Reflections

I first met Paula Huston about five years ago when I took a nonfiction writing class she was teaching through the fabulous Glen workshop.  The Glen is a really wonderful gathering of writers and artists wrestling with the questions of meaning and substance in life.  Paula is a gifted teacher and also offers her wisdom for writers through the Image Journal‘s online manuscript critique in creative nonfiction.  She is also a Camaldolese Benedictine oblate and the author of several books on the spiritual life. Leave a comment below for a chance to win a free signed copy of The Holy Way: Practices for

I received my copy of “Listen” today which is a free publication of Spiritual Directors International.  My book The Artist’s Rule: Nurturing Your Creative Soul with Monastic Wisdom received a lovely review.  Here is an excerpt: In The Artist’s Rule, the familiar subjects of creativity and spirituality explode into a kaleidoscope of connections that invite the reader into the borderland where these topics converge. Grounded in scholarly knowledge, the book quotes Scriptures, theologians, mystics, psychologists, artists, poets, and others, yet it reads like a stimulating conversation with a soul friend. To read the whole review, here is the PDF>> Consider joining me

Beth Patterson at Virtual Tea House offered to write this guest post for the Abbey in support of a new book being published (see below).  I am delighted to host her words here.  Last Christmas I had what felt very much like my own near death experience (or NDE as Beth writes) and I am very intrigued by the qualities common to folks who touch their own mortality in such an intimate way.  I am also drawn to her story because of the wisdom she expresses from her grandmother and my own deep appreciation for what our ancestors offer to us.