Taking Flight: On WINGS OF WAX, #MFA programs, & Finding Your Voice #MondayBlogs
March Madness is nearly upon us, dear readers. No, I’m not referring to the NCAA basketball tournament, though I will try to find some time to watch a game or two while conducting a publicity tour around the publication of my debut novel, WINGS OF WAX. Work and leisure balance, right? WINGS OF WAX is […]
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A Greek-American Dream by Guest #Author Steve Karas #MondayBlogs #amreading
Hello readers, This week I welcome friend and fellow Greek-American writer Steve Karas. A Chicago native, Karas is the author of the stellar short story collection Kinda Sorta American Dream. I had the pleasure of blurbing Karas’ book, and what initially stands out is his range as a writer. As he explores the theme of identity in both contemporary and […]
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May We Get There With You: On #Oakland, #MLK, and #Greek Allies
Chocolate City by the Bay. Often coined with this term, the Oakland, California of my childhood in the 1980’s was–like Detroit, Atlanta, Washington, DC, and other metropolitan centers with a black-majority populace–a city in which African-American culture held prominent influence. Lionel Washington, the city’s first black mayor, served three consecutive terms from 1977 until 1991 […]
... Read moreInhale, Exhale: On Mindfulness, Ancient Greece, & The Now
You must plunge beneath your crowded thoughts and calmly contemplate the higher realities with pure, focused attention. If you do this, a state of inspired serenity will remain with you throughout your life, shaping your character and benefiting you in so many ways — Empedocles, ancient Greek sage. Though we generally, and rightfully it […]
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There’s a Coin in my Cake! On #Greek #NewYears & Luck. #MondayBlogs #Booktrope
Happy New Year! Kalee Chronia! After two weeks of holiday celebration, work begins anew with the first blog post of 2016. In looking forward, into January and the months beyond while preparing for the March release of my novel Wings of Wax, I can’t help but also gaze back to past New Year’s Days. In […]
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Silver Bells: On #Gratitude, #Xmas music & #GreekAmerican traditions. #MondayBlogs
This past Friday I finished a first draft of the latest short story for my collection-in-progress, and wrapped work at my day job prior to a two week vacation. I gave myself permission to take a break after a busy last few months, but here I am compelled to write another blog post, the last […]
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#Art as Life: On Arts Education & Smelly Markers #MondayBlogs
Imagine, if you will, a baby crawling up a mountainous flight of steps, one little knee at a time, slapping the surface of each stair in announcement of his progress. His ascent is inspired not by the promise of toy or treat, but by a desire to view up close the spectrum of colors and […]
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Snowy Crowned Royalty: On #Eldery Wisdom #MondayBlogs
Circa 1984. As the story goes, my yiayia arrived to pick me up from pre-school one afternoon and I paused in my romping atop the play structure to reassure a young friend, in reference to the approach of my grandmother, that “she’s old, but she’s nice.” For years afterward, Yiayia told the tale with a […]
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In Praise of #Gratitude: 4 Things I’m Grateful For. #MondayBlogs
“In ancient Greek, gratitude was expressed in terms of praising. When Greeks wanted to say ‘thank you,’ they said: ‘That is excellent, I praise you,’ καλλιστ, επαινω.’ [This] brings us to the observation that in the Archaic and Classical period many hymnic texts of the Greeks did express ‘thanksgiving.’ The praise of a god, the […]
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March Madness: On #MyBigFatGreekWedding2 and New Novel Release Date #MondayBlogs #Booktrope
People Change. Greeks don’t. That’s one of the statements flashing across the screen in oh-so-appropriate blue letters across a white background during the My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 trailer which, at the time of this posting, I’ve watched upwards of a half-dozen times. As brief as the proclamation is during the two-minute preview, it […]
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