Invisible Strings: 113 poets respond to the songs of Taylor Swift, edited by Kristie Frederick Daugherty

  

Invisible Strings is a vibrant anthology that contains the poems of 113 poets who drew their inspiration from Taylor Swift’s songs.  

  I was dumbfounded and intrigued when Kristie Frederick Daugherty said:“Knowing your blog as I do, I really think you will enjoy it.”

  She was right. I have trouble finding poetry I care about, but this anthology struck a chord with me. In fact, I started to listen to some of Taylor Swift’s songs after I read the book.

 These poems share universal topics related to friendship, love, grief, living a life of authenticity and so many of the emotions that make us human.

    Invisible Strings haunted me. I wanted to hold it in my hands, to carry it with me and read it anywhere. I wondered if they had it at my beloved library. On the same day I requested it, they gave it to me.

   I will share a fragment from the poem “Hark, the Raucous Heiress Speaks” by Shikha Malaviya

 “You can be more than one thing. Women always are. I was a sculptor, composer, philanthropist, artist, and a patron of the world’s most elegant form of dance—ballet. In my backyard I even built a stage for pirouettes and plies.”

  So many of us know what it feels like to be sick of the condescending words directed at us for making our own choices, but Taylor Swift’s music is a response to the sort of cultural baggage running on us like water.

  I read the poems with a certain relief and fascination because as we leave behind the rough waves of this ocean life- the waves that shook us in ways that confused us or made us feel disposable- we become more stable and balanced in our own foundation. We are no longer shaken by the prejudices and the petty assumptions made by people who project envy and lack of self-assurance. It is the wisdom of the years carrying us forward, for this wisdom regales us with the gift to move on with enthusiasm beyond any kind of pettiness.

    

   I appreciate the diversity of voices and experiences and the richness of the poets’ imagination and creativity. Poetry is hard to describe because it is something that you relish and experience from your own perspective and imagination. It resonates with you or it does not. Poetry can create a space of freedom to feel and reflect on something, or to simply open up new ways of looking at situations.

 

 The variety of poems here excited me so much that I wanted to sit and write my own poems.

 

   Invisible Strings showcases an accomplished array of contemporary poets, including six Pulitzer Prize winners Dianne Seuss, Yusef Komunyakaa, Carl Phillips, Rae Armantrout, Paul Muldoon, and Gregory Pardlo; New York Times best-selling poets Maggie Smith, Aimee Nezhukumatathil, Kate Baer, Amanda Lovelace, Tyler Knott Gregson and Jane Hirshfield; and National Book Critics Circle Award winners Mary Jo Bang and Laura Kasischke.

 

   I started reading one poem a day from the digital copy I received in exchange for an honest review. However, once I borrowed the physical book from the library I devoured the anthology in just one day.

  Take the leap into it. Nourish your insights, refresh your views, celebrate the synchronicities of those enigmatic moments that bring us together to become aware of the invisible strings that connect us… Add a blend of creative flavors to your inspiration and a dose of poetry to your daily routine.

Read poetry.

I will end the post with the fragment of a poem by Ukrainian poet Ilya Kaminsky (“Of Flight”)

 Go now,

in sweetness. May

poetry find you, one day

and help you to empty the pockets of your mind.

May you find

--as one tortured poet knew—

that Icarus also flew.

 

 Kristie Frederick Daugherty is a poet and professor at the University of Evansville. She holds an MFA in poetry from Vermont College of Fine Arts. She is also a PhD candidate in literature/ criticism at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania, where she is writing a dissertation that examines how Taylor Swift’s lyrics intersect with contemporary poetry.

 

 Feel free to read my latest poem here.

 

Sunflowers Under Fire by Diana Stevan

 

“As a flower strains toward the light, so a man strains with thoughts, words and deeds toward the motherland. For the sunflower, the sun is the only guide; for the man, the motherland is the one and only treasure.”

                                    Ukrainian Folk Saying

  After interviewing Diana Stevan at My Writing Life blog, I learned that Diana had written several novels. I was eager to read Sunflowers Under Fire, a novel based on the life experiences of her maternal grandmother, Lukia Mazurec, in Ukraine. Her story of survival under ominous circumstances will continue to shake peoples' hearts across the world.

  Diana’s mother, Eudokia, was a natural-born storyteller. This talent appears to manifest itself in Sunflowers Under Fire through Diana’s voice.

  I requested the book from the library and I am happy to say that her novel has been the recipient of various awards and recognitions. For example, Sunflowers under Fire has been a Finalist for the 2019 Whistler Independent Book Awards and a Semifinalist for the 2019 Kindle Book Awards. It earned an Honorable Mention in the 2020 Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Award.

