The Art of Creation: Making a World
June 1, 2023 - As this poem by Jane Hirshfield alludes to, the "unseen, unread, unremembered," do transforming work that makes life possible—both for themselves and others. By Louise Conner
The Art of Creation: Birds, Cry Out
April 6, 2023 - In the nooks and crannies of the world, with no human present, songs of praise to the Creator still sound. By Louise Conner
The Art of Creation: Poetry and Policy
March 2, 2023 - Contemplation and activism come together in the work of Homero Aridjis, Mexican writer and environmental advocate, who uses language to see, love, and protect the world we live in. By Louise Conner
The Art of Creation: Out of Each Other's Hands
January 12, 2023 - What happens when our attention snags on something that takes us out of our isolated selves into a larger, richer place? The poem, To the Fig Tree on 9th and Christian, by Ross Gay, gives us a taste of what can transpire when that happens. By Louise Conner
The Art of Creation: Climbing Instructions
October 6, 2022 - The poem, For the Children, by Gary Snyder, written in 1974, is amazingly fitting for 2022. It reminds me of what is essential if we are going to make this world a better and safer place for those yet to be born. By Louise Conner
The Art of Creation: All This Life
August 11, 2022 - The poem, Iowa City: Early April by Robert Hass, speaks of a creation full of life, visible and active all around us. Like the bat in the poem, it stops us in our tracks, and can, when it is "loose," fly straight at our face and make us topple to the floor. By Louise Conner
The Art of Creation: For the Snail
June 23, 2022 - The creatures described in Characteristics of Life are humble, tentative, and vulnerable, easily overlooked and easily harmed in a world that values primarily what is like ourselves. What do we have in common, after all, with a mollusk? By Louise Conner