Susi Gregg Fowler

When I’m working on a writing project, I’m a bit of a workaholic. I don’t go for morning walks—I write, edit, reread, type. I carry it on into the afternoon and sometimes late at night. This can go on for weeks and weeks at a time. Ask Jim. I turn down invitations, opportunities, forget to pay bills, answer letters, go to the dentist.. This has been a particularly intense time as I’ve labored to finish yet another draft of the upper middle grade novel I’ve been working on for much of the last several years. But I just sent it off to a “beta “ reader—and I gave myself a long weekend! Today when Jim decided to take the morning off, I joined him, along with our dog and our daughter’s dog. We all know about renewal, right? The idea of the Sabbath, the idea of resting mind and spirit, waking up to the world around us, opening ourselves to the present moment, inviting new ideas. I was as giddy as a child set free. I could have written this as a post on my Facebook site—but I’m putting it on my website as a reminder to myself and anyone who reads this that keeping body and soul together is part of the work of writing or any other creative endeavor (by which I mean just about any aspect of living). I am putting a few more photos on my Facebook author page (susigreggfowler, writer). Here is a photograph from our morning. What joy to live in this place of such beauty. The last line of Wendell Berry’s poem “The Peace of Wild Things,” says it better than I: “For a time I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.” To which I can only say Amen!  Read More 

In the absence of a perfect blog title or a fully formed idea of where I'm going with this whole blog idea, I am just leaping in. Timidity doesn't seem to be particularly productive, after all. I've cast off the earlier heading "News and Events" in favor of the imperfect blog bit. And so, at least for now, I plan to share the occasional reflection, rant, celebration, disappointment, confusion--you know--the the stuff of life. I suspect I'll veer toward what's going on in my writing life, but since that seems to be connected to everything else, there may be more of the personal than I'm accustomed to making public. And if you're inclined to respond in any way, please do feel free to comment. It doesn't have to be perfect, either! Read More 

October 18, 2015 Here in the 49th state it is Alaska Day, commemorating Secretary of State William Seward's purchase of the territory of Alaska from Russia. Schools and state offices are closed. Columbus Day, last week's federal holiday, is not a state holiday in Alaska. Furthermore, this year, our governor proclaimed by Executive Order that the  Read More 

Music and books, poetry, family, dogs, and the great outdoors---It's so much who I am, and my dad, who died in July, was such a part of all of that. Here we are the month before he died, singing and playing music together. Such sweet memories. One way I am honoring his memory is focusing the time I spent with him daily on my writing--I know he'd approve!  Read More