Things I Find Interesting

Nuvein authors in the blogospheres

2007-05-02T15:25:00.000-07:00

Scouring the blogosphere, I found the following authors who were published by Nuvein at one time or another:

Artie Knapp

Jason Monios

Gwendolyn Joyce Mintz

David

2007-05-02T15:02:00.000-07:00

STORY SUMMARY: In a world of multi-media communication, it is often the most natural form – the spoken word – that is misunderstood. Consider this story a case study.

By Josiah McClellan

“I don’t like you anymore,” David said.
“You what?”
“I said I don’t like you anymore.”
My heart pounded. Did he – could he…? I watched him carefully, looking for a smirk, a half-smile, some sign that this was just a joke.
David looked out the cafeteria window and squinted against the sun. The entire lower half of his face seemed locked in place – lips in a straight a line, jaw tight.
“What do you mean?” I asked. “I don’t understand. I thought we had something real.”
“I just wanted to see what it was like. You know, test the water, get a feel for how it works. It’s my first time doing something like this. I wasn’t ready. I thought you knew that.”

Read the rest of "David" in Nuvein Magazine.

Technorati Tags: Josiah McClellan, Nuvein, spoken word

Arts Blog-o-ree

2007-04-23T15:08:00.000-07:00

Periodically, at least once a month, in order to further expose creative works, Nuvein will write tidbits about other artists, writers, and creative arts programs that are on the blogosphere. We are dubbing these posts as Nuvein's Arts Blog-o-ree.

In the first issue of Arts Blog-o-ree, we have the following

1. Art.blogging.la

An Los Angeles-based art blog started by Caryn Coleman (February 2004) out of the desire to discuss and promote the vital scene in LA - this is reflected in posts about upcoming art exhibitions, reviews, interviews, editorials, and news briefings.

Caryn has quite an extensive list since the blog has been around for a few years. One notable recent post is an iPod sculpture. If you an art patron and live or will be in the LA area, this site will make a great resource.

2. Dance to the Piper

A daily journal from the artistic director of the San Diego Ballet, Javier Velasco. In "Patronizing the arts", his latest entry, Javier discussed the relationship between artists and wealthy patrons. He had a very insightful remark when it comes to supporting the creative arts:

People should give to something because they believe in the artist's vision and that the work has merit.

-- "Patronizing the arts", Javier Velasco, Dance to the Piper, 2007.

To practice what he preaches, Javier relays his support for an artist which he has done for the past 3 years by donating $10 every month. In doing so, Javier demonstrates that support for the creative arts does not have to be huge.

3. The Writing Life II

This site is authored by Charles Deemer, a retired playwright and screenwriter, active novelist, librettist, screenwriting professor at Portland State University, and editor of Oregon Literary Review.

In "Creativity and theory", Charles wrote an essay on creative writing and the usual run-ins it receives in academia. He discusses how the creative process can get lost through the emphasis of theory and analysis in MFA (Master of Fine Arts) programs run by the English department. He also explains how creative writing should breakaway from the English departments in favor of the theater/drama sections, much like at the top universities.

Technorati Tags: Arts Blog-o-ree, art.blogging.la, San Diego Ballet, The Writing Life II, Nuvein

New Fiction

2007-04-23T13:03:00.000-07:00

Nuvein Magazine Issue 31 is out. Here is one of our published fiction:

The Pact

Written by Francis Powell

STORY SUMMARY

The Pact is a story about a man who is forced to make a pact with the devil....to save his wife's life.........in return he is given the task of murdering a man he does not know.....he goes to complete this task.....but the man he has to kill dies of natural causes....He thinks he has got away from having to fulfill this terrible task......he is mistaken.....

Read the story on Nuvein Magazine.

