Bright Light Multimedia and The Bright Light Cafe are consistently growing, adding new and exciting content.  If you have any ideas about what you would like showcased and/or sold on our websites, please drop us a line.

Don't forget to join our newsletter, "Brilliant!" to hear the latest and greatest happening on our sites, receive advance knowledge about upcoming competitions (Brilliant! subscribers receive one free entry in our competitions) and to receive our regular newsletter specials, including giveaways.

December 2006

Anecdotes   Art   Article   Interviews   Links   Performance   Poems   Short Stories

August 2006   July 2006   June 2006   May 2006   April 2006

Articles:

Performance

Poems:

Short Stories:

November 2006

Anecdotes   Art   Article   Interviews   Links   Performance   Poems   Short Stories

August 2006   July 2006   June 2006   May 2006   April 2006

October 2006

Anecdotes   Art   Article   Interviews   Links   Performance   Poems   Short Stories

August 2006   July 2006   June 2006   May 2006   April 2006

Links

Bright Light now gives you links to
 Writing Competitions, 
Writing Organisations 
and Good News sites
 from around the world. 

Poems:

Her New Room  by Carl Palmer   

The house was small 
where she raised her five children,
but not as small as her new room.

She lived in her house fifty-two years,
but only for a couple of months now 
in her new room.
Read more ...

August 2006

Anecdotes   Art   Article   Interviews   Performance   Poems   Short Stories

July 2006   June 2006   May 2006   April 2006 

Articles:

The Magic of Turning 40  by Allie Ochs  (578 words) 

The countdown begins and soon you will no longer belong to the 30-something group. While some may dread crossing 40 threshold, others may greet the event with anticipation and excitement. Regardless of how you feel, you will probably do what everyone does at this juncture: take stock of your life. What have you done with your life? Are you the person you intended to be and are you living the life you want? 
Read more ...

First Five Rows  by Norma Jean Kawak  (911 words)  

As children we don’t always perceive the evil intentions of some, seemingly friendly, adults towards us. But it’s equally true that we don’t always recognize genuine concern for our welfare, especially when it’s bestowed upon us by an authoritarian adult.

We can all remember at least one: Perhaps it was a teacher who insisted on sunhats when they were out the fashion. Or maybe it was an angry driver who sprang from his car to enlighten you about the dangers of playing in the road.

There was one such person in my life many years ago in England. “Grumpy old George” we kids called him. I first became acquainted with old George at the children’s Saturday afternoon matinee at the cinema just a couple of blocks from where I lived. I was nine.
Read more ...

Interviews:

An in-depth interview with Featured Talent, Daniel Gbemi Akinlolu.

An in-depth interview with Featured Talent, Stephen Pray.

Poems:

Autumn for Yulya  by Stephen Pray 

Before prickly hoarfrost paints patterns
on window panes and duck ponds - 
I hear, on those ice cold little waters, 
the hubbub of geese gossiping
about their flight south.
Read More ...

A Heaven of Sand and Stones  by Rachelle Arlin Credo 

Build me a heaven of sand and stones
A castle out of sprays of sand
Where I may rest at the close of the day
For refuge from a whole day's run
Read More ...

Her Candle  by Carl Palmer 

I’ve got so many candles that I’ve never burned ... 
a marriage candle, 
a first communion candle from one of the kids, 
a bicentennial candle, 
a millennium candle. 
So many candles that I’ve never burned.
Read more ...

July 2006

Anecdotes   Art   Article   Performance   Poems   Short Stories

June 2006   May 2006   April 2006   March 2006   February 2006

Anecdotes:

Do I Know You?  

In ancient Iraq, a scholar and wise man by the name of Wahab bin Amr turned himself into a wise fool, knowing that his insanity would protect him from persecution.  He became known as Bahlool, the idiot and hero of folklore, forever revealing the underlying truth in various social situations.   A very pertinent anecdote featuring Bahlool and his feelings on the subject of war goes something like this ...

A cruel and foolish king wished to amuse himself by watching Bahlool in combat, even though it was well known that Bahlool was a hopeless fighter.  Bahlool pleaded for his life but soon realised that there was no escape from his ruler’s desire for amusement, so Bahlool asked for a last meal that was both scrumptious and plentiful.
Read More ...

Articles:

Africa Vs Europe: Oral Tradition and The Comic Books  
by Daniel Gbemi Akinlolu   (1463 words)

In European literary endeavours, the epic is certainly the most ambitious of poetic types because of the demand it makes on traditional poets’ knowledge and creative skill in order to sustain the scope, grandeur and variety of aspects that tend to encompass the totality of the epic work.

However, in Africa, history is marked by its transference through oral tradition from one generation to another because verbal testimony is the basic form of preservation especially in the pre-literate communities.
Read more ...

The Joy of Being Dumped  by Allie Ochs  (610 words)

Kleenex boxes, sleepless nights and endless conversations with your girlfriends! You are convinced that the world is coming to an end. He dumped you! He said he loves you and two days later, checked out. You consulted relationship experts, books and advice columns. They all told you the same thing: It takes time to get over it!
Read more ...

The Deadly Powder  by Norma Jean Kawak (2,787 words)

My Stepfather, James, died at home in June 2003. He was sixty nine. He had been officially diagnosed with Asbestosis some ten years earlier. Actually, he had probably suffered from it much longer but had been told he had a heart complaint. When he collapsed at work for the second time in 1987 he was told to go home and not to come back. Part of his job at the time was insulating pipes with asbestos.

(Bright Light Café Editor: This article is inspiring and shows the power and strength of the human spirit and the love of family and friends - but please be warned, it could also be considered to be somewhat depressing.)
Read more ...

Performance

Blue Skies 
Short Story by Christine Tothill   Voices: Barbara Llewellyn & Rod Kirkham

Too Sweet the Wine 
Short Story by Tony Williams   Voices: Barbara Llewellyn & Rod Kirkham

Poems:

Time in New England  by Stephen Pray 

Found time in New England
along the Maine coast.
Salt watered rocks braking waves,
seagulls diving for shrimp off the shore.
Read more ...

A Dog Named Sex  by Carl Palmer 

My pooch is not named Rover, Fluffy, Spot or Rex.
I wanted something different, so I named my puppy, Sex.
To renew my doggie’s license. I went down to City Hall.
“I’d like a license for Sex”, I said. He said, “Wouldn’t we all?”
Read more ...

Inn at the End  by Stephen Pray 

Dancing as far as the sea,
the pier above us, the sand 
under our feet softly gritty.
Read more ...

My New Friend  by Dorothy Bransgrove 

I have a new companion
who walks along with me,
we stride along step by step
in perfect harmony.
Read More ...

Vineyards in White  by Dorothy Bransgrove 

Bleached straw paddocks
mingle with vineyards,
lush and green,
fruit ripening.
Read More ...

Short Stories:

Summit  by Gary Kemble  (2,996 words) 

... Rob sat up in bed, surveying the scene. His bedroom was a mess. His sheets were stiff with sweat, damp yet rigid from a week’s worth of bad dreams. All about the mountain. It was one year since he didn’t quite climb Everest. These days it was all he could do to climb out of bed in the morning and stay vertical for the 12 hours or so necessary to assure his parents he was getting his life back on track.
Read More ...

Im Felschen Fenster  by Carl Palmer (553 words) 

I was having a Martha Stewart moment. A large windowless wall on the front of our house was the perfect setting for a cottage window framed with country shutters and a flower box. 

Judy had recently redone the front bathroom and had me replace the old door mirror with one more to her taste. Being that I throw away nothing, I found that I now had two of the Kmart door mirrors, one cracked, but still too good to toss. The perfect items for my window.
Read More ...

June 2006

Anecdotes   Art   Article   Performance   Poems   Short Stories

May 2006   April 2006   

Poems:

Magnetism of Love  by Shanu Goyal   

Exchange of hot words
heart cut with swords
glib lies
false pride ...
Read more ...

Childhood Dreams  by Asther Bascuña-Creo  

Evening has come,
little girl.
Night's satin fabric falls
to blanket window panes
As crickets start
their evening serenade
Read More ...

Short Stories:

Gorgeous  by Rebekah Lyell  (530 words) 

Ugly, she thought. Ugly, ugly, ugly. Standing in the mirror she did not like what she saw. Long crooked toes. Fat white thighs that wobbled when she breathed. A stomach that looked as though the only thing she ate was beer. Tiny little mole hills, no way they could sustain life she mused. Turkey skin arms. Big brown freckles splotched wherever they felt the need to congregate. Pasty white skin. Uneven lips.
Read More ...

