BRAVING STORMS: John Foy on “Point of View”
In late August 2011, the very outer edges of Hurricane Irene were felt in Cape Cod as the storm, by then an extratropical cyclone, moved inland toward Vermont and…
Braving Storms
BRAVING STORMS: John Foy on “A Refusal to Mourn the Death, by Fire, of a Child in London”
“A Refusal to Mourn the Death, by Fire, of a Child in London” – Here, again, a storm of grief, this time over a young girl who…
BRAVING STORMS: John Foy, “On My First Son”
Here’s a storm that’s internal and emotional. Ben Jonson wrote “On My First Son” in 1603 after the death of his seven-year-old boy, Benjamin. The…
Braving Storms: John Foy on “Storm Fear”
“Storm Fear” has always been one of my favorite early Robert Frost poems. Like “The Seafarer,” it’s an adversity poem that finds the speaker wondering how he’ll manage as the elements…
Braving Storms: John Foy on “The Seafarer”
The theme this month at the Ideasmyth blog is “braving storms.” To address it, I’ll be posting poems that deal in one way or another with…
BRAVING STORMS: Kate Quarfordt, “The Theater Freaks of Claremont and 172 Fight Back”
Barry decides that now would be a good time for us to talk about his vest. It’s two hours to curtain on opening night of “The King and…
BRAVING STORMS: Kate Quarfordt on Why Broadway’s First Black Phantom is a Really Big Deal
When the announcement was made recently that Tony Nominee Norm Lewis was slated…
BRAVING STORMS: Kate Quarfordt, “Tonight, in the Role of the Man-Eating Plant”
“Well, I sure do agree you’re in a pickle, there,” says the maddeningly chipper phone receptionist. “But our rental agreement…
BRAVING STORMS: Kate Quarfordt on Writing Down the Fear
For the past five years I’ve been talking about writing a book about my experiences teaching theater in the South Bronx. Again and again over the years, life…
BRAVING STORMS: Kate Quarfordt on Kicking Ass at Being Vulnerable
“What does being brave mean to you?” I ask my high school theater students. It’s fall of 2003, my third week of teaching. We’ve been working on…
Braving Storms: Deborah Glenn on Learning from Your Lists
This, of course, assumes that you’re making lists at all. I highly recommend them when you’re feeling stuck on a project. I’m not talking about to-do lists here, although…
Braving Storms: Deborah Glenn on Complaining Less
We all know by now (I hope) that engineers are not universally soft-spoken, introverted types. But in my first career I encountered quite a few of them who were. And often…
Braving Storms: Deborah Glenn on Making Smart Rules for Yourself
This myth that creative people always benefit from freedom and fewer constraints on their time or work has been debunked all over the place, and I’m doing it again…
Braving Storms: Deborah Glenn on Reframing the Problem
Here’s why good public relations pros are highly paid: They are masters at weaving facts and information into credible and…
Braving Storms: Deborah Glenn on Making Your Workspace Work for You
Look around your studio, home office, cubicle, bedroom—wherever you do the bulk of your creative work. Do you like it? Is it comfortable? Do you enjoy…
Braving Storms: Deborah Glenn on Five Ways to Build Resiliency into Your Creative Life
I’ve spent the majority of my career as a writer and editor, but this was—well, is—my second profession. My first one was civil…