Positive Life

Nice little "My Favourite Things" piece in the online magazine of Positive Life (Ireland). Here's the link: www.positivelife.ie. I'm there on the front page. Or if you want to go directly to the piece here is the longer link: http://www.positivelife.ie/2014/01/my-favourite-things-with-author-o-r-melling. Positive Life is a very attractive publication with high-end photography and well-written articles and interviews. This edition includes an excellent interview with Elizabeth Gilbert of Eat, Pray, Love.

Spirit & Destiny

Here's an article about my relationship with my Tibetan lama teacher, printed in a UK magazine called Spirit & Destiny, available next month. They interviewed me over the telephone and then wrote up the answers. While I have to say the words put in Panchen Otrul Rinpoche's mouth are not his and not how he speaks, the gist of the piece is true. Journalism can be a strange filter for reality some times. Like literary criticism, it is subjective and says as much - and sometimes more - about the one who's writing the piece than the one about whom it is written. That said, the intention was good, the tone is true, and the photos and layout are terrific. So I am happy with it and appreciate the coverage.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Here's a cutey-patootie pic of one of my artist sisters, YM Whelan, beside a very pertinent message about artists of all kinds. Those of you who read The Book of Dreams might recognise one of Dana's mad aunties. As one of my reviewers remarked, it's great to know such anarchic characters might be real! As well as being an artist herself, Yvonne has her own gallery in Toronto - YUMART - situated on the 2nd floor of 101 Spadina Ave (southeast corner of Adelaide and Spadina). A new exhibition of 21 Canadian contemporary Canadian artists, emerging to senior, is now up, January 4-25.