Technorati Tags: Guillermo Del Toro, Pan's Labyrinth, Hellboy, Nuvein

We are in YouTube

2007-04-23T12:11:00.000-07:00

Nuvein holds community arts programs. We filmed some of them and uploaded the videos on YouTube. Here is the latest, a Debke folk dance troupe:

Here are the rest:

Gina Milligan at Nuvein Presents
Nuvein Presents Lacey
Jerrico and Filharmonic @ Nuvein
Kim Lottman Sings Nuvein Presents
Nuvein Presents 4 Good Times
La Cumparsita

Technorati Tags: debke, Nuvein, community arts program

Our FIRST scholarship!

2007-04-23T11:59:00.000-07:00

Even before we received our 501.c.3 status, we are moving forward with our mission of providing assistance to students of the creative arts beginning in our local community of El Monte, California. Here is a write up of our very first scholarship:

Nuvein Foundation gives out its first scholarship

El Monte, California -- Nuvein Foundation, a philanthropic organization formed to benefit students of literary and creative arts, gave out its first ever scholarship to a 2006 Arroyo High School graduate, Erika Garces. Ms. Garces is currently attending Digital Business Design College (DBD), a school specializing in computers, networking, and multi-media design. DBD is one of the main sponsors of Nuvein Foundation.

read the rest at our foundation website

Technorati Tags: scholarship, Nuvein

Bao, do you take Xia as your lawfully wedded wife?

2007-03-28T16:20:00.000-07:00

Bao Xishun, 56, the tallest human at 7'9" was married this week in China. The world's tallest man's search for a bride covered the world. He found his bride, Xia Shujuan, 29, from his home town. She stands at 5'6", over 2 ft shorter than Bao.

In Nuvein Magazine, there are articles on wedding customs of countries other than the USA. Specifically, there's an article on Indian wedding customs written by Eera Babtiwale. Here's an excerpt with a link to the rest of the article:

Indian wedding customs (Anant and Eera)

In my wedding, I wore a red wedding sari. Red is an important color in many Hindu ceremonies, and is often worn by the bride.

Ø The bride also traditionally adorns henna on her hands and her feet. Henna is a plant which is ground into a powder and formed into a paste, which is then applied to the hands and feet of the bride. Once the paste has dried, it is scraped off, leaving a rust colored stain on the skin. This stain gets darker over the course of the day and is dependent upon the bride’s internal body temperature. It is said that the darker the stain of the henna, the deeper the love of the groom for the bride.

Ø The bride often wears a “bhindi” on her forehead, which symbolizes many things. It is a symbol of marriage, a representation of an individual’s consciousness, and it is also worn simply as an ornamental piece.

Read the rest of the article on Nuvein.

Technorati Tags: tallest man, Indian wedding, Nuvein

Bolivian farmers fights for their culture

2007-03-16T15:40:00.000-07:00

In order to promote their cultural preservation, a handful of Bolivian farmers are asking Coca-Cola, Inc. to drop the word "Coca" because the leaf is part of Bolivia's cultural heritage and is sacred to many.

Additionally, the same group of farmers are asking the United Nation to decriminalize the leaf. Part of their woes come from the intense scrutiny that coca leaf receives because of the cocaine industry. The Bolivian government regulates the coca industry and allows for export to Coca-Cola, Inc., but does not allow for domestic sales. Apparently, coca, the lifeblood from the Andes, flows to the streets and stores of every western country except Bolivia, where it comes from.

Nuvein has a review of a documentary called "Cocaine Cowboys" (2000) and an interview with its director, Billy Corben. This documentary is the true stories behind the monumental movie, "Scarface" (1983), and the 80's TV hit series, "Miami Vice".

Here's the first paragraph of "Billy Corben's Cocaine Cowboys" by Scott Essman:

WHAT IS THIS FILM ABOUT?
In the 1980s, ruthless Colombian cocaine barons invaded Miami with a brand of violence unseen in this country since Prohibition-era Chicago - and it put the city on the map. "Cocaine Cowboys" is the true story of how Miami became the drug, murder and cash capital of the United States, told by the people who made it all happen.

Read the rest of Billy Corben's Cocaine Cowboys.

