Here in Western North Carolina, March did indeed come in like a lion: hail and snow pounded the optimistic crocuses; schools closed; branches snapped. This was followed by several afternoons of [...]
For weeks now, I’ve been pondering an idea planted in me by Nigerian-American author Chris Abani, who gave a craft talk about “the many gifts of loss.” His writing, and his teaching, are soulful [...]
It’s a New Year! Did you make any resolutions? I HOPE NOT. I mean, ok—if you did—no judgment. But I do think the New Year is a time for going inward and stilling the inner drive. What good are [...]
I wonder how many of you out there keep asking some form of the same question I’ve been asking myself since October 7th, and that is: Why does art matter? I’ve been asking many other questions [...]
Autumn has arrived and, with it, more acorns than I’ve seen in over twenty years in Western North Carolina! They make for great play – cats chase them, children dodge and throw them. They are [...]
Only the maple trees have begun their slow turn toward brightness before death, here in the North Carolina mountains. As I kicked off my 2023-24 season of mentoring and writing, I could not bear [...]
For about four years now, I have marked the start of summer by unplugging my desktop computer, removing it from my desk, and putting it in the closet. Sure, I have a laptop, but I keep that [...]
2023 Right to Write Award Recipient: Erica Lee Smith About Erica Lee Smith Erica Lee Smith was born on one peninsula (Korea) and raised on another (Cape Cod). For a decade in her twenties, she [...]
2023 Right to Write Award Recipient: Neena Elizabeth Pottoore “I write by stealing time. The hours in the day have never felt as if they belonged to me.” Abraham Verghese, author of Cutting For [...]
Can you feel the buzz and beam of spring? Can you sense the cultural and human need for a shift … for something to break loose? I can. Spring is bursting here, from treetop to garden soil, and [...]