"Love Poem to the Printed Text": Poem by Lisa Bernstein (Lisa B) in "Warning the Stars" Blog

A young, Kentucky-based writer, Stacy Lynn Mar, reprinted in her blog a poem of mine from my first (and so far, only) full-length poetry book, which came out in 1989 (The Transparent Body, Wesleyan University Press, new poets series). The poem is "Love Poem to the Printed Text." 

I was thrilled to stumble upon it (I don't know Ms. Mar), not only because I was glad she enjoyed it and was moved to write about it, but also because of the synchronicity with my recent reimmersion in poetry for the page. I had been thinking in the previous couple of weeks that I needed more of my poems to appear online. And I had just emailed Wesleyan the night before asking them to take a look at a new poetry manuscript. This writer apparently heard me.

http://warningthestars.blogspot.com/2014/10/love-poem-to-printed-text-by-lisa.html?showComment=1416653026207#c3255049114998570479

Thanks, Stacy Lynn Mar! I'm wishing you the best in your own writing! 

More than 40 poems from my newest manuscript have appeared in wonderful literary magazines and anthologies: American Writing; Atlanta Review; Bastard Review; Brilliant Corners; Caliban; Caliban Online; Field; Ironwood; The Kenyon Review; Lilith; Pivot; Ploughshares; Poet Lore; Poetry International; Socialist Review; Tikkun; War, Literature, & The Arts; ZYZZYVA; Beyond Lament; Poets of the World Bearing Witness to the Holocaust (Northwestern University Press); Homeless Not Helpless (Canterbury Press); Ladies Start Your Engines; Women Writers on Cars and the Road (Faber and Faber); and Orpheus & Company: Contemporary Poems on Greek Mythology (University Press of New England).

But you can't find the poems online, as far as I know.

This blog, though, contains three posts with my poems in them; the first two are from my newest manuscript, and the last is from The Transparent Body:

http://lisabmusic.blogspot.com/2013/06/rupaul-poem-transvestite-god.html

http://lisabmusic.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-new-war-in-current-issue-of-war.html

http://lisabmusic.blogspot.com/2009/06/25-years-of-successful-diabetic-care.html

"Our House" composed by Graham Nash

One of my favorite songs to perform is "Our House." It feels like a very October tune. The windows are still "illuminated by the sunshine" (at least here in California) but we're drawn indoors to start "staring at the fire."

I do it as a ballad in a beautiful arrangement by Grammy multi- nominee Wayne Wallace (http://www.walacomusic.com/), who's now known mainly as a Latin jazz composer and player but who has a deep capacity for all kinds of arranging and performance.

This recording, with lovely piano by Frank Martin and acoustic bass by John Shifflett, is from my "What's New, Pussycat?" record: mainly songs about cats actual and metaphoric, but also including a few songs on the theme of home. Jim (James) Gardiner of Pajama Studios in Oakland recorded, mixed, and mastered it (http://www.gardinermusicmentoring.com/).

If you are moved to possess or support this music, I'd be very grateful! Please download or purchase it from CDBaby (http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/lisab3) or iTunes (https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/our-house/id167824648?i=167824739&uo=4). You can also download from Amazon, but please don't purchase CDs from it because I won't see any proceeds.

"I'll light the fire..."

"You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To"

Here's a video (for lack of a better term, as it includes just a single photo) of my version of Cole Porter's great song "You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To." I do it as a bossa. The marvelous players are Frank Martin, keyboard, Troy Lampkins, electric bass, Paul van Wageningen, drums, and John Santos, percussion.

I'm gearing up to create a show/album of Porter songs. The other song from his repertoire that I've done is here, with dynamic footage galore: http://lisabmusic.blogspot.com/2013/10/newvideonightanddaythecatgoddesscoleporterlisab.html 

Introduction to the Recording Experience for Vocalists: New Workshop

Introduction to the Recording Experience for Vocalists

A new workshop taught by Lisa B (Lisa Bernstein) and James Gardiner

Pajama Recording Studio

Jack London Square, Oakland

Sunday, October 12

1 – 4 p.m.