Mordecai's Donkey  by Daniel Gbemi Akinlolu  (981 words)  

Imagine you are me, and you had a friend, whose friend of his was called Mordecai. He was a poor man but had a donkey that was given to him as a special gift by his late father who had told him that the donkey would make him rich and change his status forever. It was a beautiful donkey and it stayed in his bedroom because Mordecai always admired the donkey and he told everyone to come and visit him to check out the donkey that would make him rich forever. 
Read More ...

May 2006

Anecdotes   Art   Article   Performance   Poems   Short Stories

April 2006   

Art:

Cleansing by Caroline Stevenson     x2

A true work of art by both Mother Nature and the photographer, make this magnificent moment in time a glory for us all to witness, and feel cleansed by the contact
See now ...

Articles:

The Benefits of Positivity  by Rebekah Lyell  
I suffer from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, a lovely disease (not) that affects every aspect of your life. It causes, obviously, extreme fatigue, (I was sleeping 32 hours at a time then being awake 15 minutes only to fall back asleep), skin infections, stomach ulcers, loss of appetite, irritable bowel, muscle pain, joint pain, muscle wasting, loss of hair, lack of concentration, dizziness, migraines, just to name a few.
Read more ...

Performance

Rainbow Bridge 
Short Story by Unknown & B. A. Llewellyn  Voice: Barbara Llewellyn

Over There 
Song by B. A. Llewellyn  Voice: Rod Kirkham

No Bird Song 
Poem by Agatha Lai  Voice: Barbara Llewellyn

I am 
Poem by Malcolm Carvalho   Voice: Barbara Llewellyn

Are Women From Utopia And Men From Wal-Mart?  
Article by Allie Ochs  Voice: Barbara Llewellyn

Sometimes ...  
Poem by Stephen Pray   Voice: Barbara Llewellyn

Love Potion 
Short Story by Margaret Dakin   Voice: Barbara Llewellyn

Poems:

Tension Unravelled  by Dorothy Bransgrove  

Have you ever knitted a quarrel,
Dropped a stitch as you chewed on a slight?
Read More ...

Dream  by Rachelle Arlin Credo 

There's a sudden strange silence
Amid the busy whirl around me
Disclosing the scars of my innocence
From a dreadful yesterday
Read More ...

Bright Island  by Stephen Pray 

You are my bright island 
in a dark sea.
My Sapphire waters wash 
upon your toes.
Read more ...

Morning Glory by Rachelle Arlin Credo  

The sun breaks through the eastern sky 
Peeping through the soft fleecy clouds 
It stifles a yawn and gently simpers 
Then blows a kiss to the sleeping world
Read More ...

Ode to Rose by Asther Bascuña-Creo

gathering many layered petticoats
you twirl and bob velvety head
to the wind’s whispered musical notes
keeping thorny feet on your leafy bed
Read More ...

Short Stories:

Rainbow Bridge by Unknown and B. A. Llewellyn  (271 words) 
Dedicated to our Darlin' Cat (Herself) and all pets and their owners who adore them.

Just this side of heaven is a wonderful place called Rainbow Bridge. 
When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here on Earth, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge.
Read More ...

Hooked  by Ronda Del Boccio  (1,641 words)

When I moved to the Ozarks, I never imagined that the magical land would have magical inhabitants. Nor would I ever have guessed that one of the creatures, right out of myths and fairy tales, would befriend me – and annoy me! 
Read More ...

Blue Skies by Christine Tothill  (714 words)

Walter pulled himself up from his chair. He shielded his eyes from the sun and peered toward the mountains. The bluest sky, not a cloud to be seen, not even a puff or a slight trail.

‘Norah, you there? Come on out here,’ he yelled, without turning round.
Read More ...

April 2006

Anecdotes   Art   Article   Performance   Poems   Short Stories

Articles:

Use Fowl Language to Relieve Stress by Ronda Del Boccio 

You have probably heard or read, more than once, that stress is bad. You know you should not take things too seriously and that you should take time to relax, but I would like to share something unique with you. Something nobody else has ever told you 
Read more ...

Performance

Use Fowl Language to Relieve Stress
Article by Ronda Del Boccio   Voice: Barbara Llewellyn  

A Jacqueline of all Trades
Article by Sandra Lynn Evans   Voice: Barbara Llewellyn  

What Life Is
Poem by Dr. Tholana Ashok Chakravarthy   Voice: Barbara Llewellyn    

The Lost Wallet 
Poem by Joan Ridley   Voice: Taylor Dean

Island Pearl 
Poem by Stephen Pray   Voice: Stephen Pray   

Poems:

No Bird Song  by Agatha Lai 

I switch off all lights, 
sit, anticipating inspiration 
from the darkness absorbing me. 

Nothing : 
No bird song reaches my ears 
to break the silence; 
Read More ...

The Wind From Kinabalu  by Agatha Lai 

When wind from Kinabalu blows,
crouch rows and rows
of golden grains
across the plains.
Read More ...

Short Stories:

Yesterday Was Wednesday  by Christine Tothill  (483 words) 

We are walking away from school; his jumper over his shoulder, his shirt hanging out the back of his trousers. 

"Nanny, you look like my friend," he says. He jumps up onto a garden wall and walks along the top of it. A man with a grumpy looking face opens the front door and glares at Harry.
Read More ...

Becky's Secret Joy  by Charity Moore  (1,933 words) 

Becky breathed in the strong scent of pine and wood, her hazel eyes looked forlornly through the sweeping branches out onto the rolling green pastures. The trunk of the towering pine trees offered her a place of safety, of comfort. She swept another tear from her eye with the back of her hand, reliving the nightmare.
Read More ...

The Three Roosters by Ronda Del Boccio  (726 words) 

I learn a lot by watching animals. They have tales to tell and lessons to teach for any who have the openness to listen, watch, and learn. Here are some of my latest observations and musings that I hope will demonstrate what I mean.
Read More ...

"What's New" Archives

Bright Light Multimedia and The Bright Light Cafe are consistently growing, adding new and exciting content.  If you have any ideas about what you would like showcased and/or sold on our websites, please drop us a line.

Don't forget to join our newsletter, "Brilliant!" to hear the latest and greatest happening on our sites, receive advance knowledge about upcoming competitions and to receive our regular newsletter specials.

March 2006

Anecdotes   Art   Guess the Winner Contest   Performance   Poems   Short Stories

The "True Love" Writing Competition

February 2006   January 2006   December 2005

Art:

Seven Flowers - peach background -  x9  x2 
Oil Painting by Ravi Bedi
See now ...

The Sun, the Rock, the Sea  x9  x2 
Oil Painting by Ravi Bedi
See now ...

Performance

Forced Writing  
Short Story by Jessica Edelman  Voice: Barbara Llewellyn 

Poems:

One Perfect Rose  by Stephen Pray

She worked all her life to be able to retire
She kept a small garden where she could relax
There she would tend to her roses.

She watered and fed them
She trimmed them when needed
She kept cross-fertilizing in hope.
Read More ...

My Ailing Mother  by Meenu Mehrotra 

The waves of life
quiver and shiver
Like someone walking on burning embers
The farthest I can see
The closest I want to hold her 
Hope and fear - both are endless
But life prays for life
Read More ...

Picnic in San Fernando by Rachelle Arlin Credo

she lays the white cloth 
on the ground of grass
and opens the cans of coke
with gentle flicks

on a little narra table 
she sets the plates 
each with three hanging rice
and a quarter of lechon
Read More ...

Two  by Larrisa Davisson Farrell    

In a world of crash and burn,
I have my bookends.
Two.
Mirror images who stuck,
and stayed.

Constant as the evening star
bound
by rings of gold
and love that defies the national average.
Read more ...

The following are all Winners in the "True Love" Writing Competition

In the Dark  by Larrisa Davisson Farrell  1st Prize Winner

He sat back in the chair
watching her sleep
She slept like an olympic athlete
focused on the task at hand.
She always laughed that sleep was her religion
And watching her, the devotion was absolute.
Read more ...

My Old Friend  by Janette Pieloor  2nd Prize Winner

Beside the glass door she calls to me, my old cat.
An old man growing blind I go to her. Out of habit, 
out of love, for my old friend, I slide open the door. 
She waits there till I come, as she will, for the new owners.
She’ll call them and they, too, will slide open the door. 
(She goes with the house, I told them.) 
Read more ...

Mother and Child by Meenu Mehrotra 3rd Prize Winner

She caresses him
With her warm eyes
Relishing the softness
Of his tender skin
She drinks the very sight
Of his slender, infant body
She holds him close
To her breasts
Enveloping him with
All the snugness she can exude
Read more ...

