a writer's rambling blog
January 4, 2011
Thanks for visiting! I’m a woman named Dean who works and plays as a writer in Austin, Texas. This personal, rambling blog includes literary non-fiction, political rants, spiritual exploration, and journal-like entries of my life as writer, feminist and artist.
I also lead the community writing class, Writing Your Life as a Woman.
And I promote my husband, jazz trumpeter Jeff Lofton.
Please connect by commenting here or introduce yourself on Facebook and Twitter.
May 29, 2012
I’m a little, um, frustrated with my new home town of Austin’s low voter turnout. Reportedly as low as 7 – 12% it’s embarrassingly low for one of the most educated populations in an American city.
I’m sure I have the answer. We have to let the people know voting is sexy and hip. Austinites love being sexy and hip and that’s what America loves about Austin. America is terribly repressed sexually – nearly all advertising is based on sex – Austin is already incredibly hip. So it’s time for what many folks in Austin do best – good branding and a strong social media campaign. Imagine the time and energy behind “Live Music Capital of the World” put behind making Austin the “Voting Capital of the World.”
Here’s what we need:
Of course there are lots of other ways to get voters in Austin inspired:
If campaigning could be turned into a reality show with weekly text voting – then we’d get some participation!
Put legalizing marijuana on the ballot and I predict a “put down the bong and go register to vote” campaign will occur organically in mere moments.
But even without that, if every time someone said “I got this from the same guy Willie gets his from,” someone else asked, “You’re registered to vote, right?” – that alone would increase voter consciousness tremendously in Austin.
What if Austin became known for reviving voter turnout so strongly we inspired the rest of the country? No matter what your thoughts on President Obama, the large Austin turnout early in the campaign, definitely gave him the Austin bump. And Austin is at the top of every list for cool, healthy, best jobs, best economy, fasted growing, etc.
Voting needs the Austin, eh, bump.
Let’s do it for America – get out there and make voting sexy.
PS I am not actually starting this campaign. This post is only intended as slactivism satire. If you’re a non-partisan organization and feel inspired, please steal this idea (just spell my name right). But don’t wait for formal leadership – make voting sexy in your own hip way.
April 29, 2012
Much like life, I’d sometimes like to go back and do a little, or a lot, of editing. But, writer’s ego aside, here is one of the first stories I wrote 22 years ago, a somewhat autobiographical tale from my 70s childhood. I’m sharing as a tribute to my sister who died yesterday after a long battle with brain cancer. Thank you to the other sisters and brothers who’ve blessed my path and whose love and compassion are so comforting to me now and always.
For the relatives this may offend, please forgive me. I forgive you. Thank you. I love you. (See this On Being piece.) We all grieve in our own way. I feel the main characters of this story would understand. After all, it’s the rare occasion that calls for quoting Lewis Grizzard, but this certainly is one: “Elvis is dead, and I don’t feel so good myself.”
My Mother, My Sister, Elvis and God
by Tami Dean Adams
published in Point 1991
My mother loved my sister, and, of course, love God. Elvis wasn’t her favorite singer; she preferred Loretta Lynn. My sister loved my mother, and certainly loved God. But Wendy loved Elvis, well, I can’t say more, but at times I wasn’t sure.
I was afraid for a while that my sister would join a cult. A guest preacher at church said cults were luring America’s teenagers into subcultures that used fake religions to cover up slave labor in million dollar businesses, and their real motive was to get teenagers to worship Satan. In a Southern Baptist church in Newell, South Carolina, you don’t have to say Satan twice to get people fired up. More
March 9, 2012
Thanks to KXAN for this interview on their Sunday morning news program.
Write Your Life with Dean Lofton on KXAN 3-4-12
March 3, 2012
Sharing …
From: Marcia Ball [mailto:marcia@marciaball.com]
Sent: Friday, March 02, 2012 2:24 PM
Subject: I’m so mad I’m SEEING RED
What the heck’s happening with our poor country?! Who knew that in 2012 in the USA we would be fighting about contraception and basic women’s health?
Next Tuesday, March 6, and the following two Tuesdays, between noon and 2:00 PM, I am going to put on a red shirt and stand in front of the Texas State Capitol at the corner of Congress Avenue and 11th Street holding a sign decrying the defunding of women’s health services. I am calling my effort SEEING RED and it may be just me and a few friends or a few hundred. This is my own personal response to the outrage of the Texas Taliban’s war on women and, peripherally, my sadness over the death of foreign correspondent Marie Colvin who gave her life to tell us about the inhumanity and injustice of those who target the powerless. My vigil is in honor of Molly Ivins who said nothing will change until we get out in the streets and bang on pots and pans. I’m just going to stand there and hold a sign (and a broadsheet with talking points).
