I know I’ve been in this space pretty sparsely lately, but I am trying to trade some online time for real-life time with my family this summer! I am also continuing to work on my poetry and generally trying to relax as much as I can as this will be a short summer (only 3 weeks of it left for me!). But I did want to jump on the blog today to tell you about a couple of internet pieces that went live this week.
My friend Lily interviewed me about writing, poetry, and my forthcoming chapbook Evening Body. She asked me lots of great questions about my writing process, poetic influences, and balancing writing and daily life. The post also has links to two poems from the book. Read the interview here.
Also, I have a short piece up at a blog called Circling the Story, run by Ashley Hales. Ashley accepts reader submissions and I sort of worked up this essay on a whim after seeing her call for submissions on Twitter. This piece is very honest, and maybe a bit sad. This blog has been a faith blog for a while, but I’ve been pretty quiet lately about spiritual topics. I hope you will read it with an open heart and a spirit of grace. Here’s a teaser:
“I don’t have some easy, happy way to wrap up this story. I don’t have answers. I feel like I’ve gotten lost in a landscape I used to know by heart. I don’t know what I’ll believe in a year, or five years, or ten. I know that I want to believe, but what used to come to me easily now seems difficult to grasp.”
Click to read the rest at Circling the Story.
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Don’t forget, my poetry chapbook Evening Body is available for pre-order, and if you snag a copy, you are automatically entered into a giveaway!
Tried to leave a comment on the Circling the Story blog but after three tries with passwords, etc., I couldn’t find my way in, so I’m commenting here instead. I always honor and appreciate your honesty, Karissa. Your essay would have fit in perfectly in the anthology, “Circling Faith: Southern Women on Spirituality.” It takes immense courage to be this honest. Couple that with excellent writing and I’m a fan.
Thanks, Susan! Sorry the comment feature didn’t work!
I really appreciated your piece for “Circling the Story.” I am wondering if it might not help you to consider that your current searching is not so much a loss of faith as a continuing evolution of consciousness. A few months ago, I attended a conference on interspirituality; I wish I could explain it adequately but it is difficult to do in a few words and I am not an expert on the topic by any means, but here are a couple of links to my blog when I wrote about the conference which also contain a way to read more information: https://topofjcsmind.wordpress.com/2015/04/25/interspirituality-conference/ https://topofjcsmind.wordpress.com/2015/04/27/interspirituality-on-sunday/
I believe in God as Love and feel there are so many ways and paths to experience that. One current example is Pope Francis’s encyclical on care of creation which he wrote not just for Catholics, but for all those of good will, calling on us to care for the earth and all beings, especially those most in need. I see it as part of the growing impetus toward interspirituality, second tier or evolving consciousness, or whatever other term people choose for this phenomenon.
Good thoughts, Joanne! Also, I enjoyed your posts!