Butterfly Smiles  by Simone Busch  Highly Commended Winner

A small hand holding mine
An angels-breath voice asks why?
Jumping in the puddles, umbrellas in the rain.
A cardboard box castle is the pride of your kingdom.
Clomp, clomp, clomping in Mummy’s shoes.

Pikelets drip with strawberry jam,
Sticky faces, sticky fingers.
Playdoh dinosaur.
Finger-paints and vegemite worms.
A chair and blanket cubby.
Read more ...

Short Stories:

The Click Camera  by Ravi Bedi   (1,043 words)

After having bought a car, a second-hand Standard herald, for the first time somewhere around 1968, my better half and I decided to undertake a trip to the hills.

Frankly, we were very proud of our acquisition. It was the best I could afford as a young Flight Lieutenant. Very few Flight Lieutenants could sport a car in the sixties, two-wheelers being the most common mode of transportation. The Leave-Travel grant that the Government doled out was not generous enough to take care of the estimated expenses so, due to lack of funds, I disposed off a few bank shares (gifted by mother) to raise some dough. 
Read More ...

Forced Writing  by Jessica Edelman    (1,521 words)

Once upon a time there was a girl. And she was forced to write a story. 
Well no one was forcing her as such. But she felt she had an obligation. 
No one forces parents to love their kids. 
But they kind of have to. 
It’s a bit like that. 
She wanted to be a writer, so she had to force herself to write. 
That was that. 
Read More ...

Mesmerise by Rebekah Lyell      (358 words)

In you, I see everything that is sought but very rarely found, hunted but very rarely captured, craved but very rarely satiated. You possess a rare gem, whose captivating sparkle is only seen by a select few. When my eye catches yours, I melt, the world stops, time slows down, I am entranced, nothing else matters, just you. 
Read More ...

Radiance by Rebekah Lyell  (464 words)

The sun was low, nestled amongst the wind tossed clouds that obscured a perfect horizon. Haphazard shards of intense pink, orange and red pierced the sky, swirling in a multitude of colour. Sprinkled over the deep blue blanket, crisp white triangles floated serenely. A cool breeze curled its fingers around her hair, sending it flying in various directions. She attempted to tame it, encaging it with a thick elastic band. The air was suffocated with the sweet nectar of bird song and the occasional pierce of cicadas basking themselves in the suns first rays, on the limbs of the large trees.
Read More ...

The following are all Winners in the "True Love" Writing Competition

Moving Day  by Tom Conoboy 3rd Prize   (350 words)

There’s things in the attic, fifteen years old, twenty, or more, cobweb-tangled, dirt-roughened, dust-smeared, never-forgotten. There’s things in the attic which mean nothing to anyone but me. There’s things in the attic, rising above it all.

You, you’re there. Your breath, your spores, droplets of vapour crystallised, hanging in the air untouched, unbreathed since you last clumped up the ladder with a torch in your hand and a cancer in your gut.
Read More ...

Precious by Karen Clarke  Highly Commended Winner   (995 words)

I had the dream again, for the first time in ages. The one where I’m running away. It’s so vivid I can feel my heart thumping out of time as I grab a suitcase and stuff it with clothes. I open the front door and step outside. The smell of fresh air fills me with hope and I start walking towards golden sunshine. I don’t know where I’m heading but it doesn’t matter because I’m free.

As I reach the end of the road dense clouds gather, heavy with rain. Invisible arms drag me back and I battle something shapeless pressing against my chest.

I wake up exhausted, sensing chaos, and hear a crash from the living room. Blundering out of bed I stumble downstairs.
Read More ...

Till Death do us Part  by Caroline Stevenson Highly Commended Winner (408 words)

The machine that measured his heartbeat was the only noise in the cold antiseptic hospital room. For days he had hung on, his grasp on life tenuous, his conscious mind had retreated inside itself to prepare for death.

She had sat beside him, holding his hand knowing that on some level he would be able to sense her presence.
Read More ...

February 2006

Anecdotes   Art   Guess the Winner Contest   Performance   Poems   Short Stories

The "True Love" Writing Competition

January 2006   December 2005

That's Showbiz 

Michael Caine was sharing dinner with fellow actor, Terence Stamp, at a fashionable private show-business hangout called “Pickwick” when he received word that the film producer Harry Saltzman was also there and would appreciate the actor stopping by his table.  
Read More ...

Art:

True Love Audio Room   (flash animations) x10  x2 

Three individual relaxing and entrancing mandalas kaleidoscoping magical motion with beautiful colours as you sit back and listen to all 10 "True Love" writing competition finalist entries in the same room.

Guess the Winner and WIN!

Guess who will win first prize in the "True Love" Writing Competition and you could win $50.  

There are 10 finalists (4 short stories, 6 poems) and each finalist entry has been professionally narrated. To bring a greater element of anticipation and enjoyment to the competition we invite you to read and listen to the finalist short stories and poems, and choose who you think will win the "True Love" Competition.  Submit your guess, and immediately be in the running to win Au$50.  

The winner will be chosen by random selection from all the correct guesses received by 28th February 2006.  The Au$50 will be paid through PayPal, and the winner will be announced on February 28th, 2006 at this site.

It could be You!  Choose Here!

Performance

A Rose from the Concrete  
Poem by Stephen Pray  Voice: Stephen Pray 

A Song for Sandy 
Poem by Stephen Pray  Voice: Stephen Pray 

Gold Rush  
Poem by Stephen Pray  Voice: Stephen Pray 

Paint Her in Words
Poem by Stephen Pray  Voice: Stephen Pray 

Poems:

Winter's Summer Romance   by Stephen Pray 

Her fire-warmed, maple syrup eyes,
born in winters first snow.
her heart white, pure and cold.

Balsam, blue spruce, scotch, 
great gray owl, chickadee.
Skiing, snowboarding skating,
These are what she was. 
Read more ...

Lone Sunset  by Stephen Pray 

Wind seized stretch of sand at sunset,
slow susurration of waves that slither
over top of one another.
Read More ..

Enraptured by Malcolm Carvalho

Her lips speak in a mesmeric tongue
Words wrapped in chocolate
Flow on, getting me allured.
Eyes bathed in a sensuous mist
Tease me in. The sheer magnetic pull
Of this maiden, I can’t resist.
Read more ...

Southern Fall by Stephen Pray 

Sharp shadowed bird,
long legged, white of wing.
Bill full of fresh caught fish,
waters stillness tinged with the end of summer.
Read More ...

Aurora by Rachelle Arlin Credo 

another wink of day creases 
from the lofty dappled spaces
glowing in twilight's splendor
through the slightly opened door
Read More ...

Island Pearl  by Stephen Pray 

Island girl
brown eyed pearl
sun warmed
luminescent
enfold my soul
intertwine it with yours
Read more ...

The following are all finalists in the "True Love" Writing Competition

Butterfly Smiles  by Simone Busch

In the Dark  by Larrisa Davisson Farrell

Love’s Sonnet  by Diana Isham

Mother and Child  By Meenu Mehrotra

My Old Friend  by Janette Pieloor

Two  by Larrisa Davisson Farrell

Short Stories:

Forced Writing  by Jessica Edelman (1,521 words)

Once upon a time there was a girl. And she was forced to write a story. 
Well no one was forcing her as such. But she felt she had an obligation. 
No one forces parents to love their kids. 
But they kind of have to. 
It’s a bit like that. 
She wanted to be a writer, so she had to force herself to write. 
That was that. 
Read More ...

The following are all finalists in the "True Love" Writing Competition

Mesmerize  by Rebekah Lyell

Moving Day  by by Tom Conoboy

Precious  by Karen Clarke

Till Death do us Part  by Caroline Stevenson 

January 2006

Anecdotes   Art   Articles   Performance   Poems   Quotes   Short Stories

The "True Love" Writing Competition   Monthly Contest Results

Winner's Comments   December 2005

Articles:

A Jacqueline of all Trades by Sandra Lynn Evans (601 words)

Diversity. I like that word. It rolls easily off my tongue and sounds rather exotic and important.

I am diverse ... a Jacqueline of all trades. I have been from an early age. As a child I would immerse myself completely in whatever activity took my fancy at that time, spending every spare moment engrossed in it. 
Read more ...

Difference
Poem by Stephen Pray   Voice: Stephen Pray 

Father
Poem by Stephen Pray   Voice: Stephen Pray 

Poems:

On a Moonlit Night  by Rachelle Arlin Credo 

Peering through the window, water apple leaves
sway with the breeze; dancers of the night
with green veined fingers cast quirky shadows
against the cream-colored concrete walls.
Read More ...

