“I myself have never been able to find out precisely what feminism is: I only know that people call me a feminist whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a door mat or a prostitute.” ~ Rebecca West

A woman obsessed with cultural conversation, Cicely Isabel Fairfield, aka Rebecca West, lived to be almost 100 years old. In that time, she did it all – from writing essays for New York Herald Tribune, befriended Charlie Chaplin and won the Women’s Press Club Award for Journalism from President Truman

Classified as a feminist or not – West had no hesitation to put her thoughts into the world. Well done.

“I always believed in the music we did and that’s why it was uncompromising.” ~ Jimmy Page

My first concert was a Robert Plant/Jimmy Page gig. Of course, I admire both of them – their collective artistic talents and the impact they’ve had on music are unmatched.

But Page reminds me of someone who, if he wasn’t busy being one of the world’s preeminent guitarists, magical songwriters and worshiped founder of Led Zeppelin, could also have been a stellar friend to have beers with on Saturday nights.

Alas, Page succinctly captures the intent of his broader legacy much better than I ever could in a 1993 interview with Guitar World:

Many people think of me as just a riff guitarist, but I think of myself in broader terms . . . As a producer I would like to be remembered as someone who was able to sustain a band of unquestionable individual talent, and push it to the forefront during its working career. I think I really captured the best of our output, growth, change and maturity on tape – the multifaceted gem that is Led Zeppelin.

Here’s a simple one — my lifelong favorite quote is from Mark Twain. I hope you like it.

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” –Mark Twain

The first time I went to see Midnight in Paris, I walked out. Too slow, didn’t grab my attention and I’ve been to Paris several times, so I thought I knew it all. Snore.

Fast forward to a few weeks ago when I tried again on Netflix. Loved it. From the literary themes and introspective discussion to the time travel and timeless lessons about relationships — all of it was covered with wit and enthusiasm.

And, I was reminded of Gertrude Stein, played by Cathy Bates in the film. An American poet and writer, Stein lived in France, held salons that lent themselves to vivacious cultural conversations and continued to write – her works are  often cited as among the first to demonstrate the ‘stream of consciousness’ style.

Even better: she was cool — Stein was friends with Ernest Hemingway and Picasso — two masterful portraits of brilliant fun that deserve their own entries. She surrounded herself with electric creative energy that makes many of us writers in today’s 9-5 conundrum want to escape to another time and place.

My favorite Stein quote says it all: “Everybody gets so much information all day long that they lose their common sense.” Second up: “I really do not know that anything has ever been more exciting than diagramming sentences.”

For those of you who can relate to either or both of the above, you get the brilliance.

Another poignant post from Stephanie Finigan. Stephanie is a graduate student, frequent traveler, and a remarkably untalented photographer. You can follow her on Twitter at @StephFini.

We have just passed the six-month mark since the United Nations declared that Somalia has officially fallen into famine. The news media was flooded – as it was six months ago – with stories about the struggle aid groups are still having getting food into the country. Many of the accompanying photos were devastating shots of emaciated children, sitting on dirt floors, clinging to adults, clearly on the verge of death. The photos were dramatic and attention-getting, meant to raise awareness about the on-going crisis….and they also were meant to sell newspapers. It is here, at the point where consciousness-raising meets consumerism, that we find the daunting issue of “poverty porn”.

While there is no strict definition of the term, “poverty porn” usually refers to the use of graphic images of people (often children) living in poverty, and are meant to yield some sort of monetary gain for someone other than the subject of the image. In other words, the starving kids from Somalia you’ve seen on the pages of the New York Times don’t get paid for the use of their own images – someone else does. International aid groups have been accused of using “poverty porn” in their advertising and marketing campaign for years. Some organizations looking for donations use the most tug-at-your-heart-strings-to-open-your-purse-strings photographs possible in order to get the public’s attention and – ultimately – donations. Much in the same vain as the old motto in traditional business advertising, “sex sells”, in the world of international aid, “sadness sells,. These attention-getting tactics have been heavily criticized for lacking dignity, promoting stereotypical images of poverty, and for painting the poor as helpless victims rather than very capable human beings who simply lack opportunities.

I have wrestled with the notion of “poverty porn” myself in my travels as a tourist through some of the poorer countries in the world. During my travels, I do take pictures of some of the more difficult images I see, though I continue even now to feel conflicted when I do, and I have to ask myself some hard questions: is it wrong of me to do this? What are my intentions? These are people, not animals in a zoo, not sculptures in a park….is it OK to photograph them? Am I being insensitive? Or even (cringe) exploitative??

