I survived the winter in New England…barely. I have not felt like doing much of anything except staying in the house, eating, and watching a disturbing amount of cooking shows (meals I will never attempt to make myself because I hate cooking). Well, I did read and write poetry, so I guess you could say I was somewhat productive. As always, I found some great people and places to share with you.

#1 = Wellspring House

This lovely carriage is called Wellspring House, and it is located in Amherst, MA. I was fortunate to stay here for a week to work on my writing project. This six room house is owned by a retired English professor who wanted to provide an affordable place for artists to get away from their busy lives and work. In addition to having a cozy room with a large wooden desk to work, guests are able to utilize the kitchen, library, and meditation room. I enjoyed conversing with the other house guests when we happened to cross paths in the kitchen. I also explored the little town, which included a hardware store which also serves as a sort of convenience store (they serve ice cream and other things you might expect to find at a gas station) and a charming, one room library which was only open three days a week during very odd hours. My time at Wellspring was productive and relaxing – I highly recommend treating yourself to a retreat such as this if you get the opportunity. Although, you should make sure it looks like the picture above instead of like this…

…which is exactly how it looked while I was there. I forgot to mention that we were also able to use the fireplace, and I sidled up to it with a book as often as possible. Check it out here http://www.wellspringhouse.net 

#2 Gregory Page

Photo courtesy of Dennis Anderson

Gregory Page considers himself a songwriter, troubadour, filmmaker, poet, and astronaut (you’ll have to do some digging to find out what he means by stating he is an astronaut – it is not what you think). I found Page because he was featured in a European magazine I was browsing through at Barnes and Noble; as soon as I saw his pictures and read that article, I had to know more about him. When I checked out his website, I was delighted to find several CDs, short films and music videos, and a recently published book of poetry. Page’s work is clever, fun, and tinged with nostalgia (all the things I love). I purchased his book of poetry, and I was not disappointed. My favorite poem had to do with a time when all of the electricity went out in his neighborhood, and he pulled out his gramophone to entertain the neighbors because it was the only thing that worked. Page’s music is truly old school; while the music is original, it sounds like the type of thing you might hear on a Frank Sinatra album. Page currently resides in the Netherlands, but he has lived in many parts of the world including the United States. You can read more about him here http://www.gregorypage.com  And just because I love this picture so much, here is one more for you.

Photo courtesy of Masen

# 3 Hemingway’s Paris by Robert Wheeler

Photo courtesy of Robert Wheeler

Robert Wheeler’s book takes readers on a journey through the Paris of Hemingway’s youth as chronicled in A Moveable Feast. Wheeler does not just use words though – his book is filled with nostalgia-inducing black and white photos taken by the author; these photographs truly evoke the spirit of the 1920s. Wheeler has loaded both published and unpublished photographs on his website http://www.hemingways-paris.com

Have you found anything recently that you can’t wait to share? Please share it with the rest of us.