There are people who simply exude positive energy – call it joy. It’s not that they’re shouting, “seize the day!” and bouncing up and down; they are, however, through their efforts and actions, lighting a way, one that can be inspirational and possibly even life-changing.
On March 31, Donna Lee Tufts shared her vision of life, one that is full of possibilities, natural beauty, and the creative process, at a talk given at the Mattapoisett Public Library.
Tufts is the author of two books, From My Kayak(2016) and Lola, My Girl(2018). On this day, her focus was on her experiences kayaking in and around Aucoot Cove and the system employed by her publisher to turn her idea into reality.
From My Kayakis a nearly poetic take on the glory of the natural world. The soft-covered volume contains over 40 photographs taken by Tufts as she slowly became a kayaker, a photographer, and a writer. Trying new things and expressing herself in various artistic forms is just who she is, and coupled with an energy that beams outwardly, she sparked the collective imagination of those gathered to hear her speak.
Tufts has been a schoolteacher, an interior designer, an animal loving pet-sitter, and now a published author. She explained that it was through a memoir writing group that she first thought about the possibility of publishing a book.
“I showed my photography of Aucoot Cove and they told me, ‘You can make a coffee table book,’” she said, glowing at the memory of that moment. The group members encouraged her and she did not hesitate.
“If you are a writer, keep on writing,” Tufts told her audience. And while it’s been several years since From My Kayakwas published, it still seems to surprise her.
“I was thrilled when the finished book arrived!” she beamed.
Tufts spent some time explaining how her publisher worked with her manuscript, taking it from a rough draft to a finished product.
“They do everything, from correcting grammar to designing the cover,” she said.
Tufts described writing in longhand, a nearly forgotten art in today’s digital world, then transcribing her text into the electronic format. Of the publisher, she remarked, “They write the press releases, market the book to distributors like Amazon, they do everything.” When asked if she had made a financial investment in getting her book published, she confirmed that was indeed the case. Having said that, she added that the heavy lifting provided by the publishing house was well worth the cost involved and, in the end, her book – the tangible evidence of her artistic work – made it worthwhile.
As Tufts spoke, she wove in photographs that were the impetus for the book, striking images of sea-birds in all their natural glory, shimmering saltwater surfaces in morning’s first light, moody horizons misted over, and the bow of her kayak about to cut through the water’s surface. Her eye for capturing a moment where air and water meet punctuated by birds in flight or rest gives the book its soul.
While the audience enjoyed hearing about the publishing process, it was Tufts’ kayaking that seemed to interest the majority. She was approached with questions about the type of kayak she uses (by the way it is one given to her by a friend), the material her paddle is made of, the physical dynamics involved in kayaking, and regulatory considerations of owning and operating a kayak. The smile on her face and frequent chuckling added to the sense that kayaking is now a major component of who she has become as a naturalist, a photographer, and a writer.
One wouldn’t be surprised to find Tufts embarking on other creative endeavors and asking those around her to join her on the journey.
To learn more about Donna Lee Tufts, you may contact her directly at dltufts@comcast.net.
By Marilou Newell