My father, Eric Larsen, has a new book out, released just this past week. Eternal Damnation is a collection of short stories that exist, as he has spent his writerly life doing, to "look under the surface of life and tell the truth about what is found there." 

             The title is not meant to be off-putting, Dad says. In a Facebook post announcing the book, he wrote, "It does not mean you will go to Hell if you read it, but maybe you will find some things to enjoy-- or even find a wee bit of redemption. Hope you will read it and maybe even let me know what you think."

         I have not read every single one of the stories-- yet. The few that I have read are, I think, Dad at his best. He's a masterful storyteller with an especially gripping way of building suspense, so gradually and subtly that you wonder whether you're reading too much into the vivid, seemingly inconsequential details in the calm, casually recounted episodes and characters he so easily brings to life. As his daughter, I look for my father in all these stories, and sometimes I think I can find him in the eager, curious and gentle-hearted boy in one story or the quietly observant and analytical young man in another. But these are, after all, pieces of literary fiction.

          Eternal Damnation is available now on Amazon or wherever books are sold. Be sure to search "Eric Larsen Eternal Damnation" (I'm laughing at the way that sounds) because otherwise, your search engine (and Amazon itself, grrrr) is sure to lead you to the other Eric Larsen who's written a few books-- the one with the "k" at the end of his first name and an "o" where the "e" should be in his last.

      I just finished listening to an excellent episode of the equally excellent podcast, "The Ballet Help Desk." Francis Veyette, a former professional dancer with a wide-ranging and prominent career behind him, is now a sought-after teacher and coach. In this episode, he talks about several important, difficult truths of the ballet profession, including the complex equation of talent, physical attributes, desire, mentality and career. It's interesting to think about-- as I do a lot more now, as a teacher, than I ever did as a professional dancer-- how delicate the balance is between those parts of the equation. Sometimes, one aspect that's weighted more heavily can make up for a deficit, but then you also have to factor in luck, the wild card of life that sometimes seems to have more decision-making power than we'd like to believe.

         I include this photo of Novak showing off his splits because time and again, people mistake physical facility for talent in ballet. Flexibility helps, but not always, and not really that much, and can even be a hindrance. If something like natural flexibility is balanced with natural muscularity-- plus coordination, musicality, rhythm, powers of concentration and focus and observation, stubbornness, an analytical mind, love of detail, intense desire, courage, self-assurance... good training... well, then maybe. But even then, it's a long shot. And as I said above, the balance need not be perfect for it all to work out anyway.

           A person like Novak obviously has it all. 

  Listen to Francis Veyette on The Ballet Help Desk, and share with any aspiring dancers, their parents, or anyone just interested in knowing more about the makings of a dancer.            

         Finally, I can't leave you without another view of Asheville. The River Arts District was as badly damaged as Biltmore Village. Here are before and after images of a gallery building, one I'd visited many times over the years.

   It's great to know that the RAD is working hard to pull out of the rubble, quite literally. Weekend festivals to celebrate reopenings of businesses in the district are happening now, and if there ever was a community or city determined to live life with color and verve, it's this one.