Back in August, I wrote a post about the tragic suicide of Kevin Morrissey; in that post, I commented on one aspect of the narrative unfolding at the time, namely, the dangers of workplace bullying and the need for our vigilance in fighting it. That post has received a lot of traffic since, partly fromContinue reading “A follow-up about Virginia Quarterly”
Tag Archives: compassion
Nine years ago today…
I was driving a two-hour commute to teach a college class. I listened to the news on the radio. At one point I had to pull over on the side of the road just to catch my breath. Later, I passed others who had done the same. When I got to school, I spent halfContinue reading “Nine years ago today…”
Smile! (the new blog)
My new blog is active. It’s called Smile!: celebrating happiness one image at a time. Check it out, and spread the word–I’m hoping to share a little happiness with everyone I can, and you can help share the happiness too. 🙂
Pakistan flood relief
I’ve mentioned before how hard it is to keep up with relief efforts for the string of major disasters in the past year or so, and because so many of the relief and aid organizations tend to be the same for each disaster–and recent constant experience has made them (presumably) the best prepared to help–I’veContinue reading “Pakistan flood relief”
One tragedy in academia
Among my various pet causes (promoting nonviolence, encouraging the creative writing of kids and teens, supporting increased awareness about breast cancer), one of the most recent for me is bullying. Usually, we associate bullying with the schoolyard, and when the news reports on bullying (and it has been reporting on it more in recent years,Continue reading “One tragedy in academia”
Score!
A week ago, I wrote a quick post asking you all to think good things for the author of Literary Rejections on Display, who was this close to landing an agent. Well, the well-wishing worked, folks! Crack open a bottle of whatever you please and join in the celebrations. This is a victory for usContinue reading “Score!”
Floods in Pakistan and Afghanistan
I’m reading news of the massive, tragic flooding in Pakistan and Afghanistan. I’ve posted in this blog before about terrifying natural distasters (though with the way we’ve altered our environment and the weather patterns of this planet, I wonder how long it’ll be before we stop calling these “natural” disasters), but I’ve missed posting aboutContinue reading “Floods in Pakistan and Afghanistan”
Accruing the karma
If you’re as big a fan of Literary Rejections on Display as I am, you’ve probably been following with some excitement the unfolding good news for our anonymous blogger: Over the last several weeks, he/she has been getting not just a nibble but a hard tug on the line for a novel she/he has beenContinue reading “Accruing the karma”
Photo blog 11
This is not a spectacular photo, I know, but I wanted to post it in honor of the 75th birthday of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama (6 July). While he is not formally my teacher, I have received teachings from him, including teachings on Tara (the female bodhisattva of compassion, whose Chinese name isContinue reading “Photo blog 11”
Patrons of writing and teaching: My grandfather, Ted Snoek
Ordinarily, I reserve the “patrons” entries for divine and/or fictional influences on my writing and teaching. But today I want to write about a real, living person, because today is my grandfather’s 90th birthday. My grandfather, Ted Snoek, has had a profound influence on my professional life. His father died fairly young, when my grandfatherContinue reading “Patrons of writing and teaching: My grandfather, Ted Snoek”
Samuel Snoek-Brown 