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THE BEST FILMS IN ACTION, DRAMA, HORROR, AND MORE
Film Review: The Light Between Oceans
Derek Cianfrance's latest is pure melodrama, in ways both bold and overly familiar
by Dominick Suzanne-Mayer
on August 31, 2016, 4:00pm
Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander, Rachel Weisz
Adapted from M.L. Steadman's 2012 novel, The Light Between Oceans frames the postwar condition and the larger concept of intractable grief within the kind of melodrama that will immediately call to some and repel others still. "Melodrama" is often treated as a pejorative term, but it's never inherently bad; as with any other dramatically charged subgenre, it's only as good or as laughable as its filmmakers' interpretations. Here, Derek Cianfrance (Blue Valentine, The Place Beyond the Pines) attempts to fuse the naturalistic intimacy of his previous work with the trappings of a traditional Hollywood postwar epic, and the mix is effective until the film's increasingly unlikely story threatens to overwhelm everything else on the screen.
It's 1918, and World War I has barely just concluded. Tom Sherbourne (Michael Fassbender), like so many other men, has been discharged into a world not yet fully equipped to deal with the horrors so many experienced while serving, where PTSD doesn't have a name yet. He wants solitude after four years enlisted, and so finds himself on Janus, a remote island slightly removed from the shores of western Australia, to maintain a lighthouse year-round. He's sent out for six months, and spends most of his time alternately tending to the machinery and trying to not break from the emotional strain left on him by his time at war. Even in small conversations with his employers, the war is still everywhere. It hangs over every interaction, and it's impossible to escape.
He's offered a full-time extension before long, and there's more than just the solitude to keep Tom at Janus. When Tom comes inland, which isn't often, he's able to enjoy the company of Isabel Graysmark (Alicia Vikander), the kind of spirited idealist typical of a film like this one. Where Tom's deliberation fulfills his need for isolation, the silence interrupted only by the perpetually roaring ocean surrounding him on all sides, Isabel sees Janus as an idyll of tranquility, a world separate from the chaotic one in which she lives. Both yearn for escape, and soon for company, and before long Tom and Isabel have married, both for love and to fulfill the legal requirements for her to relocate to Janus.
The early portion of The Light Between Oceans features some of the film's strongest work on all fronts. Cianfrance's penchant for intense, lingering close-ups on his actors is characteristically effective; he's a dramatist at heart, and it's his tendency to linger on the film's most intense emotions at protracted length that provides the film with much of its resonance. While some of the exchanges between Tom and Isabel verge on precocious, Cianfrance ably conveys the sense that the couple's quick courtship is less a narrative convenience than the fulfillment of aching needs for both. Tom and Isabel are in love, but they're also desperate for more than what life has given them. He articulates that need through montages of small, innocuous daily incidents: they tend the land around their modest island house, Isabel plays a long-damaged piano, Tom maintains the island's logbook. They make love, slowly. Sometimes Tom still finds himself in agony when nobody's looking.
The island and its nearby town, as framed by cinematographer Adam Arkapaw, are repeatedly isolated in the face of the ocean's immovable power. For the film's occasionally tedious attempts to draw out this central metaphor in belabored dialogue (its brief bits of narration are particularly guilty), Cianfrance and Arkapaw view Janus less as a fantasy getaway than as a constantly embattled fortress, a place where love can happen and a home can be built but also one surrounded by the constant threat of dangers beyond its inhabitants' control.
When tragedy strikes the couple, The Light Between Oceans attempts to reframe itself as a melodrama with a more complicated sense of morality than its early moments might suggest. Tom and Isabel endure a grievous loss, and recover only to relive it a second time shortly thereafter. (To the film's credit, loss is presented as sudden and tragically unavoidable.) As their love threatens to deteriorate, a small rowboat washes ashore on Janus. The man inside of it is dead, and has been so for some time, but the infant girl with him is not. Tom and Isabel take her in, and make their choice: they keep the child. "We're not doing anything wrong. She's here, we can save her," Isabel insists. Tom, knowing how desperately Isabel needs to know hope again, goes along with her.
The Light Between Oceans becomes a more familiar kind of family melodrama after this point, and for its efforts to bring nuance to its storytelling, it's also a less interesting film from that point forth. As Tom and Isabel's assumed child begins to grow, everything from the physical disparities between parents and child to Tom's increasing discomfort with their charade conspires to tear apart the life the couple has assembled for themselves. This is familiar narrative territory for Cianfrance, whose previous films have also explored the lies that both lovers and families tell themselves to remain intact, as well as the corrosive power of time's inevitable march forward. But where he's previously addressed that pain on a humanistic level, Oceans sees the director attempting to fuse those emotional shades with a story that often feels less concerned with those struggles than with its ponderous twists of fate.
It's that dichotomy between Cianfrance's delicate direction and the shaky machinations of his adapted screenplay that underwhelms the film's early promise. It also does something of a disservice to the performers on hand, all of whom elevate the increasingly familiar material with strong work. Fassbender draws on a number of modes that the steely actor isn't usually asked to demonstrate; his initial withdrawal gives way to paternal warmth, which he's able to impart without ever losing the emotional distance on which the performance is built. And Vikander is a standout, mining endless depth from a showy role that calls for no shortage of the tears and collapses characteristic of the genre. Isabel might be an archetype, but she's brought to vivid life by the actress' understanding of the smaller characteristics of emotional damage, the physical changes that take over in times of extreme stress. It's her deterioration that serves as the film's emotional center, and Vikander sells it with utter conviction.
The film's core relationship is so well-drawn that The Light Between Oceans is never as interesting when its focus moves elsewhere. As their little Lucy gets older, and the consequences of their fateful choice begin to mount, the film builds a clichéd sense of impending dread that it illustrates more faithfully elsewhere with a roaring ocean and fewer words. There's power in the film's heightened later scenes, but it comes at the expense of emotional honesty. While Tom's fixation on Hannah (Rachel Weisz), a local widow struggling with her own losses, is an effectively ironic reflection of the film's central conflict, Weisz is left underserved; she's less a character than a physical manifestation of Tom and Isabel's lingering guilt.
Guilt is paramount to The Light Between Oceans. It's then the film's compulsion to let the guilt and shame and secrets mount beyond the point of logic, and then beyond the point of plausibility, that underwhelms its stronger sequences. Much of the film's power comes from its unwillingness to look away from the moral turpitude involved in Tom and Isabel's fateful decision; what they do, they do out of pain and need, but it's a deeply selfish thing all the same. Oceans initially draws this line in following its growing tragedy to its inevitable end, refusing to exonerate either of its main characters for their choices, so it's then frustrating when the film concludes with what can't help but feel like something of an emotional copout given what comes before. The Light Between Oceans is an effective melodrama, but the lingering sensation the film leaves after its end is that it might have been much more.
Sting revisits his Police days on new single "I Can't Stop Thinking About You" — listen
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Melvyn New (AB Columbia, 1959; PhD, Vanderbilt, 1966) has been writing about literature, most especially that of the eighteenth century, for over thirty years.
Professor New edited, with Joan New, the Florida Edition of Tristram Shandy: The Text (1978), and with Richard A. Davies and W. G. Day, Tristram Shandy: The Notes (1986); this edition is the standard scholarly edition of the novel and forms the basis for his Penguin edition of the work (1997). In 1996, he published his edition of Sterne's Sermons , volumes 4 and 5 of the Florida Works of Sterne . He is author of Laurence Sterne as Satirist (UF, 1969), Telling New Lies: Essays in Fiction, Past and Present (UF 1992), and "Tristram Shandy": A Book for Free Spirits (Twayne, 1994); and editor of Approaches to Teaching "Tristram Shandy" (MLA, 1989); "Tristram Shandy": Contemporary Critical Essays (Macmillan/St. Martin's, 1992); The Complete Novels and Selected Writings of Amy Levy , 1861-1889 (UF, 1993); and Critical Essays on Laurence Sterne (G. K. Hall, 1998).
Professor New has published over 70 essays, notes, and book reviews on Sterne and other authors, both early modern and contemporary, in such journals as PMLA , Philological Quarterly , Modern Fiction Studies , Studies in Bibliography , PBSA , The Georgia Review , Eighteenth-Century Studies , Eighteenth Century: Theory and Interpretation , MLN , Eighteenth Century Fiction , and Word and Image . New also serves as the Sterne-Smollett editor of The Scribblerian and the American editor of The Shandean: The Annual Laurence Sterne Trust .
Professor New chaired the Department of English at the University of Florida from 1979 to 1988. He has been the recipient of three fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the most recent in 1995–96 for work on volume 6 of the Florida Sterne: A Sentimental Journey and Journal to Eliza . In 1997 he was one of 30 recipients of the inaugural class of University of Florida Research Foundation Professorships.
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BALTIMORE — The criminal case in the death of Freddie Gray has ended with the top prosecutor failing to convict any of the six police officers involved in the arrest last year that sparked riots in the city and fueled nationwide debate over fatal police encounters involving black men.
Facing a judge who repeatedly said there was insufficient evidence in the cases, the Baltimore state's attorney, Marilyn Mosby, on Wednesday dropped criminal charges against three officers still awaiting trial. A judge found three other officers not guilty after separate trials in May, June and July.
Mosby's supporters described the prosecutor as courageous for taking on the police and said her decision accelerated the push for reforms in police tactics, oversight and management. Detractors who long accused Mosby of charging the officers to end rioting and advance her career called the outcome proof that the prosecution had been rushed and misguided from the start.
Gray's death in April 2015 came after several other high-profile deaths of black men by police nationally, most notably in Ferguson, Mo., and in New York City. The cases prompted widespread protests.
The divide between police and the black community has continued to widen with the recent police shootings of black men in Minnesota and Louisiana, compounded by attacks targeting police in Dallas and Baton Rouge leaving eight officers dead and others injured.
In many cities, the debate pits white officers against African American men. The Gray case is more complex, having occurred in a majority-black city with a black mayor, black top prosecutor and, at the time, a black police commissioner. Three of the officers involved in Gray's arrest are black, as was the judge who oversaw the trials.
Police arrested Gray in West Baltimore the morning of April 12, 2015, after he ran from officers. Prosecutors argued that Gray never should have been arrested in the first place and that officers acted callously by failing to buckle him. He died in a hospital a week after the van incident. Defense attorneys countered that Gray was acting out and that it would have been unsafe for officers to enter the narrow van compartment.
Attorneys and other advocates for the officers have defended the pursuit of Gray, a frequent target of arrests who ran from a high-crime area when he saw an officer.
Ivan Bates, who is an attorney for one of the accused officers and spoke at a news conference on behalf of the group, called Mosby's prosecution a "nightmare." He said the investigation was rushed and ignored findings by police who he said concluded Gray's death was an accident rather than intentional or negligent homicide.
He added, "We stand behind Marilyn and her prosecuting team, and my family is proud to have them represent us." In September, Baltimore officials settled with Gray's family for $6.4 million.
Mosby's announcement drew a subdued response on Baltimore streets.
Many protesters were resigned to the outcome after Williams found the van's driver, Caesar Goodson Jr., the sole officer charged with murder, and Lt. Brian Rice, the highest-ranking officer in Gray's arrest, not guilty. The other officers cleared were William Porter, Edward Nero, Garrett Miller and Sgt. Alicia White.
Mosby's most damning accusation against police came when she said some detectives had obstructed the investigation. She alleged that "poignant questions" were not asked during interrogations and that detectives declined to serve warrants seeking text messages involving officers.
A prosecutor in court accused Dawnyell Taylor, at one time the lead detective in the case, of fabricating notes to indicate the medical examiner had initially planned to rule Gray's death an accident, rather than a homicide. Taylor in turn accused a deputy state's attorney of discarding evidence that did not fit the prosecutor's narrative of the case.
Bui and Hermann reported from Washington. Dana Hedgpeth, Bill Turque, Keith L. Alexander, LaVendrick Smith and Arelis Hernández in Washington contributed to this report.


