Here’s a book which should appeal to those of you who feel as if you’ve reached a point in your lives where all that you hoped for has not been achieved; maybe it seems you have to let go of your dreams; and perhaps you simply don’t know where to go from here. The MakingContinue reading “Book Review: “The Making of Us” by Sheridan Voysey”
Category Archives: Authors I love
Book Review: Out of the Forest by Gregory P. Smith
Over Christmas a biography came to me which is one of the most compelling and moving accounts I have ever read. Out of the Forest (published by Penguin Australia) is the memoir of a man who spent ten years living as an alcoholic drug-crazed recluse high in the New South Wales forest, (with occasional forays downContinue reading “Book Review: Out of the Forest by Gregory P. Smith”
Heaven on Earth: The Joy of A Capella Harmony Singing with The B Naturals
What is the greatest musical instrument of all? I believe it is the human voice. Nothing compares to the joy of a capella harmony singing – in perfect pitch, of course, and under the tuition of an inspirational musical director… or how about four musical directors, one for each voice part? Recently I took partContinue reading “Heaven on Earth: The Joy of A Capella Harmony Singing with The B Naturals”
The Brightest Heaven of Invention
Originally posted on the ACW “More than Writers” blog. We all know who ascends the brightest heaven of invention. Yes, it’s a muse of fire, which Shakespeare wished for in his Prologue to Henry V, as if the power of creativity were indeed a separate being, in this case from Greek mythology. And I believe that it mayContinue reading “The Brightest Heaven of Invention”
A Creative Way To Grow, to Journey Through Our Lives and to Be Replanted in Eden
Dandelions. They are strong and beautiful. They grow even in thin, dry, tough places. They have a deep root system. And when they die they give their seeds so other dandelions can grow. Recently I was at a Creative Arts day at Christ Church, Orpington in Kent, which centred around the theme of GrowthContinue reading “A Creative Way To Grow, to Journey Through Our Lives and to Be Replanted in Eden”
Stoneleigh Abbey: A Setting to Inspire Jane Austen for Her Novels
If this be error and upon me proved I never writ nor no man ever loved. Shakespeare: Sonnet 116 Certainly, among novelists living and working in the centuries following Shakespeare’s outpourings of genius, it can most truly be said of Jane Austen that if anything she wrote be error and upon her proved, then sheContinue reading “Stoneleigh Abbey: A Setting to Inspire Jane Austen for Her Novels”
Shakespeare’s Schoolroom and Guildhall, King Edward VI School, Stratford-upon-Avon: Strong Discipline, Repetition and Learning by Rote That Nurtured a Great Poet
A thousand times the worse, to want thy light. Love goes toward love, as schoolboys from their books, But love from love, toward school with heavy looks. Romeo and Juliet Whether or not this is a true reflection of how Shakespeare felt about his own schooldays, it’s difficult not to feel a sense ofContinue reading “Shakespeare’s Schoolroom and Guildhall, King Edward VI School, Stratford-upon-Avon: Strong Discipline, Repetition and Learning by Rote That Nurtured a Great Poet”
Felix Dennis, Eccentric Millionaire Poet – a Man with a Vision for the Future, and Founder of a Great Forest in the Heart of England
In an age of information where we are bombarded with news and facts and false facts and opinions, both genuine and prejudiced, I find we tend to select our own blind spots, to filter out the onslaught. Which is why, sometimes, although something and somebody can be publicised hugely in innumerable ways, it’s still possibleContinue reading “Felix Dennis, Eccentric Millionaire Poet – a Man with a Vision for the Future, and Founder of a Great Forest in the Heart of England”
Inspiration from JRR Tolkien in Oxford
My recent visit to Oxford to see the exhibition of Tolkien: Maker of Middle-earth was a revelation to me and full of inspiration. You may find the exhibition in the ST Lee Gallery, Weston Library, next to Blackwell’s Bookshop on Broad Street. It’s packed with fascinating objects and letters, and drawings: Tolkien’s own exquisite illustrations forContinue reading “Inspiration from JRR Tolkien in Oxford”
Insights From the Silence
Have you ever seen the episode of the TV comedy drama series Rev when our main character, Rev. Adam Smallbone, goes on retreat? Adam, played by Tom Hollander, is in the austere setting of a convent, and returns to his room when suddenly Roland, the media vicar, played by Hugh Bonneville, appears at the window, cryingContinue reading “Insights From the Silence”
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