“Poetry led me by the hand out of madness.”
—Anne Sexton
What gives you hope?
No doubt, in many ways, these are mad times. And while I remind myself daily that I must not hide from the gravity of world news, and I must do what I can to help, those things don’t mean relinquishing the rituals that bring an amplified sense of aliveness and joy. And hope. What our world needs more than ever right now is hope.
The arts remind us of our shared humanity. Poetry, storytelling, visual art, dance, film, song, symphony—all modes of heart-centred creativity bring light. Even when the content may be serious and sad—sometimes, especially then—we can feel the light of the artist behind that material, and our own light. The search for meaning and connection. The care for craft. The crazy-beautiful desire to follow inspiration, to listen to the inner voice, to invest uncounted hours in impractical necessities, and to share with no guarantee of anything more than putting a little more love into the world.
So, in addition to fiction, I’m reading and writing poetry these days.
What gives you hope? I’d love to hear from you.