About Sara Blackthorne

Never one to step away from a story, Sara Blackthorne is a writer, editor, and advocate for telling our personal stories. Sharing wisdom, wit, and a bit of flair, she's building A Forest of Stories - an online space for women to come together and share their truths, their laughter, and their tears. When she's not playing with words, Sara is studying for law school, an adventure that will take her deep into the heart of advocacy and world-changing to create safe space for all people. Find her chatting about waitressing, bicycling, and hunting for secret messages on Twitter or Facebook.

January 31, 2013

Book Review: Stones of the Sky

“Break yourself open at the breaking point,
you, body of the one I love,
into another genesis, into the cataclysm…”

In another life, I planned to be a poet. I spent hours perfecting the craft of iambic pentameter and the beauty of haiku. I wanted to share my world in the ways of Annie Dillard and Carolyn Kizer. I dreamed to write the revolutionary poems of my generation, to echo the energy and moment of Audre Lorde and bell hooks. Somewhere on the journey, though, poetry got pushed aside for creative nonfiction and the radical energy was channeled into action, not words.

But on a cold winter night, when the rain outside freezes before the ground, I want to curl up with a book of poems and a cup of tea and not consider the challenges we face every day. One of the few poets who returns to my life over and over again is Pablo Neruda. Best known for his love poems and his prolific writing, Neruda is a watcher, a seer of beauty in all moments. Though I believe poetry is best read in its original language, I have found that the Copper Canyon Press translations are most delightful to my eyes and ears.

In Stones of the Sky, we find a collection of thirty poems written to Nature, a being worthy of the greatest love. Deepened by his love of the Chilean landscape of his birth, Neruda writes to crystals, stones, birds, water, and trees with a clarity that comes from years of romance. His language, with a unique command of description that is evocative but not overwhelming, brings each sense present to the scene of love he describes. With a translation by James Nolan that faces the original Spanish for every poem, this version is more than just a book of poetry. It’s a record. A memory.

The succulent
sky
had not only clouds,
not only space smelling of oxygen,
but an earthly stone
flashing here and there
changed into a dove,
changed into a bell,
into immensity, into a piercing
wind:
into a phosphorescent arrow,
into salt of the sky.

In the deepest parts of winter, I reach for the sunlight, however it may appear.

In a poem, a song, a cup of tea with a friend, the smile of a stranger. We walk so silently, so loudly, through this journey, and I wonder how often we miss these moments on sunlight. Poetry, of the love kind or the nature kind or the all kinds, poetry is my window into that bright April day when the air is crisp and the learning is deep. Neruda, or Audre Lorde, or Annie Dillard, or you — these are the poets of my heart.

What is your favorite poem? Who is your favorite poet?

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January 4, 2013

book review: The Language of Flowers

I can’t remember the last time I sat down and read a novel for pleasure. The simple act of words across paper, no pens, no highlighters, no taking notes. Just time and tea and the swish of one page turning into the next. So when The Language of Flowers arrived in my post box, on loan from a friend, I knew it was time to read.

The first few times I picked it up, I could only read a page or two. Slowly, as I adjusted to tempo and the transitions in time (it is written in both present-day and memory), I began reading more, pages turning into chapters turning into whole sections in one sitting. The final stretch, the last 100 pages, were read curled under the covers next to my love. I don’t know if I could have finished it otherwise.

The thing about this book is that it is, from the outset, about an orphan. A woman who knew nothing other than the pain of not having a real family. And somehow, there is a deep thread of hope, that something else is possible. You can tell that Victoria (the protagonist), for all her anger, has something special about her. Reading the book is a process of unfurling her petals, getting closer to the center, gaining her trust.

So many of us carry wounds from childhood, from adulthood. Often we think we’ve worked through them, we imagine that the healing is done and we can forge ahead, building new relationships and new connections. But some wounds go deeper than we can ever truly know. It isn’t until we try to form relationships that defy expectations and nourish our soul that we encounter the scars (and perhaps even the festering they contain). It’s in this moment we have a choice: re-open the wound and release the infection, allowing us to heal — or give up everything we’re building to avoid the hurt.

Anyone can grow into something beautiful.

Sometimes it’s a secret, holding our hearts captive like a prisoner of war. Sometimes it’s just a feeling, a nagging hurt that doesn’t leave. Sometimes it’s an anger, or a nonchalance, or an intensity that frightens away those we seek to hold most close. However our lives have wrought the pain, there comes a moment when we have to choose. It won’t be easy. It won’t be attractive. But it might just save our lives.

Victoria has a secret, one that has kept her from happiness, from family, from love. A secret she shares with no one, throughout group homes and onto the streets for her eighteenth birthday. But her secret suddenly appears behind a bucket of flowers, and she’s forced to make a choice.

Our secret hurts can appear anywhere. We can’t plan or prepare for them, no matter how hard we work on ourselves or our lives.

