Magical Memoir Moments
Black Like Me: What I Learned by Listening to Black Voices Then and Now
Even though no black students were enrolled at Warwick High School in Lititz, Pennsylvania, 1962-1966, the years I attended, I was not completely unaware of the Civil Rights Movement. I had Mr. Price for my American history teacher. He urged us to read about injustice and imagine what it must be like to deal with…
The Nature of Creative Transformation: Three Views on Video
Michael Jones, Lauren Artress, and Jen Louden discuss the nature of transformation–and its relationship to art and the artist. Do you think everyone is creative? What do you do allow your creative side to flourish?
What Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up? Kind!
Poet and master teacher Jack Ridl tells a story about an encounter with a boss that shaped his whole life. Again, from the 2010 Writer’s Retreat at the Fetzer Institute. The Dalai Lama has said, “My religion is kindness.” A few years ago, I wrote an essay about the desire of a young Amish boy…
Creative Beginnings Video with Michael Jones and Conrad Hilberry: From A Head Nodder
For Canadian pianist and writer Michael Jones, one of the participants in the April 2010 writer’s retreat at the Fetzer Institute, music and words brought him joy from an early age. Kalamazoo College professor emeritus Conrad Hilberry developed his artistic talents a little later in life. This video reminds me that one can listen deeply…
Paulus Berensohn: Why We Create
Paulus Behrenson was another remarkable participant in last April’s Writer’s Retreat at the Fetzer Institute. He has created within so many art forms, he may have lost track of some of them. He’s not counting, anyway. But he’s an ecologist, potter, poet, dancer, and philosopher. He was interviewed on ABC in 2003. I highly recommend…
Kurtis Lamkin Will Take Your Breath Away on the Healing Power of Art
Here we are for our video one-a-day vitamin! This time, however, there’s a bonus. You will want to watch two videos, because these are amazing! I had the privilege of being the interviewer (off camera) when Kurtis told the story of how art healed him and his wife as they struggled to have a baby–and…
The Joy of Creation: Our Writer Video of the Day
Here’s your creativity vitamin for today from the Fetzer Institute Writer’s Retreat collection: Alison Leuterman, Jenifer Louden, Michael Jones, and Dianne Suess discuss making art. I agree with Alison that making things and joy are intimately connected. Take a few minutes to visit the links above if you enjoy hearing these great voices. https://youtube.com/watch?v=E2AGFrUz6AY%3Ffs%3D1%26hl%3Den_US%2522%253E%253C%252Fparam%253E%253Cparam www.youtube.com…
A Letter to Mary Karr
When Abraham Lincoln and Harriet Beecher Stowe met for the first time, the President allegedly said, “So you’re the little lady who started this great war!” When it comes to 21’st century memoir, one can make the case that Mary Karr started the publishing phenom we now refer to as “the age of memoir.” Her The…