Creative Writing Blog
A Winter Solstice Poem
A friend recently sent me a winter solstice poem. I was happy to be reminded of this poem, and thought I’d pass it on to you–it’s so nice to be able to share what we enjoy and find helpful. The solstice is the darkest time of year, but it also is a time that reminds...
Joy Harjo’s Poetry
People have widely different experiences of Thanksgiving, which can bring up all kinds of things.I want to share a poem by Joy Harjo, a member of the Muscogee Nation and the current national poet laureate. In our complicated history and nation, I like to return to...
You Are Enough
This happens to me every year: suddenly, without my knowing quite how it happened, it’s the holiday season again. The days are getting darker, and I wonder where all the time has gone. Life passes so quickly! It’s a challenge to keep up, to pay attention and to...
Practicing with Silence
I was away last week at a silent Vipassana retreat in Western Mass. For three days, we meditated at least 10 hours a day and had very few external stimuli. In meditation, we bring our attention inward, to our own internal sensations and practice noticing—but not...
Killer Whale Moms, Women’s Wisdom, My Book Party, and more
So what do I want to have in common with a killer whale mom? This probably isn’t the question that you’ve been wishing I’d answer, but I’ll tell you anyway: it’s not a hunger for seals; it’s not my weight; it’s that when an orca mother’s reproductive years are...
The High Shelf is here!
The High Shelf is here!!! This is a special moment—and a bit surreal. So much work goes into making any book, and I can say this book in particular has been such a labor of love—and time. As many of you know, this book has been over a decade in the making, and it...
Poetry, Emptiness and Mindfulness: the Cover of The High Shelf
The cover of my poetry book, The High Shelf, is an image of a painted sky with a few birds soaring in it. In the poem from which the book takes its title, I imagine a high shelf suspended in the sky without supports: Explanation of the World It was a shelf–– a high...
Life Transitions, a Poem and More
It’s already the end of summer! I've had a wonderful summer enjoying more time in the country, soaking up the sun and the woods and enjoying the water. Even when I'm mindful and trying to be present, time still speeds by, and it's hard to keep up with life...
Wealth, Abundance and What Really Matters
What we value: wealth, writing, and more. I'm writing from Maine, and I'm very lucky to get to spend a lot of time outside in the summer. For most of my adult life, I've prioritized time over money, the leisure to appreciate over the ability to accumulate. I...
