Reading Our Way Toward Otherness
At the close of the year I found myself thinking about one of the most wonderful, significant Christmas gifts I ever received. I was ten, and I got it because I didn’t get the thing I asked for first.
Essays
Going to Meetin’
Here it is, finally, the day when writers and readers throng into Nashville on an October weekend seeking fellowship and elevation of the spirit and news and gossip. But especially old friends and new books.
The Home That Lies Always in Memory
This essay originally appeared in Touchstone, a publication of Humanities Tennessee, in 1986.
Holy Ground
Rivendell Writers’ Colony, established in 2013, is closing its doors at the end of March. I’m still in shock at the news because Rivendell was flourishing, on course to be a nationally known residency program, but its benefactor has now made other plans for the property.
Around the Table
My mother has dementia, but her old friends in no way shunned or ignored her. She was clearly happy to be there among them, and she said over and over again what wonderful people they are. There was no talk of politics, race, or religion within my hearing.
A Friend from Chile
Worrying for years about a question with no answer is more than a little neurotic. It can also provide fertile soil for plot development.
