A poem, by Savanna Joseph

Savanna reminds me of tweety bird – she’s a pretty whacked-out, on her own trip, tree loving, sick surfing, long-legged Californian babe. Here’s her poem:

Way beyond the clouds
Elder planets cycle with our mother earth
around the sun
Flowing with time
providing us a home
…The tree leaves color and dance in the wind

and we trade breaths
we are alive and connected
Sprouting through the dirt
Waiting for the clouds to pass
We realize and Remember
The sun is shinning beyond the clouds
we ask from the trees
how to stay rooted in the wind
And they give
And those who dance or get cold
Must gather and hug close to the earth
…like leaves on the ground

Together we create a source of light and warmth
With the sun shinning way beyond the clouds
tend the fires with love and strength
And stay connected to the earth and each other
as we cycle around the sources of life.

Surf, Art, Music & Woodfired Pizza: Happy Days book launch to support local charity S4C – Surfers for Cetaceans

 Byron Bay, Australia: Surf art eco diary, Happy Days 2011, will enjoy an official launch at a special intimate evening on Wednesday December 8, 2010 at the Treehouse on Belongil in Byron Bay. All are welcome, admission is free.

“From the beginning, Happy Days has been about the beauty of the ocean, the joy, inspiration and energy we draw from it on one hand, and its vulnerability to pollution and human impact on the other,” says Happy Days Diary editor and publisher Marion Poehland. “With the book launch we’re inviting everyone to celebrate surfing and the ocean while raising funds for marine conservation organisation Surfers for Cetaceans (S4C).”

The evening will kick off around 6pm with two local musicians Barry Ferrier and Kellie Knight performing as a duo to set the scene for a special screening of world renown surf photographer Ted Grambeau’s latest mind-blowing works, including underwater images of whales, mermaid Hannah and surfer Dave Rastavich on the big screen.

Happy Days will donate 20% ($5) from every diary sold on the night, plus all proceeds from ticket sales for a hamper of goodies to be raffled off on the night directly to S4C.

Happy Days Diary 2011 features inspiring images by international surf photographers like Hilton Dawe, Ted Grambeau, and Steve Barolotti, alongside mindblowing photos and artworks by the likes of Celine Chat, Damian Fulton, Djuul Price, Frida Lezius, Heather Ritts, id-iom, James McMillan, Meegan Feori, and the tigapics collective to name a few.

Environmental consciousness places Happy Days Diary 2011 as a limited-edition run of 2000 copies, printed locally in Australia on Ecostar 100% recycled FSC certified paper with soy based inks.

The book launch will take place on Wednesday, December 8 at the Treehouse on Belongil, 25 Child Street, Byron Bay from 6pm.

For Media or Stockist Enquiries, Please Contact:
Marion Poeland
E: marion@happydaysdiary.com
M: 0423878006
W: http://www.happydaysdiary.com 

 
About Happy Day Diary
Happy Days Diary 2011 is a 200 page + surf art eco diary created by Marion Poehland. Collaborators involved in the project include photographers Angela Raab, biphop, Bob Barker, Christian Schwinghammer, CJ Lomo, Dan Naughton, Hatchling Productions, Hayley McBride, Hilton Dawe, Martin Nink, Mikala Wilbow, Rachel Bardin, Steve ‘Barlo’ Barilotti, Ted Grambeau, Thomas Braun. Artists include Celine Chat, Damian Fulton, Djuul Price, Frida Lezius, Heather Ritts, id-iom, James McMillan, Meegan Feori, the tigapics collective. Happy Days Diary 2011 is available for purchase in select book stores, art galleries, surf and eco stores, and online at www.happydaysdiary.com

Art house films, meet gamers

By Keri Algar

SYDNEY, NSW: Sony’s traditional gaming device, the PlayStation 3, has today opened itself up to a world of art house films that can be streamed from a web-based service called Mubi, giving consumers a very different reason to purchase a PS3.

Comedian Tom Gleeson hosted the unveiling last night, which he described as “flogging some software for Sony”, from the Chauvel Cinema in Sydney to a crowd where cinephiles by far outnumbered gamers. Gleeson was joined by actress Miranda Otto (Eowyn in The Lord of the Rings) and director Abe Forsythe (Shock, Being Carl Williams).

There are over 1 million PS3 users in Australia already, 63 per cent of which are connected to the PS network, according to Sony Entertainment MD Michael Ephraim. The clash of culture between art house film fans and gamers was batted aside by Ephraim who said broadening the potential audience can only be a good thing for Sony.

“We are excited to be partnering with such a unique and innovative film service, that will inspire our current fans and also bring a new community of film enthusiasts to the world of PlayStation,” said Ephraim. “Mubi is a fantastic addition to the PS3 on demand entertainment experience that stretches beyond great games and adds an exciting new layer to PlayStation Network’s film offering.”

