Glen Ridge writer focuses her energy on online magazine

GLEN RIDGE, NJ — A website about the cathartic power of personal enlightenment is in the works for writer Eda Uzuncakara, who made her home in Glen Ridge for many years.

“I started with a blog, but it turned into an online issue,” said Uzuncakara, who likens the site to an online magazine. “I’m thinking of nine posts every issue and a new issue every month.”

The working title of the magazine is “Sparks and Shadows.”

She said the content will be interviews on a range of subjects, including art and spiritual events. Each post will be open for readers, and art will be displayed for group meditation and comments. Uzuncakara said this particular idea came to her during the pandemic lockdown. She loved going to museums, but with those places closed, she used pictures of famous paintings as a starting point for meditation, immersing herself in the picture and relating herself to the subject.

“The magazine will also be a showcase for people who have healed themselves with art,” she said. “‘Sparks and Shadows’ is my lifelong project. I didn’t have a name for it until recently, but I have been working on it since I was 7, when I put together a theatrical play to perform during summer break with my friends from my hometown in Turkey.”

Uzuncakara appears up to the task of creating an online magazine. She earned an engineering degree from Bogazici University in Istanbul, and continued her studies at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken. She owned and managed Bistrouge, a bar and restaurant in the East Village in Manhattan.

“If you remember the venue with the mannequin outside sitting on a red bench, you probably remember me as well,” she said.

To date, among other individuals, Uzuncakara has interviewed a photographer and a shaman for “Sparks and Shadows.” She calls these individuals the sparks whose works come from personal shadows. She has a list of artists to be interviewed — not all visual artists, but also writers and dancers.

“I will ask the community to contact me,” she said. “If they think their story should be shared, they are more than welcomed.”

But she understands many people do not look deeply into their personal shadows to discover what troubles them and find a way to create a spark. Consequently, Uzuncakara said there will be different categories to “Sparks and Shadows.” One category is called “Reflections.”

“I will be covering self-love,” she said, “and have been practicing the five key elements of a happy relationship. They are my personal elements that have evolved over the course of years.”

The first element is attention, which is defined as listening to your inner voice. The second element is self-acceptance. Affection for oneself is the third element.

“If you’re tired, take a break and have time for yourself,” she said. “Instead of someone taking care of you, take care of yourself.”

Self-appreciation is another element. Uzuncakara advises not to look for others to appreciate you. Allowing is the final element.

“Be yourself,” she said.

The magazine will also have a section devoted to the review of art exhibits.

Uzuncakara said she is doing all this because she wants to help people. She has enlisted Amanda Staab as her editor. Staab is the founder of Folkwise Public Relations, a Glen Ridge company.

“It was a wonderful experience confronting my shadows,” Uzuncakara said. “I want to help people the same way. There are challenges we face in learning ourselves.”

She quoted a saying from Lao Tzu: Knowing people is wisdom; knowing yourself is enlightenment. Uzuncakara said enlightenment comes from facing one’s shadows.

“The shadows become sparks,” she said. “Facing your life’s purpose takes work.”

Uzuncakara said she did not want “Sparks and Shadows” to be misinterpreted as only a blog.

“It’s not like I’m sitting in my kitchen doing this,” she said. “I call it an online magazine, not a blog.”

Editor’s note: The writer, a former artist-in-residence at the Newark Museum, was interviewed for one of Uzuncakara’s posts.