Hello, you need to enable JavaScript to use this network.

Please check your browser settings or contact your system administrator.

Creative Thinkers International

Embracing the world with positive creativity.

CTI SPOTLIGHT ARTIST VICKIE L. McCOLLEY

“Romantic Poetess” Vickie L. McColley


Hometown: Cedar Lake, USA

Creative Interests: Art, Music, Spirituality, Writing

The Romantic Poetess in Her Own Words:
“Love is the essential splendor of our existence...
The depths of our soul’s abysmal expression...
Love is a captureless entity that knows freedom...
The divine open resolute of exotic knowledge....
Embraced ~ Embrassé”

Romantic Poetess websites:
http://creativethinkersintl.ning.com/profile/RomanticPoetessVickieMcColley
http://www.authorsden.com/visit/author.asp?AuthorID=68762
Favorite Music:
Americana, Blues, Country, Classic Rock, 70's, 80's & more

Favorite TV Shows:
Weeds, Dexter, The L-Word

The goal of Creative Thinkers International, also known as The CTI Initiative, is to help inspire creative responses to the challenges and joys of 21st-century life through writing, art, music, social science, spirituality, and philosophy.

Photos

Loading…

Creative Thinkers International Badge

Spread the word. Get your own Creative Thinkers International badge for your website or MySpace page. (Get Code)

Creative Reviews on Amazon

Author-Poet Aberjhani gave 5 stars to: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

Author-Poet Aberjhani reviewed:

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly DVD ~ Mathieu Amalric
 
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars An Inspired Wonder Called "The Diving Bell and The Butterfly",


After reading the former French Elle Magazine editor Jean-Dominique Bauby's memoir, THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY, when it was first published in 1997, I couldn't help wondering if it would be possible for anyone to make a decent movie out of it. After watching the film directed by Julian Schnabel, with a screenplay by Ronald Howard, I was awestruck to acknowledge that not only had they made a decent film, but a gorgeous and phenomenal one.

It makes sense that The Diving Bell and the Butterfly should shine on the big screen like the huge glowing miracle that it is because the fact that Bauby even "wrote" his book at all was itself nothing less than a king-sized miracle. A major stroke in his brain stem left him paralyzed with locked-in syndrome, a condition in which he was fully conscious but unable to move any part of his body except his left eye.

Whereas the shock of finding oneself in such a torturous state might have caused many to shut down completely, Bauby rose to the occasion within himself by the sheer power of will, spirit, and the loving compassion of others. His body, he noted, may have become like a heavy diving suit that weighed him down, but his mind became freedom personified, like a butterfly that floats at will through realms of intellect, memory, and imagination. Harnessing the resources at hand, he learned to dictate by indicating individual letters with the blink of an eye and managed to compose a small masterpiece

Actor and director Mathieu Amalric plays Bauby with deeply attractive humanity. Viewers first meet him from inside his head, so to speak, as he begins to regain consciousness and doctors gather to explain what has happened. Once the unsettling fact of his paralysis is painfully established, we move with the stream of Bauby's consciousness back and forth through scenes of high-energy photo shoots at Elle Magazine, memories of shaving his father, the complications of a love affair, and fantasies of intimate encounters with his lovely female therapists.

A particularly powerful element within this movie is the portrayal of Bauby's existential stubbornness. Ironically enough, prior to his stroke, he becomes angry with his lover when she insists they visit Lourdes, a place where divine healings reportedly often takes place. Still later, when in a wheelchair, a priest offers him communion and he signals to his therapist with a blink of his eye that he does not want it. Comically, his therapist ignores this and tells the priest he does. It is this determination to guard his sense of individual humanity that makes Bauby beautifully heroic, even though he would not describe himself as such.

Actress Emmanuelle Seigner plays Bauby's estranged wife Celine with subtle intensity and one marvels at the quiet dignity she brings to the part. Equally engaging in their supporting roles are Max von Sydow as Bauby's father; Marie-Josée Croze as the therapist who teaches him to communicate with blinks of a single eye; and Isaach De Bankole as his visiting friend Laurent.

Both as a book and as a film, The Diving Bell and The Butterfly is largely about the perspectives that we choose to apply to our lives. Though he suffered one of the worse fates imaginable, Bauby chose to believe his life was still a meaningful one and worked to produce a celebrated book that was published just 10 days before he died. Julian Schnabel's film is a work of cinematic poetry that honors both the man and the work through the very means that Bauby employed to live his final days: penetrating intelligence, inspired compassion, and luminous imagination.

by Author-Poet Aberjhani
author of The American Poet Who Went Home Again
and Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance (Facts on File Library of American History)



Author-Poet Aberjhani gave 5 stars to: Beloved Prophet

Author-Poet Aberjhani reviewed:

Beloved Prophet:the Love Letters of Kahlil Gibran and Mary Haskell, and Her Private Journal by Kahlil Gibran
 
5.0 out of 5 stars The Real-World Paranormal Romance of "Beloved Prophet" Kahlil Gibran,


The world's abundant treasury of art and literature would likely be a lot less abundant if not for those famed, or sometimes secret, patrons of the arts who assisted many of our most celebrated creative artists at crucial points in their lives--and sometimes throughout their lives. For visual artist Pablo Picasso, author and patron Gertrude Stein played a major role helping to launch his unparalleled career in twentieth century art. For the Harlem Renaissance writer Langston Hughes, the mysterious heiress Charlotte Osgood Mason supported him (as well as others associated with the Harlem Renaissance) in great style at the start of his literary career.

