hoong yee lee krakauer

lobbying pumps 1-10.jpg

2010-02-14T16:09:00.001-08:00

lobbying pumps 1-10.jpg, originally uploaded by hoongyeeleekrakauer.

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on das boat 7 10-11-09.jpg

2009-10-19T02:41:00.001-07:00

on das boat 7 10-11-09.jpg, originally uploaded by hoongyeeleekrakauer.

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on das boat 7 10-11-09.jpg

2009-10-19T02:40:00.003-07:00

on das boat 7 10-11-09.jpg, originally uploaded by hoongyeeleekrakauer.

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hw in the penalty box 10-11-09.jpg

2009-10-19T02:40:00.001-07:00

hw in the penalty box 10-11-09.jpg, originally uploaded by hoongyeeleekrakauer.

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on das boat 2 10-11-09.jpg

2009-10-19T02:38:00.001-07:00

on das boat 2 10-11-09.jpg, originally uploaded by hoongyeeleekrakauer.

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josh

2009-09-09T10:48:00.001-07:00

josh, originally uploaded by hoongyeeleekrakauer.

DSC_1333

Hoong Yee Lee Krakauer

Executive Director

Queens Council on the Arts

One Forest Park at Oak Ridge

Woodhaven, NY 11421

347 505 3018 desk

917 373 4305 cell

hyk@queenscouncilarts.org

DIY Cheezit Sunday

2009-02-22T13:07:00.000-08:00

OK, I confess.

My eyes light up at the sight of the cheery red box filled with perky little cheese squares and yes, I CAN chomp my way through an entire box, thank you for wondering!

Here is something fabulous for you. For all of you who dream of lighting up the eyes of all who see you - a recipe for parmesan cheese crackers by Mark Bittman! Get creative in the art of the cheeze square.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/04/dining/04mini-web.html?ref=dining

My version is actually the work of my 11 year old son, Sky, who I love to bake for and to bake with. Boys who bake rock!

Happy cheez crackers! Got a tasty version? Love to hear about it.

Note to all cowboys and cowgirls: HOWL!

2009-02-16T13:58:00.000-08:00

What else can one do?

If it were up to me, I would add wild eyed shrieking. Depending on the day, of course. Today I am good with howling because it really let the universe hear what my inner cowgirl is feeling expecially after i read that $50 million dollars for the NEA was finally approved by both houses on Friday.

"It's a great opportunity for the cultural work force to be dignified as part of the American work force," said Patrice Walker Powell, the Endowment's deputy chairwoman and someone I consider an elegant, eloquent advocate for the arts. I personally think its because of the message blitzed by the arts world that culture contributes 6 million jobs, $30 billion in tax revenue and $166 billion in annual economic impact.

Well, "Ah-hooooo!!" that's coyote for, "HellOOOOO!?!! Where there is culture, there is a buzz, then people are intrigued, they spend money to have this arts experience and there you go. It is headbangingly clear that some government people simply cannot do the math.

Anyway, getting back to howling. I wrote, actually rewrote the story of the American tall tale hero, Pecos Bill, with black and white cutout illustrations as a commission from a Silicon Valley producer this year wondering all along what kind of original spin I could put on such a well known character. Me, a wannabe cowgirl who grew up in Queens, NY.

As my writing progressed, I became more captivated by how this boy raised by coyotes reinvented himself to be the greatest cowboy the wild west had ever seen. But with all of the amazing feats of strength he performs, my Pecos Bill is slightly neurotic and vulnerable, painfully aware of how helpless he is without the power of love. Howling at the moon helps.

Does it help you?

If you want to hear more, I will narrating "Howl!", my original retelling of Pecos Bill at the Cornelia Street Cafe on Sunday, March 8, 2009, 6:00 - 8:00 pm. I expect to see all of you there and to hear the howl from deep down in your cowboy/cowgirl soul.

Oh, by the way, this week's top movie is Friday the 13th which brought in $42.5 million. Now that is something to go wild eyed shrieking over.

