Thought for the Day

. . . We are all immigrants from the past, and home lives 

inside the memory, where we lock it up

and pretend it is unchanged.

~ Dina Nayeri

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Quoted from Dina Nayeri, The Ungrateful Refugee: What Immigrants Never Tell You (Canongate Books/Catapult, 2019), page 346. The book was a finalist for the 2019 Kirkus Prize.

Dina Nayeri, Award-Winning Novelist, Essayist, and Nonfiction Writer; Fellow, Columbia Institute for Ideas and Imagination, 2019-2020

Thought for the Day

. . . what is this loneliness we long for in that someone /

no one else can be, . . .  /

but who was there, whatever the moment was?

~ Stanley Plumly

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Quoted from Stanley Plumly, "Planet" in American Poetry, November/December 2019, pg 22

Stanley Plumly (1939-2019), Award-Winning Poet and Prose Writer; Maryland Poet Laureate; Director, Creative Writing, University of Maryland at College Park

Stanley Plumly's posthumous collection of poems is Middle Distance (W.W. Norton, August 2020).

Profiles of Stanley Plumly at Academy of American Poets, Literary Hub, Poetry Foundation, University of Maryland Department of English

New Artist Watch Post at Escape Into Life

Ellen Von Wiegand, Of Wild Weeds, 2019

Linocut, 55.5" x 35.5"

© 2019 by Ellen Von Wiegand

PLEASE DO NOT COPY IMAGE

February's Artist Watch feature at Escape Into Life introduces the beautiful linocuts of Ellen Von Wiegand.

Largely self-taught in linocut, Ellen developed her interest in printmaking while studying the linocuts of Picasso and Der Blaue Reiter group at Christies, where she earned a master's degree in contemporary art; however, the inspiration for her prints is primarily traditional Japanese printmaking and Greek and Roman black figure pottery.

Today's Artist Watch column showcases nine of Ellen's linocuts, her Artist Statement, a brief biographical profile, and social media sites on which Ellen's work appears.

Thought for the Day

The heart is like a mirror. If it is cleansed of the dust

and fog, whichever way or object you aim it at

the reflection of it would be reflected in the mirror.

~ Haidari Wujodi

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Quoted from Mujib Mashal, "In a Quiet Corner, an Old Afghan Poet Polishes 'the Heart's Mirror'" (Online), The New York Times, October 25, 2019 (Print: "At Kabul's Public Library, Using Verse to Make Sense of a World of Conflict", October 26, 2019, Sec. A, pg 5)

Mujib Mashal, Senior Correspondent, The New York Times

Thought for the Day

i am running into a new year /

and i beg what i love and /

i leave to forgive me.

~ Lucille Clifton

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Quoted from Lucille Clifton, "I am running into a new year" in The Collected Poems of Lucille Clifton 1965-2010 (ed. Kevin Young and Michael S. Glaser), BOA Editions, 2012, page 158

Lucille Clifton, 1936-2010, Award-Winning American Poet, Writer, Educator; Poet Laureate of Maryland, 1979-1985

Reginald Dwayne Betts, "In Praise of Lucille Clifton", The New York Times, October 2, 2019

Thought for the Day

. . . Hope is a muscle. It's a choice. It's a vigorous choice,

to see what is wrong and what needs healing and needs

repair and needs our attention and also to keep our hearts

and our imaginations and our energy oriented towards

what we want to build, what we want to create, what

we're walking towards. . . .

~ Krista Tippett

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Quoted from "Living the Questions: How can we be present to what's happening in the world without giving in to despair and hopelessness?" On Being with Krista Tippett, July 16, 2018

Krista Tippett, Founder and CEO, The On Being Project; Host, On Being and Becoming Wise; Author of Becoming Wise, Einstein's God, and Speaking of Faith

Thought for the Day

. . . we don't have to understand everything about each other

in order to be present with one another. I think that we have 

mistaken empathy as walking in someone else's shoes. Let

us be clear, you can't. But what we can do

 is witness, and accompany.

~ Lennon Flowers

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Quoted from "Jennifer Bailey and Lennon Flowers: An Invitation to Brave Space", Krista Tippett Interview at On Being (Civil Conversations Project), October 17, 2019

Lennon Flowers, Co-Founder, The People's Supper; Co-Founder and Executive Director, The Dinner Party and TDP Labs

New Artist Watch Feature at Escape Into Life

Patrick Seruwu, The Controversial Truth 2, 2018

Acrylic on Canvas

120cm x 100cm

Copyright © 2019 Patrick Seruwu

PLEASE DO NOT COPY IMAGE

It is a privilege to present in my new Artist Watch feature at Escape Into Life the work of emerging artist Patrick Seruwu, originally from Kampala, Uganda, and currently residing and working in Johannesburg, South Africa.

A self-taught artist, Patrick has been drawing with charcoal and painting with acrylics for a mere two years. Inspired by ancient Greek and Roman figures and in celebration and honor of his mother, he aims to portray both the truth and the strength of women at various moments in their daily lives.

Today's Artist Watch column showcases eight of Patrick's paintings and includes his Artist Statement, a brief biography, and links to his social media sites. Well-received by the global art community in Johannesburg, Patrick is preparing for his first solo exhibition in February 2020.

Thought for the Day

. . . We are quick to draw lines where our awareness stops. . .

But there are truths that lie beneath our consciousness. . . .

~ Kent Nerburn

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Quoted from Kent Nerburn, "Senses Unfamiliar," Adapted from Kent Nerburn, Voices in the Stones: Life Lessons from the Native Way (New World Library, 2016) for "Ways of Knowing" at Center for Action and Contemplation, October 18, 2019

Kent Nerburn, Author and Essayist Specializing in Native American and American Culture and Spirituality

Center for Action and Contemplation

Thought for the Day

Part of being human is that we remember and forget,

remember and forget. The work is to remember more

often that we forget.

~ Kristi Nelson

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Quoted from Kristi Nelson, "Ten True Things About Gratefulness: A Conversation with Kristi Nelson" (Online), A Network for Grateful Living, October 10, 2019

Kristi Nelson, Executive Director, A Network for Grateful Living; Presenter, Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health