Thought Wheel

Ann Chiappetta

Pop Up Studio

| Filed under blindness writing Writing Life

Okay, folks, I am listening to your requests, 😊 Many of my friends wanted to know how I stepped into this home-grown recording studio thing in order to get my books on Audible. Ingenuity is born out of necessity, and my project objective was to create soundproofing without making it permanent.

The first step was to record and get feedback on the audio quality with my headset and office with the door closed. The feedback was received, suggesting softening the echo and also the background noise. I set in a chair near a window and the office door being closed did not shut out enough apartment noise, either. I tried a blanket over my head like a human tent pole but while it was better, it was hot and uncomfortable.

I was speaking to a writing friend and mentioned my dilemma and she said her husband uses moving blankets and hooks them to the wall. Amazon had two for less than $50. One draped over the curtain rod to cover the window and the other we rigged to close-off the desk area from the wall nearest the door to my desk. It works well and has made recordings better.

The photo is of my office desk, chair, pc and headset and the blanket strung across to act as a noise barrier using s hooks and metal posts. The blanket can be taken down, folded, and stored until it is needed.
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by Ann Chiappetta | tags : | 0

Found Poem for NPM

| Filed under Poem writing

Horoscope

Found Poem
By Ann Chiappetta

Peacefulness wells up within the soul today,
coloring the entire day with an aura of calm.

You may fear your tranquil mood will be negatively affected by
the chaos of routine and the demands of others, you
will likely feel compelled to seek serenity
in which to nurture your mood.
A soothing personal space,
withdraw into it. Ohm.
achieve deep relaxation and slip into a reflective state.

Should distraction be the case, consider
taking a few moments between tasks today
to retreat into the depths of the mind. Through
meditation or introspection,
maintain a peaceful state even
when chaos erupts.

Cultivate serenity
ensure a quiet, private place to retreat
quiet the cacophony
when worldly concerns devastate and overpower us.
Build havens of tranquility Within the home.
havens of stillness provide quietude
leading back to inner peace.
commune with ourselves, Cultivate a serene atmosphere
sustain the serenity in the soul.

Zoom helps pass the time

| Filed under blindness writing Writing Life

Hello all, I just wanted to share some thoughts during the C19 crisis. By now the likelihood that each of us has lost someone or knows someone who has contracted C19 is a reality. My heart feels it and my mind is distracted with worry. I know I am not alone in feeling this way, if you are reading this take some comfort in knowing we as a community understand what it means to be experiencing these unprecedented times and that you are not alone.
Taking in our current situation and communication limitations, due to physical distancing, I became a Zoom account user and below is the link to my first recorded meeting. The host is Patty Fletcher of Tell-It-to-The-World Marketing and Business Assist. I hope it is a novel distraction from what is going on right now.
https://tinyurl.com/tjqjgrm

Guest post on Rough Drafts

| Filed under blindness Fiction writing Writing Life

Hi folks, author and blogger, Debbie De Louise is hosting me as a guest blogger. Please visit

Guest Post by Fellow Pet Lover and author/Poet Ann Chiappetta

Tears for a Warrior

| Filed under Poem Relationships writing

Tears for a Warrior
By Ann Chiappetta

I am thinking of my friend today
Caught in the viral war,
Being forced to use the last vestiges of strength
To find safe haven in this epidemic.
Where no safety is found.

This person, this friend, this man
With AIDS, who has defied all expectations during
Another epidemic
has survived
And I wonder, with sorrowful thoughts
If he will defy Corona like He did HIV.

This man, this person, this patient
Is surviving with minimal care,
Enforced clinical Neglect cut off
from us, suffering
Wracked with fever, lumbar pain, and mobility loss
Brought upon by quarantine.

Twenty-five years ago, he faced death and came back
I will find him in the places between dreams,
Make conversation on the astral plain
This is all I can do, dream and hope
my friend Will hear me.

