TOMI. It stands for Top Of Mind Inspiration and it’s how I try to write each Monday blog. What’s rattling around up there right now? What’s important to me, making me think or causing me pause?

Some Mondays I have several ideas. Other Mondays I struggle. I try not to come to the computer overly prepared– I try to go with TOMI. I think it keeps things fresh and it’s a great exercise for editing as I type.

This morning, my TOMI is the Word of Art 2 book.
It is also my bottom of mind, and all of the middle.

A quick recap:  Word of Art 2 is the follow-up to In Print‘s highly successful inaugural 2014 event. It’s a collaboration of authors and artists with stories, poems, and essays; paintings, collage, quilting– and this year– barn wood! We have a gallery exhibition with both Word and Art on display, a reception where the authors and artists can meet, a program where they read and speak and a hard cover, full-color book. Last year’s reception welcomed 200+ people for standing room only viewing in the Celebration Room of Emmanuel Lutheran Church. Two hundred books were sold. We had John Gile and Tom Heflin as our Word and Art judges. It was a pretty impressive event.

Word of Art Reception

Word of Art book and reception program

And now… Word of Art 2.
We are proud to announce that our Word judge will be Dan Klefstad, Morning Edition Host & Book Series Editor for WNIJ radio, and our Art judges will be Doc Slafkosky and Jerry Kortman, founders of J. R. Kortman Center for Design and The Kortman Gallery.

The Words have been selected, the Art created, and the book is being prepared for printing. And the latter, my friends, is my Total Mind Inspiration. Obsession?

I shouldn’t even be blogging! I have a book to lay-out! Photos to take, text to edit, pages to put in order, a publication to compile! I am eager to do these authors and artists proud.

And a little wiggy about it as well…
TOMW? Top Of Mind Wigginess?
Really, I should get back to work! Or, should I say, Word?

The “small” print:
Word of Art 2 books cost $15 for In Print members and $20 for nonmembers. You may pre-order a book with cash or check made out to In Print or through Paypal for an additional dollar fee. Paypal orders do NOT include shipping. Books will be available for pick up and purchase at the Word of Art 2 Exhibition and Book Release Reception to be held Friday, September 4, 2015 from 5 pm to 8 pm at the Emmanuel Lutheran Church Gallery, 920 Third Avenue, Rockford, IL 61104. The reception will feature an Author/Artist program from 6 pm to 7:30 pm.

You are not going to want to miss this fabulous event celebrating the collaboration of authors and artists on the walls and stage of a wonderful gallery setting and also in the pages of the hardcover, full-color book. The reception is free and open to the public.