Good Morning, Everybody! It’s time for another special guest here on The Write Stuff, for our newest feature. Please help me welcome Lynda Lambert today, with her Ten Things List. I think you’ll really enjoy this one, especially if you haven’t met Lynda before. And on that note, Lynda–take it away!
Ten Things You May Not Know About Me
by Lynda Lambert
- Lynda is not my birth name. I changed my first name, from Linda to Lynda, when I was a teenager. Editing and tweaking language has always been fascinating to me.
- This year, I received *Special Mention for a Body of Work” by Proverse (Hong Kong).
- The editors chose six of my most recent poems for for this award in the new Mingled Voices5 Anthology published April 26, 2021. Proverse Jurors selected my poetry for four of the five anthologies published annually. I read one of my poems for the spring opening reception to launch the new anthology in Hong Kong. I chose to read “Preparations for a Virtual Spring Salad.” https://www.amazon.com/Mingled-Voices-International-Proverse-Anthology/dp/988849225X
- When I was sixty years old, I got my Pennsylvania motorcycle driver’s license.
- However, at age sixty-four, I lost most of my sight and had to give up riding my motorcycle, The Blue Dragon. The license plate on my bike was “Blau” – which is “blue” in German.
- We have six cats that are all rescued as feral cats. And we have two dogs, also rescued after they were abandoned by thoughtless owners.
- Recently I found a letter that confirmed my first published story. The date on that letter is June 8, 1981, from the American Cage-Bird Society, Chicago, IL. The letter states, “Enclosed is a small token of thanks for your intriguing article in the April 1981 issue of ACBS.” I wrote a story about how I tamed my rare and wild red-bellied macaw, Beaver. A photo features Beaver and me. I used to have fifty birds in my home.
- I create mixed-media fiber art – talismans and wall works. My art is in exhibitions and in collections internationally. Below this list are two First Place Winners at In Sights art exhibitions in Louisville, KY.
- My husband and I celebrated our 60th wedding anniversary in April 2021.
- We have 5 children – 3 daughters are biological; 1 son is adopted from Vietnam; 1 daughter is adopted from Korea.
Saying Farewell to Blau
~~~
Author Lynda Lambert
Pennsylvania author/artist, Lynda McKinney Lambert (b.1943) writes award-winning books, thoughtful personal essays, and spare poems.
Lambert lives and works in rural western Pennsylvania in The Village of Wurtemburg. Lynda authored 5 books and her work appears in a number of prestigious anthologies in the US, UK, and Hong Kong.
Lynda creates art and writings from the inspirations of her life-experiences of teaching, travels, and her home life in a century-old home located in the historic Germanic village where her ancestors lived for generations. Her home is situated on a ridge overlooking the 50-mile long, Connoquenessing Creek where she lives with her husband, Bob, and their rescued dogs and cats. They tend their traditional Zen Meditation Garden year-round. They walk their dogs in the woods and observe the life-cycle and passing seasons of natural elements in their world.
Lynda is a retired Professor of Fine Arts and Humanities, Geneva College, Beaver Falls, PA. With her extensive background in Fine Arts, English Literature, and Humanities, she creates mixed-media fiber art for exhibitions and her writings that are published internationally. Lynda has been called “A Renaissance Woman” by a number of editors.
Lynda’s First Place Winners at In Sights exhibitions in Louisville, Kentucky:
You Can Buy Linda’s Books HERE
And HERE
And you can read a Smashwords Interview with Lynda HERE
Visit Lynda on Facebook HERE
Love the motorbike, though I have never ridden one myself. Fascinating art, I like mixed media art and Lynda’s pieces look colourful and interesting.
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I am so pleased that you left me a comment and I appreciate that you like mixed-media art. I do too! Right now, I am beginning to create a series of 12 wall pieces – there will be 3 pieces for each season. I am beginning with “Winter Wonderland,” for winter is my favorite season. It’s good to always have some new things on the back burner, isn’t it. Happy writing and thank you so much for your visit today.
