“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.” Pablo Picasso
Hello all and welcome to my weekly journal. This week a look back at O.P, that’s Oscar Peterson, summer music festivals, books and more…
1. This week I celebrated the birth of one of the Canadian greats in jazz and piano, Oscar Peterson born; August 15, 1925, and passed away on December 23, 2007.
Peterson lives on in the music that he created and in his memorial the Oscar Peterson International Jazz Festival.
I hope to attend the next festival, scheduled for February. The last one was in Toronto, I attended that one and wrote about it too. You can check out parts of the performance on YouTube at Oscar Peterson Legacy .
2. This week my education continued with a fantastic documentary about mushrooms, entitled Fantastic Fungi.
My featured photo was taken at Inglis Falls. When I go back to visit I will be on the search for some fine fungi.
3. This week I did plenty of reading. I received a children’s book from author Ingo Blum and I read that in English and Italian because it’s a bilingual book. Read my review at Children’s Books.
I also came across a Canadian author who wrote a few books. In my exploration of a friends library, I found 3 books by Ruth Gaunt Bennett.
I have just read her first novel Where The Loons Call and I thought it was a great summer read, even though most of it takes place in the winter.
Her other books are Yorkshire Rose a novel and her autobiography, Adventures as a Muskoka Maid.
4. Do you do your morning pages? I write three pages of freehand and almost unreadable text every morning. My stream of consciousness, a form of meditation, a method to unlock creativity.
For the last six months, this writing practice has been a part of my morning ritual. I have found it helps to promote my inner child, my sense of adventure and it gives me a feeling of liberation.
5. Summer music festivals, virtual and in-person are happening all around the world. I must admit I am not comfortable with the way some organizations are handling these in-person events.
My respect to the artists who have cancelled or postponed concerts due to the rise in Covid19 and the Delta Variant.
Thank you for reading. If you think someone you know would enjoy my newsletter please share it with them. If you are looking for a great children’s book check out my new book, Samba in Brazil; Paperback version, on sale for a limited time.
Or one of my other books, Samba on a Snowy Day or the Brazilian/ Portuguese version Samba em um Dia de Neve.
Stay safe, stay well, stay strong and keep going.
Copyright © 2021 Paul Yanuziello, All rights reserved.