Over the last two weeks, authors flooded the area.
Terry Tempest Williams led an inspiring writing workshop in the Orem Library; Cheryl Strayed brought us out for a luncheon at Sundance (meaning I paid big bucks to almost kill myself getting there in the blizzard); and Phillip Hoose presented a video documentary at The King’s English and even sang a charming birdie song he made up after a few drinks with his wife.
Terry Tempest Williams led an inspiring writing workshop in the Orem Library; Cheryl Strayed brought us out for a luncheon at Sundance (meaning I paid big bucks to almost kill myself getting there in the blizzard); and Phillip Hoose presented a video documentary at The King’s English and even sang a charming birdie song he made up after a few drinks with his wife.
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Terry has my heart. She’s a brave and lyrical activist with an amazing capacity to find beauty in pain. Her recent When Women Were Birds stunned me even more than Cheryl’s Tiny Beautiful Things.
It’s a book I’ll probably re-read forever: rich, complex, deeply private, & wise.
“There is an art to writing,” Williams admitted, “and it is not always disclosure.” It’s tricky telling a personal story, one that resonates universally, because speaking from the truth of our hearts often requires a betrayal, a breaking of taboo, and she skirts this line with such grace.
It’s a book I’ll probably re-read forever: rich, complex, deeply private, & wise.
“There is an art to writing,” Williams admitted, “and it is not always disclosure.” It’s tricky telling a personal story, one that resonates universally, because speaking from the truth of our hearts often requires a betrayal, a breaking of taboo, and she skirts this line with such grace.
Click to open in Amazon
Cheryl’s best known for Wild. Oprah got all excited about it, and the first third truly blew.me.away. It was cute to see Cheryl and Robert Redford gushing over each other.
His take on Wild:
“This book hit me on many levels. On a personal exposure level because the book covers the Pacific Crest Trail . . . [and] I escaped a suffocating childhood by going to the Sierra’s. . . . Beyond that, as a lover of art, a lover of literature, I think the thing that really captured me maybe most was how well written it was, and how down to the bone and how honest and right to the core it was: a person unflinching, unafraid, to look deep at herself and her experiences, in search of some redemption, in search of something new . . . I can only tell you, this experience left me breathless. --Robert Redford
Even more than Wild, her Tiny Beautiful Things transported me from cover to cover. About it, Cheryl said, I'm not a reader of advice columns, [but] I realized pretty quickly that all of my training as a writer has prepared me to give advice because the whole deal of being a writer is you have to figure out . . . who are we? . . . how do we reveal ourselves? . . . how do we conceal ourselves? . . . how do we destroy ourselves? ... how do we survive? . . . the difference between the public face and the personal self . . . |
She's insightful, searing, generous, and endearing. A killer combo.
Phillip felt important because the plight and beauty of the Rufa Red Knot stirs me. One member of this 4-ounce species, tagged B95 and dubbed Moonbird, is nearing age 20 and has flown 325,000 miles: the distance to the moon and halfway back.
In Moonbird's lifetime, 80% of the Red Knots' population has disappeared. His migratory pattern is a grueling flight from the bays of Terra Del Fuego--BELOW South America--to the Canadian ARCTIC. Mind blowing. The way his body morphs, his struggle to feed and survive, astounds me.
In Moonbird's lifetime, 80% of the Red Knots' population has disappeared. His migratory pattern is a grueling flight from the bays of Terra Del Fuego--BELOW South America--to the Canadian ARCTIC. Mind blowing. The way his body morphs, his struggle to feed and survive, astounds me.
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The Red Knots’ most important US location is Delaware Bay, where they either double their body weight in two weeks or die during the second half of the journey. Hard because we-the-people now harvest their main dish. Extinction is feared unstoppable without decisive action, but the Fish and Wildlife Service won’t list them under the Endangered Species Act because although “warranted” there are higher priorities than the Red Knots.
Stunning . . . to live at a time when we’re forced to pick and choose the species who will survive. I wish I could matter, help with this process, and I admire Phillip for making us aware.
It's something I love about Terry Tempest Williams, too. She’s constantly calling us away from numbness and exploitation, toward attention, empathy, and passion.
Stunning . . . to live at a time when we’re forced to pick and choose the species who will survive. I wish I could matter, help with this process, and I admire Phillip for making us aware.
It's something I love about Terry Tempest Williams, too. She’s constantly calling us away from numbness and exploitation, toward attention, empathy, and passion.