Poetry for a Hopeful Photographer

I love poetry, travel, and photography; I wish I had more time in my life to explore all three on a deeper level! Often I feel as though my photography is sub-par, partly due to my run of the mill point and shoot camera, and partly due to my untrained eye. Poet Billy Collins provides some insight for me and all you other wanna be photographers:

The Unfortunate Traveler

Because I was off to France, I packed
my camera along with my shaving kit,
some colorful boxer shorts, and a sweater with a zipper,

but every time I tried to take a picture
of a bridge, a famous plaza,
or the bronze equestrian statue of a general,

there was a woman standing in front of me
taking a picture of the very same thing,
or the odd pedestrian blocked my view,

someone or something always getting between me
and the flying buttress, the river boat,
a bright cafe awning, an unexpected pillar.

So into the little door of the lens
came not the kiosk or the altarpiece.
No fresco or baptistry slipped by the quick shutter.

Instead, my memories of that glorious summer
of my youth are awakened now,
like an ember fanned into brightness,

by a shoulder, the back of a raincoat
a wide hat or towering hairdo
lost time miraculously recovered

by the buttons on a gendarme's coat
and my favorite,
the palm of that vigilant guard at the Louvre.

Living Vicariously: 4/15

Step into the shoes of Margaret Werner, the only American woman to survive Stalin's gulag. I recommend reading this book on a gloomy, moody day; I guarantee you will feel grateful for your situation and your hopes will be revived. This book is tragic and triumphant. I always feel especially drawn to biographies and nonfiction accounts that track the ferocity of the human spirit. Karl Tobien, the author, is Margaret Werner's son. The authenticity and exemplary writing drew me in as I read this story. Prepare yourself to step into the life of Margaret as she strives to survive the Siberian death camps!

Living Vicariously: 3/15

I have never been homeless. The closest I have ever come to being homeless is having a friend in college sleep in a cardboard box in Milwaukee just to see what it was like. This book by Mitchell Duneier made me feel as though I was directly interacting with a large group of homeless men and women. Some of them are homeless due to choice; others were there due to drugs. The ins and outs of street life in Greenwich Ave. in NYC are fascinating. It was even more meaningful when I visited the exact intersection the book highlights this past summer. I did not see the same people in the book, but I saw the same setup of tables that the book describes. So, go ahead and dive headfirst into a life that most people would never dream of.

Living Vicariously 2/15

I like to think that I am an artistic person. But this literary masterpiece honestly blew my mind. Irving Stone paints such a powerful picture of the life of Michaelangelo. After I read this book, I finally started to legitimately recognize the intents and desires of artists to create works of symbolism and passion. The story line was intriguing as well; it made me want to travel over to Italy and see all of his works for myself. Who knows; maybe I will.

Live Vicariously: 1/15

My wanderlust is not merely a physical yearning to explore every region of this earth. It is also a desire to read nearly every book I get my hands on. Ever since I've been young I have immersed myself in a plethora of worlds and visited places and met people through my literary travels that I would never have thought possible.

That is why I thought I would revisit my "best of the best", my favs of the favs, and share them with you. The best part of these trips is that you can take them again and again and again...



Denise Hunter is one of my favorite inspirational novelists. I am a hopeless romantic, so I suppose that helps...her stories are so real. Driftwood Lane is the most recent book of hers that I have devoured, so I chose to share it with you. This is the perfect book for the beach or curling up by the fire. Make sure you have a good chunk of time for this read; I was totally engrossed for about 7 hours.