Faces/1 (A Letter from Prison)
“Dear Perry Thinking of you a lot these days Been reading the martyrs Here in my homey little cell (For a while I got solitary for asking disruptive questions) Wanted to send you this little…
Author: Mark J. Chmiel
On an Airplane Headed to Nashville
Dr. Chmiel I am wordless. I finally finished your book. In one sitting, on an airplane headed to Nashville. I can’t believe I didn’t read it sooner. I wish I was more like Tanya, but…
Clueless
Dear Layla Here in Nablus Jumana is an inviting, warm, and quiet presence Yesterday afternoon she said to me with resignation and calm in her eyes: “We know everything about America And Americans know nothing…
Don’t Waste Your Life
Yammamoto Gempo Roshi used to say, “There is no murder worse than the killing of time.” He devoted an entire teisho to this topic, reading aloud from the crime section of the newspaper. So-and-so knifed…
Share the Wealth with Matthew Hyde and Tina Villalobos: Acknowledging the Human
“The only reason we don’t open our hearts and minds to other people is that they trigger confusion in us that we don’t feel brave enough or sane enough to deal with. To the degree…
Gratitude for Imman and Sharifa
A wonderful and illuminating sharing last evening by Sharifa Barakat and Imman Musa before a packed house at Marty and Jerry’s. Thanks to the many students from Maryville and SLU who came as well as new and old friends.
Share the Wealth with Lindsay Sihilling: What I Do is Live, How I Pray is Breathe: Leaning into Mysticism and the Inner Voice
This coming Sunday Lindsay Sihilling will offer a few stories and experiences flowing out of her pursuit of authentic spirituality. She’ll talk about how one night of babysitting for a Greek Orthodox family, a deep…
Calming the Breath by Ko Un
Poised like an aging bear climbing a tree, hanging on tightly, I collect my breath. Poised like a bird stretching its neck out and pecking at food I collect my breath. Heaven and earth are…
After Reading Justin Kaplan’s Walt Whitman: A Life
July 2005 It was one month ago that I began to read Whitman in earnest, and, while I still have far to go in prose and poetry, an impression has been made, a fire has…
Share the Wealth with Imman Musa and Sharifa Barakat: Growing up Palestinian American
We would like to talk to you about our Palestinian heritage and some of the unique experiences we have had as Muslim Palestinian-American women living in the Midwest. Sharifa is a product specialist at Elsevier,…