AMP: Artists' Meeting Place and Resource Collective

Later is a distraction.
Now... I am focused on now.
Now... I am looking at the future and I can't stop thinking about what I should be doing now to make sure it arrives the way I want it to.

Distracted by the later and filled with later nows.

Like waiting for Daddy to come home and awaiting a spanking...

Can I bend time to fast forward the now to later after the spanking or maybe I can bend it back and not do what I did to get in trouble?

The process is the path and the path cannot be tamed, nor can it be bent. Once you jump from the plane you better have a parachute that works. It should have been tested. It should work. If it does not work... then it wasn't going to work. Whatever the outcome... Now is out of your or my control. Plans are great, but control is a fantasy.

www.ideagems.com is always looking for stories and artwork. It's a good way to spread your talents and build up your portfolio. Now, just pray to all the gods, goddesses, and demi-gods that we get the big-ass grant we've applied for and we'll actually be able to pay contributing authors and artists for their work! Until then we welcome any and all generous contributions made in the name of artistic and literary expression.

I haven't posted on AMP in a looooooong while. Why? Because I have hungry brainchildren to feed which means spending time and energy working any job that comes along. These days, I spend 12 hours a day in a cab. Am I to be the female Travis Bickell? Not likely. But living in Stephen King country, one never knows.

At least one of my creative progeny has become fully grown and published now. My first novel, "The Spoiler" (available on Lulu.com) is the beginning of a family of books in the series, "Stranger Than Fiction." We'll see if after years of nurturing and cultivating if these creations will finally earn their keep and support their dear ol' mother of invention.

Finally finished college - its been a tough ride, a busy year - but finally finished and sitting, killing time before a first interview. there are kids sitting down doing a written exam, four feet away from me, exactly where I was this time last year - full of hope and confidence - blind confidence. It'll be a different sort of feeling from now on - a sort of knowledge from experience, a growth from hard toil. I've been here before, and i'll be here again. It's hard to go from the top to the bottom - from the finish to the start - in a matter of days. it'll take time to adjust. But for now, wi

Dear fellow Artists.
The idea of building this website came from strong desire to build a community. The community implies interaction. Interaction is a cornerstone of any relationship. Relationships define the community.
Why are we not interacting? Friends, we are artists, we thrive on feedback, and we need re-assurance. Just having talent is very different from being recognized as a talented artist.
Commenting on each other’s work will do the trick, trust me. I personally would not believe my friends and family when they told me time and again that I am a true artist. Their opinion was contingent on our friendship, I thought. They were not objective, I thought.

i sit alone at the tracks
bells dinging in my ears
the crossing gates down
red lights flashing
the ground shuddering
under the wheels of the train
im watching the art roll by
like a traveling christo canvas
and im thinking of gauguin
toulouse-lautrec degas
van gogh suddenly
theyre all here with me
behind me in the back seat
slapping me on the shoulder
pointing at the boxcars
clapping their painted hands
excited little boys again
backseat art fanatics critics
insistently cussing all at once
son-of-a-bitch they say
gasping with delight or envy
im not sure which but
im guessing theyre jealous

(Previously published in Blinkzine Arts Magazine, Voices Israel Anthology and The Poetry Victims)

http://www.blinkzine.com/pdfs/blinkzine%20issue%203.pdf

Greetings 'bell the cat' ~ Sun Bell friends ~

'bell the cat' band is: Sun Bell ~ songwriter, singer, rhythm guitar, percussion, harmonica; Terry Lee Knierim ~ drums, percussion; Jan Emerson ~ vocals, keyboard; Leesa Miranda Gomez ~ lead guitar, bass, multi-instrumentalist; Anna Czajkowski ~ bass, mandolin.

VOTE for our music video PLEASE at:(Get enough votes, we get on TV!!!) http://www.mvspy.com/mvspy/video/bXZzcHk6NTMy

Absolutely Fantastic News: Sun just won HONORABLE MENTION in the BILLBOARD WORLD SONG CONTEST for my 2 songs, 'To The Moon Alice' (Top 500)and 'Radio Wo Wo'(Top 1500). "In recognition of having your original song compositions among the Top 500 & 1500 entries of the 14th Annual Billboard World Songwriting Contest. Only the highest quality songs make it to the top. This honor demonstrates the talent and dedication it takes to write a "Hit Song".", wrote Jim Halsey, President and Mark Furnas, Director.

Artist Reception June 23,2007 5-10
NELA (Northeast L.A.) Art Walk June 9,2007 7-10

Bring your well behaved pups! Yes they can dress fancy if they want.

Cactus Gallery
4534 Eagle Rock Blvd.
Eagle Rock, CA 90041

http://youtube.com/watch?v=GE_TYSST0x8

Jersey City-based country/folk artist Amy Speace (http://www.musicdish.net/amyspeace/) is presently being featured in PBS' leading series of "short-form" programming, FastFocusTV. The segment, airing nationally on more than 100 U.S. public television stations reaching over 62 million households nationwide, features an interview with the Wildflower Records singer on the former actress' emerging music career. The interview is interspersed with live clips from Amy's performance at Mo Pitkins in NYC this past December.

Amy's PBS video can be seen at the following sites:
* Fast Focus - http://www.fastfocus.tv/