“I don’t fully understand my life until I write it.” —Robert Frost Think back through your life and think about what you are most proud of. The items on your list could be things you accomplished “out in the world” or things that happened internally. Knowing who you are and where you’ve come from, what […]
Five Proudest Moments Read More »
Friday marks the start of my first “Writing as a Pathway Through Grief, Loss, Transition and Change” retreat since before the pandemic. This is a retreat I created with my colleague Nancy London and co-taught with Nancy and David Colin Carr for several years. I was inspired to create it after my mother died in
Behind the Scenes: Getting Ready for a Writing Retreat: Introducing Writing as a Pathway Read More »
“There’s this moment in creation, when you’ve made something truly special, where you become euphoric. And then, utterly lonely.” —John Mayer Tell me about your loneliness. Tell me about all the different kinds of loneliness you have known. Begin each paragraph with the words, “There is the kind of loneliness that…”. Make each paragraph a
The Many Flavors of Loneliness Read More »
“This is the bright home in which I live, this is where I ask my friends to come, this is where I want to love all the things it has taken me so long to learn to love.” —David Whyte, The House of Belonging Tell me about the things it has taken you “so long
The Bright Home in Which I Live Read More »
“What a wonderful life I’ve had. I only wished I’d realized it sooner.” –Colette Tell me about something you grew to appreciate or understand only in hindsight.
Something I Understood in Hindsight Read More »
“A poem begins with the writer and ends with the reader.” —Ellen Bass What does this mean to you? What’s the relationship between self-expression for its own sake and communication with your reader?
The Relationship Between Writer and Reader Read More »
“Limitation is what differentiates a flood from a lake. In the making of things, limitations allow you to choose from something rather than everything.” — Corita King Write about a limitation you chose and how it affected your life.
A Limitation I Chose Read More »
“What I try to do is write. I may write for two weeks ‘the cat sat on the mat, that is that, not a rat,’’…. And it might be just the most boring and awful stuff. But I try. When I’m writing, I write. And then it’s as if the muse is convinced that I’m
Lock Yourself in the Bathroom If You Have to Read More »
“What is always speaking silently is the body.” –Norman Brown If my body could speak, it would tell me…
What My Body is Saying Read More »
It’s the final morning of our retreat. I woke at 5:30 this morning, feeling sluggish from last night’s wine and final feast. I decided I needed to move, to go for a walk. I haven’t had much time to myself this week. My hours have been filled with teaching, eating, going on outings, visiting my
A Writer Goes for a Walk, Take 2 Read More »
This is what I read at our final dinner, the last night of our retreat: Since I’ve come to Tuscany, I’ve been surrounded by birdsong both gentle and soothing, raucous and loud. I’ve drunk more wine in ten days than I do in a year. Eaten foods I never consider eating at home and have
This meal was truly over the top. It began with two salads. Mozzarella buratta was the first: soft and liquid in the inside served with a special tomato from the region called mule’s heart: Cuore di Bue. And with it was panzanella, a bread salad with tomato, a special mild onion that’s only eaten raw,
Lunch at the Villa Read More »
We had a great pasta class with chef Rosanna Passione. The pasta we made ended up being one of the courses for our last supper at the Villa. The tag line on Rosanna’s cooking brochure is “Invitare qualcuno alla propria tavola vuol dire prendersi cura della sua felicita.” Or in English, “to invite someone at
Our Italian Pasta Lesson Read More »
For years as we travel, Karyn Bristol has posed for headstands all over the world. Here’s the latest in the series: Tuscany. If you don’t want to wait for the email digest version of my virtual vacation posts, you can follow me directly on social media where you can also find short posts, videos and
Headstands Around the World Read More »
We had another fascinating tour of the Villa with Gigi’s husband, Rodolfo, the youngest of thirteen children of the Budini-Gattai family. Graseilah translated for him as he showed us private parts of the Villa that we hadn’t had access to before. First, Rodolfo took us into a locked chapel, which he opened with a huge
The Depth of History at the Villa Read More »