Technorati Tags: Billy Corben, Cocaine Cowboys, movies, Nuvein, films, Coca Cola, Bolivia

Nuvein video - Tina Flores interview

2007-03-06T15:53:00.000-08:00

Here's a made for cable interview of Tina Flores, a passionate Mexican folk singer. Tina will perform live in Nuvein's Spring SpotLIGHT on Saturday, March 24, 2007 at Club Cubano del Valle de San Gabriel, 10960 Lower Azusa Rd, El Monte, California.

Technorati Tags: Nuvein video, Nuvein

, nonprofit

A Clash of Cultures

2007-02-28T16:28:00.000-08:00

Once again, immigration is in the headlines. The US Senate will be debating the future of government immigration policies, affecting the lives of those who call the United States their home and those who desire to call the United States their home.

We see the politics behind the recent immigration debates. In the most salient cases, private citizens are deeply and emotionally involved. On one end, there is the MinuteMen Project, a group of civilians who patrols the US-Mexican border and reports illegal crossings and activities to authorities. On the other end, we also see the "Day without an immigrant" movement organized to "support the rights of all immigrants to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."

The United States is in a cultural watershed. There are many events, including 9/11, that magnified many issues, among them the clash of culture between those who live here against those who are moving here. We are having to rethink how we want to move towards the future. Immigration, one of the lifeblood in the formation of our country, is being re-examined, not just within the halls of Congress, but also in our break rooms and cafes, not to mention the Internet, TV and radio.

Within Nuvein.org, there are many articles and expressions that touches on the subject of cultural clashes. The works are not necessarily of US nature, but explores the evolution changing cultural environments from within and without and how it affects the lives involved, not unlike what's happening within the US today.

I'm including here the first paragraph of a poem by Giovanni Ortega with a link to Nuvein.org for the rest.

NuncaLand

I am going to call Immigration
have your ass deported.
on the red line, two stops away
this dicrepid man assaulted his sadness
unaware where language has walled
between us...

Read the rest of NuncaLand

View one of Giovanni's performances on YouTube:

Other appropriate works include:

Wedding fashion and customs: East meets West, Nuvein, Issue Art 30, Anh Lottman

Who are the Silent Generation?, Nuvein, Issue Ideas 29, Brian Lottman

Summer Virginity, Nuvein, Issue Fiction 22, Nancy TSUI Yuk Chun

Luck and the Writer, Nuvein, Issue Theatre 30, Anh Lottman

Technorati Tags: immigration, poem, culture clash, Nuvein, nonprofit

The Incredible, Permeable Membrane, or How Guillermo del Toro Will Save Hollywood

2007-02-22T16:49:00.000-08:00

The 79th Annual Oscars Academy Awards is coming. Among the nominees is "Pan's Labyrinth" (2006), written and directed by Guillermo Del Toro. "Pan's Labyrinth" (2006) has multiple nominations, including Foreign Language Film and Cinematography. I saw the movie and was mesmerized by it. The gothic fairy tale draws you into the tormented world of Ofelia, the step daughter of a sadistic army general during Fascist Spain in 1944. With high hopes, "Pan's Labyrinth" (2006) should be rewarded with an Oscar that evening.

Another movie that I enjoy from Guillermo Del Toro is "Hellboy" (2004). Here at Nuvein.org, we have an interview of Guillermo. In it, he talked about "Hellboy" and why he could not do a movie like "Superman". Of course, Guillermo also gave his insights on the making of "Pan's Labyrinth". The interview was conducted by none other than Enrique Diaz, founder of Nuvein Foundation. It was published in Directed By magazine.

