Wanderer above the Sea of Fog

“Wanderer above the Sea of Fog" (c. 1818) by Caspar David Friedrich. One of my favorite oil paintings. From Wikipedia: “He looks down on an almost impenetrable sea of fog in the midst of a rocky landscape - a metaphor for life as an ominous journey into the unknown.” This iconic image is one of the inspirations for the latest series of poems that I’ve written, that will be appearing at the Close to The Bone webzine October 31st.

Close to The Bone

 

Catching Up

 A wind shear knocked out our power, a week ago, and it was fully restored today. So a few catch-up links of what was happening while I was away include my article Modern Western Films Written Better Than Ever at LitReactor. And remember I told you I had more to say about MAN OF THE WEST? Well, here I am at the Western Fictioneers with an appreciation for the Gary Cooper film along with a new poem. Lastly, speaking of poems, Close to The Bone webzine announced that they will be featuring four of my poems in what they are calling the 4.4. Very honored to say the least.

Okay, now I will zip around your blogs and see what I've been missing. 

Western Fictioneers: NEW RELEASE: UNDER WESTERN STARS

Western Fictioneers: NEW RELEASE: UNDER WESTERN STARS: If short stories are my first and best love, then short westerns are that magical summer affair that seems all too rare and fleeting. Firmly...

Writing to Music

I write to music, as I suspect many others do, too, and perhaps not just writers but anybody at an office, garage, warehouse, etc. where the drudgery of the day needs a little relief. Recently classical music has taken over for my standard go-to jazz or rock categories. In particular, my charmer introduced me to Erik Satie's "Gnossienne no. 1" which is a moody, gorgeous composition. This particular piece plays as the soundtrack in my mind when I think of the gothic poem "The Long Return" that I wrote about a missing person.

What is your preferred musical inspiration while the job is getting done?

Man of the West (1958)

I saw MAN OF THE WEST (1958) starring Gary Cooper for the first time, unbelievably, last week. An extraordinary Anthony Mann film based on THE BORDER JUMPERS 1955 novel by Will C. Brown. Its theme, one of redemption, has much in common with Shakespeare's KING LEAR. And that cast! Julie London, Lee J. Cobb, Jack Lord, John Dehner, and Robert J, Wilke hit all the marks, and then some. I'll be writing more on this gem at some point in the months to come.

Move It On Over

Thanks for stopping by but my latest post titled Forgotten Western Classics: The Spikes Gang (1974) is at the Western Fictioneers. C'mon, lets head on over there together.