   In Ukraine Lukia and her family had to tackle the hardships and face the tragedies of  World War I. They also had to deal with the aftermath of it. 

   Lukia's husband, Gregory, enlisted to fight for the Tsar while Lukia stayed with their six children. Lukia did not agree with her husband’s decision. Soon after he left, Lukia and her children became refugees. The farm they owned, where they had worked hard for four years, would be invaded, so Lukia and her children were forced to leave and Russian soldiers torched their home.

 The book is a testimony of the devastating consequences of war and the abuse of power by autocracies.  

 Despite her lack of formal education, Lukia had a deep understanding of the political situation of Ukraine. Her reflections and insights express her foresight and visionary power. Her observations resonate today: “Ukraine always seemed to be under some other country’s thumb. Their land with its good earth was the envy of the countries bordering it. It had been like that when she was growing up, it was like that now, and the way it was going, it would be like that for generations to come. Over the centuries it had been invaded by many.”

 

 The story starts on August 5, 1915, on the day Lukia gave birth to Eudokia. Lukia was by herself and she managed to do so without complications. The uneventful birth of Eudokia was not taken for granted. She had lost two babies and had now a total of six children to raise. Eudokia was the youngest one. Diseases and deaths ravaged Lukia’s life, but her resilience and resourcefulness guided her through the turmoil and devastating situations.

  The novel culminates with the final decision of the family to migrate to Canada in the late 1920s.

 This engrossing novel based on true experiences and historical facts offers details of the social and political setting. It is an incredible journey to the past, to a time when antibiotics did not exist. It was common for people to die from sepsis.  

 I am still mulling over several topics related to this novel. For example, I was shaken by the gender double standards and the gender discrimination that pervaded society during those harsh years. It did not come as a surprise because I was well aware of these issues, but it is still disturbing and upsetting to read about it. Even today, we witness how the remnants of these prejudices continue to shape political outcomes, ignite suffering, perpetuate injustice and devastate economies.

    The journey of Ukraine’s independence continues to be sabotaged by the actions of political bullies who consider that violating other countries’ sovereignty is acceptable. It is important to study history to understand the roots of these actions.

  I am thankful that Diana took the time to write this spellbinding story. I hope it will help people understand the complexity of history and the need to respect and support Ukraine’s independence and autonomy.

  The cruel, inexcusable invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, under the command of Vladimir Putin has been a horrifying event. However, the people of Ukraine never gave up on their freedom. They have an honest leader who stands up for his people.

   The attack of Ukraine by Vladimir Putin’s forces continues to kill people of all ages. Also, 19,456 Ukrainian children have been abducted by Russian forces, and now the Trump administration has cut the funding needed to track these children.

 These children have been forcibly separated from their families. Some of them were sent to re-education camps. Others were sent to foster-care, orphanages or adopted into Russian families.

  Ukrainian people continue to lose their homes and livelihoods, and their families are torn apart. Putin’s lack of accountability is disturbing. In the United States of America at least seventy-five million people voted for Putin’s asset in November 2024. They voted for the guy who called Putin a “genius” for invading Ukraine. Now Putin’s “asset” blames Zelensky for the war on Ukraine and threatens to annex Canada, take over Greenland and the Panama Canal. What kind of person in his or her right mind can support a “man” who has no respect for other countries’ sovereignty?

 Is this the kind of country that voters want in America?

 The trend to normalize this situation is unsettling. This is why I recommend independent journalism that shares facts, honest analysis and is not afraid to oppose fascist ideology. At the bottom of this post, I am sharing some links to the work of independent journalists that do not succumb to the manipulation of fascist ideology. Furthermore, I appreciate the reporting by Daniel Dale who cares to debunk the claims spread by the current fascist regime in the United States of America.

  People will not learn history from playing video games, which is why books like Sunflowers Under Fire should be promoted, shared and discussed.

   Sunflowers Under Fire will motivate readers to delve into the intricacies of history and to understand the impact that the political context has on the lives of common people.

 I enjoyed Diana Stevan’s style of writing and the ways she presents the characters. The scenes are realistic and vivid. Every chapter was engaging and hard to put down. 

