The other day I was with writer friends and someone mentioned something (a new placement, a publishing deal, a new confidante), and was a little timid about going into specifics, but then did, and, wow, the feeling I was left with was . . . envy. I was quiet about it. Didn’t mention it to anyone. I was ashamed and embarrassed I felt this way. But deep down I couldn’t help myself from thinking: When will it be my turn? No wonder Envy is in the top seven. When it … [Read more...]
Archives for May 2015
Massachusetts State Poetry & Amy Dengler Memorial Poetry Contest
“Sweetness comes from the baker’s hands, / the art of rising from generations / making their way in the world. The making / begins with breaking the egg, / releasing the small sun within, stirring . . ..” These words from “Portuguese Sweet Bread” introduced me to Amy Dengler from Gloucester, MA. She is one of the contributors to Solace in So Many Words who has passed away. As I reported in January 2012, Amy’s fellow poets in the Wordcrafters chapter of the Massachusetts … [Read more...]
Glimpse of solace: the promise in a blossom
I could tell you I’ve been working on a blog, but that wouldn’t be entirely true. Sure, I wrote one, but it has sat untouched for more than a week. Spring has interfered. So I will leave you with these two recent photos that promise of more to come. … [Read more...]
Celebrating Solace in so many years
Four years ago Solace in So Many Words was launched. As expected, sales have tapered off, but I still frequently hear from people that the book has helped them. Maybe they consulted it when a loved one died or turned to it on a night when they need some consolation. This makes me feel good for it is the reason I created the book. We have mourned the death of a few of the 52 contributors and we celebrate the great work continuing to be done by the others. The web site … [Read more...]
Celebrating Mother’s Day with Lesléa Newman
Happy Mother’s Day! I hope it is a great day and that you are able to celebrate in some way. My heart goes out to all of you who are missing your mother or are missing being a mother this Sunday. I am happy to share two poems by Lesléa Newman. They are from her latest book, I Carry My Mother. If the name Lesléa Newman sounds familiar, you may have recently read about the 25th anniversary of her ground-breaking book Heather Has Two Mommies. A new edition just came … [Read more...]