Larry, thanks so much for reading and commenting. This was encouraging to wake up to. It's taken me a while to show more than I have, which is ironic since I've been a photographer most of my life.
I'm with Larry and Rick that this is exquisitely written. You describe being exquisitely oriented in the present moment, inside and out, tracking both rote actions deeply rooted, and the present moment buoyancy of being alive. I'm learning this about being a writer, that even while we go 'round and 'round the bush, we are still doing the thing, living the life through so many layers. As you say: "Before never stopped, and neither have I." Free to choose. Thanks so much!
Thanks, Alden! Yes, "many layers", indeed. Despite its flaws, Substack/Zoom meetings, etc., have let me find more groups of similarly focused humans/writers than I could in real life. It makes the spinning less solitary and more rewarding. It was great to see you in a grid again!
Can't remember having read something that so superbly blurs and marries the edges of poetry and prose. I'm agreed with Larry on the feeling being personally led and pushed to a new place in reading this. I'm left feeling called to upscale both my writing my understanding of human experience at the same time. Gripping. Thank you Andrew.
Thank you, Rick. My writing does seem to sit somewhere between poetry and prose. Rap and country music are influences, and my background in the visual arts. And thanks again for putting together your Q&A's. I got so much from the one I participated in. I love how you have somehow lassoed writers from across the endless online world and brought them into safe, authentic spaces where we can meet one another.
Greetings Andrew… I know the moments of which you write. Caught in the space between where i thought I was going and where I find myself. As I read I felt the chill of being in my teens and unable to articulate my needs, demands and limitations. Caught between my desires and the reality of my situation. It brought memories of that anxiety and hunger. A rich telling.
Larry, thanks so much for reading and commenting. This was encouraging to wake up to. It's taken me a while to show more than I have, which is ironic since I've been a photographer most of my life.
Well, my friend, between your writing and your photography, you're indeed multitalented. (And that would be an understatement.). Keep doing both!
Andrew, that slight banging sound you may have heard in the distance was my jaw hitting the keyboard when I read this. Why?
• I don't think I've ever read a more powerful description – a vision, really – of addiction in my entire life.
• You have extraordinary courage in sharing this.
• And you are one hell of a fine writer. I like to stress "showing" over "telling," and this is a masterclass in just that. Wonderful.
I'm a better person for reading this. Keep doing it...
I'm with Larry and Rick that this is exquisitely written. You describe being exquisitely oriented in the present moment, inside and out, tracking both rote actions deeply rooted, and the present moment buoyancy of being alive. I'm learning this about being a writer, that even while we go 'round and 'round the bush, we are still doing the thing, living the life through so many layers. As you say: "Before never stopped, and neither have I." Free to choose. Thanks so much!
Thanks, Alden! Yes, "many layers", indeed. Despite its flaws, Substack/Zoom meetings, etc., have let me find more groups of similarly focused humans/writers than I could in real life. It makes the spinning less solitary and more rewarding. It was great to see you in a grid again!
Can't remember having read something that so superbly blurs and marries the edges of poetry and prose. I'm agreed with Larry on the feeling being personally led and pushed to a new place in reading this. I'm left feeling called to upscale both my writing my understanding of human experience at the same time. Gripping. Thank you Andrew.
Thank you, Rick. My writing does seem to sit somewhere between poetry and prose. Rap and country music are influences, and my background in the visual arts. And thanks again for putting together your Q&A's. I got so much from the one I participated in. I love how you have somehow lassoed writers from across the endless online world and brought them into safe, authentic spaces where we can meet one another.
Thanks Andrew. You created some of that safety.
Greetings Andrew… I know the moments of which you write. Caught in the space between where i thought I was going and where I find myself. As I read I felt the chill of being in my teens and unable to articulate my needs, demands and limitations. Caught between my desires and the reality of my situation. It brought memories of that anxiety and hunger. A rich telling.