By the way, this is not a “women’s movement”. Come one, come all.
Some of you have been in on the brainstorming that only began yesterday about this and you’re the “core committee” of a completely unorganized movement. No keynote speakers. No podium. No PA. Just red shirts and signs. Spread the word.
Oh, and hey…peace.
Marcia
February 25, 2012
“A person who can write a long letter with ease, cannot write ill.” – Jane Austen
After years of rules and critiques from academia, people often feel writing is hard work. Full of concern about getting it right, we simply don’t write. One way to begin to find the joy in writing is to write a letter. Catching someone up on your life or sharing your thoughts in a casual letter gets your writing energy flowing, proving it’s just as easy as talking. Whether you send the letter or not, you get the benefits of the creative release, and the insight, that yes, you can write – it’s just one word after another.
See DeanLofton.com for more info on Write Your Life classes.
February 10, 2012
TEDxAustin happens Saturday, February 11, 10am – 6pm Central, and you can watch via live stream at TEDxAustin.com. This is my third year attending, and I’m excited to see what impact it has on my life. The past two years have changed my nutritional life and my health radically because of these two videos. Lots of inspiring ideas, so tune in!
February 7, 2012
When someone compliments you, simply say, “Thank you.” Don’t refuse it or or try to explain why it’s not true. In some strange, scarcity-based, guilt and suffering way, self-degradation has been translated into a personal strength in the name of humility. This is old thinking and does not serve anyone. Refusing a compliment is almost insulting to the giver – like refusing a gift. Take a moment to absorb the kindness bestowed on you. Keep a kindness notebook. Write down little acts of kindness and compliments people give you. When you need a reminder of the good of your fellow human beings you can relive the compliments through your notebook.
February 5, 2012
Uncategorized Austin, creative outlet, Dean Lofton, julia cameron, Meandering Monologue, natalie goldberg, Richard Stine, Write Your Life 8 Comments
In fifteen years of teaching writing workshops I’ve shared many concepts for putting pen to paper. Initially I was inspired by other writers such as Natalie Goldberg (Wild Mind: Living the Writer’s Life) who lead us to keep the pen moving for ten minutes for “writing practice.” And Julia Cameron (The Artist’s Way), known for writing three “morning pages” each day. For many years I started classes with a “download” which encouraged students to write about whatever was on their mind to shift from the busy-ness of every day life to being present in class.
For my classes I’ve renamed this practice the Meandering Monologue – stream-of-consciousness, full-on rambling, blathering and unrelated tangents. We write by hand with no concern for spelling, grammar or transitions to new topics. Unlike everyday life, where we edit and tweak for politeness, strategic efficiency, space limits and business rules, the Meandering Monologue is open for ranting, cussing, whining and weeping. It’s also great for boasting, gloating, dreaming big and planning to make the dreams a reality. (Note: you can’t whine too long on paper or you naturally begin to bore yourself and write about possible solutions.)
A Meandering Monologue is a conversation with yourself and an opportunity to be a patient, listening friend to yourself. It connects you, to you. With the nearly constant bombardment of demands in life and messages and information in our digital world, a few minutes each day on the page gives you quality time with your own mind and feelings.
Sometimes a Meandering Monologue is a prayer, a meditation, or a negotiation with yourself. Having a little existential crisis? The best place to find yourself is on the page. There’s no where better to work out ideas – safe from critics, doubters and haters.
The Meandering Monologue works wonders for everyone – whether your goal is to write and publish, or do other art, or as a creative outlet to support to other endeavors.
Putting pen to paper is stepping up and saying yes to the big “I am. I exist.” It’s claiming yourself, your life, your thoughts, your feelings, your power and purpose. It’s more than the very adult sounding “taking responsibility for your life” – it’s an act of radical self-care to honor yourself with the time and effort to really get to know yourself. It’s bravely stepping around our culture’s limiting idea of only some people qualifying for the joy of being a writer or artist, and relegating the rest of humanity to only observing and admiring.