Sometimes ...  by Stephen Pray

Sometimes I am the music of New Orleans
sassy, brassy, bold and full of life,
Sometimes I am a zephyr 
barely holding a dandelion seed in a spring tanzanite sky.
Read More ...

What Life Is by Dr. Tholana Ashok Chakravarthy  

Life …
Mysterious
Serious
Arduous 
Tedious 
And
Perilous.
At times …
Glamorous
Hilarious
Read More ...

Short Stories:

The Maestro  by Malcolm Carvalho  (946 words)

The 50-year-old piano seemed to fill the small room with its enormity. A violin lay in a corner as if condemned to obscurity by its more conspicuous cousin. A single bed cramped the remainder of the room. Clothes randomly crisscrossed over it slightly offset the meticulously set up furniture in the little apartment. Amidst the clothes lay some sheets of music, notes neatly transcribed around the ledger lines. Music, which he had composed in the wee hours of the previous day, for his performance at the city’s concert hall, adorned those pages, and now sprang into life as he practiced the piece.
Read More ...

December 2005

Anecdotes   Art   Articles   Performance   Poems   Quotes   Short Stories

The "True Love" Writing Competition   Monthly Contest Results

Winner's Comments 

The Pantomime Witch

... The witch was wonderfully evil, delighting in her depravity with a gloriously ugly cackle for a laugh.  The children in the audience should have been terrified of her … but for some reason, children actually wanted to walk up on the stage and hold the actress’s hand or give her a hug.
Read More ...

The winners of the November "Your Choice" contest are now narrated and  performed. They are:

• Bill and Betty Atom  (article)       

• Overwhelmed  (poem)                 

• Eye of the Needle  (short story)  

Poems:

I am  by Malcolm Carvalho

I am a gurgling stream
Slithering around mossy rocks
Meandering around boulders in between,
Making my way, breaking away.
Rushing downhill
Eager to meet myself
Read More ...

Hot Cocoa with Marshmallow  by Stephen Pray 

She’s a cocoa-mocha,
cappuccino soaker.
I love her dreadlocks 
that I can pick,
to get inside her head.
Read more ...

Quotes:

I remember the first time I held our son in my arms.  He was more beautiful than a Botticelli angel.  His new born face was perfect and expressive, crowned by a full head of hair.  His eyes were an endless blue and already questioning.  Everything about him was miraculous - his tiny body, his luscious and bonding scent, his instant awareness.  I fell deeply, madly, forever in love.

To fall in love is a miracle.  To love a child into the world is indeed a miracle.  To realise that your heart just keeps growing to accommodate all the extra love you feel for each of your children and all your children's friends and all children globally is a miracle.  

The festive season is a good time to remember the joy of life, the bonds we share with family and friends, the bounty of nature, and the many miracles that love engenders.  We all share many treasures and perhaps the greatest treasure of all is our "Children".

Making the decision to have a child – it’s momentous.
  It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.
Elizabeth Stone

Read More ...

Short Stories:

Too Sweet the Wine  by Tony Williams (545 words)

The drowned fly bobbed in the wine, halfway down the bottle. 

“Ten thousand to one,” Alisa said, holding the bottle up. “On second thoughts, look at the size of this restaurant. Make that a million to one.”

“I dunno,” I said. “I count only six other couples besides us. And look at this wine, a Venus flytrap if ever I saw one. Five hundred to one – tops!”
Read More ...

Allure  by Rebekah Lyell  (1,547 words)
Countless infinitesimal glittering diamonds sparkled from the sea like an iridescent paua, swirling in a multitude of colour. The soft breeze hugged the coastline, caressing the bright red flowers sprinkled amongst the pohutukawa's crop of shiny green hair. Skipping over the top of the bush, it climbed the incline seeking out the family that had just poured out of the car. It curled its fragile fingers around her hair, lifting and knotting the long strands with ease. She wrestled with its grip, struggling to tame her hair, ensnaring it into a dark baseball cap.
Read More ...

Love Potion  by Margaret Dakin  (971 words)

When I was just a little girl I realised that my Grandmother was a witch.
I was heavily into stories about Snow White and Sleeping Beauty at the time so that may have been what tipped me off.
Read More ...

Christmas in Bethlehem  by Daniel Gbemi Akinlolu  (1,424 words)

Four days before Christmas locusts were about to invade our village, somewhere in Bethlehem province. Everyone panicked at the news. The late rain had caused the locusts to target their invasion towards the Christmas season and at our village. The farmers were confused because the warning came in during a weather forecast in the evening News.
Read More ...

November 2005

Anecdotes   Performance   Poems   Quotes   Short Stories

"Your Choice" Monthly Contest      The "True Love" Writing Competition

Winner's Comments    October 2005

September 2005   August, 2005   July, 2005   June, 2005   May, 2005   April, 2005

March, 2005   February, 2005   January, 2005    December, 2004    November, 2004

And in the end ... 

The very last songs ever recorded by The Beatles were the medley on Side B of Abbey Road.  “The songs are Golden Slumbers”, “Carry That Weight” and “The End”.  If you have listened to the album, you will know that after “The End’, there is a significant pause then the whimsical ditty “Her Majesty’s a Pretty Nice Girl” starts playing.
Read More ...

Performance

Beyond the Harvest   
Poem by Stephen Pray   Voice: Stephen Pray 

Meeting Julian  (winner of the October "Your Choice" contest)
Short Story by Nicole West   Voice: Barbara Llewellyn 

In Search of Romance  (winner of the October "Your Choice" contest)
Short Story by Shelley Banks   Voice: Barbara Llewellyn 

Sorrow  (winner of the October "Your Choice" contest)
Poem by Oritsegemi Jakpa    Voice: Barbara Llewellyn 

Poems:

Corinia  by Stephen Pray

Sad deep eyes ride upon a pale palomino,
burnoosed auburn hair hidden as is her smile.
Horse and lady fly beneath a hunter’s moon,
thundered hooves echo on behind.
Read more ...

Don't Let Sorrow Wail Thee Down  by Oritsegemi Jakpa

Each day a reason to fly birds find,
They never untune their songs with pains of the mind.
Read more ...

Lighthouse  by Stephen Pray 

Glowing eye cuts deep through,
the gathering gloom.
A pea soup fog with tendril fingers,
waiting to touch, to latch onto the unwary.
Read more ...

On The Farm  by Kay F. Ruane

We’d only been wed for a couple of years
When hub came home and said,
“Pack our belongings, we are moving, my dear.”
So I packed, even the old brass bed.
Read more ...

Rain Storm by Oritsegemi Jakpa  

From the black skin sky,
Came flashes of broken chains,
Trembling, quaking, clanging,
Read More ...

Reminders by Stephen Pray 

Multicolored pins haphazardly stuck
on a twelve by fifteen corkboard.
a collage of photographs and post it notes,
Read More ...

Quotes:

30 quotes are all about "Writers & Writing"

Writing is easy.
All you do is sit staring at a blank sheet of paper
until the drops of blood form on your forehead.
Gene Fowler

Short Stories:

The Great Dunny Disaster  by Margaret Dakin (932 words)

You know those days when things are just so dull, and you’re trying to read a comic or do a puzzle, but everything is just too quiet and you can count on it that something dreadful has just got to happen? Well, this is about one of those days.

I had only two brothers then, and a little sister who was so soft-fingered and so powdery, milky smelling that she can have no place in this story. It is about my hard, warty-fingered, brown, dusty smelling brothers, covered in boy-germs and completely yucky. And it’s about me. I was a girl with short red pigtails then, and I was eleven. Warren was nine and Peter was seven.
Read more ...

October 2005

Anecdotes   Articles   Featured Talent   Poetry   Quotes   Short Stories

Winner's Comments   "You Choose" Monthly Contest

The "True Love" Writing Competition

Vote and Win Results

September 2005   August, 2005   July, 2005   June, 2005   May, 2005   April, 2005

March, 2005   February, 2005   January, 2005    December, 2004    November, 2004

Did I Write That?

Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbett were “The Two Ronnies” on the extremely popular BBC comedy show, which ran from 1971 to 1987.  They had started working together on “The Frost Report” in 1966, and discovered they shared a very similar sense of humour.
Read More ...

Articles:

Writing to a Brief  (1.298 words) by B. A. Llewellyn

Writing for money is a job … just like any other job where you want to succeed.  It requires self-discipline, focus and total dedication, as well as talent and desire.  And just like any other job, there are a set series of tasks you must be able to complete before you can add the creative touches that turns your work into a masterpiece.

