Home | Portfolio

If a work of art is the cake, the title is the icing. Words can be the decorative motif, adding a bit more taste to the piece, enriching it, or explaining the intent.

Playing with words has always been a secondary passion in my life, and this page contains bits and pieces of writings I've placed on paper and other materials over the years.

He had a dent on on one side of his head and a bump on the other. He put on a large gray felt hat. No one could ever tell about the accident. They said, "Just don't ask him to take his hat off." >

The Story Quilt, completed in 2002, was created on pellon fabric with acrylic paints and text overlaid using a Xerox machine. It measures 54" h. X 43" w. and contains images with excerpts from stories and poems. >
I read the Times from cover to cover, did the crossword in a matter of minutes, finished all the ironing, paid every single bill, replaced the light bulb in the attic and the coal bin in the cellar. Strange that it could all be done feet not touching the floor and eyes closed. With my eyes open I checked the spelling of sommambulant and was quite pleased I was right.
The Stream of Consciousness method used in drawing and painting is also employed in writing, as shown here:
In my dream a tall, thin woman in a full length green coat turned to me and sadi, " I dreampt about you last night." A man, a very ordinary man, wearing an extraordinary ostrich skin hat danced in the doorway. I opened my eyees and he stopped. A young man, a boy, skin blue-black, shouted at me, "Wake up." I saw a woman wearing a white dress, lavendar hat, and plum color shoes. I commented on her sense of style. She said she knew me from the dream last night. I did recognize the coat. In the next room a man and a woman were dancing the tango. "Turn up the volume.", I shouted, startling myself awake. We danced the tango to a rumba beat. He asked me to take off my green coat. I said, "I can't do that. I'm not wearing anything, anything at all, underneath, but I would lkie to touch your ostrich skin hat."

Strange you should say that. Hanging from a strap on the subway, conversations drift by, noisy currents tingling your ears, leaving fragments like: What sort of dog would you walk if you could walk a dog? How come you weren't invited? Is my slip showing? Some-times I could just strangle that man. I spent twenty minutes looking for my keys. You strike me as intelligent. Parden me. Did I ever tell you about him before? Stop and pick it up. Don't take all day. He didn't show up for work yeaterday. Hold this for a minute. Wait 'till I get my hands on him. My hands are full. You don't mean that, do you? Did you see the outfit on her? I never met a man who could kiss like him. Speaking of the devil. Did you make out on the first date? How stupid can you be? I'm getting nauseaus, are you OK?

 


VALETTA
PO Box 510, Westtown, PA 19395
4400 Petaluma Hill Road, Santa Clara, CA 95494
valetta.rcwa@comcast.net | 610-459-2384


POETRY

Silence may be golden, Or deafen with its roar, Not gentle like the quiet, Silence shatters to the core. It lives inside the darkness. It screams in isolation. It exists inside a teardrop, Below the surface of a cry, And spills across the space, Between the iris and the eye. The ice that forms in silence, Stays patient and serene, Slides sideways to tomorrow, Leaaving echoes of a scream.

SCREENPLAYS

FULL LENGTH

The Samaritans: A teenaged boy is found murdered in the desert. His mother, refusing to accept his death, becomes delusional, and as a street person enlists the help of the town folk to help her find her son.

Now You See Him: Jonathan, born ugly, suffers the indignities of living in a beauty conscious world. At 16 he discovers the power to make people see him as he wishes to be seen. He uses this power to manipulate people for his own pleasure and gain, until he meets a woman who loves and accepts him for himself, and he finds his true moral compass in surprising ways.

Now You Don't: The sequel follows Jonathan's son, Jason. His struggle throughout life to harness his power leads to dire consequences.

The Silver Cult: a science fiction story set in the 23rd century begins with a return voyage from outer space. The crew's survivors, John and Steve find a world overpopulated with long-lifers. In a new Mediaval society, the powerful Council, contols the population.

The Silver Complex: The sequel follows Steve's attempts to help a Revolution bring about a Renaissance.

After Shock: Elsa, the mother of a mixed race child, goes to work at her television station where her team is working on a documentary about Martin Luther King and Barack Obama. After ther building is bombed, she and her new friend find themselves in an alternate realty where they seek answers to alarming question about a fascist state.

 

A Murder on Page One.  An older woman journeys from a screenwriting class in Philadelphia to Los Angeles where she uncovers a scam. She overcomes obstacles and finally gets her script made into a film, although not in the way she anticipated.

 

Blood in the Snow  In this satire on the movie industry, two screenwriters get involved in the action of their script.and their characters come to life, litteraly.

 

My Father Kept a Journal  This story which takes place during World War II is about Hiroaki Nakamura and his daughter, Jami. It is a work of fiction inspired by the real journal of Hiroaki Nishimura kept during his four year internment.

 

SHORT FILMS

 

Dusk: When everyone disappears, an old woman, trapped in time in her home, deals with isolation and fear.

 

Retirement: Lydia thinks she is teaching in her old hight school, but finds herself facing mysterious students whose behavior is strange only to her.

 

Timothy's Dreams: A young man's health is deteriorating. His dreams of late disturb him. He makes an appointment with a doctor, and on his way, the dreams come together in one shocking moment.

 

The Painter: An artist, whose wife of many years still lposes for him, makes his living as a portrait painter. But, these elegant, realistic paintings are in sharp contrast to his secret works which reveal somehing very different about the human psyche, his own and those of his sitters.

 

Name Him Frank: In this homage to Mary Shelly, a young boy, forced into isolation by his mother's decision to keep his "special" brother out of school, decides to create a friend. The brothers build a 3-D boy who makes a surprising choice.

 

Scrabble: In this fantasy piece, a computer determines the fate of a struggling writer.

 

The Gallery: A female artist exhibits her "talents" in an upscale gellery.

 

Health Care: Young doctors follow computer procedures that lead to a terrible out-come in the operating room. The legal cover-up results in automation beyond the hospital administration's expectations.

 

TELEPLAYS

These episodes deal with such diverse issues as Gender, Abortion, Race Relations, Redlining,  Divorce and Gun Violence.

 

Seen in Las Vegas  A middle-aged woman gets a letter from a "friend" that lets her know her husband is cheating.

 

On the Block  Realtors flood the neighborhood with flyers for residents to "Sell their homes, NOW" which leads to major changes on the block over a thirty year span.

 

Crossing State Lines  A reminder in the mail to get her yearly mamogram leads to a confrontation with protesters.

 

Best Friends  A black family moves into a white suburban neighborhood. The son becomes life-long friends with the boy down the road. An encounter in the inner city threatens that friendship.