Sharon Lia Robinson
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    • Edge of the Sea Gallery (1998-2003)
    • My Journey Toward Wholeness
    • whoever i am, i’m a fat womon (Film)
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Author Archive for Sharon Lia Robinson – Page 2

Hidden Treasure

By Sharon Lia Robinson · Comments (2)
Friday, November 8th, 2013

This post is about my writings for the anthology, Shadow on a Tightrope, (Writings by Women on Fat Oppression), published by Aunt Lute Books in 1983.  Today is the 30th anniversary publication of the book.

The anthology is the first ever collection of fat feminist writings and I am one of the catalysts and contributors.

(For historical purposes, please note that I have also written under the pen names Sharonah Robinson/Sharon Bas Hannah).

As a visionary artist, I have always sought to create and to imagine new realities and insights in  order to create a better world, a more compassionate presence for all.

In 1976/1977, while living in Venice, California, I wrote my ground-breaking poem “whoever i am, i’m a fat womon.” 

The poem was inspired by my participation in the early years of the Fat Women’s Liberation Movement in Los Angeles, California and in New Haven, Connecticut, 1974-1978.

I was also deeply influenced by my interest and research in Jungian psychology. The process of Jungian psychology and therapy became an important experience for helping me to discern my authentic self.

The result is that I began to feel more validation in my creative writings, inspiring me to integrate fat feminism into my artistic life.

The essence of Shadow on a Tightrope started in 1976/1977.

During that time, Aldebaran (Vivian Mayer) and I were searching for a title for the initial manuscript of writings we had collected and co-edited for a fat feminist anthology.

We decided to call the anthology, Shadow on a Tightrope, from a line in my poem, ”whoever i am, i’m a fat womon.”

The poem was first published in my 1978 poetry chapbook, fat womon/renaissance.  The chapbook was included that year in the resource material distributed by Fat Liberator Publications in New Haven, Connecticut, along with some of the other Shadow articles.

As the initial fat activist material became more widely known, we finally found a publisher, Aunt Lute Books..

I am honored that the editors, Barb Wieser and Lisa Schoenfielder, decided to keep our initial title, Shadow on a Tightrope, when the anthology was greatly expanded and published by Aunt Lute Books in 1983.

In 1986, I donated my Fat Activist papers to The Schlesinger Library on Women’s History, Radcliffe College, Cambridge, Massachusetts.

My archives there include the original Shadow On A Tightrope manuscript; writings selected and edited by Aldebaran (Vivian Mayer) and myself in 1976/1977.

I am delighted and grateful that my poem is included in the beginning of the Aunt Lute Books published anthology, along with two of my essays from the initial collection, “Fat Women As Dancers” and “The Human Potential Movement: Judging People’s Humanity By Their Looks.”

When Shadow on a Tightrope  was first published in 1983, I was living in Somerville, Massachusetts, creating poetry, theater and dance to portray fat women in new and visionary ways; integrating the ideals of fat feminism with my artistic spirit.  Several younger fat women were my dance students.

In restaurants and concerts today, I sometimes observe younger full-figured women dressed in great outfits, and reflect to myself, or comment to a friend, “I think I played a part in giving that woman a chance to wear her lovely clothes and be seen out in public as a beautiful woman.”

Throughout the years, I have continued my creative work.

Hidden Treasure
(Poem By Sharon Lia Robinson)

with patience
with pain
I have carved you
out of the seaweed
out of the snow

to my deep surprise
your hidden reflection
long forgotten
now comes alive

appearing in times of uncertainty
seeking its own hidden treasure
finding a long- lost reflection.

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Categories : An Unconventional Heroine

“oh sky”

By Sharon Lia Robinson · Comments (0)
Thursday, November 7th, 2013

oh sky
you can leap
bewildered
into a phantasmagorical
nomenclature
of love light sound

I love your gaze
because it is
so like mine
in the moon
of midnight

I like the turquoise
sky inside
inside your soul

I like the
sea of
music inside the heart
mementos on the doorstep.

