Our Creative Legacy: Authors
- Elizabeth Blethen
- Michael Cooke
- Rasjad Hopkins
- Illaine Lennard
- Mardiyah A. Tarantino
- Pilar Walsh
- Emmanuel Williams
Elizabeth Blethen
Author
Elizabeth Blethen
Bio: Elizabeth Blethen, writer and editor. Already published “The Vacation Wolf and Other Stories.” Wrote a number of comic pieces for presentation at Menucha with considerable success. Currently editing a book professionally that will become an E-book and editing my mother’s stories of of life growing up on a homestead in the Pacific North West, working title “Stories My Mother Told Me.” which includes archival photographs of the period. The Washington State Historical Society has expressed an interest in publishing them as the homestead was near Centralia.
Current working on two anthropology based mysteries (my BA was in Honors Anthropology).
I’ve also worked as a marketing writer first at Macy’s and S.Klein on the Square in New York and then for Weidenfeld and Nicolson, publishers, in London, England.
My BA is from Western Washington University where I did an Honors Degree and helped transcribed learned witness for my honors professor concerning for the Boldt Decision which affected tribal fishing rights in this area.
(Updated February 2014)
Michael Cooke
Author, Actor, Jazz Pianist
Rasjad Hopkins
Sculptor, Painter, Publisher, Art Dealer
Rasjad Hopkins
August 6, 1934 – November 4, 2023
Born on August 6th, 1934, in Chicago, Illinois, Rasjad spent his spent his formative years in Chicago, Seattle, and San Francisco. His multifaceted life embraced roles as an Artist —both sculptor and painter—Publisher, Author, Gallery Director, and former Owner of influential art galleries in the United States, father, and Subud helper.
After serving in the army in Europe I began my career as an artist in Seattle in the early 60’s. After winning an award for a watercolor in the state fair I was motivated to study fine art seriously at the University of Washington and a few years later graduated with two degrees, first a BA in Fine Art and then an MFA.
I was fortunate to find success early while still a student. My sculpture, “Mt. Rainier” was selected by I.M. Pei to be exhibited in his Science building for the World’s Fair where it was subsequently purchased by the Seattle Art Museum. It is currently on loan to the Pacific Science Center where it is being exhibited.
Those were exciting years and I continued to exhibit my paintings and sculpture in a number of galleries in the Pacific Northwest. After graduation I worked part time as a cook and taught children’s art while supporting my then wife’s university studies. After she graduated with an MFA in ceramics we decided to try living in San Francisco where we might better pursue our careers as artists.
In San Francisco we found a place to live on Potrero Hill suitable for both our work in art. I got some sculpture commissions and began exhibiting in the Vorpal gallery, but with a wife soon to give birth to a little girl there was not quite enough money and a part time job in an art gallery led to a new and unexpected career. I did manage to find some time to do my own artwork, but now these many years later after starting a lithographic workshop and owning or partnering in more than eleven galleries in seven cities, here I am, finally able to spend full time, painting, sculpting, writing, and traveling.
I hope that in my work I have been able to capture some of the essence of what I have seen and felt and to share in the joy of discovery of beautiful and interesting places. I want to project in my work a sense of the respect and gratitude I feel for what we have been given in this world.
– Rasjad Hopkins
My Galleries
by Rasjad Hopkins
Maria Secret Ops
by Robert Edward Hopkins (aka Rasjad Hopkins)
Ilaine Lennard
Author, Editor
Illaine Lennard
I was born in London in 1933. I married Lawrence Lennard and we had 2 children. We were opened in Subud in 1961. We spent 18 years in N. Ireland, where I created an enterprise making patchwork by machine. Then we returned to England and lived near Anugraha. When Bapak died I began an international newsletter, SUBUD VOICE, and worked on it for 14 years. I now compile extracts from Subud articles (see below) not only because they are such a good read, but also to provide background for young or new Subud members. And I have just finished an anthology from Bapak’s Talks which contain some of his fascinating insights into the nature of our Universe.
(Updated February 2014)
Creation, The Planets, Mankind, The Prophets
by Ilaine Lennard
They Were There - The Best of Subud Voice Vol 1
by Ilaine Lennard
Mardiyah A. Tarantino
Author
Mardiyah A. Tarantino
Alice at the Home Front, by Mardiyah A. Tarantino
Excerpt:
A strong-willed, patriotic young girl growing up during WWII dreams of being a war heroine in Tarantino’s heartwarming tale…The story is unique in that it approaches this time period through a child’s eyes, while the dialogue and inner monologue are spot-on…a story for children and adults, full of historical details and humorous anecdotes. ~ KIRKUS Reviews.
