I am a voracious reader and every week I come across either a book, online piece or website I want to share with others. I’ve decided to curate these gems and highlight them on Friday. I hope you find these faves as insightful as I do.
- Dina Relles’s words often push me to think and reflect. Her lyricism and imagery is powerful and lingers days after I read her work. I urge you to read her latest, Quiet. This musing is one I won’t likely forget. You won’t either.
- I loved reading these beautiful and wise words in Literary Mama about competition and community by the lovely Andrea Jarrell. This in particular resonated with me: “Social media makes it easy to compare one’s insides to others’ outsides. Easy to tally another writer’s publication credits and awards. Easy to think that beautiful family viewed through the screen is gliding through life. The irony is such thinking – driven by a thirst for a bigger life – actually contracts one’s possibilities.”
- If you enjoy short stories, this piece by my good friend, Windy Lynn Harris is a must read. “A Town Built on Salt” debuted in Crack the Spine literary journal earlier this year.
- Dana Schwartz’s piece, Creating Despite the Odds, is an essay I will return to again and again in the future. She points out the difficulty in the writing life and the fact that there are no guarantees. But there is this: “We can’t all win big prizes or sell millions of books, but we can make the decision not to quit, even when commercial failure is a possibility. We can continue to create art because it feeds our soul. Because of the wisdom and magic it offers.”
What are some of your reading faves this week?
Welcome! I am a lawyer turned freelance writer, essayist, and editor. On staff at Literary Mama and the co-founder and co-editor of the literary journal, The Sunlight Press, my essays and reported work have appeared in The Washington Post, The Lily, Saveur, Civil Eats, Brain, Child, ESPN and elsewhere. I am currently at work on a memoir on grief and culture and how it provides perspective on life’s ordinary graces. I invite you to appreciate the ordinary with me. I hope my daily practice of seeing the magic in the mundane helps you celebrate and find more of these moments in your life too.
Aw…what a wonderful surprise to wake up to! Your words about my writing are too, too kind, dear Rudri. I am so grateful for you. I loved Andrea’s piece too & can’t wait to check out the others you’ve included here. xoxo
Glad to provide the unexpected good surprise this morning. xo
Thanks for including me in your list this week, Rudri! 😀
My pleasure, dear Windy.
I agree with Dina! This was such a wonderful surprise to wake up to 🙂 Thank you so much Rudri. I also loved Dina’s lyrical piece and Andrea’s lovely one about community over competition. I’m honored to be in such good company.
Dana,
I realized all of the pieces profiled something about writing and life – quiet in Dina’s musing, persistence in your piece and honoring the process in Andrea’s vignette. It is a wonderful array of voices and writing. Thank you.
Schwartz’s wisdom about writing is so true and I thank you for sharing it. When we pull away from ego and the desire for publication, recognition, awards, and remember that our writing is a sacrament of sorts; sacred and written to heal and connect with others, then we write with meaning. I always look forward to what you offer up on Fridays. Thanks for taking the time to share these snippets and sparkles, Rudri.
I am glad you enjoy these faves, Barb. I love thinking of our writing as a sacrament. Beautiful. Thank you.
Wow. Great choices and all so relatable. Timely for me as I’ve been writing about similar topics, especially Andrea’s which I am looking forward to reading. Very much. (I always enjoy reading Dina and Dana’s beautiful prose.)
Sarah – I know you will love Andrea’s piece. Her observations on what we see and what actually is behind the story is important to remember in writing and in life. Would love to know your thoughts after you’ve read her piece.
I loved it. I could have written it. In fact, I did. Just a few weeks ago in “Envy and Honesty”. (Except Andrea’s words are prettier.) 😉 I talked about struggling and perceiving others as having it all together (specifically from what I see on social media). It’s nice to know we’re not alone in this. And it really is important to remember there are things we know nothing about going on behind the pretty pictures and beautiful words.
I always love Dana’s writing. Like yours, it always resonates. No matter what. Maybe it’s because we all lost parents and we all work hard to get our writing out there, even though it’s in much different ways.
Thanks, Tamara. Dana made some great points about the writing process and yes, I think our losses motivate us and take birth in our essays in various ways. Great observation, T.
Thx so much, Rudri! I am ordering Creating Despite the Odds. It truly resonates w/ me. Trish
Thanks for the recommendation, Trish. Will have to check out the book you mentioned.