$85

Limited to 6 participants - contact Lisa B to register now!
All levels welcome. Age 14 to adult.
Singers, feel free to contact me with questions!

via lisabmusic at hotmail dot com

• Experience singing and being recorded in a world-class recording studio (without having to commit to a full-fledged project)

• Learn techniques to feel warmed up, relaxed, and energized while singing/recording

• Gain tools to feel clear, calm, and in charge of your project

• Learn the steps involved in the recording process (preparation, team members and their roles, budget, schedule, and marketing)

• Come away with an mp3 of your recorded singing

James (Jim) Gardiner is an award-winning producer, recording engineer, composer, and arranger with two Grammy nominations and 42 gold and platinum awards. He studied trombone and composition at Seattle’s famed Cornish College of the Arts. As composer-in-residence for the state of Washington, Gardiner conducted original compositions, taught high-school and college youth, and won top prize for his Grand Champion Band for three consecutive years at the International Jazz Festival in Reno, Nevada. (Kenny G and his current music director Robert Damper were among the youth mentored by Gardiner.) Gardiner went on to found and lead the professional 17-piece big band jazz orchestra Life-line, which performed West Coast dates with Hank Crawford, Hubert Laws, Johnny Hammond, Grover Washington, Jr., George Benson, and Ron Carter and toured in London, Paris, Luxembourg, and Belgium.

After moving to the San Francisco Bay Area, Gardiner co-founded two prominent recording studios, Live Oak of Berkeley and his current Pajama Studio, which he built in Jack London Square in 1992. Along with recording and nurturing many indie artists who are not yet household names, he has mentored such artists as singers Nikita Germaine and Rosie Gaines and film composer Mark Isham and worked with artists including Deniece Williams, Bobby Kimball (Toto), Destiny’s Child, Will Smith, India Arie, D’Wayne Wiggins, Brian McKnight, Michael Cooper, Sheila E, Vanessa Williams, Jody Watley, Angela Bofill, B’Angie B, Lenny Williams, The Whispers, Najee, Tupac Shakur, Digital Underground, Luniz, Too $hort, Master P, E-40, Tony! Toni! Tone!, Thomas Dolby, Pharoah Sanders, Hubert Laws, Grover Washington Jr., George Benson, Ron Carter, Sammy Davis Jr., Donny Hathaway, Bill Withers, Bobby Hutcherson, Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles, Barry White, John Lee Hooker Jr., Rickie Lee Jones, and Eddie Money. He runs a full-service music production company, Touch-Tone Productions, and Gardiner Music Mentoring, through which he works with youth and adults to develop their musical skills and careers. For more details, see http://www.gardinermusicmentoring.com/.

Lisa B (Lisa Bernstein) is a singer, poet, educator, and intuitive reader-coach. She has five CDs (on her own label) and two books (published by Wesleyan University Press and Five Fingers Poetry) to her credit. Her CDs received radio play and charting on hundreds of trade-reporter stations and excellent reviews in All Music Guide, Jazz Times, Jazziz, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, the Philadelphia Daily News, and many other publications. She received grants and residences from the National Endowment for the Arts, Headlands Center for the Arts, Money for Women, the Puffin Foundation, and others. She has taught classes and workshops at San Francisco State, Foothill College, Skyline College, the Jazzschool, Blue Bear School of Music, Anna Yates Elementary School, and the Allendale Recreation Center; performed music and poetry at more than 80 clubs, performance spaces, colleges, and bookstores; and given radio interviews in the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, and New York. She has master's and bachelor's degrees in English literature/creative writing from San Francisco State and UC Santa Cruz, respectively. For more information on Lisa B, see www.lisabmusic.com and www.lisabintuitive.com.

Fun and Fearless Public Speaking (and Private Conversation): A Workshop

Fun and Fearless Public Speaking 

(and Private Conversation): 

Mind-Body-Spirit Tools for Confident Communication

A workshop taught by Lisa B (Lisa Bernstein) 

Sat., September 27, 2014

1 - 4 p.m.

Lisa's home 

(in a safe, pleasant Oakland, Calif. neighborhood, with plenty of parking)

$50

(and includes 1/2-hour phone consultation as a followup!)

