Literary Texas: Katherine Anne Porter, Part 2

Chiseled on a plain, pale gray tombstone in a country graveyard in Texas are the words “IN MY END IS MY BEGINNING.” The phrase lies below the outline of a simple cross, the name KATHERINE ANNE PORTER, and the dates May 15, 1890, and September 1980. This granite marker stands beside a darker but smaller … Continue reading Literary Texas: Katherine Anne Porter, Part 2

Literary Texas: KATHERINE ANNE PORTER

For a woman whose famed writing career took her to live in such places as Chicago, New York, Denver, Mexico, and much of Europe, and who rubbed elbows with the likes of Ezra Pound, Hart Crane, Frida Kahlo, Eudora Welty, Carson McCullers, and Robert Penn Warren, it is a shock to find Katherine Anne Porter’s … Continue reading Literary Texas: KATHERINE ANNE PORTER

Welcoming Winter

This week, Christmas week, is supposed to be a cold one. So—winter is here. I am one of those hot-natured people who look forward to winter, when I don’t have to drive in ice or work outside for long periods. I adore the coziness of soups simmering on the stove, bread and cookies baking in … Continue reading Welcoming Winter

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Many of us of a certain age become nostalgic this time of year. For me, “the most wonderful time of year” is not a cliché we easily attach to the month of December. It is truth. Yes, sometimes memories swirling around in the chill winds at Christmastime can be as difficult as they are sweet, … Continue reading The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Writing in the Ozarks

My husband and I are in the Ozarks--nice time of the year to be in this part of Arkansas. Not sure there is a bad time. I am attending the Ozark Creative Writers Conference in Eureka Springs. It is such a joy. Last night I went to Open Mic night and heard several talented authors … Continue reading Writing in the Ozarks

Longfellow and Emerson as “Historians”

North Bridge in Concord, Massachusetts. Minute Man Monument dedicated in 1837 (far side). I readily admit it. I am a patriot. I do not pretend to be an historian but do enjoy American (United States) History. In particular, I relish the colonial and revolutionary periods as well as the early days of our republic. I … Continue reading Longfellow and Emerson as “Historians”

Autumn, Concord, and Transcendentalism

WALDEN POND Ah. Autumn is in the air, so, of course, I am sipping coffee and eating candy pumpkins. We’ve had rain of late and much cooler weather—no 100-degree temperatures in sight for at least a week now. When I think of autumn, I begin to think of the glories of New England where the … Continue reading Autumn, Concord, and Transcendentalism