Supplementary material, photographs, outtakes, and commentary
Summer Hawthorn
Summer. Not my best season. While most people are thrilled with sunshine and heat and energetic Outdoor Activities, I just want to find my cave where I can sit by lamplight with a pot of tea and a good book. And a nice…
Equinox and Eclipse
I am already dreading the eclipse. I am awed by it, of course. Awed that it will roll across the United States, arriving in the Finger Lakes in the mid-afternoon and then continuing on its path into Canada. Where I live we will…
An Ending That Isn’t an Ending
“You will hurt,” the review promised. “Vietnam hurt us.” The reviewer was not the first to understand the heart of Seeking Quan Am, but they were perhaps the first to put it in such simple terms.
Imbolc, Groundhog Day, Presentation, Candlemas …
… Lunar New Year, Tet, days getting longer, people complaining about winter … “It’s Imbolc,” I say, brightly. “The first day of spring. In the Celtic calendar.” I don’t typically get a cheerful response. February 1st, at this latitude, is not what we…
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COZY WRITING
Winter At-Home Writers RetreatsWhether it’s a work-in-progress, or big plans, or an idea in the back of your head, winter, after the holidays, is a wonderful time to write. Getting out of town in winter weather is always a risk, though. Turn your…
January Writing
Two years ago I decided to do a self-guided writing retreat in the off-season at an artist residency center. My own space, my own time, alone, just me and my writing. I didn’t even want to negotiate the shared kitchen so I spent…
Winter Solstice
Dorie Greenspan has a classic recipe for the perfect cookie that she got from Pierre Hermé. It’s basically a French sablé but like an American chocolate chip cookie, it is made with both white and brown sugar. It’s got cocoa and chocolate and…
Why writing in January is a really good idea
The holidays are over.No one expects anything of you.It’s dark.No social obligations.Hygge.It’s quiet.There are still some cookies left. Cozy Writing : Winter At-Home Writers Retreats
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Advent 2023
As soon as we arrived in St. Petersburg, Florida, in the early 60s, my parents went “church shopping,” visiting Methodist churches one after another. Things went awry every time. One church didn’t have a Sunday School. The minister at another told newcomers to…
Still, the journey
The last three times I have traveled it was to Vietnam. I prepared in all the usual ways—passport, suitcase organization, contingency plans—and I used Rosetta Stone and/or Duolingo to study the language. I had no illusions that I would be able to speak…