Author: Mark J. Chmiel
With Gratitude for Rexroth
Kenneth Rexroth, 100 Poems from the JapaneseNew Directions, 1964 Dear EJ Kenneth Rexroth—poet, polymath, anarchist, and pacifist—is a fine guide to Chinese and Japanese poetry. He provided six books of translation for the enrichment of…
Instead of Reciting a Gatha, Here I Am Listening to Dylan
Leave at your own chosen speed….
Autumn Merton Hour with Rocco Erker: Love, War, and a Vocation
Join us for our fourth Zoom gathering this year to explore the work of Thomas Merton—Sunday 20 November7 p.m. Central TimeEmail me for URL: markjchmiel@gmail.com Rocco Erker has been a lifelong reader and student of Thomas…
An Out-Going Heart
Earlier today, I unintentionally came across the following writing in response to a prompt I received from Sara Rendell on September 9, 2013. We could learn a lot about having an out-going heart by following…
If You Need a Photographer…
Contact my friend Cami Kasmerchak, who now has a website. Check out her photography!
Notice What You Notice
Primo Levi: I never stopped recording the world and people around me, so much that I still have an unbelievably detailed image of them. I had an intense wish to understand, I was constantly pervaded…
Starting in Early January 2023
14,000 Things to Be Happy About: A Class in Reading, Writing, and Sharing
Then and Now
“Brothers, do not be afraid of men’s sin, love man also in his sin, for this likeness of God’s love is the height of love on earth. Love all of God’s creation, both the whole…
Sri Anandamayi Ma
In the last eleven yearsI’ve read whatever books I could get my hands onWhose subject is Sri Anandamayi Ma (Her parents gave her the nameNirmala SundariWhich means “One of Taintless Beauty”) Some say this Bengali…