Get Me to the Forest on Time

In this case, the forest is the "church," and the occasion is my eldest daughter's wedding. 

I leave you with glistening aspens and the call to the woods, wherever and whenever you can. Seek out the restorative... autumn is just around the corner. 

Cheers,
Charise

Local Bookstores

What could be more enticing for a reader than an independent brick-and-mortar bookstore? Maybe a library. Both venues are community based... your locals, so to speak. And, they can feature local authors. 

I straddle two communities: one is the Washington, DC area and the other is the Lost River, West Virginia area. That may sound like quite a straddle, but I'm not alone in dividing time between the two. You can find one (or more) of my books for sale at People's Book in Takoma Park, Maryland and at WordPlay in Wardensville, West Virginia. How does a local author get support from a local bookstore? By asking to consign at their store. If you have suggestions of other places, let me know. There's nothing quite like browsing books, picking one up and getting the feel of it. Enjoy your summer reading! 

Cheers,
Charise

"Coming Home to the Valley"

The community poem at Art on Cullers Run is a tradition. This is our fifth year, a milestone. 

I am the weaver, not the author, threading individual bits of writing into a whole. What one person writes offers a different meaning when it's joined to someone else's phrase. And seemingly random thoughts/images end up perfectly suited to the final piece. 

Here's our 2024 arts festival community poem:

Coming Home to the Valley

 

Nomads wandering country roads. 

Floating seeds ride summer breezes. 

Buzz of insects… lilt of laughter. The art

of connections. The “hi” way up gravel 

 

roads to poets and porches, panting pups 

lapping water, shadows on sweltering grass. 

Warm air lazily lazing. I’m a poet but 

have control issues, moving incrementally 

 

as the sun moves across the sky. Bee 

breath in heavy air. Dancing with creativity… 

getting lost in shadows of moon, fireflies 

glowing the quietness. Their silent song. 

 

Blood-red barns born from slices of sunrise, 

band sanders and belt saws, sweat. 

Holes in the sky between clouds steal 

some art. And the woodpecker came home 

 

with us. I refresh with the balm of beauty,

admiring art in the shade. Reminding 

me how I love boxes… filling the void. 

Say what you will, I did my best. 

 

Burgeoning clouds take me home. 

Lightness of a breeze, a kind soul, relief. 

Time exiled to savor the moment. Art brings 

the world together. Again and again.

 

~voices of visitors to the poetry tent, Art on Cullers Run 2024

(assembled by poet-in-residence Charise M. Hoge)

Thank you to all the contributors! 

The Dance of Creativity

Happy April and the Fool's Day, which points to new beginnings!

Please welcome my new book, co-authored with my dear colleague Kate (who also did this smashing cover), Meet Your Muse: The Dance of Creativity.

https://mybook.to/MeetYourMuse

Inside, you'll find practices to tap into your creative nature, more of Kate's art, writing prompts, poetry, food (well, a "menu for rituals of self-care"). We've had a wonderful experience working with our publisher, Springtime Books. Click the link above to view more about the book and to order!

From the foreword by Jeff Kaplan, PhD: “What sets this book apart is the authors’ ability to combine the concepts of Eastern philosophy, Greek mythology, and modern psychology to create a holistic approach to creativity.”  It’s not stuffy—it’s spacious, in a zen and heartful way. 

Cheers,

Charise