[Article by Michaela Elias]

The country of Nepal, situated between India and China, is the most popular travel destination in Asia. It is a land abundant with culture, spirituality, and adventure. Nepal, abounding in rich history, boasts over 69 ethnic groups, 71 cultures, some of the most beautiful scenery in the world, and maybe the greatest hiking and trekking on earth considering it is home to Mt. Everest. It is also home to three Pilgrim Book Houses one in Kathmandu, the capitol of Nepal, one in Varansi, and one in Delhi. And although each one of these book houses is unique, none of them are your ordinary bookstore. Most of the books in stock are rare and incomparable just like the book houses themselves. Nepal’s propensity towards adventure and divinity is reflected in the themes of the books at the Pilgrim Book Houses, many of which have a focus on travel and religion. Rama Tiwari, the founder and owner of the Pilgrim Book Houses travels around the world himself, searching for unusual books with significant information and far reaching messages. America, France, and Germany are some of the countries he visits in his quest for unconventional and refreshing literature. Most of the books he collects are in English but the book house does contain a section for foreign novels, which have eastern themes.

Rama Tiwari’s fascination with books began at a young age. He started his successful career cleaning books in a bookstore. From there he ventured on to sell books on the street and then to open his first Pilgrim Book House in Nepal. The Pilgrim aspect of Tiwari’s Book Houses stems from his philosophy that we are all pilgrims in our journey through life. He believes we are all on a quest to discover answers to the fundamental questions of “Who am I” and “Why am I here?”

To inquire about this article, contact Michaela Elias at mitabe@optonline.net.

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About the artist:

Lex Munson has been a professional artist and designer for over thirty years. His projects have ranged from designing banks to theater sets, from interior design and graphic arts to theme trade shows and major retail/industrial exhibits. He has taught and inspired hundreds of artists, from beginners to instructors with his unique, dynamic methods, and holds a reputation for creative and entertaining demonstrations. His works appear in many private and corporate collections throughout the U.S. and abroad.

Raised in Yosemite National Park, Lex Munson’s deep appreciation of nature’s beauty began early. He absorbed Yosemite Valley’s sheer cliffs, magnificent trees and cascading waterfalls. Today his paintings recall that misty, magical world in a unique blend of fantasy and reality. Visions, reflected in bold, free watercolors that take the viewer into dreamlike vistas of Yosemite and the Western landscape. Many of Munson’s paintings are created on site, but so deeply ingrained are the images of his youth, that the majority are created solely through his imagination.

For more information on Lex Munson and his current workshops and retreats, please visit http://GetawayWithArt.com.

A Transition

We hold on
Too tightly
To an idea
That most closely fits
Into the current
Context
Of images, feelings
That are the living
reflections
Of our dearest
Insecurities
Those beautiful things
dangling
From the ropes
Tied to a stick
Above our heads
Is only us
And we suffocate
The dream
until
It is but a random
Flash of lunacy
In that moment
Before the eyes open
To see that we have grown
Much too big
For the space
We’ve chosen
For our roots

You may reach Sam Burks at srburks@gmail.com.

About the artist:

Johanna Poethig is an internationally exhibited visual, public, and performance artist. Over the years, she has collaborated with many different artists, professionals, communities, and cultural groups. The work you see here is specifically from a mural project in the Tenderloin District of San Francisco, CA. You can contact Poethig at jpoethig@mindspring.com.

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New Mural in SF

Poethig and Wofford, mugging and working on new mural in San Francisco’s Tenderloin. Expect more progress posts as the project continues over weeks to come.

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Week 4: Tenderloin Heights

Civic Center Post Office Mural: Street Art/ Mural Performance Painting/ Social Theater

It’s either “Tenderloin Heights” or “Tondo (famous slum in Manila) in the Tenderloin”.  Our scaffolding is periodically inhabited.  There are sleeping things stuffed in the tree next to the second level.  I call it the “Garden Level” .  We look over the top planks gingerly every work day hoping for no surprises. What’s worse, a tag or some human dung. Hmmmmm.  Hard to say.

The police are not around this week.  People are corralled into this neighborhood.  Arrests seem very arbitrary. There is no space in California prisons and clearly not enough mental health services.  An anti Drug War demonstration came down the street last Friday.  The police were all around that.  There was also a bomb scare at the Federal building 2 blocks down so it crowded up on our block that day. A little too cozy. A blind man knocked over a blue jar of paint and it splatted on to the sidewalk.

Natural Beauty

With a click the severed sunbeams
Flutter and descend like canary’s feathers
As a cat holds down the body.
A body trapped beneath the paws and
Claws that pierce skin, releasing
Fluid that leaves no trace.
A small stubbled head placed
Upon trembling cupped hands
That trap falling water.
The eyes make up lakes,
The mascara raging tributaries.

You may contact Don P. Musey at donpmusey@gmail.com.

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Our Son

I want to hold you,
But you’re almost my size.
With your father’s hair,
And Papa’s eyes.

You’re big and rough,
And strong and loud.
You make me and your father very proud.

When you changed from a baby
I do not know.
Though I’ve been there every second,
To watch you grow.

You surprise us and shock us every day.
We are in awe sometimes,
By the things you say.

In too few years,
You will be a man.
Just follow careful,
To God’s great plan.

And know at sunset,
When each day is done,
We are always proud of you our son.

J’Rie B. Elliott is a poetess and ongoing contributor of Synchronized Chaos. To contact her, send an email to dixiepoet@gmail.com.