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(Medical Xpress) -- Obesity and insulin resistance are almost inevitably associated with increases in lipid accumulation in the liver, a serious disease that can deteriorate to hepatitis and liver failure. A real paradox in understanding insulin resistance is figuring out why insulin-resistant livers make more fat. Insulin resistance occurs when the body does a poor job of lowering blood sugars.
The signals to make lipid after a meal come from hormones - most notably insulin - and the direct effect of nutrients on the liver. In a recent issue of Cell Metabolism, Morris Birnbaum, MD, PhD, professor of Medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, describes the pathway that insulin uses to change the levels of gene expression that control lipid metabolism. Birnbaum is also associate director of the Institute of Diabetes, Obesity, and Metabolism at Penn.
Since insulin normally stimulates fat synthesis in the liver, the expectation is that an insulin-resistant liver would not be able to make lipid. Insulin normally shuts off glucose output and during insulin resistance output is too high. This contributes to the high blood sugar of diabetes. In order to treat the lipid accumulation as well as the glucose abnormalities in type 2 diabetes, it is important to understand the pathways that regulate lipid metabolism.
Researchers have suggested that two transcription factors, proteins called FoxA2 and FoxO1, act downstream of, and are negatively regulated by, an enzyme stimulated by insulin called kinase Akt/PKB. Birnbaum had previously shown that this kinase is required for lipid accumulation in the liver. This system is proposed by researchers as a key determinant of liver triglyceride content, one indicator of increased lipids.
In the current study, the team used a technique of introducing mutations into specific genes to show that having these transcriptions factors turned on all the time cannot account for the protection from lipid accumulation in the liver afforded by deleting Akt2 in the liver.
The researchers showed that the major downstream path that insulin uses to regulate these genes converges with the pathways that the body uses to metabolize nutrients. In addition, another arm of insulin signaling (which is probably independent of the nutrient pathway) is also required for the increase in lipid metabolism. Another downstream target turned on by Akt, the mTORC1 protein complex, is required for the body to make lipid. Having multiple pathways is probably a way that the liver makes sure that lipid synthesis is activated only when there is an increase in nutrients and there is a signal from insulin, surmise the researchers.
"Since a therapeutic goal is to prevent this lipid accumulation, any time we identify a novel pathway it raises the hope that there is a previously unknown target out there for a new type of drug," concludes Birnbaum.


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Wed. October 2, 2019 @ 7:30pm
Feras Fayyad
Sigrid Dyekaer, Kristine Barfod
National Geographic Documentary Films
For besieged civilians, hope and safety lie underground inside the subterranean hospital known as Cave, where pediatrician and managing physician Dr. Amani Ballor and her colleagues Samaher and Dr. Alaa have claimed their rights to work as equals alongside their male counterparts, doing their jobs in a way that would be unthinkable in the oppressively patriarchal culture that exists above. Following the women as they contend with daily bombardments, chronic supply shortages and the ever-present threat of chemical attack, THE CAVE paints a stirring portrait of courage, resilience and female solidarity.
Screening of film is followed by a moderated post-film conversation with Director Feras Fayyad and a reception at the Landmark Wine Bar.
Feras Fayyad, Director
Feras Fayyad is an award-winning filmmaker who has received particular recognition for his work on contemporary Syrian issues and the political transformation of the Arab world. His most recent film, "Last Men in Aleppo," earned him a 2018 Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary Feature. The film followed a small group of volunteer rescue workers with the White Helmets civil defense organization. "Last Men in Aleppo" premiered at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Grand Jury Prize in the World Cinema Documentary competition. It film went on to screen at festivals around the globe and received another 18 international awards, including: Best World Cinema Minneapolis/St. Paul IFF, Audience Award Washington DC IFF, Best World Cinema Sarasota FF, New Talent Award DocsBarcelona, DOX:AWARD - CPH:DOX, Best Film at Docs Against Gravity in Poland and the Inspiration Award Full Frame.
Fayyad was born in Syria in 1984. He holds a BA in Audio-visual Arts and Filmmaking from the international film and television school EICAR in Paris. He has directed and edited several films, both documentaries and fiction. His other films include the feature documentary "My Escape" (2016) and television documentaries "Between the Fighter in Syria" and "Wide Shot-Close Shot." He also produced, co-wrote and edited the award-winning short film "One Day in Aleppo" (2017) directed by Ali Alibrahim.


