Spirituality
Narrative Braid — The Teller And The Tale
The other day in the Sharpening the Quill Writers’ Workshop I lead every month, I talked about what’s known as the Universal Story in narrative — the common structure beneath all kinds of narrative. It has a triune form (as do most fairy tales and religious imagery, but that’s something for another day) and consists…
Read MoreWill I Write Again?
Perhaps it was Philip Roth’s announcement that he’s throwing in the pen that got me thinking about retiring from writing, but the thought has been skittering about in the darker corners of my mind over the past few weeks. It could also be a merely my usual pre-publishing state of mind. My Best Beloved assures…
Read MoreThe Spirituality of Imperfection
I’m re-reading a great book right now, called THE SPIRITUALITY OF IMPERFECTION. Sounds tailor-made for me, doesn’t it? I know, I know. This books speaks to me on several levels — as a person staying sober one day at a time, as a writer, and as someone seeking a closer relationship with the Sacred. In…
Read MoreReturn of the Light
Winter Solstice. The longest night. The darkest time. After the sorrow of this particular month, with the senseless slaughter of innocents a week ago today, and the mass insanity of doomsday cults, perhaps we may be forgiven for not quite believing the light will ever return. The darkness seems so impenetrable, so impossible to shift.…
Read MorePsychology Today article
I have an article about forgiveness up on the “Psychology Today” website . . . . many thanks to my friend, wonderful writer Ethan Gilsdorf, for making this happen. You can read the piece by clicking here. thanks!
Read MoreListening for the words
I recently spent the weekend in silence and centering prayer at a retreat center run by the Sisters of Saint Joseph in Cape May. It’s a glorious place overlooking the dunes and sea. I was there with some other folks who, like me, are trying to stay sober one day at a time. I had…
Read MoreThe Beloved Face in the Crowd
The news is tough. Civil unrest. Cruel dictators slaughtering their people. Earthquakes. Tsunamis. Nuclear disasters. It’s easy to become overwhelmed, and to want to tune out completely. That’s what happens when we’re deluged by unfathomable numbers. When we hear entire villages have vanished in the recent tsunami in Japan, how does the mind take it…
Read MoreWho are 'we'?
My new book, OUR DAILY BREAD, which will be out in September explores the idea of ‘us’ vs ‘them’. Who do we consider members of our community, of our family, of our tribe? As many of you know, I spend a lot of time in church basement rooms with other people who want to stay…
Read MoreThe Forgiveness Cure
I’m in the midst of editing my new novel, OUR DAILY BREAD, which will be released in the US in September. It’s the story of what happens in a small town when, for generations, certain folks have been ostracized, pushed away and left to fend for themselves. Considered Those People—beyond the pale, beyond redemption—they become…
Read MoreDeath Be Not Proud
“Death is a test of one’s maturity. Everyone has got to get through it on their own. I want very much to die. I want to become part of that vast extraordinary light. But dying is hard work. Death is in control of the process, I cannot influence its course. All I can do is…
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