 When I reached the end of the novel, I felt curious to learn about the next stage of their lives. I experienced a sense of loss. It was sad to finish it, but I was happy to know that they were traveling to a place of safety where they would live in peace and thrive…

 

 If you enjoyed this post, feel free to check my writing on the following books:

 

Love in Defiance of Pain: Ukrainian stories

Patriot: a memoir by Alexei Navalny

 Walking Away from Hate by Jeanette and Lauren Manning

 

Independent journalists to follow:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHM8wLOEWX4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjSvSV3zIKA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUDLOAe_71U

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaKW9LlTHIs

For climate change news you can follow this website:

https://insideclimatenews.org/category/politics-policy/

 

 

Humor is necessary to support your mental health. You can get informed with a dose of humor:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNsKFEg5kWo

 

Fault Lines by Nora Shalaway Carpenter

 

  If you can only read one Young Adult fiction book this year, make sure you choose Fault Lines by Nora Shalaway Carpenter.

  Viv Spry is a teenager with an assertive personality, one that appears to be at odds with the rigid ways of the rural West Virginia town where she lives. Viv lost her mother when she was a child, and her aunt died recently.

 Spending time in the tree stand on her homestead helped her to feel her aunt’s energy. Being close to that specific tree made her feel her aunt’s love for her. She was at peace in that sanctuary; it was okay to be who she was there.

 Viv Spry experienced a profound connection with the trees around her. The energy that flowed from the trees was familiar to her. She understood them on a deeper level. One day, something unexpected happens: the earth opens up and the tree falls down close to her. She could have been crushed. When she learns that fracking played a role in this, she is determined to save her homestead and trees from the threat of fracking. 

 The name of the town where the story takes place is an imaginary one: Twisted Pines. Yet the author drew her inspiration from real life situations...

 When Dex Mathews moves to Twisted Pines with his mother, he is filled with hope. His mother has a job for the company in charge of fracking. His parents had been in the military. His father had refused to get help for his depression and PTSD and that broke their family apart. His mother is overburdened by medical debts. Dex and his mother are now living paycheck to paycheck. They had been on the verge of being homeless.

 When Dex and Viv cross paths, there is a special chemistry between them but there is also a conflict that appears to be irredeemable. I will let you wonder… will love blossom between them?

 The read is addictive. It explores many societal issues. I think the roots of all our problems are in this novel. With wisdom and empathy the author exposes various social issues that have shaped our present. Those relevant issues are threaded into the plot in a way that appears to be effortless. We become fully invested in the story as we delve into the intimate thoughts of the characters, dealing with their emotions, hurdles and challenges.What does it mean to be in somebody else's shoes? Dive into this captivating novel with an open mind and heart. Share it with others. 

 This magical book gives you the opportunity to take an introspective look at out present. It shines a light on the multiple ways in which the environment is intertwined with social issues and the economy, and how it is at stake under the abuse of corporate and political power. The novel also exposes the ways in which prejudices undermine and oppress groups of people.

  There is something about Viv that I did not like. She has a hunting background. She used to hunt for food, and I did not like that the author seems to craft a stereotype out of Maeve's mother because she chooses to eat healthy. (The author seems to make fun of Maeve's mother and I found it annoying). Maeve is Viv's best friend.

  Reading this book is an immersive experience. The settings are vivid, the characters are so realistic that I would love to meet them in-person, and I enjoyed the suspense and intrigue that build up throughout the novel. 

  Fault Lines brought tears of joy at the end. I can’t wait to read more books by this talented author.

  Nora Shalaway Carpenter’s note at the end includes this reflection:

“Life is messy and beautiful, sometimes triumphant and at other moments so full of pain and inequity that it can feel difficult to breathe. But there is magic here, too, slipped in among the ordinary, and often not in any of the ways we might expect. We are allowed to care about many things simultaneously, and to fight fiercely for them…”

  As I write this post, I want to remind my readers that we are celebrating National Park Week. Let’s take the time to find out more about what the current situation of National Parks is. Let’s take the time to become aware, to reflect and to be inspired to do something. Knowledge is power, so find out more about what is going on... I am offering a number of relevant links to do so.

 Let's do our part to protect them. 

 

Relevant links:

https://www.npca.org/articles/7044-parks-are-being-dismantled-before-our-very-eyes

https://environmentamerica.org/center/resources/the-costs-of-fracking/

https://www.jhunewsletter.com/article/2025/04/what-does-trump-2-0-mean-for-the-environment

 https://insideclimatenews.org/news/02052025/todays-climate-former-national-parks-director-trump/

Unbought and Unbossed by Shirley Chisholm

 

 

    Our requests and feedback have had an effect on the study material for the school curricula over the last couple of years since I wrote my review on Unstoppable Women.  A diversity of women has gradually been added, for we continued to insist on the need to offer inclusive study material. It was rewarding to read a speech by Shirley Chisholm recently... Her words inspired us to seek her book Unbought and Unbossed, which I borrowed from the local library.