In the case of the Lebanese poet and artist Kahlil Gibran, the crucial lifeline came from American schoolmistress Mary Haskell. Just how essential, passionate, and sacred that lifeline was comes through with deep intensity in the pages of BELOVED PROPHET. Editor Virginia Hilu worked her way though more than 600 letters and decades of journal entries to carefully compose a book that goes far beyond amusing or impressive anecdotes to give readers the softly thundering heart and soul of a man whose works continue to inspire millions and the woman who helped make that work possible.

Before the world came to know him as the famed author of such titles as The Prophet and Jesus the Son of Man, Mary Haskell met Gibran at his first art exhibit in 1904 when he was 21 and she was 30. Four years later, she sponsored his trip to Paris, where he studied art for two years and began a correspondence with Haskell that would last the rest his life. Upon his return from Paris to New York City, he both wrote and visited Haskell, whose school was in Boston. Gibran's understandably deep attachment to the woman who would come to mean so much to his life and career is evident even in those early letters, such as when he wrote this in 1908: "When I am unhappy, dear Mary, I read your letters... They remind me of my true self. They make me overlook all that is not high and beautiful in life." More than a decade later, in 1922, he tells her, "We have become one, Mary. You have entered my being--and you can't cut off either of us without destroying the other."

If Beloved Prophet was comprised of nothing more than letters, it would be a less powerful or significant book. However, the entries from Mary Haskell's journal provide a wealth of insights both into her relationship with the artist-poet and into her own passionate being. Through those entries we receive accounts of Gibran's family relationships, how such events as the early deaths of his mother, a brother, and a sister impacted his life. We also learn quite a bit about his creative processes and the role Haskell often played in it. While helping Gibran organize initial drafts for The Prophet, she noted, "How absolutely the Prophet is Kahlil, although Kahlil has several times said, `This is not I, but the Prophet.'" Upon receiving one of the first published copies of it, she predicted, "This book will be held as one of the treasures of English literature. And in our darkness we will open it to find ourselves again and the heaven and the earth within ourselves."

Addressing one another as "Beloved," and with references to their "greater selves" and life-transforming connection, Beloved Prophet sometimes reads like an extraordinary paranormal romance made much more profound by its concrete reality. The degrees of intimacy between Gibran and Haskell varied over the years but the general integrity of their relationship remained intact. It survived Haskell's move to Savannah, Georgia, in 1924 and her marriage to Florance Minis in 1926.

After Gibran's death in 1931, his biographer Barbara Young discovered the letters while Haskell was present and suggested they destroy them to avoid any misinterpretation of their contents. Haskell eventually rejected that suggestion, seemingly out of belief that the letters might help future readers more greatly appreciate the rarity of Gibran's spiritual genius and the noble beauty of his very real humanity.

by Author-Poet Aberjhani
author of The American Poet Who Went Home Again
and Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance (Facts on File Library of American History)

Author-Poet Aberjhani gave 5 stars to: Stomp the Yard (Widescreen Edition)

Author-Poet Aberjhani reviewed:

Stomp the Yard (Widescreen Edition) DVD ~ Columbus Short
 
5.0 out of 5 stars "Stomp the Yard" A Film of Life-Affirming Power and Beauty,

Director Sylvain White's STOMP THE YARD may not strike many as an ideal movie for the family to gather around and watch during holidays or other special occasions but it actually is because holidays are about reaping the benefits of tradition and this movie is about that too. It's not so clear at the film's beginning whether we're watching a violent video game or a demonstration of directorial genius. The distinction, however, soon becomes obvious and the genius apparent.

The mesmerizing opening dance scenes come across a lot like video gladiator battle sequences. These give way to the urban realism of a more brutal --and fatal-- L.A. gang clash after the not-so-lethal dance battle. DJ, played pitch perfectly by Columbus Short, loses his brother Duron (singer Chris Brown does an impressive job in this role) to a bullet in the clash and life as DJ knows it then comes to a screeching halt.

After a brief time in jail, he leaves the West Coast for Georgia, where he moves in with his aunt and uncle, then enrolls in college. It seems like the perfect strategy for rebuilding your life but DJ has problems with the idea that he's living his brother's dream of going to college and that his own is not all that definite. Perhaps among the most under-appreciated gifted actors of his generation, Harry Lennix gives one of the strongest performances of his career as the no-nonsense-taking uncle who pulls DJ out of his self-pitying funk. Their relationship proves to be one of tough-love and mutual respect. It also provides a rare glimpse into how black male relatives often function as surrogate fathers to youth whose biological fathers for whatever reason are nowhere to be seen.