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Yes Lynda, creative people of all sorts from writers and artists to builders always have ideas for the next project.
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Tidalscribe, Yes. This time of year, I am enjoying the beauty of the hard work I’ve put into my flower gardens. Now, they are completed and i can just walk around them and enjoy their presence. I save rain water to put on my hanging plants and other places so this keeps me busy making sure they are watered during the day and just appreciating their beauty. At the same time, my mind is going towards my studio and the work I’ll be starting soon. I’ve been sifting through my ideas and putting out materials that I will need to get started. Soon the gardens will not need my time so much and I can return to the studio and spen my days there bringing the ideas to life. I think of life as a garden – we plant the seeds that we become.
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Fascinating and Inspiring!
Great Post!
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Vali, I love the spelling of your name! It is so unique. I wanted to let you know how much I appreciated your comments and your reaction to my story. I had fun working on it and I value this opportunity to meet you and everyone who visits this blog story. It is a nice slow rainfall here in western PA this morning. I have my window open and the sounds are so peaceful. Every so often, the sound of a calling Crow breaks into the rhythm of the rain on the roof. I hope your day is particularly lovely, too. Thanks!
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Thank you for the beautiful imagery and wonderful sentiments Lynda! It has been so lovely learning about you.
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I am looking forward to knowing more about you also.
I think Marcia has the most interesting and thoughtful friends here on this site. It is a pleasure to meet everyone. Thank you!
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Wow! Lynda is an amazing person. Well done on a life well-lived.
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Darlene, you made me laugh out loud when I read your comment. I’m glad you enjoyed my story and thanks a million for taking the time to write the comment. I had fun working on it and I have enjoyed reading the other featured stories, too. Thanks!
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That’s quite a life! Love the art and the motorbike. Go, Lynda, go!
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OK, I’ll do my best to keep going! Thanks for cheering me on. Since it is raining here in PA today, I woke up with some aches and stiff muscles. A nice cup of peach tea made me feel much better and then, I opened my computer and found this article today. What a nice response and I appreciate your comment so much. I hope your day is going very well, too.
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What a wonderful ten things! So lovely to learn more about Lynda 🙂
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Harmony, I am glad you found my ten things of interest. This was a fun challenge that Marcia gave to us and I wanted to participate as soon as she issued the challenge. I think we all had a tough time narrowing it down to 10 things that most people would not know about us. I’m glad you left a note after reading my list! Thank you.
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Love that art work and congratulations on your 60th wedding anniversary!
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You made me smile this morning when you said you like my art work. I’ve been blessed to share my art for over forty-five years. I think this might be the only profession from which a person never retires. We just keep on going, making our stuff, long long after others have retired. We are continually progressing and changing in what we are doing and it is always fresh and new every day when we walk into the studio to begin working. If we are not making art, we are thinking of making art.
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It’s nice to meet you, Lynda! You are a fascinating woman. 🙂
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Nice to meet you, too, Yvette! Picasso taught us that it takes a very long time to become young.
I just celebrated my 78th birthday last week, and I am becoming younger with each passing year. Art is a lifetime journey – a sacred pilgrimage. I celebrate that every day. Thank you for your comment and I send you my best wishes for a beautiful day where you are.
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Gasp, what a beautiful bike! What gorgeous beadwork! This was a fun 10-things. Happy recent 60th anniversary to Lambert!
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Priscilla, what a nice comment about my motorcycle and my art. They are both similar – colorful, dynamic, precious, and mystical. I create my art by beginning with “something.” It can be anything, such as a few small and smooth stones I found at the bottom of the creek as I was in my canoe going downstream. It can be another piece of art that I tore apart to use in my own creation. It can simply be the exquisite beads and gemstones that I find many different places. I gather them and somethings it might be many years before I know what I will do with them. I’m always on a treasure hunt.
May this beautiful beginning of September bring priceless treasures into your life and your work.
Thank you for your comments.
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Nice to virtually meet you, Lynda. You’ve led an interesting life. Congrats on 60 years of marriage.
