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A Night Sky Rich with Falling Stars
Dear Friends, “West is the direction of endings . . . [i]t represents learning to find the road in the darkness” (109). If you’re paying attention the cover pages for each chapter, you’ve probably figured out by now that they do a nice job of summarizing the theme or mood of what’s to come. In…
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The Edge of Sorrow
Dear Friends, They say that pain is good for creativity. There’s a long mythology surrounding “the tortured artist,” so much so that the idea has become a cliché. The myth also becomes a problem, because many young aspiring artists believe they must seek out pain to become great, and that’s certainly not healthy (and it…
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Every Soul Has a Song
Dear Friends, There’s something special about poetic memoirs. Or memoirs by poets. I’ve found that these create a kind of bridge or common ground for readers who are unused to poetry and perhaps intimidated by it. Much like Mary Oliver’s Long Life, Joy Harjo’s Crazy Brave is primarily a narrative of her life, told in…
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Crazy Brave: Poetic Memoir
Dear Friend, If it’s the first of the month, that means it’s time for us to begin a new title in our contemplative reading journey! Today, we turn our attention to Joy Harjo’s Crazy Brave. My brief introduction to this book leads me to believe it incorporates prose and poetry, and in that way might…
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O Grave, Where Is Thy Victory?
Dear Friend, Do you know a National Book Award-winning book when you read one? I have to say, Blackouts drew me in immediately and, despite being experimental, it held my attention from start to finish. It was hard for me to stick to my pace because I kept wanting to read ahead. That’s the sign…
Contemplative Reading Project 