CREATIVE CYCLES: BALANCING ACT (Number 2 in a series of 3) You can read my most recent Creative Catalyst post on the Story Circle Network blog (Telling HerStories: The Broad View) by clicking this link. Catch up on the entire Creative Catalyst archive here. This column is written in collaboration with my dear friend Stephanie…
You know those pesky tasks that sink to the bottom of your pile only to rise again as the project moves forward? Everything worth doing in life has them. When most folks think about the Creative Life, they imagine endless visits to a cafe smoking foreign cigarettes (for writers); days spent in sun-filled studios (for…
“A Song for Coretta” by Pearl Cleage was inspired by the long line of mourners who came by Ebenezer Baptist Church to pay their respects to Mrs. Coretta Scott King. The play introduces five fictional African-American women, aged 17 to 57, waiting in the rain to say their good-byes. The play premiered at Spelman College…
In our family collection of books I found an old Bible, with the inscription: “Frank Riehl, Superintendent of the Melville Sunday School.” One time my Uncle Ed Riehl and Aunt Amelia (Mim) Riehl were to play a violin duet for the church program. Aunt Mim was very shy, and not used to playing in public….
The sensuousness of a senior mocks the confidence of a 20 year old body When you believe the skin your are in Is the skin that brought you here And your mind gives you confidence of who you are You know that wisdom gives real pleasure The wisdom that knows chocolate dipped strawberries Are way…
According to the International Campaign for Tibet the Tibetan community is treating this Losar differently: Losar, the Tibetan New Year, begins on Wednesday, February 25. Usually, Losar is a joyous time for Tibetans in Tibet and those in exile around the world. This year’s celebration will be very different. ICT will stand with our Tibetan…
Evergreen Heights, the place founded by E. A. Riehl and our homeplace still…where he communed with nature and forged paths to become one of the 8 premiere horticulturalist in the world at that time. E. A. Riehl was a pillar of the community, though known not to suffer fools gladly. The lane which ends in…
The U.S. and the internet are abuzz with Osar news, predictions, and at-home parties. Wherever you are tonight: on the Red Carpet, or at home…if you are a movie lover and have any cultural curiosity, I know you’re ready! Of the movies nominated for best picture, I’ve seen at commented on Riehlife on: The Reader:…
The Reader is a quiet, thoughtful film that begins with a tension of sexual awakening and coming into manhood…and a feeling of tumult to come. It’s a slow reveal delivered to us intelligently, and requiring the intelligence of the viewer as we discover, for instance Hanna Schmitz’ (played beautifully by Kate Winslet through all her…
Grand Torino and Slumdog Millionaire share certain themes and characteristics. 1) Both are love stories–though “Grand Torino” is a bit of a sneaky one, and “Slumdog Millionaire” is more along a classic fable line. 2) Both reveal depths of an exploration of cultural difference with deft sensitivity…though, again, “Grand Torino” sneaks up on you with…