  As you can see from the photo of the book cover, the book is very old. I cherish old books with a certain fascination: they seem to carry the memories and experiences of people from the past. They harbor a treasure inside; they conceal a kind of power in the knowledge they relay to us; they reveal the secrets that guide us to comprehend how history relates to the present.

  These old books teem with life experiences that can inspire us to move forward with conviction and hope amid the darkest times.

  Progress takes persistence, patience and knowledge. For this reason, I highly recommend this book by Shirley Chisholm, which was first published in 1970. She was an educator and understood the power of education and the need for equity in society. Her book is a window onto the past and it helps to illuminate many aspects of our current reality.

  Shirley Chisholm’s mother was very strict. She did not allow her daughters to go out on dates, but Shirley was a bookworm. She loved to spend time reading, and people were surprised to find out that she had a flair for dancing.  

   People from the Caribbean migrated to the United States in the 1920s due to failed crops and famine. Shirley Chisholm was born in 1924. Her parents were immigrants from Barbados who fell in love in Brooklyn. They had three daughters who were sent back to spend a few years with their grandmother on her farm in Barbados, because their parents wanted to save enough to assure their future in the United States.

 “Barbados is a rocky place, not lush like Jamaica or Trinidad.”  Barbados has the highest literacy rate in the Caribbean.

  In Unbought and Unbossed Shirley shares the details of her childhood and youth as well as the background of her parents. Shirley Chisholm studied to become a teacher and she completed a master in early education. She had a special interest in protecting public education. You will learn about her accomplishments, setbacks and struggles as a woman of color in Congress.

  It was interesting to learn about her life in politics and how she became a Congresswoman, but, most importantly, it was edifying to learn how she challenged the impositions of obsolete conformity to be productive in her position as a Congresswoman. She was the first woman of color elected to Congress in New York in 1968, representing the 12^th congressional district. Her writing is forthright, authentic and sincere.

  I was impressed by her courage and determination, but I was also mesmerized by her reflections and observations because despite the fact that the book was published in 1970, many of her statements are relevant today.

   To be unbought and unbossed in Congress is a merit; it paves the way to progress and good policies.

  The results of the election in Wisconsin this week show that the people of Wisconsin chose the path of Shirley Chisholm. They refused to be bought by a billionaire, and they chose to protect public education, the Rule of Law, fair elections and democratic principles. Shirley Chisholm believed in the power of the ballots—not the bullets. Like Shirley Chisholm, the people of Wisconsin refused to be bossed by a dictator who rejoices in firing thousands of essential workers that are part of the foundation of our Nation.

  The people of Wisconsin refused to be bossed by a dictator whose right hand brandishes a chainsaw while he celebrates the suffering of people losing their jobs or losing their support systems.

 Soon enough the dictator will get rid of the chainsaw. He will pretend that he had nothing to do with the chainsaw. He will blame the chainsaw for the losses, to avoid assuming the responsibility for the damage he has caused. If you want to know what cowardice and weakness are like, look no further. The dictator is a good example of that. 

     Studying history is important to avoid making the mistakes of the past. People in Florida would benefit from learning about the situation of the working-class people during the late 1700s and early 1800s, when the Industrial Revolution allowed the exploitation of workers to benefit the wealthiest people. Soon enough the dictator will try to follow the path of Florida by going back to the late 1700s and early 1800s, a time period in which children of the working-class families were forced to work long hours for extremely low wages. There were no regulations to protect them. Now the legislature in Florida wants to follow the same pattern. They think it is a good idea to deprive teenagers of sleep and to allow companies to make children work long hours without prioritizing their education. This is not efficiency; it is a form of slavery.

  

Ignorance thinks that sleep is a privilege. It is not a privilege. Sleep is a basic need, and depriving teenagers of their hours of sleep to send them to work should be considered criminal.

 Sleep is necessary for growth and also for mental and physical health. Also, using children as a cheap source of labor is unethical and a clear indicator of the fact that Republicans in Florida do not prioritize their education. As I mentioned in a previous post, education is a threat to the abuse of power of tyrants.

   Dictators are eager to sabotage education in every way they can…

    It was refreshing to read Shirley Chisholm’s reflections. She was an independent thinker who did not follow the traps of groupthink. She was not a product of her times, because she was well ahead of her times…Her observations resonate today. I will close the post with some of her quotes:

“Women have been persuaded of their own inferiority; too many of them believe the male fiction that they are emotional, illogical, unstable, inept with mechanical things, and that they lack leadership ability… Women should perceive that the negative attitudes they hold toward their own femaleness are the creation of an antifeminist society, just as the black shame at being black was the product of racism. Women should start to replace their negative ideas of their femininity with positive ones affirming their nature more and more strongly.”

