Tag Archives: writing
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The first annual Madroño Ranch residents’ reunion
Two Saturdays ago some twenty former residents and members of our Advisory Board gathered at our house in Austin for what we hope will be the first of many annual “Resident Reunions.” We envisioned this gathering as a chance for … Continue reading
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Tagged Austin, community, Madroño Ranch, Oliver Sacks, poetry, residents, Sasha West, visual arts, writing
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Three white Stetson hats: the joy of limitation
Let’s face it: we are not culturally conditioned to look kindly upon constraints. Every day bombards us with messages urging us to maximize our enjoyments, super-size our servings, and prolong our erections. Limitations, we’re told, are for losers. I, on … Continue reading
"If you got a field that don’t yield": writer’s block and the language of community
Isa Catto Shaw’s show at the Doug Casebeer, with whom she shared the show, each spoke movingly about the impetus behind their individual efforts. Knowing that she had been working like a madman for several months, I was glad (and … Continue reading
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Tagged community, Isa Catto Shaw, Jessica Hobby Catto, Rainer Maria Rilke, Wendell Berry, writing
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A new year at Madroño Ranch: bison harvests, chicken tractors, hog schools, and more
Happy new year! The beginning of the year is always a good time to take stock, so we thought it might be appropriate to look back at what we accomplished—and, erm, failed to accomplish—during the last twelve months. Much remains … Continue reading
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Tagged bison, Boggy Creek Farm, chickens, Dai Due, deer, hunting, Madroño Ranch, visual arts, writing
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How not to write a book
Some of you may not know that I am officially a Published Author and therefore—let’s face it—kind of a big deal, but it’s true. And I have to confess that I’ve never really gotten over the thrill of seeing my … Continue reading
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Tagged baseball, Black Sox, books, Hal Chase, Pete Rose, Texas Book Festival, writing
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The literary environment (with apologies to the Williams Alumni Review)
Confession: I consider myself a loyal son of alma mater, but I usually just skim the quarterly Williams Alumni Review before tossing it into the recycling pile. A story in the June issue, however, caught my eye. “The Literary Environment,” … Continue reading
The naming of writing centers
There are a lot of questions that will need to be answered before Madroño Ranch: A Center for Writing and the Environment becomes a reality. Among the more unexpectedly troubling was, what to call the dang thing? Heather decided fairly … Continue reading
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Tagged Kinky Friedman, Madroño Ranch, sustainability, T. S. Eliot, Utopia Animal Rescue Ranch, writing
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