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Categories : Selected Poetry

Becoming an Artist after 40

By Sharon Lia Robinson · Comments (0)
Wednesday, November 6th, 2013
"Rubenesque Landscape," collage by Sharon L. Robinson

“Rubenesque Landscape,” collage by Sharon L. Robinson

In her web site 40LICIOUS, Vanessa McGrady published my essay about becoming an artist after 40. Here is the link:

Do Over! Becoming an Artist After Forty

 
 
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Categories : An Unconventional Heroine, Meher Baba In My Life

My Meher Baba Talk (video)

By Sharon Lia Robinson · Comments (0)
Tuesday, October 22nd, 2013

Sharon’s October 5, 2013 Meher Baba Talk.

Sharon Lia Robinson’s story about her faith journey with Meher Baba.
Presented to Peninsula United Church of Christ House Church. Excerpts here are from her introductory talk and showing of the film, Meher Baba Highlights. October 5, 2013, in Sequim, Washington. www.sharonrobinson.org

Videography and technical support from Rev. Ed Evans/Peninsula United Church of Christ.  Nine minutes.

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Categories : Meher Baba In My Life

The Crowning of Mary, Divine Mother

By Sharon Lia Robinson · Comments (0)
Monday, May 20th, 2013

 

When I saw the following notice in the St. Paul’s Episcopal Church Bulletin, I was intrigued and decided to participate.

The notice said, “Mary Crowning Procession and Song, Saturday, May 11, 9:30 am to noon.  Bring flowers, a snack and laughter to share.  We will make crowns (materials will be provided) and celebrate in song, recognizing and honoring the mother of mothers.”

At the gathering to celebrate the Divine Mother I shared several of the 1942 Pentecost Novena poems by Edith Stein.

In 1998, Edith Stein became Saint Teresa Benedicta.  Her statue outside St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome depicts her holding both the Torah and the Cross.

A convert from Judaism, she died a Catholic martyr in Auschwitz in 1942.  In my research of Edith Stein, I was very moved by the 1998 canonization speech of Pope John Paul ll.

The story of Carmelite nun St. Teresa Benedicta is a reminder of the trials and the suffering in Christ, and also of the joy and unity in faith.

In our age, Avatar Meher Baba also offers us an opportunity to share in these aspects of His Advent.

At the Divine Mother Celebration, we made wreaths of flowers to wear and sang Catholic devotional songs to honor the Crowning of Mary.

 

Jane's Madonna/photo by Sue Cook

Jane’s Madonna

For the women’s gathering my friend Jane McKann brought her statue with an image of Mother Mary, surrounded by shells and stones in a natural wooden setting,  Jane was inspired to create the art piece to honor her experiences of motherhood.  Jane calls her statue The Great Mother.

My friend Helma Gumpp brought her statue of the Madonna  and child to the gathering.  The statue is originally from her family home in Munich, Germany. Inspired by the music, the singing and the images of the Divine Mother that we brought for the gathering, I danced on the outdoor labyrinth courtyard.

Helma's Statue

Helma’s Statue photo by Sue Cook

fine & watchful I dance
gently the breeze
carries me

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Categories : Meher Baba In My Life

Korshed

By Sharon Lia Robinson · Comments (0)
Sunday, May 12th, 2013
Judy,Korshed,Sharon 122640003
Judy Robertson, Korshed, Sharon Lia Robinson, Meherabad, India.

I was fortunate to meet Korshed, one of Meher Baba’s inner circle of disciples, (Mandali) on my first and so far only visit to India in the fall of 1995.  Judy Robertson, an American friend who was then residing part of each year at Meherabad, introduced me to her.

On several occasions during my two week stay as a pilgrim at Meherabad, I was invited by Judy to visit with Korshed.

I am a poet and I often feel that poetry may be helpful to people who have challenges in their lives.

