| Marianne's most recent fiction can be heard in the The Sounds of TallGrass (2007) first in a series of spoken word CDs with musical backgrounds composed and performed by Grammy contender Keenan Baxter and featuring award-winning authors reading selections from their work in the latest anthology published by Outrider Press. Marianne's award winning fiction appears in the acclaimed Black and White series published by Outrider Press, Inc.in affiliation with the TallGrass Writers Guild. · Family Gatherings (2003), on holidays, weddings, and wakes anthology · Things That Go Bump in the Night, the 2004 collection on The Supernatural · Falling in Love Again (2005), the anthology on second chances at romance · Vacations: the Good, the Bad & the Ugly (2006), the anthology on "Are we there yet?" · A Walk Through My Garden (2007) - the flower pots to grand landscapes anthology On May 17, Marianne was honored at the Illinois Woman's Press Association Spring Awards Luncheon held at the Union League Club. She has been selected the 2008 Communicator of Achievement for IWPA. The award encompasses career success and service to both the community and to the Illinois Woman's Press Association / National Federation of Press Women. Also, Marianne's work was honored in 5 categories of the 2008 Mate E. Palmer Communications Contest. |
| I have a friend who resides in France. She is an American who now lives in Boissy-St. Leger, Francento be exact. I don’t know much about Boissy-St. Leger other than to say it is the home of the JANIN chocolatenfactory, one of 12 small chocolate factories still existing in France today. Her name is Monica Bassett.She’s a wife, mother, sister, and friend. Monica and I met in the late 70’s. We were both young women back then working in showrooms side-by-side at the Chicago Apparel Center while we struggled to earn a living, take care of ourselves, and find our way in the world. |
As friendships often do, ours grew with the years; through boyfriends and
marriages, children, joy, sadness, failure and success, miles, and faith. My
friend is a contemporary artist; a painter of colorful abstract work, the circus,
and tree trunks. Monica has reached a level of success in France. Her work
is regularly exhibited in and around Paris. Her work has won awards. She has
been the feature of French magazines. Her paintings grace the walls of her
European patrons stirring their imagination. Depending on the transformation
in light and shadow of a room her paintings metamorphose through a variety of
changes. Just as Monica has the ability to look at a birch tree trunk and see
in it a multitude of colors, textures, and shapes, so too does she see the
trunk breathe, move, and express itself.
Monica captures that spirit on canvas though this is the very same tree most
eyes would hardly envision as anything more than a tree planted in the
ground. This past fall the Kent Gallery in Key West began exhibiting her
paintings. Monica received publicity in several pamphlets that circulated in
Miami including the Art Basel Magazine and the Florida International
Magazine that featured her in the Art in Florida issue. Another gallery in
Coconut Grove, just outside of Miami, has now begun showing her paintings.
In December, Monica’s work was featured in a major exhibition of eight artists
in Miami’s design district earning her praise in her homeland. With each
painting sold, she steps closer to her dream of becoming a successful artist
at home. I don’t know why it has taken longer for her work to gain an audience
in the US. I knew from the moment I saw Monica’s early work I had to hang it
on my walls. Maybe the French are better at ecognizing her talent. At least I
know now that art patrons in Miami are too. To learn more about Monica and
her work visit.
marriages, children, joy, sadness, failure and success, miles, and faith. My
friend is a contemporary artist; a painter of colorful abstract work, the circus,
and tree trunks. Monica has reached a level of success in France. Her work
is regularly exhibited in and around Paris. Her work has won awards. She has
been the feature of French magazines. Her paintings grace the walls of her
European patrons stirring their imagination. Depending on the transformation
in light and shadow of a room her paintings metamorphose through a variety of
changes. Just as Monica has the ability to look at a birch tree trunk and see
in it a multitude of colors, textures, and shapes, so too does she see the
trunk breathe, move, and express itself.
Monica captures that spirit on canvas though this is the very same tree most
eyes would hardly envision as anything more than a tree planted in the
ground. This past fall the Kent Gallery in Key West began exhibiting her
paintings. Monica received publicity in several pamphlets that circulated in
Miami including the Art Basel Magazine and the Florida International
Magazine that featured her in the Art in Florida issue. Another gallery in
Coconut Grove, just outside of Miami, has now begun showing her paintings.
In December, Monica’s work was featured in a major exhibition of eight artists
in Miami’s design district earning her praise in her homeland. With each
painting sold, she steps closer to her dream of becoming a successful artist
at home. I don’t know why it has taken longer for her work to gain an audience
in the US. I knew from the moment I saw Monica’s early work I had to hang it
on my walls. Maybe the French are better at ecognizing her talent. At least I
know now that art patrons in Miami are too. To learn more about Monica and
her work visit.
| photograph by:Chris Guillen |
| Marianne's latest short story, Bodacious has been published in WILD THINGS: DOMESTIC OR OTHERWISE. |