What Has Debra Leigh Been Up To?

....an “artivist and edu-preneur”, a professional writer, playwright, singer, film-maker, educator, dramaturg, editor, publisher, arts administrator, public speaker and activist, often all at the same time. 

In addition to her own creative work, Debra Leigh is passionate about working with other artists.  She founded Hidden River Arts way back in 1995, and has grown the organization so that it now includes gallery events, an independent small press, yearly writing competitions, outreach and educational activities.  Wanting to be a "creative catalyst" for other artists, Debra is dedicated to helping other creative people to grow and develop. In addition to Hidden River's activities, Debra also works individually with fellow writers, with manuscript consultation, all levels of editing, and developmental support at all stages, from concept through to publication and on to promotion.  It's all about creative growth and discovery.  

One of her recent projects is a documentary film and companion book, both called 'Junct: The Trashing of Higher Ed. in America, which addresses the corporate colonization of academic culture in the U.S. - and now increasingly happening around the world.  She continues with her fiction and dramatic writing; there are always many projects in development at the same time. 

As if that isn't enough, Debra Leigh also provides an expansive list of communication, writing and editing services for a select group of clients in various business sectors, with her company, DLS Communications

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Friday
Jun232023

Artists as Empaths

In a recent post from my Debra Leigh Says blog site, I spoke about one of my new projects - a collection of short stories called Crossing the Line.  Several of the stories have been published in literary journals, and I've included links so that you might read some of them yourself.  

The post talks about the characters from my stories, since my fiction is always character-driven.  I'm fascinated by the individuals who find themselves on difficult paths, or facing unexpected hardship; many of my characters realize after the fact that they've created their own suffering. Often, the reader realizes that they will continue to complicate their lives because it is part of their nature and maybe even their destiny.

Thinking about the characters that populate my work got me thinking about the role of the artist, and how much intuition and empathic ability plays a part in our creativity. It also got me thinking about what our responsibilities are, to ourselves, to our creations, to our audience, to other artists. I'm sure these thoughts will continue to unfold; but I thought you all might enjoy reading what I'm musing about right now. 

 

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