Open to 8 participants

Contact lisabmusic at hotmail dot com to reserve your place now!
(I accept credit cards via PayPal at the address shown above, or I can tell you how to send a check)

________________________________________________________

Do you want to feel confident, calm, and clear while

* Giving presentations? 

* Speaking to groups, large or small? 
* Being interviewed for a job?

* Or simply talking with family, friends, and co-workers?

This is the workshop for you! 

Includes guided visualization; instruction on tools to help you feel both relaxed and energized, both aware of your audience and personally confident; and time and space for you to practice in a safe setting. 

• Convert anxiety and fear into confidence and empowerment

• Feel calmer and more "in your body" when speaking to groups or individuals

• Reconnect with your natural ability to communicate your truth

• Release judgment and invalidation about expressing yourself, whether in speeches or one-on-one

• Learn to protect your personal space

• Harness the power of your major chakras or energy centers (especially those relating to survival, communication, and wisdom)

• Connect with the lighter side of public (and private) speaking

Lisa B (Lisa Bernstein) is an educator and performer with more than 25 years of experience addressing groups large and small and preparing others to do the same. She has taught classes and workshops at San Francisco State, Foothill College, Skyline College, the Jazzschool, Blue Bear School of Music, Anna Yates Elementary School, and the Allendale Recreation Center. She also has publicly addressed professional gatherings of social workers, educators, and technical communicators; booked speakers for and emceed many cultural events; performed music and poetry at more than 80 clubs, performance spaces, colleges, and bookstores; and given radio interviews in the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, and New York. In addition, as a marketing writer, she has prepared speeches for numerous business consultants and scientists. She has master's and bachelor's degrees in English literature/creative writing from San Francisco State and UC Santa Cruz, respectively. 

Mind-Body-Spirit Tools for Singers - Workshop Sat. afternoon 8/2/14, Novato, Calif.

New in Marin!

If you missed our inaugural workshop on mind-body-spirit tools for singers (at any level), here's another chance to take it! 

Especially convenient for those in the North Bay Area.

Workshop for Singers at All Levels

Sat. August 2, 1 - 4 p.m.

1561 South Novato Blvd., Novato, Calif.
(but you must pregister with Lisa or Daria)

taught by 

Singer-Poet-Educator-Intuitive Consultant Lisa B (Lisa Bernstein) 

and 

Singer-Educator Daria!:

THE COMPLETE SINGER: SPIRITUAL, TECHNICAL, AND PRACTICAL TOOLS TO HELP YOU REALIZE YOUR MUSICAL DREAMS

FOCUS ON GOALS, DREAMS, & HEALTH

* Reconnect with your original dream of becoming a singer
* Identify and fine-tune your goals and activities
* Get tools and information to increase your confidence, ease, and well-being
* Get personalized feedback on vocal technique
* Receive answers to some of your burning questions about your singing path

- Includes guided visualization, meditation, instruction, sharing, and singing.
- Free snacks.
- All for $75. What a deal!
- Maximum 10 participants, so reserve your place now! Open to those at all levels. 

Please email lisabmusic at hotmail.com to reserve your place now or ask any questions! 

• I really enjoyed the combination of energy and vocal work."

• "What I appreciated most was that it was not your typical vocal workshop — exercises, sing a song. It truly was a complete overview — mind, body and spirit."

Want to know more about what previous participants had to say about the workshop?http://lisabmusic.blogspot.com/2014/05/mind-body-spirit-tools-for-singer.html

__________________________________________________________

The workshop will help you:

Vocalizing:

--Feel more relaxed and connected to your breath support 

--Feel more "in your body," confident, and clear

--Reduce stage fright, resistance, confusion, insecurity

--Expand your vocal exercises and terminology

--Draw on your different chakras or major energy centers when singing

--Learn helpful tips on your key vocal issues

Your singer's life:

--Reconnect with your own joy of singing

--Identify goals you want to keep, revise, or add

--Stop competing with yourself and others

--Explore how diet, sleep, allergens, medications, and stress affect your voice

--Set your own tone/agenda for your singing activities 

__________________________________________________________

Daria is an acclaimed vocalist, recording artist, and educator who has performed and toured internationally with her trio and Dan Hicks & the Hot Licks. She has taught at the Jazzschool, College of Marin, Blue Bear School of Music, and elsewhere. See www.dariajazz.com

"Daria's masterful and compassionate vocal coaching style, coupled with her ability to provide a safe and respectful environment, has transformed me from a shy, quiet individual to a more confident, vocally present participant in the world and in my own life. I am eternally grateful for our work together." - Darla Holst

Lisa B (Lisa Bernstein) is a singer, poet, and clairvoyant reader, healer, and coach with five CDs and two books to her credit. She received grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, Headlands Center for the Arts, and others. She has taught at San Francisco State University, the Jazzschool, Anna Yates Elementary School, and Allendale Recreation Center.

