There is something so extraordinary about Tea Obreht's exquisite novel, The Tiger's Wife, set in what was once Yugoslavia over the course of WWI, WWII, and the recent wars that resulted in its dissection into new territories. War forms an continuous backdrop throughout the novel, often as a distant but deeply felt anxiety and sometimes […]
Folklore and Three Generations of War Read More »
I am in a frenzy, following up from a the previous post on the art of Katherine Ace. We were writing about the surface of art in painting and oral narrative performance of well known fairy tales contrasted with the subtext of evocative imagery — the tension between the encounters of the
The Skin and Blood of Art: Atwood and Lorca Read More »
In addition to writing sublime poetry, Emily Dickinson was also an excellent cook and baker. She often baked sweets and cakes for her neighbors and the neighborhood children. But poetry was never far from her mind and she combined her cooking arts with her literary skills. On the back of her recipe for this coconut
Emily Dickinson: Poetry on the Back of a Coconut Cake Read More »
This is a lovely piece of animation from Russian animator Ekaterinburg Natacha Černyšovo who studied animation in France. It is so charming and delightful. It has been a few years since I first saw this little video, and in between my first posting and now re-posting, I have become a grandmother, which has made this film
The Return: Beautiful New Animation Read More »
I had one of those remarkable encounters while reading Kate Atkinson's Case Histories, who was describing in almost identical words an idea I had explored years ago in a poem. It is an ambiguous moment in motherhood, knitting power and love in a fierce and consuming way. It's awful really, selfish as it expresses a desire
The Hungry Mother: Kate Atkinson and Baba Yaga Read More »
Every morning we hike at sunrise to watch the sun lift in the east and light up the Flat Irons in the west. The path is full of river stones and rocks. And at this one, I stop and say hello — for it seems to me a perfect description of my working life: weaving,
How I See Myself In the Stones Read More »
I published this post seven years ago and decided it seemed as apt and relevant today as it did all those years ago. I blog because I am a collector, a magpie attracted to shiny things — not all beautiful, but for some reason of interest. In the old days, I kept notebooks
Magpie Blogging: Redux. Read More »
For eleven years my website has been devoted to my endeavors as an author — the research, books reviews, excerpts from my work and the writing life. And it has been fun writing and publishing a bunch of books, articles, and short fiction. Some of it is available on the website here at In the
Two Paths, One Destination. Read More »
Wishing everyone a happy, productive, and peaceful 2018. My resolutions will probably last as long as the evening. But I am confident my prayers for a better world and a year full of friends, family, art, and books will endure.
On the Cusp of Another New Year Read More »
