Marilynne Robinson's Novels: Article by David Propson

One of my favorite fiction writers, Marilynne Robinson was featured in The Wall Street Journal today in a story by David Propson titled "Weaving Humanity Into History."

Robinson wrote the Pulitzer Prize-winning "Gilead" and an earlier book, "Housekeeping." "Gilead" stands as one of the Top Ten novels I've ever read and I look forward to my reading of her new book "Home" (which I started last evening).

Propson writes the "one of Ms. Robinson's aims in "Gilead" and "Home" seems to be to weave humanity back into history. Her quietly lyrical novels are in fact haunted by the past, preoccupied by the possibility of redemption -- not only of their characters but of their country. "Gilead" and "Home" are -- among much else -- antidotes to the processes of historical forgetting that Ms. Robinson sees constantly at work."

If you're looking for splendid book to enjoy this October, I highly recommend "Gilead." After you've read it, I suspect you'll want to continue your time with Robinson's characters and their Iowa town in "Home" (instead of having to wait four years between publication of the novels like I did).

Marilynne Robinson's Novels: Article by David Propson

"Slug Queen" Story in The Wall Street Journal

A young reporter from Oregon, Mary Pilon, wrote a front page Wall Street Journal story which resulted in an article in her hometown newspaper:

"Our queen of gastropods oozes charm upon Wall Street Journal front page" | The Register-Guard

Take a look at the original WSJ story which include some playful video.

Such is life in Eugene in September!

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"Slug Queen" Story in The Wall Street Journal

An Amazing and Beautiful Travel Blog

Last Sunday's Oregonian featured an extraordinary blog -- Notes from the Road -- by Erik Gauger in the newspaper's travel section.

I'm enjoying reading his many blog posts and viewing his amazing photos creating with a 4 x 5 camera, his hand-painted sketches, watercolor maps, and travel notes.

I heartily recommend the site for some good reading on a beautifully illustrated blog.

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An Amazing and Beautiful Travel Blog

Top Choice for a Next Career: Editorial Cartoonist

I love editorial cartoons. Being an editorial cartoonist is my top choice for a "next career." With all the "stuff" from Washington over the past eight years and now, the political campaign for the Presidency (or is it for the Vice Presidency?), there are so many laughable opportunities to choose from.

Jack Ohman, working for The Oregonian, is among the best editorial cartoonists around today. His cartoons are published online daily for those of us who don't get the Portland newspaper every day. Take a look at the his cartoons over the past week or so.

Do you have a favorite editorial cartoonist? Or a favorite editorial cartoon? Let me know who or what is making you laugh when you read an editorial page.

Top Choice for a Next Career: Editorial Cartoonist

Quitting Your Day Job to Write at Home

In today's Oregonian (Aug. 31), mystery writer April Henry writes about her experience of quitting her day job to write full-time at home. As one who has done just that more that once, I found her story of the "dream" and the "reality" hilarious (and ever so true):

What really happens when you quit your day job

Unlike April, virtually all my writing from my home-based office has been non-fiction. She took her "leap" home from her corporate job after writing six novels. I took my first leap home to write nearly 30 years ago when I was in my mid-30's. I joined the technical writing business my wife had started and together, we made a great success of it writing computer-user manuals for large corporations in the Chicago area. It was fun and sometimes exhausting. And it made parenting little boys a bigger challenge plus stretched our marriage to the breaking point.

One of the first "realities" I learned very quickly about myself was that I needed to "leave home" to be able to work at home. I needed to get out of the house in the morning and walk to a neighborhood restaurant for my morning coffee (and journal write about my life before starting any writing on work projects). Over the years, I've done variations of that morning ritual. Today, I go for a morning walk for daily exercise and just watch my mind "roam" wherever it needs go as I notice my surroundings (without writing anything down!). I start working on writing projects shortly after I get back home (actually, I usually read and respond to email first). Sometimes, I take my laptop to a coffee shop to write first drafts amidst the clatter and chatter. But I need the solitude and silence of home to edit and finish my writing projects.

