“Travel is the traveler. What we see isn't what we see but what we are.” TOPIC FOR OCTOBER CREATIVE XCHANGES: Travelling & Creativity Hemingway, Huxley, Defoe, Bolaño are just a few examples of great writers who drew inspiration from travel. Mark Twain pointed out that “travel is “fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.” Also, in recent years, Psychologists have found a relationship between neuroplasticity (which is involved in the creative processes) and traveling. On the other hand, there are plenty of artists who were incredibly creative without ever leaving their house or city. Leopardi and Pessoa. So is travel essential for creativity? We will explore this and other questions during the event. ABOUT THE EVENT Creative Xchanges is a monthly event that brings together creative minds from various walks of life to have conversations about art, creativity and the things that make life worth living. The panel is made of people immersed in the worlds of music, literature, theatre, design, fashion, fine arts, photography and much more. The public will have the chance to actively participate in the discussion. SIGN UP: The event is free. Sign up is mandatory: https://airtable.com/shrjEnJj68TIdE5ZWg/ ORGANISER: The event is organized and moderated by Peter D. Murphy - writer of Irish origins, currently living in Lisbon, author of Lagan Love and the Life & Times Trilogy (http://peterdmurphy.com/books/). Part-time musician and responsible dog-owner, Peter finds himself guilty of supporting the art scene in Lisbon, particularly by helping young artists shine. He's passionate about lively conversations over a “bica” and is more than willing to play the “devil’s advocate” just because he’s Irish enough. GUEST SPEAKERS: Timothy Basi - Teacher, Founder of Lisbon Coffee & Books Club. Timothy Basi was born in Italy but has lived in the US, and the UK and has been working as a teacher and a cultural events coordinator since 2006. Upon moving to Lisbon,Portugal, -- a city he fell in love with through literature -- he founded a "different kind" of book club where participants bring literary passages related to the month's theme. Since its first event, the Book Club of Timothy has become a major cultural event in Lisbon and the biggest of its kind in Portugal. In his free time, he dedicates himself to the unending quest for the perfect Italian pizza in Lisbon. Debra di Blasi - Multimedia Author, Visual Artist, International Speaker. Debra Di Blasi is an award-winning multi-genre, multimedia author of seven books, including The Jirí Chronicles (University of Alabama Press/FC2), Prayers of an Accidental Nature (Coffee House), and Drought (New Directions), winner of the Thorpe Menn Literary Excellence Award. Additionally, she just completed a short fiction collection and a hybrid memoir that was finalist in the 2017 Four Way Books Levis Poetry Prize. Her fiction has been adapted to film, radio and audio in the U.S. and abroad, and published in notable literary journals and anthologies of innovative writing. She moved to Portugal in 2015 after having lived in Hong Kong, the U.S. and, briefly, Italy. Debra is a former book publisher, art critic, educator and lecturer specializing in the intersection of 21st Century narratives and technologies. Debra has an unrepentant fascination with the fiction of reality TV.
