Books
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Who Wants to Think?
Like many Americans, I’ve been trying to understand why the current occupant of the Oval Office has so many staunch supporters. Why are they so loyal to someone so obviously guilty of perjury and perfidy? I recently read something that… Continue reading
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No, No Kondo
In her best-selling book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, Marie Kondo recommends maintaining a personal library of JUST 30 BOOKS! No way that would bring me any joy. That being said, I spent several days this week purging my… Continue reading
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On Turning 66
Today I turn 66 which is meaningful for two reasons: one, I am now eligible for full Social Security benefits. More significantly, I have now lived my life respecting my lesbianism for as long I as I lived my life fearing… Continue reading
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Ignite 5/31/19
“Flannery O’Connor said that anyone who has survived childhood has enough material to write for the rest of his or her life. Maybe your childhood was grim and horrible, but grim and horrible is okay if it is well done.… Continue reading
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The Cruelest Month — Part Two
Stanley Plumly, a poet who served as the poet laureate of Maryland for nine years, died on April 11 from complications of multiple myeloma. He was 79 years old. According to his obituary in the Washington Post, Plumly’s poetry, “drew… Continue reading
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A Hush Now, Linda Gregg
Within four days of each other two of my favorite poets have died: W.S. Merwin on March 15, and Linda Gregg two days ago. Gregg was first introduced to me by my late poet friend, Kathy Mitchell, and yesterday, I… Continue reading
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Thanks, W.S. Merwin
W.S. Merwin, whose poems about the fragility of the natural world and the horrors of the Vietnam War earned him two Pulitzer Prizes and made him one of the preeminent English-language poets of the past five decades, died March 15… Continue reading
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Winter Sleep
Yesterday, much-loved poet Mary Oliver died of lymphoma. She was 83. As NPR posted in its obituary, “Oliver won many awards for her poems, which often explore the link between nature and the spiritual world; she also won a legion… Continue reading
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The Light Within You
This Spark and Spitfire post introduces a new regular feature and category — Sparks — thoughts, excerpts, rants, etc. — inspired by my current reading. What purpose does religion serve in our lives? Why does religion still exist in the 21st century?… Continue reading
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In Cold Texas
On August 11, 2006 — a sweltering Friday night — 16-year-old Amber Wyatt reported that she had been raped in a storage shed off a dirt road in Arlington, Texas. Few believed her. Her hometown turned against her. The authorities… Continue reading