Do you write at home? What works for you? Did you find that "reality" didn't exactly match your "dream" when you quit your day job to work from home?

Quitting Your Day Job to Write at Home

The Work and Art of Writing

Sunday's Oregonian (Aug. 24) had a piece on writing by the "metal cowboy", Joe Kurmaskie, who interviewed authors about their writing process. A fun read. Yet the subject seems to be a perennial (and serious) question for writers or people "thinking" about becoming writers. Take a look: The work and art of writing: muscle vs. muse

After over forty years of writing for a variety of media (which included many, many days of waiting for my "muse"), I come down strongly on the side of "muscle". What does my muse have to say about that? Could be a long wait! Meanwhile, keep those keys clickin', Todd.

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The Work and Art of Writing

Writing Book Reviews

One of my monthly assignments is to write a book review for our city magazine, Springfield Connection. Thankfully, I get to select books of my choice for the reviews so I'm always writing about books of interest to me.

Even so, I find it challenging to write just 500 words about any book I've read. My hope is that I capture the essence of the book and convey enough information for a readers of the review to decide whether to not to spend time reading the book. So far, I've reviewed only non-fiction books but plan to review some fiction and poetry in the future.

Here's a sample of my latest book review (others featuring Finding Our Fathers, The Mature Mind, The Last Lecture, and The Legacy Guide are available in back issues of Springfield Connection and on my website):

My Stroke of Insight by Jill Bolte Taylor

By Todd Peterson

The human brain. It’s mysterious. And it’s marvelous!

Our brain contains about 100 billion neurons. It consumes a quarter of the body’s oxygen and most of its calories. Yet just weighs about three pounds.

Our brain is the seat of consciousness, thought, memory, and emotion. It is the control center that regulates bodily activities, receives and interprets sensory impulses, and transmits information to our muscles and body organs.

But what happens when the brain is injured? In My Stroke of Insight, neuroanatomist Jill Bolte Taylor tells about her personal experience and remarkable discoveries about the brain.

At the age of thirty-seven, Taylor experienced a massive stoke in the left side of her brain. The brain scientist observed her own brain deteriorate over four hours as she lost her ability to recall any of her life. She could no longer talk, walk, read, or write.

It took Jill Taylor eight years to recover from her stoke. What she learned during her healing journey has implications for every human being, not just those who suffer a stroke or other brain injury.

Taylor’s stroke damaged the left hemisphere of her brain – the language center, home of the ego, the rational, time-oriented “left mind.” She experienced living from her brain’s right hemisphere – her “right mind” that remembers isolated moments, thinks in pictures, and perceives the “big picture”.

Taylor writes that “to the right mind, no time exists other than the present moment, and each moment is vibrant with sensation. Life or death occurs in the present moment. The experience of joy happens in the present moment. Our perception and experience of connection with something that is greater than ourselves occurs in the present moment. To our right mind, the moment of now is timeless and abundant.”

The two hemispheres of our brain not only perceive and think differently neurologically, they “demonstrate very different values based on the types of information they perceive, and thus exhibit very different personalities. My stoke of insight is that at the core of my right hemisphere consciousness is a character that is directly connected to my feeling of deep inner peace. It is completely committed to the expression of peace, love, joy, and compassion in the world.”

By recognizing the differences in the right and left mind, we can lead our lives with a more “balanced-brain approach.” We have more choice in how we think, fee, and behave when we are clear about which side of our brain is processing different types of information. The author describes how to connect with the deep inner peace that resides in the right side of our brain.

From her experience, Taylor believes “the more time we spend running our inner peace/compassion circuitry, then the more peace/compassion we will project into the world and ultimately the more peace/compassion we will have on the planet.”

Ultimately, all the difficult work Jill Bolte Taylor did to recover her left hemisphere functions has made possible the sharing of her right mind discoveries. (Her speeches and interviews are available at www.drjilltaylor.com).

My Stroke of Insight is a fascinating look at the human mind, an inspiring guide for people recovering from a brain injury, and a gift to everyone seeking deep inner peace in their lives.

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Writing Book Reviews