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Newport-on-Tay är en ort i Storbritannien.   Den ligger i rådsområdet Fife och riksdelen Skottland, i den norra delen av landet,  km norr om huvudstaden London. Newport-on-Tay ligger  meter över havet och antalet invånare är .

Terrängen runt Newport-on-Tay är platt. Havet är nära Newport-on-Tay västerut. Den högsta punkten i närheten är  meter över havet,  km öster om Newport-on-Tay. Runt Newport-on-Tay är det ganska tätbefolkat, med  invånare per kvadratkilometer. Närmaste större samhälle är Dundee,  km nordväst om Newport-on-Tay. Trakten runt Newport-on-Tay består till största delen av jordbruksmark.

Klimatet i området är tempererat. Årsmedeltemperaturen i trakten är  °C. Den varmaste månaden är juli, då medeltemperaturen är  °C, och den kallaste är januari, med  °C.

Kommentarer

Källor

Externa länkar

Orter i Fife

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Dumped, Drunk and Dalish
Musings, analyses and obsessions on Thedas and its characters, romances, relationships and conflicts. Please note that SPOILERS will abound for all three DRAGON AGE games. Meanwhile, meet me at the Herald's Rest and I'll buy the first round of maraas-lok!
Vampires, Dragons and Dreams: The Rewards of Fanfiction
I thought this week I'd talk about what fanfiction—specifically, Dragon Age fanfiction—has meant to me, and how it has inspired me outside of the fandom.
This is going to be a slightly odd post from me, but it's one I feel deeply about, so thanks for bearing with me.
This past week, Archive of Our Own ("AO3"), that many-tiered palace of fanfiction magnificence from the Organization for Transformative Works (OTW), received a Hugo Award nomination, for 2019 Best Related Work. It's a truly historic moment in fanfiction—one that, for the first time, grants a new level of legitimacy, recognition and value to fanfiction writers while also publicly and openly acknowledging the ways in which fanfics can transcend fandoms to enter the larger entertainment and cultural landscape.
Understandably, the reactions across social media from the fanfic community and fandoms (including, of course, Dragon Age, where I take part) were unabashedly delighted. The social media aftermath did, of course, include a few inevitable snide comments from some who felt the juxtaposition of the words "Hugo" and "fanfiction" sullied the works of "real" writers, but the fact remains that it's a huge deal for those who write fanfiction. If you published fanfiction work on AO3 this year? You can now say, albeit with a glint of humor, that you are technically a Hugo nominee.
I'm part of that fanfic community too, and proud to be. So I thought I'd talk about what that has meant to me in this post.
Not least, how much pure fun writing fanfiction can be.
Variations on a Theme
One of my favorite things about playing Early and Renaissance Music back in college was the idea of "ornamentation." Musically, ornamentation is when you're given a relatively simple stretch of music, but you 'ornament' or 'decorate' that passage with your own twist, often to intensify or add aural texture to (for instance) additional movements or repetitions after the first one. It's basically the centuries-old version of riffing in rock or jazz today—of taking a melody and running with it, giving it your own voice.
When you ornament a melody, do you own what you create? Not usually. Bach or Purcell (or Gershwin or Davis or Sondheim etc.) are still the authors of that original melody, and that's as it should be. But you can change it, play with it, adapt it, and it's your performance. Your own particular variation. You can even use a single ornamentation as inspiration—as a jumping-off place for an entirely new, original melody.
It's fun to play with a melody, to see what you can bring to it. And that's really what fanfiction is, at heart—a chance to riff on a melody you love.
Vampires in Cyberspace
Back in the 90s, just out of college and still trying to find my voice as a fiction writer, I joined a group of Anne Rice enthusiasts writing fanfiction inspired by her universe. At the time, I'd been enchanted by the beautiful writing, and by her florid, Baroque, larger-than-life characters, as well as by the combination of classic Gothic literary elements with ageless, beautiful, wealthy and glamorous figures forever cut off from the modern world. (I wasn't such a fan of the series after book four, but those first four were superb.)
So we started writing together. We were a group of about a dozen writers (aspiring and published), editors, and more who started interweaving shared, individual "journal-type" entries into longer fanfic works on an ongoing basis. We were driven, delighted, and serious about the work. The writing was terrific, and the feedback was steady and consistent.
And the writing just got better and better. It started with high drama and gothic vampires in the modern world, but in the end, a surprising amount of the work was pretty good stuff—original, distinctive, and evocative. Soon, the fangs weren't even an ongoing element at all. We'd just needed the inspiration of fanfiction to get us going.
As this took place during the Internet's Medieval period, we started out writing together on AOL, then after complaints from Rice's lawyers (Rice was and is staunchly against fanfiction, even though we were a private group and the work was not accessible publicly), we moved across several online services. We went from AOL, to Prodigy, to Genie, where (to silence Rice's people for good) we grudgingly changed the names of all our characters and continued to collaborate happily for several years. To this day, the crackling screech of an old-fashioned modem gives me nothing but a smile of nostalgic joy.
The entire experience was a milestone for me. Not only did we create some good work, within a few years we began to meet up in real-life too, both in New Orleans, as well as individually and in smaller groups through the years. The core group has remained close in life as well as on social media, and several remain treasured friends of mine even decades later.
That experience gave me my first taste of the fun of participating in fandom—one that I was to discover even more powerfully in Dragon Age two decades later. But I'd never quite appreciated just how prophetic and important this experience had truly been for me as a writer.
Until this year.
Words by the Year
At the beginning of my vampire fanfic period, I worked in entry level production and animation for a year or two, then spent two years as a magazine editor (during which time our group's vampire fanfic project naturally faded as we all went off to do our own separate projects). Following that, I spent most of the ensuing two-plus decades as a working freelance writer, on press releases, brochures, media kits, and more. And I'm proud of that. I'm not a household name, but I've published a decent amount of fiction, hundreds of articles and features, and been paid by Writer's Digest and The New York Times Company. In some ways, I did what I had set out to do.
Yet... I'd really always wanted to tell more stories. Unfortunately, far too often, the fiction always had to give way for the other work. It was just one of the side effects of freelancing. So I worked on my stories or infrequent plays at night, and that was still satisfying, although I lagged far behind my other writer friends who were overwhelmingly focused on fiction. Still, I got some work out there, and I was happy about doing that much.
Until three years ago.
The Deep Roads
I'd had a pretty challenging decade, caregiving my stepfather through terminal cancer, taking a year or two in New York, then returning to battle my Mom's foreclosure while nursing her through a brain tumor that would also ultimately prove terminal. This was followed by the loss of her home and most of its contents and memories, and I moved back to the Northwest to regroup and recover.
It's probably not surprising that, in a kind of delayed reaction, I wasn't exactly creative for awhile after the move.
Even a year or two after relocating, I was still blocked. Not just from writing, but from dreaming. I've always been a daydreaming fool, to the extent that my Dad used to tease me by asking, "What color is the sky in your world?" and I'd laugh. No matter how bad life got before this point, I could always shut my eyes and think of potential worlds and characters. Those dreams were where my stories came from.
Then I stopped.
Losing the Dreams
Looking back, of course, I realize that I was depressed and traumatized and still coming to terms with everything I'd been through. But within the moment, I couldn't understand it, and didn't know how to deal with it.
So I didn't.
I ignored it. I worked on my PR and freelancing. I edited stories for others, and was even able to do some editing on unpublished works I had previously drafted or completed in the past. This work gave me the faintest breath, now and then, of the creative impulse, of my desire to tell stories, but it wasn't much.
The hard truth was, for all intents and purposes, when I stopped dreaming, I stopped creating fiction. I had lost all investment in my own work and all belief in my writing abilities when it came to stories or worldbuilding. I felt stale and stagnant. As a storyteller, I just felt like I'd lost something precious. I have a lot of friends who are writers, but I couldn't even share this with them—there was something almost embarrassing about it for me. It was too personal, too painful.
Then last year, for extra frustration, after nearly a year of editing and revision on a new novel draft, for the first time in my life, I lost an entire work (and series of files). In other words, my novel Van Gogh Sky was toast. Missing. Kaput. I'm normally obsessive about backups, backups and more backups (mirror drive, DVD, cloud, and external drive) but the novel was just gone. The only draft I had left was the one from three years earlier—before a full year's work of revision.
The worst thing about it? Honestly, I didn't even mind that much. I wasn't even sure it was worth publishing. For all I know, it was subliminal on my part (it's never a good sign when you're more excited about the cover of your book than about the story inside).
Then came a silly video game, of all things. And it woke me up.
Getting the Magic Back
To the mystification of my family and friends, I fell for the Dragon Age universe two years back, and I fell hard. I am absolutely sure that some of my loved ones are still scratching their heads over the sheer, odd specificity of it.
It's not a mystery to me. Because when I fell in love with the world of Dragon Age, I rediscovered a spark and fascination that took me back to those Anne Rice fanfic days, and even farther, back to my childhood days of falling into Tolkien and Middle-Earth, scribbling runes in spiral notebooks and dreaming of other worlds.
Soon, it wasn't enough to be an enthusiast. I wanted to join in. So a year and a half ago, I began this blog. I wanted to try for an almost literary take on analyzing the characters and stories of Thedas that I hoped might be new and different, and to find a place for myself within that fandom—and I've been humbled and delighted to have achieved that, to a small degree. It's been so satisfying, and I've treasured the friends I've made and the interactions with the amazing fan artists and creatives, as well as with many on the BioWare team, who have been so generous, patient, and accessible with us fans.
Then something unexpected happened. As part of diving into that world in a really deep lore-oriented and character-analysis basis, I began to get story ideas about some of the characters from the games and novels. I went from headcanoning characters and situations for my analyses to imagining entirely different ones.
I began to say those two words every writer loves more than anything: "What if?"
I hadn't said them in a long time. It felt good.
And just like that, for the first time in years, I wanted to write fiction again. I was imagining stories; I wanted to explore alternate universes and options, to imagine romances between opposite or even unromanceable characters, to use my knowledge of the lore to create new potential situations, tensions, even villains, if I could. Just like every other fanfic writer.
So I began writing those imaginings down, simply because I wanted to read them myself. I had zero aspirations beyond telling stories based in that world that wouldn't leave me alone.
Once completed, I began publishing my works over on AO3. I was a little shy at first, like I was doing something nefarious by the dark of the moon. I'd spent most of my adult life insistent that I should be paid for my words, and now I was sharing them for free.
But the more I posted, and the more I read the works of my friends and others within the fandom, I just felt proud. I was reminded again of how proficient fanfiction writers can be. And while it's true that, yes, the writing proficiency of a few AO3 posters I encountered demonstrated a somewhat shaky and colorful grasp on actual sentence structure, the vast majority of the works I read ranged from competent to lyrical, startling, and better than the latest books that filled my Kindle.
And all of it was fantastically imaginative. I was exhilarated at the sheer range of ideas and stories, at the collisions of fandoms and fictional universes. If you want to dive into a story in which Buffy Summers takes part in the Mass Effect universe, or where Leia has a fling with The Iron Bull or Spock, or where Legolas falls in love with Gimli, or Tony Stark, or Captain Hook, or Jaal... AO3 is the place for you.
Me, I was having a blast. I loved returning to fiction writing, and finding that the lamp had always been lit in that window, waiting for me to come back home. Just watching those chapters rack up week after week, much less getting reader comments and interactions, gave me a security and satisfaction I hadn't felt in years.
