... and Signs of Spring

After a long wintry slow-down in author events here in northern New England, suddenly they are popping up again. Scheduled for Vermont Studio Center's evening reading (8 p.m.) on Monday January 28 is poet Eric Pankey -- although the VSC's schedule is often changed at the last minute, so before getting into the car, call to confirm that Pankey has arrived and will read (802-635-2727).

Notable for a string of just-announced author events is Montpelier's eclectic bookshop Bear Pond Books (www.BearPondBooks.com). Coming right up is the shop's January 29 (Tuesday) event, at 7 p.m. -- a slide show and talk by world traveler and documentary photographer Ethan Hubbard of Chelsea. He's presenting his 2007 photo-essay collection GRANDFATHER'S GIFT: A JOURNEY INTO THE HEART OF THE WORLD.

Especially delighting me is the fact that this book is a publication of Heron Dance Press, a Vermont wonder. Heron Dance is a nonprofit art studio and literary journal as well, and was founded in 1995 by Roderick MacIver. There have been 54 issue of the beautifully crafted journal, of which the first volume is now entirely sold out (and entirely collectable). Visiting the web site, www.herondance.org, will also give you an opportunity for this graceful way to dance through the rest of winter, as the days grow longer, the poets reappear, and the maple trees ache with rising sap. Here's what Heron Dance is offering:

A Pause For Beauty Described
Each week, Heron Dance sends out a free e-newsletter to about 25,000 people (as of the end of 2007), containing a new painting and either a poem or book excerpt and a letter from our founder and publisher Roderick MacIver. As with our print publication, themes include the human search for meaning, the human connection to the natural world, and art and creativity. All may be summed up as an exploration of differse, sometimes contrary, views on the gentle arts of a well-lived life.

Recently, much of the content of A Pause For Beauty has in some way had to do with techniques combining meditation and journaling as a way to access the deeper wisdom that exists inside ourselves, and to draw on that wisdom when considering the options that confront us in our lives. The basic premise is that friendship with oneself is crucial to a well-lived life, and is a relationship that requires nurturing. Part of that is our connection with our subconscious mind, which can be a source of inner power and resourcefulness.