On one of my visits I began to read poetry to Korshed. Her health was fragile and my reading seemed to benefit her.  I was happy to see her enjoying the poems.

The poems I read for Korshed were from my devotional poem, Embracing You, and from the book Substance and Shadow by John Mijac.  I had purchased several copies of his book during my visit as a pilgrim.

I am grateful that I had the opportunity to read poems to Korshed. This experience, important in my life, gives me insights for sharing poems in many different and diverse settings.

Also, I feel that the experience of reading aloud to Korshed gives me the endurance to continue to write poetry.  I feel that I am also influenced on other levels by meeting her, which may be revealed to me in the future.

Thanks to Judy Robertson, I was able to meet Korshed and spend time with her.  I felt it was important to bring Korshed’s story to light for pilgrims and lovers of Meher Baba.  Judy cared for Korshed and helped initiate this vision. There is a wonderful book that Judy helped to develop. The book is compiled from video and audio recordings of Khorshed telling her life stories during the 70s, 80s and 90s. Additional sources include notes from interviews with Khorshed as well as her personal diary.
The book is Fortunate To Love Him, Stories of My Life with Meher Baba, by Khorshed K. Irani, published by Sheriar Foundation, 2017.

Korshed is not as well known as other Mandali.  Because of my own background, I have a place in my heart when I feel someone is on the margins.

From time to time during my stay in 1995, Judy introduced me to other residents, so I didn’t feel lost in a crowd.  Being able to meet Bal Natu and some of the other Mandali, such as Arnavaz, Katie Irani, Eruch Jessawalla and Aloba also holds significant meaning and purpose for my life now and always.   Jai Meher Baba.
(Written during September, 2012, updated December 1, 2022).

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Categories : Meher Baba In My Life

Honey

By Sharon Lia Robinson · Comments (0)
Monday, May 6th, 2013

honey
drips off a spoon

honey whispers
glowing drizzling flowing
like branches of the moon

we meet
in the whispers
of a honey blue

we meet
in the honeysphere.

 

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Categories : Selected Poetry

Endless

By Sharon Lia Robinson · Comments (0)
Monday, May 6th, 2013

endless
in the wind
endless elegant endless
a circle
in the wind
mystery
pattern of wakefulness
found in time.

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Categories : Selected Poetry

Haiku

By Sharon Lia Robinson · Comments (0)
Monday, May 6th, 2013

 

gold moon
touching blue
a night to be with the wind

 

leap year
leaping in all directions

 

sage blossoms on stone
somewhere
the sound of water

 

remembering
our last winter walks
how fleeting the noonday sun

 

connection to sky
beyond our goodbye
nature & whim

 

mild rain
cat naps
on a purple cushion

 

cat in the sun
my little dream-
dreaming

 

Neptune the cat
on his blue wooden table
relaxing yet watchful

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Categories : Selected Poetry

Today, In Sunlight

By Sharon Lia Robinson · Comments (0)
Monday, May 6th, 2013

years fall
like rain cycles

unexpected stories
surprise me

special wine
for body and soul

creative blessings of light
we had thought were lost

until they find
their way
toward us, again

gifts after a drought
quenching our uncertainty.

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Categories : Selected Poetry

Skagit Valley Forest

By Sharon Lia Robinson · Comments (0)
Monday, May 6th, 2013

tonight
light and silently smiling
the tree seemed to say
come close

the tree saying be,
be together in your soul
your center yourself

newly planted and old
they sing and say
we see you
feel yourself
know you

we are here too
in the breath of our earth
we hear you
we know you too, your reaching
we know you too, your reaching

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Categories : Selected Poetry

Springtime Never Sleeps

By Sharon Lia Robinson · Comments (0)
Monday, May 6th, 2013

springtime never sleeps
it lingers dormant
in our imagination

until the next
rebirth of new
commands our view

giving us a glimpse
of our own
ongoing possibilities

forever emerging
like a glimmer
of sweetness and renewal

secretly lingering all year
within the dark
midnight of sacred hibernation.

