Clearing things off my plate, or more to the point, my ongoing list of blogging topics today:

1. Last month’s Atlantic had a great article on the paparazzi and how they are changing journalism.  I’ve mentioned several times on this site that I have a perverse fascination with the paparazzi, even going so far as to watch TMZ on TV at times–and I don’t watch anything on TV, except American Idol.  This whole thing started as a time waster, a way to take a break without really getting up from my computer.  But it turns out that the paparrazzi culture has had a serious effect on today’s journalism.

David Samuels talks about "the evolution of Hollywood paparazzi from a marginal nuisance to one of the most powerful and lucrative forces in the American news-gathering industry" in the article and it is fascinating.  Did you know, for instance, that on any given night there are 30 to 45 paps covering Britney?  Amazing.

Here’s the link:  Shooting Britney.

2.  I am leaving town tomorrow.  Heading first to Asheville for Wordfest, though I’m a little nervous about hanging out with all those poets.   I heard about it from my friend Nave, who runs a writing salon  there and in other points around the world.   Nave and I first met in Taos, when he was running creativity camps for Julia Cameron, and we run into each other in odd places like Chicago and New York, where neither of us live.    Candace and I are driving over there from Nashville in her #$%^ little car, which means I can’t take my usual overload of clothes, because she also has some business to attend to surrounding mysterious issues of the place where she grew up.  I can’t wait. 

Then I’ll be in Nashville for the exciting beginning of the semester of the Writing Loft at MTSU.  My co-director Terry Price and  I are planning a dinner for new students, as well as an evening for mentors and alumni to get together.  We’ve still got room if you are interested in studying writing in a focused way, with a supportive and helpful mentor.  Read about the program on our website, or on the page I made on this site.

3.  Even though I’m leaving town, my blog will continue through the magic of technology.  I’ve got a post for Earth Day set up, and for the few days of my absence, as I wander the south looking for a wireless connection, I’m doing a Best of Wordstrumpet series.  Here are the posts you will enjoy for the rest of this week:

Tuesday–Earth Day
Wednesday–Writing in Coffee Shops
Thursday–Planet of Unwritten Novels

And finally, for my favorite post of all time (well it was actually a series, but I’m turning it into one long post):

Friday–Power Writing: 15 Keys to Unleashing your Creativity.

I’ve got my handy purple Polaroid digital camera, even though I’m angry with the people at Polaroid for discontinuing instant cameras, and I hope to take lots of photos and be able to post a poetry-infused travelogue by Saturday.

Have a good week, everyone, and don’t forget to celebrate Earth Day.