Creative Writing Online: The Fundamentals of Great Writing
Raised
in New York, Paul set out to be a chemist, and you can still see the scientist
in him. Only there was a catch. "I think what I always wanted was
to be an alchemist, to make gold out of base materials. Now, that wasn't
chemistry. That was something else, something a whole lot less secure."
Poetry. He
quickly won honors (including the Fiske Award, and a citation from the
Academy of American Poets). But, how do you make a living? As
poet on tour, he waited tables in Palm Beach. He drove a cab in Chicago.
He fished for halibut off the Queen Charlottes. He took care of juvenile
delinquents. He taught high school. By
hand, he built a log cabin on secluded Okeover Inlet in the wilderness
of British Columbia. And then at last he come down to Vancouver, where
his poetry, his probing, his alchemy, was recast in a new light. EXPO
86 was coming, and Vancouver was about to change. For people like Paul
Belserene and Paul Smith, Expo was the ultimate opportunity to be creative. His
work, you see, has a way of reaching people on many levels. Like
his poetry, his work is listener-sensitive. It is music to the ear. It
is vivid imagery, a rich pattern for the eye. It is a light for the mind,
a tug of the heart. Truthful essence. It
is precisely the beauty and power of mixed media. Today
Paul Belserene's scope of work encompasses research, writing, concept
development and audio production: all elements which go squarely to the
end-product: storytelling. He
is a disciplined creator: "You can't hoard ideas. The only way creativity
works is to use it, and more comes to you." And
he is always a poet. "My goal," Paul will tell you, "is
to search out the heart of something. Then just tell the truth. " Paul
is a poet who once lived on Okeover Inlet, and he has been listening to
you. He
has an idea for telling your story. It goes like this... ©
Tom Coffman, PAUL
BELSERENE: PARTIAL LISTOF WORKS
Color Color
"My goal," Paul will tell you, "is to search out the heart of something. Then just tell the truth."
ColorUBC
Paul Belserene
Consulting Storyteller
When
you work with Paul Belserene, it's worth knowing that Paul is a poet, Paul
is a poet with a paradoxical background.
On one plane of meeting, you encounter Paul's quietude, his gentleness and
inwardness. He is a poet of truthful essence.
On another plane you encounter him as a person of aggressive intellect.
He is conversant on a staggering number of subjects. He is a demon for trivia
and a magician with ideas. He is constantly piecing things together.
Paul's
questing way, his questioning mind, his intense writing discipline, all
were harnessed to a long list of productions for the World's Fair. And in
this crucible, in this grind, Paul Belserene shone.
But
he still takes time to teach a class that he has taught for more than
35 years at the University of British Columbia: 'Creative
Writing:The Fundamentals of Great Writing.'
Paul today is his own alchemical equation. He is a pragmatist: "The
idea that matters is that idea that you put to work."
Honolulu, Hawaii
Color
Interactive Futures Theatre, Canada Celebration
Theater, Air Canada Pavilion, BC Pavilion, EXPO 86,
ABC
Interactive Theater, World Expo 88, Brisbane
Sanctuary Cove launch, Australia (AMI Gold Award)
Molson, "Cheers" for 200 Years"
Book
"Outrageous Acts", Vancouver Opera
"This Is My Home", (Douglas and McIntyre)
"Heroes" national injury prevention
program
"Kwakiutl House", Museum of Civilization,
Ottawa
The Smithsonian's Seeds of Change exhibit at AmeriFlora
'92
"Frozen in Time", Royal London Wax Museum
"Our Spirit Soars", Grouse Mountain,
Vancouver
Consulting Storytelling
for resorts: Intrawest, KSL,
Pinehurst, Club Resorts, Mount Washington
For
industry:Fletcher Challenge, MTS Advanced, Canfor
Naming, positioning:
Amica Seniors Communities, Mike's Hard Lemonade, Botticelli chocolates,
Iris Optical, Fletcher Challenge, Norske Skog, Catalyst Paper Company,
Credential Securities, Ethical Funds
Meditation in Vancouver the Vancouver Shambhala Centre - How to Meditate