Here's an excerpt, with a link to the rest of the article on Nuvein:

The Incredible, Permeable Membrane, or How Guillermo del Toro Will Save Hollywood

by Enrique Diaz

“Hollywood is an incredible, permeable membrane that identifies money immediately and then opens its pores,” says film director Guillermo del Toro when asked how receptive the Hollywood film industry is to foreign filmmakers who come here to make movies. And so went my conversation with the director at his office in Los Angeles. An intellectual filmmaker, del Toro evokes the wonderment of youth and displays a fierce curiosity towards life and a love for art, literature, and movies. To understand Guillermo del Toro's art, one needs to examine his story. It is the story of a man enamored of the horror/sci-fi genre who loves comics and fairy tales, an avid reader who paints, makes music, writes, or as he puts it, “I do it all.” Indeed, since making a splash with his feature debut “Cronos” in 1993, del Toro has continually put out films that capture the imagination and somehow satisfy that “permeable membrane” that is Hollywood. Films such as "Mimic" (1997), "The Devil's Backbone" (2001), "Blade II" (2002), "Hellboy" (2004), have created a solid reputation for del Toro as a magnificent film director. In his latest film, “Pan's Labyrinth,” to be released in December, del Toro moves into a realm of work of those he calls his “movie gods: Hitchcock and Buñuel.” Indeed, a magical reverence for subversion, an ingredient present in every one of del Toro's film, permeates 'Pan's Labyrinth.'

Read the rest of the article.

Technorati Tags: Guillermo Del Toro, Pan's Labyrinth, Hellboy, Nuvein

, nonprofit

Soldiers, civilians, Iraq War

2007-02-20T19:22:00.000-08:00

The War On Terror is ubiquitous in media headlines. Seldom does a day go by without news of Iraqi civilians dying in the middle of cross-fires and intense fighting between the warring Shi'ites, Sunni's, NATO/American, and Iraqi forces. Additionally, the death toll of US soldiers is getting heavier and heavier for Americans to bear each day that the war goes on.

A short story in Nuvein's archives takes a closer look at war, the people it affects, and the victim it leaves, with the Iraqi war as background. Written by Keith Laufenberg and published in Nuvein 23, Muhammad's Revenge, is a gritty collection of lives at stake during the war. It's haunting orchestration reminds me of Syriana with on the street action like Black Hawk Down.

Here's an excerpt with a link to the full story:

"Yes, I’m an extremist. The black race here in North America is in extremely bad condition. You show me a black who isn’t an extremist and I’ll show you one who needs psychiatric attention. ---Malcolm X

Turning his back on Jerusalem, Muhammad Arafat laid down his prayer shawl and faced towards Mecca. He was on his journey there, the first Hajj he had ever made. He was a gunnery sergeant in the Marine Corps; a 30-year man, working on his fourth hitch; he had 24 years in the Corps and three in grade and was so determined to make a Hajj that he had taken thirty days leave to do just that.

His name was Rodney Johnson and he had entered the Marines in 1979, at 19, long before the Koran was introduced into his life and long before he became a Muslim."

Read the rest of Muhammad's Revenge.

Technorati Tags: Fiction, Iraq War, Nuvein, nonprofit

Enter our Writing Contest

2007-02-19T15:35:00.000-08:00

Nuvein is holding a writing contests.

Topic:
URBAN LEGENDS OF THE WORLD
Entertain us with fantastic lore that fascinates the mind. Tell us tall tales from your neighborhood to intrigue the imagination.

Deadline: March 31, 2007 - 1,500 words maximum

Winning stories will be published in an anthology book and presented at the September 2007 Nuvein Presents

1st Place: $100
2nd Place: $50
3rd Place: $25
7 Honorable Mentions: $10/each

Click here for entry form and submission instruction.

Technorati Tags: Nuvein, writing, creative arts, writing contest, Urban Legends

Welcome to Nuvein and Stuff

2007-02-19T15:06:00.000-08:00

Welcome Readers!

Nuvein and Stuff is the official blog for Nuvein.org, a non-profit literary foundation raising awareness for the creative arts. We give out scholarships to students pursuing studies in the fields of creative writing, film and visual arts, and graphics design.

We primarily reach out to creative arts enthusiasts worlwide through Nuvein.org. We also hold local events to showcase performance artists.

Enjoy your stay and feel free to contribute to the discussions in this blog, or even submit your written work to us.

Renato - Marketing
Nuvein Foundation
nuveinblog@gmail.com

Technorati Tags: Nuvein, writing, creative arts, non-profit foundation