Joe Langen  

(Monastery Pulpit)

JOE: Good afternoon Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good afternoon Joe. I trust you had a nice trip to New York.
JOE: Indeed it did. Memorable in many ways.
CALLIOPE: Tell me about one.
JOE: I visited a monk at Immaculate Conception Monastery in Queens where I once lived. It brought back many memories and helped me settle some things in my mind.
CALLIOPE: Such as?
JOE: Reading and writing for one thing. There were books I was forbidden to read (Kant, Descartes, etc) which I read anyway. I saw the locked room where they were then kept.
CALLIOPE: What memories did that bring back?
JOE: My own somewhat incendiary writings from the time which eventually got me sent out of the monastery. It was the first time my writing made a difference to anyone.
CALLIOPE: Quite a start. How about now?
JOE: I don't write anything quite so inflammatory. Now I just offer my readers a chance to look at their lives in a more subtle way. The brashness of youth!
CALLIOPE: Amazing isn't it. Where did the experience leave you?
JOE: Wondering about what topics I should address these days and in what manner.
CALLIOPE: Sounds like a useful thought.
JOE: We shall see. Talk with you tomorrow.

(Dunkirk Harbor Jetty)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. What happened with the elite and pica authors?
JOE: Good question. The discussion became hot and heavy for a while.
CALLIOPE: Then what?
JOE: The whole thread disappeared mysteriously without any explanation.
CALLIOPE: Where do you think it went?
JOE: Hard to say. I can only speculate.
CALLIOPE: What's your speculation?
JOE: Someone's feathers were probably ruffled. The site in question might prefer that its members play nice and don't raise any controversial issues or express any emotions.
CALLIOPE: As you say, curious.
JOE: I agree. I was waiting to see whether a rapprochement between traditionally and self published authors might be forthcoming. The conversation was whisked off before the result became evident.
CALLIOPE: So now what?
JOE: Hard to tell. I'm awaiting further developments.
CALLIOPE: Do you have any plans?
JOE: If no satisfactory conclusion arises, I am planning to start a forum for pica authors. I will be away for a few days and will get back to you mid week.

(Nineteenth Century Printing Press)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Riled up.
CALLIOPE: Tell me about it.
JOE: Yesterday I read on LinkedIn a post suggesting that self published writers should not be allowed to call themselves authors.
CALLIOPE: In those words?
JOE: The suggestion was made that it "smacks of hubris" for self published authors to consider their writing better than what gets published by the big New York publishing houses.
CALLIOPE: Ah yes, hubris. Finally a Greek word. As it recall it means an exaggerated sense of self importance.
JOE: That's my recollection as well. I don't recall throngs of self published writers trying to outdo those favored by the big boys. I do think they would like some respect and are sometimes relegated to lower status by those who have made it big.
CALLIOPE: What explains this reaction?
JOE: In my opinion, they are the ones with hubris, at least those who lord it over self published writers or possibly their insecurity is showing.
CALLIOPE: Do you know for sure what their motivation is?
JOE: I have learned over the years that motivation is a complex subject and usually has more than one aspect. But you asked for my opinion.
CALLIOPE: Well taken. What's your suggestion?
JOE: Maybe those who publish with the big boys could be called elite authors while those who self publish or who write and don't publish could be known as pica authors. Talk with you tomorrow

(Pillar Fragment- Santianna, Spain)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: In a reflective mood.
CALLIOPE: About what?
JOE: I was just speculating to myself about what makes the world so interesting and worth writing about.
CALLIOPE: Did you come to any conclusions?
JOE: I'm not sure I can speak for everyone, but the mystery I find in nature and in people fascinates me.
CALLIOPE: Tell me more.
JOE: I have been working on a piece about what God means to me. After writing about it for a while, I reached the conclusion that I find God in the mysteries which surround me at every turn waiting to fascinate me if I just stop to pay attention to them.
CALLIOPE: Are you able to unravel the mysteries?
JOE: Not usually.
CALLIOPE: Isn't that frustrating?
JOE: Not really. I can sit with a mystery and enjoy its intricacy, realizing I am in the presence of something more profound than I am. It's my way of being close to God.
CALLIOPE: I see. Sounds like a good realization.
JOE: I think so. Talk with you tomorrow.

(Tree Branches)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Energized.
CALLIOPE: How so?
JOE: I told you I work up that way yesterday. I struggled all last week to write anything. Yesterday ideas flowed easily from my mind to my fingertips and into cyberspace.
CALLIOPE: Glad all systems are go. What's on your mind this morning?
JOE: One of the insights I had yesterday dates back to incidents which took place forty five years ago. Thoughts about what happened arose from thinking about meeting next week with an old classmate from the seminary I last saw in 1965.
CALLIOPE: Tell me about the insight.
JOE: I had been living in a monastic order and became increasingly more in conflict with the powers that be. I have struggled off and on over the years to understand what happened.
CALLIOPE: And you finally figured it out?
JOE: I think so. At least I have an idea. Those in charge were seeking to rediscover the roots of the order. I was on top of the tree, more interested in branches and new growth. Mutual distrust evolved from not being on the same page.
CALLIOPE: An interesting thought. How can you use it now?
JOE: Obviously it is too late to reconcile anything. But this might be a good theme for a story, or perhaps more than one.
CALLIOPE: Let's watch for one.
JOE: Sounds good for me. Talk with you tomorrow.

(Oak Bluffs Sunrise)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. I missed you on Saturday.
JOE: I didn't feel inspired to write.
CALLIOPE: Don't blame me. I was here waiting for you.
JOE: I know. I don't blame you.
CALLIOPE: What was it then?
JOE: As I told you, I have not felt much like writing all week and found it a struggle to get anything into words.
CALLIOPE: To what do you attribute this lack of inspiration?
JOE: It took me a while to figure it out.
CALLIOPE: Please share what you discovered.
JOE: I have been reading about the dark night of the soul as you know. Last week was not one for me as far as I know. However I have been there in the past and have worked with many people as they struggled to make sense of them.
CALLIOPE: What was the effect of reading about it?
JOE: I have come to understand the dark night as a time of putting ordinary life on hold, stepping back and reevaluating life. Just reading about it put my creative thoughts on hold for a while.
CALLIOPE: How long do you expect this to last?
JOE: I awoke at 4:30 this morning my mind brimming with creative ideas. I guess it's over now. Talk with you tomorrow.