I am not looking to sell, frame, or even print them, but what I want to do with them is capture the reality of what is happening in the world around me – as ugly as it may. Though it may sound like I am riding on a moral high horse  (I’m not – believe me, I’m more likely to be trampled by one), I admit that in some way I feel almost a sense of responsibility to take these pictures and share them with the people in my life who are curious and interested.

By not taking photos, by bearing witness to the poverty and sadness and suffering I see and then keeping it to myself, it is as if I am keeping a shameful secret hidden away. Poverty is ugly and difficult to witness, and it makes us all feel uncomfortable, helpless, and often guilty for what we do have….no one wants to feel those things, so its easier to turn a blind eye, look away, or plead ignorance. For me, photographing this poverty was – and is – important, as it acknowledges that there is a problem, and acknowledgement is the first step towards fixing any problem.

There are people who will argue that my taking these photos is wrong, and that no matter what my intentions I do exploit people by photographing them, using them to serve some inner-drive I have to make myself – a “rich” white Westerner – feel better about the randomness of life that allowed me to be born in a place with a healthy economy rather than a poor one. But I do not see my photos, nor the recent media photos from Somalia, as “poverty porn.”They are jarring. They are attention-getting. They are sending a dark message, and they force us all to think about things that none of us really want to think about. Yet I believe that the disservice to those who are suffering is not to show the world photographs of their plight, but to ignore it, to look away, or to pretend there is nothing to photograph in the first place.

It’s been awhile – but we’re back in 2012.

I’d like to also introduce one of the new sites we’ve had in development: 1000 Great Minds. The goal: to highlight 1000 of the world’s brilliant people – past and present – that have shaped our world for the better. Famous, infamous or just plain normal, all of these great minds have lived life in colorful ways.

It’s a simple site focused on educating, inspiring and having fun.

We always welcome suggestions and contributions, so send them my way via Twitter or in the comments below. Just a short write up of who they are and why. Of course, you’ll get the byline!

We encourage you to sign up, though we’ll post a weekly update here on The Journal of Cultural Conversation so you can see it all.

More to come!

Editor’s note: This interview was originally published in April 2009

Seth Godin needs little introduction. He popularized the topic of permission marketing; his numerous best-selling books, including Permission Marketing: Turning Strangers into Friends, and Friends Into Customers, Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable and most recent release Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us have received international acclaim.

In addition, Tribes has appeared on The New York Times, Business Week and The Wall Street Journal best-seller lists. The Miami Herald listed it among the best business books of 2008.

I first became a Godin fan when I worked as a consultant at Peppers & Rogers Group founded by customer strategy gurus Don Peppers and Martha Rogers. He also came to speak to us at Google in 2006 – and it was standing room only.

Laura Cococcia: Your latest book, Tribes, invites anyone to be a leader of change by connecting to a “tribe” of those with similar ideas and passions. I love the concept and believe in it.

The Internet now gives everyone the ability to publish their ideas – which I think is incredible. Since you’re clearly the idea expert, how would you suggest that people publishing blogs, e-books, newsletters, etc. differentiate their ideas to help grow their readership?

Seth Godin: I think you need to come up with useful and remarkable ideas regardless of whether or not you need new readers. After all, the only ideas worth talking about and using are the ones that have impact. In my experience, the idea is only part of the challenge. How you talk about it, what you name it, how the idea spreads (is it in a pdf, a blog post?) matter as well.

LC: You’ve written a number of books and continue to post on your blog. Is there a particular author you’d credit with inspiring you to write?

SG: I became a book packager (sort of like a movie producer for books) because it’s a great way to make a decent living selling ideas. From that, I morphed into an official author, and it was business books that inspired me. Jay Levinson, Tom Peters, Dr. Laurence Peter, Don Peppers, Napoleon Hill, and certainly Zig Ziglar were all guys I read.

LC: What are you reading right now?

SG: I’m reading a lot of sociology and Buddhism and economics. Lewis Hyde, Marcel Mauss, Thich Nhat Hanh… I read about ten books at once.

LC: Finally -– what advice do you have for aspiring writers just starting out on their writing journey?

SG: That’s easy: write. With blogs, you no longer have an excuse. It’s not someone’s fault you’re not published. Write.

