Lessons from Geese

In one day I received this message twice, first from a client in Portland who brought in a copy of the text for me, and then as a video link from my friend Don Staley, the Brain Cell Coach, in Michigan. Obviously it’s something I needed to be aware of and I’m passing it on [...]

Poverty Consciousness

“Poverty consciousness no longer serves awakening humans in today’s world.”  ~  Tommi Mäkelä

MFA Notes: Barry Lopez

Barry Lopez spoke as a visiting writer at Pacific University’s MFA program winter residency.  I loved his introduction: “When you show up, you bring big trouble.”  This from the soft-spoken writer who documents the connection between land and people.  He answered the questions: Who are you?  Where are you from?  and Why are you here? [...]

Zen Archery

Eugen Herrigel, in his book Zen in the Art of Archery, wrote, “The archer ceases to be conscious of himself as the one who is engaged in hitting the bull’s-eye which confronts him. This state of unconscious is realized only when, completely empty and rid of the self, he becomes one with the perfecting of [...]

MFA Notes: Kim Barnes

Kim Barnes, author of the new novel A Country Called Home (and my thesis advisor!) told us, “Even if it’s a personal story, it’s NOT ABOUT YOU.”  That statement will forever change the way I think about memoir.  There is always a much larger, more universal, story surrounding any of the events we write about. [...]

MFA Notes: Kwame Dawes

I can still hear poet Kwame Dawes saying, “born at de right time,” in his smooth Jamaican accent.  He opened his craft talk with a brief biographical sketch: born in Ghana where he heard stories of glorious Jamaica from his father.  When he moved with his family to the island, he discovered a far different [...]

MFA Notes: Jack Driscoll

Jack Driscoll described what he attempts to do through writing, “To speak what it feels like to be human.”  As far as I’m concerned, he could have ended his craft talk there and left us with the inspiration and invitation to go forth and attempt it for ourselves. He encouraged us to “undress” our characters, [...]

Dorianne Laux on Writing

I’m reposting this from wherever I got it….  such an important reminder, and often, essential inspiration.  “I write to be done writing” resonates with me. Why Do I Write by Dorianne Laux I have recently begun to think of writing as what Susan Sontag calls “a wisdom project” in her forward to Another Beauty, a [...]