There are hurts we carry that even we don’t know exist until they are poked and prodded and made to ache.

This book was, for me, that poking and prodding. It was ripping off a bandage that had stuck to a wound, taking with it all the growth and healing I thought I had done.

Don’t let this scare you though. The reason I ultimately chose to write about this here is because reading The Language of Flowers made me see how much work I have the chance to do. Reading it in December, just before the holiday, ripped me open in a way I needed more than any gift. This book, with its sadness and its beauty and the bonus of learning floriography (the actual language of flowers), encourages me to reflect on my wounds, to begin the long process of turning over the ground to make the soil of my heart rich and fertile, to plant flowers to bloom in every season. I’ve sent a dozen copies to friends and loved ones in the past few weeks. And I will continue to send them as I find them, because this book is one I will never forget.

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December 7, 2012

Giving Gifts with Non-Holiday Spirits

a short history of my holiday spirit

I admit it: I am a Scrooge.

It’s a hard thing to face, especially once November arrives. Every year, holiday displays (namely, Christmas trees and stocking stuffers) appear earlier in the stores. One year, while working retail at a big-box department store, we had to have the “Holiday Floor Setup” completed by Labor Day. LABOR DAY.

The story of how I came to hate the time of year between (American) Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day is long and ugly, and not the focus of this post. But each year I am faced with the dilemma:

How do I buy gifts when I’m really not in the holiday spirit?

First off, I long ago came to accept that giving gifts of things is not an obligation. While the children in my family are being showered with numerous presents of toys and clothes and tchotchkes from adoring family members, I decided that giving the gift of opportunities and experiences is much more relevant to my morals and values. But when I do decide to give gifts of physical items, they must meet two requirements:

MEANING: If I am going to make the effort to purchase or make something, I want it to mean something. Whether it is a scarf for cold days or a case of handwarmers for outside adventures, a necklace someone has wanted for months or the book just released by their favorite author, I want my gift to say, “Hi there. I see you. Let me show you I understand.”

VALUE: I’ve spent the last year downsizing my life to only the most important pieces, things that hold truth and beauty for me. Things that enhance my world. When I give a gift (during the holidays or any time), I want it to be something that would make the 100 possessions (not counting clothes) that a person would keep, were they limited to such. Or feed their spirit in some way (gift certificate to a favorite restaurant or concert tickets to their favorite band).

There is nothing more tender than being valued, and I want to share that with my gift recipients.

Having these criteria makes it easier for me to decide on gifts — if it doesn’t pass the muster, it doesn’t get purchased. All that said, I’ve gone ahead and compiled some of the gifts I’ve purchased this year or previous to give you some quick and easy ideas for those who are on your list:

This single antler necklace tops my list as the gift for women. I am in love with it’s clean lines, simple nature, and sustainable creation. Introduced to me by Hannah Marcotti, I have had this one bookmarked for months.

An annual membership to SouLodge with Pixie Campbell is a gift that will provide magick, sustenance, and guidance for women throughout 2013 and beyond. With the grace of an eagle and the wisdom of our Elders, Pixie has created the space for Wild Women to blossom and thrive.

One of my favorite necklaces is a locket hand-stamped by Liz Lamoreux. Inside are the words Write Your Truth, a mantra that has carried me through the darkest times and the lightest of days. Liz not only does a full collection of her work, but also does custom lockets, necklaces, bracelets, and other adornments.

While they provide challenges for the environment with their use of paper, magazines that are printed sustainably and with mind for their impact AND bring beauty in the world are a wonderful gift for someone who needs continual inspiration and excitement. Two of my current favorites are Kinfolk Magazine and Taproot: Living Fully, Digging Deeper.

Brene Brown is one of my favorite authors, speakers, and bloggers. Her research into courage, shame, and self-awareness have given me some of my own deepest insights, and I am forever grateful. Her books aren’t just for women, either. Anyone and everyone can benefit from this amazing work, and Daring Greatly, her latest work, is just one example of her brilliance.

Buying local is really important to me, and I try to do any shopping I can from local or independent businesses/designers. For those of us not always fortunate to live near small or independent bookstores, there is a solution: IndieBound. A central network of independent booksellers and retailers, IndieBound is a great place to find those books on your recipients lists while support small businesses and independent sellers. They also have great swag.

For the mystic on your list (or the aspiring mystic), I cannot say enough about the new tarot deck from The Wild Unknown. Filled with hand-drawn images and crystal-clear messages, this deck is a delight to see and a gift to read. The creatrix has also released a companion guidebook, to grant a little extra insight into each card and reading.

What gifts are you giving this year?

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November 1, 2012

Twilight of the Elites: America After Meritocracy

When I got the idea to read this book, it was not yet released but being hyped everywhere. It seemed I couldn’t watch a news broadcast or commentator without hearing about it. I had been watching Chris Hayes’ show for a few months, and am really impressed by the diversity of his guests and the real questions he asks about society, people, and government.

