Book. Memory. Promise: Never Forget

I am encouraged and so thankful that Lois Lowry has written Tree. Table. Book.  The octogenarian author of Number the Stars and The Giver, Ms. Lowry is an expert storyteller and isn’t afraid to take on controversial subjects.  She is a master at presenting hard situations and ethical problems to a young audience.  This most recent book spans generations and shows how stories can connect rather than tear people apart.  With story and memory, we can build bonds and begin to understand each other.  This connection between the old and young is crucial; it is the sticky hope that will ensure “never forget” leads to the promise of “never again.”

The Art of Poetry: Eating Our Words

I'm not sure what I like to do more: write poetry or make delicious things to eat. I do know that children love to prepare food because of sensory stimulation it entails. Making food from scratch is a creative process, much like writing. You imagine, plan, and then set to work creating something special. Whether the final product is a poem or a delectable dish, the process is the same, and the end results are satisfying.

Memory is Hunger

Memory is hunger. When I read this recently, I paused, I underlined it, I wrote notes beside it in pencil. I’ve been concentrating on Hemingway this summer, and this quote came from his memoir, A Moveable Feast, about his time in Paris in the 1920s with his first wife, Hadley. It is Hadley who says these words as they reminisce about shared experiences: “There are so many sorts of hunger. In the spring there are more. But that’s gone now. Memory is hunger.” In this post I describe the power of food to trigger memories and help create healthy recipes with fresh, simple ingredients.

A Pause for Celebration

“Sorrow comes in great waves...but rolls over us, and though it may almost smother us, it leaves us. And we know that if it is strong, we are stronger, inasmuch as it passes and we remain.” - Henry James   After the events of the past weeks: the COVID pandemic, George Floyd’s murder, rioting and … Continue reading A Pause for Celebration