Hi, I’m Louella Lester and I like to find the extraordinary in the ordinary. Now, even though I’m lying down in the photo above, it doesn’t mean I’m resting (maybe you can tell by the look on my face)—I still have lots of ideas running through my head.
When not lying down, I can be found at a writing group meeting, participating in a workshop, taking an online class, listening or actually reading at a journal launch, sharing a new piece at an open-mic, or just reading a book. I might be wandering about or riding my bicycle, and then stopping to take an eclectic variety of photos with my inexpensive little camera (which I can easily slip into my pocket or dangle from my wrist). Sometimes I’m meditating or practicing tai chi to centre and calm myself (hoping to stay in the moment, with varying degrees of success).
So, as you have probably already guessed, I’m a writer and photographer. When I put my camera or my pen (actually it’s usually a keyboard, but pen sounds more catchy) between me and the world, I learn so much and can start to see the extraordinary (the striking, the unique) in the ordinary (the everyday, the common-place) that I mentioned in the opening sentence. I even wrote about this for CBC News Manitoba Online. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/seeing-things-commentary-louella-lester-1.3436261
My writing and photos have appeared in variety of places. Click on “Published Writing & Photos” in the menu to find out where.
I’m excited to say that my first book was published in 2021. Glass Bricks is a creative non-fiction book, written in flash length stories. It’s a quirky look at all the jobs I’ve had and how I learned to work. It’s available worldwide in/through your local bookstores or from Amazon (paperback/digital) or from https://atbaypress.com/books/detail/glass-bricks.
Through Camera & Pen 