Friends of Aesthetic Realism
       Countering the Lies
“It’s a lie, and not a well told one at that.
  It grins out like a copper dollar.”

                  —Abraham Lincoln

Statement by Maria Plumstead

I am Maria Plumstead, the stepmother of Rev. Wayne Plumstead (his mother died in 1969 and his Dad and I were married in 1982). I am writing this statement because I am very angry about the lies being told about Eli Siegel, Aesthetic Realism and my dear stepson by Michael Bluejay and his cohorts on Bluejay’s seedy web site. I feel very sorry for anybody who reads those lies and, for lack of knowledge, might actually be tempted to believe them.

I first met Wayne 25 years ago when I began to date his father. I saw right away how good a minister he was and how fond his parishioners were of him. I especially liked his preaching, which always helped me to feel closer to God. My conversations with Wayne were the first time I had heard about Aesthetic Realism. Frankly, I didn’t understand it at first. But from talking with Wayne and attending a few presentations at the Aesthetic Realism Foundation, I rather quickly began to understand why Aesthetic Realism meant so much to him. The more I learned the more I saw how big and beautiful Aesthetic Realism is and how much it has to offer people.  

I have also personally felt the good will that Eli Siegel and Aesthetic Realism make possible in people’s lives. I am originally from Mexico and I have experienced the prejudice and the condescension that many people can often show toward Hispanics. I want to say from the bottom of my heart that when I am with Wayne and any of his colleagues who study Aesthetic Realism, I feel respected as a human being. I don’t have to worry about my accent or feel I am being looked down upon.   There is a desire to know what I feel and value what I have to say that means a great deal to me.

I don’t formally study Aesthetic Realism, but through Wayne and his wife Rosemary I have been a great beneficiary of their Aesthetic Realism education. I have enormous respect for Mr. Siegel not only for the breadth of his scholarship but also for his big heart and the way he has made so many people’s lives stronger and better.

Take it from me, the Michael Bluejay web site is a pack of lies.

What is this nonsense about students of Aesthetic Realism not being able to take vacations? Wayne and Rosemary have vacationed with us at our time share in Aruba. And we have taken other vacations as well.

What is this nonsense about living within walking distance of the Foundation? Wayne and Rosemary live very near us in Bloomfield, New Jersey. What is this nonsense about people’s lives being run from the “headquarters”? From what I have observed for over twenty years, Wayne and Rosemary run their own lives.

And what is this nonsense about Aesthetic Realism being a cult with members? The Aesthetic Realism Foundation is clearly an educational institution offering courses of study for those who wish to avail themselves of it. I have five children of my own and I wish they would all study Aesthetic Realism. There is no doubt in my mind their lives would be better off if they did—and I have told them so.

Over the years I have seen Wayne become a kinder and kinder person through his study of Aesthetic Realism, and because of what he learned I feel I have gained another son. I am a working person and he has been very generous in taking his father to doctors’ appointments and spending time with him. I know I can count on him when I need him and I am very grateful for this.  

Over the years Wayne’s Aesthetic Realism education has enabled him to take a genuine and deep interest in his father’s and my life and well-being. Our relation gets stronger with every day. And I have seen Wayne grow in his ministry as well. I have seen the passion he has to be a faithful pastor and sincere man of God. This matters very much to him and I believe that is why he cares for Aesthetic Realism so much. It has made it possible for him to be the Christian he always hoped to be.

I think it is clear that Michael Bluejay is putting forth these lies about Aesthetic Realism because he wants to be important. He acts as if he knows what Aesthetic Realism is when it is clear he doesn’t have a clue. It is a little bit like a child who thinks he can fly a jumbo jet because he knows how to glue a paper airplane together.

As outraged as I am by these despicable attacks from jealous and small-minded individuals, I am equally proud of Wayne’s calm steadfastness and fidelity to what he knows is true. I am proud to know him and to be his stepmother.  

 

 

READ WHAT'S TRUE—
  • Read statements by many individual men and women
  • Reviews from the NY Times Book Review, Saturday Review, Library Journal, Harlem Times, Popular Photography, and more
  • The poetry by Eli Siegel, so greatly respected by William Carlos Williams and many others
  • Read lectures by Eli Siegel on subjects as diverse as literature, love, & economics
  • What is learned in classes taught by Ellen Reiss

  • A Little Anthology of Comments (Some Funny We Hope) on Further Misrepresentations.

    >> Continue

    "On the Pleasures and Advantages of Anonymity: An Ode"—
    >> Continue

    A Dramatic and Cautionary Tale about an Unknown and Very Unimportant Person

    There once was a young man of ancient Greece named Milos. And Milos knew Socrates. He did not like Socrates because the great man asked far too many questions.... >> Continue

    Statements by Friends of Aesthetic Realism

    Barbara Allen
    Frances Amello
    Jerry Amello
    Christopher Balchin
    Mara Bennici
    David Berger
    Alice Bernstein
    Rachel J. Bernstein
    Barbara Buehler
    Gina Buffone
    Beverly Sue Burk
    Maureen Butler
    Jeffrey Carduner
    Margot Carpenter
    Lori & Robert Colavito
    Albert Corvino
    Nicholas Corvino
    Henry D'Amico
    Matthew D’Amico
    Ernest DeFilippis
    Vincent DiPietro
    Carol Driscoll
    Donita Ellison
    Anne Fielding
    Lorraine Galkowski, RN
    Pamela Goren
    Edward Green
    Avi Gvili
    Ames Huntting
    Mark Lale
    Dale Laurin
    Rose Levy
    Timothy Lynch
    Lorraine Mahoney, RN
    Derek Mali
    Glenn Mariano
    Haroldo Mauro Jr.
    Joseph Meglino
    Pauline Meglino
    Allan Michael
    Marvin Mondlin
    Robert Murphy
    Michael J. Nadeau
    Meryl Nietsch-Cooperman
    Ruth Oron
    Arnold Perey, PhD
    Lauren Phillips
    Jack Plumstead
    Maria Plumstead
    Rosemary Plumstead
    Rev. Wayne Plumstead
    Marcia Rackow
    Zvia Ratz
    Ann Richards
    Anthony C. Romeo
    Leila Rosen
    Rhonda Rosenthal
    Sally Ross
    Claudia Senatore
    Sheldon Silverman
    Jeffrey Sosinsky, MD
    Barbara Spetly McClung
    Joseph Spetly
    Faith K. Stern
    John Stern
    Arlene Sulkis
    Devorah Tarrow
    Jaime R. Torres, DPM
    Dennis L. Tucker
    Francine Weber
    Steve Weiner
    Miriam Weiss
    Carrie Wilson

    Also see the Aesthetic Realism Online Library  the Aesthetic Realism Foundation  Terrain Gallery  What scholars, writers, artists & teachers are saying  the Aesthetic Realism Theatre Company  & Links

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