“One distressing thing is the way men react to women who assert their equality: their ultimate weapon is to call them unfeminine. They think she is antimale; they even whisper that she’s probably a lesbian, a tactic some of the Women’s Liberation Front have encountered. I am not antimale any more than I am antiwhite, and I am not antiwhite, because I understand that white people, like black ones are victims of a racist society. They are products of their time and place. It’s the same with men.”

 “It is not female egotism to say that the future of mankind may very well be ours to determine. It is a fact.  The warmth, gentleness, and compassion that are part of the female stereotype are positive human values that are becoming more and more important as the values of our world begin to shatter and fall from our grasp. The strength of Christ, Gandhi and Martin Luther King was a strength of gentleness, understanding, and compassion, with no element of violence in it. It was, in short, a female strength, and that is the kind that often marks the highest type of man.”

 

Enjoy this documentary about Shirley Chisholm and share it with others:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZjMJ_nyA88

Relevant links:

https://www.cbsnews.com/miami/news/florida-senate-panel-advances-bill-to-further-roll-back-child-labor-restrictions/

 

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/03/22/trump-students-disabilities-education-department-closing/80293592007/

 https://www.msnbc.com/top-stories/latest/trump-tariffs-economy-harris-told-you-so-rcna199722

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRsXmPhLvl0

https://standard.asl.org/20284/features/internalized-misogyny-limits-female-self-expression-success/

 https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/5-reasons-federal-cuts-are-hitting-veterans-especially-hard

https://time.com/7266955/trump-veteran-affairs-cuts-betrayal-essay/

  If you enjoyed this blog post, you can also check my writing on The Truths We Hold: An American Journey, a book by by Kamala Harris

 

 

Patriot: A Memoir by Alexei Navalny

 

  Life plays amazing tricks on me. I often donate books to Little Free Libraries, but I seldom take any from these libraries. On December 28, 2024, I told my family that I would like to read Alexei Navalny’s book. Two days later, I checked a Little Free Library located 45 minutes away from where I live. To this date, I do not know what made me check that Little Free Library. I was by myself, so nobody encouraged me to do so. It was astonishing to meet Navalny’s blue eyes on the vibrant book cover of a hardcover somebody had left behind. Yes, I found his book right there.

To say that I was in awe is an understatement.

 The book is brand new. I think somebody may have received it as a Christmas gift and may have passed it on without reading it. I think it is fair to say that somebody’s apathy became my gift, and it is not just a gift but it is also a great responsibility.

  Reading Patriot is an immersive, fascinating experience. It made me laugh and cry, and it connected me to this man’s humanity, kindness and intelligence. It is the kind of book that stays with you long after you finish it. I like to re-read parts of it and I scribble notes to reflect on his wisdom, experiences and ideas.

  The book starts with his experience of being poisoned in August 2020 with the Novichok nerve agent. Because of this he was hospitalized in an intensive care unit in Berlin; he required a period of rehabilitation in Germany to recover.

 Alexei Navalny’s writing then goes back in time to the years of his childhood and youth. He shares the social, cultural and political context of his childhood and youth. Furthermore, he reveals the challenges he faced when he attended university.

  His writing style is riveting and friendly. As I read his book, I experienced a certain familiarity with the author. I felt he was like a friend to me; he is the kind of person I would be happy to spend hours chatting with about life, history and anything else.

    As a reader, you will get to know him well. Every anecdote he shares helps us to understand him as a person. I have the feeling that I have known him all my life.

 The horrifying experience of being poisoned did not dissuade him from returning to Russia in January 2021. Soon after he landed on Russia, however, he was detained, a reminder that Putin’s regime operates with total impunity.

   Alexei was kind, fearless and courageous in every situation. His honesty and transparency united people who wanted to stand up against the tyranny of Vladimir Putin, a man who behaves like a king. Over the years Putin has crumbled the economy and future of his country to abuse his power and to serve the interests of the oligarchy.

  I appreciate the way Alexei Navalny describes what Putin has done to the economy in Russia. Navalny does not mince words when he unveils the incompetence of Putin: “Putin has stolen the last twenty years of Russia. He could have used these years to turn Russia into a prosperous country. All of us could have lived better. Instead, twenty million people live below the poverty line. Part of the money Putin and his cronies simply stole was squandered. They did nothing good for our country, and that is their worst crime against our children and the country’s future.”

