Month: November 2017

creativity

In the pause: Thank you to Caveat for the learning served up with laughs

Christa Avampato

caveat-cardIf you make someone laugh, you know they’re listening. And once they’re listening, they’re paying attention. And once they’re paying attention, you can make a connection, drive empathy, and generate understanding. Sadly, our world is one in which science needs allies. At Caveat, a new performance space on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, science’s unlikely, though remarkably effective, ally is comedy. For the past few weeks, I’ve been consumed with NaNoWriMo and the first draft of my second novel. Having surpassed 30,000 words in 17 days, a comedy show is what I needed tonight. Plus, this gave me a chance to check out a cool new event space, hear from Dustin Growick, a scientist I admire, talking about his love for dinosaurs, and learn something about science and art. A perfect combo.

The event, aptly named Dinosaurs vs. Paintings, pitted two teams against one another to talk about which field of study is most impressive. It’s a funny debate combo, and the host, Meg Pierson, was delightfully self-deprecating and unapologetically passionate in her love for a good battle between academics. Along the way, the audience learned about the latest anatomical discoveries in paleontology (feathers, colors, and teeth, oh my!), the insanely forward-thinking insight that Hieronymus Bosch wrapped around his Garden of Earthly Delights, the Gardner Museum heist, and the vast variety of flora and fauna that existed during the time of the dinosaurs (~165 million years of time if you want specifics.)

Every minute, I found myself saying to my friends, “Really? That’s true? I had no idea!” And that’s the point of Caveat. The world may feel like it’s on fire at this strange moment in our history, and it’s still full of amazing discoveries and insights. While we may be completely wrapped up in our own day-to-day lives and times, our existence as a species is just the blink of an eye as far as the Universe is concerned. This too shall pass, and our job is to make the most of it while we’re here. It’s a humbling insight, and that alone was worth the price of admission.

Thank you Caveat and all the performers for a wonderful evening. I’m sure I’ll be back, ready to laugh and learn. Check out their full event calendar for science, comedy, books, live podcast recordings, and more.

creativity

In the pause: A NaNoWriMo breakthrough

Christa Avampato
From Cara Anselmo
Photo from Cara Anselmo

At almost 30,000 words this month, I’m sliding into the weekend with the ending scene defined for the second book in my young adult book series about Emerson Page and the ending scene to the series. Both carry tissue warnings in the best possible way. I feel like having a cake to celebrate. The first book in the series, Emerson Page and Where the Light Enters, is on sale now at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and your favorite independent bookstores.

creativity

In the pause: Opining on pizza and why I love New York City in the New York Times today

Christa Avampato

I had the chance to talk about 2 of my favorite subjects in the New York Times: pizza and my love for New York City.

“I would take a New York City slice, served piping hot out of the oven onto a generic white paper plate as I walk around the city, over any other slice anywhere in the world. It’s not just the pizza, it’s the spirit of the city embedded in it that makes all the difference. We all have our preferences. And for me, New York is the place for pizza, and for life.”

Check out the full piece at https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/16/nyregion/new-york-today-chicago-pizza-vs-the-new-york-slice.html?_r=0.

creativity

In the pause: How to know what to write

Christa Avampato

“Write what should not be forgotten…” ~Isabel Allende

I’m in the midst of writing some difficult passages in Emerson’s second book. There are characters in the book that have been through terrible times. They’re reliving those times, explaining them to Emerson because it will make a difference to her journey. And I hope it will make a difference to readers, and the journeys of readers. I hope their resilience, determination, and love for life inspires us all to be the best people we can be. I hope it makes us kind, grateful, and resolved to build a better world for ourselves and for each other. Life is tough; together we are tougher.

creativity

In the pause: My feature on the Lit to Lens podcast

Christa Avampato

Over the weekend, I caught up with Erik and Will as a guest on their fantastic podcast, Lit to Lens. We talked about agents, my journey as an author, and publishing by book, Emerson Page and Where the Light Enters, with a small press. Check it out!

