Solace in a Book

Take that hour and make it your present

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It’s my favorite weekend of the year because it is the end of Daylight Savings–that extra hour we get when we set our clocks back is the best present of all. I’m here to suggest you put it to productive use: Take a nap. Crawl under the covers and think of yourself for once. You deserve it! I know I’ll be celebrating that way. I don’t have too many worries in the napping department. On the contrary, I could write a book on “Women Who Nap Too Much,” except I don’t think … [Read more...]

October news — Facèré’s Signs of Life and LitroUK

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Hello.  Happy October to all.  Some would say the month started off with a dumpster fire of emotions. The Kavanaugh hearing on Thursday September 27 has left many of us feeling out of sorts. There is enough commentary on this situation so I won't fuel the fire. Instead I'll use this space to promote two new placements of mine. I had the pleasure of writing a poem on commission for Facèré Jewelry Art Gallery, specifically in response to a beautiful glass bead necklace … [Read more...]

Helen Degen Cohen — My Life on Film

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I was glad to hear that Helen Degen Cohen's posthumous poetry collection My Life on Film is now out. A founding editor of Rhino Poetry, Helen Degen Cohen was a central figure in the Chicago area poetry community. When she died in 2015, she left behind several projects-in-progress, including an almost-finished manuscript of poems highlighting her in-depth interest in film. My Life on Film is published by Glass Lyre Press and the launch for it is Sunday, September 23rd … [Read more...]

Rainy days and difficult teachers

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It’s been rainy for days here in Chicago. Fortunately I’ve had a good book to keep me occupied and which I recommend. It’s Night Hawks by Charles Johnson (Scribner, 2018). It is a collection of stories. Many of the stories start with an epigraph. The story “Welcome to Wedgewood” begins with a quote from an Associated Press news item and one from Kahlil Gibran. It is this latter one that has occupied my thoughts so I share it with you. Peace, love, and solace I … [Read more...]