  The Kremlin wanted to make Navalny feel that he was alone, isolated and lonely. He was not. Navalny counted on the solidarity and support of millions of people who valued his work. The solidarity and support he received are a testament to his bravery and kindness. To learn the details of Navalny’s work, I encourage you to read Patriot. His book delves into the details of his work. I was greatly impressed by how he consistently worked with his team to unmask the corruption under Putin’s regime.

  Alexei Navalny had to deal with the forces of an authoritarian regime that tried to silence and demoralize him. Yet Navalny never surrendered to fear. The history of his country is one of the interesting aspects of this book: “Throughout our history we have had tsars, then emperors, then general secretaries, then presidents, and all of them have been authoritarian. We can’t go on like that.”

 Alexei Navalny was a peaceful warrior whose only weapons were the truth and the facts. He and his team exposed the corruption of the regime through videos and blog posts. Millions of people appreciated his work, not only online but also the work he did by meeting people from all walks of life to communicate with them in-person. 

  Truth and facts endowed Alexei Navalny with inner strength, courage and resilience. These qualities helped him deal with the cruelty of his imprisonment, which was like a kind of “concentration camp” during the last years of his life.

  The torture and atrocities that he was able to document in those prisons during the last months of his life left me speechless.

  Under Putin’s regime Alexei Navalny was falsely charged with acts he never committed. The falsehoods were spread by Russian Television, which promotes Putin's propaganda. 

 The European Court of Human Rights declared that Navalny was innocent and demanded his release several times to no avail.

   Alexei Navalny also reveals the reason why Putin invaded Ukraine. Putin used the war on Ukraine to distract people from the disastrous situation in Russia: the economic stagnation, rising prices and rampant lawlessness under Putin’s regime in Russia were a threat to Putin’s power. Putin wanted to cover up this situation by creating a distraction, so he invaded Ukraine.  

  Navalny explains that Putin used his imperial mindset to distract people and to manipulate Russians into supporting the violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty. Putin persecutes those who try to speak up against the injustices and oppression of Russia's current regime. Yet Trump has referred to Putin as a “genius” and he considers Vladimir Putin his “friend.” It is disturbing, albeit not surprising, to see that Donald Trump supports Putin’s interests and that he repeats Putin’s narrative. It was deeply distressing and unsettling to witness Donald Trump blaming Zelensky for the war in Ukraine.

  I urge every American citizen to read Patriot by Alexei Navalny. It will help Americans to awaken to the truth and to understand what is at stake in the United States of America and the world.

  Alexei Navalny’s integrity shines through his behaviors and words, and it is also alive in the behaviors of his family. Also, his brother, Oleg, is a hero and you will find out more about him in his book.

 The injustices that Alexei and his family had to go through will cause outrage, but it is my hope that his book will raise awareness on the need to work to preserve democratic principles and to understand the need for fair elections to protect democracy.

  I was in awe to read that Navalny always sought the slivers of light and hope in the darkest situations he faced. His sense of humor was irresistible, and he always found an opportunity to learn something new and move forward through every challenge. The positive attitude in his book reminded me of the character in the movie Life is beautiful in which the father tries to create a bubble of hope and joy for his son amid the despair and constraints of a concentration camp.

  It is hard not to shed tears as I write about Navalny. He was only forty-seven years old when he lost his life for simply standing up to injustice. Alexei Navalny’s indomitable, joyful, resilient spirit is a gift to humanity, a legacy that will continue to inspire generations of people as long as we keep his memory alive. Navalny’s steady, peaceful fight will live on in the hearts and minds of those who believe in democratic principles and the Rule of Law.

 Alexei Navalny’s wife, Yulia, continues his work. She shares his enthusiasm, inspiration and zest for life. I found this brief interview with Yulia Navalnaya from PBS here.

  I also want to share this powerful statement by Alexei Navalny from his book Patriot: “It is very important not to be fearful of people who are seeking the truth, and perhaps even to find ways of supporting them, directly, indirectly, perhaps even not supporting them, but at least not contributing to the deceit, not making the world around you a worse place.”

 Alexei Navalny was an activist, lawyer, blogger, journalist and a Russian opposition leader and anti-corruption campaigner. He was imprisoned for no reason other than the fact that he stood up against tyranny and the actions of a dictator. His many international honors included the Sakharov Prize, the European Parliament’s annual human rights prize; the Courage Award from the Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy; and the Dresden Peace Prize, among others. Navalny appeared on Time magazine’s “100 Most Influential People” and “25 Most Influential People on the internet” lists.    

