The Moon Within by Aida Salazar - Booked by the Cover
[ The more I look at the cover of this book, the more I adore it. There are details I hadn't noticed before. Initially, I was drawn to it by the the pose and the rich color. Now I see there are constellations and houses in the background. ]
Welcome to the Book by the Cover Blog(cast), a spin on a podcast that I'm not currently able to record or-well-cast.
Today's book of poetry is The Moon Within by Aida Salazar.
What a lovely lady and what a lovely cover overall. The illustration of this cover looks like it could be a painting or a pencil drawing, but there is no way to be sure. Maybe they were felt markers, pastel, or even everyday crayons. It doesn't matter, but I would love to know. Whichever the medium, the artists brought together the colors in a way that illustrate a young lady dancing at night in the moonlight. Of course, she's not moving. The image is still-but the way her skirt and hair seem to sway along with her hand and the heart pendant of her necklace placed in the air make it clear movement is being communicated.
Her facial expression is one of tranquility. The sleeveless shirt she wears implies warm weather, and her outfit in general gives an impression of being well put together. Behind her are sparkles and swirls sprinkled with hypothetical constellations drawn in white against the dark blue and purple sky. As I look closer, those might not be constellations but the girl's crystalized imaginations. Some of those "imaginations" are in front of a huge, yellow moon taking up most the middle of the cover. And the title is also yellow-but a more muted tone.
Wait a second. All of those imaginations are different types of flowers. Cute.
Beneath those flowery imaginations surrounding the moon are houses in (what looks like) a cul-de-sac. The houses are different colors, but as a whole the houses offer a blended color of green. They melt into the surrounding trees and a forest into the distance.
With that, let's set up the travel bookings.
Digging for something related to dance...
We must include a dance class booking. The Brazilian American Culture Center in Washington, DC has an advertisement for dance and drum classes on Wednesdays and Thursdays. According to the ad, there's a $10 drop-in fee. That serendipitous aspect make it an even better fir for reflecting the dancing lady from the cover. She there dancing as though it may or may not have been planned that way.
What's next?
[ "This all has me thinking about the pranksters or gangstalkers I've been dealing with recently. They make you do a little dance for them. Some like to call them organized harassers. These people will go as far as turning off library computers they've forced you to use by tampering with your personal computer at home. They'll change the wiring within one library computer, so it turns on differently than another library computer. Then, you'll look odd pushing the same button that worked on the other augmented computer. Along with that, they'll have the librarians there ready to 'help' you turn on that computer. This is supposed to do two things: enforce a power dynamic and leave you feeling like you don't know how to do a basic task."
Hey! So that's a long quote from an upcoming book I'm writing. ]
Time for the next travel itinerary...
The moon takes up a significant portion of the book cover. So, let's have it inspire an itinerary. In English, there's a joke or idiom saying the moon is made of cheese; this booking should involve eating or making cheese. Plus, her dress is a red color, akin to wine. Let's look for wine and cheese tasting location also in the DC area.
Wide-eyeing for a wine and dine spot...
There are multiple options, but St. Vincent Wine is a great match here. It has a choice of charcuterie boards and an extensive wine collection. The ambiance inside also looks classy and might be a place to wear a nice dress.
Hmm...
That'll be an option for older groups, individuals, and couples. Families or sober individuals might want a substitute for this particular cheese-inspired option-leaving out the alcohol. So, let's make the next a family-friendly cheese making class if we can.
Checking to see if cheese classes are a thing in DC...
Yas! There is Cheesemonster. She has many different services; classes are just one. I don't see any age range or requirement, so this might still be best for older groups, but it offers a great alternative to the first also amazing booking.
Finally, we'll focus on the neighborhood aspect of the cover by going on a few walking tours. DC is know for its iconic homes and neighborhoods. There are many different companies that offer foot tours, but let's see which one might be the best fit for what we need for this particular itinerary.
Tinkering for a guided tour...
Yes. So, Washington Walks offers tours of public and private tours of specific neighborhoods.
Easy peasy lemon squeezy for this blog.
Take a dance class, eat or make some cheese, and walk around a historical neighborhood-all in Washington, DC. There is a tab and page on the website dedicated to neighborhoods for more details. Some of the neighborhoods listed are: U Street, Georgetown, and Eastern Market.
With that, that's it for this DC-local travel take on the cover of The Moon Within.
Please take care and do reach out for help planning added travel, study, and right bookings to your excursions.
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