“I Can: Twelve Ways to Witness the Heart” @ Dandelion Botanical

A full house of individuals joined Pamela Sackett, principal artist & founder of Emotion Literacy Advocates (ELA), as she read passages from her latest book, “I Can.”

The evening’s activities featured a couple musical surprises with special guest Nalini Lasiewicz, Pamela’s singing partner in Los Angeles, where they performed and recorded. They reconnected, for the first time in numerous years, when Nalini flew to Seattle to participate in the book launch, singing her signature harmonies to the book’s theme song: “Inside My Head.” (Special thanks to Bill Zama for taking and giving us this video.)

 

We had a lively discussion afterwards, with Q & A to start, followed by much mingling. We thank all of you who attended the event as well as those who expressed interest.

EXCERPTED FROM OUR EVENT GUEST BOOK ENTRIES:

All the lost things in the world come to you for voice. This was lovely, the reading, the songs, the discussion…

~Arlene Plevin, Ph.D

Witness! something I needed to hear. In a world that is so angry, cruel and shocking, you are the fresh breath.

~Marjie Cogan (work in progress)

Listening to you read soothes, elevates and enlightened me. I am grateful for all of the love, curiosity and grace you have invested in a quest that we know is NOT quixotic: healing, holding and salving the world’s woundedness.

~audience member

Keep sharing your insight, the world needs you.

~Colleen Laing

To obtain a copy of the I Can book and have it sent to you, you can buy it on the I Can main book page.

P.S. Nalini & Pamela outfitted by Prairie Underground
{a Seattle-born ecologically and ethically sustainable
populist apparel designer & manufacturer
}.


THE “I CAN” BOOK IS PRINTED IN THE USA ON PAPER CERTIFIED BY THE FOREST STEWARDSHIP COUNCIL (FSC) AND SUSTAINABLE FORESTRY INITIATIVE (SFI).

“I Can: Twelve Ways to Witness the Heart” @ East West Bookshop

On October 17, 2019, in East West Bookshop’s presentation room,
Stan Dombrowski introduced Pamela

Pamela entered the scene, welcomed the audience
and shared how her book came about…
she then proceeded with her tone-setting song
“Lotus Blue”

Pamela then read from her new book
I Can: Twelve Ways to Witness the Heart
and
responded to questions from the audience…

I loved the vitality with which you read from your book,
just your vitality in general…
I loved hearing, first-hand, the conviction
behind your well-chosen words…
I’m looking forward to reading your book…
thanks so much for the beautiful reading
and wonderful songs!
~gathered from audience feedback forms

Heartfelt to hear in person. ~ Phil Miller

Pamela’s whole presentation
is 
always extremely engaging
and my favorite issues
to talk about…
there is a dramatic value
to her communication style…

I love it!
~Becky Gimelli, psychologist

 

…what a wonderful star that led you to my life…what a gift you are—what wisdom, clarity,
generosity of mind and spirit…
lovely and learned and soooooo refreshingly
and unabashedly human.
❤️
~Jennifer Joslyn Sill

Thanks for inviting me
to hear your book reading.
The discussion you and others provided,
during and after the reading parts,
gave me more to think about and understand.
I haven’t read the book yet
but now I’m more interested in it
and how it can help me and others I know.

~Eric Farris

Pamela closed with her I Can book’s theme song, “Inside My Head”

…clear, accessible, enlightening, validating, healing, endearing.
~ Jennifer Johnson

Here is where I Can book info can be found.

Here is where you can read about
our first launch in July @ Dandelion Botanical
and see a brief video of Pamela performing the book’s theme song
with long-time singing collaborator Nalini Lasiewicz.

Thank you for your interest!


Event photos: Nadia Nurmukhametova
Recorded songs’ vocal, guitar, composition: Pamela Sackett

ELA movie invited to Academy & UCLA Film Archives

PostcardImage

ELA’s The Ducks & Us Songbook Movie has recently been “discovered” by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences Film Archive, thanks to Deluxe Labs, a facility in Los Angeles that generously contributed the digital to 35 mm conversion and prints for our film’s cinema tour throughout Washington, in Vancouver, British Columbia and San Francisco, California.

In June 2016, The Academy’s Film Archive offered ELA the opportunity for The Ducks & Us Songbook Movie to have a place in the Academy’s Film Archive catalogue under “Emotion Literacy Advocates Collection.” Our film is now available to libraries, festivals, film studios, production companies, non-profits and individuals, as well to the Academy’s own on-site research center and exhibition programs. Shortly thereafter, our film was also added to UCLA’s film archive.

Screen Shot 2016-08-26 at 5.07.12 PM

The Academy’s Pickford Center for Motion Picture Study is home to one of the most diverse and extensive motion picture collections in the world, both related and non-related to the Academy Awards.

P.S. We are delighted to know The Ducks & Us Songbook Movie has more circulation and caring attendance in store.

[top photo: landscape by Bill Zama;
movie character illustrations by Nikki Nopens;
image design by Daniel Sackett]

 

Pamela Represents ELA at University of Washington

Puget Sound Writing Project (PSWP) commissioned Pamela Sackett to return again this year (2015) for PSWP summer writing workshop for teens at the University of Washington. Pamela was given open license to perform from any portion of her body of work, according to the course instructor Christina Roux’s objectives of demonstrating diversity in writing forms, the drawing from one’s own self as resource and inspiring students in building their creative composition and public presentation skills. Pamela’s two-part performance prompted students to think and talk about the characters in their written stories as well to think about themselves, central characters in their own life stories. A feeling-full time was had by all.

Update: Pamela was invited to return for the July 2016, 2018 and 2019 sessions at UW, as well. Sessions in 2018 and 2019 were led by course instructor Julie Olsen.

ELA Selected For Web Redesign

UW Human Centered Design & EngineeringA design team from the University of Washington’s Human Centered Design & Engineering program selected ELA as a candidate for a web site redesign. The class teaches how to use evidence from site analytics, use-case studies and user interviews to inform web site designs to answer visitor desires. Watch this space for exciting changes!

 

ELA at Microsoft Non-profit Fair

ELA at Microsoft non-profit fair
ELA board members Daniel Sackett, Mark Magill, founder Pamela Sackett

ELA answered an invitation to participate at Microsoft’s annual non-profit fair to appear for two days out of the five-day fair, once on the day focused on educational organizations, and again for the day for arts organizations. ELA board members Daniel Sackett, Mark Magill and Pamela Sackett (pictured above) spoke to curious passers-by, gave out Five Ways brochures and other literature and answered questions.

Booing Death Inspires Young Writers

Seattle public school language arts teacher Christina Roux invited Pamela Sackett into her classroom again (see November 2013 below), this time for her 2014 University of Washington Summer Youth Program High School Course under the auspices of Puget Sound Writing Project (PSWP).

Pamela performed excerpts from Booing Death. Some excerpts included performance with Ms. Roux’s talented teacher’s assistant, Julie Olsen, who has an impressive background in theatre and opera. Pamela provided musical interludes between each reading and revisited the classroom a second time to conduct a specially-designed exercise to inspire the students to delve deeper and more courageously into their writing and reflecting process.

The writing program description, in part: “Improve your opportunities in life by learning to write well. Study strategies, habits, and fundamentals of great writers that lead to effective writing.” Sackett’s Booing Death excerpts were a substantial part of the class reader, keeping company with the likes of Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson, Theodore Roethke, Willaim Faulkner, Mark Twain and Charlotte Bronte, among other notables.

Buy Books at Barnes & Noble to Support ELA

Barnes & Noble has chosen Emotion Literacy Advocates as the beneficiary of book sales during a bookfair. To have a portion of your purchases go to ELA at no additional cost to you, just include Bookfair number 11370368 with any store purchases made May 8th – 15th or any online purchases May 8th – May 20th. For online purchases, include Bookfair number 11370368 beneath the credit card information area during checkout. Thanks, B&N and you for supporting ELA!

Booing Death Goes to School

Seattle’s Roosevelt High School selected Booing Death for “Book Seminar,” an honors credit literature course. Students read Booing Death and were invited to attend an author event in Seattle. The course culminated with the author’s visit to the classroom. The brainchild of language arts teacher Christina Roux, whose expressed aim was to bring a “living author and her work” to the classroom. Based on student feedback about the book, author reading/signing event attendance and students’ study guide response narratives, the program was a grand success!

Portions of Booing Death were integrated into a drama therapy curriculum this fall at Antioch University, Seattle, thanks to Bobbi Kidder, MA program faculty and Drama Therapy Coordinator. Students received selected excerpts from the book and, subsequently, Pamela visited the class to read the pieces and address questions. Students engaged with the material through writing and movement exercises conducted by Professor Kidder. Booing Death served well as a catalyst for internal landscape exploration and skill-building.

For more details or to bring Booing Death to your classroom, please contact ELA.

See and Hear Booing Death in October

This month’s live events for ELA’s latest release have been scheduled for:

TUESDAY • October 15 • 9:00 – 10:00 PM
CFRO FM 100.5
Vancouver Co-op Radio’s World Poetry Cafe
Vancouver, BC

THURSDAY • October 17 • 6:30 PM
at Banyen Books & Sound
3608 West 4th Ave, Vancouver BC

The author will read selected pieces, punctuated with brief musical interludes, followed by Q & A.