One of the most fundamental tasks a writer must accomplish to earn their taxable dollars is writing to a brief.  If you want to write for money then you must to be able to write to a brief.  If you want to write a jingle, article, story, novel, poem, screenplay or song then an elementary requirement will be your ability to write to a brief
Read more ...

Featured Talent

Bright Light Multimedia is proud to announce Daniel Gbemi Akinlolu is our new Featured Talent.  

Daniel writes with authority and passion evoking visions of a culture rich in humour and beauty.  He has eight successfully showcased short stories at The Bright Light Cafe and is now showcased on his own Featured Talent page, displaying his biography, photos and Index of his work.

Congratulations to Daniel Gbemi Akinlolu.

Poems:

Beyond the Harvest  by Stephen Pray  

Like poppies and daffodils, the lobster buoys dot the bay
and, as the flowers sway in the breeze, the floats bob in the waves.
Read more ...

The Way of Purposeful Love  by Oritsegemi Jakpa

Blessed is he that love is his true aim,
That will crush rocks for his claim,
And will not doubt to trend the unknown,
Nor fear to take lot of his own;
Read more ...

A Song for Sandy  by Stephen Pray

Rumbling roars roll on through the valley trees and woods,
skyline flashes compete with her lonely train whistle.
Inside the walls dance with shadows of candles that tango and two step,
vision of Appaloosa and Red Roans galloping through.
Read more ...

Golden Memories  by Kay F. Ruane

In contemplating the passing years
I wonder where they went
Remembering all the happy times
Recalling how they were spent
Is it almost fifty years?
Since I became your wife.
Read more ...

Books by Stephen Pray

Yellowed, dog eared pages,
filled with black letters 
on velum aged in dignity.
Legends of heroes and heroines,
stories of kings and pharaohs.
Read More ...

Quotes:

True Love is the theme of our new writing contest so, once again, we present a positive and uplifting collection of quotes focusing on the invisible magic that makes the world go round.

Where there is great love, there are always miracles.
Willa Cather

Short Stories:

Foster Grandmother  (1,036 words) by Asther Bascuña-Creo

“I miss Lola, Mum,” my five-year-old Anya said woefully, referring to her grandmother who was in another country. 

She was echoed by her three-year-old sister Thea who had gotten bored of her activity book and was looking sadly out the window. Out on the street, the trees swayed as the wind howled. It was not a pretty sight for children who had grown up amidst the tropical climate, where the sun was almost always out, and where everyday was ideal for outdoor play.

“Me too, darling,” I said, swallowing a sob that was caught in my throat.
Read more ...

Vanessa  (805 words)  by Margaret Dakin

I was living on the streets when he found me – dirty, scruffy, half-starved – eating out of dustbins – sleeping where I could find a warm corner.

I don’t know what he was doing in that poorly lit alley on that dark night, but it was to my advantage because he felt sorry for me and took me home with him.

Don’t get the wrong idea – he’s an honourable man. Didn’t expect anything from me except companionship, and not even that at first. He just wanted to look after me, feed me up and get me back on my feet.
Read More ...

September 2005

Anecdotes   Articles   Poetry   Quotes   Short Stories

September Only Brilliant! Anniversary Contest  September Only

The "Guess the Winner" Winner!

The "A Successful Life" Writing Contest Winners

August, 2005   July, 2005   June, 2005   May, 2005   April, 2005   March, 2005   

February, 2005   January, 2005    December, 2004    November, 2004

Peter Pan Doesn't Do That!

In the stage version of Peter Pan, the lead character is usually portrayed by a female actress.  The original Peter was Maude Adams, a dear friend of the writer, James Barrie.  Another actress, Pauline Chase, played a small part in the original production, then understudied the lead role, which had been taken over by Cissie Loftus, when the successful show went touring.
Read More ...

When is a Mayor, a Mare?

The Baroness Trumpington of Sandwich, in the County of Kent, England, is Jean Alys Barker who was also the Minister of State in the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food from 1989 to 1992.  She was sixty-nine at the time, which gives her the record for being the eldest woman minister in British Parliament.  The Baroness displays a delightful sense of humour, as she recounts this experience from her past …
Read More ...

Articles:

Are Women From Utopia And Men From Wal-Mart? by Allie Ochs (954 words)

It is surprising how many writers, psychologists, or scientists have made it their life’s work focusing on the gender differences. In our male-dominated society it is no coincidence that men have undertaken the bulk of this work. They made an effort to help men and women get along, but deep down the sexes are much more alike than the world cares to admit.
Read more ...

Brilliant! Anniversary Contest

Our free monthly newsletter, "Brilliant!", is one year old this month.  To celebrate, Bright Light Multimedia is giving you the chance to win one of three $20AUD cash prizes, simply by voting for your favourite creative item showcased at The Bright Light Café.
More information

"Guess the Winner" Winner!

Drew Cawood
 from Australia 

Drew has won $20AUD.  Drew, and many others, guessed the winning finalist in the "A Successful Life" writing competition would be "I Remember".  All winning choices were placed together and one entry was chosen at random.  Congratulations, Drew.

Poems:

Song in the Key of You  by Stephen Pray 

I sing with my heart as my voice has no tune,
The melody of my soul is playing the symphony,
you are the rhythms and the notes, the beat
of your heart is the beat of the music.
Read more ...

Friend  by Jenny Morgan

Forever companion in the dark
Risking it all to protect your heart,
Read more ...

It's Not the Money or the Way We Dress   Poem by Dawn M. Holford  

My hair’s a mess, my clothes a shock, and look it’s nearly six o’clock.
Will someone pick up that ringing phone? Watch out kids, your dad is home! 
His kiss used to send me into a quiver, now all he asks is, “what’s for dinner?”
His muddy shoes by the door, kids’ toys strewn across the floor.
Is this my life? Is this my lot? I think I’ll scream and lose the plot!
Read more ...

Quotes:

Success is unique to every individual's perspective.  We all dream different dreams and aspire to different goals, yet their is a universal sameness to our various dreams and goals, and the ways we achieve them.  This month's quotes follow the theme of our winning writing competition winners - it's all about Success.

I have found that if you love life, life will love you back.
Arthur Rubinstein (1887 –1982)

Short Stories:

Marking Time  by Dianne Hardwick

The mantle clock sits on my study windowsill because I have no mantelpiece. The regularity of its satisfying tick, smooth and precise, beats out the passing moments as I work. Each second is unrecoverable, spent, passed, and part of the long tunnel that is my history. Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock. I find it pleasant to pause from my work and note its march or drowse in the night to the chime of the hours.
Read more ...

The "A Successful Life" Writing Contest Winners

1st Prize

I Remember
 Short Story by Annette Hunter   Voice: Barbara Llewellyn 

2nd Prize

A Successful Life
Poem by Della Steen   Voice: Barbara Llewellyn 

3rd Prize

More Than I Deserve
 Short Story by Billy Johnson   Voice: Rod Kirkham 

Highly Commended Prizes

Worldly Success
Poem by Nicole West   Voice: Barbara Llewellyn 

Children of the Sun
Short Story by Daniel Gbemi Akinlolu   Voice: Rod Kirkham & Barbara Llewellyn

I Wish That I Could Catch Your Laugh
 Poem by Narissa Doumani     Voice: Rod Kirkham 

August 2005

New Release   Acting/Narration   Anecdotes   Articles   

Guess the Winner and WIN!

Poems   Quotes   Short Stories

The "A Successful Life" Writing Contest

July, 2005   June, 2005   May, 2005   April, 2005   March, 2005   

February, 2005   January, 2005    December, 2004    November, 2004

Acting/Narration:

The following are all finalists in the "A Successful Life" Writing Competition

Children of the Sun
Short Story by Daniel Gbemi Akinlolu   Voice: Rod Kirkham & Barbara Llewellyn

The Job
Short Story by Neva Chan-Algie    Voice: Barbara Llewellyn 
  

I Wish That I Could Catch Your Laugh
 Poem by Narissa Doumani     Voice: Rod Kirkham 

It's Not the Money or the Way We Dress
Poem by Dawn M. Holford   Voice: Barbara Llewellyn   Rod Kirkham

I Remember
 Short Story by Annette Hunter   Voice: Barbara Llewellyn 

More Than I Deserve
 Short Story by Billy Johnson   Voice: Rod Kirkham 

Spring Comes To Bosnia
 Short Story by Arnold Miedema   Voice: Rod Kirkham 

Definitive Moment
Short Story by Sandra Saunders   Voice: Barbara Llewellyn 

A Successful Life
Poem by Della Steen   Voice: Barbara Llewellyn 

Worldly Success
Poem by Nicole West   Voice: Barbara Llewellyn 

Buster Keaton Treasure 

Buster Keaton, silent-movie star and comic genius, was once extremely popular and extremely rich.  He owned a beautiful mansion in Hollywood, filled with secret tunnels and secret treasures.
Read more ...

