We went sailing with three friends. Four times we motored out to where the wind seemed to be but wasn’t. No matter. It was delightful on the water, and we enjoyed dinner while drifting on the tide. When dusk fell we motored back to our slip and drove home. Would we do it again? Probably. Would we do it every week, […]

You should always be trying to write a poem you are unable to write, a poem you lack the technique, the language, the courage to achieve. Otherwise, you’re merely repeating yourself, going nowhere because that’s always easiest” (John Berryman, quoted in Letters & Life, by Brett Lott). This week saw the thousandth blog from a good […]

The greatest challenge with wielding influence is getting out of the way. Whether I’m writing, teaching, or praying, my focus often drifts back to me — and I am not the point. Brett Lott references this theme in Letters & Life, his slim volume on being a writer: I saw, suddenly and fully, that a story was about the […]