Here’s my second set of watercolors, which is nothing more than evidence that I’ve been plugging away at this new art for 6 weeks now!
Some failures, and some successes, but I am beginning to see how long of a road this will be, and I’m alright traveling it.
I’ll attempt to take advantage of Chris Lott’s invitation to join the Motley Readers this month as they work through James Joyce’s “Dubliners”. I say “attempt” not because I may be too motley for this crew (though that thought may surely cross some minds–especially after that pun), but to be realistic: I have once again taken on too large a pile for my limited abilities this semester, and so the pleasures of literature will be postponed as required.
In addition to a number of digital media for sharing reflections on our reading, one group member suggested physical post cards, mailed to any members of the group. Though I also intend to make a few meatier blog posts here, post cards grant a fine chance for me to send a little mail to friends, near strangers, and complete unknowns. When I do send post cards I think I will focus on darkest or brightest observation(s) in a given story, and may indulge my latent interest in art to sketch part of a story. I’m less excited to have my postcards be received than I am to see my postcards as part of a larger collection that Chris intends to compile.
Regardless of how much I share during the month, I do plan to read all 15 stories, which means I need to tackle 4 a week, like this:
P.S. I was inclined to own the Norton Critical Edition of “Dubliners”, but opted for an edition that is hardbound, a little more compact and, for now, less intellectually overpowering. I just received my generally clean (though imprecisely described) Modern Library edition (1954 reprint) for the same price off of ABE Books:
Not to get too far afield, but I like the economy of older Modern Library editions in general. In the case of “Dubliners” there are several printings. The first is a bit hard to find–indeed, I couldn’t find a copy that was intact, in good condition, not price-clipped, that was worth buying. The dust jacket on these early printings is more elegant than the 1954 printing which I settled for. There’s apparently an intermediate Modern Library edition printing bound in green (brown?) leatherette, but I couldn’t find an acceptable copy of that, either.
