On a rainy Sunday afternoon I spent several hours in my basement cutting glass. Taking a break from a long week of writing it was a pleasant diversion. With my mind and my hands I created something tangible, unlike my stories, an expression of art you can feel and touch. In the process though I seem to have manifest a better understanding of my life’s purpose.

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You might have heard that not everyone agrees when it comes to climate change. While living in New York City, after graduating from college photographer Alan Winslow and journalist Morrigan McCarthy came to realize that across the America people have a difference of opinion.

photo by Meghan Peterson

“Because living in New York City you can kind of feel like you’re in a bubble. Maybe any city is like that,” Morrigan said. “But that everyone around you has the same opinion and is in the same boat, especially when it comes to the environment. You know we should be recycling, we should be taking care of the planet.”

In a community full of liberals Morrigan and Alan believed that everyone would be eager to embrace sustainable practices and a lifestyle to mitigate the damaging effects of climate changes.

“But then we would see these poles and watch the news and it didn’t seem to be that way elsewhere, Morrigan said. “Otherwise every body would just be in the same boat and something would be happening. But we decided to take off and figure out what Americans were actually thinking. And Americans have all sorts of opinions.”

So the two started making plans to travel around the county taking pictures and asking questions. Through their journey, called Project Tandem Alan and Morrigan wanted to connect with everyday Americans across all walks of life to discover what they thought about the planet’s changing climate. Read the rest of this entry »

Music and art blend in a new collaboration project by singer songwriter and most recent JTP contributor John Common. In conjunction with the release of his latest album Beautiful Empty the Denver-based musician has invited photographers to illustrate the songs’ lyrics with images as compelling as the words.

The Beautiful Empty Photo Conspiracy calls for the creation of original pictures from across the country. Photojournalist Lucia De Giovanni curates the collection that will be on display at the Fox Theater in Boulder on June 12^th. The event coincides with the release of the album by the indie band John Common & Blinding Flashes of Light.

“I think artists of all types should collaborate more… this project is an excuse to do that,” Common said in an exchange via Facebook. “There aren’t restrictions for participating — you don’t have to be a “professional” photographer to be in this project. Anyone can make art.” Read the rest of this entry »

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An interview with climber and writer Majka Burhardt

If you’re a writer, there are few things better than to combine your passion for storytelling with something else that you truly love. For writer Majka Burhardt climbing has long been the subject of her many articles in adventure magazines. A certified rocking climbing instructor and a member of the American Mountain Guides Association Burhardt blends her love for the outdoors with vivid descriptions of scenic landscapes and literary portraits of the many interesting people she encounters.

But it was on a trip to Africa a few years ago that she discovered a unique opportunity to add one more passion to the mix. On a journey to explore the industry and culture of Ethiopia coffee, Burhardt found that when you least expect it you can find adventure in the most unlikely places. Read the rest of this entry »

“Listen to the exhortation of the dawn! Look to this day! For it is life, the very life of life. In its brief course lie all the verities and realities of your existence. The bliss of growth, the glory of action, The splendor of beauty; For yesterday is but a dream, And tomorrow is only a vision; But today well lived makes every yesterday a dream of happiness, And every tomorrow a vision of hope. Look well therefore to this day! Such is the salutation of the dawn”

Kalidasa ~ Classical Sanskrit writer, widely regarded as the greatest poet and dramatist in the Sanskrit language (4^th-6^th Century A.D.)

Photograph by Chris Gibbs

“Everyone has a spirit that can be refined, a body that can be trained in some manner, a suitable path to follow. You are here to realize your inner divinity and manifest your innate enlightenment.”

Morihei Ueshiba ~ Japanese martial artist, founder of aikido (1883-1969)

Photograph by Chris Gibbs

“When you get to the end of all the light you know and it’s time to step into the darkness of the unknown, faith is knowing that one of two things shall happen: either you will be given something solid to stand on, or you will be taught how to fly”

Edward Teller ~ Hungarian-American theoretical physicist, member of the Manhattan Project, known as “the father of the hydrogen bomb” (1908 –2003)

Photograph by Chris Gibbs

“Winter is not a season, it’s an occupation”

Sinclair Lewis ~ American novelist, short-story writer, and playwright. In 1930, he became the first American to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature (1885-1951)

Photograph by Chris Gibbs

“In the depths of winter I finally learned there was in me an invincible summer”

Albert Camus ~ French author, existentialist philosopher, and journalist who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1957, (1913 – 1960)

Photograph by Chris Gibbs

“Nature chose for a tool, not the earthquake or lightning to rend and split asunder, not the stormy torrent or eroding rain, but the tender snow-flowers noiselessly falling through unnumbered centuries.

John Muir ~ Scottish-born American naturalist, author, and early advocate of preservation of wilderness (1838 –1914)

Photograph by Quang-Tuan Luong