Books:
- Alice at the Home Front
- Life at the Cafe Berlitz: A Memoir of Paris
- Marvellous Stories From the Life of Muhammad
- Prince Harjo and the Sacred Stream
Alice at the Home Front
by Mardiyah A. Tarantino
Marvellous Stories From the Life of Muhammad (Muslim Childrens Library)
by Mardiyah A. Tarantino
Life at the Cafe Berlitz: A Memoir of Paris
by Mardiyah A. Tarantino
Pilar Walsh
Actress, Author, Filmmaker
List of Performances
Pilar Walsh
Toggle below to view bio
Bio
Bio: Pilar Walsh, a SAG-AFTRA actress, singer, dancer, writer, filmmaker, producer and mother of four, has worked for many years in TV, film, and stage. Some highlights in the past few years were playing Liza Minnelli on MAD-TV, performing opposite Ken Page in Man of La Mancha with Broadway Austin, working on the Indie film Dog Barks opposite Michael Costello and dancing and singing in Bernstein’s MASS, Cabaret, Pippin and The Musical of Musicals in Hawaii. She worked with Alec Baldwin and Annette Bening on Running With Scissors and Kathy Najimi on Hope Floats and a half-dozen independent films along the way. She performed her own Cabaret Show in Seattle and Los Angeles, “Mostly Sondheim and a Little Lloyd- Weber” and still dances having worked 3 times on the Howie Mandel TV show Mobbed and most recently as an actor on a short film Sober in Los Angeles. She self-published a book of poetry Essentials: workds, rhymes and a story or two, and has her poems published in two poetry anthologies, Circle Dance and The God’s Eye.
In 2008, she moved to the other side of the camera with a documentary film The Eternal Rhythm – a Global Revelation of Drum, Dance and Song still in progress, and to promote her screenplay, she wrote, produced and co-directed a “showcase reel” of How I Survived the Sixties a hopefully, soon to be feature film. She is a recipient of the Actors Fund Teaching Artist Institute Certification. She lived in New York in 2012, performing at Symphony Space/Bar Thalia her own Cabaret set and at the Women’s Worldwide Initiative Anniversary Event as a guest artist. She moved to Wilmington, NC, and since coming to a place the locals affectionately call Wilmywood, she made a short film, I Was a Teenage Cough Syrup Junkie, was cast in the play ‘Night Mother for the Cape Fear Playhouse, published her book How I Survived the Sixties and completed writing a screenplay, Trolley to Lumina, which she hopes to also produce. She is currently residing in Los Angeles. In 2014, she will be hosting the California Regional Congress Friday Night Film Fest and is working closely with Michael Menduno on the Susila Dharma Production for the World Congress in Puebla along with finishing up her BA for Performing Arts with St. Marys College in Moraga’s LEAP (liberal education for arts professionals) program created exclusively for ex- and current professional dancers. She also attempts to spend as much time with her grown children (when they are in town) and grandchildren with whom she is very proud.
Pilar Walsh is a long time Subud member, a resident of Los Angeles and after working on stage, films and TV shows for most of her life, in 2008, she decided to go to college for the first time and discovered, when having to put together a documentary as a senior project, she fell in love with filmmaking. She is hoping to complete in the next year the doc, The Eternal Rhythm- a Global revelation of Drum, Dance and Song and is working to bring to life 3 screenplays, “How I Survived the Sixties” already a book and 9:13 sizzle reel, “Trolley to Lumina” a feature film with lots of great dancing and music from the 20’s, and “Hannah” a short story written by Pilar adapted to a screenplay. Recently, she has made trailers for these screenplays/films and a short film “I Was A Teenage Cough Syrup Junkie” working with college kids in North Carolina last year.
Creativity Inisde and Out
Here is a peek at what’s coming next on “Creativity Inside And Out”. Pilar Walsh talks about her days dancing and performing and her latest projects which are incredibly beautiful books/screenplays that she has written. And, she’ll show us how she makes jewelry. I’m in awe, she is so multi-talented!!!
Emmanuel Williams
Author, Poet
Emmanuel Williams
Author’s website: Emmanuelriddlemaker.com
Bio: My poems and articles have been published in English and American magazines including Snowy Egret, Pennwood Review, The Countryman, Sacred Fire, Staple, Red Fez, Kindred Spirit, Toyon, Penthouse, Penumbra, and A Local Habitation. My riddles have been featured on the National Public Radio program Puzzle Puzzle, and in children’s and teacher’s magazines such as Kidz Own, and Scholastic Magazine UK. They’re published in card pack form by Pomegranate Publications and have sold over 30,000.