What makes you wild?

Happy year of the ox! 2009

2009-01-26T18:59:00.001-08:00

Happy year of the ox! 2009, originally uploaded by hoongyeeleekrakauer.

another new years day for me to resolve to do all the things i didn't do so well last year. it is year of the ox so that means, according to my friend pamela - no BS!

so i did drag myself out of bed, run my five miles on the beach and reward myself by standing on the boardwalk to take this picture.

today, a day of plumbers, greek diner and homemade spaghetti with my boys.

and tomorrow, another day to begin again.

Flickr

2009-01-26T18:44:00.001-08:00

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

Anchored Authors

2009-01-07T19:44:00.001-08:00

if you are brave enough to bare your rough-draft soul to the universe, here's an idea for you. turn your blog into a dedicated space to share your progress, drafts, rewrites etc of your great american novel and ask for input. there is something indescribably appealing about seeing a work in progress and being asked to be part of a literary artist's creative process. once you are published, you will already have built an audience that has not only bought in to your work, they will have co created a piece of it.

wondering out loud on day one of 2009

2009-01-01T16:45:00.000-08:00

here's my game plan for 2009

my bangs are too short.

its too cold, windy and bright to go running or to jump into the water with the rest of the polar bears today.

i always set up my paper sketch diary on january 1 of each year and resolve to capture my life in text and image every day. i still think this is my greatest goal.

this year i am in rethink. private or public readers? now that i have a scanner, so many things are possible for me to create.

some things i wondered about this morning:

kindle

i am watching the mountains of mainstream publishing and bookselling erode, accelerating with each economic hiccup. barnes and noble is a great urban haven, a place for moms with children to lock strollers with, serial magazine browsers, pre date meetings - and a place to sell books. however, it is the book buying public that is changing the way books are being acquired. more books are being bought and sold on line. and the kindle will further transform our entire psychic relationship with literature. i shop on line because i like wearing my fuzzy slippers, getting additional discounts and free shipping. who needs to get in the car, drive, park, wander around a mall, drag stuff home...? for social reasons? puh-lease!

the reality is that web 2.0 is polarizing the social from the schlepping. you shop on line, you socialize in person.

ok, the math. i will;

1. grow a network of friends and fans on line for my books by blogging, encouraging conversation and interaction during the creative , marketing and selling process.

2. build platforms for my readers to integrate their own interests and goals with mine.

3. create material that dovetails seamlessly with e readers like the kindle.

4. provide personal interaction through special events as well as a personal tone on line.

5. create products - books, t shirts, accessories - to sell to a dedicated public.

i am excited about this. on any given day, i am spending at least 2 hours on line learning how to use social networking tools, following blogs, commenting, researching, responding to posts and yet, i consider myself a wide eyed beginner in this arena. all of this is in its infancy and i feel the urgency to solidify my skills weighing on me. i want to be a force to be contended with - now.

time management:

daily:

on line research (how to do stuff better, who is doing what, trends)

on line networking (maintaining my outposts, commenting, responding, reviewing, posting)

thinking about big picture stuff (kindle, on line business models, vc trends)

creating content (howl! hooked, products, books, images including sketches, photos)

weekly:

planning events (readings, gatherings, keynotes, speeches, presentations)

creating calendars (editorial, event, goal, production)

what are you wondering about ? let me know what you think and leave a comment.

got stuff? thoughts about storage and baggage

2008-12-31T12:15:00.000-08:00

fortunes have been built on the phenomenon of stuff.

now, at the edge of the horizon of 2008, let's take a brave open eyed, open minded moment and gaze upon all of the things that have accumulated in our lives. projects vigorously begun, weight not quite lost, books bought slightly read, clothes you just couldn't leave. a lot of stuff.