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Categories : Selected Poetry

A Quiet Balance

By Sharon Lia Robinson · Comments (0)
Monday, May 6th, 2013

all of my life
I have been
wishing for this star

a natural sense
within me
searching for the way

some bright light
yet not too bright
a soft and gentle breeze
yet the wind not too strong

a balance
between two extremes

finding my place
sharing that place of knowing

finding that purpose
searching with others

giving voice
to the quiet
voice within

through intuition
the magical harmony
repeats itself

until I no longer
hear the discord

a quiet balance emerges
against all odds

I can share
who I am,
against all odds
a quiet balance emerges,
quiet remembrance.

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Categories : Selected Poetry

Passion Flower (passiflora coccinea)

By Sharon Lia Robinson · Comments (0)
Monday, May 6th, 2013

(There is a legend that if you pick a passion flower, drink the nectar
and then toss the petals while making a wish, you will actualize your dream).

I drink the nectar
of the passion flower
and toss the bright red petals
into the clear rocky stream

my hands touch the earth
find one smooth
round stone

waterfalls dance
to the ocean.

Esalen Institute
Big Sur, California 1987

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Categories : Selected Poetry

Poems and Art for Meher Baba

By Sharon Lia Robinson · Comments (1)
Friday, March 9th, 2012

April 1, 2012
I am happy to share this site for a selection of my art and poetry dedicated to Meher Baba. View the entire group of poets and artists on Poetry of the HeartMind.

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Categories : Meher Baba In My Life

fat womon/renaissance (1978 chapbook)

By Sharon Lia Robinson · Comments (4)
Monday, November 1st, 2010

 

fat womon/renaissance

poems
by
Sharon Bas Hannah

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“My name speaks trust
it is ancient
iam called fat womon”

fat womon/renaissance
poems by Sharon Bas Hannah
copyright © 1978
by Nomad Press
P.O. 13ox 5621
Santa Monica, Calif. 90405

 

distributed by the
New Haven Fat Liberation Front
Box 342, New Haven, Ct. 06513

(please note that addresses are not current)

aiming to share the spoils

in egypt she was queen
oiled flesh amber
lifting round the moon

in such temperate climates
she danced freely
her fortune sold
for bread and pearls
robes of satin
sashayed with crimson

garlands before the waterfall

here she arrives
shattered by a wound that has no ending
rough edges cover her body
with a spat on future

living in a body that is spat on
she is a survivor of specialized murders
like the rough edges of an abyss
surrounding her future

her thighs have been
the strange mirror
for a tryst of forsaken loves

a cactus of frozen petals
from her luck in history

more and more a longing:
to dance in the sweetness of flowering
dignity

to share the jewels
ageless ancient
of her existence.

1.

 

whoever i am i’m a fat woman

the space of a silhouette
entering the space of a silence

curvatures of silk
caverns flooding
welcome to a canyon:

she’s a horsewomon
a tennis match
a champion runner

she’s an artist womon
a desert womon
a dancer

she’s a fat womon

a fashion hall for dreams

she’s a seeker your lover your sister
a dreamer a bohemian a thinker
your doctor she’s a healer
a psychic her stories will set you free

herb lady
masseuse
mathematician
architect
sexologist
clothes designer
museum curator
sculptress
archaeologist

a farmer

2.


a laughter’s echo
she’s a fat womon
a fat womon
a womon
bound to cut
this earth of the shadows inside her

cliffhanger
ballroom dancer
go-getter
bartender

scene stealer wheeler dealer

a leaper a runner a roller

she’s a fat womon and she’s breathing

the unknown womon
the womon who flavours her own song

she’s a genius
she’s extraordinary
she’s an ordinary girl
she’s a fat womon

cab driver copper welder tea drinker
street walker prude

she’s a blues singer
a floutist a drummer

a pin up girl
an ice skater
an icecream lover
a hindu

3.