Julie Andrews and The Helicopter 

During the filming of “Sound of Music”, when the title song was being filmed, Julie Andrews was taken by helicopter and stranded, on her own, on top the beautiful mountain we all remember.
The helicopter then proceeded to fly towards, and over, Julie as she sang “The Sound of Music”, with a cameraman filming her as she walked across the beautiful grass-soaked mountaintop.  The scenery is spectacular, Julie looks great, everything went exceedingly well … except for one small thing.
Read more ...

Articles:

Loving Without Losing Yourself  by Allie Ochs  (1,687 words)
You are in love and it feels wonderful. This love is different and you are prepared to do anything to make it last. To prevent this ship from sinking you work hard to steer this relationship into a safe harbor. In the process you lose yourself and your romantic relationship becomes all-consuming!

The Power of Being A Woman  by Allie Ochs  (1,237 words) 
The American Poet Ralph Waldo Emerson once said: "What lies behind us and what lies before us, are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.” Little did he know that his quote would sum up the past, present and future of women everywhere.
He also didn’t know that once-oppressed women would emerge as powerful pillars of society.

Guess the Winner and WIN!

Guess who will win first prize in the "A Successful Life" Writing Competition and you could win $20.  

There are 10 finalists (6 short stories, 4 poems) and each finalist entry has been professionally voiced. To bring a greater element of anticipation and enjoyment to the competition we invite you to read and listen to the finalist short stories and poems, and choose who you think will win the "A Successful Life" Competition.  Submit your guess, and immediately be in the running to win Au$20.  

The winner will be chosen by random selection from all the correct guesses received by 1st September 2005.  The Au$20 will be paid through PayPal, and the winner will be announced on February 15th, 2005 at this site.

It could be You!  Choose Here!

Poems:

Coffee's Cold  by Stephen Pray
Cold coffee in my cup,
high heel shoes with gold lame’ straps
left at the end of my couch.
Faint hint of Halston tickles the nose,
light lavender blouse lay folded on the chair.
Read more ...

Sorrow  by Oritsegemi Jakpa
Sorrow is in the eye magnified,
In heart consoled, in hope defied:
Read more ...

Gold Rush  by Stephen Pray
Fields of gold flash by my window and in my mirror,
But I am only rich in memory and life.
Read more ...

The following are all finalists in the "A Successful Life" Writing Competition

I Wish That I Could Catch Your Laugh by Narissa Doumani 

It's Not the Money or the Way We Dress by Dawn M. Holford 

A Successful Life by Della Steen 

Worldly Success by Nicole West 

Quotes:

This month's theme is Praise.  Praise is a light summer shower, bringing joy and revitalisation to everyone it touches.  Bright Light Multimedia and The Bright Light Café wishes you happiness and abundant praise.

Catch people in the act of doing something right.
Ken Blanchard

Short Stories:

In Search of Romance  (940 words) by Shelley Banks
In the corner of the café two people sat in uncomfortable silence. The first date wasn’t going as well as they’d both hoped. Occasionally one of them spoke and the other replied but then they became silent again. They didn’t have much in common and neither seemed interested in getting to know the other better. But something kept them there. Maybe it was fate.
Read more ...

The Unexpected Angel  (2.028 words) by Caroline Stevenson

The silence in the room was palpable; it hung ominously over the slight red haired woman sitting alone in the darkness. Cleo stood behind her shimmered slightly, her wings curved protectively around the small form. The angel could sense the dark tendrils of fear, suffocating and oppressive. She has stood over Kate many times as she cried, her sobs heart rending in the silence of the night. This time is different; the despair she can feel radiating out has never been this strong before. She has been mentally and physically broken.
Read more ...

The following are all finalists in the "A Successful Life" Writing Competition

Children of the Sun by Daniel Gbemi Akinlolu 

The Job by Neva Chan-Algie 

I Remember by Annette Hunter 

More Than I Deserve by Billy Johnson 

Spring Comes To Bosnia by Arnold Miedema 

Definitive Moment by Sandra Saunders 

The "A Successful Life" Writing Contest

10 finalists have been chosen for the "A Successful Life" writing competition.  Each entry is professionally voiced and showcased on its own page.  The winners will be announced on September, 2005.

Guess the Winner and you could win $20.

July 2005

New Release   Acting/Narration   Articles   Art   

Poems   Quotes   Short Stories

The "A Successful Life" Writing Contest

June, 2005   May, 2005   April, 2005   March, 2005   

February, 2005   January, 2005    December, 2004    November, 2004

Acting/Narration:

Sisters on the Shore  Poem by Stephen Pray  Voice: Barbara Llewellyn 

Megan  Poem by B. A. Llewellyn  Voice: Barbara Llewellyn 

Emily Bronte  Poem by B. A. Llewellyn  Voice: Barbara Llewellyn 

Art:

Mountains    x8   x2

Majestic and magical, a glory to see and behold.  A very high "Wow" factor.

Sisters     x9   x1

One look at these happy, smiling faces, and troubles just to seem to lift from your shoulders.

Articles:

The Titanic and "Our Babe"  by B. A. Llewellyn
(806 words) 

... Emilia Maria Ojala married Juho Panula on February 14, 1892.  They immigrated to Coal Center, a small community near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, America in 1904, and saved enough money to return to their native Finland in 1911 and buy a small farm.  Tragedy soon struck them, when their 9-year-old daughter drowned in a local river.  Husband and wife decided to return to America.

Poems:

Sisters on the Shore  by Stephen Pray  

Sharing laughter, sunlight and sorting seashells,

Sisters in mind and spirit, 

Sitting on warm golden sand,

Kevin  by B. A. Llewellyn     

Kevin was grumpy that day

He hadn’t gone out for his play

He growled and he grumbled,

Wouldn’t talk, only mumbled,

Even when he had something to say.

Reflection  by Stephen Pray

Out in the desert where people are few

I saw a man that I once knew

A big man was he, strong and tall

I knew him well once, but now not at all

Thinking by B. A. Llewellyn

I was thinking to myself

Of stars and moons and dreams.

I let my thoughts fly to the skies

And played with magic themes.

Baby Steps  by Stephen Pray

On little feet you wobble forward

Searching hands reach out to grab hold

Quotes:

Fun is a major reason for enjoying every day, so this month's quotes are all about this essential ingredient to our lives.  Here's a sample:

Laughter is the sun that drives winter from the human face.
Victor Hugo 

Short Stories:

The Homeless Angel  (1,548 words) by B. A. Llewellyn  

... She pulled a can of baked beans and half a loaf of bread from her nearest bag and offered to share her meal with me.  It was a simple and genuine offer that shook me to the roots of my being.

The "A Successful Life" Writing Contest

The "A Successful Life" writing competition is now closed to submissions.  The finalists will be presented in The Bright Light Cafe on 1st August, 2005.  The winners will be announced on September, 2005.

June 2005

New Release   Acting/Narration   Articles   Anecdotes   Art   

Poems   Quotes   Short Stories

The "A Successful Life" Writing Contest

May, 2005   April, 2005   March, 2005   February, 2005

January, 2005    December, 2004    November, 2004

Acting/Narration:

Me  Short Story by Gbemi Akinlolu  Voice: Barbara Llewellyn 

A Rose from the Concrete Poem by Stephen Pray  Voice: Barbara Llewellyn

The Idea  Poem by B. A. Llewellyn  Voice: Barbara Llewellyn

Haunted

Jim regularly dreamt of an old stone and thatched roof house, set in a beautiful, green valley.  In his dream, Jim would open the front door and walk into his dream house, searching through every room and always ending in the study, never finding what he was looking for.  He always awoke feeling lost and lonely, and wondering about the meaning of his dream.

Save Tinkerbell

Finding Neverland is a fine film starring Johnny Depp, Kate Winslet, Dustin Hoffman and Julie Christie.  It is based upon true-life events in the life of J. M. Barrie and his creation of “Peter Pan”.  However, dramatic license was taken in several areas. 

Art:

Baby Angel V11  by Joyce Birkenstock  x3   x3

Roses and sweet peas and another one of Joyce Birkenstock's beautiful, young angels.  A delight for the eyes and the heart.

