From a young age, I aspired to be an “accomplished woman” like the heroines of 19th century European literature who managed to excel at many disparate talents and interests. I sought to be as well-rounded as humanly possible with as many activities as could fit in a day. I honestly didn’t care about perfection so…
Tag: blog
Cadence of Fall | Part I: Cacophony of Sound
Have you ever heard an orchestral melee as the players practice on their own before coordinated tuning? The instrumentalists are probably all playing portions of the same set of music, but at different tempos and times, just trying to hone in on their individual parts. It’s chaotic and nonsense and not particularly pleasant to listen…
Book Review: Mrs. Dalloway
With this review of Mrs. Dalloway (Virginia Woolf), I have finally completed the pile of books I picked up a few years ago from The Winding Stair bookshop in Dublin (with the exception of a puzzle book). One of the other titles, How Should One Read a Book, also by Woolf, was a great little…
OBJECT THINGS STUFF
messy bits we carry around. In 10 days, my debut collection of poetry will be published & available for the world to see. But before that, some context. I have loved poetry since I was a child. My cousin, Lindsay, and I once produced a hand-illustrated, yarn-bound collection of poems based on the creek in…
Book Review: Lost Illusions
A few years ago, I read (and totally enjoyed) Père Goirot, one of Honoré de Balzac’s most famous novels in his massive work, La Comédie humaine, which is comprised of 90 novels featuring 2,000 characters who cross between the books. As a lover of classic European literature (my favorite book is Les Misèrables), I was…
Book Review: So Long as It’s Wild
Ever since the book So Long as It’s Wild: Standing Strong After My Famous Walk Across America (2023)by Barbara Jenkins was announced, I’ve been highly anticipating reading it. A few years ago, I read (and loved) To Shake the Sleeping Self, written by one of her sons, Jedidiah Jenkins. From following both Jedidiah and Barbara…
Sitting, Waiting, Wishing
I love an end of the year reflection post. I also love a song lyric that feels so relevant to a moment in time it’s as if the lyricist wrote it just for me (thank you Jack Johnson, circa 2005). So, here I am at the end of 2024—sitting, waiting, wishing only good things for…
Book Review: Bite by Bite
I was enamored with Aimee Nezhukumatathil ‘s book of essays World of Wonders a few years ago when I was gifted a copy, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants style. I was encouraged to read the book, then write a little note in the front cover and pass it on to someone who I thought would…
Book Review: The Art Thief
My primary career goal lately has been to maintain my status as a non-starving artist. I keep telling people (why does everyone keep asking what I’m “up to” lately??) that I am a full-time creative with multiple part-time gigs. This is basically what my entire post-graduation career has looked like, I just now know how…
India | 2023
Unlike many people I know, I really enjoyed my travel experiences in India on my first trip. Granted, I was traveling in a large group and food, lodging, transportation and excursions were all pre-arranged for us. I also happened to LOVE the food (the spicier the better!). So, as I told my Indian-American doctor when…
L.M.Beatty 