Let’s be gentle with ourselves. Try to stay calm. And if not calm, a little less anxious. This has been a pretty rough election cycle. But as an old political science major, I can’t deny it’s also been strangely exciting and gratitude-provoking. What…? It’s true, gratitude sometimes arrives in paradoxical packages. Meaning of course, we can’t be grateful for what…
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The little piece of writing below (maybe a poem) recently scurried into a page of my notebook during one of my morning writing sessions. Later I realized it must have bubbled up from a recent conversation with a psychotherapist friend of mine about how challenging it can be to keep our deepest promises. I mean the…
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There are two essential dimensions of leadership: “plumbing,” i.e., the capacity to apply known techniques effectively, and “poetry,” which draws on a leader’s great actions and identity and pushes him or her to explore unexpected avenues, discover interesting meanings, and approach life with enthusiasm. ––James March, Stanford Professor Emeritus Cancer! The word itself hisses, stings and…
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Years ago at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, I majored in political science. It hasn’t helped me stave off a deeper despair than I’ve ever felt before regarding our politics. Our democracy is in as much danger and pain as I’ve ever seen before. When I say, God help us these days, I really…
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What is a gorilla? Who says? My challenge for each of us is to listen to the poem I’ve recorded called “The Escaped Gorilla.” It’s written by the amazing poet, David Wagoner from his collection, “A Map of This Night.” I believe it challenges what we know about gorillas in a way that is both poignant…
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Oh, how the world could use a full dose of William Stafford at this critical moment. Though he died nearly 23 years ago, the trail this brilliant poet left behind burns so brightly and what’s at stake is so important that I want to hazard a guess on how he would make sense of recent…
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You may have it and not even know. Or simply not be aware that your malady has a name. For me, it has been over 25 years since I was stricken in the early prime of my adult life with Adult Onset Poetry Syndrome. Symptoms: (Note: 3 or more symptoms mean you have it!)…
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That was better than religion… How satisfying it was to hear that feedback after one of my recent poetry-based presentations. And when I heard it a second and third time I was even more pleased. Now let me be clear, I take little credit for these comments, however I do believe in the power of…
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