a hiker a kite flyer
your shadow on the tightrope
she’s a fat womon

your shadow
a brake mechanic
a concert cellist
a jazz saxaphonist
leaping on laughter’s echo the rhythms of her life.

poet playrite witch nun jew

surfer
bathing beauty
high heeled sexy tramp

scorpio rising
rubenesque pearl

priestess potter shoemaker
hairstylist jeweler
thankyou. a furniture design.

the womon procurred by money
the womon who is heard above laughter

the womon who walks beyond
the streets of desire
the womon who has always walked these streets
with passion
the womon who has taken over the space of her body
and the womon who has refused to conquer that space.

worker bohemian boss scholar aristocrat
roadrunner sailor weaver

a fat girl
she’s a wallflower
socializer leader recluse wanderer

4.

 

an advertisement for love:
in lillian russell days
you’d follow her
her bare ankles
down the rivers muddy edge by foot
making love to her on your knees

she’s a stallion a fleet of rivers.

feel the womon
whose river bathes in mammoth luxury
tracing the moons
that are inside her

she’s an aesthetic womon
she’s a plastic womon
she’s a junkie
a hobo
a housekeeper

candlemaker
chiropractor
stuck up bitch
fast smiler
on welfare
or could be
she’s a fat womon

the silent womon
worn
with a mask around herself

the womon who is challenged to a duel

the womon who is tortured

tied to the bed and raped

the womon who always sleeps in black
the womon who never says “excuse me”
or smiles when she’s supposed to

5.

 

the womon whose existence is in question

rough outrageous dull graceful ingenious

exciting to be alive as being a fat womon

she’s a deep sea diver
a windmill climber
a motorcycle mama
and a bicycle rider
she’s a fat womon

she’s a snow shoveler
a short stopper
a wind lover
a heart breaker

certain truths
will make your heart beat fast
when you hear them from a fat womon

you’ll grow pale
get chills
disbelieve
but she’s marching toward you
she’s here and she’s taking back her life.

a tough springer
a dead ringer
watch the stones
they throw
her will turn
to looks of beauty

the stones
they throw to works of art
will turn to looks of beauty.

6.

(The anthology of women’s writings,
Shadow on A Tightrope takes its title from this poem, which was
also published in the book.)

 

 

 

 

 

where am i

where am i?
in most places
yet i’m not supposed to be here at all.
in the eyes of a greek orange cat
i bellydance
in robins eggs and tree seasons
i meander.

7.

 

 

limelight/5:01

the moon is getting full
would Beth ever climb a shady tree
unchallenged we walk to the grocery
putting out a face in limelight
chanting
the opera singer neighbor
navels folks who made fun of your body
younger folks made fun of mine
pity
lets go for a swim

 

 

8.

 

fat circus woman

in a sense we’re all
fat ladies in the circus
our image sized up
too full too plush too contrary
won’t satisfy the cosmetic lie.

 

 

 

blackk
I’d like to plunge
through
La Brea tar pits
become a nun
wear black all day
so no one’d
sea
scars.

9.

 

storm waves

rain an open air intruder
violating the streets
allows her to go out in public
she orders pancakes
and dances down the beach
her hips in wild waves
an ocean few can see.

 

 

 

10.

uninvited space

a great fat woman
hips swaying wide
claims to be an actress

and you who see the film
might renounce old illusions
mistakes bad attractions
and you who know the score
recover your minds
to see you’ve been had

like this woman
remembering
the smile your eyes once buried
those looks which murdered her mind

like this woman
slashing contortions
shaming betrayals
shattering insults

dissolving the blindness
as
she
dazzles you with her life.

11.

laughter bursts

I something new
coming from the moon
who dances best here
can a fat woman have the part?

II backstage a woman is leaping
through the whispers
public looks
diet sodas
toward center stage.

