Snow at my back gate. A rare South Carolina treat. ❄️⛄️

It’s officially out and about! Songs of the Dead Road is launched, and I couldn’t be more thrilled. Beauty is the resistance to cruelty. 🎶

“To Know the Dark” by Wendell Berry To go in the dark with a light is to know the light. To know the dark, go dark. Go without sight, and find that the dark, too, blooms and sings, and is traveled by dark feet and dark wings.

Welcome encouragement ❤️

Oh Louisville. A fabulous book festival capped with a glorious sunset over the mighty Ohio River.

And she’s off! Songs of the Dead Road manuscript is now in the capable hands of her editor at Bloodhound Books. Launch date is January 12, and I promise lots of teasers between now and then! “Jump” by Melvin Sokolsky, 1965

A profound thank you to all who labor 🫶 (Photo LA Times)

Dorothea Lange is famous for her images of the Great Depression, but her 1942 photographs of the imprisonment of Japanese Americans were suppressed. The War Relocation Authority hired her as part of a PR campaign, but when they saw the cruelty depicted in her work, the images were impounded.

World Refugee Day June 17,1939, German Jewish refugees peer out of the portholes of the MN St. Louis in Havana after being denied entry into both the US and Cuba. Later granted asylum in Belgium, most were later deported and became victims of the Holocaust. Getty Images.

Claudia Heinermann, a photographer and journalist based in the Netherlands, has dedicated her career to preserving the stories of those who suffered under Soviet authoritarian rule. Her unflinching portraits honor the courage and dignity of those who endured unimaginable loss.

This 1908 photograph of a child mill worker (credit: Princeton) inspired me to write a novel (as yet unpublished but hope springs eternal) Photographer Lewis Hine’s haunting evidence of the exploitation of children in mills, mines, and factories led to sweeping reforms in early 20th century America.

Celebrating photographers who bring us the world and cultivate empathy. Children frolicking on swings in Pakistan by Muhammed Muheisen, Pulitzer Prize winning photographer and the founder of the Dutch non-profit organization Everyday Refugees Foundation. The power of images for hope and healing.

I’ve generally ordered my German language books from Amazon but will learn to do without. A message to all the doubters: the tariffs are a tax on us.

When you go for a stroll in Texas and your shadow looks like this the entire way. 😂

"Do not get lost in a sea of despair. Be hopeful, be optimistic. Our struggle is not the struggle of a day, a week, a month, or a year, it is the struggle of a lifetime. Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble." John Lewis

For those insisting that English is the official language of the U.S., here’s a copy of the Declaration of Independence written in German and published in 1776. Wunderbar, ja?

In this tiny corner of Appalachia that I call home, there is a little secret treasure: the Oconee Bell. These tiny white trumpet-shaped blooms appear only here and only in mid-March through early April. Maybe in these chaotic times, the little subversive buds are something to cherish.

Big news! Stay tuned for details of book 2 😉. Huge thanks to all who have purchased, read, and given rave reviews to “The Refugee’s Daughter”! I am so grateful.

Just released, the war journal of Ukrainian poet Victoria Amelina, published posthumously. Essential reading.

Hate to bust a myth but our lovey-dovey Valentine’s Day likely began with Geoffrey Chaucer and a line in his lesser-known work, “Parlement of Fouls,” tying the February feast of St. Valentine to the mating ritual of birds. Lusty imaginations took it from there. l adore a good literary connection. ❤️

How lovely that there are flowers willing to bloom in winter.

This morning in my corner of the world. Wishing all a happy Lunar New Year. 🐍

Mary Oliver never misses.

I’m off Instagram and Facebook for the week. I miss my social media friends who are a lovely bunch, but it felt right to take a stand against the changes that threaten to erode common decency in the social media world. I’ll be back next week!

“Writing is like driving at night in the fog. You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.” EL Doctorow

Standing at the precipice of a moody new year. My hope is that empathy overrides hate, intelligence prevails over ignorance, and power rests in love, not wealth. I’m cherishing those who foster creativity, curiosity, knowledge, and joy. Wishing you all a year of peace and good health. #humankindness

Welcome winter ❄️

“I cannot tell you how the light comes, but that it does. That it will. That it works its way into the deepest dark that enfolds you, though it may seem long ages in coming or arrive in a shape you did not foresee. And so may we this day turn towards it.” Jan Richardson “How the Light Comes”

Former teacher here mourning another community grappling with trauma. We are relieved that children are well-practiced with responding to a lockdown. A second grader called 911. Yet again, we show the world that we consider a safe childhood to be a reasonable sacrifice in service to gun culture.

It’s the season for holiday films, and the tried and true have their joys but one of my sleeper favs is Über Weinachten or Over Christmas on Netflix. Poor flustered Basti returns home and must make peace with his family and himself. Great German snowy village vibes.

My barista friend is a gem. Happy Sunday!

The fields are quiet, resting after an abundant harvest in the shadows of the wintery mountains. Now is the time for cider, warm spices, and long, starry nights.

It is the time of quiet beauty, nature’s signal to rest our minds and still our frazzled energy ahead of cold winds and long nights. Lean into the season’s rhythms and let them carry you forward but always, always make space for kindness.

Literally.....

In winter all the singing is in the tops of the trees Mary Oliver “White-Eyes”

So thrilled that my very first Bluesky post is my publication day celebration! “The Refugee’s Daughter” is out today with Bloodhound Books. Inspired by the story of the Wolfskinder, this novel speaks to love, resilience, and hope.