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Are You Ready for May 4th?

Picture Picture         I am a Star Wars dork. A full shelf on my book shelves is populated with novels based on the movies (and that's the shelf of books I've actually read, not my TBR collection), my ringtone is Vader's march theme (although that's also there to scare my students, admittedly), and I've got the obligatory Blu-Ray edition of the movies. Last year, I got a great picture of my then-infant son swaddled up in a teddy bear hooded bath towel and called him an ewok to celebrate the day. This year, I ordered him a special t-shirt with pictures of the major characters on it. Pictures will be forthcoming on Instagram. 
        For these reasons, I get excited about May 4th. It gives me a chance to be eccentric and creative in the ways I work the Force into my day. However, I would maintain that creative people of all pursuits should embrace this holiday for what it represents.
        May 4th is a celebration of the imagination and its boundless, unquenchable, and unfathomable powers.
        I am not so naive as to think that the fantasy genre was created when the idea for that galaxy far, far away came into his highness George Lucas' head, but he took it to a level that we had not seen before. This was not just a magical kingdom or a great character with some strange powers - this was worlds and races and intergalactic wars. This was a complex and completely realized place in which you can completely lose yourself. This was creativity on crack.
        The creative community thrives on the ability to make up things that are not there. We create people and marry them, kill them, get them into embarrassing situations. We create places that are gloomy and glamorous. Every person who uses that amazing engine of an imagination, for hobby or occupation, should respect the sheer scope of what Lucas did. The mind boggles at all the facts and details he brought into being that simply were not there before. 
        Now, you may be thinking, there are many incredibly successful fantasy projects out there. I would agree. Harry Potter comes to mind first, and then there's the Song of Ice and Fire Series (AKA Game of Thrones). All of these are great examples of people harnessing an incredible vision. Am I claiming that they were inspired by Star Wars? No. Am I saying that they benefit from a culture that has experienced how incredible it can be to leave their everyday lives completely behind? Yes.
        I love writing in the fantasy genre as much as I love reading (and viewing) it. I love all of the ways that it challenges me to be original. For that reason, I celebrate May 4th not just as a fan of the movies (and books and  and TV series and toys and costumes and random pieces of interior decor), but out of respect for what an amazing legacy it has created for me. Hopefully, you are preparing to observe the holiday as you see fit - escaping into your own universe and celebrating the amazing thing that is the human imagination!
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Published on May 02, 2015 21:52
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Heather Fluck Winn's Blog

Heather Fluck Winn
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