As the pen moves across the page, the topics may range from the mundane to the esoteric. The physical act of writing shifts energy from ruminating thoughts looping over and over to details, emotions, facts, possibilities – words on paper, now more tangible for contemplation and motivation.
I’ve found a side effect of writing frequently is better conversations. When I’m not writing every day, I chit chat more about the trivial crap of life, and sometimes feel I’ve wasted opportunities for more meaningful conversations simply because my head isn’t as clear and focused. Daily Meandering Monologues get the negative and petty stuff on the page instead of spreading it around to the people in my life.
After 15 years, I’ve wondered at times if people still need a Write Your Life class. Especially in recent years as we’ve begun writing, blogging, tweeting, Facebooking our lives. But I continue to see the amazing effect of writing in my students’ lives.
The real beauty, value and purpose of writing, and any art form, is not the final product or the reader’s response. It’s not the branding or the number of readers or attendees or web hits or units sold. It’s the transformation of the writer from the experience. And art will transform you – writing every day will change your life. That’s why we procrastinate or rush to it, often simultaneously – it’s scary and exciting and we know we must keep evolving. Rapid evolution and radical self-care are really what we all need and what the world needs from us.
One of my favorite artists, Richard Stine, has a wonderful piece with this line: “The irony is this.. if you don’t go in, you can’t find out.”
Step away from the computer… get a pen and paper and go within… write a Meandering Monologue and meet yourself on the page.
P.S. A great place to start a Meandering Monologue is wherever you are right now. Simply begin with, “Right now I am ..” Click here for Austin class info and email sign-up for online and live workshops.
January 28, 2012
More classes just added to the 2012 schedule for Write Your Life as a Woman. Click here for more info.
FEBRUARY 4-week sessions:
Wednesdays, February 8 – 29, 12noon – 2pm
Class fee: $100
Location: Fire Tree Studios, 710 East 41st Street, Austin, TX 78751 (behind the Griffin School)
MARCH 4-week sessions:
Tuesdays, March 6 – 27, 7 – 10pm
Class fee: $100
Location: Unity Church of Austin, 5501 West Highway 290 in SE Austin
Wednesdays, March 7 – 28, 12noon – 2pm
Class fee: $100
Location: The Writing Barn, 10202 Wommack Road in SE Austin
APRIL 4-week sessions:
Tuesdays, April 3 – 24, 7 – 10pm
Class fee: $100
Location: Unity Church of Austin, 5501 West Highway 290 in SE Austin
Wednesdays, Apirl 4 – 25, 12noon – 2pm
Class fee: $100
Location: The Writing Barn, 10202 Wommack Road in SE Austin
MAY 4-week sessions:
Tuesdays, May 1 – 22, 7 – 10pm
Class fee: $100
Location: Unity Church of Austin, 5501 West Highway 290 in SE Austin
Wednesdays, May 2 – 23, 12noon – 2pm
Class fee: $100
Location: The Writing Barn, 10202 Wommack Road in SE Austin
Please email dean@deanlofton.com to register.
January 2, 2012
I’m basking in the New Year energy after a rejuvenating holiday season that included lots of down time and fun. My morning inspirational reading today speaks to releasing the old and making way for the new. I thought of this later in the morning in a conversation about forgiveness that included a reference to the line in the Lord’s Prayer: “And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us.”
Today I am grateful for forgiveness. I could write thank you notes all day for the many times I’ve been generously forgiven. I recently experienced the sweet relief of forgiving someone – quietly and gently with no big proclamation to the person – simply let it go and felt space open up for more joy.
Last year I had to deal with a hostile confrontation from an unstable person. It was startling, unprovoked and unexpected, and it left me feeling unsafe – even in my own home. In addition to the upsetting incident, I was furious that my time had to be spent dealing with cops and lawyers.
While I was generally pleased with how I handled the situation – immediately taking action to be sure there were no further incidents – my anger was so valid I have not been ready to let it go. I’m almost to the point of feeling grateful for the opportunity to stir up other unresolved anger and release it, too. Though I’ve also had moments of just being angry that I was so angry!
While for personal reasons and legal reasons I’m being vague, I’m sure I’ll write more about this later. So peculiar to have someone “hate” you because of career success and happiness. But I know there is plenty for everyone and my success does not limit anyone’s ability to be successful. So I am forgiving – really, it’s an ongoing action – the way I hope to be forgiven for my own trespasses. So freeing to release the old and make way for the new!
