Quiet, quiet Christmas Eve Day morning as the birds wake up on top of our bluffs above the Mississippi. They flitter and twitter around the Ruth E. Thompson memorial bird feeders. A nod to one of my mother’s most passionate pass times. Snow, snow, snow. Even the river is frozen. We used to skate on…
Well, gosh! Heather Summerhayes Cariou and I tied as Grand Prize Winners for Matilda Butler and Kendra Bonnett’s Womens Memoirs Memoir Writing Contest Featuring Favorite Holidays. Heather Summerhayes Cariou’s story “The Sweet Ghost of Christmas Past” is published today on Womens Memoirs My story “Passage into Elderhood: Happy 60th Birthday” will be published soon. This…
During the holidays sweets abound. Let’s say you’re not much of a baker. Let’s say you’re pressed for time. But, you want to take something home baked to that potluck, not something store bought. (“Store bought is a phrase from my childhood since we made everything from scratch at home.) After all–as the Pillsbury Doughboy…
Louise Ladd is a strong example of a multli-talented creative person. Now a writer-editor-teacher she’s no stranger to performance and painting. Since the mission of Riehlife is to create connections through the arts and across cultures, I’m delighted to share our short conversation. –Janet Janet: I find that nothing is ever wasted. My ear for…
Algebra has a poetry of its own. Poetry has an algebra of its own. 1) How is poetry like an algebra equation? 2) What is the ration and proportion of poetry? 3) What is your definition of “earned abstraction”? How does a poem earn the use of abstract concepts and words?
My friend Damaria Senne writes to us from Johannesburg, South Africa, about an international campaign “16 Days Against Gender Violence.” She lays out the problem, tells about the campaign, and gives practical steps for joining the Campaign Against Gender Violence. –JGR _________________ RECLAIMING OUR PRIDE by Damaria Senne Most of the time I’m very proud…
The Public Art and Culture Project is an art initiative to create gathering places and visual high points by commissioning permanent artwork installations and rotating exhibitions in the Airport. East St. Louis resident, Edna J. Patterson-Petty multi-media artist is one of 9 artists chosen to create art-glass triptychs for freestanding glass wall partitions in Lambert…
Debbie Jordan’s The World I Imagine: A creative manual for ending poverty and building peace is a collection of 47 essays originating in the column she writes for the Arizona City Independent Edition. We can find solutions to pressing social issues through community involvement and volunteerism. We’ve all experienced random acts of kindness. I love…
What is compote? fruit in sugar syrup first appeared in 17th century England. Here’s an online recipe for cranberry-apple compote. And…now Cranberry-Pineapple Compote (a la Janet) I developed this recipe for my father since two of his favorite fruits are cranberries and apple. As I look at the compote definition and recipes this morning I…
Gerry Mandel’s debut novel “Shadow and Substance: My Time with Charlie Chaplin” melds the genres of love story, mystery, and time travel while tracing layers of creative process. Most of all, though, Mandel’s novel is an old-fashioned morality tale for this age. With an unassuming style Mandel investigates important life questions. What is the nature…