 

creativity

In the pause: A life in moments

Christa Avampato

unnamed“We do not remember days. We remember moments.” ~Cesare Pavese

I passed by this sign on the street about a month ago, and it’s message hit me so hard my eyes teared up. I was especially struck by this line: “In true New York fashion, friendships were created here that crossed all barriers, and allowed strangers to become family. Like its namesake in Paris, our Barbès became a melting pot, one that celebrates all that is good in New York City and all that is good in America.”

A month later, I’m still think about this message to take a moment to have a moment that we will treasure long after the moment has passed. This is a note of thanks from the owners and staff of Barbès Restaurant in midtown that’s closing because the building is being knocked down. This happens a lot in New York. We tear things down. We build new things. People arrive. People leave. The constant turnover of places and people is a way of life here.

But something about this particular note hit me hard. The sentiment, gratitude, and deep sadness of the situation was so authentic in this simple sign taped to the window. And despite the sorrow at the end of its life, there was joy and gratitude. I looked in, and saw many people of all different ages, colors, and faiths enjoying a meal there. They were having a moment, made all the more poignant by the fact that this place would no longer exist in a very short time. It would live only in their memories. And I think that’s the very best we can to do with our time—to create memories that will outlast us by welcoming people into our lives.

 

 

 

creativity

In the pause: Featured in Women’s National Book Association Members Write Now column

Christa Avampato

Grandmas-Special-HerbsThank you to Women’s National Book Association – NYC Chapter for making me their Members Write Now feature this month. Read an excerpt of my book at http://wnba-nyc.org/members-write-now-christa-avampato/.

 

creativity

In the pause: Nevertheless she persisted, and won

Christa Avampato

20171109_092103Nevertheless, she persisted, and won. I was buoyed by the elections on Tuesday and snapped this photo of my book, Emerson Page and Where the Light Enters, outside of Trump Hotel in celebration. Emerson’s story is a hopeful one, a story I wrote when I most needed to feel hopeful about our future. Tuesday’s elections renewed my faith in a committed group of citizens who care about their neighbors and making the world a better place. While we may find ourselves in dark times now, I will never stop looking for and creating light. I will persist. I hope you will, too.

creativity

In the pause: Writing in the middle of Times Square

Christa Avampato

Emerson’s second book begins in Times Square on New Year’s Eve, the night before her 14th birthday. On Wednesday, I walked a few blocks from my office on my lunch break and took a spin around the exact area where I imagine her to be. Like my own internal augmented reality, I could see her, the other characters, and the action of the scene unfolding in my mind, superimposed on the real-world setting where I stood. It was like having an out-of-body experience.

There is something powerful about writing in place, standing in the place where your imagination runs wild and getting it all down as best you can. I wrote the first draft of this opening scene in my apartment, 50 blocks north of Times Square. When I edit it, refine it, fill it with the juicy detail and vivid imagery that bring Emerson and her journey to life, I’m going to be there, in Times Square. You’ll find me on the top step of the red staircase in Duffy Square, just above the TKTS booth. I’ll be pounding away on my laptop in the cold night air because I want you to feel what Emerson feels. I want the sense of urgency and alarm she experiences on that night to be what you feel when you read those words. I’m blessed to live in the city where my stories are set, and that’s a privilege I’ll use to its full advantage.

creativity

In the pause: Running the 2018 NYC Marathon

Christa Avampato

I’ve decided to register for the lottery to get into the 2018 NYC Marathon. Anyone want to join me on this adventure? In 2001 I ran the Chicago marathon a month after 9/11. It was one of the most life-affirming experiences I’ve ever had. 16 years later, I need to have that feeling again about our country and our world. I’ll try that path, and if it doesn’t work out then I’ll see what other avenues I might take into the race. Either way, it’s time to get moving, to feel hopeful about our future despite the ugliness of the world right now. And I figured the moving starts with me, right where I am, in this city that I love with these people who are my neighbors and friends.