Poetry and art in La Canada Flintridge Nov. 6

On Sunday, November 6 at 3 P.M., Flintridge Bookstore and Coffeehouse hosts a poetry and art event for photographer Christine Murphy and her mother, poet Viola Geary Odell. The featured book, …While Wandering: A Photo-Poetic Journey Through California Landscapes, is a collaboration of love that pairs the former’s images of the wilderness with the latter’s writing. A selection of Murphy’s photographs is on view during the reading, and a signing follows. To complete the afternoon, Murphy’s daughter, accomplished musician Carmel Helene, who has performed with such powerhouses as Miley Cyrus and Michael Bolton, plays an acoustic guitar set in the coffeehouse at 4:30 P.M. The significant talents of three generations of women are showcased in this program celebrating family and our precious natural environment.



Christine Murphy comments on the purpose of their collaborative project, “In this world of high technology and blurred urban life, we hope to remind the reader of the pure and dynamic presence of nature by blending every vivid poem with a stunning photograph of the California landscape. This is a multi-dimensional and multi-generational work that expresses the love of natural life with an aim to awaken readers to the earth and to lure them to nature as a necessary accessory to our busy lives.” Murphy says she began photographing the California wilderness during her sojourn as a flower child of the 60s.



Viola Geary Odell is a poet and writer, a ninety year old resident of California who grew up in the gold country of the wild west. She has published short stories of her experiences and won awards for these and her book of poetry, “Western Skies…”, published in 1998.



Carmel Helene was born in San Francisco and began her musical career as a teenager. She has several TV credits to her name, including the Tonight Show, Good Morning America, and Live with Regis & Kathy Lee. In 2005, she was nominated for “Independent Female Singer/Songwriter of the Year” and “Music Video of the Year” by the LA Music Awards.



For more information, call (818) 790-0717. Flintridge Bookstore and Coffeehouse is located at 1010 Foothill Blvd., La Canada Flintridge CA 91011, at the intersection of Foothill Blvd. and the Angeles Crest Highway. Take the Angeles Crest exit off the 210, turn south, make a right onto Foothill Blvd., and turn left onto Chevy Chase. Parking is in the rear of the store.