Family: Formed, Found, and Chosen; Moroccan Nomads

My poem, Curiosity and Wonder was selected for publication in early 2026 in an anthology of short stories and poems by several local authors. The submission was based on the theme Family: Formed, Found, and Chosen, in response to the memoir Solito by Javier Zamora, which tells the story of a nine-year-old child making his…Read more »

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From Illness to Inspiration: Crafting My Second Memoir

Several weeks ago, I developed community-acquired pneumonia, AKA walking pneumonia. I lay weeks on the couch, listless, weak, with no appetite. My family doctor tried diligently to avert it. When it developed into a bacterium, the antibiotics finally worked. But until I fully recovered, I couldn’t shut my mind off. Over the days and weeks,…Read more »

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Whirling Dervishes of Turkey: “Ritual of Sema”

Some of us have heard of these mesmerizing men who twirl for hours in long white skirts. I wanted to learn more. My OAT (Overseas Adventure Travel) to Turkey in 2023 included a demonstration of this dance; a Sufi tradition (Muslim religious figures akin to monks) that involves spinning faster and faster to summon the…Read more »

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