The works I posted meant something to me, and I was genuinely proud of them. Not only did they complement my attempts to build a point of view for myself in the Dragon Age and fandom communities, but they were exhilarating and fun. Incensed when Solas actually dumped my poor Inquisitor, I wrote a silly fanfic play about her desire to drink herself silly and take petty revenge), then surprised myself with a Dragon Age: Origins novella, and then over the past year have further been publishing a full-length Dragon Age: Inquisition AU novel that's now 75% posted (48 chapters and 156,411 words so far). In creating and posting the novel over the past year (entitled The Breakers and the Broken), I've worked with a terrific beta editor, the invaluable Eryn Earls, who's every bit as talented as those I've worked with in professional publishing, and whose input has saved me from errors, repetitions, and egregious out-of-character moments, and overall, improved my fiction as only the best editors can.
Unexpected Outcomes
So that's my story. Over the past year, thanks to Dragon Age and AO3, I suddenly found myself a writer again, the way I'd envisioned it when I was young. I wasn't just a cold wordsmith, connecting phrases for press releases and brochures, I was writing nonfiction with heart and imagination, and writing fiction—fanfiction or not—that energized and challenged me.
Fanfiction gets a bad rap, and it's undeserved. But it hasn't only resurrected my writing soul, the entire experience has completely revitalized my fiction, both commercially and artistically. And on a commercial level, my fanfics have led people directly to my other stuff, and I have sold more works on Amazon in the past year than in the previous five combined.
And on a personal level, I'm doing the best writing of my life, I'm writing with a richer and more mature voice. I've challenged myself and evolved in the stories I'm telling, even if they're about characters I didn't invent. And (best of all) I've found an audience for my work, and gotten the encouragement I needed at a low point creatively.
Getting Back the Dreams
Sometimes writing can be tough because it's a solitary endeavor, one in which we hunch over a keyboard or pad of paper and transcribe our dreams or nightmares, then send them out into a silent universe. No longer. AO3 means readers echo back, asking questions, starting dialogues, arguing points, sending kudos. Because of the serial nature of the fanfic posting process, as with blogging, I'll often get reactions from people on social media with surprising rapidity. In addition, I participate in closed social media groups with other Dragon Age fanfiction writers (many of whom are far more prolific and successful than I am), and they not only provide community, support, criticism, and reassurance, but they too report a similar sense of joy at the organic way writers and readers interact on AO3. There's nothing like knowing you have an audience, right now, that is waiting for your next update (or, best of all, asking impatiently, "What happens next?").
Fanfiction has given me that. And nobody will understand this better than my fellow fanfic writers out there.
So I'm proud of AO3's Hugo Nomination. I'm proud to be a fanfic writer, too, and no matter what else I create in my own original fiction going forward, I plan on continuing to write fanfiction too, just for the spark it gives me. It has improved my craft, given me a readership, and inspired me when I needed it most. It has also further enhanced my enjoyment of the fandom communities I love.
Besides, to bring it all full circle, I have this great idea for a new Dragon Age/Anne Rice crossover. (I'm thinking... what if the vampire Lestat ended up at the masked ball at Halamshiral and wreaked a little havoc? Imagine the possibilities!)
Thanks for letting me ramble. I'll see you in my dreams!
Labels: Anne Rice, AO3, Archive of Our Own, Breakers and the Broken, Dragon Age, Dumped Drunk and Dalish, fanfiction, Hugo Awards, Iron Bull, Organization for Transformative Works, Queen of the Damned, Solas, Tolkien
Isewein June 15, 2019 at 1:42 PM
This actually is my favourite blog on fiction on the internet. Thank you for writing these thoughtful and entertaining pieces. Be blessed! :)
Angela D. Mitchell February 22, 2022 at 7:19 AM
Thank you so much, Isewein, and I'm so sorry to just see your comment years later! But that means so much to me, and I'm so happy my work and blog mean so much to you. That's my entire reason for writing it.
I hope you're well out there despite this very strange world we find ourselves in.
"Dragon Age: Dreadwolf" Predictions & Ponderings (and "What's in a Name?" Redux)
He doesn't call, he doesn't write, but finally, it looks like we might be hearing from Solas at last (2023?), as BioWare announces t...
The Last, Worst Date (or, My Boyfriend Left Me in a Swamp and All I Got was This Stupid Wyvern T-Shirt)
SOLAS: I was trying to determine some way to show you what you mean to me. So I am going to get a few smoochies, grab your highly toned el...
Dragon Age Playlists (for Dragon Age Inquisition Characters)
Like most of us, I'm a sucker for music. And I was recently sharing Solas Spotify playlists with my friend and fellow Dragon Age Day fou...
The Ultimate Dragon Age Timeline: From Ancient Age to Dragon Age, the Complete Thedas Tale of Years
And here it is—my attempt at a Tolkien-style Tale of Years, in its entirety, for the world of Thedas! SPOILER WARNING : Pretty much ev...
Angela D. Mitchell
I love great fiction, from literature, to TV, film, and gaming, and am especially passionate about fantasy, science fiction, and the search for magic in our daily lives.
I'm the author of several works of fantasy that you can purchase for your Kindle now, including The Bridge, Falada, Dancing Days, and The Betrayals of Women—learn more at my Amazon author page (and if you like what you read, please do leave a review!). I also write Dragon Age columns on occasion for The Fandomentals.
Meanwhile, thanks for visiting, sharing and commenting—I'll look forward to your insights!
The following spectacular people and groups have shown an incredible amount of support and encouragement for my blog and channels, and I appreciate it more than I can express:
Stephanie Kazamek
The Inquisition Legacy
ImaSithDuh
Julie Taube
LethallanTV
Jacky Chen
Heather McAlister
Nikki Wright
Melissa McDuffee
Kyla Cottrell
Janine Hawkins
The Dragon Age Universe
Solavellan Hell
This is by no means a complete list, so please accept my heartfelt thanks to all of you who support, visit, read and talk about my posts! I don't take it for granted.
Beautiful Solas art by @LethallanTV
Useful Dragon Age Lore Analyses
The Ultimate Dragon Age Timeline
Your Ultimate Map to Skyhold
The Complete Guide to the Dalish Vallaslin (and Their Potential Meanings)
Meet the Evanuris (The Dalish Origins of the Elven Pantheon)
Meet the Evanuris Pt 2: The Mother, the Spirit, and the War of the Gods
The Wounded Veil (May 2019 Update)
TEVINTER NIGHTS Analysis: Three Trees to Midnight
TEVINTER NIGHTS Analysis: The Horror of Hormak
TEVINTER NIGHTS Analysis: Callback
TEVINTER NIGHTS Analysis: The Dread Wolf Take You
From Companions to Advisors: How Inquisition Raised the Stakes
Through the Eluvians: Recaps, Overviews, Explorations with Artifacts
Everything Changes: Examining 'In Your Heart Shall Burn'
'In Your Heart Shall Burn,' Part 2: Finding Haven
Beds, Bedrooms, and Where Everybody Sleeps
Everybody Sings! The Importance of 'The Dawn Will Come'
Faith and Dragon Age: The Herald, the Mark, and the Question of Belief
The Real Question for Dragon Age 4
The Hidden Secrets of Solas's Frescoes
Sing a Song of Solas (Solas Dialogue and "Hallelujah")
Fen'Harel Meets Mythal: Deconstructing DAI's Final, Crucial Scene
Dragon Age Trailer Analyses
DA4 "The Dread Wolf Rises" Teaser: Pt 1
DA4 Teaser Trailer (Aug 2020): "Behind the Scenes" Shot by Shot
DA4 Game Awards Teaser Pt 1: Shot by Shot Analysis
DA4 Game Awards Teaser Pt 2: Varric's Role in DA4
Dragon Age Interviews and Transcripts
BioWare Friends Answer our Silliest Questions (2021 Dragon Age Day Edition)!
'Managing the Words': Interview with Patrick Weekes and Karin Weekes, Part 1 (Dragon Age Day 2019)
Soft Retcons and Krogan Valentines... (Dragon Age Day Interview with Patrick and Karin Weekes, Part 2)
Chatting with the Weekeses, Part 3: Romances, Life in Thedas, and Talkative Felines
Castles, Fennecs, and Player Engagement (Talking with the Weekeses, Part 4)
Sylvia Feketekuty Answers Silly Questions for Dragon Age Day 2020!
Sheryl Chee Gets Silly for Dragon Age Day
Steve Spohn Able Gamers Interview (Dragon Age Day 2019)
Mary Kirby and Brianne Battye Conquer the Questionnaire (Dragon Age Day 2019)
Freddie, David & Mike: Deconstructing the NYU Game Center Interview
Brianne Battyle Answers our Silliest Questions (and Some Serious Ones, Too)
Asa Roos Gives the Scoop!
'Into the Storm' with Inon Zur (Dragon Age Day 2019 Interview)
26 Burning Questions with BioWare's John Epler... (Dragon Age Day 2019)
Dragon Age Audio Wizard Presley Hynes Shares Even More Silly Answers...
Solas: Character, Goals, Romance
The Quiet Apostate: Romancing Solas, Pt. 1
Solas's Romance, Part 2: Flirting with the Dread Wolf
Love, Lies and Kisses in the Fade: Solas's Romance, Part 3
Ar Lath Ma, Vhenan: Solas's Romance, Part 4
The Last, Worst Date (Solas's Romance, Part 5)
Solas, Bull and the King's Gambit: A Little Game of Mind-Chess
What's in a Name? Redefining Solas
Skyhold: The Gift of a Castle
Wolf and Demon, God and Man: The Many Faces of Solas
The Gift of Hindsight: Solas on the Brink
The Parallel and Paradox of "In Hushed Whispers"
Solas and the Waking Nightmare
Reader Questions: Kill or Redeem (Sympathy for the Dread Wolf)
Reader Questions: God or No God?
Meaningful Banters: Companions Suspect Solas
Meaningful Banters: Solas and Sera
Meaningful Banters: Cole and Solas Netflix & Chill
Meaningful Banters: "He Dumped Me!" (A Real-Life Post-Solas Discussion)
It's Been Three Years, and I Still Love Solas
Dances with Dread Wolves: Solas's Secret Mission at Halamshiral
A Taste of Lies and Sorrows... Talking with Solas After the Arbor Wilds
Meaningful Banters: All the Times Solas Gives Himself Away
Iron Bull and the Qun
An Implement of Destruction: Forging the Iron Bull
Actor, Lover, Soldier, Spy: The Iron Bull at Skyhold
Sten of the Beresaad (Meaningful Banters)
Meaningful Banters: Dog and Sten, Crime-Fighting Duo
Meaningful Banters: "I'm Onto You" (or All the Times Bull Knew What was Up)
Solas, Bull, and the King's Gambit: A Little Game of Mind-Chess
The Inquisitor's Seduction: Romancing the Iron Bull, Part 1
Waiting for Katoh: Romancing the Iron Bull, Part 2
Meaningful Banters: Tied and Tantalized (Companions on the Iron Bull's Romance)
The Blows of the Chisel: Your Place in the Qun (Asit tal-eb, Part 1)
The Incorruptible Warrior: Sten Introduces the Qun (Asit tal-eb, Part 2)
Romancing the Arishok (Asit tal-eb, Part 3)
The Lies of the Qun (My Case for Bull as an Unreliable Narrator)
The Temptation of Hissrad: The Demands of the Qun, Part 1
Bull's Blind Spot: The Demands of the Qun, Part 2
Meaningful Banters: Cole and Bull after "Demands of the Qun"
The Spy Who Never Loved Me: Romancing the Iron Bull, Part 3
Friends, Enemies, Companions (Analyses)
The Warden and the King: Analyzing Alistair
Defending Fiona
Demons and Archangels: The Journey of Cullen Rutherford
Meaningful Banters: Sera and Solas
Merrill, Mirrors and Might-Have-Beens...
Meaningful Banters: Sten of the Beresaad
Morrigan: The Loneliest Hedge Witch
Sera and Andruil: Echoes of the Huntress
Spirit, Lost Boy and Ghost of the Spire: Portrait of Cole
The Princess Warrior: Cassandra Pentaghast
The Reunion of Flemeth and Morrigan: Witches, Mothers and Daughters
The Secrets of Master Tethras
Why Mages are Feared: The Creation of Anders
Flights of Fancy, Silly Stuff and Personal Updates
Celebrating Dragon Age Day 4... and the Risk (and Thrill) When You Take a Leap
The Ballad of Fen'Harel
The State of Dumped, Drunk and Dalish—and Upcoming Expanded Content!
Adventures in Lockdown
Dragon Age Answers to the Batman Question... (NSFW)
Jim's Fanfics, Bull's Blog, and Cole's Tweets...
What Dragon Age Means to Me
You're Welcome (Moana Parody, now by Solas)
'Twas the Night Before Wintersend (A Visit from Ashe'bellanar...)
The Low Place in the Hedge: How Gaming Saved Me
Additional Dragon Age Analyses (Alphabetical)
Playing the Dragon Age RPG (and Gathering Your Party)
Fairytale Romances and Dragon Age
Sex and Romance in Dragon Age: Beyond the Fairytale
Trespasser Turns 4: 10 Favorite Moments
Mysterious Answers from Solas, Cole, and The Iron Bull!
Ranking the Quests in Dragon Age: Origins
The All-Time Most Romantic Dragon Age Moments
The Paradox of the Wounded Veil
Read My Fanfics, Outside Articles, and Reviews of my Works
Dumped, Drunk and Dalish (Devastated in Dumptown, or the Inquisitor's Post-Solas Tavern Crawl)
The Breakers and the Broken (DAI AU novel)
The Cages of Our Choosing (DAO Novella)
The Light of Seere (DA2 Short Story)
Neinty-Nein Sendings (A Critical Role Short Story)
The Wind Beneath the Stars (A Critical Role Short Story)
WRITER'S DIGEST: Rolling the Dice: 5 Ways D&D and "Critical Role" Made Me a Better Storyteller
SF SIGNAL: MIND MELD: A Spacecraft of One's Own
Girls Hack The World In "Halt And Catch Fire"
The Heart Is A Lonely Manhunter (Rewatching Hannibal Season 1)
My Performing Arts Columns (LiveAbout)
"The Beauty and The Bridge" ("THE BRIDGE" Review), John Dodds (ADVENTURES IN SCIFI PUBLISHING)
FALADA Review, THIS IS MY WORLD (Nerine Dorman)
Dragon Age Fandom Links...
Dragon Age Day 2021
The Dragon Age Wiki
Ghil Dirthalen (YouTube)
Project Elvhen (Note: Some NSFW)
BioWare on Twitter
Matthew Goldman on Twitter
Mark Darrah on Twitter
Alix Wilton Regan on Twitter
Patrick Weekes on Twitter
David Gaider on Twitter
Mary Kirby on Twitter
Sumalee Montano on Twitter
Freddie Prinze Jr. on Twitter
Mike Laidlaw on Twitter
Karin Weekes on Twitter
Ben Gelinas on Twitter
John Epler on Twitter
Gareth David-Lloyd on Twitter
Allegra Clark on Twitter
Nick Thornborrow on Twitter
Jon Curry on Twitter
Adoribull Addicts (Facebook)
Solavellan Hell (Facebook)
Andrastini (YouTube)
Lethallan TV (YouTube)
Exalted March (YouTube)
Gourmet Vegan Thedas
TV Tropes (Dragon Age: Origins)
All articles © Angela D. Mitchell. All images courtesy of BioWare. Watermark theme. Powered by Blogger.


