In this final installment of our To Bless the Space Between Us book club, we reflect on John O’Donohue’s blessings related to callings and endings.
Search Results for: Life Notes
Poetry as a Way of Ordering Experience: “The Music of Time” by John Burnside
Poetry can be a way to bring meaning and order to one’s life, writes John Burnside in “The Music of Time: Poetry in the Twentieth Century.”
A Ritual to Read to Each Other: Of Mysteries and Monsters
Author Megan Willome considers what mysteries and monsters have in common during her monthly reading roundup, A Ritual to Read to Each Other.
Poetry Prompt: Use Your Words
In a time when touch is largely prohibited, author Callie Feyen invites us to turn to poetry to express how we feel about friendship—using more than words.
“The House of Seven Gables” by Nathaniel Hawthorne – Still a Fascinating Story
“The House of Seven Gables” by Nathaniel Hawthorne is more Gothic romance than ghost tale; whatever the genre, it remains a fascinating story.
Buried in the Basement: “Tolkien’s Lost Chaucer” by John Bowers
A significant work by J.R.R. Tolkien on Chaucer sat unnoticed in a library basement for 60 years. “Tolkien’s Lost Chaucer” tells the story.
Editor of the Legendarium: Christopher Tolkien (1924-2020)
We owe a great debt to Christopher Tolkien, who as literary executor of his father’s estate unlocked the legendarium of Middle-earth.
Wisdom Literature: The Aphorisms of Yahia Lababidi
“Signposts to Elsewhere,” a collection of aphorisms by poet Yahia Lababidi, is a beautifully rendered work, full of poetry and wisdom.
W.H. Auden’s “September 1, 1939″ – The Biography of a Poem by Ian Sansom
“September 1, 1939” is one of Auden’s most famous poems. But British writer Ian Sansom sees the flaws. His biography of the poem and the poet is marvelous.
Reader Come Home: “Adjustments”
Come learn the secrets of being a deep reader as we read ‘Adjustments,’ a very funny book about a man not unlike Keats. And share your October pages in our Reader, Come Home roundup.
Poetry Prompt: Begin with Your Feet Poems
How does learning a new skill help free us to become more ourselves? Join author Callie Feyen as she begins with her feet in a Zumba class. Then write a poem!
Reader, Come Home: “Because Internet”
The internet made me do it. Come learn the secrets of being a deep reader as author Megan Willome reads “Because Internet.” And share your August pages.
Naomi Shihab Nye: Young People’s Poet Laureate
Author Megan Willome takes a trip to the library with Young People’s Poet Laureate Naomi Shihab Nye. Refreshments will be served.
A Resource for Fiction Writers and Poets: “The Art of the Essay” — What?
“The Art of the Essay” by Charity Singleton Craig is not only for nonfiction writers; novelists and poets can benefit from it as well.
Poets and Poems: Rachael Allen and “Kingdomland”
The poems of “Kingdomland” by Rachael Allen depict a strange landscape, one that is both unfamiliar and oddly recognizable.
Walking in the Dark: A Path Into Poetry
Walking (especially in the dark) is author Megan Willome’s path to poetry. Her steps begin in early morning moonlight and sometimes trace past a windmill.
The Power of Curiosity: “Can I Touch Your Hair?” by Irene Latham & Charles Waters
Author Laura Brown discusses how curiosity deepens friendship, using the children’s book “Can I Touch Your Hair: Poems of Race, Mistakes, and Friendship.”
Book Club: How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci: Curiosità
Often, the most important thing is not the answer, but the question. Michael Gelb (and Leonardo da Vinci) suggest we write a hundred questions to get our curiosity started.
Book Club: How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci: The Renaissance Person
To be a Renaissance Person, one must have a more expansive view of what creativity requires. Surprisingly, that creativity sometimes begins with events that rewire society (and our ways of thinking and being). Join us in our discussion of How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci.
“Robert Graves” – A Biography of a War Poet by Jean Moorcroft Wilson
Jean Moorcroft Wilson’s new biography of war poet Robert Graves allows the reader to walk in his shoes and understand his poetry and his odd personal life.