for original writing of self and others
Constantine P. Cavafy could count E. M. Forster and W. H. Auden among his admirers. He became one of the most influential authors of the 20th century. His poem “Ithaca” (1911) may be the most often quoted modern Greek poem of all. –JGR __________________________________ ITHACA by Constantine P. Cavafy When you set out for distant…
I met Joe on-line during April’s Poem-a-Day. I met Marcy Burns when she reviewed “Sightlines: A Poet’s Diary.” Joe and Marcy are friends. He responded to my father’s poem for mother “When Trails Divide” by sending me a poem Ric Masten wrote for Joe’s wife. Marcy had sent me Ric Masten’s book “Words & One-Liners,…
Eden Maxwell joined us earlier this month by sharing his mother Adele Richter’s poem “A Child’s Regret.” Here Eden introduces his poem “Miles | Stones | Epiphany,” another Dharma autobiography. –JGR After reading Susan Ollar’s poem “Autobiography in Fourteen Lines,” I recalled a poem I wrote over a decade ago–a snapshot of a life in…
I met Colleen McKee through a St. Louis poetry workshop “Loosely Identified.” Colleen, a St. Louisan, is the author of a collection of poetry, My Hot Little Tomato (Cherry Pie, 2007). She also co-edited Are We Feeling Better Yet? Women Speak About Health Care in America (PenUltimate, 2008). “Natural Causes” originally appeared in Criminal Class…
I met artist-writer Gaye Gambell-Peterson through a St. Louis poetry workshop “Loosely Identified.” Gaye is indeed gay…in the old sense of the word…carefree, happy, and bubbly. She’s the kind of gal that matches the spirit of her red shoes. In Gary’s newest book MYnd mAp Gaye’s collages and poems speak to each other across the…
I met Susan Ollar eons ago it seems, at a Rigpa Tibetan Buddhist retreat. We spent the summer together at Lerab Ling in France. Since then we have become Sangha Sisters. Susan marked her 60th birthday this April. Pondering what to do about it, she decided to celebrate. Susan recalled a conversation of ours. I’d…
Lucille Clifton was an American poet, writer, and educator from New York. Her poetry of African-American heritage and the female body gave insight and hope. Lucille was the first person in her family to finish high school and attend college. She started Howard University on scholarship as a drama major, but lost the scholarship two…
I met Janet Muirhead Hill through Women Writing the West. Janet is the author of several novels for children ages 8 – 14, including the Miranda and Starlight series of six book about the bond, formed in tragic circumstances, between a horse (Starlight) and a young girl. (Miranda.) I’m a huge fan of her work….
I met Nancy Beyer, along with her mother, at the Story Circle Network in Austin. Her creative work runs from piano, to fabric arts, to watercolor artist, to poetry. She’s currently writing a story about her views of growing up. She told me a lovely story of a party where every woman received a limerick…
Laurie Nienhaus is an author, playwright, witty blogger, and public speaker living on Fort Myers Beach, Florida. She describes her blog “No Cobwebs Here” as “The Place for the Stuff Flitting About in My Head.” See three other fascinating online drawing rooms below where Laurie brings back civility and graciousness. –JGR ______________________ Not Letting Me…