The move from West Coast to Georgia might appear coincidental but in fact it is crucial to this film because DJ's move takes him out of a region of the country where historically black institutions like Clark University and Tuskegee Institute do not exist, and into one where their presence and legacy remains strong. The move to Georgia turns into an inner journey to his ancestral beginnings where ultimately he discovers the strength and integrity needed to cope with the grief over his brother's death and move forward with a vision for his own life.

Once he becomes a student at Truth University, DJ initially demonstrates the same kind of arrogance and self-absorption that got him into conflicts back in L.A. But he also discovers the world of stepping, both a new form of dance for him and a cultural tradition going back to the establishment of the first black Greek Letter fraternities and sororities in the early 1900s during the Harlem Renaissance. He becomes determined to help his chosen fraternity, Theta Nu Theta, end a seven-year long losing streak against their rivals Mu Gamma Xi, and to win the heart of co-ed April Palmer (played beautifully by Megan Good). His efforts take him through an inspiring rites of passage during which he learns a great deal about his ancestral legacies and the advantages of sometimes working as part of a team rather than thinking only of himself.

The culminating dance competitions in Stomp the Yard have to be seen to be believed and rank among the best in cinema history. Ultimately, this film is one that stands alongside "You've Been Served," "Drumline," and others that accentuate the life-affirming power and beauty of many African-American college traditions. In the process, it confirms and celebrates that same potential in all human beings.

by Author-Poet Aberjhani
author of The Bridge of Silver Wings (Songs of the Angelic Gaze)
and Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance (Facts on File Library of American History)

Author-Poet Aberjhani gave 5 stars to: All About Love

Author-Poet Aberjhani reviewed:

All About Love: Favorite Selections from In The Spirit on Living Fearlessly by Susan L. Taylor
 
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Taylor's "All About Love" Provides Harvest of Empowering Inspiration ,
When the NAACP in 2006 presented author and social activist Susan L. Taylor with its President's Award, the organization publicly acknowledged what readers of Essence® Magazine had been experiencing for nearly four decades. Namely, that Ms. Taylor is among the most effective, dynamic, and beloved human resources on the planet. In "All About Love"(Urban Books) a rich of harvest of writings from Taylor's "In the Spirit" column, it's easy to see why.

A collection of more than 80 empowering editorials and three bonus dialogues, "All About Love" is all about life as we know, live, dread, treasure, and live it. Unlike too many book collections of short essays or creative nonfiction, this is not one aimed at demonstrating the intellectual profundity or virtuosity of the author. These are the observations, emotions, realizations and affirmations by which generations of women--and sometimes men--have mapped out the course of their daily lives and established purpose for their existence. They address such down-to-earth considerations as "Family Affairs" and "Living Abundantly," but also tackle more elevated yet essential meditations on subjects like "Being Peace," and "Self-love and Social Action."

Ever a fearless witness to her life and times, Taylor notes in the introduction, "A Bridge of Light," that, "Human beings have made every corner of the planet a disaster zone, and human beings have the power and responsibility to clear and clean it up, set the Earth back on its axis. We are not small or powerless. We have the ability to transform our world. Our personal and collective pain, the disorder all around us, are calls to get up and get moving!!!"

Especially noteworthy in "All About Love" are the three "conversations" that comprise its closing epilogue. One is Taylor in dialogue with Oscar-nominated actress Ruby Dee; another with educator and activist Cornel West; and the third with the late master musician and spiritual instructor Alice Coltrane. Each subject combines the articulated light of her or his illuminated spirit with that of Taylor's to produce flashes of useful insight that expand into waves of applicable principles and awareness. Take, for example, Cornel West's response to Taylor when she asks him about the need for men to become more emotionally honest, intimate, and self-loving: "Most would rather languish in conformity, complacency and even cowardice. But what is life for but to learn to love and be free and courageous?"

At the end of February 2008, Taylor left her almost four-decade position as the creative passion behind Essence® Magazine to head the National Cares Mentoring Movement, an organization she founded as Essence Cares to help at-risk youth. As she journeyed from 1970 to 2008 toward that noble crossroad of change in her illustrious career, she became in 1999 the first African-American woman to receive the Magazine Publishers of America's Henry Johnson Fisher Award. In 2002, she won induction into the American Society of Magazine Editors' Hall of Fame.

