Writing and Sacred Spaces: Dawn Thompson, Portland, Oregon
"I have come to believe that the 'fiction' which arises from my imagination holds as much 'truth' as my lived experiences." ~Dawn Thompson, poet, Portland, Oregon, USA
Dorianne Laux: “All Poetry is Preparation for Death”
"Poetry allows us access to the quotidian mysteries. It allows us to revere the miracle of our lives as we live them, so that when death comes, we’ll be grateful." ~Dorianne Laux, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
Judith Barrington ~ memoirist, poet, essayist; Portland, Oregon
“When I think of how women are portraying ourselves, I tend to think in terms of memoir, which is my primary focus as a writer now..." -- Judith Barrington
Paulann Petersen, Oregon’s Poet Laureate
"There are achingly empty spaces, spaces waiting for us to fill them with our creativity." ~Paulann Petersen, Oregon's Poet Laureate
Poet Laureate Paulann Petersen: Writing Your Understory
Think of a month of the year that resonates deeply with you. (A time of the year when you are particularly attuned to an abundance of strong sensual details.) Write that month down...
It Starts with Touch
"Intention in touch is no small thing. We can all sense each other's intentions, even through the web, let alone with glances and body language. So of course, the more secure one is about their own intentions, the more effective their touch. I like to think of touch as 'bearing witness.' It is not of judgment, but understanding." -- Debra Benjamin, Reiki massage therapist; Miami Beach, Florida, USA.
Sister Helen Prejean: “What I Saw Set My Soul On Fire”
"Human rights are unalienable to people. Simply because they are persons. Governments don't give human rights for good behavior. Nor can governments take them away." ~Sister Helen Prejean
“All I Want Is to Be Opened” Interview with Joseph Fasano
"A poem might end up looking terribly mysterious—I hope it does—but if it’s resisted baring itself, it’s failed. Fragmentation and ellipticism may be aesthetic strategies, but resistance isn’t. All I want is to be opened." ~Joseph Fasano
In Pursuit of the Sublime
Many of the sights and sounds we’re subjected to in our society are harsh and disturbing. Psychologically and spiritually toxic. Scenes of cruelty, vindictiveness, ugliness and pettiness saturate the media and poison the mental atmosphere. I like the fact that I am sending out into the world images, pictures, little visions, that may do a tiny bit to counteract all that and communicate a sense of beauty, gentle humanity, grace, even holiness. It makes me feel like I’m doing something worthwhile in this sad, sad world.
Poet Zubair Ahmed, the Outsider’s Insider
"I believe feeling like an outsider is very easy these days. The ability to travel, even on a whim, to anywhere on our planet, combined with the new cyber existence that’s now integral to our lives means that it is simple to leave home, in more ways than one, and experience the outsider’s perspective. I think being an outsider is very fun; it allows us to look inside new places and discover what makes each of us tick." ~Zubair Ahmed, poet
Samuel Peralta: The Physics of Poetry
"A poet looks at the world a little differently from others, and so does a scientist. I am very fortunate to be both. I find beauty in the cosmological consequences of dark matter, as much as I do in the written and spoken word. I appreciate the beauty in Heisenberg's principle as much as Matisse's economy of line. I'm probably one of the few poets in the world who literally dreams about tensor equations." ~Samuel Peralta, physicist and award-winning author of Sonata Vampirica
John Siddique, British poet, essayist, author
"No one lives a bloodless existence. Everything that is repressed eventually finds a way out, even if it is only in the deepest of unremembered dreams. Though I’d rather it was with honesty, acceptance, a bold step, forgiveness and joy. Otherwise we tend to get all twisted up. Art, like love, does keep us alive; and, like love, it has the power to return us to our humanity when nothing else can." ~Interview with British poet, essayist, author, John Siddique
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