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"It’s the memories of care that strike me in a different, deeper place." - from "On Memories and Acts of Care" I'm pleased to share my recent piece "On Memories and Acts of Care," which appeared in The Polk Street Review 2025, where it was awarded the 2025 Award of Merit (Best in Book) prize. Read on... Continue Reading →
Sometimes I don’t really know what I’m doing. It’s not always a bad thing. For instance, I’ve had a hankering to bake rye bread lately – real rye bread that smells like yeast and rises on the kitchen counter. I knew nothing about any of it, but I decided a few months ago that a... Continue Reading →
I’ve begun volunteering at a local library. Up the steep stairs of an old Greek Revival-style house, artist studios share space with this small, independent lending library focused on women’s history. It drew my attention the very first evening I climbed those stairs and looked around. I’d gone out exploring on one of our city’s... Continue Reading →
I recently enjoyed a small project way more than I’d expected to. The kick of energy and enjoyment it brought has left me reflecting on the relative sizes of my efforts. I believe I already do value small things. I’ve also long understood the importance of pausing frequently to celebrate accomplishments of all sizes. I’ve known that... Continue Reading →
Wholeness – it’s my word for the new year. Some years a word has served me better than a resolution. A word's given guidance when I didn’t know where I was going, let alone what steps to take to get there. When the world keeps changing, or when I’m considering what’s important in a new... Continue Reading →
A birch tree reaches out over the White River at a point very near my favorite bike trail. A clear view of it opens up from the hilltop north of an interstate bridge. From there I see many branches of many trees, but the birch’s vivid white bark often catches my attention. I first noticed... Continue Reading →
Callie J. Smith 