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Another Lesson
Another lesson I've learned along the way is that there are no truly original ideas.
Celebration in a Time of Loss
“Whoops!” I thought when I saw the quote posted in this spot last week. “That’s not what I meant.”
Wild Geese
You do not have to be good. You do not have to walk on your knees for a hundred miles through the desert repenting.
An Imitation of Other Stories
I have always loved stories.
I’ve spent my life creating stories myself, of course, but even more, I have spent it seeking out others’ stories. Immersing myself in the experiences, the griefs, the triumphs of human beings who never lived except on the page.
Let America Be America Again
O, let America be America again—
The land that never has been yet—
Understandings
The most important set of understandings that I bring to that position of citizen,
Why Not Me?
I was born toward the end of the Great Depression and came into awareness during World War II. Nonetheless, my childhood was quiet and secure. The Depression touched me only because it haunted my father, but the war had little impact.
A Text that Sings
The last time I wrote in this space, I talked about poetic images in picture-book texts.
I’m a great admirer of poetry (and poets), but I am not a poet. I can occasionally stumble upon a truly fresh image when I’m writing, but mostly I have to turn to other devises to give my picture-book texts resonance.
Words that Never Met One Another Before
I once had a friend, a poet, who taught me important lessons about poetry.
The most memorable one—and she was emphatic about this lest I miss the point—was that I am not a poet.