In many ways, "All About Love" is another kind of award, an eloquent summation of a triumphant career in one of the most demanding professions around. In another possibly more significant way, it is an open letter of uninhibited love and intentional compassion addressed to the denizens of the world from the heart and soul of one of the great women of our new millennial times.

by Author-Poet Aberjhani
author of The American Poet Who Went Home Again
and Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance (Facts on File Library of American History)

Author-Poet Aberjhani gave 4 stars to: Gabriel

Author-Poet Aberjhani reviewed:

Gabriel DVD ~ Andy Whitfield
 
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Astounding Angels of the Wingless Kind,

Are there any who fall, when they fall, quite so hard as angels do? Going by the scenario in Australian director Shane Abbess' extraordinary noir metaphysical drama, GABRIEL, the answer would have to be a loud "No!" As they battle in human form for control over the middle earth region of Purgatory, where human souls dwell in limbo before descending to hell or ascending to heaven, these angels use the f-word in more ways than one, revel in rebellion and debauchery by the ton, and fire blazing automatics with more deadly intent than a. S.W.A.T. team or gang bangers looped on crack.

And yet the independent filmmaker's skillful balance between Purgatory mayhem and heavenly transcendence is a finely rendered one. As he drops dreamlike from heaven to non-heaven, the archangel Gabriel ponders the fact that he is on his way to do battle in a spiritual war zone where six fellow archangels have already dared to tread but apparently failed. He is a last chance, hoping to succeed where even the mighty angel-warrior Michael has not.

Newcomer Andy Whitfield does a more than competent job as Gabriel and makes it easy to empathize with his divine anguish as he adjusts to his mortal form, seeks out his wounded angelic comrades, and launches full force into martial arts and handgun combat. Dwayne Stevenson as the manically rebellious Sammael, and one-time mentor of Gabriel, provides a powerful villainous contrast. The film progresses between scenes of healing and reunion, to those of explosive one-on-one clashes reminiscent of the most enthralling gangster-film gun battle sequences. The ending is not only unpredictable in regard to a painful choice that Gabriel makes--it is also for some viewers disturbing and controversial.

Considering the obstacles that Shane Abbess and company had to overcome to make this amazing independent film, you have to give the production team and cast credit for getting it done at all. When looking, however, at the small miracle they achieved while working with so little, it becomes difficult not to imagine how much they might have accomplished working with more.

by Author-Poet Aberjhani
author of "The Bridge of Silver Wings"
and Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance (Facts on File Library of American History)

 

Latest Activity

Romantic Poetess Romantic Poetess replied to the discussion Stranded In Love 9 hours ago
zhulixin zhulixin replied to the discussion Stranded In Love 11 hours ago
zhulixin zhulixin joined the group The Path of the Poet 11 hours ago
Michael Guy Michael Guy left a comment for Author-Poet Aberjhani 19 hours ago
Marne L. Kilates Marne L. Kilates's profile changed 20 hours ago
Robert M Robert M left a comment for Hannah 1 day ago
Hannah Hannah replied to the discussion The Creative Thing about Poetry 1 day ago
Hannah Hannah added 7 new blog posts. View Hannah's blog posts 1 day ago

THE CTI WORLDTUBE CONNECTION

Blog Posts

Once Upon A Time

Once upon a time there was a g i r l. With face as pale as lilies white, eyes as blue as the seas. Hair that shined red in the sun, a g i r l who only wanted to please. Her dreams at night were filled with things that to others did not exist. Fairies, dragons, big black wolves, mystical creatures and ancient woods. She dreamed she was an angel who could bring the to life. She rarely felt important, she felt guilty for feeling so; to make it up she imagined she was a princess who could make sno… Continue

Posted by Hannah on May 10th, 2008 at 6:28pm — No Comments (Add)

I Just Want To Fly (Let Me Go)

I just keep trying, even when I feel that I’m dying. Deep inside, a fire burns, yet at the same time, a mountain of ice grows ever thicker, ever stronger-ever colder. Always making mistakes, saying I’m sorry. Wishing that I could stop messing up. But that’s human nature-nobody’s perfect. But I wish I were. Because if I was then this fighting would stop. The two sides of me would agree finally. I could still be wild and free as I am in my dreams, yet still be the Christian I Know others see.… Continue

Posted by Hannah on May 10th, 2008 at 6:25pm — No Comments (Add)

Soul of the Sleeper

He keeps walking along as the light fades, not even noticing the beautiful glades. Passing love and joy and peace, ignoring the words of those people he sees. Lost love, no hope, no future it would seem. His eyes no longer gleam with the light and warmth of the living. The sun sets, the light dims, and still he walks, passing by laughter, friendship, and hope. “Stay away!” Scream his eyes. “Don’t come near, me you must fear. I want to be left alone on this path, my walk. My life.” But if you… Continue

Posted by Hannah on May 10th, 2008 at 6:23pm — No Comments (Add)

The Seasons

Summer Too hot, too bright Stifling I need to find some shade Too much of everything Autumn Brings restless, wistful feelings as though I should be doing something more I pace back and forth in my room, looking out my window as if expecting something...that will never come Reminds me somehow of immortality, like a season that will never end alone Winter Too quiet and yet Beautiful beyond words, the silence as if something is about to happen. Not and bare, just waiting, Col… Continue