March 30, 2020

Featured Member on NFAA

| Filed under blindness Fiction Relationships writing Writing Life

I was selected as this week’s featured member of the Nonfiction Authors Association. Check out my interview here:
https://tinyurl.com/vm3u5v4

Free read from Smashwords and Me

| Filed under writing

This image requires alt text, but the alt text is currently blank. Either add alt text or mark the image as decorative.Smashwords
Authors Give Back Sale
I am giving my book,
Words of Life: Poems and Essays C 2019 by Ann Chiappetta
https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/AnnChiappetta

To readers for free to show support during the Covid19 pandemic.
Get your free copy today. No coupons or trick promos. Go to www.smashwords.com and register, you won’t be disappointed.
Indie authors are offering thousands of titles from poetry to thrillers.
Your support means so much!

by Ann Chiappetta | tags : | 0

Dogs Help with Social Distancing

| Filed under blindness Guide dogs Relationships writing

The past two weeks has provoked many powerful and uncomfortable feelings for our Nation, our community, and our families. We are being globally challenged by what some say has been a biblical portent, aka, the “plague”.

Being a skeptical person, I am not yet ready to agree, however, I know the world has changed already, evident by, well, by how we are acting, reacting, responding, and feeling.

I was just sharing playtime with my three dogs, enjoying the calm petting session with my elderly black lab. I watched my other two dogs play, and as they tugged and wrestled, was struck by an intense feeling of relaxation and peace. I thought, that if I must distance myself from other humans to protect myself the hidden gem in this is having more time to spend with my dogs and husband.

On that note, today I received a call from a staff person named Kate from Newsreel Newsreel magazine magazine. She said she was “just checking in with my New Rochelle people,”. Now, that was very kind and equally unexpected. Thanks, Kate!

This time of crisis should bring us together in gratitude and kindness, not isolate us. A phone call or email could bring a bit of relief to a neighbor or relative.

For example, the Next-door app has had folks volunteering to help with shopping for individuals who are quarantined here in New Rochelle. Folks are helping out with dog walking and other tasks.
In the wise words of a writing friend, Carol Farnsworth, Carol Farnsworth wrote on her blog, https://blindontheliteside.com/ ,
We as a nation, are only as strong as our marginal members. We will be judged not by what we have but how we care.

Thanks, Carol. Agreed.

Building Bridges with Colonial Elementary School

| Filed under writing

Thanks Colonial Elementary School

Bailey and I, along with our good friend, Anna Masopust, visit the schools in Westchester county and speak about disability awareness and blindness. We usually visit the kindergarten or first graders, along with the parents and teachers. It provides a way to connect with the kids and allows them to ask questions. I throw in a little bit of everything, hoping that when we leave, something sticks. I show the kids my white cane, ask them to look for braille in elevators and on signs, tell them that I listen faster than they can read, and about my guide dogs. It’s also a way to promote positive regard for our fellow human beings.
I also share that losing my sight was scary and hard to cope with but that I am just like them, I just do things differently.

The best part is the questions. How do I know where I’m going if I can’t see? Who helps me get dressed? How does the dog know where to take me? When my dog goes to the bathroom, how do I find the poop?

Anna schedules the visits and I appreciate everything she does to make these visits worthwhile.
My yellow lab, Bailey, while a very focused guide dog, is also a comic relief. This time, as we entered the school, he looked at the life-sized stuffed dog at the top of the landing and I knew something was up. Once a teacher told me he was staring at the stuffed dog, I started to laugh. We got a picture, too.
Just knowing Colonial is a service dog friendly school and supports people with disabilities, is wonderful and we had a great visit. I hope we can visit again next year!

yellow lab Bailey and stuffed dog mascot sitting beside one another

yellow lab and stuffed dog

New Book: A String of Stories

| Filed under writing

A String of Stories: From the Heart to the Future
by Ann Chiappetta, 2020
In e-book and print (182 pages) from Amazon and other online sellers.
www.annchiappetta.com
www.dldbooks.com/annchiappetta/

About A String of Stories
A demon deer and a ghost cat. Sibling rivalry and sexual awakening. Self-image and self-confidence. The chance for an offworlder to breathe free at last on a new planet. Those are just some of the diverse themes of these remarkable stories. Some endings are happy, some are sad, and some are intriguingly open-ended. But once you step inside the author’s world, you cannot emerge unmoved.
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by Ann Chiappetta | tags : | 3