“Lisa Bernstein's mix of spoken word poetry...and passionate jazzy, high-register vocalizing is …hard to resist.” - All Music Guide

“I know Lisa as an accomplished poet and singer. Recently I had a chance to experience her other skill as an intuitive. I would recommend her without reservation to anyone who is curious to know more about themselves.” – Ben Flint, pianist and educator

I Was Nominated for an Oakland Indie Award!

I'm honored to be a nominee for an Oakland Indie Award along with an exciting group of Oakland artists, nonprofits, and businesses! You can find me on the nominees list under the Oakland Soul category.

The 8th Annual Awards celebration this Friday night, May 30, promises to showcase an array of performers, food, vendors, and all-around Oakland-lovers. I'll be there! If you see me, don't hesitate to introduce yourself!

http://www.oaklandindieawards.com/

The 8th Annual Oakland Indie Awards
Friday, May 30, 2014
6:30 - 10:30 p.m.
Kaiser Center Roof Garden (300 Lakeside Drive, Oakland, CA)
Get tickets!

Eat * Drink * Dance * Shop * Party
1300+ Oakland lovers partying under the stars! 
*********************************************

Mind-Body-Spirit Tools for Singers: A Successful Workshop!

photo by Ouida Joi

My co-teacher Daria and I are still thrilled that our first workshop for singers, given earlier this month at my Oakland, Calif. home, was so appreciated, and that it ran so smoothly! We had a wonderful group, composed of professionals, semi-professionals, and beginners (see photo at right, which lacks the other man who attended). They all left the workshop beaming and excited about their next steps as singers.

Keep your ears open for news of this same workshop to be given in August in Marin County, and for the next one in the series, which will be offered again at my home in Oakland, also in August. 


Here is some feedback from the participants:

• I really enjoyed the combination of energy and vocal work." - Chris R.

• "What a wonderful workshop today! What I appreciated most was that it was not your typical vocal workshop — exercises, sing a song. It truly was a complete overview — mind, body and spirit. I have taken a lot of workshops and lessons and none of them have ever touched upon the metaphysical/spiritual aspects as the two of you did." 

• "It was full and rich beyond any expectations I could have had. I really enjoyed the balance of energy awareness and singing technique." - Ouida J.

• "The workshop was amazing. I really enjoyed the guided meditations and learning about the chakras. Still thinking about it all!"

• "Great start to discovering the artist in myself." - Tricia H.

• "It was a great experience. I hope you two will continue the series."

• "You complement each other well. You are a great team! Who knew chakras can support singing!?" 

The Energy of Income Tax Filing

Beautiful day, and I'm hunkering down to prepare for filing taxes. I keep good records, so mainly I'm just adding them up. Still, it's an involved process, since I have a few different simultaneous enterprises. 

When I look back on my expenses and income over the year, it's never just numbers for me, but what my allocation of energy for that period FEELS like. Money is emotional. 

The summed figures represent my choices, how I spent time, how much wealth I can or want to accrue, the way I do that, how much I (can) have, how much I give away. So, the figures represent not only my choices, but my values.

I feel pleased, inadequate, frustrated, optimistic, bored. Loop through that a few times. Worry. Assess. Look at it all again. What do I add up to?

Then when I meet with the guy who does my taxes, all that is forgiven and transformed. Everything is condensed down. He's just looking at my numbers, in a friendly, expert, and supportive way. It's math, with a dose of looking forward to next year and a chance to reset it all. A ritual well worth it not only in terms of saved labor but also in the release from all my internal permutations. 