Posted by Hannah on May 10th, 2008 at 6:20pm — No Comments (Add)

A Quote, A Marble, An Eraser, and a Piece of String

An Ode to the teacher I knew who helped my love of books grow who read all the books I wrote and encouraged me to keep writing who inspired me when I had no ideas, helped me overcome my writer's block who complimented my artwork so much that I gave him one of my paintings to show my appreciation Ode to the teacher I knew who was so positive and outgoing who made me love English Class a bright light in the darkness of school days who had to quit his teaching job and finish college who finished… Continue

Posted by Hannah on May 10th, 2008 at 6:16pm — No Comments (Add)

Faê Amĕnai/The Encounter (Arânyan Language)

It was just a regular outing. We often went to Letchworth State Park in the summer. We usually went there in the evening and stayed in one of the many lodges until nine o’clock or so. But this night was different. The sun had already set, and we were all in the lodge. My parents and a couple of my brothers were playing some card game, while my other brothers ate from a bag of chips. I was restless-I’d never really liked coming there, as I was not allowed to bring a book along, and card games we… Continue

Posted by Hannah on May 10th, 2008 at 6:02pm — No Comments (Add)

Kiana Wolf

CHAPTER 1-Meeting Christopher She didn’t understand her attraction to him-why would she feel this way about any guy? They never gave her the time of day, tended to completely ignore her, insofar as to even seem to look right through her at someone else behind her. As though she were invisible. Sometimes she didn’t mind, like in Gym when they would constantly volley the volleyball to each other and never let her get a chance to hit it, so she only had to look like she was making an effor… Continue

Posted by Hannah on May 10th, 2008 at 6:00pm — No Comments (Add)

Incredible Story of The Diving Bell and The Butterfly

(ELLE Magazin photo shoot scene from The Diving Bell and The Butterfly) After reading the former French Elle Magazine editor Jean-Dominique Bauby’s memoir, THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY, when it was first published in 1997, I couldn’t help wondering if it would be possible… Continue

Posted by Author-Poet Aberjhani on May 10th, 2008 at 4:43pm — No Comments (Add)

Mr. Seneschal....

Posted by Romantic Poetess on May 10th, 2008 at 4:30pm — No Comments (Add)

Shadows Door

Posted by Romantic Poetess on May 10th, 2008 at 3:30pm — No Comments (Add)

Cry Not

Cry not for love neglected, that fades despite love's pleas. Cry not when touch rejected, for years you cried in need. Cry not with memories stolen, wishing things once more would be. Cry not with red eyes swollen, for those that would not see. Cry not for selfish pleading, from they that did ignore. Cry not for they depleting, the love as known before, Cry not in hopes that they might change, for change shall quickly flee. Cry not that want can't rearrange, the way others a… Continue

Posted by Romantic Poet on May 10th, 2008 at 11:21am — No Comments (Add)

Remember Me

This was written last year as a "what if" situation. So preciously my amour. My heart forever sworn. I hold all that I adored. My gift of words reborn. My live to fill desires, yet, my all I stand to lose. Creative arts aspired, my words and drawings fuse. So much of heart was given, that none remains to feel. Emotions no more driven, my ship without a keel. Devoted love was offered, a love of all returned. Sweet words were never softer. With breach, my soul they burned.… Continue

Posted by Romantic Poet on May 9th, 2008 at 11:42pm — 2 Comments (Add)

Hitman

Continue

Posted by Robert M on May 9th, 2008 at 4:00pm — 1 Comment (Add)

Goodbye?

Hello doesn't have to be good bye to you know... it doesn't have to be a hello with a goodbye, hidden; like spring is hidden in the snow. Doesn't have to be the winter chill that is hidden in my bones, when the fall comes by and gently roams. Hello isn't goodbye when you simply let it be; simply let it be the hello that sets us free, the hello that that says hello to all of you, hello to all of me. Hello to all all your strengths and flaws, to all your joys and blahs. When we say hello in su… Continue

Posted by Robert M on May 9th, 2008 at 3:30pm — No Comments (Add)

A Sonnet's Dream

Photobucket Photography Artist: http://girlishevil.deviantart.com/

A Sonnet’s D

Continue

Posted by Romantic Poetess on May 9th, 2008 at 9:00am — No Comments (Add)

iRockTalkRadio.com is looking for over 100+ Poets to perform online!

iRockTalkRadio.com is looking for over 100+ Poets to perform online, unplugged and unedited in the "comfort of your own home" to our quarter million listeners world-wide. And, we're heavy in Africa, Asia, Canada, and the UK. "100 Poets Project 08" is an unplugged and unedited show for the performers of the arts. We're looking for 100 poets to perform via the Internet on our Internet Radio Show. The performance (MP3 recordings) will be recorded and unedited, and launched to iRockTalkRadio.com f… Continue

