Writers Unbound

Life on the Rocks: Katherine Wells
Katherine Wells talks about her life and her exploration of the petroglyphs on her new land from her book “Life on the Rocks: One Woman’s Adventures in Petroglyph Preservation”.
Book signing/reading Tuesday, June 2, 7pm
Bookworks
4022 Rio Grande Blvd. NW
(505) 344-8139
bkwrks.com

Time: Tuesday, June 2, 2009 7:00 p.m.
Location: Bookworks
Phone: 505-344-8139
Life on the Rocks: One Woman’s Adventures in Petroglyph Preservation (UNM Press, $21.95)

Katherine Wells’s obsession with petroglyphs (images pecked on stone) began in the 1960s. Three decades later, after careers as a teacher, a businessperson, and an artist in Southern California, Wells and Lloyd Dennis, her partner, purchased almost two hundred acres near Espanola in northern New Mexico. The large boulders on the property contained many examples of rock art from previous Native inhabitants and the lure was overwhelming. Wells describes the beginning of her new life and her exploration of the petroglyphs on her new land. Meeting New Mexico archaeologists and local rock art aficionados, and locating previously published information about petroglyphs and the prehistoric inhabitants of the Espanola area, Wells learned to identify the time periods when the glyphs were made and to understand many of the motifs found among the more than six thousand petroglyphs on the site.

Life on the Rocks: One Woman’s Adventures in Petroglyph Preservation(Trade Paperback)
by Wells, Katherine
Format: Trade Paperback
Price: $21.95
Published: University of New Mexico Press, 2009
Inventory Status: Usually Ships in 1-5 days

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Katherine Wells’s obsession with petroglyphs (images pecked on stone) began in the 1960s. Three decades later, after careers as a teacher, a businessperson, and an artist in Southern California, Wells and Lloyd Dennis, her partner, purchased almost two hundred acres near EspaAola in northern New Mexico. The large boulders on the property contained many examples of rock art from previous Native inhabitants and the lure was overwhelming.
Wells describes the beginning of her new life and her exploration of the petroglyphs on her new land. Meeting New Mexico archaeologists and local rock art aficionados, and locating previously published information about petroglyphs and the prehistoric inhabitants of the EspaAAola area, Wells learned to identify the time periods when the glyphs were made and to understand many of the motifs found among the more than six thousand petroglyphs on the site.
In addition to discovering all she could about her surroundings, Wells worked with Dennis to design and construct three buildings on their property, each constructed of straw bales. Each of their experiences introduced these transplanted New Mexicans to the oft-cited definition of “maAAana”: “not today.” However, …

“One night about eleven years ago I had a dream, more like a vision, so real and stunning in clarity I never forgot it. Although I knew it was extremely important I didn’t at the time know what it meant in terms of my life. I’ve shared this dream with only three close friends. However I now feel a need to more fully claim it as I begin to understand how it relates to my life path.

THE VISION: It’s a late night, very dark and quiet outside, peaceful. I’m sitting cross legged before a warm fire inside a small teepee. It’s barely big enough to hold four people, but I’m alone. My hide dress is adorned with paint and beads and my hair runs in two braids down my shoulders. I cuddle into the warmth of the fire and watch its orange glow dance over the teepee walls. I know, without being told, that I’m supposed to wait. Something life altering is about to happen, something private and sacred. I feel at ease, as if I’ve known all my life that this moment would happen.

Suddenly the entrance flap is pushed aside and the oldest woman I’ve ever seen enters. She too is dressed in soft hide. Thick dove-white hair hangs in two braids tied with leather thong. Her ancient face is creased by thousands of emotions that tell the history of humankind. As she kneels on the ground beside me I notice a glowing white hoop held reverently in her weathered hands. I gasp in awe and instantly feel the beauty of the world passes through me. I’m overcome with love. The elder slowly shakes her head knowingly and extends the hoop towards me, watching my face with her black raven eyes. She speaks: “For as long as I can remember I have been the Keeper of the Circle, but my time has come to an end and I go on a different journey. Now you are the Keeper of the Circle. Never let it be broken. I am counting on you.” Before I could respond she rose and vanished into the night. I sat holding the glowing circle and asked, “But what am I supposed to do? What does this mean?” I heard her voice, “You will know when the time comes. You will know.”

