Books Edition

Authors and Voices Accompanying Me in this Season

I’ve been reading a lot lately, immersing myself in words on paper, relishing learning from others lived experience and grateful that books don’t have notifications or pop-ups. It has been a balm to read and listen to some of my favorite authors, and to discover new voices and stories.

The above shelfie is a glimpse of some of my reading material this fall.

I highly recommend the audio book version of Ross Gay’s The Book of Delights and The Book of (More) Delights. It is lovely to hear the books in the author’s voice. With the first book, Gay had a year-long practice of writing an essay each day about something that delighted him. He returned to this practice five years later with the second book. He offers a lovely modeling of creative practice, both the practice of writing an essay each day (he notes that the word essay means “to try”) and the practice of seeking and naming that which delights. This isn’t a negation of difficult things in life, but rather an example of a conscious choice to notice and lift up that which brings light and life.

The Great Search: Turning to Earth and Soul in the Quest for Healing and Home is another gem as an audio book, as it is read by the author. The book features nine people of different religions, vocations, and points in history. They are connected in their reverence and relationship for the Earth and for the human soul. My favorite chapter was about Scottish writer, Nan Shepherd and her relationship with the Craighorn Mountain range in the Scottish Highlands. Her story is a love affair with this landscape throughout her life and offers wisdom for ways relating to a landscape over time also helps us deepen our relationship with our inner landscape.

Something in the Woods Loves You is a memoir by the poet, Jarod K. Anderson. I enjoy Anderson’s poetry and became intrigued by this book after reading the first chapter about the Great Blue Heron on-line. I appreciate Anderson’s transparency and courage in sharing his journey through serious clinical depression, the treatment he sought and the way the natural world supported his healing. I wrote more about this book’s inspiration in my October newsletter.

I first heard about Night Flyer: Harriet Tubman and the Faith Dreams of a Free People in an excerpt from the book in The Washington Post. I was especially intrigued by Harriet Tubman’s connection to the natural world. The book connects Tubman’s early childhood experiences to the ways she developed her intuition and knowledge of the natural world through observing people and her environment. Miles tells her story in relation to others of her time period, highlighting her prophetic voice and leadership.

Crow Talk is a beautiful story of friendship and healing. The descriptions of the creative process and the characters’ relationships with the environment and animals around them particularly resonated for me. Two main characters are an ecologist and a musician and the parallel roles inquiry and creativity play in their lives and work are fascinating.

The Dreaming Way: Courting the Wisdom of Dreams is Toko-Pa Turner’s newest book, published in September. Her writing about dreams and practices of courtship feels akin to my thoughts and writing about relating to creativity as a process of courtship. She advocates for slow, deepening relationships developed over time with images and stories offered by dreams. Her earlier book, Belonging: Remembering Ourselves Home is another favorite.

I was about halfway through Parker Palmer’s A Hidden Wholeness before I realized I had read it before, about ten years ago. At the time of my first reading, I was most interested in the guidelines he offers for gathering in groups for listening and discernment. It was interesting this time to read it with a focus more on the practices of listening and how they apply in everyday life and to the listening we do to our souls, our creativity, our selves and our loved ones.

Are there books or stories that are inspiring you? Have you read any of the titles I list here? I would love to hear about what’s inspiring you too.

With a grateful heart,

Kathryn

Looking forward to having everyone home this week and sending love for Thanksgiving gatherings to you and yours.