Posted by Marlive Harris on May 9th, 2008 at 12:32am — No Comments (Add)

Move across

Continue

Posted by Robert M on May 8th, 2008 at 12:10am — No Comments (Add)

Sharing with CTI with pride: my poem in the new Norton anthology, "Language for a New Century: Contemporary Poetry from the Middle East, Asia and Beyond"

Python in the Mall

A serpent-like creature has taken residence in the dark recesses of a new shopping mall. Supposedly the offspring of the mall tycoon himself, the creature feeds, by preference, on nubile virgins. —Tabloid story She hatched in the dank Basements of our gullibility, Warmed in the gasp of ou… Continue

Posted by Marne L. Kilates on May 7th, 2008 at 10:30pm — 5 Comments (Add)

Amazon Testing Testing 1, 2, 3

Continue

Posted by Author-Poet Aberjhani on May 7th, 2008 at 6:00pm — No Comments (Add)

Forum

Hello

My name is Hannah and I just wanted to say hello. Aberjhani invited me to this site, and I decided to check it out. It looks really cool. I just have one question-where do I post my poems and stori... Continue

Started by Hannah 1 day ago

An Open Letter: The Wonderful World of Weekly Widgets

Hello CTI Friends, Family, and Fellow Innovators— As CTI continues to grow, we are exploring ways to improve the site and thank those of you who have sent in suggestions. In an effort to make it b... Continue

Tagged: thinkers, social, writing, books, amazon.com

Started by Aberjhani 1 day ago

O My Eternal Spring of Inspiration
1 Reply

O my eternal spring of inspiration and wildest hopes One see tears as brokenness, another see it as nearness O my sea and my waves, do you got angry against time ? Do the passing stranger leave his... Continue

Tagged: my_sea_waves, zhulixin, edita, inspiration, spring

Started by zhulixin. Last reply by Saru M May 8.

Read All About it in the Savannah Morning News
4 Replies

Photograph of me courtesy of Trevor Jenkins at 98 Productions My attitude is all about gratitude after waking up Friday morning, March 7, 2008, and discovering my novel, Blood Kin, A Savannah S... Continue

Tagged: story, selling, tourism, writing, robert

Started by Robert T.S. Mickles Sr.. Last reply by Saru M May 8.

What in the World is a Widget?
5 Replies

I'm still trying to figure it out but in the meantime this is what one of mine looks like: Continue

Tagged: thinkers, international, books, e., museum

Started by Luther E. Vann. Last reply by Creative Conversation Interviews May 8.

Five Points (Denver, Colorado) Jazz Mecca
4 Replies

The American West is not only historical in its cowboy roots, ( wagons, saddles, spurs, six-shooters, and cactus) but also as equally important in its jazz roots, ( trombones, trumpets, piano, an... Continue

Tagged: points, thinkers, denver, international, american

Started by Sage Sweetwater. Last reply by Author-Poet Aberjhani May 8.

THE CTI Amazon Gift Shop
2 Replies

Creative Thinkers International is currently working with Amazon to determine the most effective ways for the site to link with Amazon and give visitors more immediate access to the books, cds, dow... Continue

Tagged: thinkers, dvds, books, music, internaitonal

Started by Author-Poet Aberjhani. Last reply by Aberjhani May 7.

"Poetry" by Pablo Neruda
3 Replies

And it was at that age ... Poetry arrived in search of me. I don't know, I don't know where it came from, from winter or a river. I don't know how or when, no they were not voices, they were not... Continue

Tagged: poetry, pablo, national, month, neruda

Started by Passion of the Poets. Last reply by zhulixin May 2.

"My Indigo" and "From Blossoms" by Li Young Lee
2 Replies

My Indigo It's late. I've come to find the flower which blossoms like a saint dying upside down. The rose won't do, nor the iris. I've come to find the moody one, the shy one, downcast, grave, a... Continue

Tagged: poetry, thinkers, international, modern, young

Started by Passion of the Poets. Last reply by zhulixin May 1.

I'm bright as the sun and I'm looking for inspirational creative fun! Glad to be here and it will take awhile,
3 Replies

Hi - I'm new here and I'm seeing familiar loving spirits on these pages, I hope to fill in the proper way with all I share... Aberjhani - pleasure is all mine, you have done a great job HERE! Any f... Continue

Tagged: spirits, videos, loving, new, advice

Started by ♥ PURPLE PaSSion Poetess ♥ She ♥. Last reply by zhulixin May 1.

One CTI Artist and His Ever Evolving World

 
 

The Path of a Creative Thinker at CTI

CREATIVE THINKERS INTERNATIONAL MEMBERSHIP GUIDELINES




1. Membership at CTI is free and open to all those interested in either the production or appreciation of the creative arts, to include literature, visual art, dance, music, film, spiritual theory, the social sciences, philosophy, general humanities, scientific inquiry, education in general, and other disciplines intended to enhance the quality of life for all humanity.