 

ore

your essence speaks
refinement
not yet refined
a secret language
yet
we talk
chiseling out of silent stone
the jutted teething form
the silent sculpted eyes
finding concreteness in the aura of clay
your nearness
turning each minute
on its mask of dance
unmasks the form they tried
so many times
to bury.

12.

comets in the snow


she has left a funeral of sunshine
where her bones were bleached by indifference

she has cast her self away from warmth’s
illusion in a california sun

in the streets of an east coast storm
her flesh can grasp fire

in winter’s ice camouflage
an image walks
once scorned dismembered for a lifetime
with other women shadows in vaults of mist
unshriveled slowly opening

heretics
our varied shapes our ancient patterns
a cosmos vision abducting the heavens

as wintered ice reaches past times lost galaxies

secret fires
under ice of ice
are warmed luminous illumined alluring
joyful to display their self discoveries

renaissance of womanhood
reclaimed in forms rubenesque, willendorfian.

13.

A note from the author, Sharon Lia Robinson, AKA Sharon Bas Hannah

You may contact me:
Sharon Lia Robinson
www.sharonrobinson.org
or
P. O. Box 895
Port Townsend, WA 98368

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Categories : Selected Poetry

My Journey Toward Wholeness

By Sharon Lia Robinson · Comments (0)
Monday, May 17th, 2010

Film memoir by Sharon Lia Robinson  © 2002

In this thirty minute memoir I share my life as an artist, feminist and poet, and my independent research, mostly holistic, for healing of early psychological challenges.

A film excerpt from My Journey Toward Wholeness.

Two poems by Sharon Lia Robinson:  excerpt length 2:34.

1.  Dancing Into Light, (a poem for Meher Baba)
2.  In the Night of My Heart

(Scroll down to view the entire film).

Sharon’s entire film memoir, length 30:38

©2002. Produced & directed by Sharon Lia Robinson

sharon@olympus.net

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Categories : Film

Esalen

By Sharon Lia Robinson · Comments (3)
Thursday, April 8th, 2010

Selections from Esalen Journey (A Journal of Emerging Spiritual Awareness)

Part 1, October 28, 1986-December 6, 1986  (about 56 pages)
Part 11, December 10-1986-March 5, 1987 (about 68 pages)
Esalen Massage Documentation (about 22 pages)

Introduction to the Journal:

In October, 1986 I moved from Somerville, Massachusetts to live and study at Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California.  Esalen Journey is a record of those four months in Big Sur.  This two-part journal records my impressions of the people I met at Big Sur, including insights and knowledge I experienced at Esalen. The journal also includes my poetry and dreams during those four months, my interactions with others and my insights into healing of body, mind and spirit.

I studied to be a massage therapist, taking a month long course.  Then I stayed on as a work-scholar.  I was assigned to housekeeping.  My work was cleaning the hot tubs, the guest rooms and working in the laundry.  In exchange for this work and some financial payment to Esalen, I was in a program to take more seminars.

However, I spent most of my free time completing my thirty practice massages to get my California State Massage Practitioner’s Certification.

Excerpts from Esalen Journey/Part 11:

December 10, 1986.

I am working here in the laundry

I bless the objects I work with

The sheets the furniture the desk

The baths which I clean

releasing sobs

-breath into throat –

tension lifts from neck as sobs come to life – the child, alone –  can only find love from objects –

she doesn’t want to be pushed, or rushed – she handles the objects with care

blessing the sheets

Thanking the stones

as she scrubs the baths

or the concrete floor of the shower

The sobs for the objects around her

when she was a child, lonely

in the children’s home

The sobs when

she spoke to the

objects around her

and they cared more for

her than the people she knew-

The housemothers, swim teachers

psychiatrist, etc…

The dirty candy wrappers

the books

the linen – I spoke with them as a child magician –

They gave me love –

I return the love to them now.

(End of entry for December 10,1986 of Esalen Journal).

