How Can We Build a Community At the Great Park In Irvine?

Want to help build a community? Come talk to us, and don't be scared to interact with local authors and vendors. We truly enjoy meeting you.

The Great Park in Irvine needs to be discovered. For some reason, locals don't know much about it, and it's quite sad as we could work together to make this an awesome community for people of all ages.

Not only do we have wonderful vendors with fresh produce, but we also have local authors, artists, clothing booths and jewelry designers.

There are also delicious food vendors with gourmet burritos and crepes with ice cream. And a local musician and singer will entertain you while you enjoy your meal and stroll through the local booths.

On the fourth Sunday of each month, Jeff Rowe, the organizer, encourages local authors to share their books with everyone. Here is an article I wrote a few weeks ago about The Great Park.

I was one of the seven authors last Sunday, November 25, and enjoyed being with other creative people.

I had some interesting conversations with people who could relate to living in Orange County, where stress is a major part of their life.

I wanted to invite everyone to "chat." You see, I'm a people person, not a sales person. I really don't care if you buy my book or not, but please don't be afraid to share your stories and opinions about life, and what you are passionate about.

What makes me sad, is that we are bombarded with people selling and only wanting our money. I wish I could change things so that people weren't afraid to come and talk to "me" and not feel like this is all about selling you my book. Last week at an event I held at Peet's Coffee in Newport Beach, I told one lady, "I don't bite," as I got so frustrated with people ignoring me. I know my author friends feel the same way.  

Do I need a GIANT sign that says, "Talk to me.  I promise not to bite or make you feel like you have to buy my book." Is this a good idea? What do you think?

I am grateful to the lady I met from Turkey, who shared her views about how the US is changing, and to the lady from Lake Forest who said she couldn't afford my book and is waiting to check it out at the library.

Please let me know your thoughts on what we need to do in order to build an artistic community at The Great Park in Irvine. What would make you feel relaxed and come visit us? You can e-mail me at sonia@soniamarsh.com.

If you'd like to meet me in person, I shall at the following events during the month of December, including PARIS, if you want to fly over there. Please stop by and introduce yourself. Thanks.

Sonia Marsh is a “Gutsy” woman who can pack her carry-on and move to another country in one day. She’s a motivational speaker who inspires her audiences to get out of their comfort zone and take a risk. She says everyone has a “My Gutsy Story”; some just need a little help to uncover theirs. Her story, told in her travel memoir Freeways to Flip-Flops: A Family’s Year of Gutsy Living on a Tropical Island, is about chucking it all and uprooting her family to reconnect on an island in Belize.

Sonia has lived in many countries – Denmark, Nigeria, France, England, the U.S. and Belize – Sonia Marsh considers herself a citizen of the world. She holds a degree in environmental science from the University of East Anglia, U.K., and now lives in Southern California with her husband, Duke.

Sonia welcomes new friends, bloggers, writers and readers at Soniamarsh.com (http://soniamarsh.com) Contact her at: sonia@soniamarsh.com www.facebook.com/GutsyLiving or Twitter.com@GutsyLiving