2. Materials posted by Members of CTI are their sole responsibility and not that of CTI management or any other member of the CTI site.

3. While recognizing that the work of creative artists is often controversial by its very nature, CTI prohibits and discourages the posting of any overtly obscene and intentionally inflammatory material. These include overt pornography, racist diatribes, religious slander, and any postings promoting discrimination against or the oppression of other human beings.

4. In the interest of stimulating creative growth, we encourage dialogue and even debate. However, Members should avoid leaving intentionally offensive or antagonistic remarks on the pages of Fellow Members. We can disagree and still remain a harmonious community.

5. Explore, grow, share, and enjoy your creative success.

Please remember, these guidelines are likely to evolve as the site itself continues to evolve and develop. We welcome and encourage your input. After all, yours are some of the best minds on the planet so we would be very foolish not to listen to what you have to say.

The CTI Admin Team

CTI SPOTLIGHT ARTISTS

CTI Spotlight Artist Vickie L. McColley, May 1-15, 2008

Vickie L. McColley "The Romantic Poetess" As everybody knows, diversity is one of our primary strengths at CTI and the members of our community represent cultures from all over the world. They also represent individuals at different stages of their creative careers and development. One of those members is Victoria L. McColley, known to some as the Romantic Poetess, to others as Groovy Charmer, and to some simply as Vickie. It is our pleasure to present her at this time as the CTI Spotlight Artist for May 1-15, 2008. A long-time member at CTI, Ms. McColley has proven particularly adept at utilizing the site’s many features to enhance and present to the world her own unique vision of creative artistry. In addition to being a member of the CTI community, she also has more than 100 titles on AuthorsDen with more than 1,000 reviews of her writings there. The working title of her forthcoming first poetry collection is “Love Love Love: Poetry from the Heart, Soul & Voice of Love.” For more on the Vickie’s work and world, please visit her profile at http://creativethinkersintl.ning.com/profile/RomanticPoetessVickieMcColley

CTI Spotlight Artist Poetry Life & Times April 16-30, 2008

Our friends at Poetry Life and Times have featured a number of CTI’s members in their e-zine and, on top of that, have now been one of the great champions of modern poetry for some ten years. They actually have the archives to prove it! Their current issue not only honors one of poetry’s nobler traditions with its dedication to our very challenged "brothers and sisters in Tibet, Burma and Darfur,” but remains true to its mission by providing a platform for some of the most vibrant contemporary poetic voices on the planet. It is truly our honor at CTI to present Poetry Life and Times as our Spotlight Artist for April 16-30, 2008. The image of the monk featured as their main page profile image is borrowed from their current issue. To learn more about Poetry Life and Times and how you may submit your own work for publication consideration, please visit them at http://creativethinkersintl.ning.com/profile/PoetryLifeandTimes .

CTI Spotlight Artist Luther E. Vann April 1-15, 2008

(photo of Luther E. Vann by John Schmidt) Often described as a poet who utilizes visual art to write his poems, Luther E. Vann is an acclaimed artist who was fortunate enough to receive some of his first art instructions from recognized masters of the Harlem Renaissance. Like all artists of note, he shaped what he learned into a style of his own that fuses deeply spiritual imagery, metaphysical philosophy, and strong social realism. After a lifetime of dedication to his craft, his work will go on exhibit at the Telfair Museum in Savannah, Georgia, from April 16-August 17, 2008, and his first book, ELEMENTAL, The Power of Illuminated Love, is scheduled for publication in May. We’re honored for the opportunity to present Vann as the CTI Spotlight Artist for April 1-15 and invite you to visit his profile to learn more about him at http://creativethinkersintl.ning.com/profile/Weallare111 Your Friendly CTI Admin Support Team

CTI Spotlight on Daughters of Destiny March 16-31, 2008

Miriam K. Center, Founder of MKC Daughters of Destiny (photo by John Zeuli) As most of you know, March is Women’s History Month on our side of the world. Considering that women make up slightly more than half the planet’s population, it seemed appropriate to step outside the box of our normal way of thinking when it comes to the bi-weekly Spotlight Artist for March 16-31, 2008, and this time acknowledge the work of MKC Daughters of Destiny. While there are a number of Daughters of Destiny organizations around the globe, it just so happens that Miriam K. Center is one of our very own members whose creativity includes her leadership within the organization, her work as a poet, journalist, and author of a somewhat notorious novel. We are honored to invite you to learn more about Daughters of Destiny and Ms. Center at: http://creativethinkersintl.ning.com/profile/ADaughterofDestiny

CTI Spotlight Artist Cheryl Kaye Tardif March 1-15, 2008

Author Cheryl Kaye Tardif has won the attention and admiration of readers worldwide with her uniquely compelling suspense novels, including the celebrated “Whale Song,” “Divine Intervention,” and “The River.” Those who have noted her blogs at Creative Thinkers International and elsewhere know the author is not one to simply rest on her five-star literary laurels, but often shares quality communication with her readers and lends humanitarian support to the causes and issues that concern her. We are honored to present Ms. Tardif as the CTI Spotlight Artist for March 1-15, 2008, and invite you learn more about this gifted Canadian author at http://creativethinkersintl.ning.com/profile/CherylKayeTardif .

