What piece of art changed your life? How did it affect you?

As an artist and mother of three young children, I am affected by any book that I actually have time to read. On my nightstand at the moment is Mother on Fire by Sandra Tsing Loh. It's a fiercely hilarious book about Sandra's life as a performance artist, an NPR commentator fired for using the F*** word on the air, and a mother of two young children navigating LA's school systems. After reading it, I began asking myself WWSD? (What Would Sandra Do?).

According to Sandra:

1. There is no Mr. Darcy.

2. Yes, you will survive THE BAD (HATEFUL!) REVIEW.

3. But confront the fact that you may never have your Amy Tan/PBS/Lincoln Center years.

Sandra, I raise my fist in solidarity with you.

Julia Kim Smith's video portrait, Grand Teton, will be screened opening night, May 7th, at the Maryland Film Festival. Bobcat Goldthwait hosts the festivities ("Opening Night Shorts"), which begin at 8 pm at MICA's Brown Center.