The Shameless Lions Writing Circle: Lion 43

What Is This All About ?

The writers gathered here have adopted one of the 48 lions that appeared in "The Lions Of Lyon" series on the writing blog Shameless Words. By adopting a lion, the writers have become a member of this new writing circle. The lions have been posted in the sidebars of the writers' individual blogs, accompanied by a poem or piece of prose. Of course, it is hoped that the strength, luck and prestige of these mighty beasts will rub off on their owners! (Keep scrolling down to see the full listings of all members and their lions).

Lion 43:

Shimshon.

Artist behind the lion:

Hamid Tibouchi (Algerian painter and poet).

Adoptive Writer:

Debi at Debi Alper.

Blog Description:

This is the excellent blog of the UK author Debi Alper. It is full of great material on the craft of writing and books, but also contains lots of anecdotes and humour relating to the author's daily life. Debi has published two books - Nirvana Bites and Trading Tatiana - and two others are being prepared for publication. Debi's blog, run in conjunction with her main website, has developed a strong following. The subject matter is varied and relevant and it's clear that this author cares an awful lot about many important aspects of life.

Poem or piece of prose inspired by the lion:

A LION CALLED SHIMSHON

- A lion? You've adopted a lion?
- Well, you always said you wanted a pet ...
- Yes, but I was thinking of goldfish ... maybe a hamster ...
- B-o-o-o-ring ...
- You said you'd never even have a dog!
- Too true, squire. They hump table legs and stick their noses in pooh.
Whereas lions ...

About the lion's name:

Debi says:

"His name is the Hebrew version of Samson ... strong, with rippling muscles and a tumbling mane of hair. First Born, having just turned 12, will be celebrating his barmitzvah next year. He will read the portion in the synagogue that corresponds with his Hebrew birthday (according to the lunar calendar). His portion is ... Shimshon! FB is half an inch shorter than me, weighs a stone more and has a shoe size 3 times larger. He also has a tumbling mane of hair that cascades down his back. So when we came to name our lion, there was only one real possibility ... We don't believe in coincidence."

The Lions' History

The lions in the writing circle were born as part of a public exhibition in 2004 in Lyon, France: "60 lions, 60 places, 60 artists". La Biennale des Lions and Emma Productions are behind the project, headed by Doctor Mohamed Attia, and it is now an event that takes place every two years. Emma Productions has kindly given permission for images of the artists' work to be used in this writing circle. (Only 48 of the 60 lions are featured here). The details of the artists behind the lions can be found in the individual member listings. The sculptures were placed in public places across Lyon and at the end of the exhibition they were sold off, with the money going to the artists and charities. In 2006, Lyon linked up with the Italian city of Turin and produced 69 sculptures: 30 lions and 39 bulls. In 2008 the project will see Lyon linked up with Montreal. In 2010 it'll be the turn of Lyon-Canton and in 2012 Lyon-Frankfurt.

The individual members of the writing circle hold all rights to all of their original material published on this blog. Material may not be copied or reproduced in any form without their express permission. Seamus Kearney holds the copyright to the photos of the lions, but he has given the members explicit permission to make copies onto their own blogs. As the photos are considered in some countries (eg, France, USA) to be derivatives of the actual art work, and issues of intellectual property rights may come into play, Seamus Kearney has been given the kind permission of the organisers of the lions exhibition, and the holder of all related rights (Emma Productions/La Biennale des Lions), to use the images in this writing circle. The understanding is that this project is non-commercial, which means that members also agree not to use the lion images for commercial purposes.

4 comments:

Unknown said...: Oh, you did it!; 13 June 2007 at 06:20
Debi said...: I left it to the last moment, but yeah - I'm in with the roar crowd after all.

Thanks for your kind words re my blog, Shamey.; 13 June 2007 at 09:16
Unknown said...: Ha, I see you're in here with the rest of us. Isn't owning a lion just cool - of course, I do wonder how the lions feel about it, chickens, you know, would never stoop to being adopted, but then, we have "attitude" :-); 27 June 2007 at 01:06
Thy said...: hahah, your poem made me laugh :D; 9 July 2007 at 00:20

The Shameless Lions Writing Circle

What Is This All About ?

Lion 43 - Debi Alper

4 comments:

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