Page Lambert: All Things Literary & All Things Natural

Okay, I confess.   I want this title.   I want this cover.   I covet the complexity of this accomplished work and the gracious wisdom of this accomplished author.   To read Priscilla Stuckey’s memoir KISSED BY A FOX requires patience – it is not for the reader seeking a “fast book” experience.   But if you’re drawn to the slow food movement , which is all about savoring each bite and commitment to environment and community, then you’re the perfect reader for this Counterpoint Press release.   Priscilla Stuckey elegantly weaves into this memoir the many grasses that make up the fields and open spaces of her life.   Spirituality – as seen through the lens of an arduously gained doctorate in religious studies and feminist theory.   Humanity – as seen through the lens of a woman once ill, adrift and grieving, now firmly rooted to health, love and community.   And Nature – humbly seen through the lens of a two-legged mammal learning late in life that she is, above all else, a v

Phot o by Keith Hoo d “These are holy moments, a sacred communion ,” Junot Diaz said as he began his November 11, 2012 talk at Lighthouse Writers* in Denver.  He was referring to the brief time he was about to spend with dozens of people crowded into the lower-level grotto of this historic Denver brownstone.     “Trust is essential in the teaching process,” Diaz told us. “It usually takes weeks, not just a couple hours.”     Of course, the fact that Diaz has not only received a Pulitzer Award for his novel The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao , but was also just recently awarded a $500,000 MacArthur Fellowship , meant we were all pretty much ready to trust his genius, as well as his good intentions.  I think the fact that w e trusted him right away might also have had something to do with the affectionate way he held his coffee cup . That’s all we had with him Sunday, though —a little more than a couple of hours.  Within moments, Diaz challenged us to take the tr