Personalities

 

Young People's Literature and Art Festival & Exhibit features Brian Selznick

Selznick Poster Connect the dots and what becomes apparent is a certain symmetry between the Telluride Film Festival and Telluride's five-star Wilkinson Public Library, whose upcoming Cinematheque – stay tuned for exact dates and films – is one of the most popular events of Telluride's fall/winter season.

Martin Scorsese's "Living in a Material World," about the life and times of Beatles "dark horse" George Harrison screened at the Film Festival over Labor Day weekend as did a Serge Bromberg's painstaking and beautiful restoration of George Melies's silent film masterpiece, "A Trip to the Moon," which Bromberg once described as "the 'Avatar' of its day. Scorsese's next big project and his first dive into a film for children is "Hugo," a project formerly known as "Hugo Cabret." (Apparently focus groups nixed the longer name).

 

A little stork is an avatar for Jeanne B. de Sainte Marie, one of 10 author/illustrators whose magical images will be on display at the Telluride Gallery of Fine Art starting July 28 in a show entitled "From Beasts to Babar: Ten Children's Illustrators."

La cigogne de Noël (The Christmas Stork, Editions du Bastberg, France 2000) is the tale of a stork that decides not to fly south with his peers. He wants to see snow. But how will he eat and stay warm? Through his trials and triumphs, Little Stork learns the rewards of following a dream.

Just like Jeanne.

Note: Our good friend, Bean, husband to beautiful Helen, son of good friend Ed Bowers - now deceased - and Jane Bowers, nephew of longtime, old time Telluride locals Jim and Kathy Bowers, crossed from this world to the next last Sunday, July 9,...

[click "Play" to listen to Susan's interview with Taylor Hicks]

 

Taylor Hicks You'll find the announcement on his website, big and bold: "Taylor Hicks will perform at the 35th Telluride Jazz Celebration in Colorado on August 6, at approximately 7 p.m.!"

In case you've been living under a rock, "American Idol" is the reality TV program that showcases emerging young singing talent, with each season's winner selected by viewers. Season 5, 2006, Taylor Hicks earned the title handily with over 63.4 million votes. And he did it by singing songs people can whistle, proving the legendary producer Simon Cowell wrong – probably for the first time ever in Cowell's storied career. Just ask him. (Cowell famously said Hicks would never make to the final round. Later he had to eat his words.)

[click "Play" to hear Susan's conversation with Dana Slamp]

 

Yoga central park king pidgeon (2) Aubrey Hackman, visionary founder of the Telluride Yoga Festival, July 14 – July 17, describes guest presenter Dana Slamp as a "vinyasa and bhakti yoga teacher, who truly embodies the integration of physical asana with the beauty of chanting and the practice of devotional yoga."

Dana Slamp, ERYT, was introduced to Yoga while completing her M.F.A. at American Conservatory Theatre. She earned her teaching certification from Sonic Yoga in New York City and completed Prenatal Teacher Training with Gurmukh at Golden Bridge Yoga in 2008. Dana continues her studies with Sri Dharma Mittra.

[click "Play" to hear Skip Liepke's conversation with Susan]

 

Lady in Black Malcolm "Skip" Liepke's second one-man show opens at the Telluride Gallery of Fine Art, 130 East Colorado Avenue, Thursday, July 7, 5:30 – 8:00 p.m., in sync with Telluride Arts' First Thursday Art Walk, showing off the "Best Of" Telluride's fine art and retail scene.

If you missed it, the artist's first show was a doozy: wall-to-wall pulchritude and sensuality confronting us with looks that would melt steel, rendered by a  painter who is an unapologetic realist.

[click "Play", Susan speaks with Lorain Fox Davis]

 

"Compassion for a World in Crisis" takes place July 8 – July 10

FoxDavis_l_headshot Last year, when the Telluride Institute hosted a conference in conjunction with Stanford University the region's think-and- do tank was tapping into the the spirit of the times. And the mood has only intensified. While some folks appear ready to storm the barricades, others are turning inward. (For evidence, look at the growing numbers of individuals practicing Yoga and embracing spiritual practices from the East.) The underlying theme of Telluride Institute's "Language of Mental Life" conference was compassion as an antidote to overheated passions: compassion for oneself and for others in equal measure.

This year, the beat goes on at the second annual three-day event designed to bring together cutting-edge neuroscientists, Tibetan Buddhist practitioners, and teachers of Native American wisdom traditions for panel discussions, conversations, seminars, question-and-answer sessions.

[click "Play" to  listen to Beryl's interview with Susan]

 

Beryl Beryl Bender Birch is among the presenters at Aubrey Hackman's 4th annual Telluride Yoga Festival, July 14 – July 17.

Beryl's history is the history of Yoga in America, a story of assimilation and diversification and recently, big business. This spiritual teacher, yoga therapist, and author ("Power Yoga,""Boomer Yoga,""Beyond Power Yoga") was an early adaptor and pioneer: in the early 70s, the tie-dyed days of drugs, sex and rock 'n roll, Beryl, a former student of philosophy and comparative religion, became an avid student of yoga and the study of consciousness.

[click "Play" to listen to Jesse's interview with Alicia Stark]

 

By J James McTigue

Alicia Stark, RN-BSN, began her career as a labor and delivery nurse in a high-risk hospital in Virginia.  
She gained incredible medical experience, but realized she hadn’t learned anything about birth. This education came when she worked literally worlds away -- on the Navajo Reservation in Tuba City, Arizona.

Inspired by her experiences on the Reservation, she added certified Hypno-Birthing practitioner to her Bg-1 list of credentials.  She is excited to share the methods of hypno-birthing and what she refers to as birthing “tools” to pregnant women in and around Telluride. She will be teaching a two-day, Hypno-Birthing class, from noon to 6 p.m. on June 25th and 26th at Shantihi Yoga Studio in Ridgway.