Creativity, Community and Bellingham Anime Convention (BA-CON)

I’ve seen a few Japanese anime cartoons, shorts and feature length films. They aren’t my favorite form of cinema but I admire their creativity and that they aren’t as confined as their counterparts in traditional U.S. animated story-telling.

Even though I’m not an anime fan myself, I love what it has done for my teens. They think the characters are interesting. I like that it gets them to branch out, listen to some Japanese language, read more graphic novels, have been exposed to other cultures, and its even inspired them to try their hand at drawing and computer-based animation. They also connect with others over the subject at a monthly event and have listened to a wider variety of music because of it. An entire community has been built around anime and because of that, my kids have a place where they feel comfortable and mostly accepted.

Because I write about what’s in front of me, I’ve written two articles about Bellingham Anime Convention (BA-CON). One is about the event’s founder, Bellingham Public Library Teen Services Librarian, Jennifer Lovchik for WhatcomTalk.com. The other is a Bellingham Experience Insider Blog about why the event is a perfect event for out-of-town Anime and Cosplay fans to attend.

I’m thankful for all the positives that BA-CON, Bellingham Public Library, and anime bring to my community, even if anime isn’t entirely my thing. Costumes, art, culture, free flying of freak flags, and community are just a few that come to mind.

A Soft Spot in my Heart for Independent Film

For better or worse, I grew up on television. We had all the cable TV channels and little supervision or limits. So I spent a lot of my younger days watching a whole lot of independent film. Many I watched over and over because they aired 3 times-a-day.

As I’ve gotten older, and now that I’ve actually tried to make some films myself, I have grown a more discerning eye for quality and a much greater respect for the artists that make film.

It seems everyone is a critic these days and not afraid to say how great or terrible a movie is. But once you try to make one yourself, you learn how much hard work, follow-through, and attention to detail it requires just to make an absolutely awful film, let alone a great one worth showing to anyone.

Being a film director is hard work. Being a successful one is considered a long-shot. Trying to become a successful female filmmaker, or female filmmaker of color, might feel even more impossible when you discover the statistics.

• Most female filmmakers made only one film in the last decade.
• Female directors face an age limit—they work from 30s-60s. Males work from 20s-80s.
• 83.3% of women of color made 1 top film from 2007-2016 vs 54.3% of non-Black/non-Asian males.
• Of 1,114 directors of 1,000 top films in the last decade, 4% were female.
• The first African-American female directors backed by major film studios didn’t occur until as late as 1989-1991!

From: Inclusion in the Director’s Chair? Gender, Race, & Age of Film Directors Across 1,000 Films from 2007-2016 by Dr. Stacy L. Smith, Dr. Katherine Pieper, & Marc Choueiti. The Media, Diversity, & Social Change Initiative. February 2017. Annenburg Foundation.

Florida Hall of Fame filmmaker Lucy Morgan, c 1985.

When I was asked to work with a new 4-day film festival in my area of the Pacific Northwest, specifically sharing the films of female directors, I couldn’t have been more honored. CASCADIA International Women’s Film Festival launches this April 20-23. Check them out and follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. They’re also mentioned in my most recent WhatcomTalk.com article about the upcoming independent-film-viewing opportunities in my area.

This festival and the others like it will be helping to tip the scales and make the stats above a more distant part of our history.

Finding Your Own Path to Activism

Over the past two weeks, since the Presidential Inauguration, everyone I know is unsettled. No matter who they voted for. Perhaps that is the upside of the upset. Perhaps this is what we needed. Even though it doesn’t feel good or satisfying, perhaps these benefits are worth it?

• To be clear about how we feel on the issues.
• To dialogue with those we disagree with.
• For more people to take action to support what’s important to them.
• For people to share their money in support of the causes they care about.
• To be reminded that our point of view isn’t the only point of view.

By Chad A. Stevens, milesfrommaybe Productions. From the film Overburden about Lorelei Scarbro who became a community organizer in the campaign to build an industrial wind farm along the ridges of mountain whose coal mine killed her husband.

I’ve used my work as a teacher, writer, and now as a marketing strategist to support the causes–and the people and businesses–I believe in.

I worked in Superfund clean up as a US EPA contractor because I believe in clean air and water and healthy ecosystems for people, for living things, and for the future of the planet.