February 19, 1987

(While at Esalen, I also gave a poetrydance performance of my creative work, accompanied by conga drums.

I met Bill Light, who described himself as a new age Christian.  He was visiting Esalen and he drove me to the Henry Miller Museum, at Emil White’s place.  Here is another excerpt from Part 11 of the journal):

Bill Light  drove me to Emil White, an accomplished painter and old time friend of Henry Miller.  Mr. White has the Henry Miller Memorabilia Museum in his home in Big Sur.  His hands are shaking because he has Parkinson’s disease, as he reads my story, “The Homeopath”  and then “The Casablanca.”

When we meet, he kisses my hand.  I can see the sensual twinkle in his eyes.  The silence in the room as he reads my words.  The silence of nature and of God.

Emil White likes my work.  He suggests I contact Grove Press and Ferlinghetti.

February 28, 1987.

I leave Esalen with the memory of our Work Scholar goodbye party – and of my last few days in the laundry.

“I trust that God is in me

I trust that my labor is holy

Out of this trust I live.” *

*An anonymous quote I saw on the wall in one of Esalen’s offices.

Leaving Esalen

(a poem)

the fire of change

new earth

air of passage

I remember

the surging waterfall

knowing

the sadness, the strength

in each new connection.

(End of journal excerpts, Part 11, Esalen Journey).

Perhaps in the future more of Esalen Journey will be published.

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Categories : An Unconventional Heroine

Rubenesque Landscape

By Sharon Lia Robinson · Comments (0)
Thursday, April 8th, 2010

Excerpts From A Poetry Collection By Sharon Lia Robinson, With Photography by Steven R. Johnson

Rubenesque Landscape collage by Sharon Robinson

In Rubenesque Landscape, the photographer Steven R. Johnson collaborates with me to portray various aspects of my life and personality.

We began our project in 1997, as a way to publish a book of my poetry with his photography, and to also have an art gallery exhibition.

Having worked in alternative theatre, as a dance student and art model, I experienced a sense of invisibility at times. My self-image was deeply affected in mainstream culture as a result of my body type and I had a sense of being cast out, on many levels.

Learning to honor myself as a woman and as an artist I began exploring many avenues for inner healing and self-actualization. Rubenesque Landscape (poetry and photos) is part of my ongoing endeavor and a book publication is our intention.

I feel that the photos taken by Steve give me the chance to be seen, acknowledged and recognized as an imaginative and interesting person. These photos help me to find and to appreciate my authentic self.

Steve’s awareness as a gifted photographer helps me to explore ways of seeing that may otherwise have been endangered, lost or overlooked.

I believe that now and in the future, our project will be beneficial to many and valuable for broadening social perspectives of beauty.

I feel that Rubenesque Landscape will help change cultural expectations that so deeply damage the self-esteem of people who do not fit into current, fashionable mores of physical beauty and personality.

I am grateful to Steve for his collaboration with me on this project, his dedication to art, and our friendship.

I believe that we need to preserve the mystery of the hidden, the unusual, the other. We need to reclaim our hidden side, our shadow, rather than projecting our unwanted inner aspects onto the despised, rejected outcast. Only in this way, I sense, can we reclaim our wholeness.

The photographs can also speak for themselves, as interpreted by the viewer. The collaboration was shown at Edge of the Sea Gallery (1998-2003), in Port Townsend, Wa.

Many of my experimental plays, short stories and memoir also express the challenge of being a Rubenesque woman and a cultural outsider in American mainstream culture. My artistic body of work, at the deepest level, reflects the desire for tikkun olam, a Hebrew phrase for the healing of the world. Here are a few poems by Sharon Lia Robinson.

