Arteles Catalogue 2023-2020

Back to Basics program / AUGUST 2023
Angela Long
Spain / Canada
www.angelalongwrites.com
About
I'm a multi-genre writer seeking answers to all the big
questions: Why are we here? Where did we come from?
Where are we going? For decades I've wondered and
wandered – from the rainforests of Guatemala to the peaks
of the Himalayas. While I have a bachelor's degree in
creative writing and a master's degree in journalism, my true
education has come from the people I've met along the way.
My CV lists everything from planting trees to throwing pots
to teaching English. My list of publications reflects a life lived
in liminal zones and a quest for social justice. To stay sane, I
try to cultivate a love of small things – a sprig of red currants,
a faded blue shutter. Home is both Toronto, Canada, and a
house by the sea in Galicia, Spain, where I care for a growing
number of abandoned cats. Lately, I've been looking to the
stars for both solace and inspiration. At Arteles I hope to add
to my collection of astronomy-themed poetry.
Crowns of Wildflowers
I'm not used to seeing so much sky," said an artist from
New York on the first day. I looked at the sky differently after
this, realizing that while I was used to seeing large swaths of
sky, I'd stopped looking. My perspective had narrowed. At
Arteles, I opened up again – in heart, mind, and spirit. Being
surrounded by such a diverse group of multidisciplinary
artists, who were as talented as they were fun-loving and
kind, for an entire month without any "outside" interference
(aka cell phones) unleashed a wave of creative freedom.
This manifested in many forms. Sometimes it was as an
elaborate feast. Sometimes it was flying down a hill on a
bicycle. Sometimes it was writing a poem about the speed
of light. There were times of silence – of the vibration of the
meditation bell, of standing barefoot on the moss in the heart
of a forest, of turning the page of a book after midnight. And
there were times of chatter and storytelling and the crackle
of a campfire. We laughed together. We cried together. We
sang together. We celebrated each other with crowns of
wildflowers. I began to understand that the act of being –
fully being with the people sharing a moment of space and
time with you in such a magical place – was an act of creating
art.