By Chad A. Stevens, milesfrommaybe Productions. From the documentary flm Overburden. Nonviolent protest on Coal River Mountain on a mountaintop removal preparation site.

I managed chemistry laboratories and taught environmental science at a State University training the future scientists, policy-makers, and planners that will lead us to problem-solving in future generations.

I worked in special education for little pay for years because I believe in the impact public school can have on the lives of special needs children.

I write about theater, music, the arts, environmental innovation, and buying local and supporting local businesses because I believe in their value–for myself, for my family, and for our communities.

Bellingham Theatre Guild’s 2015 production of The Drowsy Chaperone.

My writing, my communication, and how I approach them are my activism. Perhaps all that’s going on in the world right now is a sign. A sign that its time to wake up, look outside ourselves, and find our own activism.

If we don’t hear the call, we just might lose the freedoms we’ve been taking for granted, the privileges given to us by the activists who came before us. Those activists were every day people. Writers, lawyers, teachers, cooks, students, parents, preachers, nurses, policemen, and even politicians. They are us and we are them.

Another upside: the action is not hard to find anymore. Don’t be overwhelmed. Choose your cause and pledge to yourself to do some small things. Now and from now on. Add your voice. We can do little alone, but together we are mighty.

Here are seven articles I’ve written so far in 2017 in support of the arts and human rights. Take a look, appreciate the arts, the environment, the rights you enjoy. Then find your activism and get involved.

Mount Baker Theatre Resident Ghost Judy is Blushing in Anticipation of The Irish Rovers and We Banjo 3 at Whatcomtalk.com

Resident Ghost Judy Can’t Wait for Mount Baker Theatre Education Shows at Whatcomtalk.com

Bellingham Human Rights Film Festival Explores Critical Issues at Bellingham Whatcom County Tourism Insider Blogs

Art, Nature, History, and Fun at Whatcom Museum in Bellingham at Bellingham Whatcom County Tourism Insider Blogs

Celebrate the Tribute Act at Mount Baker Theater at Whatcomtalk.com

Join Whatcom County’s Vibrant Poetry Scene at Bellingham Whatcom County Tourism Insider Blogs

Appreciating the Poetry of Whatcom County at WhatcomTalk.com

 

Cozy in Whatcom County

When I was asked to develop ideas for indoor activities for visitors to my area, it was easy to come up with a list of my favorite places. Many of them I’d already written about. Independent film, live music, indoor climbing, performing arts, and pub crawls are just a few of the options. Check out my Bellingham Experience Insider blog, 5 Ways to Stay Warm and Active in Bellingham this Winter, soon to plan your next visit to the Bellingham and Whatcom County area. One look and you’ll see why I chose this place to call home.

When winter is keeping you inside, there are a lot of options for cozy fun.

 

Tribute Bands Rock!

Gary Mullen has spent 13 years channeling the power and energy of Freddie Mercury. Photo courtesy of Mount Baker Theatre.

 

Since I was a teen, whenever I’ve been looking for inspiration, for motivation, for perseverance when things feel hard, I’ve turned to Queen. Singing “We are the Champions” and “Bohemian Rhapsody” quietly in my head, or at the top of my lungs, has always helped me through.

When I was urgently paddling a kayak in a storm in British Columbia’s Queen Charlotte Islands, wondering if I would have to self-rescue, I sang Queen. When my newborn twins cried in stereo and nothing would soothe them, I sang Queen. When I ran my first, and last 5K, I sang Queen. Although Freddie Mercury passed away when I was still a teen, their iconic songs live on in recordings and through live performance by the Tribute Band.

It was cathartic for me to write about the beauty of the Tribute Act for my WhatcomTalk.com piece about one of the Queen Tribute Band that is part of Mount Baker Theatre‘s program this year. Get your tickets and say thank you for the inspiration and memories.

Strolling into the Darkness

From Season Zero Episode IV Snakeman’s Solitude. Photo by Damian Vines Photography.

I took accelerated math and studied science in high school and college. Yesterday, an elementary school friend said that I had always been the odd one out. It is safe to say that I was a nerd. Geek. Whatever label you like. I also liked Star Wars, Star Trek Next Generation, and my favorite filmmakers include Charlie Kaufman and Luc Besson. So yes, I’m bona fide.

