Author: Maria Dintino

The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd: The Spirit in You that Rebels and Persists (published in 2020)

The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd: The Spirit in You that Rebels and Persists (published in 2020)

Posted by | Dec 8, 2020 |

When my sister Theresa and I began the Nasty Women Writers project three years ago, we set out to amplify the voices of women, many of whom have been marginalized and erased. We decided to claim the word ‘nasty’ because it was being hurled at powerful women who were unafraid to speak up. Clearly ‘nasty’ was not such a bad thing to be. Sue Monk Kidd in her new novel The Book of Longings addresses the erasure of women’s voices. The main character, Ana, is a spokesperson for this cause: she is a capturer and keeper of women’s voices,...

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Reflections on a Thanksgiving Revelation

Reflections on a Thanksgiving Revelation

Posted by | Nov 24, 2020 |

During a guided meditation, this message came to me: resistance is where the work is. Tuning in recently to Seth Godin discussing his latest book, The Practice: Shipping Creative Work, I heard him mention that when it comes to doing what you love and loving what you do, loving what you do may be more beneficial than many imagine. Can we love what we do when it’s not what we love? When it stops short of our goal, when it’s a detour to where we really want to be? This year we’re contending with a virus that’s forcing some...

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Shattering Ceilings: Glass and Bronze!

Shattering Ceilings: Glass and Bronze!

Posted by | Nov 10, 2020 | ,

Little by little, we move closer to a new year. (I’ve always been noted for stating the obvious!) I don’t like to rush time, but I’m not sorry to see this year begin to give way to the next one. 2021 is already sprinkled with exciting events, one being the inauguration of the 46th President of the United States on January 20, 2021, and another event that I learned about a while back, one that will take place on March 15, 2021. Over the past couple of years, I’ve written several posts about a phenomenon slowly and steadily sweeping our...

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This Chair Rocks: A Manifesto Against Ageism by Ashton Applewhite (2019): “Make noise about this!”

This Chair Rocks: A Manifesto Against Ageism by Ashton Applewhite (2019): “Make noise about this!”

Posted by | Oct 27, 2020 | ,

Last Christmas one of my sisters gave me a copy of the book This Chair Rocks: A Manifesto Against Ageism, by Ashton Applewhite. Perhaps it’s because I’m creeping closer to turning 60 that I finally decided to read it, or perhaps it’s because I’m creeping closer to 60 that I kept it at bay for so long, collecting dust on a shelf for the better part of a year. Either way, I’m elated that I finally read it and I’m ready to make noise about this! Ageism, like other forms of discrimination, becomes more noticeable and intolerable once it’s...

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Polly Coppinger’s Son: Osceola,”Master Spirit of the Seminole Nation” (1804-1838)

Polly Coppinger’s Son: Osceola,”Master Spirit of the Seminole Nation” (1804-1838)

Posted by | Oct 13, 2020 |

National Indigenous Peoples Day is being celebrated across the United States this week. Malinda Maynor Lowery, professor of history at UNC-Chapel Hill, in her article The Native History of Indigenous Peoples Day, relays, “More and more towns and cities across the country are electing to celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day as an alternative to—or in addition to—the day intended to honor Columbus’ voyages…The growing recognition and celebration of Indigenous Peoples Day actually represents the fruits of a concerted, decades-long effort to recognize the role of Indigenous people in the nation’s history.” You can read Lowery’s full article here. In the spirit of...

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Books, Glorious Books: May you know them and read them!

Books, Glorious Books: May you know them and read them!

Posted by | Sep 29, 2020 |

Books, in any and all formats, are human evolution’s most valuable resource. Books invite us into the minds of people, from those who lived thousands of years ago to those who live among us today. Books both reflect and shape our world and if consumed as the invaluable resource they are, guide us. But that is something you already know. Here’s something you may not… Being very fond of Margaret Fuller, every now and then I browse the Margaret Fuller Society website. Recently, this led me to their Facebook page which yielded a surprising discovery. On August 26 of...

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A Long Petal of the Sea by Isabel Allende (2020)

A Long Petal of the Sea by Isabel Allende (2020)

Posted by | Sep 14, 2020 |

The exposed beating of a heart, a miraculous extension of a life almost extinguished by the cruelty and recklessness of war. That beating heart a symbol of love, which keeps life bearable in times of turmoil and torture. Thus, (in my words) begins Chilean-American author, Isabel Allende’s newest novel, A Long Petal of the Sea. (The title is a line from one of Chilean poet and politician Pablo Neruda’s poems,  describing Chile’s physical appearance.) NPR’s Marcela Davison Aviles states, “The timing of this novel’s publication was either destined or clairvoyant — but in any case, Allende’s research and her...

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Joy Harjo: “The Knowing” (Muscogee (Creek)-American, b. 1951)

Joy Harjo: “The Knowing” (Muscogee (Creek)-American, b. 1951)

Posted by | Sep 1, 2020 |

I was elated to discover that the Library of Congress has appointed Joy Harjo to a second term as United States Poet Laureate! In addition to her poetry, music, and speaking engagements, Harjo is working on two exciting projects. According to the Library of Congress, one is “Living Nations, Living Words: A Map of First Peoples Poetry…a web mapping application geared toward storytelling, to showcase contemporary Native American poets from across the country,” billed as Harjo’s “signature laureate project.” The second project is hot off the press, released August 25, 2020, When the Light of the World Was Subdued, Our...

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Cracking the Code: Civil Rights Activist Sarah Patton Boyle (American 1906-1994)

Cracking the Code: Civil Rights Activist Sarah Patton Boyle (American 1906-1994)

Posted by | Aug 18, 2020 |

Out for a neighborhood walk a while back, I stopped to read a plaque in front of a house. The plaque is part of a Civil Rights Project in St. Augustine, Florida called the Accord  Freedom Trail whose mission is “Remembering, Recognizing, and Honoring all those who risked their lives to attain civil rights for all and celebrating St. Augustine’s pivotal role in the Civil Rights Act of 1964.” This sign identifies the then residents of the house, Reverend Roscoe and Flora Halyard, and commends their commitment to the struggle to pass the Civil Rights Act. And there is another...

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