by J. Thomas Allison The Franklin household in early 1950s also included a toddler girl and a boy on the way. Finding a time to write might have been a problem, but not for Madeleine. The old farmhouse had an ample pantry with three sides off the north wall of the old kitchen. Its shelves […]
by J. Thomas Allison I grew up next door to the Franklin family from 1952 until 1978. Hugh and Madeleine bought their house, Crosswicks, the year my parents bought acreage north of them. My parents had also looked at the 1750-ish house he Franklins ended up purchasing. They decided against it in favor of a […]
Dear Ones, Happy Spring! It’s hard to trust the feeling of hope and excitement that has been fluttering in my stomach and loosening the tightness in my throat, but I won’t deny it any longer, even if I know there will be disappointments and setbacks. It is ever thus, is it not? I write to […]
The secrets of the atom are not unlike Pandora’s box, and what we must look for is not the destructive power but the vision of interrelatedness that is desperately needed on this fragmented planet. We are indeed part of a universe. We belong to each other; the fall of every sparrow is noted, every tear […]
by Jessica Kantrowitz Dear Ones, We’re excited to share that registration is now open for Poetry, Science, and the Imagination, the inaugural L’Engle Seminar, hosted by Image Journal, the first in a series of events that will explore the interplay between art and science. This five-part seminar will be held via Zoom at 1pm […]
by Jessica Kantrowitz IT’S THIS WAY by Nazim Hikmet I stand in the advancing light, my hands hungry, the world beautiful. My eyes can’t get enough of the trees— they’re so hopeful, so green. A sunny road runs through the mulberries, I’m at the window of the prison infirmary. I can’t smell the medicines— carnations […]
Dear Ones, 2020, apart from the collective traumas of covid-19 and the election, also marked the 13th anniversary of Madeleine’s death and the 102nd anniversary of her birth. She loved celebrating her birthday, November 29, and often bemoaned its coming too close to Thanksgiving. I have intense, impressionistic memories of Thanksgiving as a child: crowded […]
Reposted from Sarah Arthur‘s facebook page, with permission. Dear ones, One year ago today I was wrapping up a glorious weekend co-directing 2019 Walking on Water: The Madeleine L’Engle Conference held at All Angels’ Church in NYC. A truly fantastic team of authors, musicians, visual artists, filmmakers, theatre educators, writing teachers, editors, booksellers, creatives, and […]
by Jessica Kantrowitz Dear Ones, I’ve all but given up reading non-fiction lately. I’m too saturated with reality, too overwhelmed with a never-ending news cycle that keeps my mind in fight-or-flight mode constantly. There are so many good writers right now grappling with questions of faith, trauma and healing, parenting, social justice, and racial justice, […]