That’s why I love working with local filmmaker Wilson Large. He is taking his sci-fi/comedy/fantasy passion project, the Dark Darkness web series, to the next level. Season Zero of the four episode web series used over 90 local actors and crew and became an official selection at several national and international film festivals. That success was hard earned and now Wilson is ready for the next chapter in pursuing his dream. That chapter includes business partners, pitching to studios and distributors, and a potential $1.2 million budget for Seasons One and Two in either a continued web series format or a full-on feature film. You can read more about it in my WhatcomTalk.com article.

If you’re bona fide too, you might enjoy Season Zero Episode I Ronald’s Summoning below. You can watch all four short episodes over on YouTube. Then tell your bona fide friends. Because bona fide is quickly becoming the new black.

Pure Poetry in Whatcom County

Natalie Fedak and Erica Reed make up poetry on the spot with their Poem Store at Kitchen Session Bellingham. Photo by Gary Wade.

I’m a writer, but as every writer knows, that doesn’t mean I excel in every writing genre. Poetry is a form of writing like no other. When I was younger, I studied science, not writing. I was immersed in the world of the literal and concrete. I didn’t fully ‘get’ poetry and I certainly didn’t have the confidence to try writing it.

Now that I’m more experienced in the world, I realize why poets are the writing perfectionists of the field. In just a few words, a poet must make their point, convey the feeling they are after, in a way that no one else has. They don’t get a paragraph to explain. They have one word or a single verse. That, my friends, is art at its finest.

I like to use my writing to support the arts whenever I can. That’s why I wrote about the Bellingham poetry scene for WhatcomTalk.com and Bellingham Experience (Bellingham Whatcom County Tourism). Whether you live in Whatcom County or want to plan your next getaway to this beautiful place, the perfection of poetry is now at your fingertips.

The Value of Independence

You probably don’t see an obvious connection between independent film and politics, but right now, its all up in my face.

I wrote this Bellingham Experience Insider Blog about my community’s independent film theater, Pickford Film Center, for Bellingham Whatcom County Tourism because it is one of the many things that makes my city great. It began, and remains, independent. Its programs, films, and decisions are made locally, by a non-profit board, for the betterment of film, the community, and education. The concerns of profit and shareholders don’t need to be included in decision-making, nor is their content dictated at a corporate level. These are among the many things I love about them.

Did I just go see a multi-billion dollar Rogue One Star Wars franchise film yesterday at the mega-plex and love it? Yes. My point is that we must preserve independent operations at the local level and not allow them to be overtaken by the big girls. Because individual choice–freedom–is among our highest ideals as a nation. If our choices become too narrow because of our profit motivations, then we, by default, are slowly losing that freedom. Will some of us be content eating only apples and oranges? Sure. But once the bananas disappear from the store front, once other options are removed from infrastructure, it will be a hell of an effort to get them back.

The meaning of the word ‘independent’ calls back to our earliest days as a country and today, our right, our duty, our responsibility to protect and preserve it is more relevant than ever.

 

Channeling a Ghost for the Holidays

Momix at Mount Baker Theater.

I am honored to be a part of Mount Baker Theatre’s (MBT’s) brilliance. Since the fall, they have allowed their resident ghost Judy to channel her thoughts about the beautiful, historic theater through me.

This week Judy is helping Pacific Northwesterners cross a few things off their holiday shopping list by giving the gift of a MBT experience through my WhatcomTalk.com blog post.

I hope you’ll appreciate how much fun it is to be Judy. I’ve always wanted a writing gig like Dear Sugar where I can give advice and thoughts anonymously. For now, this is the next best thing.

Holiday Music is My Favorite Part of the Season

Florist Natalie Ransom of Pozie By Natalie styles any holiday for events, businesses, and individuals.

I jumped at the chance to write an article for WhatcomTalk.com about my favorite holiday music. In addition to Christmas lights and movies, music is one of the best parts of the season. I love to play it in the background and sing along. Last night I watched A Charlie Brown Christmas with my kids and realized that its the music that makes willing to watch that animated classic every year. It is also one of the reasons I learned to play a little piano as an adult.

Make sure that you listen to as much holiday music as you can, and if you’re within driving distance, get your Mount Baker Theatre tickets before the season is over.