Emma did not disappoint. Not remotely. I am, in fact, wondering if she isn't suddenly my favorite of Austen's heroines. How, oh Romola, did you do it?

i would beat the dust from her

like a rug at noon--

like a rug in the yard

against the sun hanging.

i would beat her with

racket or with rod

and, like the dust from a mummy,

all that is not-her

will fly like so much sand

into the forgiving air,

the breeze like balm

breathing the not-me away.

this is my mercy--

(what i really want to do is touch

her forehead with the gentle tip of

a finger, gently push, and from her

skin see blow these particles, as

though this small gesture were an

unforeseen gust.)

250905

'...love is not just something that happens to you: it is a certain special way of being alive.'
- Thomas Merton, Love and Living

Someday you will grow tired of me always linking to First Things. But I cannot help it! This is such a good article! It's actually not an article, but a transcription of a speech given a few days ago in Rome by the Archbishop of Denver. Somehow it draws together everything from Rilke's poetry to the nature of Satan. I know! Crazy, huh?!

Okay, I'm sure I can come up with more intelligent commentary than that. ...maybe later.

When in doubt as to what I do of a Sunday night, do inquire here. The new BBC adaptation of Emma is everything that one could want from our favorite production company. Granted, there are moments when one wonders if the dialogue is being intentionally drawn out to make the story last for six hours, or however long this thing turns out to be. It's a bit amusing to me that there's a fanbase in the world that would be disappointed if their films were any shorter.

This comes out today. I've had an advanced reader on my coffee table for about five days now and still haven't managed the time to read it. What have I been doing? Working? Writing? It's a mystery. Anyway, I'll see what I can do about that. I haven't written a YA review (or any review for that matter) in many months. It's about time! I'd also like to mention that my advanced reader isn't your typical mock-up. It's a real hardcover with pretty pages and a shiny dust jacket. Meaning that if it didn't have 'ARC 2911' in sharpie on the textblock, it would look just like the real thing. (And what's this with sending advanced readers five days in advance? How's that supposed to give us any reasonable headstart? How are we supposed to circulate the thing and build up hype? No idea.)

I think it was George Eliot who wrote this, but I may be wrong: 'If I could, I would always write in silence and obscurity and let my efforts be known by their results.' This has been in the back of my mind for the last decade as a kind of artist's creed. You can see how it's worked out for me. I have been writing for a while now, with inconsistent effort and little result. Recently, I started writing with a few friends, employing considerably more effort and considerably less silence. Today was our last day on our first project together. It is finished. Thank you, boys. I am unspeakably grateful to be with you both.

Because everything has to be made into a movie. Everything.

from Father Stephen's blog. I know, I just linked there the other day. So rather than make you read the whole post, I'll quote the bit that struck me:

'We are living in a time of history in which saints are required. We have long passed the time in which rational arguments will carry the day. Nothing less than lives which manifest the existence of God will do. The world has heard centuries of arguments – has been subjected to crass persecutions and atrocities in the name of God.... That the world is hungry is beyond doubt. But the world is not hungry for a new and winning argument. The world hungers for God (whether it knows this or not).'

Honestly, I've been wondering how long it was going to take for someone to make one of these.
Look for it on March 16th. Yet again, Stephenie Meyer, I thank you for my paycheck.

I don't regret not being the sort of person who goes to concerts all the time, except when I remember that Sufjan Stevens and Joanna Newsom are real people who perform on stage as well as on cds. Then I regret. Why was I at that wedding instead of at his concert? Why did I not catch Majesty Snowbird (and will that song ever be released on an album? has it already and I just don't know?), and why are Joanna's shows always so far away?

Here's a new song. Can't wait for the album next month!! Don't try watching the video. Just listen.

Don't hate me for posting links without exposition.

This was good for today.

I haven't read a novel in a month. When my present writing project is over, that's what I want to do. Read a good book. A really good book.

And no, I'm not looking for suggestions. I have a bookcase full of options. So just bite your tongue.

I have been writing a lot lately, just not for this blog. Every now and then my favorite bloggers disappear for a while. I either get in a huff, wondering and worrying where they've been, or I fail to notice altogether. There's always another blog to read, another brain to spy into. I hope you've found your curiosity about others' worlds satisfied in others' blogs. And no, not every post from now on will be an apology for the number of days that have passed in between. I am presently curled up on my bed with my cat. An mug of hot chocolate is beside me. I'm thinking about my plans for the coming weeks. Most of them involve editing. Editing a screenplay, editing a novel. But there's also reading to do. And meeting a lot of different people for coffee. And calling a lot of other people back. I would feel overwhelmed, except that I'm curled up with my cat and a mug of hot chocolate. I've also spent most of the day reading my Bible and praying. Who can feel burdened in such a state? There is a sense that everything will be alright. Order will come from chaos. Simplicity, sanctification, joy, peace, every good thing. Now to crawl out of this lovely state and head to work.....

You're all wondering where I've gone, and I will tell you soon. Soon! In the meantime, please know that I have gone to a happy place. A good place. A place where there is joy and love and everything wonderful. And no, I have not actually moved to Italy. (Better than that.)