Wide Awake. Every Day./Starla J. King: Reflections

Over Thanksgiving weekend I had the now-rare privilege of spending a handful of consecutive days with my son. A gonzo slice of heaven. He's always been one of the wisest people I know. He's always had plenty to say.

The conversation turned, at one point, to most desirable human traits, and on the quick top of his list was positivity. I want to be around people who see the good in things first, he said. People who don't make themselves feel smarter by constantly finding fault in others.

I know what you mean, I said.

Starla J. King, a life coach with bright eyes and a pretty impressive smile, knows, too. We met atmospherically on Twitter, as people do, but we met for real during a First Person Arts event that brought Dani Shapiro and me together on a conversational stage. Starla sat right up there in the first row, beaming positivity, embracing the dialogue, and allowing her slender body and her many tiny earrings to take it all in.

A few weeks later, Starla sent me her own new book, Wide Awake. Every Day., wrapped in blue tissue and a red bow. This is her gift to the world, her hope played out, page after page, that we'll all stop for a bit in this harried life  to see, to feel, to love, to know, to hold a cat in our arms as we watch the birds. Infused with personal stories, gently nudging us toward a more fulfilling state of being, this lovely book is organized in day by day fashion. A calendar of positive possibilities. It is utterly Starla—bright eyed, hopeful, brimming with love.

So here is something for you on this December 10th, where (here, at least) it snows soft snow.

Starla's word for this day is Re-new.

Her wisdom is this:

"Re-new is to make new again—we can choose it at any time by letting the old slip through our grasp as we open our hands to receive the new." What, Starla wants to know, can you do to "let go of the old...?"

Today, December 10, I plan to go take a walk in the renewing white with my eyes wide open and my camera around my neck.

What about you?

Read more...

four women: looking back on conversations with Dani Shapiro, Liz Rosenberg, Stacey D'Erasmo, and Debbie Levy

My journey these past many months has been extraordinary—taking me to places far and wide, introducing me to writers and readers who embody the best of the now. For all of you who have taken the time to share some time with me: thank you.

I've been especially blessed by the opportunity to spend time in conversation with leading writers and thinkers. And so today, as I look toward one final Handling the Truth event in the year of 2013 (more on that below), I want to say a special thank you to four women with whom I shared the stage and who were everything I'd hoped they'd be. And more.

Debbie Levy, author, most recently, of Imperfect Spiral, with whom I spent a sacred Saturday afternoon, in Alexandria, VA, talking about life and birds and truth in fiction. We gave our audience a few writing exercises; we engaged; we learned. And I adore Debbie Levy—an amazing talent and gift to younger readers.

Stacey D'Erasmo, author, most recently, of The Art of Intimacy, with whom I shared a stage at the Decatur Book Festival. Fiercely smart, hugely generous, Stacey is a writer I have read for a long time. I could not believe my great good fortune of just sitting and talking craft with her.

Liz Rosenberg, author, most recently, of The Laws of Gravity, who traveled all the way from her home in Binghamton to Mount Airy to spend a Saturday evening in a crowded independent bookstore to talk with me and with the audience about the book life. Liz and I have had a longstanding correspondence. How wonderful it was to spend some time together.

Dani Shapiro, author, most recently, of Still Writing, with whom I had the enormous pleasure of speaking last evening on behalf of First Person Arts. Dani and I had only met briefly once before. We'd talked once on the phone, emailed occasionally. But last night, in an intimate space, we shared a microphone and a passion for this writing life, and I felt as if I'd known her all my life. Dani traveled far to come to my city. She arrived in the company of her equally wonderful husband, the journalist and filmmaker Michael Maren, whose new film, "The Short History of Decay" (click on the link to see the trailer!), will be the featured film at several upcoming festivals. Philadelphians were blessed to have them both in the house. And so was I.

Thank you. And. That last 2013 Handling the Truth event? It's a First Person Arts Festival workshop called The Spices of Life. We're going to remember and write a kitchen scene. There are a few spaces left. Join us. 

Finally, that photograph above was taken by my friend Melissa Sarno on Saturday afternoon in the New York Public Library, following a really beautiful Bank Street morning. Jennifer M. Brown of Bank Street: You care about all the things that matter. You have a lot on your shoulders. Thank you for taking care of me.

Read more...

the Jen Doll/Hairpin/Handling conversation and (wow) First Person Arts

If you're looking for a new entertainment channel, you can't do much better than Jen Doll, whose essays, opinions, and reviews appear in all the most important places (New York Times Book Review, New York Magazine, Village Voice, The Atlantic, Vulture) and whose Twitter Feed is my personal go-to late night/early morning/any time of day First Aid Kit. Jen made my last year when she reviewed Small Damages for the NYTBR. She made my 2013 BEA when we met for the first time. And she made my yesterday train ride when she sent word that a conversation we'd had about memoir (Jen has her own due out next year and it sounds a — Ma — Zing) was now up and running at The Hairpin.

I am not an inherently cool dude-ess, but chilling with Jen makes me feel as if I am. And either she was typing uber fast when we were having our phone conversation a few weeks ago, or she has perfect handwriting/perfect recall, because I've never seen my own words transcribed with such precision.

So here. Meet Jen Doll, if you haven't already, by following this link to our conversation.

You'll find that she's a tad addictive.

And on another topic entirely: Did my fellow WXPNers/First Person Arts performers knock it out of the park at Kelly Writers House last night, or what? We'd gathered to give Philadelphia a taste of what is to come at the First Person Arts Festival, which launches November 6 and features an incredible line-up of storytellers, humorists, performance artists, and writers (Toni Morrison, Sonia Sanchez, Rita Dove, Ana Castillo, and Dani Shapiro among them). Supremely seductive stories got told. I encourage you to tune in on November 4, 8 PM at WXPN 88.5 to hear these hip hopping storytellers for yourself.

(And another round of hugs to Angela and Chang, for being my personal cheering section.)

Thanks to Karina Kacala, who organized the event, and thanks to Becca Jennings and Alli Katz, for holding our hands, and thanks to Andrew Panebianco, Katie Samson, Raphael Xavier, Yaba Blay, fellow artists, and thanks to Michaela Majoun and her inimitable radio ways. And come see us at First Person Arts. I'm on stage with Dani Shapiro on November 10 at 4 o'clock at Christ Church Neighborhood House. And then I return on November 16, 11 o'clock, for a two-hour memoir workshop called The Spices of Life. Registration is required.

See you then?

Say yes.

Read more...

Taking the First Person Arts Stage, with Dani Shapiro

Incredibly happy as I anticipate my conversation (about books, memoir, writing, meaning) with Dani Shapiro during the upcoming First Person Arts Festival on Sunday, November 10, 4 - 5:30, at Christ's Church in Philadelphia.

The details are here. My thoughts about Dani's wonderful new book, Still Writing, are here.

Read more...