Can't wait.

copyright © 2014 Lisa Bernstein

New Workshop for Singers, Sat. 5/3/14: The Complete Singer: Spiritual, Technical, and Practical Tools to Help You Realize Your Musical Dreams

New Workshop for Singers
Sat. May 3, 1 - 4 p.m.

taught by 

Singer-Poet-Educator-Intuitive Consultant Lisa B (Lisa Bernstein) 

and 

Singer-Educator Daria!:

I'm excited to be offering a new workshop at my Oakland home, harnessing information from the realms of mind, body, and spirit -- and to be teaching it with the wonderful singer and instructor Daria. All levels welcome!

THE COMPLETE SINGER: SPIRITUAL, TECHNICAL, AND PRACTICAL TOOLS TO HELP YOU REALIZE YOUR MUSICAL DREAMS

* Reconnect with your original dream of becoming a singer
* Identify and fine-tune your goals and activities
* Get tools and information to increase your confidence, ease, and well-being
* Get personalized feedback on vocal technique
* Receive answers to some of your burning questions about your singing path

- Includes guided visualization, meditation, instruction, sharing, and singing.
- Free, homemade snacks.
- PLUS free 15-minute consultation within two months after the workshop with either Lisa (clairvoyant reading & healing via phone) or Daria (vocal consultation via Skype or phone).
- Easy parking in safe, pleasant Oakland neighborhood.
- All for $75. What a deal!
- Maximum 10 participants, so reserve your place now! Open to those at all levels. 

Please email lisabmusic at hotmail.com to reserve your place now or ask any questions! Again, the date is Sat. May 3, 1 to 4 p.m.
__________________________________________________________

The workshop will help you:

Vocalizing:

--Feel more relaxed and connected to your breath support 

--Feel more "in your body," confident, and clear

--Reduce stage fright, resistance, confusion, insecurity

--Expand your vocal exercises and terminology

--Draw on your different chakras or major energy centers when singing

--Learn helpful tips on your key vocal issues

Your singer's life:

--Reconnect with your own joy of singing

--Identify goals you want to keep, revise, or add

--Stop competing with yourself and others

--Explore how diet, sleep, allergens, medications, and stress affect your voice

--Set your own tone/agenda for your singing activities 
__________________________________________________________

Daria is an acclaimed vocalist, recording artist, and educator who has performed and toured internationally with her trio and Dan Hicks & the Hot Licks. She has taught at the Jazzschool, College of Marin, Blue Bear School of Music, and elsewhere. See www.dariajazz.com

"Daria's masterful and compassionate vocal coaching style, coupled with her ability to provide a safe and respectful environment, has transformed me from a shy, quiet individual to a more confident, vocally present participant in the world and in my own life. I am eternally grateful for our work together." - Darla Holst

Lisa B (Lisa Bernstein) is a singer, poet, and clairvoyant reader, healer, and coach with five CDs and two books to her credit. She received grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, Headlands Center for the Arts, and others. She has taught at San Francisco State University, the Jazzschool, Anna Yates Elementary School, and Allendale Recreation Center.

“Lisa Bernstein's mix of spoken word poetry...and passionate jazzy, high-register vocalizing is …hard to resist.” - All Music Guide

“I know Lisa as an accomplished poet and singer. Recently I had a chance to experience her other skill as an intuitive. I would recommend her without reservation to anyone who is curious to know more about themselves.” – Ben Flint, pianist and educator

"Holiday in Oakland": New Music Video Gets Great Press, Goes Semi-Viral

Just before Christmas 2013, I knuckled down and made a slide-show-style music video over the course of two days for my original tune, "Holiday in Oakland," which had been released two years before. I believed that the video would reach into the ears and hearts of my fellow Oaklanders.

And that's what happened — sparked by some minimal tweeting on my part. Still, the enthusiastic, semi-viral reception was a shock.

"Holiday in Oakland" celebrates the Town's vibrancy all year long, on every holiday. But it was delightful to debut the video during the winter holidays, like unveiling a special gift.  

I posted the video just before 4 a.m. on December 23. That night, I sent a tweet about it to Mayor Jean Quan and her spokesman Sean Maher. In the next hours, Mayor Quan not only retweeted the link to the video, but also presented it on her Facebook page as her holiday greeting "from my family to yours" and a couple of days later, sent it out to thousands of folks via her personal newsletter.

