Written by J Walters on 8 Dec 2021
Constantinople
I am made of raw edgesin this city ofbedlam, and chaos,havoc and wonder,a place of incomparable powerthat once was Byzantium,then Constantinople,now Istanbul, a cityI have dreamed so many times. I am here to see a dervish,whirling in the ecstatic trancethat leads to Allah,and to sip rich, ochre coloredtea from apples. To skitterthrough bazaarsso full of
Written by J Walters on 6 Apr 2018
The Hilarious CanLit Story Generator
Canadians in certain quarters have a maniacal, proprietary grip on the concept of CanLit, what it should be, what it isn’t, and who has the right to a place in the world of those who know how to execute it: Margaret Atwood, Timothy Findley, Margaret Laurence, for example. It’s serious business, so integral to the
Written by J Walters on 8 Apr 2016
Comic: Understanding Poetry
In honour of National Poetry Month, have a look at these two wonderful pieces on poetry from artist Grant Snider, who has been publishing Incidental Comics online since 2009. See his website, here. This next one is from the April 3 edition of the New York Times Book Review.
Written by J Walters on 5 Apr 2016
Writing: Elroy lives here
This resonant narrative is from a series on the treatment of the mentally disabled. It garnered a Pulitzer Prize in Public Service journalism for the Washington Post’s Katherine Boo, an investigative writer with an unparalleled documentary style. This excerpt has been a talisman for me for many years. So brilliantly done. From: Forest Haven is
Written by J Walters on 14 Mar 2016
The Definition of Fleeting
By Carl Sandburg The fog comes on little cat feet. It sits looking over harbor and city on silent haunches and then moves on. #
Written by J Walters on 12 Mar 2016
Five thoughts on writing
Words pool Like a tag cloud Stringing, singing Tempting me to Choose. #
Written by J Walters on 10 Mar 2016
Worth Remembering
This is making the rounds (again). How the writing life is changing.
Written by J Walters on 1 Nov 2015
Writers: describe an alligator
They are sinister, implacable things, knobbed and armored like dragons out of nightmares
Written by J Walters on 10 Nov 2014
Writers: Dylan Thomas Notebook found
A lost notebook containing drafts of some of Dylan Thomas’s most challenging poems is heading to Wales after Swansea university successfully bid £85,000 for it at auction in London. Sotheby’s auction house in London put up for sale the recently discovered notebook holding the lost drafts of some of the key works of the Welsh