I Love to Write the Story: How I Became a Writer & a Teacher

In the Christian gospel of Mark, there is a story of Jesus healing a child “possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech” and “throws him to the ground.” This story of Jesus healing a child is, in many ways, my own story. When I was one year old, I had ear infections, …

Don’t be a Writer, Just Write

William Stafford once wrote, “My aim is not to be a writer, but to write” (from the book Sound of the Ax). I’ve thought of myself as a writer for much of my life. The tricky part is how to make writing, actually writing, the first priority of my life. Last week, I went on …

Thinking about Rilke

When I graduated college, a professor gave me a copy of Letters to a Young Poet and I've been reading through it lately. Here's a thought from my journal dated February 4, 2018: Rilke says in his first letter to go deep within and find what bids you to be a writer. For me, the …

Write three lines in a notebook everyday.

In 2011, I heard the poet Naomi Shihab Nye speak at Earlham College. She said two things I still remember: everyone needs to read Every War has Two Losers, a collection of William Stafford’s writings on peace (including excerpts from his daily writing), and to write three lines in a notebook everyday. Here’s a video …