Eric Harvey, age 34, is a Ph.D. candidate at Brandeis University in Near Eastern and Judaic Studies. He studies the texts, religions, and cultures of ancient Israel, Syria, and Mesopotamia (what is now Iraq). He is writing his dissertation on a group of biblical Psalms which reused pieces of older texts. He lives with his … More October Interview: Scholar, Teacher, and Guide
Alan Brint, age 19, is a swimmer at Beloit College in Beloit, WI. He loves to read and watch sports. He describes his vision as light perception from Leber’s Congenital Amaurosis (LCA). He travels with a white cane. You can find him on Facebook as Alan Brint. What is the most consistent challenge or frustration … More October Interview: Magic, Swimming, and Social Acceptance
Melissa, age 56, is a retired network engineer, educator, and computer programmer from Central Florida. Her passions include photography, dogs, and reading. Today she shares her reverence for the God’s Word and for our words. Do you believe in a God, gods, or other spiritual forces? If so, what name(s) does your spiritual force have? … More Sacred Space Interview: Power in the Word
Mark your calendars for November 12, 2016! I’ll be reading poetry at the JaxbyJax Literary Festival! JaxbyJax is a unique event that stages local writers all over Riverside. Whether you want to visit a pub, hair salon, coffeeshop, or tattoo parlor, you’re likely to find a pair or trio of Jacksonville writers reading their work. … More Appearing at JaxbyJax 2016!
Welcome to October, and welcome to Blindness Awareness Month! On the Blink is celebrating blindness with a second round of October Interviews. In the coming days, you’ll hear from blind friends and colleagues as they describe their passions, their challenges, and their perspectives on disability. Our first October conversation features Katherine Schneider, Ph.D., a retired … More October Interview: Love, Work, Play, and Pray Like Everybody Else
I am honored to be featured on Hannah Lee Jones’s fabulous poetry blog, Primal School. Her blog is designed as a place to discuss poetry outside the academy, to go back to basics and understand what makes a poem tick. In this interview, she asked me to describe my motivation and process for “A Phenomenology … More Poetry as Activism, The Rhetoric of Empathy, and The Breaking of Beliefs: My interview with Primal School
We’re starting the week off right with a luminous interview from Elizabeth L. Sammons. Elizabeth’s interview bridges the Sacred Space series and the October Interview series—opening a dialogue about faith and disability that is rich and rewarding. I know you’ll enjoy this extended conversation! Elizabeth L. Sammons, age 50, is a Program Administrator with Ohio’s … More Sacred Space Interview: Calling for Balance with Faith, Hope, and Love
Kathy, age 59, is a retired radiologic technologist from Jacksonville, FL. She loves reading, cooking, gardening, doing crafts of all kinds, and caring for her family. Today she is speaking with On the Blink about her Catholic faith. Do you believe in a God, gods, or other spiritual forces? If so, what name(s) does your … More Sacred Space Interview: God Is the Beauty in All Things
Welcome to the first of my Sacred Space Interviews! Today, I’m honored to present my conversation with Elaine. Elaine, age 65, is a retired teacher living in Jacksonville, FL. She describes herself as a lifelong learner with a passion for meditation and travel. She speaks in today’s interview about the beliefs and practices of her … More Sacred Space Interview: Live By Doing
Today an instructor I’ve never met before walked into our shared office. We had the following exchange. Colleague: Hello. You teach here? Me: Good morning. Yes. I teach writing. Colleague: And you’re blind? Me: Yes. Colleague: So…do you have any assistance in the classroom? Me: No, not really. Colleague: Wow, that’s just incredible! I really … More A Day in the Life
Today the September issue of Wordgathering is live, and my essay, ‘Sketching the Rose,” is the sole piece in the Music section! Here’s how the piece begins: Summer can be a slow season for my barbershop chorus. We enter regional competition in April, and if our scores are good enough, we’ll compete on the international … More “Sketching the Rose” in the September issue of Wordgathering!
I’m delighted to announce the launch of a new series of interviews here at On the Blink. The series is called Sacred Space, and it will feature short interviews with people about their spirituality. I was inspired to create this series for several reasons, but I can trace bright lines of inspiration to two figures … More Announcing Sacred Space, a new interview series at On the Blink!
Today starts a new semester! And the best way to ring in a beginning or ending is with poetry! So it’s a good thing that my poem “Inside Jokes” was published at The Fem on this day. Read and enjoy! Happy Monday!
In June, I entered The Hopper‘s Prize for Young Poets. You remember The Hopper, the Vermont-based ecologically minded magazine that published one of my essays in May? This contest called for a chapbook, a collection of 20-50 poems by a “young poet” (under 35) who had never published a collection before. So I shuffled and … More Honorable Mention in The Hopper’s Prize for Young Poets!
Today marks the launch of The Deaf Poets Society, a literary journal that features the work of disabled writers. And I’m honored to announce that my poem “Trading Threes” is on this first flight. Read and listen to the poem here. This poem is a tribute to the glorious cardinals who sing day and night … More A little avian poem in a brand new journal!
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