Category: Open Arts

The order of books I read is often a product of availability at the library. I reserve items that sometimes take a long time to come. Every once in awhile, a theme happens to emerge. The three books I’ve read most recently are: Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer, The Seed Keeper by Diane Wilson,

Oh, grant yourselves these four glorious minutes of light and shadow…

I learned about Farley and her newly published book when I attended a zoom book tour. Farley’s well researched reporting on the popularization of eugenics at the turn of the 20th century is eye-opening. Farley’s work shines a light on very disturbing practices that have been legally supported by the Supreme Court (Buck v. Bell,

Margaret Renkl is a weekly columnist for the New York times. She is a gifted writer of prose with a poet’s sensibility. In this very personal memoir comprised of short essays, she weaves together her intimate relationship with nature and her deep ties to her family. On the book jacket, Alan Lightman writes, “Gracefully written

I became interested in Pauli Murray when I heard an interview on Democracy Now with Julie Cohen and Betsy West.  While Cohen and West were making their documentary about RBG, they learned about Pauli Murray. Murray’s amazing life story motivated them to produce a documentary on her life, My Name Is Pauli Murray.  I was intrigued, but the

This book was riveting, unexpectedly so. I found myself carrying it with me and reading anytime I had a few extra minutes. Colapinto writes with clarity and curiosity, with compassion, humor, and depth. This is a stunning, intelligent discourse on the voice and how its development has shaped us as a species, while we, as

I just loved this generous book. Generous, yes, this is the word that insisted itself as I read this collection of essays. Sejal Shah is a writer of startling insight and lyric prose and these essays, written over the course of two decades, show us a writer deepening her craft and her understanding of self.

I serendipitously found the perfect way to feed my spirit on a rainy afternoon. If you love any of the following–Maria Popova, Brain PIckings, Universe in Verse, Pioneer Works, New York City, unusual music, grand ideas, nature…….I know you will love this event: “With songs, poems, and stories, Maria Popova presides over the ceremonial planting