The Illusion of Balance - A Poetry Book

the illusion of balance

A book of poetry

About

My whole life I've written poetry. I'd escape from my very loud and sometimes violent house with my backpack, a peanut and jelly sandwich, a thermos of lemonade, my notebook and pen.

I'd hike into the hills near my neighborhood in South Dakota and write. Writing for me has always been a way of putting my insides on my outsides. Then, when the words are in front of me...the problems don't seem so small, the world has hope and love again. 

My work is new. I've never shared it before. And that is really, really scary. It's not like I took poetry classes. I don't really know what makes a poet. For me, I guess it's a love of words. 

Words give us a chance to connect. Hope. Think. Feel. Words can provoke and inspire. And maybe my hope is that words can ultimately join us together seeing that we are more similar than different. 

My hope is to self-publish 300 paperbacks and 120 hard covers with 100 pages. When they're done, I hope to share my words with the world...adding my voice to the narrative. 

Is it scary? Hell yes. But worth it? Absolutely. 

Risks and challenges

Well let's see - I guess a risk is that you may not like my poetry. I try and put my work out there via my website, social media and my newsletter fairly regularly if you'd like to get a taste.

Art is subjective. My hope is that you'll like it, but there are no guarantees. You are supporting an unknown artist. I've never put myself out there in this way before.

Know that I will meet the publishing deadline and that every poem I choose will be the best I can create and offer.

Ocean Valley - Film

Ocean Valley

A house frozen in time. A psychological drama where fantasy collides with destruction and everything is not as it seems.

About

A time not so long ago there lived a family torn by chaos and violence. From my mothers mind we step through memories and fragments of time. Present day "This is where it all began" she said as we walk up to the house together. "I was in fourth grade, I think...it was 1968" we step through the front door and enter a bright white light like the Twilight zone. We are transported to the house in 1968 my mother runs by camera as a little girl laughing a large bang happens and we are transported to me being seven years old around her age in fourth grade and watching a gruesome fight between my mother, uncle, aunt Angela and Grandfather. The kind of fights where they would slam each other through tables, punch walls, and threaten each others lives. There is my mothers voice in present day talking to me while we watch this fight happen in my mind and then fade out of my eyes onto her speaking in present day. It has been three years since Grandpa and Angela passed away. Angela was a paranoid schitzophrenic and would sometimes come into my room at night and burn me with cigarettes. She once tried to burn herself alive. I grew up creating elaborate stories in fantasy worlds to escape this world, only to realize that these are the stories on family, love and loss that I need to be telling. I love these people with all of my heart and soul for always and forever. No matter what was done these are the individuals who shaped my existence and gave me the skills necessary to help heal myself and others. 

Risks and challenges

The house we will be filming in does not have running water or electricity. I will need to also bring in a porto potty for cast and crew.

Majority of funds will be spent on Anamorphic lenses, lighting, sound, generators and post production.