This poem was written after a retreat at the Alcyon Center in Maine some years ago. Walking their outdoor labyrinth brought me this experience of how confusion and disintegration can be transformed when we simply focus on our next step, one at a time. As we enter into the turning point of the year, in … Continue reading Labyrinth
Much as I love reading, L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz probably had a greater influence on me through the movie version, which I watched on TV every year -- this was before recordings made it easy to watch our favorite films at the touch of a button. It was a kind of … Continue reading #Ozathon24: Journey into the heart
I'd like to make an official announcement: my book When Fragments Make a Whole: A Personal Journey Through Healing Stories in the Bible will be published by Floris Books in February, 2024! Click on the title to learn more. From the publisher's description: In this candid and courageous book, Lory Widmer Hess describes her experience … Continue reading My Book: When Fragments Make a Whole
My poem "Announcement" has been published at Reformed Journal, and I thought a link would be an appropriate way to celebrate this festive season. This poem was inspired by a painting of the Annunciation that I saw at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston some years ago. I got to talk about a bit … Continue reading A poem and a painting for Advent: Announcement
Dean Street Press books are almost always fun to read, but more fun in company with others! So when Liz started a "Dean Street December" event last year, I was happy to join in. In spite of the sad fact that due to the unexpected death of publisher Rupert Heath, no further books will be … Continue reading Dean Street December: The Fair Miss Fortune
Literature November is a busy blogging month! At the beginning of the month, I participated in Witch Week - a very full week indeed. My contribution was an interview with Kiyash Moncef, author of the wonderful fantasy Once There Was. Then it was time to focus on nonfiction for Nonfiction November. My posts: My Year … Continue reading Month in Review: November 2023
I'm so happy to be hosting an Ozathon - that is, a book-per-month readalong of the 14 Oz books by L. Frank Baum. Even if you don't manage to read all the books, you're welcome to join any time and sample some of the series. I'm looking forward to this journey with you. See the … Continue reading #Ozathon24 begins: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
This week’s topic is hosted by Hopewell’s Library of Life. It’s been a month full of amazing nonfiction books! Which ones have made it onto your TBR? Be sure to link back to the original blogger who posted about that book! Indeed, it's been another wonderful Nonfiction November, and as usual I'd discovered so many … Continue reading Nonfiction November: New to my TBR
I've got back-to-back reviews up at Shiny New Books, with my review of the new Folio Society edition of Charmed Life posted this week. Neil Gaiman and I have at least one thing in common: we both started reading Diana Wynne Jones when we picked up one of her books at age 16 in the … Continue reading Over at Shiny New Books: Charmed Life
Following my read of Faitheist, I was interested to read a memoir by a person of faith who was also a scientist. I came across I've Seen the End of You by Lee Warren, a neurosurgeon who struggles with the purpose of prayer when he is confronted by many patients with incurable brain tumors. How … Continue reading Of science and spirit: I’ve Seen the End of You