As this was unfolding, on Christmas Eve day I sent a tweet about the new video to KTVU Channel 2 reporter Eric Rasmussen, emboldened by his Twitter bio statement that he was not only an investigative reporter but also a hip-hop DJ. I was knee-deep in cleaning my house, since my parents were to come up from Santa Cruz County the next day for dinner. Dusty, and tired from staying up all night the past two nights, not to mention from vacuuming up a lot of dog hair, I took little breaks at my computer to send out a few tweets about the video.

Lo and behold, the next day, just before 11:00 a.m., my doorbell rang  It was Eric Rasmussen and camerawoman Erica Hintergardt. They had arrived like Santa and one of his elves on my doorstep. I was still in my pajamas. (I wear this particular pair often throughout the year, but today they were appropriate: red with little Santas.) I had just gotten out of bed. At that moment I had been listening to a voice message from Rasmussen on my ancient Radio Shack answering machine and its tiny dictaphone-like tape cassette.

(While I record music in a sophisticated recording studio with state-of-the-art equipment, I not only don't have a current voicemail system, I also lack a smart phone, cable TV, movie streaming, and even movie delivery from Netflix. Not that I'm proud of any of this, but there it is.)

So in the blinding Oakland Christmas morning sun stood Eric in a suit and tie and Erica dressed more casually, with my black German Shepherd barking her head off at them through the living room window. I managed to get them inside and rather dumbfoundedly listened as Eric explained that he wanted to film an interview with me about the new video and song. He was seeking a positive story for Christmas about our much-maligned city. And since the video was taking off...

Eric had tweeted, emailed, and phoned in the previous hour, but since I am a night person, as most musicians and poets are, I hadn't of course received any of these communiques at the time. It seems obvious now, but stunning then, that reporters think nothing of chasing down the private residential address of a newsy quarry and just showing up there.

KTVU broadcasts one of the Bay Area's top-rated news shows. Coincidentally, its Jack London Square office is a stone's throw from Pajama Studios, where I recorded "Holiday in Oakland" with my co-composer, producer, and engineer, Jim Gardiner. Everything, when you get down to it, is local. And get down we do, in this video, which pays homage not only to Oakland but also to some of the great musicians who come from or spent formative time in the Town.

Eric and Erica agreed to return in an hour. I threw on makeup and clothes, hampered not only by exhaustion and excitement but also by a coincidental episode of low blood-sugar, a not-unserious matter for a type 1 diabetic and a state that produces heightened adrenaline — as if I needed more — muddy thinking, and moodiness. Still, I got it together. My makeup approach was based on my experience with photo shoots, but it suffered from the lack of an actual makeup artist, and it didn't suit what turned out to be high-definition TV filming. Doh! At least my house was clean. 

Well, what was more important was that in the intervening hour, Eric and Erica walked around Lake Merritt playing excerpts of the "Holiday in Oakland" video to passersby, to approving nods and gratifying testimonials.

The segment was shown on the 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. news that night. The video, the news piece, the accompanying print story, and various Facebook posts and tweets about them by not only me, but other people, were shared over and over in the subsequent days. Hundreds, maybe thousands, of times, given that more than 50 other publications picked up the story online and in print. What a thrill.

I mean, the next week, I went to pick up a pair of orthotics from their manufacturer near the Oakland Airport, and the guy who had measured them told me he had seen the TV news story. In my little universe, that's fame.

The video depends on the wonderful photography and artwork of some stellar Oaklanders, who are thanked in the credits. Thanks to them again.

Here's the story accompanying KTVU's coverage:
http://www.ktvu.com/news/news/local/local-poet-songwriter-celebrates-holidays-oakland-/ncTsf/ 

And here's my post about the song, including lyrics, from when I first released it: http://lisabmusic.blogspot.com/2011/10/holiday-in-oakland-new-single.html

Finally, help a girl out (and delight yourself) by downloading the tune: 

CDBaby: 

http://cdbaby.com/cd/lisablisabernstein

or iTunes:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/holiday-in-oakland/id472458271?i=472458273&uo=4

Let's take a holiday in Oakland, all year round!
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