Weekend with Red in Second Life: Live Music & Poetry

Summer has finally graced us with her presence and some glorious breeze. Lots going on in real life and Second Life. I'm still editing The Adventures of Lola short story series. I also host my weekly talk show on blogtakradio, Saturdays at 11:30a EST. Between breaks, I pop into Second Life for live music and open mic reading events. I'll be posting more pictures from those events. Hope you enjoy them:)

Open Mic Poetry Reading at Four Bridges Celebrates 3 years

This May, the Open Mic Reading & Live Music events at Four Bridges Project celebrate its 3rd year in Second Life.  We kicked off the anniversary early during NaPoWrimo (April). It's been a busy past month with all the poetry festivities in RL and SL. I attended Mass Poetry's Inspired Leadership in Boston. I then traveled to Salem, MA to participate in the Mass poetry festival which has been such annual treat for me. It was quite a trek from Boston but well worth it. I met a lot of great poets during the sessions that I attended. It's such a gift to be able to mesh my work in RL with the open mic poetry readings at Four Bridges. You never know who's going to teleport over. On May 25, Angeljade Writer joined us and read a few poems. Any1 took a gorgeous photo (see above) of AJ while lounging on the couch at SpeakEasy.
I'm proud of and grateful for our three years in Second Life! I'm eager to plan more programs this summer and share the joy of poetry. You have an open invitation to visit us anytime at the Four Bridges Project.

Mass Poetry & National Poetry Month

On the eve of National Poetry month, I attended Mass Poetry's Inspired Leadership event at The Huntington Theatre in Boston. It was a well-balanced mix of leaders from Governor Deval Patrick to a throat surgeon and one of my favorite readers of the night, a Dean and Spoken Word Coach from Codman Academy.  It was glorious to among a crowd of 400 on a rainy Monday night, listening to poetry. A rare experience to say the least. I commend Mass Poetry for bringing leaders together to share their favorite poems. More importantly, I'm grateful for their innovative approach to making poetry accessible to the masses. For more information about Mass Poetry, check out their website.
Join us every Sunday at Four Bridges/SpeakEasy, 11am slt for our Open Mic Poetry & Story Reading.

Adventures of Lola: Thrifty Living

Happy Women's History Month! I can't believe spring is almost here. I'm moving my clock forward which means less sleep. I've taken a break from editing to write new Lola stories. Yay! So, check out her latest social commentary on being a closeted penny pincher. If you enjoy it, leave me a comment...

Lola is a closet thrift shop enthusiast.  After all, one person's trash is another person's treasure. Her grandmother taught her how to bargain even in department stores because money was always tight, but for Lola the fun to was in the hunt to find hidden gems. On weekends, she scours neighborhood yard sales for random finds. While the guests at her hotel find comfort in shopping at designer stores. Lola can spend hours in messy second hand stores searching for deals. She's relaxed among other scavengers and disorganized piles.  Even when Lola  fails and leaves empty handed she is happy to have a had a chance to buy, the power to buy isn't always at the forefront for the working poor.  Lola worries a bit now because being thrifty has become trendy. Celebrities and stylists are buying vintage for the red carpet. Her hotel guests are showing up at the same sales.  Leave it to the rich and famous to glamorize other people's struggles. Lola thinks to herself, "They ruin everything."

Hotel Adventures of Lola: Magazines Rule!

Lola reads all kind of tabloid magazines while at work. The hotel subscribes to the top three women’s magazines. The guests steal them like the little shampoo bottles in the bathrooms. The tasteless covers repulse her, yet articles that show 769 ways to please a man intrigue her. She wonders, if these magazines hold the answers to women's satisfaction, why are the majority of their readers still hopelessly lost? Are there magazines that offer men advice for a better sex life?

Recently, Lola learned that a well-known woman's magazine on housekeeping is the most reliable source of information for all women, regardless of marital status or income. It occurs to her that women spend as much time worrying about keeping their house clean as they do about pleasing a man. With that kind of obsession, these magazines will hold the mirror to women's angst for generations

Hotel Adventures of Lola: Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! Thank you to all of you for making 2013 so memorable. The year came and went surprisingly fast but I savored the last few days. Don't get me wrong, it was a hectic year of juggling endless responsibilities. I squeezed in some writing and editing of the Lola stories. I appreciate your comments and support throughout the year.
Besides the book, I'm working on an immersive project for readers to experience the Lola stories in Second Life. I can't say more than that. In the meantime, you can hear to latest Lola at the Four Bridges Open Mic on Sundays at 11am slt.  Stay tuned for more adventures in Lola's life...

Hotel Adventures of Lola: Cashmere by RedGoddess

Hope you had a great Thanksgiving holiday! Between work, turkey and eggnog, I wrote the latest Lola's hotel adventure. I'm introducing a new character, Mirabella, a beautiful Heiress with daddy issues and a shopping addiction. If you like it, leave me a comment:)

"Damn it! I'm wearing cashmere and it's raining," says the raven hair heiress as she shakes her orange polka dot umbrella. Her Hermes scarf and bag on the counter while giving Lola two air kisses. "Oh my darling Lola," She sighs in despair. "you didn't tell me the weather was so despicable." She resembles a tanned barbie doll in distress. In spite of her dramatic flair, she clicks with Lola. Lola in the oddest way relates to her.

Mirabella, the 21 year-old daughter of a fashion mogul from Milan, has been living at the hotel since adolescence. Her parents live separate lives yet cross continents for family vacations and her birthday. They think these seasonal appearances make up for parental neglect. Naturally, Mirabella gets bored easily with stuff and men, so she buys vintage jewelry and rare paintings at local auctions. She has an affinity to old black and white family portraits. She can imagine herself sitting on her mother's lap and her dad looking adoringly at them. "C'est la vie. To yearn or fear the unknown," she often says at the end of her chat with Lola and walks away humming "qui sera, sera...' She is Lola's Hepburn.

She could buy and sell the whole damn place and the restaurants around it if she so desires. She's a daddy's girl with the usual baggage from a wealthy family. She has zero sense of control when it comes  to money. This week, she bought a brand new hot pink BMW just because she saw it in a commercial.  By next week, she'll hate the color with more passion than an angry bull. Lola can't fathom spending money like that on a whim but she finds it ironic that she can share Mirabella's family pain.