Once upon a time, the world changes. On an Island like this one, forest and mist reclaim the land, technology falls away, and certain names disappear. Calling out to her two children to come home, a mother puzzles in mid-holler as she forgets their names. Noticing the two bushes on either side of the front…
A retelling of an Irish mythIllustration above by Jane Valencia Here on Vashon Island, now is the time that the salmon return home after long years in the ocean. Up streams and rivers they swim and leap and lunge, taking in deep scents of the waters along the way, smells that reach into their beginnings…
By March Twisdale Written roughly 100 years ago, Upton Sinclair’s novel, “The Jungle,” captures the breadth of human behavior, both then and now. There is an interesting fact about fictional stories. No matter how far the author’s imagination strays from what is considered real or mundane, the fundamental basis of their work, the world, the…
SummerSethaiku hummingbird lingers summer sets on shorter days fragrance holds the rose A comment about these poems:My creative focus has been concerned with the spaces between things, seasons, mind-sets, and life stages— those liminal markers, like summer fragrance on dried roses and that new wrinkle on the brow.
Please enjoy a poem by Margaret Roncone and two poems by Claudia Hollander-Lucas. Autumn Light lengthening shadowsdiscard bright lightstore it in acupboard for next June what I notice andpause to studyare narrators ofa fresh storyunfolding in pebbled graveldried grassand moon’s play on stone. By Margaret Roncone Margaret Roncone: I write poetry daily because of a…
Selected by Merna Ann Hecht These poems are in celebration of autumn as a time of harvest and a time when a rich tapestry of color is paraded for us by the natural world. Merna Ann Hecht has contributed two poems and two favorites, one by Canadian poet Lorna Crozier and one by Jane Hirschfield….
In the world of Hollywood or the theatre, a performer who can act, sing, and dance is called a “triple threat.” Anne McCaffrey’s “Crystal Singer Trilogy”is a literary triple threat, as it feeds your soul in youth, maturity, and retirement! Making it an exceptionally good use of wood pulp and ink. Bursting onto the page,…
By Stephen Silha In the 1990s, I was part of a group of journalists who conducted a research study on the future of community communication in the Puget Sound area: “Good News/Good Deeds: Citizen Effectiveness in the Age of Electronic Democracy.” We looked at the relationship between so-called non-profit organizations (we suggested they be called…
by Daniel Hooker The other day, my friend Barbara asked me how I was sleeping, because of the hot weather. I said, “Not that well. Usually I count sheep when I can’t sleep, but I made the mistake of telling them a joke from Massachusetts.” “From Massachusetts?” She asked.“Yeah, two sheep walk into a baah…”…
To Welcome Them Make room at your table Set an extra plate. Open the circle to Welcome a new guest Empty coat hooks by your door. Sweep your entry with clear intention To welcome them. To welcome them It takes courage To greet in mid stream As you prepare Is there room for another To…