It has taken me since Twilight of the Elites: America after Meritocracy was released in June finally to get through it. Some sections I have read three, four, five times. I keep returning to it, though I have devoured all the information once already. What astounds me most about this book is its brave simplicity: the system we have been using for decades is not working for the vast majority, and we need to examine that system and fundamentally fix it, or use something new.

The sentence that I have repeated to myself since I first read it, and one of the core ideas behind the book, is this:

“all the smart people f**ked up, and no one seems willing to take responsibility.”

Meritocracy is a simple concept: it is the rule of those who are deemed to have higher ability, greater skill, or other measurable talent over others. Those who are chosen as talented move ahead, and those with lesser talent and skill are given fewer, different opportunities. This might be in politics, but truly it is seen everywhere: education, healthcare, athletics, even friendships and cliques. With greater talent comes greater value to society, and therefore more opportunities.

But what if you are an undiscovered talent? What if you are a genius from a poor family, and unlike other kids don’t have resources through schools or private funding to release your brilliance? Or an entrepreneur with an incredible life-changing idea but lack the funding/connections/tools to put your idea into the world?

This is why meritocracy doesn’t work.

Twilight of the Elites: America After Meritocracy is about all this. It’s a history of an American way of living that American society grew out of. It’s a lesson in what doesn’t necessarily work (only providing opportunities to the selected ones proves to deny society of a vast wealth of brilliance), and a suggestion for how to move forward.

But perhaps more important to me than the history, or the possibilities, is the question. How do we recognize those who have incredible contributions to society, even (especially) when they don’t match our preconceived notions of who should be making contributions at that level?

How do we open to the awesome possibility that surrounds us?

Chris Hayes’ book was so much more than a large-scale examination of American culture. I experienced this read as a call to reflect on my choices and approaches to advancement. How do I prevent myself from moving to the next level of opportunity? How do I choose one person over another for an offer? How do I place value on my clients, on my customers, based on perceived merit?

These aren’t easy questions. They are rather painful to ask, and even more challenging to answer. This reflection, however, gives me a chance to directly contribute to a society that offers new value and new ideas for the greater good of the whole.

What could be better than making real, positive change in the world?

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October 5, 2012

Book Review: A Field Guide to Now

photo copyright Christina Rosalie 2012

Do you ever stop to wonder how you became connected with someone online? Can you trace back to the exact moment your spark lit, who made it possible, and how you wandered into the same bit of online space? For me, I can remember the exact moment — the connecting force — that brought me to people I now hold as dear friends. For some of the them. But for others, it seems as though they have always been there, that I cannot remember a time online when I wasn’t reading their blogs, or watching them on twitter, or connecting via instagram. We were always connected. We maybe didn’t know it yet.

As I’ve been reading A Field Guide to Now by Christina Rosalie, I have this “always connected” feeling. I’ve tried, for days, to trace back how I stumbled into her plot of online land, how I began reading her blog, but I don’t know. She has just been here, always. Though we’ve not met in person (yet!), I find comfort in her words, in her telling of life. I remember when this book was just a zygote, as she was headed back to school and feeling the unearthly compulsion to write, every day, without fail. (I say this as I, too, suffer from this compulsion. Do you?) I followed with (and contributed to) her successful Kickstarter campaign, and could not wait to read more of her words in this gorgeous book.

And yet, A Field Guide to Now is so much more than just her story. It truly is a field guide, complete with notes and actions for you to endeavor as you read. Illustrated by Christina’s own mixed-media work, including repurposed postcards her father collected in the 1960s, and filled with the true story of one woman’s journey, this book is a pause in the swiftly-shifting seasons of our lives.

“To begin, to be in the mess, to be right here.”
- Christina Rosalie

my favorite image from the book, page 87

This truthful, raw, and beautiful story of her journey — as an artist, a mother, a teacher, a writer, a woman — this book is written for each of us who live and breathe. It is written to remind us that we are not alone, amongst the dirty laundry and the confounding partners and the children who ask us ever-deepening questions of “why?” It is written to navigate five minutes of solitude — in the bathroom, on the bus, in the checkout at the market. Each section is brief, filled with truth and images and an invitation — a something you can do to come back into now. I have been carrying this book in my purse for days. I read it as my partner and I took two young boys to the cinema. And in those moments, flipping pages and inhaling possibility, I was more present than I had been in weeks.

And that presence lingered. Through fast food and action movies, tiny boys squirming in my lap, spilled popcorn and sticky lemonade hands — I was simply there.

If reading this book for ten minutes can inspire this kind of awareness in me, I am eager to discover what other treasures are hidden in the pages.

What helps you become present to the now?

Want to know more about Christina and her process? Check out the interview I did with her at A Forest of Stories!

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