Skip to main content

Oct. 5 | The Snow Leopard by Peter Matthiessen

A conversing maelstrom of telepathic Amazonian writers
An immolation of singing mole-skinned musicians
"Man has closed himself up,
till he see all things through the narrow chinks of his cavern."
William Blake, The Marriage of Heaven and Hell

Snow leopard sound:
flicker-like cry of a woodpecker
At home:
Margaret Atwood singing a God's Gardeners' hymn about moles
Snow leopard touch:
a maelstrom of wind/water; pangs of loss
At home:
a soft, sleek book cover, the heft of bound paper
Snow leopard word of the day:
telepathy
Snow leopard quote of the day:
"This cloud forest — who knows? — may hide a yeti?"; "...I lost my sense of self, the heartbeat I heard was the heart of the world..."
Snow leopard notable:
The Piper at the Gates of Dawn in Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in the Willows; yaje or ayahuasca, a hallucinogen of morbid effect used by shamans of the Amazon, Peruvian jungle, to induce supernatural states
Snow leopard extra:
"...in unison with the primordial nature of creation...ecstasy is identity with all existence...";
"...the desperate instinct that our life passes unlived, is reflected in proliferation without joy, corrosive money rot, the gross befouling of the earth and air and water from which we came."
At home: literary text as music score; self-immolating man
Snow leopard gratitude:
Hamsun, Borges, Thoreau, Hesse, Kierkegaard, Jung
At home:
Town Hall Seattle, the building, the people, the programming, the community coming together to talk about books

Panthera progress: slow, but inspired, determined, even hopeful

What is this?
Blogging The Snow Leopard project.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Thoughts on "Depression Hates a Moving Target": What I Mean by Relatable

Relatable — I used this word in my reviews of Depression Hates a Moving Target   by Nita Sweeney on Goodreads and Amazon . It's a nice word, but overused of late. So, it feels lazy. What do I mean? I connected with this book. It made me reflect more on my own first marathon experience. It made me want to put on my running shoes and head out the door again. In fact, I did. Now, typically, my mental health doesn't hinder my ability to do the stuff I want to do and my body flies under the radar. Still, I also felt goofy stepping out in my running gear a lot of the time. I didn't see myself as a "runner" or an athlete. And, I had no idea if I could run 13 miles let alone 26.2 when I started. More to the point, could I stay moving for the 4+ hours straight it would take to complete the marathon? To do the training mileage, I knew I'd have to run through streets and trails on my own and that made me nervous, too. Waves of grief wash us to strange shores. Whe...

What is Solarpunk? Good question, great answers from our community

What is solarpunk? My fellow Glass and Gardens: Solarpunk Summers authors Commando Jugendstil and Tales from The EV Studio put together this video for the Turin International Book Fair . It features editors and authors from the solarpunk community sharing their thoughts. Together we're imagining optimistic futures based on renewable energy. My soundbite was: "Solarpunk futures are — green spaces with clean water that are pedestrian, collective, feminist, creative communities. And they include non-human animals. " Mary "solarpunk" Shelley cat did a great job (at 6:15) helping from her rather ridiculous cat tree which she absolutely loves. And what better time to wear this solar-colored "Veganism is Feminism" tee from The Herbivore Clothing Company . Seriously. I'm holding a stack of solarpunk books: Glass and Gardens: Solarpunk Summers  edited by Sarena Ulibarri which includes my story "Watch Out, Red Crusher!".  Wings of R...

Springy Story Review: "Gestella" by Susan Palwick

Why it springs to mind: A hauntingly beautiful horror story about what happens when a woman relinquishes her power. A unique werewolf story with commentary on aging. Where read: First in Sisters of the Revolution: A Feminist Speculative Fiction Anthology  ( 2015, PM Press edited by Ann and Jeff Vandermeer) and then in Palwick's collection The Fate of Mice ( 2007, Tachyon Publications ) — both outstanding! These presses won't steer you wrong. Summary: A young woman werewolf allows herself to be dominated by a lover who takes control of her fate. Memorable: The powerful ending! The word: sportfuck. A new take on lycanthropy. Written in second person — you. Quote:  "You know that your growing wisdom is the benefit of aging, the compensation for your wrinkles and your fading—although fading slowly as yet—beauty. You also know that Jonathan didn't marry you for wisdom."  Personal connection: Some of my favorite stories seem to be the ones that address t...