Ritual

Ritual

There are piles of work waiting for me, but I have spent the afternoon sitting quietly in a corner of the barn’s overhang, reading.  The only sounds are the stomping of the horses’ feet, the occasional squonk of some nearby geese, and the whisk of wings as...
Taking a Pot for a Hike

Taking a Pot for a Hike

This weekend, I took a pot for a hike, prefaced by three surprises. The third surprise was how well this small vase fit my hand. That should not have been a surprise, really, but it was, this fleeting little gasp of a smile as I lifted it from the box. I will find...
Aftermath, and a Toast

Aftermath, and a Toast

For the last few days, I have been avoiding writing. For the last four weeks, I couldn’t write. I was in the middle of making something – what I have come to understand as my craft. Rule 8: Don’t try to create and analyze at the same time. They are...
Tailgating Shakespeare

Tailgating Shakespeare

It’s eleven o’clock at night, and I just got in from tailgating Shakespeare. The snapshot places me six hours south of my home, about to begin teaching three weeks of an arts program hosted on an idyllic college campus.  Specifically, I was in a parking...
Numbers Game

Numbers Game

Yesterday, a bright, accomplished junior who had just completed my upper-level Ceramics class stopped by the studio to talk. This student worked consistently and thoughtfully throughout the class. His technical skill improved a great deal, and we are both quite proud...
On Books

On Books

I’m going to choose my words very carefully.  Because for as long as I can remember, I have loved words.  Words convey meaning, and I can’t help but think that a search for meaning is what the whole human experience is about. I didn’t think about...