Sharon Robinson in Series Rubenesque Landscape Photography by Steven R. Johnson #2

The Will To Go Forward Is Connected to the Chance to Move (Inspired by Paul Eluard)

she is born without shadows
her body has no illusions
no mirrors of rejection
where hope discards itself

she is born where love
grows without lies
an intimate forest

stars of flaming black
full-colored crimson white
her own sea weaves
slowly the passage

that first stage pulsation
of trembling free
a red reflection of blind abandon

and safe in her own sea mirror
large and true she can live
full within her own hope
full without shadows
dancing a practical dream
a beautiful dream without losers.

Sharon Robinson in Series Rubenesque Landscape Photography by Steven R. Johnson #3

where am I?
by Sharon Lia Robinson

where am I?
in most places

yet I’m not supposed to be

in the eyes of a Greek orange cat
I bellydance

in robin’s nests and tree seedlings
I meander.

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Categories : An Unconventional Heroine, Art

Edge of the Sea Gallery (1998-2003)

By Sharon Lia Robinson · Comments (0)
Thursday, January 14th, 2010

A film about the sanctuary for artists and poets in Port Townsend, Washington. Produced and directed by Sharon Lia Robinson.  © 2009 by Sharon Lia Robinson. Entire film is 1:09:01. 

 See entire film here (or scroll down to view excerpts). 


 

Film excerpt of Sharon Lia Robinson, Poetry and Dance, Edge of the Sea Gallery.  length 1:53
I, Sharon, wrote this poem “The Will To Go Forward Is Connected To The Chance To Move”  in August, 1978. The poem is inspired by Paul Eluard.  At the time, I was beginning to create innovative dance, poetry and theater to reflect compassionate, artistic portrayals of full-figured women. In 2008, two decades after the poem was written, I produced this dance poetry film.

 

Film excerpt of Steven R. Johnson, Artist and Photographer, Edge of the Sea Gallery.  length:  7:16.


Film Notes and Synopsis by Sharon Lia Robinson, Producer and Director

Edge of the Sea Gallery (1998 – 2003) was a sanctuary for the arts and self-actualization.  During the five years of our storefront experiment, the center was an alternative place for dance, music and poetry readings. The sixty nine minute documentary film features artists, poets and writers from Port Townsend, Washington. The gallery was my vision to show the work of marginalized artists as well as friends who were more widely known. This documentary presents archival interviews with the artists, our work and gallery events. The film includes interviews with Steven R. Johnson (gallery co-founder), Robert Komishane, Alexandra Lord, Mike O’Connor and myself (Sharon). I held the storefront space for five years, because I believed and still do believe in my vision to create more visibility for marginalized and experimental artists. The gallery opened in 1998 and closed in 2003.  I see my work on this project as a way to share my journey and to inspire others. This film is a labor of love and a tribute to the artists involved.

   

Dr. Fred Whitehead, a writer and and progressive arts advocate from Kansas City, Kansas, said about the film, “You’ve documented a small institution that created and preserved culture — something that I’ve urged everyone to do for years.”

Film Premier At Northwind Arts Center

On April 15, 2010 Northwind Arts Center in Port Townsend, Washington hosted the premier of my film documentary Edge of the Sea Gallery (1998-2003). The event was a happy reunion for me of my old and new friends. Here are some of the people who were present. Photographs by Jill Buhler.

Steven R. Johnson and Sharon Lia Robinson, gallery co-founders

Doris Thurston, Christopher Herold, Isolde Perry, Joseph Karniewicz.

   

Sharon Lia Robinson


    After the film, I shared my poetry, answered questions and gave an update on my art and writing projects.  

Sharon Lia Robinson

   

Robert Komishane interviewed in the film, gives an update on his healing journey and rap poetry.

Joan Fabian shares her memories of the gallery

Stephen R Johnson interviewed in the film,  gives an update on his art and photography projects.

Sharon Lia Robinson with Isolde Perry

Sharon with Helma Gumpp

Jane McKann, Sharon and Joan Fabian

Sharon with Bill Mawhinney, poet and co-ordinator of Northwind reading series

Steve with audience after presentation.

   
   
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