You can visit Godin’s Web site or blog: http://sethgodin.typepad.com/

Probably 90% of you have either heard of or subscribe to Time Out. For those of you new to the scene, I’ll sum up: it covers the latest happenings in over 30 cities from New York to Sydney to Bucharest and its simply brilliant, digestible morsels of curated local activity suggestions can make any music/theatre/art lover quickly fall in love.

I had a chance to catch up with Frank Sennett, editor-in-chief of Time Out Chicago to find out more about the story behind his story. A career writer, Sennett became editor-in-chief of Time Out Chicago in January 2008. Prior to that, he wrote columns on politics and blogging for the Spokesman-Review in Spokane, hosted a public radio show on the alternative press and reviewed fiction for Booklist.

In addition, Sennett is an accomplished author and has published seven books this decade. He has also taught creative writing for the UCLA Extension Writers’ Program.

Here’s more from our chat:

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Laura: I can only imagine that the job of editor-in-chief for Time Out Chicago is invigorating and fast-paced. What do you find most rewarding? The most challenging?

Frank: The reader connection we have at TOC is amazing. They are with us every step of the way, and don’t hesitate to chip in great ideas, tell us what they love or offer constructive criticism when needed.

The staff is tightly knit as well. When we did a wedding for two readers last year (a couple actually let me perform their ceremony!), so many people here stepped up to perform music, decorate our conference room, etc. Even on normal days, I think I have about the best media job in the city, working with people I greatly admire and respect.

Laura: You started out as a writer and have published seven books so far in this decade. Did you always know you wanted to be writer?

Frank: There was a while, in high school and college, when I wanted to be a stand-up comedian and then perform on the Second City mainstage (I was in a children’s show there back in the late ’80s, so that was one dream fulfilled), but yeah, pretty much I’ve been writing since I was a kid. Edited the high school newspaper, went to journalism school, did the college humor mag, then got a creative writing MFA and started exploring fiction.

Writing is richly rewarding. But I love editing and managing our publication, too. When I was a kid, as broke as we were sometimes, my mom would always take us to the newsstand every week and let me and my sister pick out a magazine. So I grew up feeling magazines were these wonderful, important things. I still subscribe to way too many.

Laura: One of my favorite parts of Time Out Chicago is the “Heard on the Street” column. I’m sure it’s a secret, but can you share any insider information on who your source is? No worries if you can’t, but I’m sure Time Out fans want to know!

Frank: Everyone always says, “I love ‘Heard on the Street’ — are those lines made up?”

The answer is: It’s stuff we actually do overhear when we’re out on the town, and I think a few trusted people we know, so the lines are real. It’s amazing the kinds of things you just overhear on the bus or train. We’re planning to open things up a bit online, encouraging readers to submit their overheard lines, but we can really vouch for the reality of the stuff in print. Sometimes I’ll have to ask, “What was the context of that crazy line?” Guessing at that is part of the fun.

Laura: Given your experience and lengthy career as a writer, what would be your advice for aspiring or even established writers to keep up their writing practice?

Frank: I’ve done a lot of blogging, and that can keep you sharp. And in general, less daydreaming about what you’re going to write and where that might lead and more actually sitting down at the keyboard and getting it written is always good. Do the work and get to know people in your field and the rest should follow.

Read a ton of stuff that turns you on, although when I read Anna Karenina a few years back, I was so blown away by it I felt maybe I should just give up the game. But even though we can’t all be Tolstoy, we’ve all got stories in us worth telling.

In terms of networking, I’ve gotten a lot of pleasure from Twitter (I’m @SennettReport). A lot of writers are on there and it’s quite sociable. I’ve never felt so connected to my fellow busy Chicago media types as I have since I signed up on Twitter.

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Huge thanks to Frank for sharing his thoughts and time with us.

His advice to writers, as with many of the other interviews we’ve done here, is that reading is an indisputable must of being a writer. So, let’s all keep reading. Even if you don’t want to be a writer — reading is way better than staring at the wall for four hours.

Just for fun, here are three of my favorite “Heard on the Street” bits from the past few issues of TOC:

1. You should only speak Spanish in secret. (Laura’s note: This is true, if you’re me.)

2. I wish I didn’t have to remind my friends not to shoplift all the time.

3. I hate parties – and there probably will be swine flu.

For more info: Visit Frank’s site and Time Out Chicago.