Since plunging again into the world of literary writing, I have been thinking about how words--reading and writing them--are a home and how much books have always been not material objects but friends. It's something that I don't think a lot of people understand. Writers almost always do. Thanks for posting this today, Meg.
That quote is incredible, but this article is really hits home for me Meg. That’s the way to look at it, we can’t control what all is happening in the world but we can make our own worlds places to nurture our creativity as well as others.
What keeps me going in the universe of the written word is... reading. I love to inhabit what others have created and discover experiences burrowed deep within their expressive potential. An unexpected word, a perfect metaphor, or a surprising turn of phrase can give me goosebumps, and I find myself savoring it over and over.
I am reading "Easy Beauty" right now, and it's fascinating to access physical, mental, and emotional experiences that would have been barred from my world were it not for the author's decision to write (and rewrite, and rewrite again, to make it dazzle). The previous book I read was a memoir by a mother who lost her son to suicide induced by psychosis; learning about schizophrenia through her eyes, as a poet, was a profound experience.
The next book I pop open may not be as impactful, but there will always be more. Whole mountain ranges whose ridges hide gems, placed there by the human drive to live, to love, and to leave something behind for others.
Thanks for feeding us with some great things to read and nourish us, Meg.
Thanks for your comment, Betty. The memoir is actually in Spanish. It's won a bunch of awards and accolades, so an English translation may exist or may be in the works. It's called "Lo que no tiene nombre" ("What has no name"), by Piedad Bonnett (Colombia's premier poet at the moment). It's a powerful read.
That's a wonderful statement from NG. Writing is a place, and I find that concrete details and juxtapositions will always land me in story.
I cannot get enough of these inspiring words. I love building and rebuilding the archive of
heart and mind each time I write and develop a story. There’s nothing more satisfying than pondering the possibilities of human and animal life.
This Natalie Goldberg quote. WOW.
right???
Since plunging again into the world of literary writing, I have been thinking about how words--reading and writing them--are a home and how much books have always been not material objects but friends. It's something that I don't think a lot of people understand. Writers almost always do. Thanks for posting this today, Meg.
Love this!! What a potent reminder!
That quote is incredible, but this article is really hits home for me Meg. That’s the way to look at it, we can’t control what all is happening in the world but we can make our own worlds places to nurture our creativity as well as others.
What keeps me going in the universe of the written word is... reading. I love to inhabit what others have created and discover experiences burrowed deep within their expressive potential. An unexpected word, a perfect metaphor, or a surprising turn of phrase can give me goosebumps, and I find myself savoring it over and over.
I am reading "Easy Beauty" right now, and it's fascinating to access physical, mental, and emotional experiences that would have been barred from my world were it not for the author's decision to write (and rewrite, and rewrite again, to make it dazzle). The previous book I read was a memoir by a mother who lost her son to suicide induced by psychosis; learning about schizophrenia through her eyes, as a poet, was a profound experience.
The next book I pop open may not be as impactful, but there will always be more. Whole mountain ranges whose ridges hide gems, placed there by the human drive to live, to love, and to leave something behind for others.
Thanks for feeding us with some great things to read and nourish us, Meg.
Thank you for sharing here! I’ll check out Easy Beauty!
What’s the name of that memoir, Federico?
Thanks for your comment, Betty. The memoir is actually in Spanish. It's won a bunch of awards and accolades, so an English translation may exist or may be in the works. It's called "Lo que no tiene nombre" ("What has no name"), by Piedad Bonnett (Colombia's premier poet at the moment). It's a powerful read.