for an early April release. The reading will take place in late April, tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, April 29th. (Place to be determined but it’s likely to be one of the two Curt’s Cafe locales in Evanston.)

Which means that submissions from here on out will be considered for the Fall 2015 or Spring 2016 issues. To find out more about what I’m looking for, go to the Submissions page of the Thread site. Stay current with news about issues and readings, as well as links to interesting articles about the creative process by liking Thread on Facebook.

In other related news:

Those of you who live in the Chicago area: Come on over to Max and Benny’s in Northbrook later this month for an evening devoted to the essay at the February Chicago Jewish Authors Literary Series. I’ll be reading selections from my book of essays, Views from the Home Office Window, and talking about Thread. The event is free. Monday, February 23rd at 7 pm.

Photograph by Ellen Blum Barish

A Little Place in the Sun

By Ellen Blum Barish
Posted on January 24, 2015

We can’t always choose the places that inspire us but we sure know them when we see them.

The window seat above did that for me. My husband and I were staying in a Wisconsin bed and breakfast earlier this month and as I poked around the house, I passed by this little nook and had to stop and drink it in. My fantasy of the perfect writing spot; a little place in the sun, no matter what the temperature outside.

You may like a yellow legal pad and a rollerball pen while sitting at your kitchen table, your MacBook Pro on your lap while on a livingroom chair or an iPad at the cafe. Whatever your utensil or place of preference for writing, may it be warm and well lit. May it be your own place in the sun. That’s my winter writing wish for you.

January gave me some wonderful breathing room after a busy end of year with the launch of Thread and the holidays. No workshops were scheduled for the month, but I’ve been working privately with writers on their personal essays, memoirs and novels-in-progress, graduate school essays and business profiles. The month also allowed me time to review Thread submissions. I received some spectacular pieces confirming that there is an overflowing well of beautifully crafted essays to be published. The Summer 2015 issue is almost filled! Then onto Fall 2015.

In other writing and literary news:

There are still spaces left for my 10-week workshop, “Reading, Writing and Telling the Personal Essay” at New Trier Extension on Friday mornings in Northfield beginning Feb 13. Take a look at page 54 of the catalogue for the workshop description.

I’m delighted to be a featured speaker at the Jewish Authors Literary Series. I’ll be talking about Thread, essays and reading selections from my book, Views from the Home Office Window: On Motherhood, Family and Life at Max and Benny’s Restaurant in Northbrook, Illinois at 7 pm on February 23. Head over for an amazing corned beef sandwich and an evening devoted to the essay.

If you can’t make it to any of these workshops or literary events, and you’ve been thinking about getting feedback on a writing project, email me at ellen@ellenblumbarish.com. We can work together in any number of ways to move you to the next step with your idea or work-in-progress.

Looking for encouragement and inspiration for your own creative process? Want to stay in the loop with updates on writing workshops, coaching programs and Thread issues and submissions? Subscribe to EBB & Flow, my blog on these topics and essay-worthy news here.

Photo by Ellen Blum Barish

Submit!

By Ellen Blum Barish
Posted on January 5, 2015

Over the past two years, I’ve submitted my own essay labors of love to more than fifty publications. I’ve been told by writer friends that this is a drop in the bucket, numbers-wise. They’ve argued that if I doubled or tripled that amount, I’d have far better odds of seeing my work published. I suspect there’s some mathematical truth to this. But, there’s really only so much rejection a girl can take, right?

The way I look at it, of those fifty-something attempts at getting my work published, four of my essays have found homes. I’m okay with that math. I’ll even reach and say pleased, because I know what I’m up against: There are a lot of remarkable essayists out there. And a growing number of outstanding literary publications that publish them.

It’s worth a moment to stop and look at the word submit.

To submit is to offer, present, put forward. These suggests something proactive. But the word also is defined as a yielding, a succumbing, a letting go. It’s this second definition that is, without a doubt, the hardest for any artist. We put an enormous amount of ourselves into our work; we edit, tweak, cut, add, shave, rework, and sometimes start all over again. When we finally feel that our work is ready to send out – a moment worth acknowledging, practically worth a small parade – we are presenting it and surrendering it, simultaneously. Like a tree that put itself out there protectively, like shelter, but also appears, perhaps with one or two branches, to be letting itself go.

It’s with a deep understanding of this weird and wonderful creative process that I announce open submissions for Thread beginning on January 12th, 2015. That’s next week! Please do review the Submissions Guidelines on the site. I never fully understood what all the fuss was until I was in the position of reading vast amounts of content. The guidelines really help smooth the reading process. There’s less in the way and more room for the editor to experience the small universe those words create, the art you’ve poured yourself into.

At this writing, my plan is to publish two more issues in 2015, translating into eighteen essays, perhaps a few less as I have my eye on three or four pieces. Keep that in mind as you prepare to submit. Know that if there isn’t a fit between us this time, it may not be about the writing, but rather the content as I want to keep it diverse. That may feel like bad news to you. But the good news is that there are many excellent literary pubs out there for you to try, and I’m urging you to submit whenever and wherever you can.

Putting yourself out there and letting go is, by itself, a potent and worthwhile experience, a big part of the creative process and what draws us back to the page and screen, again and again.

Thread

An exploration of human experience
through essay and image.

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