At the end of my street behind our local Milk Bar at the intersection of two cobbled laneways, there was once an abandoned and dilapidated community garden. Amongst the long unruly grass were two raised vegetable beds overflowing with noxious weeds and about ten fruit trees crying out for love and attention. Presiding over this sad forlorn garden, was an enormous and magnificent fig tree showing … [Read more...]
Finding Duende.
On Sunday, I discovered the word duende in a most exquisite essay by Tracy K Smith. It was required reading for students in the manuscript masterclass I’ve joined. (I highly recommend reading it. The link is below.) Duende (according to Wikipedia) is defined as the Spanish term for a heightened state of emotion, expression and authenticity often connected with flamenco. It’s the … [Read more...]
Blown Away. Thank you.
Last week I shared that I’m currently writing Community Rising: On love, belonging and togetherness. I asked you to Nominate Your Community for research and potential stories. (Nominations are still open.) I was blown away by the response and I’m still wading through all the emails. Thank you if you were one of the warm-hearted communitarians who responded. If I haven’t replied to you yet, I … [Read more...]
Nominate Your Community.
I’m currently writing Community Rising: On love, belonging and togetherness. It’s consuming most of my waking hours and really starting to take shape – at last! The book is a practical guide covering; why community is essential to the rebuilding of our society (now and post-pandemic); how we can each cultivate our own communitarian spirit and become a valued member of community; and … [Read more...]
Focus On The Future.
This morning I woke up on the wrong side of the bed. I couldn’t pinpoint exactly why. There was just a general air of grumpiness, weariness and worry about me. Perhaps you’ve been feeling this too, lately? We’d all be forgiven for this right now, that’s for sure! Instead of ignoring my grumpiness and getting on with the day, I grabbed a cup of coffee and my journal and chose to … [Read more...]