Author Archives: amy j howton

for the first time since i wrote it in 2011, i read my dissertation recently. a solid decade stood between my now-self and my then-self; so much learning and living in the in-between–so much changed and so much still the same. it felt good and timely to return to my research. i did so becauseContinue reading “expansion”

we had no gps, no service only screenshots of a google map, sheer determination, and wonder all compelled by deep joy to be here in these Blue Ridge Mountains among these October colors wildly adventuring, mother and daughter freedom coursing through our veins can this be right? as the road evolved into a narrow andContinue reading “lady luck”

a thread that’s running through life these days is solidarity. it’s got me wondering what it means, what it looks like, what it calls for. a couple of weeks ago, i spent the day with a friend who is a community organizer. an escalating issue called for his attention, threatening coalitions that had been carefullyContinue reading “solidarity”

as i pulled together the newest edition of wild roots: weaving stories of wonder and truth, i’ve been listening and looking for patterns that have revealed themselves lately. today, these patterns fell into natural order as we land on today, equinox. in the northern hemisphere, this means we head into darkness. the days become shorter,Continue reading “equinox”

eighteen months or so into this virus and i’m still wondering: what is our relationship with COVID? and what it might look like to be in right relationship with this virus? and underneath these questions: what is our relationship with life? with death? stephen jenkinson talks about the death trade, this culture that western societyContinue reading “covid”

yesterday, i had uninterrupted time with meg in the car. there was traffic. so, more time. funny how even after more than a year in lockdown + pandemic living, there is still need for uninterrupted time with one another… i wanted to talk with her about the IPCC report that had come out yesterday morningContinue reading “reality”

it’s no coincidence that 2/3 of jesus’ sermons were on forgiveness… …that bishop desmond tutu, in his life’s work around Truth and Reconciliation in South Africa centered forgiveness. evolution requires it. transformation demands it. LOVE invokes it. life has given me lessons on this so that i might know it–intellectually, in my heart, in myContinue reading “forgiveness”

may i remember this … the first rain drop, joined slowly by others painting the sidewalk, drop by drop first, gentle and sweet and then powerfully pouring down upon me a baptism until we joined together in pounding out life’s drumbeat David Lurey, the perfect accompanist as my playlist cues up his song May IContinue reading “this”

yesterday i listened to an interview with Robert MacFarlane, author of Underland. he spoke of the long history (6 million years!) of humans’ descent to landscapes “underneath” and hidden away–a universal, original longing to descend to the dark places for revelation: caves, tunnels, underground passages, underground railroads. it’s interesting to consider how our interplay withContinue reading “descent”