Devil in the Details

I've spoken previously about trying to write a Xoem® a day as part of my daily morning Alchemy of Illuminated Poetry®  practice. One of the things I do by way of this practice is to explore the mind-body connection. A while back I jammed my fingers into the walls of...

And Simply Drinks

We all experience difficulty in our lives. I wrote this Xoem® as part of The Alchemy of Illuminated Poetry® process in the midst of pain. It reminded me that there is always another way of seeing things. And though I may not be able to change the pain itself, I can...

Lily’s First Anniversary

This month, March 2017, marks the first anniversary of the publication of my verse novella, Lily of the Valley—An American Jewish Journey. This, as many of you know, is the story of five generations of American Jewish women and the resilience, faith and American Dream...

The Angel of Santa Monica

Back in September I began a series of stories expressing my gratitude to people I knew only briefly but who in retrospect had a tremendous influence on my life. Today I write about a third, whom I met only once and whose name I never knew. My encounter with him was...

What I’ve Been Up to Lately

Dear Reader, Many of you have been asking what I've been up to lately and I'm thrilled that as 2017 gets underway, I do have exciting news to share! I've just sent my newest book off to the printer! It's called The Alchemy of Illuminated Poetry®—Seven Steps to Your...

What’s In a Name? More Than You Can Imagine

Shakespeare famously said, "What's in a name? That which we call a rose/ By any other name would smell as sweet;" (Romeo and Juliet, Act II, Scene 2). But we know that names do in fact matter. I have always been fascinated by different naming customs, and the cycles...