self portrait by christina

Christina Rosalie Sbarro's blog My Topography was one of the very first blogs I stumbled upon back in 2005. Her honest and fluid writing drew me in. I was enchanted by her family and the tales of their adventures. There was also something about her smile. The images of her laughing. The twinkle in her eye. The freshness of her beauty. I suppose you could say it was a girl crush.

Years later she is now a Featured Sponsor on my blog (honored!) and her and I have put our heads together for a giveaway created just for the type of readers I attract here at my blog. We had a feeling her story would resonate with you and that her art would be an expression of your hearts.

Before I go into details about the rules of the giveaway...here are some juicy bits about her and a project she is working on that I thought you would find inspiring and perhaps want to be a part of::

Bio: Christina Rosalie Sbarro is a writer, a mother, and a mixed media artist (with a day job.) She has a knack for forgetting things on the roof of her car, a passion for eavesdropping in cafes, and a habit of getting paint on her jeans. Her short fiction and essays have appeared in the Sun, Mothering, and the Blue Print Review; with a new story is forthcoming in the L.A. Review. Christina blogs at {my topography} and spends her days trying to balance motherhood with her creative life. She recently took a leap into the wild blue: beginning the process of making writing and art her career. A part of that leap has been to launch a book project called A Field Guide To Now…. and she needs your support!

About the project: Part survival guide and part adventure guide. A Field Guide To Now is a manifesto for living right now, wholly, even with wanderlust, and loneliness, and small children under foot. Its a collection of illustrated essays using mixed media collage and a stack of inherited postcards. Like a real field guide, you’ll be able to flip through it at random, finding glimpses into the present; or you can read it cover to cover and unravel the narrative thread of present moments that stitches each essay to the next.

But here’s the deal—the funding on kickstarter.com is all or nothing, and Christina really needs your help to reach the funding goal. When you become a backer—you get some really fun and creative rewards—including prints, podcasts, and PDF sneak peaks of excerpts from the book, or the book itself when it’s published. If you resonate with Christina's heart and project, she needs our support on this creative adventure. Please go here for more details.

Giveaway Rules: