Take a thread from these thoughts and write for at least 10 minutes…and then 10 minutes more…to tap into your mind on the topic of connection and barriers to connection. Connection and the possibility for connection surrounds us. The oxygen we breathe together connects us. What do we share? What brings people together? What separates…
Evergreen Heights, the place founded by E. A. Riehl and our homeplace still…where he communed with nature and forged paths to become one of the 8 premiere horticulturalist in the world at that time. E. A. Riehl was a pillar of the community, though known not to suffer fools gladly. The lane which ends in…
African goddess mask emerging from Botswana basket…greeting and welcoming guests as they enter the Goddess Gathering Room. —JGR The phrase “Outer, Inner, Secret, and Innermost Secret” comes from a practice sequence in Tibeten Buddhism. OUTER In the design of space in my apartment, the Outer room in the front room…what most folks would call the…
At dinnertime recently, my father recalled this story, and I asked him to share it with us. What follows is his author’s note from his novel “The Upper Crust.” —JGR _______________________________ Pie! THE UPPER CRUST An explanation of the title might be helpful. I was raised by three maiden aunts and my maternal grandfather. They…
“They welcomed me by letting me know that they hadn’t let me go. I was remembered. As far as they were concerned, no matter how far I roamed or what we’d had to do to survive, I was still in the story with them, and had never actually left the village.” Martín Prechtel Artist Writer…
Photo by Susan Tweit From witnessing my father at ceremonies surrounding death, I’ve learned a new approach to being at these events. He is completely natural. He visits. He chats. He may even make a joke. He tells stories. These are transmissions of comfort through the transmission of culture. I have never heard him utter…
Flora, Goddess of Flowers May first. May Day is a many-splendored thing with more official holiday designations than perhaps any other day of the year. I recall as a child weaving May Day wreaths from spirea branches cut from our bushes and hanging them on our neighbors door. I especially liked hanging my wreath on…
Naomi Shihab Nye (Image Credit: Stephen Barclay Agency—Photo by James Evans) As the beauteous Ibtisam Barakat (author of “Taste the Sky”—see post below as well) laid out a table filled with books overflowing with tabbed pages and Naomi Shihab Nye’s wisecracks began to flow alongside her wisdom, we knew we were in for something besides…
Sankofa is an Adinkra Symbol from Ghana meaning “Return and Fetch It.” Click here to read Riehlife post from December 5, 2007 on how Sankofa has defined the path of my life. The SANKOFET is a poetry form created by the Sisters-Nineties Literary Group. The format has three verses or stanzas of seven lines each….
Anne Schroeder is a fifth generation Californian, whose love of writing was fueled by stories of immigrant ancestors. Anne evokes the drama of growing up in a close-knit Southern California farm community in her first memoir, “Branches on the Conejo: Leaving the Soil after Five Generations.” Anne and I are linked by our love of…