Elizabeth Howard

Elizabeth writes literary non-fiction, haiku, cultural rants, and Demand Poetry in order to forward the cause of beautiful writing. She calls London, Kansas City, and Iowa home.

In My California Time

I heard: “Big Sur is calling to me” and here’s what happened to me. I immediately felt the grey, El Nino winter that that I spent in California, in 1999. I was working in a restaurant in Kansas City at the time a place that was renovating. All the staff was given 6 weeks vacation,…

Vacationland: Switch off and Tune In

I need a vacation. Let’s all insert here for a minute the list of blessings I have. Nice house Good family Everything I need and want (food, clothing, shelter) Friends Education Human Rights Time to meditate and do yoga Lots of good books, and a library card too. Many more OK, even in the face…

If I Were Not Awake

If I were not awake before my alarm, I would have missed this delicate lavender sunrise, which isn’t all that different than any other perfect sunrise I’ve seen in the past, except that today it reminded me that being awake is the point, after all.

Americans Want Everything

This is a guest post by author Jennifer Wilson in the BIG QUESTION series “What Does America Want?“ Her book “Running Away to Home” is released today.  — To begin, a caveat: I’ve gotten around as a professional travel writer for the past 14 years, and I don’t have a solid blanket characterization of all…

The Girl Effect

When a girl turns 12 And lives in poverty Her future is out of her control. In the eyes of many, She is a Woman Now. Married by 14 Pregnant by 15 She may have to sell her body to support her family. What’s the solution?  There are 50 million of them. girleffect.org  Today bloggers…

We want… More Time

Last night, when the kids were tucked sweetly in footie pajamas and in bed, I started racing through a list of things I wanted to get done before I hit the hay myself. The list looked something like this: do dishes sort through 5 bins of summer clothes write blog post make contact with other…

We want… Little Girls

The following blog post is part of the BIG QUESTION series for September, asking “What does America want?” — Search term: “Halloween Costumes for Little Girls” Search Engine Platform: Google Images Top four hits: Halloween is now a night for girls gone wild! But this is old news. Even mainstream media has been squawking about the…

I’m Not Ready

Today’s post is part of the BIG QUESTION series for September.  — I’ve been writing this blog for a long time. And I am not ready to admit what I am doing is not working. I want something from this relationship and it is just not working. We all want to hang on to things…

We could eat. Or we could not eat.

The following podcast is a guest contribution, part of the September “BIG QUESTION” series, asking “What does America Want?”

Fiona Robyn and Kaspalita expand the discussion of "What Does America Want?"

Americans are also human. Theoretically.

So expanding the question “What does America want?” today are writers and Pureland Buddhists Fiona Robyn and Kaspalita, who were kind enough to dedicate their weekly Tuesday podcast to the question: “What does humanity want?”

Please enjoy the podcast, here or at their lovely blog, which is simulcasting today. And comment on.

For those writers in the world, you might also enjoy their wonderful writing community, “Writing our Way Home.” I know I do.

Thanks Fiona and Kaspa!

 

Fiona Robyn has always been passionate about words. She has published three novels, and other books including A Year of Questions: How to slow down and fall in love with life. She will be getting back to her work-in-progress very soon! She feels privileged to be working as a creativity coach and a therapist in private practice, and loves running the e-courses. Follow her on Twitter:@fiona_robyn.

 

Fiona Robyn

Kaspalita is a Buddhist Priest in the Pureland Tradition. His undergraduate degree is in Drama, and he is currently studying Buddhist Psychotherapy with the Amida Trust. He blogs at Malvern Sangha site and runs the e-course Eastern Therapeutic Writing and The Art of Paying Attention, and co-edited the book pay attention: a river of stones. Follow him on Twitter: @kaspalita.

We Want… Beauty

Nightclub by Billy Collins You are so beautiful and I am a fool to be in love with you is a theme that keeps coming up in songs and poems. There seems to be no room for variation. I have never heard anyone sing I am so beautiful and you are a fool to be…

More Less, Please

Today on “House Hunters International,” a family of four from near-Toledo were seeking a vacation home in St. Croix. They were a nice family: he an ER doc. She a nurse (now SAHM of a 9 and 14 y.o). They needed an escape from their designer, 5400 sq ft. home in the most wealthy (ish)…

Big Question #1: What does America Want?

Welcome! It’s the kick off to my first month-long “Big Question” Series. During September, I’m asking writers, thinkers, poets, Buddhists — anyone, really — the big question: “What does America Want?” Important to Note about the origin of This Big Question: I don’t have any personal agenda that I can identify off-hand. I didn’t really have any…

The End of Summer

August retreats. It hands us back the year. Summer isn’t truth, but it is (as Harris Telemacher recites) “What we wish were true.” So many of us Shove out this Season of perspiration, lazily Forgetting how it Slows us Beguiles us Presses us to hold still Find the windy spaces With a friend In the…