Relevant links:

https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-russia-trump-war-zelenskyy-putin-7fe8c0c80b4e93e3bc079c621a44e8bb

 https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2025/02/27/donald-trump-and-the-putinization-of-american-politics_6738649_4.html#

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/feb/15/google-helped-facilitate-russia-china-censorship-requests

 https://www.brookings.edu/articles/merkels-lack-of-regrets-illustrates-the-fallacies-of-germanys-russia-policy/

Interview With Author Diana Stevan

 

Julia: What is Along Came a Gardener about? What makes it unique?

Diana: My non-fiction book, based on my 25 years as a family therapist, is unique because the thoughts and experiences I share are woven in with the lessons I found in gardening and nature.  I also reveal my own stumbles, and I do it to demonstrate how important it is to be kind to ourselves and not feel bad when we can’t figure things out or our lives are not going as well as we had hoped. I hope the stories in my book will inspire others to make some positive changes in their life.

 

Julia: You have written several novels and poetry. What inspired you to write this non-fiction book?

Diana: I was inspired to write this book back in the late 1970s. I was working as a school psychologist then and a high school guidance counsellor had referred a couple of sisters to me for counselling. They were brilliant students but were failing. The oldest had attempted suicide. I tried family counselling, but the mother was mentally ill, so it wasn’t possible to continue. So I saw the sisters together and not long after I started seeing them in therapy, the oldest wrote me a poem, titled “The Seed of Hope” and in it, I was the gardener who had come along and planted it.

Her poem gave me an idea for a book based on my work as a psychotherapist. I started writing it shortly after I had finished my sessions with the sisters, but as a wife and mother of two, there wasn’t much time for writing. I’m glad I waited, as I wasn’t ready to write this book.

Julia: What were the challenges you encountered when writing your book? How did you deal with them?

Diana: Well, I kept wondering if I could do justice to what I had experienced. I was so grateful for the trust that many had put in me over the years, and I wanted to honour that trust. As you know, counselling is a confidential service, so I was mindful to be respectful and maintain those confidences. So, names were not divulged nor anything else that might identify those I’d seen in therapy. I also had the help of three professional therapists who read my book beforehand, and I was relieved to get their approval.

 

Julia: What are the greatest setbacks and ordeals you've dealt with as a therapist? How did you navigate those challenges?

Diana: The greatest ordeals I experienced as a therapist were conflicts with other professionals in the workplace. My first job after getting my Master of Social Work in 1972 was in a psychiatric ward at Winnipeg General Hospital (Health Sciences Center today). I was stunned to discover electric shock therapy was being routinely prescribed for patients with depression. I didn’t think patients had been given enough time to tell their story, the one that had resulted in them ending up on a psychiatric ward. Since I wasn’t a psychiatrist, the decision to give a patient shock treatment was a hard decision to challenge. Hospital beds were at a premium and the psychiatric staff were pressured to discharge patients as quickly as possible. Still, I made my observations known. At the time, I didn’t realize how naïve I was, and how I had overstepped those professional boundaries. So, it’s not surprising I didn’t make a lot of friends amongst the staff who were used to treating patients this way.

Another challenge I had took place in a different workplace. I was sexually harassed by the director of the agency.  After an incident where he had made sexual remarks to me in front of a team of counsellors, I went to his office and confronted him. I told him how uncomfortable it had made me feel, how inappropriate his comments had been and told him to never do it again. He didn’t.

And there was one patient who had been discharged from hospital who called me up in the middle of the night threatening to commit suicide. I was trained to take these threats seriously, so I got dressed and went out to meet him at a cafe. I gave him the support he needed over a cup of coffee. It sounds simple, but it wasn’t. Thankfully, I had established a rapport with him while he was in hospital, and he trusted me.

 

Julia: Would you like to share a personal experience that helped you to change and grow as a human being?

Diana: Training to be a family therapist was an eye-opening experience. I read everything available on family communication. It’s one thing to read it; it’s another to put it into practice. In order to be a good therapist, you have to work on yourself as well. Over the years, the knowledge I gained through my training and work with others dealing with family conflict helped me grow as a human being. I write about this experience, including my missteps, and more in my book.

Julia: Is there anything else you would like to mention about the book?

Diana: Because I also have a Bachelor of Science in Home Economics degree, I included a chapter on diet and nutrition. I’ve always tried to practice holistically. In fact, I attended the first Holistic Conference in Vancouver back in 1979. We have so much to deal with to maintain our mental and physical health, so I felt I had to mention the obvious in my book: the importance of diet, nutrition, exercise, and sleep.

