I recently watched the documentary about poet Mary Oliver on PBS–Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World. Oliver's poetry, like Thoreau’s essays, is an invitation to pay attention. She writes about ordinary things, like nature, animals, walking, water, weather, silence, and yet her poems are never ordinary. Birds, fields, even a walk through … Continue reading From My Commonplace Book: Mary Oliver on the Wonder of Being Alive
nature writing
An Afternoon at Walden: What Thoreau Taught Me About Paying Attention
Even if you haven’t read anything by Henry David Thoreau, you’re probably familiar with some of his famous aphorisms: “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.” “A man is rich in proportion to the number of things which he can afford to let alone.” “I was not born to be forced. I will … Continue reading An Afternoon at Walden: What Thoreau Taught Me About Paying Attention
My Favorite Books of Summer 2026
As usual, I've been thinking a lot about books lately. I've considered the books that made me into the writer I became as well as the books I read to write The Professor of Eventide. Needless to say, I spent a lot of time reading this summer and my tastes were eclectic. The books I … Continue reading My Favorite Books of Summer 2026