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Home Uncategorized FAZ CLARIFIES KIT DISTRIBUTION
FAZ CLARIFIES KIT DISTRIBUTION
Lusaka Sun
THE kit distribution exercise by FAZ should not be confused with campaigns for the 2020 elections, says president Andrew Kamanga.
Kamanga said that the kit distribution was a programme that was approved by the FAZ council at the 2017 annual general meeting (AGM).
He explained that FAZ was conducting kit distribution exercise throughout Zambia for the second time after the resolution passed by delegates at the annual general meeting in 2017.
Speaking during the Copperbelt provincial executive on Saturday, Kamanga further advised aspirants for the 2020 elections to pay attention to the provisions of the FIFA aligned constitution that provided for an integrity test.
"In the resolutions of the AGM in 2017 we committed as an executive to give equipment support to all the clubs in Division II and III as well as women teams that we will give them some footballs, a set of jerseys or two as well as a K5, 000,
"Of course there are others still complaining but I think the rules are very clear, this is one of the promises we made when we were campaigning that the money that is coming from FIFA will be distributed and shared with everybody who is a member of FAZ," said Kamanga
Kamanga said some people were disappointed that his executive was delivering on their pledges.
"Let us be open minded and accept that we know where we are coming from and we know what we are doing and know where we are going, So these suspicions should not even arise," he said.
He further said that some of the people were not happy that whatever he promised to do, was now happening.
Kamanga advised some prospective candidates to read the FAZ constitution so that their campaigns were not in vain.
He said that the Ethics Committee would conduct integrity tests on all candidates.
"So as we go to the elections next year, those who have already started campaigning please take note of the provisions of the Ethics Committee or what the requirements are because you may also find that you are working very hard on the ground and then unfortunately fail the integrity test,
"Also issues on of corruption please note the constitution is very clear, when you want to make a donation to a club, there is a limit of $25 dollars. Anything above that will be treated as corruption for both those who are going receive and those giving," he said
FAZ has been distributing equipment and footballs to lower divisions during its provincial conferences which it had so far held in six provinces.
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According to the SAHRC website, the commission has initiated Equality Court proceedings against the farm-owner and his family.
On 9 December, the family allegedly forced an employee to drink litres of faecal matter, before allegedly attempting to drown him in a septic tank on their farm.
It was also alleged that the farm in question has been the site of continuous human rights violations.
On 31 January, the commission was alerted to the incident via media reports.
The commission will be acting in a representative capacity for the worker, who is seeking an unconditional public apology and monetary compensation for his ordeal.


