Dancing Fish

Bali Hai III
This insightful and evocative collection of short narrative nonfiction and poetry is receiving rave reviews from readers. Published in November 2011 by Pudding House Publications, which has been publishing poetry collections for over thirty years, Dancing Fish contains excerpts from my forthcoming book about my ten-year circumnavigation with my husband, which we just completed in 2010. The cost for Dancing Fish is only $12.85, which includes shipping. It makes an excellent holiday gift for those you know with a sense of adventure, or who are interested in other cultures, or are sailors, or who enjoy poetry. As you can see, It appeals to a wide audience. If purchased in a situation in which no shipping is involved, such as a bookstore or from me directly, the cost is $10. To learn more about Dancing Fish or to order it, click here.

Presentations by Doann Houghton-Alico

I have two types of presentations, both of which engender interesting discussions after. The first is a 30-minute reading of selected excerpts from Dancing Fish, which is accompanied by a PowerPoint slideshow. For libraries and nonprofit organizations that sponsor this, I contribute a portion of the proceeds of sales of Dancing Fish at that venue to them. To schedule a Dancing Fish reading and presentation, click here.

The second is a selection of four lectures about my circumnavigation accompanied by a PowerPoint show of slides and video clips. These talks are approximately 45- to 60-minutes long, which can be adjusted depending on the venue, and then whatever time the hosting organization wants to allow for Q&A and discussion after. They include explorations of different cultures, wildlife encountered, environmental issues, and raw adventure. To learn more or to schedule a presentation, click here.

Schedule

To schedule a reading and presentation about Dancing Fish, click here. To schedule a presentation of one of my talks, click here, or if there is another topic you think would be of interest to your group that’s not described here that I could develop for you, click here to email me directly with your idea.

Editing and Indexing

Although retired, at least from my previous career as CEO/president of a technical writing company, I am a contract editor and indexer and have outstanding references for both. I work for both publishers and authors and do content editing for structure, organization, flow, and readability; copyediting for consistency and accuracy in style; and proofreading to finalize the manuscript prior to actual publication.

I particularly enjoy indexing as I see it as a puzzle to be resolved that provides a tool that enables the reader to get at the heart of the book. Not only are facts indexed, but key points, whether philosophical, esoteric, or technical are covered as well. How I select the items to be indexed and how they are cross-referenced are critical.

Circumnavigation

Take a look at the routes and some of the photos from our 10-year sailing adventure.