one of my friends http://www.bargoldstorage.com/bargold/ has created a kingdom out of convenient apartment basement storage units founded on the brilliant insight that apartment dwellers, like house owners, are helpless stuff collectors except that they have very limited storage space and would gladly spend a small fee per month to fill a container in their basement with their overflow of important things. and, when that isn't enough - not to worry - there are empires of huge monochromatic buildings everywhere with more rooms waiting for you to put your stuff in.

is it me? do you really need all of that baggage that is filling your life, closets, basement and additional real estate created specifically for your stuff? and those are just the physical, tangible things. what about the billion dollar diet and excercises businesses that are dedicated to taking on your excess emotional, psychological, and carbohydrate loaded baggage?

listen, i say its time to lose the stuff and liberate empty space. consider setting some new year personal goals, or what you might stop doing. how else can serendipity and new energy be enticed into entering your life?

this is what you should do:

1. perfect the power of no.

"do i need this?" this could be that denim skirt from 1968, a self-focused cousin,
boxes of college textbooks, that second slice of sachertorte mit schlag - you get the idea.

just say no.

2. less is less stress.

will you be happier with only the things you always reach for, the things you love to wear in

your closet, the things that look nice hanging by themselves one per hanger? will you be

comfortable with less things to agonize and choose from? will you be content spending more

time with one or two close friends instead of the madding crowd? will you love yourself more

if there is less of you? what are you kidding - YES!

3. juxtapose joy.

multitask, shmultitask. yes, that means all of you who are currently texting, emailing and conducting several conversations at the same time while driving with one knee drinking coffee. we were meant to live momentously. not fabulous.

what you will realize is that by divesting yourself of unimportant stuff will leave you with something amazing.

you.

you and the space to unleash your potential to be so much more, with less.

i look forward to hearing how you move ahead in meeting the challenges of these leaner, and meaner times. less stuff, less surface drag. and for those of you who still need a little time to do this, my friend in the basement storage unit business has a deal for you!

how to not ask and receive

2008-11-11T13:32:00.000-08:00

"don't be direct. my aunt and uncle are from an older generation that does not repond well to up front, blunt and confrontational requests." says my friend who is guiding me through the mysterious subradar indian culture of jackson heights. luckily for me, also an american born child of immigrants, i understand the un-understandableness of these conversations and i instinctively know how to not speak of what needs to be spoken.

how does one do this?

you thank them for their hospitality, their largesse, their contributions to the community, to the people, their generosity, their inspiring achievements.

you bring them an appropriate gift. in my case, a wonderful picture book by yours truly that i signed and dedicated to their grandchildren.

you present the opportunity - not ask - for them to support you in improving the quality of life for society at large, for artists in jackson heights and beyond.

you always have an ally or friend with you to speak well of you after you leave.

this elderly indian couple, shuffling around the cold factory office, hardly look like the founders of a multimillion dollar candy empire and more significantly, don't appear to be a visible part of the physical neighborhood they occupy. queens has many such off-the-radar immigrant businesses and communities that constantly challenge me to not only discover them, but to earn their trust in order to build lasting relationships.

so, after we did not speak about being an honoree at our spring benefit, after i did not ask for their support, after they did not request time to consider my offer, i once again thanked them for taking the time from their busy day to talk to me and to accept my gift. the aunt left the room to take a phone call and the uncle shook my hand firmly and said, "you talk to my nephew."

was i successful? did they understand what i was talking about? would they be an honoree and support my spring fundraiser?

i walked to my car unsure of what to do next in following up, or not following up, when i heard my name. my friend was waving me to come back. his aunt came out of the factory and kissed me on both cheeks. "whatever you do, we will be there."

i smiled and said, "thank you." for this gift of the first step in creating trust, one nonconversation at a time.

cirque

2008-10-19T17:15:00.000-07:00

how do i begin talking to people about throwing a gala event and raising all kinds of money when the new frugality has set in and support for everything i am trying to do is disappearing?

cirque.

can an artsy quirky party raise money? how much? i wonder if this year and possibly next year are times for us to build out a new network of collaborators that can constitute the kind of access people want.

the show must go on. and tomorrow i will continue working on the cirque.