Soul Food Cafe - Lori's Log

The Soul Food Cafe , created by Australian educator, Heather Blakey, is an international group of writers and artists whose global mission is to promote writing and art-making as a daily practice through the use of interactive web-based technologies such as blogging and e-mail groups.

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At the Cafe's website, there are hundreds of prompts, inspirations, resources, and ideas to propel your personal creativity to new heights.

You can also request to join the Soul Food Cafe Yahoo group and begin interacting with others who are also using the resources of the website.

In the next step, you could make your own Wordpress blog to post your creative products to share with the others in the group. Or you can request to join one of the team-blogs such as The Pythian Games.

Finally, you may have the opportunity to join Enchanteur (AKA Heather Blakey) on one of her guided journeys, such as Travelling with Enchanteur or be invited to have a room at Riversleigh Manor.

The opportunities at the Soul Food Cafe are seemingly endless. For further details, you may wish to visit the Soul Food Cafe Wordpress blog.
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When I discovered the Soul Food Cafe in March of 2006, little did I realize when I dipped my toe into the Lemurian pond that I was actually stepping into the Deep, being drawn through a portal into a virtual construct where I could write or make art in safety.

It has been postulated that Lemuria was a real place, somewhere in the Atlantic or somewhere in the South Pacific. It has been said that Lemuria is a myth representing our collective desires for a utopian existence. These theories may be true, but I believe Lemuria lies somewhere in between the physical and the mythical. For me, Lemuria is the geography of the creative realm that is within each individual. It is a metaphor for the spirit of the artist and writer.

The Soul Food Cafe is an on-line departure place where people from all over the world enter the safety of the Lemuria to write and make art. They do this by posting stories and other creative work on individual blogs or team-blogs. There is a niche for everyone in Lemuria- whether it be a virtual room at Riversleigh Manor, a private cell at the Hermitage for contemplation, or a noisy lounge in the Taverna di Muse. There's even the Temple of Solace where we may share real-life pain and grief. No doubt there are other places in Lemuria waiting to be discovered and explored.

All one needs to get a passport to Lemuria is the commitment to write or create on a daily basis. In my opinion, this is a small fare for the adventure of a lifetime.

To really learn about Lemuria, visit Heather Blakey's Lonely Planet Guide to Lemuria and the Hitch Hicker's Guide to Lemuria.
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In March 2006, I joined the Soul Food Cafe Yahoo Group and soon found myself posting at the Salon de Muse. Soon after I took up virtual residence at Riversleigh Manor where I began a number of guided tours through Lemuria such as Travels on the Serpentine Road, was a crew member on the pirate ship, The Calabar Felonway, took up a short residency at Cyberia, the City of Ladies, opened the Taverna di Muse, and finally established my own blogs outside of Lemuria in the "real world": Into the Blue and Return to the Garden.

I continue writing short fiction and essays as well make digitally-created artwork. Presently, I am experimenting with creating short videos for YouTube.

Who knows where I'll be tomorrow.

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Please visit my Squidoo bookshelf.

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