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Yes, Joan, I’ve enjoyed a life filled with beauty and joy through the arts that I love.
Best of all, I’m still finding surprises and inspirations every day. I’m thankful that a long time ago I read a book, _Beyond Ourselves_ by Catherine Marshall. She introduced me to the concept of “The Dreaming Prayer.” This set me on my life-path of making art and writing. I’m always searching for Euphoria. How about you\? What motivated you to do what you are doing?
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Nice to meet you, Lynda. Love #6.
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Sharon, you must be an animal lover, too?
Our house is always a busy place with the cats and dogs and a husband to care for.
In-between it all, I make the time to do my art and writing. There is always a little critter or two in the room with me. I love it.
Thanks for your comment – much appreciated.
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Nice to meet you, Lynda. And happy anniversary! Congratulations on your poetry award. I once submitted a short story for a contest at a small local science fiction convention, where it won. I then later submitted it for a contest for publication in an anthology, and it came in fourth place and was included in the anthology.
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Congrats on your past publications. the key is to never quit. Just keep on putting out your work.
Rejections are a very important aspect of both art and writing – we need them to keep us on our toes and to keep moving into new territory. I love having my work in really good literary magazines and in anthologies and I’m always thankful for those opportunities. Thank you for the comments this morning.
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From one Western PA girl to another, nice to meet you!
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What part of PA are you in?
Are you a life-long resident of PA?
I’d love to know more about you and your work!
Thanks for visiting this post and I wish you a very nice day. Where I am, it is raining. Looks to me like it will be an all-day rain. I love it! I sent outside early and put all of my hanging baskets on the found so they could catch the rain, too. I am an avid gardener and summertime is when I am out there working most days in the flower gardens. I’ve been writing a series of “Garden Songs” a collection of haiku inspired by flowers in my gardens.
Thanks for introducing yourself to me – I appreciate it.
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Born and raised in Vandergrift (Kiski Area school district, if that helps; no one knows where Vandergrift is.) Went to college at Carnegie Mellon University. Thought I’d be in the area my whole life, but my (now ex) husband’s career took us out of the state for twenty years. I moved back almost two years ago. My daughter planned on settling here, but after she got married, she followed her husband out of state for his career. My son never planned on coming. I suspect I’ll soon be moving to be closer to my kids. But right now, it’s nice to be near my family and old friends.
It’s raining here, too. Has been for hours and will be all day. I love rainy days and don’t mind at all. To me, it’s soup weather. In fact, I’m about to put a pot on to start simmering. The house should be smelling divine in about an hour!
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Staci, you are about as far from Pittsburgh as I am but I am 40 miles north of Pgh.
I think our high school played against yours – I graduated form hs in 1961 and I think back then we did play against each other.
I am very familiar with Pgh – the arts and music performances – galleries, theaters. In the past 8 years we are no longer able to drive there so don’t get there much at all now. I really miss that a lot.
I love Pennsylvania – the landscape is so rich and a drive across the state was always wonderful to enjoy. We lived in CA for a couple of years – I worked at a college in Santa Clara. But living in a place that really did not have snow and winter was something I missed too much. Winter is my favorite season and I longed for it. The opportunity for me to come back here as exec. director of an art center brought us back. My dream is to be able to be in Austria for the Christmas season one day. I’ve always been there in the summertime, but would love to be there for Christmas and the Christmas markets in the villages and cities. I don’t have a “bucket list” but if I did that would be at the top of my list.
I have children that live in MD, KY, PA, WI.
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What a fascinating and talented lady! I love the media-fiber art, and love the motorcycle too. I never had a desire to drive one, but always loved riding on the back with the wind blowing the cobwebs out of my brain! Thank you for this introduction, Marcia!
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Jan, once learned how to ride the bike by myself, I never again rode with anyone else.
