Welcome to Viz City, KLCC’s arts review program. Today we’re inviting you to a book launch event by Eugene artist and writer LiDoña Wagner. Welcome, LiDoña. Can you tell us the name of your book and a little about it?
LiDoña "The name of my current book is Seed of Imagination: An Ancestral Creative Journey because it tells both My and OUR ancestral journey AND the process of creating over 40 individual pieces of art to tell that story."
I took time to look through the book and realized that LiDoña is fascinated by the great historical human migrations. She has studied these, participated in the National Geographic Genomic Study, and found her own very personal place in the sweep of history. She describes the structure of her book as looking like a DNA sequence, two stories twining around each other. And it is in full, living color.
LiDoña "It was designed to be a visual feast, so you can put it on your coffee table if you’re inclined to do that sort of thing, so you can pick it up and go through it to see the visual art. At the same time, there is a story. So I recommend when you first get the book, you just flip through and find those pages that delight your eyes!"
I would add to take the time to read the side bars--they are full of poetry, history, dreams, and all sorts of unexpected treasures. This book is so bright and attractive in both the writing and the art that I had to ask her about what her earliest memories were of books. She said that she has been attracted to the marriage between writing and art since her earliest memories.
LiDoña "I started out as a child--when I learned to read, and I saw children’s books, I said, “'That’s what I want to be!!'”
The result of that childhood passion is this book Seed of Imagination: An Ancestral Creative Journey.
LiDoña "So I’m excited about having a book release event at Tsunami Bookstore on March the 12th from 5:30 to 7:00."
LiDoña’s book will be for sale for $39.95 at Tsunami Books during the opening event. There will be music and much celebrating. Congratulations, LiDoña, on your success!
Viz City is co-produced by Sandy Brown Jensen and Terry Way.