The dream ended and when I awoke I felt energetically altered, filled with love and compassion so expansive it encompassed the entire world. I was so in love I wanted to weep for all of humanity, all life. However, it was only recently that I began to grasp what this vision means in terms of my life path. Last month I gave a talk about my life in the Australian rainforest at the Institute of American Indian Art (which was videoed). A few days later, while editing the film clip I share below, my vision of eleven years ago came hurtling back to me, out of nowhere. I was stunned that I had called this part of my talk “The Great Circle of Love”. Pieces of a puzzle began to fall into place. I still have a long path to walk, but then I have seen myself living as long the elder in my vision. And I see more clearly where I’m headed. Robin Easton www.nakedineden.com

This week I have posted a portion of video about my music. Many of you already know I can’t read or write music, but dream it at night, as well as often hear it in my head while going about my day. It is all original music that just overcomes me and demands to be expressed. I’m compelled to sit at the piano and play what is moving through me. I’ve no idea what keys I’m playing; my fingers just seem to have a life of their own.

When I was four years old my mother sent me to take piano lessons, but after the first lesson the teacher told my mother that I had no “aptitude” for it. Then my mother tried again when I was eleven and on the first lesson I refused to play and the teacher became angry, called my mother and said (through clenched teeth Lol), “Do…NOT…send…Robin…back.” (With the word EVER silently attached to the warning. Lol! ) However, I must have had a good ear because when I reached high school I’d occasionally play something on the piano that I’d heard on the radio. I was proficient enough that friends thought I could read music, but that only happened a handful of times, and there ended my piano playing days until I started to dream music in the Australian Rainforest.

Music is one of the truly great gifts in my life. It came to me after much deep personal growth and has stayed with me every since. I still don’t read or write music and have had no training (and still have no desire to), yet I play piano or flute almost every day. I believe that music isn’t something separate from us; it’s who we are. We must be aware of a culture (especially USA) that tends to “can” music and consign it to stereo-types, professionals, “famous” people (chuckles) and those with music degrees from Robin’s blog www.nakedineden.com

First tip: Look for keywords keyword in first 4 words of title) listen to the above video.
A good way to write a popular article is to find a problem
that the people in your target audience have and then provide
them with an answer that will help them solve it.
People like to read things that offer solutions to problems
and preferably ones that are not too hard. Articles that contain
easy to follow steps work very well in just about any situation.
For instance; Three Steps to Super Clean Windows or How to
Stop a Leaky Faucet in Four Easy Steps.
Keep that in mind when you are deciding what to write in your
next article and you will have an easier time deciding what
to write about.
Make sure you look for your next tip tomorrow.
Thank you again for joining,
“your first name here”
“your email address”
“your URL here”
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2
subject line: Another Great Article Writing Tip
Hello “autoresponder code here”,
It’s time for your next tip. I hope you found
the last one helpful.
Let’s talk about choosing the right title for your article.
Do not underestimate the power of a good title when it comes
to getting your article read. The right title can help your
article be picked by interested reader and published by
newsletter owners.
Your title should be descriptive and catchy, It should make the
reader want to know more about the content in it. The idea is
to capture the readers attention with a casual glance and let
them know what it is about at the same time.
This may sound a little tricky but with some practice and
testing you will easily get the hang of it.
Look for another quick tip soon!
“add your name here”
“your email address”
“your URL here”
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Who is your favorite mystery writer? What makes their work pull you in and keep you reading? I seldom read mysteries. However several of my best friends consume mysteries faster than TV shows. Well almost as fast. What makes her writing blast tothe top of charts? What makes her tick? Her memoir Kitchen Privleges may provide a few clues. Also if you go to her webiste, you could check out the forum and see what people are talking about. Leave a comment or question and see who responds! http://authors.simonandschuster.com/Mary-Higgins-Clark/1079642/biography

Read more about her succesful life. Also choose other writers to research and find ways to improve your own writing career.

Mary Higgins Clark was chosen by Mystery Writers of America as Grand Master of the 2000 Edgar Awards. An annual Mary Higgins Clark Award sponsored by Simon & Schuster, to be given to authors of suspense fiction writing in the Mary Higgins Clark tradition, was launched by Mystery Writers of America during Edgars week in April 2001. She was the 1987 president of Mystery Writers of America and, for many years, served on their Board of Directors. In May 1988, she was Chairman of the International Crime Congress.

May your adventure be bold! Wrie and enjoy.

breifly ignoring all the news.
each carrying our own personal load
each escaping
meeting age old remedy
nature

snow melt feeding river stream
rocks shining
water rushing to nowhere
or a destiny beyond present
consciousness.

friend lingering
awhile longer in hospital bed
another filtering reality
good friend unexpectedly
may leave this earth soon.

is there a graceful way
to let go?
water rushing down mountainside
determined to be free now.
Does it fufill the deeper purpose
does lliving fill with contradictions?

Stories are told, again and again.
Hearts bound with breath
treetops outline skies
clouds allow shadow breath.

Where is the courage
voices carry
release of those
about to die.

Remember to call Irene
again, she would want
to know