Happenstance, life happens, April 9, 2010

From the editor…

Whew! I didn’t think I was going to get this one done. I had a great time interviewing Jean Warner, Joel Scheinberg and Barbara Ewing for the article about dogs. We’ve had dogs over the years, but after the last one, Chipper, the happiest dog on earth, escaped our enclosed yard and got run over, I said, “Never again!” After talking to these dog enthusiasts I’m close to rethinking my position. There is nothing like the relationship between a pet and its human family. Even snooty cats take a down day and make it better. See Delightful Dogs on pages 4-5.

Talking to the tag team Arts & Culture District duo of Adam Caldwell and Roy Montibon had my head ringing with all the ideas out there. These two bounced comments and ideas back and forth like tennis players with a great volley going. It was like sitting in on a strategy and brainstorming session with Donald Trump and the apprentices, without the BSSS (blind silly selfishness and stupidity). It was a fun interview. See Grassroots on pages 6-7.

You get a break from my recipes this week. Check out the wonderful salad recipes by Kathy Allen, author of Someone’s in the Kitchen, a compilation of recipes she has gathered over the years. These recipes can be used as a side or as a dessert.
I’m introducing a couple of new ideas. I don’t want to run a calendar, the Chamber does a great job of that and so does the Optic, but I want to hit the high points of activities going on in town. I can’t think of a better source for that than the magical e-mail network of Karyl Lyne. See The Lyne Connection on page 10. It’s a calendar, sort of.

The Happenstance Walk About on page 12 is a new feature, a bird’s eye view of what is happening in some of the businesses around town. It is very much of a work in progress. My goal is to showcase the heroes of our town. Their heroism is at street level. They get up every morning, open the door to their stores and do everything within their power to provide a much-needed service, whether it is selling ladies’ apparel, jewelry, antiques, art, or diet Cokes. These happened to be the businesses I walked into this week. What businesses have you walked into? These stores contribute to the economy of our town in ways we don’t always recognize. We need them. For them to thrive, they need us.

Enjoy Happenstance, life happens.

E-zine Happenstance First Issue

Happenstance, life happens has a little of this and little of that. It is a digital only publication. I am looking for content ideas and for submissions. Eventually there will be advertising in the magazine, but that's down the road. I'm building my subscriber list so your input is vital. When you get the link to access the magazine, I will very much appreciate you forwarding it on to anyone who you think might be interested. I welcome constructive criticism.

What will you find in Happenstance, life happens? Artist profiles, human interest stories, food and entertaining, travel tips, book reviews, articles about what makes Las Vegas unique and much, much more. Advertising rates will be reasonable so if you are interested in advertsing, please contact fsharon@msn.com for a rate sheet.

For those of you who have not seen my Featured Author interview at yellow30.com, check it out. Thanks to Steven Fivecats and the team at the website who have been generous in the attention they have given my work. It is greatly appreciated. Steven, by the way, has a great book of poetry. You will find my review of his book at vandermeerbooks.com

Happenstance, Life Happens

Look for it. March 5 is the launch date for Happenstance, a digital publication published and largely written by me.

The first issue will feature an article entitled Preservation and Prosperity, how communities can find value by evaluating existing architectural, cultural and historical assets. This is by no means a new topic but success stories across the country suggest in these difficult economic times it is imperative to build on the bones of what already exists. The featured agency is the Las Vegas Citizens' Committee for Historic Preservation.

Look for How is Lisa Doing? A Love Story, about a family coping with cancer.

Have you ever wanted to start a journal but keep putting it off? Journal Writing in Five Easy Steps will inspire you to go from thought to page.

Happenstance Reviews look at a cleverly written book of poetry by Steven Fivecats, and a favorite magazine of the publisher, Guideposts.

There is more, but you have to wait and find out what that is. Look for Happenstance. It will be sent to subscribers to the www.vandermeerbooks.com newsletter and posted on the website. If you would like to become a subscriber, go to the www.vandermeerbooks.com homepage and click on the Join This Mailing List link.