Miscellaneous - Well-Lighted Etcetera

  by Lisa Torem

published: 8 / 12 / 2014

intro

Our Website of the Month is 'Well-Lighted Etcetera', the website of Portland, Oregon-based author, poetry and music writer Erick Mertz, who will be writing for Pennyblackmusic from the New Year

Erick Mertz, who will be writing from Pennyblackmusic from the beginning of January, is based in Portland, Oregon. His website 'Well-Lighted Etcetera' www.well-lightedetcetera.com is very well written and will appeal to a diverse readership. Erick is multifaceted, and conducts interviews, writes fiction, album reviews and poetry. The formatting is fresh and distinctive. He groups album reviews by threes. Visually, this is an excellent decision as it is easy on the eyes. The blog is very well organized with opportunities for responses and clear prompts. Erick's reviews are detailed and graphic. Whether he likes the album or not, he delivers a fair appraisal and you can tell that he takes each review seriously. He stays up to date with what's happening - always a pleasure in this fast-paced world! The cover page features his photograph and a beautiful image of his hometown. While a few of the references to local magazines may not mean much to people outside of the Pacific Northwest, it is interesting to witness the various publications in which he has been published. Reading his blog is inspiring and educational for the working writer. There are samples of fiction which centre around, for example, a death metal band. It's clear that music and writing are equally strong passions. Erick provides at one point a chronology of how he made his first audio book. He lists the quotes involved, how he dealt with the marketing issues and what it's like working with actors in a recording studio. As a writer, the task, in and of itself, of locating the proper studio and dealing with time constraints represented challenges. But what separates Erick's blog from many others is that he shares each step of his journey and offers very personal insights. Erick also discusses the excitement of working on his campus radio station, how that experience related to his relationship with his father and what it's like to be a poet dad. He then reaches out to his audience -what's it like to be a parent and write poetry? Ask any parent and you will find that that's a very pertinent and life-changing topic of discussion. Movie goers will also appreciate the link he creates between film trailers and original music; how the music makes the themes pop. It's clear that Erick is an all around appreciator of many mediums and his astute and clever writing reflects that.

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