Main Entry: sot·to vo·ce

Pronunciation: "sä-tO-'vO-chE
Function: adverb or adjective
Etymology: Italian sottovoce, literally, under the voice
1 : under the breath : in an undertone; also : in a private manner
2 : very softly -- used as a direction in music

Saturday, October 07, 2006

allons'y

welcome to Sotto Voce, which is part of The Tant Mieux Project, which is to say that it is part of a whole lot of stuff.

Tant Mieux - so much the better - to translate loosely that is, is a site where we publish cultural comment, music commentary, generational and cultural issues, GenX issues, sociological comment, poetry (of all kinds, ranging from simply seasonal to Love to the elusive Other, which we haven't been able to pin down, hence we simply call it Other for that is what it is.

Most of all these days, Tant Mieux gets a lot of attention not simply for its poetry (though this is a big draw always) but for our section on Bob Dylan, which is updated often with articles about Bob Dylan and reviews of various media and just general musings - we're happy to say that these articles are picked up by the site expectingrain, which is part of www.bobdylan.com and so our articles usually make Google News.

We're also seeing a ton of traffic and a lot of recognition for our writing about Lewis Carroll - author, of course, of Alice in Wonderland - and the only writer who, alongside Shakespeare - sells as many copies of his book as only The Bible each year. More, both Carroll and Shakespeare remain the most quoted and translated authors worldwide, every single year.

Ranson-Polizzotti is well-known for her work on Lewis Carroll and as such is used as a primary reference for many encylopedias, including Wikipedia United States as well as Wikipedia abroad. The same is true of her writings about Bob Dylan which are also widely referenced. Ranson-Polizzotti is a widely referenced authority on both artists.

You may wish to spend some time at the Sotto Voce portal or simply go to the Tant Mieux Project main page by clicking here. There, you will find not only the entire Bob Dylan site, but so much more, including WAV files of audio poetry, poetry divided by sections and so much more.

Sotto Voce is a landing pad for Tant Mieux - it's where we keep things updated and alive and where we point you in the right direction and where we may leave an occasional editorial, so do visit.

For more of SRP's writings, check out Blogcritics here or for her technical writings on David Rothman's fine site at Teleread, click here. To go straight to the Bob Dylan section on Tant Mieux, click here.

Check back regularly for information, and thanks for being part of the Tant Mieux Project.

Allons'y!




Wednesday, October 04, 2006

welcome to sotto voce



the long and strong rainy days of summer, unlike most other times of year, a real deluge that brings down trees with thunderous clouds and lightning that always seems to seek out and strike someone as reported on the evening news.

Yet despite all of this, despite our work and those impossible deadlines, let's face it, we love all of it. We love those deadlines, to be driven and to feel that elan of it all as the world spins and as we speed (though not fast, disclaimer) through the tunnel listening to Evan Dando or whatever is floating your boat these days and you get there and get the job done. This is what life is about. I heard it is mostly about just "showing up" and i believe that is more than half the battle. Show up, do your best, maintain your dignity at all times whenever possible and just forget the small stuff, the daily irritations, the gnats that annoy us all and do their best to do so. None of this is worth the trouble. None of it. This much i can promise you. What is imporant is Being There. Be present now, and do your best. You live once that you remember and trite as it sounds or may sound, your friend or mother or whomever was right when they said, Why should anyone be any smarter than you?

It's not to do with smart; it's to do with effort. There are loads of smart people, the problem is, there are few people who are willing to put in the effort it takes to get the job really done. Make that person you.

That's the sotto voce speech of the day or month ~ for now, read on.

s.r.p.

site updated, summer, 2006