Freedom – not just on July 4th but all summer long – that’s how I remember summers when I was a child growing up in Virginia. Life seemed so simple then. When the last day of school finally arrived, it felt as if a whole lifetime was waiting at the door – months stretching ahead…
Haiku is simple enough for young children but complicated and intuitive enough to engage people of all ages and across cultures. Haiku’s very short form consisting of only three lines may appear trite or non-sensical. But if that were so, it would not have endured for centuries and continue to be written in many languages…
I love to walk. It’s always been my number one choice for exercise. As a child my friends and I walked to school every day, explored the woods nearby and sometimes walked the couple of miles to and from downtown to shop or visit the library. We could walk wherever we wanted to go. Years…
Writing for one’s self can be awfully important, but sometimes it isn’t easy. As soon as you tell yourself you’re going to write, grab your pen and paper and prepare to write, all of those incredible thoughts you had vanish. Even many well-known writers report suffering from writer’s block when faced with a blank page. They may…
Florence Williams, journalist, best-selling author, and contributor to numerous publications including Outside magazine, the New York Times, National Geographic and others will be in Columbia to discuss her newest book, The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes Us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative on Tuesday, April 17, 2018, sponsored by the Palmetto Conservation Foundation. Williams makes the…
Dreams and poetry have a lot in common – a belief I have held for over 20 years. In 1995, during a retreat I attended in Mexico, a noted American poet was also there and graciously shared from his life’s work. He read and recited his poems and led an afternoon workshop each day for a small…
One of my new year’s resolutions is to pay more attention to my breathing. I’ll have plenty of chances to do this, but it’s going to require determination too. We take about 20,000 breaths daily and approximately 100 million breaths in a lifetime. Although we can go without food for several weeks and without liquid…
Every December, newspaper headlines shout, “Looking Back” – “Recapping Highlights” – “Best Stories of the Year!” They remind me that it’s time to review my personal year too – rereading journal entries, organizing clippings and cards and thinking about some ups and downs during 2017. It’s a good time to collect our thoughts and do…
The Holiday Season has arrived. It might seem that it began months ago when the shelves in most stores around town filled with red and green decorations and gifts. To me, Thanksgiving feels more like the official beginning of the season. Growing up, my family’s annual Thanksgiving tradition was to feast at noon on turkey…
An email from Garrison Keillor’s Writers Almanac noted that October 1st was the birthday of crime fiction superstar Elmore Leonard and spelled out his 10 Rules for Good Writing. I’m curious when a list of writing tips catches my eye. What’s more, Leonard’s name was familiar, so I set out to learn more. After a few…
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