Happy Fall! I'm sharing this post on the NEW Moon in the sign of Libra and on the eve of the Jewish NEW Year, Rosh Hashanah, and three days before I move into a NEW home! This all reminds me of the wonderful Harris/Walz US Presidential campaign slogan, "A NEW Way Forward." Ready, set...GO.....I feel confident and hopeful about the future and grateful for all of the NEW energy and enthusiasm around the election next month. I was part of a group, "Wild Women for Harris," who addressed and stamped 200 postcards that we are mailing to folks in another state to encourage them to vote. I'm planning to vote as soon as I receive my mail-in ballot. Early voting is very important in this election, As we wrote on some of the cards, please plan ahead and vote as early as possible. Every state has different rules on Election Day that can be confusing. The Protect the Vote website has useful information about your rights as a voter. If you should encounter any issues, the Voter Protection Hotline Number is 866-687-8683.
At the end of this blog there are photos of our "coconut era" theme postcard writing party. I love my friend's shirt with the phrase "We are not going back." Amen, Sister...it's a NEW day and there is a NEW way forward, October '24 and beyond.
October is also National Disability Employment Awareness Month. It is intended to educate about disability employment issues and celebrate the many and varied contributions of America's workers with disabilities. The 2024 NDEAM theme is "Access and Good Jobs for All." Access in the workplace for blind and visually impaired people has been significantly aided by guide dogs, and one of the organizations providing the training for the dogs is Guide Dogs for the Blind. My daughter volunteers with this group by helping raise the puppies in training. I get to spend time with the dogs when she keeps them to give the regular raisers a break. They are incredibly intelligent animals! Part of their training of course is to learn to be comfortable on public transportation. Since we live in Washington State, people frequently use the ferries to travel to the various islands around the Salish Sea. I had the pleasure of accompanying a darling guide dog named Zora on her first ferry ride recently! She did an amazing job! (see photos below).
In reading news, I'm super excited for the Southern Book Launch of "In the Grip of Grace!" Perfect timing as October is National Book Month! I will be reading select poems at a launch party at the Clapboard House, 207 W. Main Street, Wise, Virginia at 11:00 AM on Saturday, October 19. My heart goes out to the people in the Southeast who have been impacted by Hurricane Helene. Wise is located about 130 miles from Asheville, North Carolina, a city that sustained major damage in the storm.
I just finished reading two new poetry books. Here are my reviews of these commendable collections:
Root Stock by Victory Lee Schouten (Kindle Direct Publishing) is a touching tribute to the author's matriarchal lineage. The stunning genealogical photo of her ancestors that graces the cover is expanded with stories of the strength, resilience and legacy of these remarkable women and others. Numerous poems testify to the thread of grace woven throughout their lives which the poet finds despite the hardships they also endured. Schouten "takes stock" of her life in these courageous and hope-filled poems and inspires readers to do likewise in their own experiences.
Ascent by Christopher Manieri (Careggi Press) is a moving collection of contemplative poetry. In luminous lines, the poet asks us to meditate on true joy that “can only be found in the Infinite.” Manieri doesn’t ignore the complexities and sorrows of life in these stirring poems, but instead explores the contrasts between grief and bliss and how in both there is a “certain cosmic beauty.” In “The Lake” we are assured that we are “greater than the mere body, more than the mind.” This theme of spiritual transcendence is woven throughout, as in “Harmony,” he writes, ‘we are all instruments of the Spirit/each vital to that greater harmony.” Ascent showcases the author as an instrument of Spirit in these uplifting and encouraging poems. Encountering this work leaves the reader “rejuvenated by the rush of love for all” as the poet writes of a vibrant blue jay in the woodland, relentless rain, swans, treasured fields, quiet grass, the ocean, river, lake and forest. Manieri’s poems invite us to continue our journey toward oneness “undaunted by the struggle” and to “heal our wings for the ascent.”
Wishing you a wonderful fall reading season and much peace moving forward,
~Marianne (aka Wild Honey)
Wild Honey at the Wild Women for Harris Postcard Writing Party....pausing to sign a copy of "In the Grip of Grace" for a reader who brought her copy to the party! Doncha just love that cute coconut bra I'm wearing?! No I didn't just fall out of a coconut tree! "I exist in the context" to quote Kamala! And how about that cute "comma la" pin? One thing's for certain, my laugh is crazier than hers! So much fun being us!
My fellow Wild Women for Harris friends with their tropical drinks, postcards and coconut buddy...love the t-shirt, "We're Not Going Back!
The adorable and incredibly intelligent Zora aboard a WA State Ferry
Zora sailing on the Salish Sea
If you happen to be in the Southern Virginia mountains, I look forward to seeing you at the Clapboard House (Appalachian Showcase) on Saturday, October 19 at 11:00 AM for my reading and book launch for "In the Grip of Grace."
I can't tell you how much I appreciate you advocating for Kamala and educating those around you. It's a true inspiration. I love taking the ferries and how fun to go along with your daughter and her temporary dog! Good for her for providing this important service.
Thanks for sharing those books of poetry and their reviews. Just started Shouten's book of poetry and I'm really enjoying it. And above all - good luck on the big move!!