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2024 Jacobs/Jones Runner-up

Sponsored by NCWN, the Jacobs/Jones African-American Literary Prize honors the nineteenth-century writers Harriet Jacobs and Thomas H. Jones and is open to any Black and African-American writer whose primary residence is in North Carolina. The final judge of this year’s contest was DéLana R.A. Dameron. It’s a pleasure to see my new essay, Rituals of […]

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Walking the Path

Another way of affirming this–by quoting Antonio Machado–the path is made by walking. In my morning pages today, Julia Cameron reminds me that “There is a path for each of us. When we are on the right path, we have a sure-footedness. We know the next right action… By trusting, we learn to trust.” I’d […]

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“…a relentless attempt to express the inexpressible.” 

May Highlights: 1. Finishing strong in spite of… (whichever way you interpret that). 2. Mating turkeys. The thrill of joy to watch strutting turkeys in my yard, full of pride (shame has no place here). 3. Mildred Barya in Conversation with Michael Hettich. I have the greatest pleasure to share with you this comprehensive interview titled: […]

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End of a Year–Gratitude Card

From my journal of positive aspects–focusing on what has sustained me throughout the year 2020–perfect vision, and what a vision descended upon us!  The last day of December is warm–64F. I’m ready for the trail which I run everyday, and I’m thinking about food. The gardens produced abundantly this year and kept us nourished: squash, […]

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“Coming Home to North Carolina: A Virtual Reading”

Save the Date: Thursday, November 5 at 6:00 p.m. 2020 Linda Flowers Literary Award Winner   I am delighted! Y’all welcome to attend:  https://fb.me/e/cFV3nCZrE YouTube stream: https://youtu.be/3jhbxhbL_q0 Looking forward to this event.

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If a tree falls…

If a tree falls in the forest and there’s no one to hear it, does it make a sound? Today, a tree snapped and I happened to be there, not only to hear it but also to see it fall. It made such a terrifying sound like hundreds of skulls cracking at once, and I […]

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Remembering Zora Neale Hurston’s Power

Sometimes, I feel discriminated against, but it does not make me angry. It merely astonishes me. How can any deny themselves the pleasure of my company? It’s beyond me. Zora Neale Hurston.  In the world of quotes, this is one of my favorites. A few friends have asked me if in my personal experiences since […]

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Out of the Forge into the Blue Mountain Review

New work is out of the forge– There’s a poem and interview in this Issue 19, and more elsewhere. All in good company.  

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Mindfulness Practice

Last evening, at exactly 6.30 p.m., I decided to take a quick walk in the woods near my house. Every day, I walk through these private woods and they give me a calm sense of grounding. Ever since the coronavirus lockdown, I’ve not missed doing a loop that begins behind my house and goes further […]

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Bless the Dead, Especially the Living-dead

The most killed people are grandmothers. I think it’s too close to kill a parent and it would also complicate having to identify a new guardian. Uncles and aunts rarely die, perhaps, because they aren’t considered immediate relatives? Cousins are way out of the emotional range, but there’s something intimate and affecting about a grandmother. […]

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