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About CFI
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Coaching for systems change
Deep Collaboration webinar: Nation-building and Negotiations
Deep Collaboration
What it takes to collaborate in conversations about January 26, truth-telling, treaties and constitutional reform. The webinar will be convened by Grant Paulson with panel speakers Mark Yettica-Paulson, Dr Josephine Bourne and Liz Skelton.
https://collaborationforimpact.com/listing/lost-conversations-2022/
12pm-1.30pm AEDT
Deep Collaboration webinar 2022
Nation-building and Negotiations: what it takes to collaborate in conversations about January 26, truth-telling, treaties and constitutional reform
Due to the ongoing impacts of colonisation, Jan 26 can be at best a missed opportunity to have conversations we should have about identity, history and belonging, and at worst yet another traumatising experience for First Nations and other Australian allies. Using the platform of January 26, we are offering opportunities to engage in conversations that would otherwise be lost.
The yearly conversations about January 26 represent a classic arena for Lost Conversations.
A Lost Conversation is a dialogue that we never get around to discussing. It is a conversation that we feel should happen, but somehow never find the right conditions or opportunity to have. Like trying to connect the ends of magnets that do not want to meet, lost Conversations are things that we don't, or feel we can't, discuss, and therefore, we never do.
This year conversations about January 26 will be significant as we move closer to state-based treaty processes and national processes of truth-telling, and constitutional reform. When you add a federal election, ongoing COVID-19 disruptions along with economic and environmental concerns into the mix, it becomes a grand stage for conversations we should have, but don't.
In this webinar, we will be discussing how supporters of First Nations and social justice can navigate the conversation spaces of nation-building, reconciliation, truth-telling, treaties and constitutional reform. We will challenge you to identify and think about the roles or voices that predictably offer opinions on January 26. Using the practice of Deep Collaboration, we will explore how to not only identify these roles but also how to take steps to change the tone of the conversation around you.
By the end of the webinar, participants will have a better understanding of
the roles that come up in conversations around 26 January, truth-telling, treaties and constitutional reform
how these roles help us to have a conversation
how Deep Collaboration can help with navigating these conversations
By the end of the webinar, participants will feel ready to
step into the lost conversation and take up individual and collective power
By the end of the webinar, participants will leave
with a plan of things you can do 26 January and beyond to step into the lost conversations
Join us as we explore the work to be done by First Nations communities, allies and other stakeholders to address the Lost Conversations of January 26 and beyond in 2022.
This webinar is for anyone interested in finding better ways to work and lead together, with First Nations and other multi-cultural Australians including:
People new working in this space what to know what the first steps are to take
First Nations practitioners in nation-building, reconciliation facilitation and leadership development
Allies for First Nations movements and social justice
Supporters for current processes impacting First Nations people, specifically treaties, truth-telling and constitutional reform
Seasoned facilitators still get stuck when trying to speak to things undiscussable – They wish someone would give advice on that
CFI garners a culture of inclusivity and can provide some reasonable adjustments (closed captioning, providing materials beforehand, etc) for participants to attend a virtual workshop.
How will it be held?
The webinar format will allow for participants to hear from a variety of panel speakers, have the opportunity to ask questions, and have time to explore their reflections and ideas for action in small groups. We hope this format will allow participants to feel brave enough to share their ideas freely in a safe space, receive feedback on and improve their ideas, and ultimately increase their understanding, confidence and therefore the likelihood of action.
Accessibility and technology requirements
Participants will be required to download zoom and chrome to be able to participate
Internet access is required to participate
We recommend participants use a Desktop PC or Mac, or laptop whilst participating (rather than a mobile phone)
We encourage participants to use their video throughout
90-minute webinar
20 January, 12pm-1.30pm AEDT
You can find more information on Deep Collaboration here and download a free copy of Lost Conversations.
Watch the recordings of the 2021 three-part series of Addressing Australia's Lost Conversations here.
Grant Paulson - Development Specialist at World Vision Australia
Grant Paulson is the descendant of the Birriah, Bunjalung and Kamilaroi peoples. Grant is a co-author of Lost Conversation and is an associate of the Collaboration for Impact network and deep collaboration. Grant also works for World Vision Australia as a Faith and Development Technical Advisor in the Australian First Nations Program and has a strong commitment to participant lead development and social change.
Dr Josephine Bourne - Research Fellow (Indigenous), School of Political Science and International Studies, University of Queensland
Dr Josephine Bourne is a mainland Torres Strait Islander, born in Townsville, North Queensland. She is a Gumulgal woman of Mabuiag Island through her father's ancestral line with links to Moa Island. On her mothers line Josephine's ancestry links to Badu, Mer and Dawar Islands. Her research interests focus on governance, leadership and organisational development by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples. Josephine's knowledges stems from her professional experiences in national Indigenous governance, organisational development and Indigenous youth leadership development.
Mark Yettica-Paulson - Practice Lead, Deep Collaboration
An Indigenous leader from the South East Queensland and North East NSW regions, Mark Yettica-Paulson was formerly the Strategic Business Manager and key presenter for Australians Together's workshops and presentations. Mark brings decades of wisdom from his career in leadership development and community education across the corporate and government sectors. He has advised organisations such as NAB, the AFL, Medibank Australia, Australia Post and The Foundation for Young Australians.
Liz Skelton - Co-Director, Collaboration for Impact
Liz is Director and co-founder of Collaboration for Impact (CFI). With over 25 years' experience leading social change, Liz began her career leading NGOS's in Scotland and Australia before co-leading the establishment and growth of a national social leadership learning organisation Social Leadership Australia. Liz is an author and teacher of leadership for systems change, and has co-authored two books: "The Australian Leadership Paradox: What it takes to lead in the Lucky Country", with Geoff Aigner, published by Allen & Unwin in 2013, and "Lost conversations: Finding new ways for black and white Australians to lead together" launched in November 2014 co-authored with a group of Indigenous and non-Indigenous leaders.
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Our calendar for the 2021-2022 Learning Program is evolving so keep checking for more details.
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Related learning & resources
2021 Deep Collaboration Intensive – Practice and Awareness for Facilitating Collaboration with First Nations and other Australians
08 September - 25 November 2021
9am - 5pm AEST x 6 days
Online workshop series
$3,200 / $2,600 NFP / $2,400 Groups (+GST)
Addressing Australia's Lost Conversations Series
Systems change
Collaborative Change – how to get started
9am - 5pm AEDT
$700 / $590 NFP / $490 Groups (+GST)
enquiries@collaborationforimpact.com
We acknowledge the resilience, knowledge, wisdom and teachings of the oldest living culture on our planet and pay our respects to all First Nations Elders past, present and emerging.
© Collaboration for Impact 2022
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Free tools and resources for your systems change journey.
Resources for First Nations and other multi-cultural Australians leading together.


