Traveled to DC for the U.S. Japan Conference on Cultural and Educational Interchange. Keynote speaker Hiroshi Sugimoto shared his art, architecture and passions along with others who spoke about programs and projects leading up to the Olympics in Kyoto in 2020. The shinto shrine Sugimoto san designed on Naoshima changed me.
See my Japan Project page at www.shayyoungblood.com
Art Installation in Japan
http://www.dentonafricanamericanfilmfestival.com/
The Indiegogo campaign to support the technical production of Add Architecture, Stir Memory was a success! Over 130 people attended the performance at the UNT on the Square Gallery on a hot Tuesday night in Texas. Looking to continue development of the work in other venues in the region and ultimately take it to Japan. Thank you to everyone who supported the work. A soft cover edition of the manuscript from the performance is now available online. Eternal gratitude.
Listen to a brief RADIO INTERVIEW I recorded for Art & Seek on KERA my local NPR station. Click on the link to listen: My First Visit to Yaddo
Most Saturday mornings I roll out of bed and walk to the nearby Farmer’s Market. I’m always happy to see bearded Ben with his large bundles of collard greens that look like huge church fans; Amanda and Marie ready with hugs and offering jars of wildflowers, crispy pink radishes, bitter braising greens and other produce they have planted and harvested on their farm; among others. I like knowing who grows my vegetables. I was inspired to make my version of Japanese pickled vegetables with my market purchases.
Pickled Vegetables
1 pound carrots cut in matchsticks
1/2 pound radishes cut into matchsticks (or use daikon)
3 Tablespoons sugar
1 Tablespoons of salt
5 Tablespoons of rice vinegar (or white distilled vinegar)
(optional: dash of sesame oil and two dashes of sansho)
2 cups warm water (Make sure there is enough liquid to cover the vegetables)
Dissolve sugar and salt in warm water. Let cool. Add vinegar and optional ingredients. Place vegetables in a jar. Pour liquid over vegetables. Store pickles in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Left overnight the flavors will marry. Serve alone, add to a green salad or a sandwich. A friend recommended this quick spicy pickle: Thinly slice a seedless cucumber and place into a plastic bag. Add rice vinegar, sugar, salt, rice vinegar and red pepper flakes and water. Close the bag and squeeze gently for a few seconds. Let chill for about 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
The Reading Room will host a Book Swap on Saturday, May 11 from 4 to 9 pm. The private nature of reading will be turned over to become public in this participatory event designed to encourage conversation about reading. Swap out your discards for something new while enjoying cocktails and micro readings every hour on the hour by local literati. Shay Youngblood micro reading at 5pm. The Reading Room is located at 3715 Parry Avenue in Dallas, TX. For further information: Karen Weiner 214 952 4109 www.thereadingroom-dallas.blogspot.com
When I heard about the explosion at the finish line of the Boston Marathon, the first thing I did was call my people in Boston to make sure they were okay. They were, but I was nearly speechless with sorrow…again. On 9/11 I was living in New York when the twin towers fell. I arrived in Tokyo 10 days before 3/11. This morning I woke up to the news that there had been an explosion in a town called West, Texas. I got a call from my people across the country and around the world, wondering how close I was to the blast. I explained that this town was where I had stopped many times to get gas, take a bathroom break and buy delicious kolaches to snack on. It’s about 2 hours from where I live, the halfway mark on the road to Austin. “I’m safe.” I said
When tragedies occur we immediately think of our loved ones who may be in harms way. When they are safe we give thanks. For all the people who lose their loved ones it is an unimaginable heartbreak. Our collective grief binds us all. Today I am remembering the friendly faces and outstretched hands offering me a fresh from the oven golden delicious kolache in the tiny town of West, Texas and give thanks for those who are safe.
My play Shakin’ the Mess Outta Misery has life on YouTube. Do you want to laugh out loud today? Here are two brief clips from recent productions. They are about 9 minutes each.
Nine of my titles are now available as old school, physical books in the Amazon Create Space e-store. Most of them include a short author’s note. Titles include my opera novel, Winter Prophet, plays Shakin’ the Mess Outta Misery and Talking Bones and re-prints of my novels Black Girl in Paris and Soul Kiss with a new cover by Annette Lawrence.
new book cover by Annette Lawrence
Confession: I’m a book junkie and a library groupie. So, what could be better than having a new book published? Having 9 books published! I’m late to the party, but I’m ready to dance. As of today 9 of my books are available through Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing. It was a bit scary, I was more than a little ambivalent and it was empowering. Ultimately I believe self-publishing will allow me to move forward with exciting new projects inspired by my life-changing, amazing four-month adventure in Japan. More on my Japan adventures in the coming months.
