At the Gates of Hell and of Heaven

But no, the big entrance door swung open and out of it came a woman dressed in a long black gown with a white covering on her head. I blinked, thinking surely I was dreaming. But she was still there, greeting us as we climbed out, saying “Welcome to the Sisterhood of Mary.” And with that welcome, in the space of a single day, we passed through the gates of heaven after escaping the gates of hell.

Love & Lunacy on the Nile: Jellabiya Time

A Visit to the Tailor When I was in Egypt at age ten, that would be in 1967, my siblings and I found the clothes men wore to be very funny. They looked like pajamas to us, long striped cotton garments,. Women were covered from head to toe, all in black. In the villages of […]

Luxor Life

Today early morning, I run through the village my regular route to the Nile. People cry, “Very good, sport!” with a thumb’s up. A boy on a donkey runs beside me for a bit. Past the awakening shops to a place in the shade where sweet Turkish coffee awaits me, along with a breakfast of […]

How I Packed Up and Took Off to See the World

Check out the link to my essay on how I freed myself of extra baggage and took off traveling two years ago to find inspiration for my writing. Thank you Amy Oestreicher! “It doesn’t matter if I am in a café in Phoenix, wrapped in blankets on a freezing night in the Sahara Desert, or […]

INTO THE WORLD

My World Project New Millennium Writings When I was awarded the New Millennium Writings Nonfiction Award for Reflections from Istanbul, an excerpt from my childhood memoir INTO THE WORLD, I was asked to write an introduction, something about my motivation and approach to writing. I recently received the print edition of the anthology and I re-read […]

MALEKU CHILDREN SHARE THEIR STORIES: My World Project in Costa Rica

My World Project on Facebook “Conservemas la Naturaleza y aseguremos la Vida al Mundo.” ~ Eugenia Alvarez Elizondo, teacher in the Maleku school. Maleku school children, their teacher, Eugenia Alvarez Elizondo, and Daniel Spreen Wilson On July 6, 2016 I landed in Liberia, intent on staying near Lake Arenal for three months, maybe longer. It’s […]

WHAT SAVES ME IN THESE TROUBLED TIMES

A BEAUTIFUL WORLD…AND A VIOLENT, FEARFUL HUMAN RACE Here I am in this little Pueblo in Costa Rica, overlooking Lake Arenal. Book of Angels was just released, volume two in the Night Angels Chronicles, and I’m doing publicity. I have jumped into the infinity pool. Like Sera in the River Styx. The cries of the suffering rise to […]

My Guest Post for Author Christine Potter!

My Guest Post for Author Christine Potter! I want to thank Christine for hosting me. This is my first experience writing a post in an exchange with another author and it was fun! Here is my post about how my traveling experiences inspired Book of Angels and the NIGHT ANGELS CHRONICLES, with photos and everything! […]

Do Artists have a Responsibility to Society?

Inspiring view from my balcony, Lake Arenal, Costa Rica. It is my opinion, as an artist, that we do not have a responsibility to society. We are not answerable to anyone other than ourselves. As artists our struggle is to be true to our own voices, not some else’s. An artist shouldn’t feel a burden or […]

Interview about MY WORLD PROJECT

The Missing Slate, Interview with My World Project Founder Karen Hunt “For me, this is a way of life. It isn’t a “cause,” it isn’t a “movement.” I can’t put some spin on it. There aren’t any buzz words. It is how I choose to live, and I really can’t help it. It is so […]