Solace in a Book

Slice of Solace: Carl Sandburg “At a Window”

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I can image Carl Sandburg looking out the window at the treetops and being inspired to write this poem. It is from the “Fogs and Fires” section of his Chicago Poems.  Like much of Carl Sandburg’s works, this poem is in the public domain. There’s lot of his work available on the Internet; I got this from a site devoted to of all his poems from this book. At the site for the Academy of American Poets, you can find more by Carl Sandburg. And if you’re a Chicagoan, particularly a … [Read more...]

Competition, trees, and contentment

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An article has been buzzing in the social media network; it's from a business publication and says that creative writing is a super competitive field, number two in a list of ten. Poets, Lyricists, and Creative Writers ranked right under Choreographers. Who knew? I had no idea about the competitive level of the dance world. But as far the occupation of creative writing, the finding that it is so competitive is no-duh. I do know that of all the creative writers, it is poets … [Read more...]

Daniel Cleary: “Fireside”

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  I "met" Daniel Cleary over Facebook. He lives in Chicago and we know people in common so it is surprising I have not met him in reality. I enjoy his posts, whether they are his original paintings (Dan is a visual artist) or his own poems or work by Yeats.  He posted this poem as a Thanksgiving wish, and, admiring it, I asked if I could post it here too.  Daniel Cleary was nice enough to let me use it and mentioned that "Fireside" received an honorable mention in a … [Read more...]

Grateful for Chicago Lit scene

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You may say that I am coming off a big bookfair high, and maybe I am.  But this Thanksgiving I am thankful for the Chicago literary community. I am grateful to be part of a creative community where so many people are devoted to writing and working at making books. To be around literary thinkers is a heady experience—there’s a great vibe.  And what is even better is that these people are nice and fun and supportive of each other. Since October I’ve been part of three … [Read more...]