Yes, it is a beautiful experience to ride into the wind – I’ve written about one of those wild rides in frigid weather in my poem, “When We Dance Together.” Driving a bike is a dance – First publisher of the poem was Wordgathering Literary Magazine. Here is the link to read the poem. See if that fits your won experience and feeling when riding a motorcycle.
https://wordgathering.com/past_issues/issue27/poetry/lambert.html
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From one Keystoner to another, it’s great to “meet” you, Lynda! You’ve certainly done some amazing things and accomplished so much. Blau was/is gorgeous! It must have been so hard to give up. I have close friends who are diehard riders and I know how much their bikes mean to them. You certainly have many other things to fill your life with all those rescue pets, writing, projects, and a wonderful husband of 60 sixty years!
Thanks for the introduction to Lynda, Marcia!
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Good Morning Mae Clair. Nice to meet you as well. I am a life-long resident of PA, and my ancestors came here in 1730 – on a ship that landed in Philadelphia.
I love PA –
I love to write about nature and the landscape and vegetation and animals – so there is a lot for inspiration right here for me. Art and music are also themes in my work a lot.
You may like to read my poem, “When We Dance Together,” which I wrote about riding my motorcycle on a very cold day – riding across PA through the mountains – I cannot say it was fun – not for a minute – but it was memorable and worthy of a poem. You can read it where it was first published on Wordgathering – https://wordgathering.com/past_issues/issue27/poetry/lambert.html
I’d love to know more about you, too.
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Marcia, thank you for sharing my list of Ten Things this morning! By the time I go on the computer there was already a lot of comments. I was so delighted for them all.
I saw that so many other writers read my list and took the time to respond. Thank you all and I will answer any questions or comment on anything that comes here – so please keep the comments coming in. I love meeting new people and this was such a fun challenge for us all to do.
I hope each day is bringing you more strength , Marcia, and that you are feeling much better today.
Thank you for The Write Stuff – we all love this blog.
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Thanks for your kind words, Lynda, and rest assured, comments will likely keep showing up here over the next few days. Feel free to check back as often as you like. I’m glad you’ve been enjoying this series. It’s a lot of fun and interesting, isn’t it? And it helps our blogging community grow stronger, as we get to know each other a bit better.
SO happy to have you here today, and to have a chance to share your beautiful art! 🤗 ❤
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Sunday Morning…I stopped in to respond to comments that came in. What a great group of people this is. I am sharing information on your blog to a few other writer friends because I know they will love reading your posts and meeting new friends.
This is a nice cool rainy Sunday. I love it. I can stay inside and get caught up on my writing and visiting on the blogs. Rainy days like this are my favorite days. They are so peaceful. Thanks!
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Great to get to know you, Lynda:) Happy 60th wedding anniversary! Blau was a beautiful bike 🙂
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Thanks so much for your comment! Yes Blau is a really nice motorcycle – she belongs to my daughter in KY at this time. Being able to shift with the change of seasons in our life is important. I am thankful for the sixty years I’ve had with my husband. He has battled acute myeloid leukemia – 8 years after diagnosis, treatment, and stem cell plant he is still in remission and just turned 80 this year.
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You’ve lived a diverse life.
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I can say it has been filled with many challenges but somehow we come through them and we keep on going. Life is good.
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Wow! What an amazing life (so far!). Thank you for sharing (and for loving animals). 🙂
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I like the “so far” part of your comment. lol
Each day is a new adventure. You just never know what is around the next corner!
Thank you for your comments and for visiting the blog today. It is really an honor to be on Marcia’s blog and I’ve enjoyed meeting each of the new people that have been featured here.
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Pingback: Ten Things of Thankful – August 29 – September 3, 2021 – Lynda McKinney Lambert – Author
I just posted on my blog today- Ten Things of Thankful – and I listed The Write Stuff and Marcia as one of my 10 things for this week. Thank you so much Marcia and all who sent the great comments. You made my day!
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You are very welcome, Lynda, and thank YOU for being such an interesting and inspiring guest! You are welcome back any time! 😀 ❤
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Pingback: Treasuring Poetry – Meet poet Lynda McKinney Lambert and a review | Writing to be Read
Pingback: Walking by Inner Vision Newsletter – Fall/Winter Edition #2 – Lynda McKinney Lambert – Author