Since I also gave stress management and anger management workshops during my career as a psychotherapist, I share helpful ideas from those times in Along Came A Gardener.

I’m hoping readers will find Along Came A Gardener inspirational and feel less alone in the complicated world we live in.

Thank you again, Julia. It’s been a pleasure sharing what’s inside my new publication with you.

Julia: Thank you so much for sharing your experience and words of wisdom at My Writing Life blog: Awareness, Reflection, Inspiration, and I wish you all the best with the new book release.

  A former family therapist, Diana Stevan has published poetry and five novels: A Cry from the Deep, The Rubber Fence, Sunflowers Under Fire, Lilacs in the Dust Bowl, and Paper Roses on Stoney Mountain.

  Along Came a Gardener, non-fiction, is her latest book. She resides with her husband on Vancouver Island.

 

The Life of Elves by Muriel Barbery

 

 Clara and Maria are gifted with the talents of empathy, intuition, clairvoyance and creative expression. They share an intimate communication and connection with the natural world that surrounds them. Maria lives in Burgundy, France; Clara lives in Italy. She is originally from the Abruzzo.

 Even though the girls live away from each other the communication between them goes beyond the realm of words…

  I appreciate the delicate style through which Barbery describes her characters. For example, I will offer a glimpse into the character of Maria from page 86:

 “And yet Maria was close to the religion of poetry every day, whenever she climbed a tree or listened to the song of the branches and foliage. Very early on she had understood that other people went about the countryside as if they were blind and deaf, and the symphonies she heard and the tableaux she embraced were, to them, mere sounds of nature and mute landscapes. When she wandered through her fields and woods she was in constant contact with a material tide in the form of intangible but visible lines which enabled her to know the movement and radiation of things, and if in winter she liked to go to the oak trees in the combe in the neighboring field, it was because the three trees liked winter too, and made vibrant sketches whose strokes and curves she could see as if they were an engraving embodied in the air by a master’s hand. Moreover, Maria conversed not only with matter, but also with the creatures of the land.”

  How can the enhanced perceptions and sensitivities of their human souls help them face the threat of war? What role do they play in the fight between oppression and freedom?

 The Life of Elves is a tribute to the bond between art, empathy and Nature. I appreciate the mystical quality of the prose.

  Metaphors and descriptions paint dream-like scenes that become timeless and intriguing to the reader. Unlike The Elegance of the Hedgehog, this story contains elements of fantasy. 

  The author offers an introspective outlook about some of the characters. Muriel Barbery unearths the gems that are concealed under the superficial façade of everyday life, and she does so with artistry. She did this in The Elegance of the Hedgehog and she conveys a similar message in The Life of Elves. For example, read the description of Leonora Acciavalti and draw your own conclusions about it:

  “… while the guests dined, their gazes followed the network of curving lines embraced by her gestures, and when they left they took away with them some of Leonora’s grace: she may not have been beautiful, but they found her sublime…”

Muriel Barbery describes Leonora as a “world unto herself.”

 “Her caste had betrothed her to the role of bored heiress, but fate had made a daydreamer of her, gifted with otherworldly power, to such good effect that in her presence you felt as if a window onto infinity had been opened, and you understood that it was by delving into yourself that you escaped imprisonment.”

    There is a story buried in a world of dream-like descriptions, metaphors and introspective reflections. However, the conflict and plot do not appear well-defined. The plot rolls on  subtle waves of undertones. It is blurred by the poetical prose and the ramblings, which become monotonous at times. It takes patience and attention to remember the endless list of characters, both elves and humans.

  Some features of the story irritated me as a reader. Why are some of the characters always drinking wine? I do not see the significance of this or the need to incorporate it. The author appears to be obsessed with the act of drinking wine and with hunting. I think these obsessions tainted the beauty of the story and appeared to be at odds with the essence of the tale. There were times when I wanted to quit the read, but I kept reading. I was hopeful that something important would happen, but it never did. 

  The unique descriptions of some of the characters and the reflections the author threads into the narrative aroused my curiosity, but the story did not deliver its full potential. It did not satisfy my expectations.

  I recommend the story to poetry lovers with the patience and time to lose themselves in the lyrical narrative, the epiphanies and perceptions. Reading this book is a personal journey, and it may require more than one read to gain a deep exploration and understanding of it. It may illuminate something inside your own conscience or it may not. It may awaken something to which you have been indifferent, or it may simply not be for you. I reveled in the magical nature of the descriptions, but I was left asking for more…

 

 The photographs of the landscapes are from unsplash.com