Stories and food, that’s all we really want. Maybe a drink. As we sat on the tarmac, delayed for a transatlantic flight, everyone around me poked at the screen on the seat-back in front of her, hoping to get them going with the promised movies or television series. When the plane took off, and those […]
Stories, Science, and More Stories Read More »
I had the wonderful opportunity last night to hear Joan Baez live in our little town. Yes, Joan Baez of anti-war, hippie-days, protest, and beautiful love fame. And she was beautiful. The place, Charlottesville’s Pavilion on the downtown mall was packed. Lots of gray heads in the crowd but not all, and everyone seemed to
Joan Baez and Ezekiel Read More »
If I had to pick one grand architectural image to go with the Cyrus Cylinder, I think it would be the Ishtar Gate (though built by Nebuchadnezzar II, not Cyrus). Oddly enough, the best place to see the ruins from Babylon of a gate complex named for the Mesopotamian goddess of love and war is
Cyrus the Great and the Ishtar Gate Read More »
What should we do with knowledge that undermines a force for good? I attended the Cyrus Cylinder symposium at DC’s Freer Sackler Gallery, the artifact’s first stop on its U.S. tour. It was a sunny Saturday morning, yet the hall was packed, and no one was snoozing. Rightly so, as the presenters are among the
Ancient Cyrus Cylinder Stirs Modern Passions and Debate Read More »
The Cyrus Cylinder has great potential for Iran-U.S. relations. So I was thinking: wouldn’t it be great if President Obama were to hike on down to the Freer Sackler Gallery, just a few blocks from the White House to take a look? Here’s my letter inviting him to do so. If you like it, feel
Dear President Obama, abt the Cyrus Cylinder Read More »
I was just thinking: wouldn’t it be fun to have a spot to feature artifacts, documents, persons, architecture, anything concrete related to my historical fiction set in ancient Babylon and Persia? Perhaps provide a wee bit of commentary, maybe how the things fit into the story,…? In the absence of any nay-sayers (admittedly none nearby
Outtakes from a Novel — Tower of Babel Read More »
I read a great article recently, really recently, yesterday I think, about how difficult it is to be a professional writer these days. Maybe you saw it.… and can tell me where it is. The New York Times?, New Yorker? Ah, the perils of vacation. I’ve been grabbing up beautifully prepared words like some ancient
Good Reading and Writing with Reach Read More »
I have so enjoyed immersing myself in historical fiction lately. Some books I’ve read as a kind of catch-up to the genre, some have been for book clubs, and some I’ve picked up simply on the recommendation of friends. What a broad spectrum — definitely not limited to the bodice-ripper British romances that I pilfered
The Pleasure of Historical Fiction Read More »
Finally, I’ve revamped my website’s “Bio,” even the “Q&A,” to reflect some big ol’ life changes. Shoshin, the Japanese Zen call it. “Beginner’s mind” — to be sought and cultivated. It’s all of everything a person ought seek, according to wise men from the east. And everything is in it. Yet, these days, I’m right
The old silver maple between kitchen and pond is slowly giving up its branches to others’ uses — woodpeckers and rodents inclined to hibernate, the complex dust of compost. And to us. Storms lop limbs like tantrum-ing spirits winging through the yard. A few hours without power, but a whole heap of firewood remains. As
