“Invictus”(2009) is masterful. When the Springboks, a South African Rugby team, wins the 1995 World Cup, we see a near miracle of unification. Nelson Mandela, newly elected, chooses the nearly all-white (read “Africaner” or “Boer”) rugby team as a symbol to stitch together the racially and economically divided country after the struggle to end apartheid….
The End of Overeating, by David Kessler is a fascinating but horrifying story of modern food and why we can’t stop eating it. Built into our brains is a quest for rare but needed food elements–fat, sugar, and salt. Modern industrial food production has learned how to pile these into ever-more enticing offerings. Obesity began…
JGR Note: The Savage Detectives (Los Detectives Salvajes in Spanish) is an award-winning novel published by the Chilean author Roberto Bolaño in 1998. Go here for a cool Excel chart of the mammoth second section of “Savage Detectives.” ____________________ Roberto Bolano is newly the ‘it’ guy of world literature. In Savage Detectives he takes us…
We have dedicated two cycles of three posts each on the topic of fear in creative practice. “Mission Possible”is the second post in the second cycle. Our last post in this series will appear in October. Stephanie Farrow collaborates with me in writing our Creative Catalyst column for Story Circle Network’s blog: “Telling Her Stories.”
My friend Karim Khan (Our Man in Pakistn) writing under the pen name Ernest Dempsey has come out with his fourth book, “The Blue Fairy: and other tales of transcendence (Modern History Press, an imprint of Loving Healing Press, “1 in the World Voices Series). Dempsey’s previous books are: “The Biting Age” (short stories reveling…
Whether we have been emotionally wounded by trauma or not, recovering the self and carrying the feeling of hope and healing with us is a worthy human pursuit. “Recovering the Self: A Journal of Hope and Healing” (vol.I, No. 1) lives up to its name and the promise it offers. The cover image of dancers…
Week Nine July 27-31 Here we are at the 9th and last week of the Internet tour for “Sightlines: A Family Love Story in Poetry and Music” audio book. It’s been a grand adventure that those of you following and dipping into it have enjoyed. This week there are two excellent wrap-up posts. Irene Watson…
Sarah Moore reviews “Sightlines: A Family Love Story in Poetry and Music” on Writers in the Sky’s e-zine. Here’s an excerpt from Sarah’s review: Each moment of the CDs is filled with warmth, humor, and a deep connection to those who have come before us. Sightlines is a must-have audio book for anyone who appreciates…
Kendra Bonnett reviews “Sightlines: A Family Love Story in Poetry and Music” on Women’s Memoirs Book Raves. Here’s an excerpt from her review: Although Sightlines is very personal, the reader is not left outside to be a distant observer, peering through a cracked door or listening at the keyhole. The reader recognizes the history, the…
MEMOIR MOVES READER INTO LIGHT In Standing in the Light: My Life as a Pantheist, Sharman Apt Russell invites the reader on a quest to resolve the tensions inevitable to one who proposes to live consciously: living in the nature of the beautiful Gila Valley, New Mexico versus maintaining a job and children’s activities in…