Sticks & Stones: The Changing Politics of the Self-Publishing Stigma
An interesting article, Sticks & Stones: The Changing Politics of the Self-Publishing Stigma recently appeared on the Huffington Post about the changing face of publishing and discusses how many authors are foregoing the traditional publishers and instead turning to self-publishing.
The opportunity to self-publish—to publish their books their own way—has given both emerging and established authors more freedom than ever before. So, yes, now that readers choose which books to purchase and support, dollars may shift and some traditional authors may be forced to give up a slice of the pie. Change is never easy; inevitably, there are bumps and bruises along the way. But, like or not, indie publishing is here to stay. And the publishing world will be all the richer for it. read more>>>
We definitely agree! …and as we said in relation to our recent mini-conference on May 12th…it’s time to…
to OCCUPY book publishing.Let the publishing revolution begin…
Filed under Conferences, General | Comment (0)We are in the Process of Evolving!
My whole life, may I evolve with the grace and audacity of a tree.
I trust my roots, so I risk reach.
I believe my trunk, so I ascend.
I know growth, so I surrender to expansion.
It’s all about getting bigger and going deeper, like a tree. This makes us strong.
When Matthew and I created Reflection Press in 2009, we did so with the firm intent to let it grow like a tree. Evolution. Naturally. Expansion. Creatively. We did not separate out art from life from work from spirit. But instead saw all things as one, united to support us in learning about the power of creativity from within and without. We had vision, but mostly we had presence. Through process and presence we published our first three books, Claiming Face, Gender Now and Gender Now’s school edition.
Resourcing children from underserved communities has been an important part of my work for many years. Getting these books committed to print was our obvious first step. But there was a hidden gift in the making of these books. The act of articulating the philosophy was the same as creating a piece of art. It was like creating a reflection of something that had been inside of us now outside. The process of Continue reading »
Filed under CLAIMING FACE, Crafty Maya, From the Life, General, The Creative Process | Tags: about us, acceptance, CLAIMING FACE, courage, creative process, expanding consciousness, freedom | Comment (0)Gender Now Activity Book:School Edition is coming….OUT! (and we want the world to know)
"an indispensable tool in our work to create more gender inclusive and accepting schools"
-Joel Baum, Director, Education and Training, Gender Spectrum
This October 11th celebrate National Coming Out Day with the release of our newest book:
Gender Now Activity Book: School Edition 
Our new activity book contains all the great info from the original coloring book adapted for the public school environment. Meet the Gender Team and learn that there are many ways to feel on the inside no matter what body you have on the outside through stories from nature, history, and different cultures. Did you know that clown fish can change their bodies from boy to girl? Or that in some countries they know there’s not just boys and girls? The Bugis of Indonesia have 5 genders!
Read more or view inside>>>
And, in case you need a little background music while you’re perusing the pages, here’s a classic by Diana Ross:
Filed under Events, General, LGBTQI Families | Tags: acceptance, book release, empowerment, family, fun, gender, GENDER NOW, lgbt | Comment (0)The Power of Claiming Face
In August Maya did a CLAIMING FACE Educator Training through the Arts Council for Monterey County. The participants were bursting with creative energy and passion. After the class, we received this wonderful quote from one of the participants that reminded us why we do this work.
Filed under CLAIMING FACE, Events, Maya in the Classroom | Tags: CLAIMING FACE, creative process, creativity, educators, empowerment, review | Comment (0)I want to extend my deepest appreciation for the training class with Maya Christina Gonzalez. It was just a wonderful experience for me as a mother, artist and teacher.
So many important points were discussed regarding children’s self esteem and feeling like they belong in our world and to participate in our society. I’ve always taught with the underlying intention for children to recognize their place in our world and to feel great about themselves on all levels.
Maya has developed a great program that Continue reading »
Maya Gonzalez creates art for ALA Día poster
In celebration of the 15th anniversary of El día de los Niños/El día de los Libros, Maya created the artwork for the event poster. “ALSC is very proud to have Maya Christina Gonzalez produce the vibrant artwork for the 15th anniversary of El día de los niños/El día de los libros,” said Julie Corsaro, ALSC president. “We believe that her beautiful poster thoroughly reflects this joyous celebration of family literacy.”
Maya says, “When I was asked to do the ALA poster for El Dia, I portrayed a grandmother sharing a special moment with many important aspects of life that support and sustain us. These include reading, nature and community with children from many different cultural backgrounds to reflect all the different ways we are.”
Read more about the 15th anniversary on the ALA website. You can also read more from Maya on Pat Mora’s blog or order your poster or bookmark from the ALA store.
Filed under CLAIMING FACE, Events | Tags: children, creativity, el dia de los libros, el dia de los niños | Comment (0)