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The Hunger Games: Songs from District 12 and Beyond
Country2012FolkAlternative rockIndie rock
Taylor Alison Swift is an American singer-songwriter. Her narrative songwriting, which often takes inspiration from her personal life, has received widespread critical praise and media coverage. Swift debuted as a country singer, but eventually incorporated and moved into other genres, including (but not limited to) pop rock, synth-pop, electro-pop, dance pop, folk pop, and indie folk.
Born in West Reading, Pennsylvania, Swift relocated to Nashville, Tennessee, in 2004 to pursue a career in country music. Read Full BioTaylor Alison Swift is an American singer-songwriter. Her narrative songwriting, which often takes inspiration from her personal life, has received widespread critical praise and media coverage. Swift debuted as a country singer, but eventually incorporated and moved into other genres, including (but not limited to) pop rock, synth-pop, electro-pop, dance pop, folk pop, and indie folk.
Born in West Reading, Pennsylvania, Swift relocated to Nashville, Tennessee, in 2004 to pursue a career in country music. She broke into the country music scene with her eponymous debut studio album, "Taylor Swift", in 2006, which included the singles "Teardrops on My Guitar" and "Our Song". Swift also released the holiday album, Sounds of the Season: The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection, later titled as "The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection", in October 2007.
Swift rose to mainstream prominence with her second studio album, "Fearless" (2008), a country pop record with crossover appeal. Aided by the top-five singles "Love Story" and "You Belong with Me", Fearless was certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Swift's third studio album, "Speak Now" (2010), blended country pop with elements of rock and featured the top-ten singles "Mine" and "Back to December".
Drawing inspiration from various pop, rock, and electronic genres, Swift's fourth studio album "Red" (2012) saw her transcending her country roots. She completely moved to pop with her synth-pop fifth studio album, "1989" (2014), and expanded the electropop sound on her next two studio albums, "reputation" (2017) and "Lover" (2019), which respectively embraced urban and retro styles. The four albums spawned a string of international top-five singles, including "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together", "I Knew You Were Trouble", "Shake It Off", "Blank Space", "Bad Blood", "Look What You Made Me Do", "Me!" and "You Need to Calm Down". Swift experimented with folk and alternative rock on her eighth and ninth studio albums, "folklore" and "evermore" (both 2020), whose lead singles "cardigan" and "willow" topped charts around the world. She also released the critically acclaimed documentaries Miss Americana and Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions that year.
Swift began re-recording her back catalog in November 2020, as a result of a publiscized dispute with talent manager Scooter Braun and her former label Big Machine, regarding the acquisition of the masters of her back catalog. In February 2021, Swift released a re-recorded issue of her 2008 album Fearless, titled "Fearless (Taylor's Version)". The album was preceded by "Love Story (Taylor's Version)", the re-recorded version of her original 2008 rendition, and two new tracks, "You All Over Me" with Maren Morris and "Mr. Perfectly Fine". It debuted at number one in the US.
Swift has released several songs for film soundtracks. She co-wrote two songs for the Hannah Montana: The Movie soundtrack— "You'll Always Find Your Way Back Home" and "Crazier", and contributed two songs to the Valentine's Day soundtrack, including the single "Today Was a Fairytale", which was her first number one on the Canadian Hot 100, and peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100. She also contributed two original songs to The Hunger Games soundtrack album: "Safe & Sound", co-written and recorded with The Civil Wars and T-Bone Burnett, and "Eyes Open". "Safe & Sound" won the Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media and was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song. In 2013, Swift recorded "Sweeter than Fiction", a song she wrote and produced with Jack Antonoff for the One Chance film soundtrack, which received a Best Original Song nomination at the 71st Golden Globe Awards. Swift and English singer Zayn Malik, mononymously known as Zayn, released a single together, "I Don't Wanna Live Forever", for the soundtrack of the film Fifty Shades Darker (2017). She also recorded an original song called "Beautiful Ghosts", which she wrote with Andrew Lloyd Webber for the Cats's soundtrack (2019). In 2020, Swift's documentary Miss Americana featured the song "Only the Young" which was written after the 2018 United States elections.
With sales of over 200 million records worldwide, Swift is a best-selling music artist. Her accolades include 11 Grammy Awards (including three Album of the Year wins), two Brit Awards (including a Global Icon award), an Emmy Award, 28 [https://guinnessworldrecords.com/]Guinness World Records, 32 American Music Awards (the most wins by an artist), and 23 Billboard Music Awards (the most wins by a woman). She ranked eighth on Billboard's Greatest of All Time Artists Chart (2019) and was listed on Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time (2015). Swift has been included in various power rankings, such as Time's annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world (2010, 2015 and 2019) and Forbes Celebrity 100 (placing first in 2016 and 2019). She was named Woman of the Decade (2010s) by Billboard and Artist of the Decade (2010s) by the American Music Awards.
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text:
The Widowing of Mrs. Holroyd is a play by the English writer D. H. Lawrence. It was written in 1911 and the revised version was published in 1914 by Duckworth & Co. in London and Mitchell Kennerley in New York. It is the dramatisation of Lawrence's short story "Odour of Chrysanthemums".