Efe Cakarel, the charismatic creator of Mubi said the service would offer people the chance to watch films they could not otherwise find. “Bringing Mubi to PlayStation opens up the world of independent, foreign and classic films. It is about making great films fun and accessible, tearing away the mystique and letting members go on the most unexpected journeys,” said Cakarel in an exotic accent to match his name.

As well as a shot in the arm for the independent film industry, Mubi will widen the potential PS3 audience for Sony. As Cakarel said, “People will always pay for convenience and access.”

Downloading the Mubi app is free. Short films can be purchased for 7 days for RRP $1.75, feature-length films can be purchased for 7 days for RRP $6.25 or an unlimited 30-day subscription can be purchased for RRP $19.95. Mubi launched today in over 18 countries and is available to the 38 million PS3 units that have been sold globally.

A chat with author Steven Herrick

By Keri Algar

“Who cares about money? You should do a job because you love it.” That’s the opinion Brisbane born author, Steven Herrick, gives on his website.

Speaking on Skype from Italy, Herrick elaborates on his career as a writer. “I haven’t had a real job since I was…I can’t even remember, probably in my twenties. And I’ve never wanted any other job. If you do something you love doing you’ll probably get paid for it,” he says.

It’s the kind of classic ideal running through his latest young adult fiction, Slice: Juicy moments from my impossible life.

“I like to write books about teenagers who have to make choices in their lives. I like to show that there are more choices to be made than just the obvious,” Herrick says.

The author remembers his teenage years well. “I had a great time. I think it was because my parents didn’t put any pressure on me and I was allowed to make my own decisions,” he recalls.

In Slice, Herrick takes this carefree position and mixes it with typical teenage angst. The result is a string of sixteen year old Darcy’s hilarious (laugh out loud on the train commute) anecdotes. Darcy’s take on the world is humorous, but Herrick doesn’t think it hides the fact that they are serious issues for a teenager.

“Being sick after drinking too much, getting caught masturbating…they’re all incredibly funny for us now, but not at the time,” says Herrick, from Italy.

Darcy has a big mouth, which is what lands him in trouble most of the time. Between Darcy’s “premature enunciations,” his infatuation with the girl next door and the acerbic sarcasm used to describe the world as he sees it, Slice is sure to amuse.

It is an accessible book, easy to read, and will sit well with young adults.

Herrick reckons that the best humour of all is self-depreciating. “Yes…if you can see yourself in that light, then you’ve probably got a good hold on the world. And I think Darcy does it,” he says.

The picture of Herrick with a mullet on his website speaks for itself.

So what about some of the greater, or more serious challenges in life, can they always be met with humour? According to Herrick it’s a matter of perspective.

“Turning 50 years old, there’s no humour in that!” he laughs. “I guess it’s how you view things. If it’s a challenge it’s got to be a positive challenge, it’s got to be a good thing,” he adds.

Herrick describes Darcy as a boy who is coming to terms with himself and realising the sort of person he wants to be, and the sort of person he can be.

Speaking from the land of passionate people, the author concludes the conversation by offering a word of advice for all the Darcys: “follow your passion, and your passions will keep you young.”

Instructions, by Neil Gaiman

Instructions by Neil Gaiman and illustrated by Charles Vess

Bloomsbury, $24.99

Keri Algar

If you ever needed a set of instructions to navigate through one of Neil Gaiman’s fantasy worlds this is the book for you.

Gaiman has written his latest children’s book in keeping with what he is famous for: convoluted fantasies and a wicked imagination. In this story the reader is given recipe-like advice for travelling through a mysterious world of twisted oaks, peering eyes, and lurking gobblings.

Like most of Gaiman’s work the fairytale has a murky moodiness about it which will sit well with his die-hard fans. The illustrations add to the intrigue with images like a ferryman, who is seen from behind as a shadow and reminds one of the grim reaper.

The instructions take the reader through a door and into another realm, down a path, past a castle, over a river, and home again.

Like many children’s books the story offers a milieu of educational metaphors, from living courageously to the dangers of avarice and showing empathy. Yet despite being set in another world, some of the strong directive statements tend to strip the story of the wonderment and awe children’s books traditionally inspire.

It’s difficult to get a child’s imagination flowing with statements like “Favours will be returned, debts will be repaid. Do not forget your manners. Do not look back.” While an adult could take their pick of metaphors from every page of prose the advice tends to severe a child’s imagination rather than giving it room to grow.

The slightly adult theme and overall lack of warm fuzzies is occasionally intercepted by more gentle guidance such as “Ride the wise eagle (you shall not fall),” and “dragons have one soft spot, somewhere, always”. It tends to lift the mood a bit.

The curious fairytale winds up where it began and leaves the reader wondering whether to read it again.