CTI Spotlight Artist Art Sun Hernandez Feb 16-29, 2008

We’re very fortunate at Creative Thinkers International to enjoy the online company of many talented, innovative, and generally dynamic individuals. One of them, Art Sun Hernandez, is the CTI Spotlight Artist for February 16–29, 2008. Through his strongly metaphysical poetry enriched by spiritual insight, political consciousness, and social responsiveness, along with the many thought-provoking images and encouraging comments he has shared with fellow CTI members, Art has become a familiar and celebrated presence at CTI. To discover more about our newest CTI Spotlight Artist, please visit his profile at http://creativethinkersintl.ning.com/profile/ArtSunHernandez

CTI Spotlight Artist Mitzi K. Jackson Feb 1-15, 2008

Writers who effectively blend folk dialect with classic literary traditions and the music of their individual voice to accomplish contemporary literary art of substance are generally rare. However, at CTI, we’re fortunate to have in our midst just such a writer in the form of Mitzi K. Jackson, the CTI Spotlight Artist for February 1-15, 2008. Whereas many of us at CTI have gotten to know Ms. Jackson through her superb poetry and supportive comments on the profile pages of fellow members, she is also highly regarded in various creative circles as an author of fiction that fuses emotional drama, powerful artistic symbolism, and unapologetic urban realism. To learn more about this exceptional artist, please visit the profile for Passion of the Poets or that of Ms. Jackson herself at http://creativethinkersintl.ning.com/profile/Mizkaja

CTI Spotlight Artist Michael A. Guy Jan 16-31, 2008

There are a number of ways that members of CTI might be familiar with Michael A. Guy, the new CTI Spotlight Artist for January 16-31, 2008. Possibly he was among the first to welcome you to CTI when you joined, or it could be that you’ve spent time on his profile page relaxing to his superb style of new age jazz. You might even have spent an evening or two reading his acclaimed novel, “The Last Renaissance Man.” If, by some chance, you are not already familiar with Michael, we invite you to take this opportunity to visit his profile page and discover a uniquely talented “renaissance man” at this link: http://creativethinkersintl.ning.com/profile/MichaelGuy CTI Admin Support Team

CTI Spotlight Artist Kimmy Van Kooten Jan 1-15, 2008

It is our honor at Creative Thinkers International to announce that the first CTI Spotlight Artist for the New Year 2008 is Kimmy Van Kooten. A player of the congas, writer of stories and poetry, and visual artist with a style very much her own, Kimmy is as versatile as she is prolific. We invite you to learn more about her by visiting the main page and/or her profile page at: http://creativethinkersintl.ning.com/profile/KimmyVanKooten . CTI Support Admin

CTI Spotlight Artist CG Walters Dec 16-31, 2007

As everyone knows without anyone else saying so, communities take their best qualities from the characters of those who dwell there, whether the community in question exists offline or online. The CTI community grows more fortunate with every member and for that reason we’re happy to feature a CTI Spotlight Artist on the main page every two weeks. That artist for December 16-31 is CG Walters, the author of "Sacred Vow," and one of CTI’s consistently thought-provoking bloggers. We are happy to invite you to view his profile on the main page and/or to visit him at http://creativethinkersintl.ning.com/profile/kathmandau .

News from the United Nations

UN food agency steps up aid to cyclone-stricken Myanmar

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) today announced that its food aid has reached more than 27,000 people in the areas of the Irrawaddy delta hit hardest by Cyclone Nargis, which left a path of death and destruction after striking Myanmar last week.

Ban Ki-moon sounds alarm on violence in outskirts of Sudanese capital

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today voiced grave concern over the fighting spurred by attacks by the rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) forces that has broken out on the outskirts of the Sudanese capital Khartoum.

UN Peacebuilding Commission delegation kicks off visit to Burundi

A delegation from the United Nations Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) &#8211 established in to help countries recovering from war from sliding back into conflict &#8211 began a six-day mission to Burundi to assess how to help the small Central African nation rebuild.

UN-backed network linking global developing countries&#39 fisheries reaches 25-year mark

The FishInfoNetwork (FIN), a United Nations-organized network linking fisheries in developing countries, has reached its 25-year mark.

Secretary-General urges US business leaders to help fight global poverty

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today urged members of the business community in the United States city of Atlanta to help the United Nations in its efforts to combat global poverty, arguing that this is good for the world and the bottom line.

Though making ‘very good progress,’ Africa still faces challenges, says UN official

Africa is making "very good progress," but must tackle challenges in areas including transportation, infrastructure and water, a senior United Nations said today, as the annual Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) is under way in New York.