Plot introduction
Mrs. Holroyd is married to a loutish miner, who drinks, apparently patronizes prostitutes, and apparently brutalizes her. When a gentlemanly neighbor makes romantic advances to her, she wishes her husband dead. Sooner than she hoped, her wish comes true—when her husband dies in a mining accident.

When Charles Holroyd's body is brought home from the mine, and his wife and mother must wash him and lay him out for his funeral, we see for the first time the other side of the relationship between Mr. and Mrs. Holroyd—now, when it's too late.

Real life connection
As in many of Lawrence's works there is a real life connection to The Widowing of Mrs. Holroyd. Even though his uncle had been killed in a pit accident before Lawrence was born, the story would be told often in the family. The real life 'Mrs. Holroyd' was in fact his aunt Polly, who "lived in a tiny cottage just up the line from the railway crossing at Brinsley, near Eastwood." Lawrence may have borrowed the surname from the company that his elder brother Ernest worked for in London: John Holroyd and Company. However, the personal experience of the issues that are discussed in the play, such as the drunken miner's evening absence and the mother's scornful hate are the experiences of his own mother and father rather than his aunt's family's.

References

External links

1914 plays
Plays by D. H. Lawrence


text:
Almost Everybody Is Hurting, John Lee.
If it wasn't the muddling read that it is, there was hope for the creative community in Hong Kong when the headline in today's South China Morning Post screamed out "LEE PROMISES GLOBAL TALENT DRIVE".
The sub-head was, "Chief Executive says he will detail innovation plans in maiden policy address amid brain drain fears".
For a nanu second, thoughts of former Hong Kong government mouthpiece in the form of the ubiquitous and, say some, usefully useless Duncan Pescod with his big and bold announcement for a "global search" for someone to head up CreateHK crossed my mind.
https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3103745/outgoing-chief-west-kowloon-cultural-district This "global search" ended up with the unknown and dithering Jerry Liu. How? Why?
And what exactly has CreateHK ever done for the Hong Kong creative community?
Below today's headline in the SCMP with the realisation that Hong Kong is suffering from creative menopause and constipation, was this: "Emigration wave sees 113,200 leave the city in 12 months", an increase of 1.3 departures compared to the year before.
Relatively new Chief Executive John Lee has inherited a dog's breakfast though some argue that having worked under the hapless housewife, who has now conveniently disappeared, he was part of the problem.
Personally, I don't subscribe to this thinking.
With his background in Security, I would assume that John Lee's priority is the safety of Hong Kong, still one of the safest cities in the world, and then, with his team, fix the massive potholes that are tripping people up.
Leadership comes from the top. It always has. Good leadership. I have lived and worked in Hong Kong long enough to know how underlings suffer from acute shrinkage and resort to shameless shoe-shining when confronted with what could be termed Bully Boy authority figures.
From everything I know, John Lee is not a bully, he is his own man, and, hopefully, he has a diverse enough Think Tank where new voices are not only given the platform to be heard, but also the freedom and support to present and offer things other than new additions to Ocean Park and Disneyland.
We've heard ideas like these ad infinitum for decades from the usual suspects and in exalted positions long past their Use By Dates.
As for stemming the tide of the Hong Kong brain drain, what I would ask John Lee is why there should be a "global search" for talent?
Surely, we should be trying to attract good Hong Kong talent BACK to Hong Kong AND to NURTURE the young creatives still LEFT in Hong Kong?
Why return to those times when many in Hong Kong imported under-qualified hires from overseas with good hair and natty suits, overlooked talent in their own backyard, and gave these often shallow newcomers to the city the keys to the kingdom along with exorbitant expat packages?
Again, the name Duncan Pescod flashes through my head- and others who were lucky enough to be holding Get Out Of Jail Free cards.
This was a time in the history of the city when many Hong Kong Belongers had to be subservient toadies and resigned to working in the back room- Hong Kong Chinese and certainly those, like myself, from minority groups.
Perhaps, I might not have been dealt a great hand when arriving in Hong Kong from Ceylon as a nine year old with parents without a cent to their names and not knowing their future, but, for whatever reason, someone sneaked me a few wild cards.
There was, for instance, Daniel Ng, who didn't listen to the naysayers and had the belief and vision to bring McDonald's to Hong Kong.
Daniel also trusted this Sri Lankan creative enough to help make his vision come true.
This led to other career opportunities...in music, in journalism and in marketing.
I might be an exception to the rule and feel extremely fortunate, yet sad, when I see talent, especially amongst minorities, ignored because of stereotyping and, well, racism.
Minorities in Hong Kong are not all domestic helpers, road workers, security guards and inexpensive covers musicians.
Who's helping change this stereotypical picture of minorities in Hong Kong into A Big Picture Alliance?
I know that I can.
For Hong Kong, right here and now, there's no time like the present to get things moving.
The airport remains an insane clown posse obstacle course and mine field whereas any form of quarantine is an anathema to tourism.
What's also sidestepped are the effects on one's mental health after hotel quarantine.
I am still going through a healing process before finding my sea legs and resetting my mind after a week in a tiny room by myself and where windows could not be opened, which meant there was no fresh air, and bedsheets were not changed.
What would happen if I got ill?
What if I decided to permanently check out?
Who should be sued?
Other than pulverising Hong Kong with more and more fear and rules and regulations, there's much more to do than "EASING RESTRICTIONS".
Speaking of which, is there some secret elitism deal attached to quarantine hotel rules? Hmmmm.
For the government, its job is to convince Hong Kong that they're in the hands of a trustworthy and genuinely empathetic government.
This sure wasn't the case when being treated like peasants by the hapless housewife in Le Bastille.
More than anything else, Hong Kong- all of Hong Kong-especially the children- wishes to be inspired and motivated- in all the many meanings of those two words.
Hong Kong people don't wish to be treated like incurable patients- not even the elitists in our midst- and just surviving but not living.
As Michael Stipe sang, "Everybody Hurts".
#hongkong #johnlee #creativity #braindrain #empathy #hotelquarantine #leadership #HKBelongers #minorities #teamwork #hansebert
Hotel Quarantine
HK Belongers