For half of her life, my daughter has liked to make clothes. At age four she made her first dress by cutting several old dresses into strips and then stapling them back together, adding a few pom poms for good measure. I shared this story with Erin, owner of sewBoise and recipient of Idaho Business…
Poetry for Strangers
The word: Persevere
At this year’s TEDxBoise, David Rush broke three Guinness World Records—his 98th, 99th, and 100th—on stage. The records, respectively, involved catching Ping-Pong balls with chopsticks; the very fast passing of a 20-pound weight between his left and right hand; and a mouthful of a hundred lit candles. It was mesmerizing, and I loved when David…
The word: Purple
Last week I heard poet Terrance Hayes speak at Boise State about kindness, poetry, America, and the essential pleasure that comes from making things. The Stranger: Terrance The Word: Purple The poem I wrote: I have left my big housefor this small square.I have left my big officefor a single chair.I have shed bright color,purple, red,…
The word: Seed
Before a poem, a fable: Once upon a time the famous physicist Albert Einstein was confronted by an overly concerned woman who sought advice on how to raise her small son to become a successful scientist. In particular she wanted to know what kinds of books she should read to her son. “Fairy Tales,” Einstein responded without…
The word: Memories
Before the poem, news on a children’s book that my husband James Stead and I co-wrote, illustrated by talented artist April VanDeGrift! We Live in Boise is available now, and you can hear an NPR “Idaho Matters” interview about it here. Now, to the stranger: I met Beth at the house of a friend who cuts my family’s…
The word: Clover
Sam, a student who works as a barista in the early mornings, always has a wise perspective and a smile. The Stranger: Sam The Word: Clover The poem I wrote: Summer music hides in the leaves,each song like a treed animal:below, big kids on scooterswith lollipops in their cheeks.I find in the grass a four-leaf cloverbut…
The word: Bonita
I was shopping for ingredients for a soup when Gabi and I stopped what we were doing and had a conversation: a moment, a margin, in an otherwise full-page day. The Stranger: Gabi The Word: Bonita The poem I wrote: It is a beautiful song,and we don’t needto be tied to a mastto hear it. Bonita,this day…
The word: Snow
It had been a decade since I had skied, and in an effort to build up my confidence via the “sink or swim” method, I decided to take the kids skiing by myself. After school, we gathered snacks, warm clothes, and our ski bibs and jackets. We needed skis, so we stopped by the rental…
The word: Lucky
In Austin, before a family dinner, my kids and I decided to putter around a children’s museum called The Thinkery. We forgot our membership card—brilliant side-note fact: an Idaho Discovery Center membership gets you into nearly any other children’s museum in the country—and my son said, “That is so unlucky!” Kassie took our word that…
The word: Bright
Antxon works as a lifeguard at the pool where my kids take swim lessons. When my little guy plunged too far from the edge, Antxon held out a pole to pull him back safely to the side. The Stranger: Antxon The Word: Bright The poem I wrote: We are higher than the fogcan reach; you…