Writer’s life
Even So …. #12
Day ? of the pandemic. I finished a wonderful book this morning. THE OLD WOMAN AND THE RIVER, by Ismail Fahd Ismali, a brilliant Kuwaiti writer, immensely respected in the Arab world. I’ll share the back of the book quote with you, and if you read it you’ll see why: “As the war between Iran…
Read MoreEven So…#8
Day ? of the pandemic. The storms roll in, tornado warnings and flooding, devastation for so many in the south, although you’d think plagues would be enough, and everyone pitches in to help, even so. And when the storms rolled out, the sun returned, the grass was crystal-speckled and the air smelled of grass and…
Read MoreEven So…#4
On day ? of the plague: The full moon offered her silver energy to my open arms last night, even so. Lightning lit up the sky in the witching hour, a display full of wonder, in spite of everything. The bread didn’t rise, but thanks to a friend’s recipe, the tontons were delicious, even so.…
Read MoreDo You Keep Writing? Three Lessons
Every day I hear from writers who tell me how impossible it is to keep going, how they are broken by this ‘business’ and they see no reason to continue. Often this means they see no reason to continue living, since being a writer/creator/artist is so deeply embedded in the soul as the archetype by…
Read MoreQuiet Grace
This wet and green May morning I’m sitting in a log cabin next to the Bushkill Creek, drinking coffee, dog by my side, My Best Beloved in the chair by the big window, which is filled with the sweet green leaves of spring. It’s raining today, so green is greener, tree trunks are browner, the…
Read MoreWriter’s Block of Ice Breaks Up!
Thank you, everyone, for your support during a dry spell, for encouraging, and listening, and understanding this fragile writer. I’ve learned some things, and I want to pass that on, so let’s talk process. It goes like this: I begin a novel. Oh, the golden glory and silver slide of words from mind to finger to…
Read MoreWhen we are here… here…look!
As some of you know, I popped off social media a few days ago. I’m a bit conflicted, I admit, and probably in the thrall of withdrawal, if you will. I miss people — and I hope they will find me and reach out. But I’m also much more at peace. I do not need another…
Read MoreA Return to the Beginning
T.S. Eliot’s Little Gidding. These lines: We shall not cease from exploration And the end of all our exploring Will be to arrive where we started And know the place for the first time. Circles. Wheels. In Indigenous spirituality, in Pagan spirituality worldwide, as well as in mystical forms of all major religions, this form has…
Read MoreWisdom for a Hunger Moon
Here in North America, Indigenous people tell us the name for the full moon in February is the Snow Moon, or the Hunger moon. Yesterday we had what New Jersey folk call a snow storm, and while it was a bit blustery, for this Canadian, 4 inches of snow is hardly a storm. Still, it…
Read MoreResistance Right Where You Are
It’s a tough time in the world and I’ve been pondering what, if anything, to say, wondering if the world needed yet another voice yapping on about justice and mercy. And what would I say, anyway…that I’m for it? Seems obvious, doesn’t it? What I do believe is that each of us is given a…
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