Articles:

Perfectionism - The Dangerous Trap by Allie Ochs ( 1039 words)   

Just when I have something figured out, along comes another how-to-article telling me how to be or do something better or even change my entire life. No matter where I turn, I am constantly reminded that I am not good enough in more ways than one. I am not smart enough, not rich enough, not slim enough, not efficient enough, not pretty enough, not powerful enough, not “with it” enough and probably “out of it” altogether. 

Poems:

The Idea  by B. A. Llewellyn

The idea was so sudden and bright.

It woke me up in the night

Paint Her in Words  by Stephen Pray

I paint her with words,

Rather than brushes,

My fingers will not easily hold.

Julie's Mum  by B. A. Llewellyn

Julie’s Mum’s eyes were as blue as can be,

Like a bright summer sky, or a clean, endless sea.

Quotes:

A proverb is a short but memorable saying that expresses a practical precept or experience that is accepted as truth my most people.  We have been collecting these wonderful, pithy sayings for many years - here is a sample of some of our favourites in Positive Proverbs.

Short Stories:

Me  by Gbemi Akinlolu  (109 words) 

Listen.

Did you hear them? 

The hills are talking to me. They called my name. They dare me to climb and see how hard life could be. 

5 Hens and 1 Rooster   by B. A. Llewellyn (2,388 words) 

Our first home came equipped with half a dozen baby chickens.  The previous owner had removed several adult chickens but he’d met the “nice, young couple” buying his house and decided we needed to start our life on the land properly - with these young chicks.  He even left us their rat-infested cages.

We didn’t want chickens.  We didn’t know what to do with chickens.  Especially baby chickens!  And we certainly didn’t want rat-infested buildings standing so close to our own abode.  Our new, and very old, home was already crawling in cockroaches and red-back spiders … rats were not allowed onto that list!  Down came the buildings … smashed, annihilated, taken to the dump.  But one building must stay … because we have chickens.

The "A Successful Life" Writing Contest

What does "A Successful Life" mean to you.  Write a poem, Short Story or article about your thoughts on success and you could win $100.
More Information ...

May 2005

New Release   Anecdotes   Art   Poems   Quotes   Short Stories

The "A Successful Life" Writing Contest

April, 2005   March, 2005   February, 2005

January, 2005    December, 2004    November, 2004

New Release:

Letters to Michael  

Bright Light Multimedia is proud to announce the forthcoming publication of a new novel from author, B. A. Llewellyn.  Letters to Michael is a moving story of life, death, and what happens "over there".  In preparation for it's release, Chapter One has been published online, along with the Table of Contents and the book's first-edition front cover.  Come over to Bright Light's publishing website and find out more about this amazing novel.

Dante's Ghost

Florentine poet Dante Alighieri wrote his Divine Comedy in the thirteenth-century.  Ironically the last 13 cantos of this tale of heaven and hell where retrieved after Dante’s death because of a visit to Dante’s son by the ghost of his father.

Art:

Open Windows    x9   x7 

If you could spend a few hours looking out an open window, what would you like to be looking at?  Would it be an endless ocean, a peaceful river, picturesque buildings or a sea of green?  Here are a few of our favourites.

Coffee Fun     x7   x4

Coffee has become BIG news over the years with more and more people needing their morning "fix".  It seems that everyone either is, or knows, a "coffee nazi" - we think you'll agree that these posters capture the humour surrounding the latte culture. (We particularly like the "cat with a coffee buzz")

Letters to Michael (Front cover design for new novel)  x2   x1

Derived from photographs by Michael Knight ("Angel") & David Higbee ("Sunny Clouds"), the front cover design for the inspirational visionary novel "Letters to Michael" is a gentle blending of miracle light and angelic presence.

Cows and Cats  x7   x4

Feel like smiling?  A bevy of comedic bovines and felines, surrounded by fun and humorous audio poems.

Poems:

Megan  by B. A. Llewellyn

One more time I’d like to see her face,

To share a quick ‘Hi” and a moment of grace.

We’d talk like the years were all but a day.

We’d be like we were – like children at play.

The Pub  by B. A. Llewellyn 

My wife was my life,” He cried in his beer.

A terrible sound like crunching a gear.

He moaned and he groaned never bought the next round.

Couldn’t reach for his pocket with “Her” underground.

Quotes:

"Letters to Michael", the new visionary novel, published by Bright Light Multimedia, is about the love of a family and the adventures and marvels waiting for us after death.  This month's quotes are fascinating "Dying Words" from the wise through out history.

Short Stories:

Bob and a Good Night's Sleep  (1,529 words) by Barbara Llewellyn

Bob was unhappy.  He hated having to sleep.  Every night he was tucked into bed, and away from all the adventures he wanted.  He hated it.  Bob hated being tired. 

Bob couldn’t understand why his wonderful days had to end like this ... in bed.  Being tired meant being away from everyone and everything Bob loved.  Being told to sleep meant he had to go sleep and no shenanigans!  Being asleep meant missing everything for the entire night!

April 2005

Anecdotes   Art   Poems   Quotes

The "A Successful Life" Writing Contest

March, 2005   February, 2005

January, 2005    December, 2004    November, 2004

I could use that!

Actors and writers share many commonalities, not the least of them being a consistent awareness of experiences as potentially useful for their creative endeavours. 

Bronte or Bell?

In 1846, the three Bronte sisters published a volume of their poems.  The following year, Charlotte’s “Jane Eyre and Anne’s “Agnes Grey” were published, and Emily’s “Wuthering Heights” was accepted and awaiting publication.  

Lucky Roald Dahl

Roald Dahl was a 26 year old veteran of World War 2 when he was invalided home, then sent to Washington DC, as an Assistant Air Attaché.  Roald found himself with a lot of spare time, and equal amount of boredom, when he met C. S. Forester, author of the Horatio Hornblower tales.

Art:

Baby Angel 11  by Joyce Birkenstock  x3   x3

The painting seems to shine out of the screen - it is very beautiful.  Doves, flowers, peace and the cutest little angel all join together to bring a warm smile and a sense of joy.

Poems:

Clouds  by Stephen Pray

Wind walker, sapphire sky blocker,

Oh hazed, crazed puff of water

Skewed in streams.

Dreams ... Dreams  by Shanu Goyal

Dreams never end

Wriggling like a serpent

All boundaries they transcend

Emily Bronte  by B. A. Llewellyn

Emily Bronte is nothing but dust

And memories of passion and unanswered lust.

She wrote but one story and made it to last,

Immortalised there as the lead of the cast.

Four Flight from 'Frisco  by Stephen Pray

I remember the sultry days of years long gone,

when all we had was suitcase, duffel and a coat.

We lived on love, sandwiches, soup and hope,

I Want You to Know  by Stephen Pray

I’ve got a little time on my shoulders,

You’ve got to know that I’ve grown a little bolder.

There’s a lot that you can be.

All I want is for you to see.

Lightning  by Stephen Pray

Lighting flash, an upside down tree,

brilliant in its glory and the red sunset,

We  by Dr. Tholana Ashok Chakravarthy

Destruction and devastation,

Calamities and casualties.

Where is peace?

Where is solace?

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Quotes:

More Success quotes to bring a spark of joy and inspire creativity for "The Successful Life" Writing Competition.

Thank you for sending

March 2005

Anecdotes   Art   Articles   Audio   Quotes   Poems   Short Stories

The "A Successful Life" Writing Contest

February, 2005    January, 2005    December, 2004    November, 2004

Shoot the Ferris Wheel

Some Came Running was written by James Jones, who also authored From Here to Eternity.  Both From Here to Eternity and Some Came Running were turned into successful films, starring Frank Sinatra.  From Here to Eternity was directed by Fred Zinnermann, who Frank Sinatra admired.  Some Came Running was directed by Vincente Minnelli, who Frank did not admire.

Gary Larson's Angels

Gary Larson is the creator of the hilarious cartoon series “The Far Side”, but he was not always celebrated and successful.  He once worked in a job he despised, only dreaming of “what could be”.  Eventually Gary’s desire for a more fulfilling life overcame his concerns for security.

Martini and Murder

“We’re having a drink,” said Frank, “because it’s ‘tini time.”

“But, Mr Sinatra,” protested the assistant director, “we are behind schedule and we need to make up time.”

“How far behind are we?” asked Frank.

“Two weeks,” answered the assistant director.

Courage and Coincidence 

Gary Larson, the creator of the cartoon series “The Far Side”, was only earning $3 a cartoon when he first entered his chosen field.  He felt very lucky when he was given a regular stint with the Seattle Times, earning $15 a cartoon.

