by debora Ewing, Igneus Press Editor
Everything starts with a spark.
Igneus Press partners with Yan Er Lu Arts International, a China-based art promotion company. We share a love of art and poetry, as well as the belief that creativity is how we heal our communal soul. We work together to communicate this love in Mandarin and in English, broadening the horizon.
Recently, I attended a party for FolkWorks, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preservation and promotion of Folk culture: music, dancing, arts & crafts, everything that defines a culture.
The FolkWorks parties were a traditional part of the organization’s culture that discontinued when the founders moved away from the Los Angeles area to Oregon. In 2024, they thought it was time to have another party, and as the newest board member I thought it was important that I participate.
The event space was donated by Elemental Music School in Santa Monica, CA. Attendees took advantage of the many rooms to gather and play classic Folk music, bluegrass, and original songs. Many folks hadn’t seen each other since before COVID shut everything down. Some of us had never met in person before this party. It really felt like a family reunion.
Mao Jing is my Yan er Lu counterpart. She’s a skilled translator. She teaches me how to feel nuances in Chinese literature and art. On the weekend of the party, I shared some photos with her. Mao Jing was captivated, and asked if she could write about it.
And so she did. See the full article, in Mandarin and English, here: Yan Er Lu Arts on Weixin: FolkWorks
