Tracy Rittmueller

Epiphany: a collaborative poem for the sixth of January by Almut Furchert and me

Leave a Comment / Poetry, Spirituality / By

Epiphany commemorates the visit of the Magi, or wise men who visited the infant child, whom the angels in Luke’s Christmas story announced as “a Savior, Christ the Lord.” They came bearing precious gifts. They were guided by a star to a divine manifestation, an awe-inspiring spiritual experience, the moment of aha—at last I see! …

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Trashing My Brand: in rejection of the insane trend toward the monetization of everything

15 Comments / Writing, Years Ago / By

I can’t remember why branding myself with a reader-friendly, easily pronounceable name seemed important. This past year, while living and learning among an intentional community of like-minded, kind-hearted people I discovered that there is one thing I must bring to the community, and thereby to the world, that fulfills my life’s (and my writing’s) purpose–Authenticity. …

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Let's Get Political; Let Me Hear Your Wisdom Talk!

16 Comments / Spirituality / By

Yes, this headline is a parody of the vacuous 1981 Olivia Newton John hit song, Let’s Get Physical. And yes, this might be a questionable way to headline the most serious-as-a-heart-attack post I’ve ever attempted to write. So maybe a better title to this, my gut-reaction to the recent, sickening news coming out of Charlottesville, Virginia …

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Susan Thurston's "Sister of Grendel": a cultural critique of the epic hero

2 Comments / Poetry, Reading / By

“And I have at last accounted for this last part of my story.” Beowulf’s voice surrounds me, and his image again appears whole before me. Beowulf the warrior reaches out his hand as if to touch me. I extend mine toward him. “Which causes more pain, I wonder. The words unsaid or the words not …

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New Hampshire Poet Laureate Alice B. Fogel on How to Explore Poetry's Strange Terrain

7 Comments / Poetry, Reading / By

“Language as a tool to manipulate both mind and heart…snapshot of the human condition; of our mortality reflected in nature; the staying of time.” Alice B. Fogel Why poetry matters “Poetry will bring you significant new interactions with the world around you, with ideas and sensations, with yourself and others,” poet Alice B. Fogel wrote …

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Marilynne Robinson on The Givenness of Things and Democracy

3 Comments / Reading / By

Did you ever try to write a poem attempting to capture a mind-to-mind, heart-to-heart encounter, sitting up half the night conversing with a brilliant person / kindred spirit, your heart bursting with a sensation of music, moonlight and the mystery of existence all mingled together? Don’t bother; it’s impossible to put into words. I’ve recently been savoring essays …

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