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Art:

Ganges Buildings  by Chris Bennett  x2   x2

The romance of India and its mystical river are reflected in the harmonious merging of colours in this latest piece of artistic beauty from Bright Lighter Chris Bennet.

Butterflies     x6  x6 

If you love butterflies, you're in for a treat.  Spell-bindingly beautiful, these butterflies outdo each other in their physical glory.  A lovely page to relax.

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Articles:

Greek Myths - Prometheus  by B. A. Llewellyn (813 words)

Prometheus was an “elder god” before The Olympians took over the heavens.  He was a Titan, the powerful giants whose entire first generation was conceived by Gaea, the Earth goddess.

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Acting/Narration

Rod Kirkham:

Anaesthesia  Short Story (617 words)  by Gbemi Akinlolu 

Gary Larson's Angels  Anecdote by B.A.Llewellyn

Barbara Llewellyn:

Yoga with Fabio Short Story (617 words)  by Sarah Lascelles

Courage and Coincidence  Anecdote by B.A.Llewellyn

Thank you for sending

Quotes:

1st March 2005 is the start of "The Successful Life" Writing Competition, so this month's quotes are all about "Success", to give that all important inspiration.

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Poems:

A Rose from the Concrete  by Stephen Pray 

A rose from between the concrete

grows, stilted, scraggy, worn.

Butterfly Angels  by Stephen Pray  

A corner of a rainbow caught in my eye,

Small fragile butterfly wings broken, can’t fly.

Tears on the pavement, Gods way to cry,

Dampen the day when a butterfly dies.

Days Before Thanksgiving  by Stephen Pray

The long gray cobwebs at the end of autumn,

Bare bleak branches with empty nests.

Small fast squirrels gathering the last of treasures,

I Knew You Were Waiting  by Stephen Pray

I knew you were waiting,

When I unlocked and opened the front door,

I smelled your faint fragrance.

Then I saw your keys and change on the counter top,

Your shoes discarded carelessly underneath a stool.

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Short Stories:

Bill and Coo  (1,559 words) by B. A. Llewellyn

Bill and Coo were white, fan-tailed pigeons who taught my husband and I to love them, as we also taught them how to fly.  They were supposed to be a Valentines gift, released on that special day as a symbol of our love flying into the heavens, safe with one another.  It was a lovely thought, but the pigeons had no idea that they could be airborne.  They were startled by the possibility.  I think they thought we were being purposefully cruel, throwing them up into the air … and not catching them.

Thank you for sending

The "A Successful Life" Writing Contest

What does "A Successful Life" mean to you.  Write a poem, Short Story or article about your thoughts on success and you could win $100.
More Information ...

February 2005

New Monthly Competition  The Fun, Happy Poetry Winners  

 The Fun, Happy Poetry Finalists   Guess and Win $20 Winner

Acting/Narration    Anecdotes    Art    Articles   Poems    Short Stories    

Quotes    New Showcased Talent

January, 2005        December, 2004          November, 2004

Send Applause and Win

From the 15th February, every time you send applause to one of the creative pieces throughout The Bright Light Café (writing, art, narration and/or music) or to The Café itself, you will be automatically entered into the Bright Light Multimedia "Give Applause and Win" competition.

Three winners will be randomly selected from the applause received in the preceding month.  There will be a cash prize of AU$20 and two monthly prizes of Bright Light Multimedia product. 

The Fun, Happy Poetry Winners

The winner of the Fun, Happy Poetry competition is Valerie Williams, with her poem "A Child’s Gift".  Valerie has won $100.  Congratulations, Valerie.

2nd and 3rd place winners are Joan Ridley and Matt Bennetts with their poems "The Lost Wallet" and "Tuesday Morning Mondayitis".  Both Joan and Matt win a Bright Light Multimedia product of their choice.  (Matt has chosen the book "Married and Loving It!) Congratulations, Joan and Matt.

Stephen Pray, Elizabeth Thomas and Neva Chan-Algie are all Highly Commended for their poems Freckles, Huntsman, The Australian Open.  Congratulations to Stephen, Elizabeth and Neva.

The Fun, Happy Poetry Finalists

6 finalists have made it to the final round, with their poems showcased and narrated.  The winner will be announced on the 15th February - they will be awarded AU$100.  

Guess and Win $20.  Jonathan Berman from Canada has won the "Guess the Winning Poem" competition.  Jonathan, and many other people from around the world, correctly guessed that "A Child’s Gift" would be the winning poem.  Jonathan's name was randomly picked on 15th February and he has won AU$20.  Congratulations, Jonathan.

Art:

Train  by Chris Bennett  x3   x2

A dreamy and fascinating 3 in 1, or 1 in 3 painting by our own Bright Lighter.  Chris is only 23 years old ... a very talented young Australian artist.

Thank you for sending

Acting/Narration

Rod Kirkham:

Freckles  Poem by Stephen Pray (Fun, Happy Poetry Finalist)

The Australian Open  Poem by Neva Chan-Algie (Fun, Happy Poetry Finalist)

Tuesday Morning Mondayitis  Poem by Matt Bennetts (Fun, Happy Poetry 3rd Prize Winner)

Color My World  by Wilfredo Bongcaron

Barbara Llewellyn:

Something Like a Metaphor  Poem by Julie Beveridge

Have a Nice Day!  Short Story by Denise Marshall

The Gift of Freedom  Short Story by B. A. Llewellyn

Finger Chips for the Lonely Soul   Poem by Nisheeth Srivastava

The Storm of Love  Poem by Dr. Tholana Ashok Chakravarthy

Mystical Kiss  Poem by Shanu Goyal  

Peace  Poem by Oritsegemi Jakpa 

And it felt so good, I want to do it again!  Article by Sheryl Llorente

The Surging Thoughts  Poem by Dr. Tholana Ashok Chakravarthy

Tide  Poem by Oritsegemi Jakpa

A Child's Gift  Poem by Valerie Williams (Fun, Happy Poetry 1st Prize Winner)

Huntsman  Poem by Elizabeth Thomas (Fun, Happy Poetry Finalist)

The Lost Wallet  Poem by Joan Ridley (Fun, Happy Poetry 2nd Prize Winner)

Thank you for sending

Articles:

And it felt so good, I want to do it again! by Sheryl Llorente (391 words)   

People react differently to heartbreaks. Some hold on to their pain for such a long time that it seems the pain is the only thing that keeps them alive. For others, they easily get up after the fall and move on with their lives, or so it seems.

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"Do you know

Why God has given you

Gaps between fingers?"

In-cell-ubrious  by Nisheeth Srivastava

Did aught contraption raise the bile

Irritate mind and temper rile

Intellectual sensibilities defile

Than thee, O ubiquitous mobile?

When a handkerchief cries  by Nisheeth Srivastava

Verily am I

Your umbrella, my queen

To be called upon

When the storm-clouds break.

The Defiance of Prometheus  by Nisheeth Srivastava

"I do not fear you, Zeus!"

Thus did chained Prometheus speak.

Glittering eye resolute as ever

Though all else be worn and weak.

Peace  by Oritsegemi Jakpa 

Our hearts are framed in rude desire

To oppress, dominate, rule and acquire,

Yet we are not animals, but humans,

The Storm of Love  by Dr. Tholana Ashok Chakravarthy 

Storms, whenever they erupt,

Ruin becomes their prime option,

Sparing neither the rich or poor,

The Surging Thoughts  by Dr. Tholana Ashok Chakravarthy 

Some lyrical thoughts

Fill my heart of hearts,

But the emerging poem,

Though sad, is indeed a gem ...

Tide  by Oritsegemi Jakpa 

The harmony of the tide, of sun's true mirror 

Shivering, washing away lonely sand from the shore,

Color My World  by Wilfredo Bongcaron  

Color my world with your song ...

let the hummingbirds kiss

love's sweet melodies.

Thank you for sending

In the middle of February is Valentines Day, so it seems appropriate for this month's positive quotes to be all about "True Love".

Nisheeth Srivastava is an enchanting new talent from Madras, India.  He has joined the Bright Light Family with four successfully showcased poems in his first month.   Nisheeth is only 21 years old, but he is already making his mark in the writing world.  We welcome him into our Family of Talent with love and applause.

Wilfredo Bongcaron joins the Bright Light Family of Talent with a poem of love, and the power it conveys into our lonelier moments.  Wilfredo is from Manilla, Philippines and we welcome him into our Bright Light global home with love and applause.

Dr. Tholana Ashok Chakravarthy is a 44 year old writer whose body of work includes nearly 1,000 poems.  Dr Tholana has entered the Bright Light Family of Talent with two thoughtful and inspiring poems.  Welcome Tholana, you have our love and applause.