Word by Word

Practical insights for writers from Jessica P Morrell

Archive for the 'Jessica Page Morrell' Category

Gratitude, Ali Velshi’s Banned Book Club, Ray Bradbury, & Fahrenheit 451

I want to thank everyone who joined us this past Saturday morning for the Grand Canyon  Sisters in Crimes panel on Self Editing. It was a lot of fun, especially hanging out with Christine Estes, Susan Budavari, Denise Forsythe,  Yvonne Corrigan-Carr and other board members.  As usual, I had much to say and I believe […]

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Today will never come again

Today will never come again. Thomas Merton Merton was an American Trappist monk, activist, and poet who died in 1968.  He was only 52 when he died and his death has raised questions that he was possibly murdered because of his anti-war activism. But his brief observation on a summer afternoon is a good reminder […]

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A new year dawns…

What are you going to do with the precious hours and days, months and seasons ahead? What is your plan to bolster your creativity? Engage deeply with your writing? No matter that we face uncertainty, we can still believe in ourselves. Pause for wonder. Nurture curiosity. Practice everyday artful living. No matter that divisiveness is […]

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Wishing a beautiful Christmas and Hannukah to all who celebrate

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Wishing you a beautiful Solstice

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There is no better deliverance from the world than through art, and a man can form no surer bond with it. ~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

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Winter is Coming: Where do we go from here?

The December morning sky is a grim, pale grey today. After a week of cold, crisp, dry days that began with rosy-hued sunrises, the rain is returning.  And I’m returning to my regularly scheduled program (slight joke) after traveling to Milwaukee to spend time with my dad, siblings, and friends, then returning to Oregon with […]

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December

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Giving Thanks

For writers everywhere.  For artists and their visions. For workers who harvest, farmers and growers who plant and tend and gather eggs, the cheese makers, the bread bakers, the cooks, and the dishwashers. But especially giving thanks to those who share, volunteer, and put their shoulders to the wheel. For those who teach and care […]

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Why are we reading, if not for the hope of beauty laid bare

Morning Meditation, Debra Tate Sears Why are we reading if not for the hope of beauty laid bare, life heightened and its deepest mystery probed? Why are we reading if not in hope that the writer will magnify and dramatize our days, will illuminate and inspire us with wisdom, courage, and the possibility of meaningfulness, […]

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