This bud's for you.

This bud's for you., originally uploaded by MaryWit.

Urban Wink--With a wink of her eye, the city goes wild and the shutter snaps.

The final meager vestiges of unemployment will run out next week, and after two full years of applying for everything from paralegal jobs at international firms to washing dishes and pulling weeds, I'm still unemployed, now nearly 58 years old. I've been volunteering four days a week at the local food bank in an effort to stay connected to my community, help where I can, and keep from going crazy after the day's job search has been exhausted. The food bank squeezed enough funds from their budget to offer me twelve hours of paid admin work per week. Deeply appreciated, but not enough to cover even rent. I've lost hope in being hired by any employer, so in a last ditch effort to keep from homelessness, I'm striking out on my own.

Today, I started a web store, Urban Wink, on the online site Etsy.com. I'm digging into the photo archive I've created of urban street art (among other city things), ordered gallery mats and poly bags and have begun to sell matted photos. If I can sell ten or fifteen a week at $25 each, it will bring enough to supplement the food bank pay to help me survive. I've added a link on the right of this page for the Urban Wink Etsy store and another link to my street art set (vol. I); most of the photos I'll offer are there. They're great images that capture fleeting moments of Post Alley that will never be seen again.

Other panic-mode operations include a slew of postings offering myself as a virtual assistant, errand runner, proofreader/editor, dog walker..."anything for a buck". Desperate times, these.

Oh, and perhaps most importantly, I've found love. It's a tenuous, fragile love...one you must handle carefully--one touch of a feather, of a breath, and it could shatter into a million golden pieces.

Available!

Available!, originally uploaded by MaryWit.

Zen Pip

Pip & Incense, originally uploaded by MaryWit.

In an uncharacteristically serene moment, Pip stops to smell the sandalwood.

WE THE PEOPLE - a Manifesto

WE THE PEOPLE - a Manifesto, originally uploaded by http://TheConcreteJungleBook.com.

This touches my soul. I've been photographing street artists' work over the past couple of years--stickers, scraps of poetry, works of art--and this describes perfectly the feeling I've come to have when I pass, by chance, a piece on some back-alley wall or pole.

B is for Beer, Our Lady of the Blue Moon

B is for Beer, Our Lady of the Blue Moon, originally uploaded by MaryWit.

Tom Robbins has a posse, and it is us! We, his readers, are taking to the streets and watering holes, guerilla style, to spread the Word of his new book, "B is for Beer," to be release April 21, 2009 by Ecco.

I was his idea--Tom suggested to the marketing department of Ecco that they make promotional materials (stickers, cards and coasters) available to his readers to have fun with. Ecco said they've never done anything like this before. It is an absolutely brilliant strategy, and fitting, too. Tom Robbins early books were sniped at by the litereary establishment critics. His reader knew better, and passed the word (and the books) from hand to hand and his reputation among readers spread like wildfire. (I received my first TR book, "Another Roadside Attraction," from a stranger right here in the Blue Moon in the early 70s.) His books are currently published in 22 languages across the globe, and he is one of the world's most beloved authors.

This take-it-to-the-streets strategy of Tom's somehow feels like a gift and a nod to his readers. I'll post more photos of the blitz here from time to time.

For your own packet of cards, stickers and coasters, email ecco@harpercollins.com and include your mailing address.

'B is for Beer' Goodie Box

'B is for Beer' Goodie Box, originally uploaded by MaryWit.

I'm getting ready to hit the streets. The coasters were printed with the original publication date, February 3rd; since then, the date has been moved to April 21. Should I cross it out and handwrite the new date (grafitti style), print labels (my printer prints with water-soluable ink...could be a problem), or just leave it alone? I have ten stickers in my wallet for impromptu stickering, and a small bag packed with bundles of coasters and cards. I'll try to take pictures as I go, and am looking forward to having fun with this heartfelt project.

What a befitting way to honor this beloved author and spread the word for a unique and daring book! TR has always, from the beginning, included readers in his life and success, and put more store in us than in the mainstream critics and media. In this small way, we can return the favor.

If you'd like to join the fun, email ecco@harpercollins.com with "B is for Beer" in the subject line, and include the mailing address you want the materials to be sent to. They don't use your address for anything else, or sell or trade your email address.

Stay tuned...