Does a trace of an aroma or a snippet of a musical chord ever overload your brain with memory of a person, place, or thing? Does the distraction take you down an unexpected rabbit hole of remembrance?

This simple prompt opened the door to so many stories of life that our shoes have carried us through. Whether it is a pair of bejeweled dance shoes or some well-worn leather sandals, everyone seems to have a beloved pair that we simply cannot part with.

Swimming stories have a wide literary appeal. Time in the water brings back memories of bygone carefree childhood summers, immersing ourselves in water connects us with the natural world, and a body of water is the perfect backdrop for a murder mystery or adventurous journey. Choosing to put the word swimming in the title of a book is attractive to readers who are looking for something a little bit different.

I turn back to Bartlett’s canine Quotations and reread that last awful Tennesee Williams quote “Terrible for an old woman to outlive her dogs.” Yes, but it won’t be for us. Gracie and I have chosen to live fully and happily together in all the spaces in between.

Being an English major can change us in ways we cannot even imagine. So, how did I go from a business major to an English major? Maybe it was metamorphosis—for good.

Friendship depends on place. Our memories are interwoven into particular places in a metaphorical sense, but we also choose real physical places to meet, to renew our commitment to each other.

I love travel writing. Life is short and our planet is large. There are many places that I know I won’t have the time, money, or ability to visit.

Litha represents fullness, vitality, light, and abundance — life at its most generous. It carries a doubled meaning: celebration and impermanence held together. Gratitude for the height of light, and the quiet awareness that nothing stays at its summit.

What do we do when we look at landscapes? If an image, do we place ourselves into the photo somehow? Does the title of the image affect our interpretation? If in real life, are we aware of the temperature, the light, the time of day? Do we remember a time when we have been to that same place?

Internationally acclaimed author, Ruta Sepetys, has written seven novels plus You: The Story, a non-fiction guide to creating memoirs. Her bestselling 2011 book, Between Shades of Gray, was adapted for film in 2018 and transformed into a graphic novel with Andrew Donkin in 2021.

Her latest novel, A Fortune of Sand, is another powerful piece of historical fiction set in Prohibition-era Detroit. 

As writers, we are readers, too. There are many different libraries in the Southcoast area. If you want to grow your skill as a writer you may want to become a regular at one of these libraries or one close to home. You can borrow books about the craft of writing or subjects that interest you. By learning what’s already been published, you can be a life-long learner who keeps current with ongoing trends in your favorite genre.

Writing has its own collection of distinct clubs. Genres! When two people meet and begin to discuss what they enjoy reading or what kind of words they prefer to write, it’s usually categorized into genres. Contemporary Fiction gets a familiar nod. Oh you write Poetry, how lovely! But what’s your real job? Historical Fiction is my favorite, too!

Within a broader context of art and the urban landscape, ecocritical art shifts an artwork’s function from that of a contemplative finished product to a process-oriented community engagement with the natural world. With Vestibules, Katy Rodden Walker and I have sought to remediate environmental problems (or intervene before they occur) through an active collaboration with nature, artists and community. When Vestibules is completed, residents will have access to natural resources, shaded areas, a communal gathering space, a living art installation, and educational materials for generations to come.

Books are great teachers of craft. They lure us in, teasing us with insight about our favorite writers’ craft. But don’t let them distract you from the real work. The only way to learn to write is to write.

I study her closely to imagine what she is learning. I am developing an imaginary scientific method for canine sniffing data gathering, collection, and analysis of living things. I see it as multi-dimensional with infinite points and vertices constantly reacting and changing. Sniffing is a sentient activity. It reveals an enormous amount of data - all around us all at once.

With many years of doggy love etched into my being, I realized that God created this intense, short-lived life of pure, unreserved love to teach us humans a valuable lesson. The magnificent brilliance of love in action leaves open the question of who trains who.

We love to read about food, even when it’s not the main subject of a book. Food is emotionally tied to love, grief, and sensory escapism. Do you like reading mysteries? Think about some of the most famous escapades that have used food as a murder weapon!

When an ignorant president repeatedly starts or threatens war, based on might and lies, when an unpopular president muses about cancelling the midterm elections, and demonstrates again his intent to meddle in them, that is where we are. As to why he is unpopular, I present my political poem.

And then that night, it began snowing, and snowing, and snowing, and SNOWING.  The wind sounded like a train roaring through, as though the gods were sending a message.

Snow blew thickly, horizontally across the landscape, truly adding depth to the idea of “white out.” With 497,000 people without power, businesses and schools closed for several days, it was not your average snow storm.