Prophetic Persistence
My friend Pat Geier gave this homily to the Loretto Community. Palm Sunday 2021Isaiah 50:4-7Phil. 2:6-11Mark 11:1-10 The story of that first Palm Sunday as told by Mark would have made for good optics. If…
Category: Friends
What Sarah’s Been Reading with Gusto
I emailed Saran McNeal, and wrote: “Tell me something you’ve been reading lately that jazzes you up! Here’s how she responded… Hi Mark, Good to hear from you. Sorry for being so quiet these last weeks….
Share the Wealth with Magan Wiles: Surprise! No One is Coming to Help, So It’s Up To Us, Or, My Limited Experience With the Power of Mutual Aid
Last summer I joined the WP4BL Sandwich Squad and started delivering PB&J sandwiches to a community of unhoused people living on the street in Santa Monica, a few miles down the street from where I…
“What a Community!” Reading The Book of Mev by Jean Durel
My friend Jean sent me the following… Have so loved The Book of Mev — even though my heart was breaking at times and tears were streaming down my face. Of course I knew the end,…
Lines Written on the Back of a Wangari Maathai Postcard by Katja
I remember cookies crumbs on 6 North Coffee tables I remember the banishment of “should” I remember Being Peace I remember blue-lined notebooks I remember Natalie Goldbergisms I remember writing outside the margins I remember…
Dear Teacher by Yael DiPlacido-Eastman
I once asked Jean Abbott what made her choose the path that she chose in life. Her answer became a guiding principle in my life. She said that she was raised to believe (I believe…
Share the Wealth: With Gratitude for Jean Abbott
I invite you to join us for an evening of sharing stories about Sister Jean Abbott (1943-2021), who was the founder of the Center for Survivors of Torture and War Trauma here in Saint Louis….
Share the Wealth with Annie Cosby … When Writing’s The Easy Part: Lessons from Writing, Publishing & Loving Novels
Writing is difficult. Really, really difficult. Growing up, I always thought that would be the hardest part of my dream of becoming an author. Actually finishing a book, a book people would want to read,…
True Happiness Is a Verb
Monday 28 December 2020 Dear C, Having written you yesterday about Annie Liebovits and Susan Sontag, I want to mention today that I took the phrase “Wisdom Project” from Sontag in her collection, At the…
Share the Wealth Sunday 27 December 2020
As I was driving in the Central West End this afternoon, I realized that I had not asked a friend to do a Share the Wealth with us this weekend. Then, knowing that Christmas…