A Tale of Two Capes
Last week Sylvia and I visited North Carolina’s Cape Fear region, the southern tip of the series of islands, shoals, and lagoons that form an elbow into the Atlantic, nudging …
Mountain Mysteries
Much of South Africa lives in the shadow and the inspiration of mountains — Table Mountain, the Drakensberg, the Winterberge, and many more that lie between the oceans and the …
Zebras, Robots, and Homer
After a five-year absence we have returned to our beloved Cape Town, land of the humped zebra. No it’s not a cross between a dromedary and a zebra. But it …
Moving Midway: Toward Reconciliation
We recently saw an arresting documentary film entitled “Moving Midway,” a story about saving an old North Carolina plantation house and discovering the family histories behind it. Midway was a …
Earth Gasping
On October 6 I gathered with other writers and avid readers at Grateful Steps Publishers Bookstore in Asheville, NC, to celebrate the appearance of another issue of Fresh, a literary …
The Mesabi
Minnesota’s Mesabi Range is historically the largest deposit of iron ore in the world. Arcing across the northeastern part of the state, it has been delivering iron ore to America’s …
Paducah, Cahokia, and Hannibal: The Road Trip
On our recent road trip to western Minnesota I took along Granny D: You’re Never Too Old to Raise a Little Hell. Our good friend (and my collaborator in presenting …
Cyprus Log: Paphos
Before I tell you about our Sunday trip to visit archaeological sites on the southwest coast, let me tell you that Nicosia’s English newspaper, the Cyprus Mail, had an extensive …
Cyprus Log: The Troodos Mountains
Andreas Philipou picked us up in his sturdy jeep and we crammed into the back jump seats to join a couple from Britain and a man from France. Stan – …
On Poetry, Moravians, and Public Life
Last week I joined my friend Michael Beadle to present a few of our poems to a recently formed group concerned with the relation of art to faith. Called “ArtGroup,” …
Contradictions in Cherokee
Last week we went over to Cherokee for the 16th Annual Trail of Tears Association Conference at the Cherokee Casino-Hotel. Cherokee is now effectively two towns – the traditional tribal …
Losing a House, Losing a World
Our life has been a little disrupted this past ten days because climate change has become more personal than ever. Our son Eric, who has lived in the New York …
A Late Valentine
Absorbed by the political revolutions of the past weeks, I neglected to share a poem about the revolution of the heart that we celebrate each February. Here, for your enjoyment, …
Highlands Book Fair
On Saturday, September 11, I will be at the “Celebration of Books” in the Highlands Civic Center, Highlands, NC, from 9 am to 3 pm. Around 12:20 I will be …
Dirt and Life
Thanks to recommendations from two friends, I have been enjoying the writings of Barry Lopez and William Bryant Logan. North Carolina poet Kay Byer, after hearing about the ecological framework …
Plugged In!
I am finally and hopefully able to send out announcements of recent postings after a two-month hiatus due to a malfunctioning “plug-in” that wouldn’t work in my new server. I …