Instructions on Not Giving Up
"I think, as poets, we are in the odd position of constantly defending our art form. Which is funny and also sort of invigorating, too. No one really says, "Oh you're a lawyer? I've never understood the law. In fact, I kind of hate it." Or, "Oh you wait tables? I didn't know that was something people did." I say it can be invigorating because, on some level, we have to evaluate what we do and why ... posted on Apr 08 2023, 4,077 reads

The Enneagram: Nine Pathways to Presence
"Russ Hudson is one of the world's foremost teachers and developers of the Enneagram personality typology system, having coauthored (with Don Richard Riso) five bestselling books on the subject...In this podcast, Tami Simon speaks with Russ about the original purpose of the Enneagram, how our personality types are linked to a deeper level of awareness, and how we can use the Enneagram system to co... posted on Apr 07 2023, 6,222 reads

The Dragonfly Incident
"I suppose this could be considered a 'wildlife encounter' story of sorts, though it presents some unusual twists. For one thing, the animal at the heart of this tale is a subarctic insect (and yet has nothing to do with the region's legendary mosquitoes). For another, odd things happen that aren't easily explained by either reason or chance. There are other curious turns, as well...The story begi... posted on Apr 06 2023, 5,060 reads

Four Ways We Avoid Our Feelings & What to Do Instead
"We are always vulnerable, with limited control over the things that matter to us. Maybe you want your brother to quit drinking or your kids to get along or your boss to stop being so critical, or you want to protect those you love from harm or you want an end to world hunger and climate change, or you want this magical moment where everyone is all together at Thanksgiving feeling so close and con... posted on Apr 05 2023, 6,076 reads

Billy Collins on the Beauty of Short Poems
Says former US Poet Laureate Billy Collins, "Whenever I pick up a new book of poems, I flip through the pages looking for small ones. Just as I might have trust in an abstract painter more if I knew he or she could draw a credible chicken, I have faith in poets who can go short." Short poems take center stage in his new collection, Musical Tables. More in this interview with NPR.... posted on Apr 04 2023, 2,038 reads

A Lost Mariposa Garden
"I got a phone call one morning. The woman was distraught. Her friend's garden -- thirty five years in the making -- was being destroyed. The larger pieces-- a griffin, a couple of horses and two large cats-- were too heavy to move without special equipment. And the blue mosaic hillside had already been bulldozed. I published an art magazine. Wouldn't I want to see it before it was gone? I would. ... posted on Apr 03 2023, 1,974 reads

The Rights of All Beings
"The UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights, inspired by Franklin D Roosevelt's four freedoms, outlines the rights to which humans are equally and inalienably entitled: of speech and religion, from want and fear. They are our global guiding principles for protecting humans from humans essential in establishing the legal frameworks within which humanity can operate freely to express ourselves,... posted on Apr 02 2023, 1,379 reads

Say Wow: A Conversation with Poet Chelan Harkin
At the age of 21, on a pilgrimage to Israel, Chelan Harkin found herself sitting alone in the same cell that some 140 years earlier had confined the founder of the Baha'i faith. The quietude was suddenly broken by a voice she took to be the Persian prophet's spirit saying, "Let us dance." This unexpected invitation cracked her heart wide open and spontaneously led her to fill the resonant chamber ... posted on Apr 01 2023, 4,365 reads

A Concerto is a Conversation
When we achieve anything in life, "we" is the operative word. We are supported by the life choices and dreams of others. Kris Bowers, a virtuoso jazz pianist and film composer, recounts the collective story of his family. His 91-year-old grandfather traces their shared choices and dreams from Jim Crow Florida to the Walt Disney Concert Hall.... posted on Mar 31 2023, 1,161 reads

Our Tenuous Boundaries: A Life in 10 Sea Creatures
"When Sabrina Imbler was in college, they enrolled in a class they thought was about whales, but which turned out to be about whaling. In one of 10 brilliant essays in their new book, Imbler recalls the class, which focused on "the systematic hunting and harvesting of the animals that brought human populations to the verge of unimaginable prosperity and whale populations to the brink of extinction... posted on Mar 30 2023, 1,752 reads