Sophfronia Scott's Blog: Sophfronia Scott, Author, page 12

From Rest, What Dreams May Come

I’ve been taking time off since the Alma College MFA in Creative Writing‘s first residency ended and it’s been a very good thing so for this morning’s walk I’m reflecting on how making time to rest might be the most ambitious thing you can do. Shout out to Kate Holbein Rademacher and her book RECLAIMING REST, published by Broadleaf Books. Also to the contemplative walks offered by Berkshire Camino LLC.

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In case you’re wondering, the Alma College MFA in Creative Writing is a low-residency graduate degree program that features residencies twice a year. The rest of the semester you work one-on-one with a faculty mentor, submitting packets of writing once a month. Our next residency, is December 27-January 6 and the application deadline is November 1. Check it out. I’d love to hear about what you’re writing and your thoughts about joining our artistic community.

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Did you miss my recent book event, “Merton on My Mind,” that I did with Stina Kielsmeier-Cook for the Collegeville Institute?  We were in conversation about my book, The Seeker and the Monk, and of course discussing Thomas Merton and all things spiritual. In case you missed it, here’s the video:

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With the changes in Covid-19 protocols, I find that in-person events are being scheduled again. I’ve updated my events page here on the site. If I’ll be in your area, please stop by. Would be happy to see your smiling face!

Be well,

Sophfronia

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The Seeker and the Monk Wins a Louie Award

On June 26, at the close of the International Thomas Merton Society‘s conference, I received The Thomas Merton Award for my book, The Seeker and the Monk. The award is also known as a “Louie,” after Merton’s monastery name, Father Louis. I’ll eventually receive a small bronze bust of Merton–how cool is that? I had hoped the book would bring a new audience to Thomas Merton. This acceptance by those who already love him is some serious icing on the cake!*Outgoing ITMS president David Golemboski, who presented the award, said this when he announced it:*THOMAS MERTON AWARDto an individual who has written and published in the period between the General Meetings a work on Merton and his concerns that has brought provocative insight and fresh direction to Merton studies.*This year’s award goes to a book that brings provocative insight and new direction through its engagement with Merton’s life and work in relation to the author’s personal journey of life and faith, as well as with contemporary culture and politics. That book is Sophfronia Scott’s The Seeker and the Monk: Everyday Conversations with Thomas Merton, published earlier this year by Broadleaf Books. In the words of one ITMS Board member who endorsed the book, Scott demonstrates “impressive depth and breadth of familiarity and insight concerning Merton’s life and work.” Another Board member said that the book is “solidly well-researched and balanced – between intimacy and critical distance.” Scott draws on a wide range of Merton’s published writings along with the journals, and draws Merton into dialogue with contemporary “signs of the times,” such as the COVID pandemic, the Sandy Hook school shooting, and the murder of George Floyd. The book is also highly personal, with Scott sharing reflections on her own journey as a parent, activist, and writer.*Scott opens the book by noting that “Thomas Merton was a white Catholic monk who lived most of his life in a monastery in Kentucky and died over fifty years ago. I’m a black woman, not Catholic but Episcopalian, with Baptist notes from my childhood.” And yet, she comes to describe Merton as “someone who has, across the many years and many differences between us, managed to become a dear friend.” Please join me in congratulating and thanking Sophfronia Scott for sharing this friendship with us, and in congratulating her on this award..fusion-fullwidth.fusion-builder-row-2 a:not(.fusion-button):not(.fusion-builder-module-control):not(.fusion-social-network-icon):not(.fb-icon-element):not(.fusion-countdown-link):not(.fusion-rollover-link):not(.fusion-rollover-gallery):not(.add_to_cart_button):not(.show_details_button):not(.product_type_external):not(.fusion-quick-view):not(.fusion-rollover-title-link) , .fusion-fullwidth.fusion-builder-row-2 a:not(.fusion-button):not(.fusion-builder-module-control):not(.fusion-social-network-icon):not(.fb-icon-element):not(.fusion-countdown-link):not(.fusion-rollover-link):not(.fusion-rollover-gallery):not(.add_to_cart_button):not(.show_details_button):not(.product_type_external):not(.fusion-quick-view):not(.fusion-rollover-title-link):before, .fusion-fullwidth.fusion-builder-row-2 a:not(.fusion-button):not(.fusion-builder-module-control):not(.fusion-social-network-icon):not(.fb-icon-element):not(.fusion-countdown-link):not(.fusion-rollover-link):not(.fusion-rollover-gallery):not(.add_to_cart_button):not(.show_details_button):not(.product_type_external):not(.fusion-quick-view):not(.fusion-rollover-title-link):after {color: #2b2b2b;}.fusion-fullwidth.fusion-builder-row-2 a:not(.fusion-button):not(.fusion-builder-module-control):not(.fusion-social-network-icon):not(.fb-icon-element):not(.fusion-countdown-link):not(.fusion-rollover-link):not(.fusion-rollover-gallery):not(.add_to_cart_button):not(.show_details_button):not(.product_type_external):not(.fusion-quick-view):not(.fusion-rollover-title-link):hover, .fusion-fullwidth.fusion-builder-row-2 a:not(.fusion-button):not(.fusion-builder-module-control):not(.fusion-social-network-icon):not(.fb-icon-element):not(.fusion-countdown-link):not(.fusion-rollover-link):not(.fusion-rollover-gallery):not(.add_to_cart_button):not(.show_details_button):not(.product_type_external):not(.fusion-quick-view):not(.fusion-rollover-title-link):hover:before, .fusion-fullwidth.fusion-builder-row-2 a:not(.fusion-button):not(.fusion-builder-module-control):not(.fusion-social-network-icon):not(.fb-icon-element):not(.fusion-countdown-link):not(.fusion-rollover-link):not(.fusion-rollover-gallery):not(.add_to_cart_button):not(.show_details_button):not(.product_type_external):not(.fusion-quick-view):not(.fusion-rollover-title-link):hover:after {color: #dfbc6a;}.fusion-fullwidth.fusion-builder-row-2 .pagination a.inactive:hover, .fusion-fullwidth.fusion-builder-row-2 .fusion-filters .fusion-filter.fusion-active a {border-color: #dfbc6a;}.fusion-fullwidth.fusion-builder-row-2 .pagination .current {border-color: #dfbc6a; background-color: #dfbc6a;}.fusion-fullwidth.fusion-builder-row-2 .fusion-filters .fusion-filter.fusion-active a, .fusion-fullwidth.fusion-builder-row-2 .fusion-date-and-formats .fusion-format-box, .fusion-fullwidth.fusion-builder-row-2 .fusion-popover, .fusion-fullwidth.fusion-builder-row-2 .tooltip-shortcode {color: #dfbc6a;}#main .fusion-fullwidth.fusion-builder-row-2 .post .blog-shortcode-post-title a:hover {color: #dfbc6a;}

Bravery Required

In her Alma College MFA in Creative Writing craft talk U.S. Poet Laureate Joy Harjo told us “If it feels comfortable, you are going in the wrong direction. This is about risk taking. It’s about going toward what you don’t know.” For this morning’s walk, how our students are doing that just by being here at residency, and what we all can learn from them for our post-pandemic life choices.

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In case you’re wondering, the Alma College MFA in Creative Writing is a low-residency graduate degree program that features residencies twice a year. The rest of the semester you work one-on-one with a faculty mentor, submitting packets of writing once a month. Our next residency, is December 27-January 6 and the application deadline is November 1. Check it out. I’d love to hear about what you’re writing and your thoughts about joining our artistic community.

Did you miss my recent book event with the excellent Barbara Brown Taylor for the Mark Twain House and Museum? We were in conversation about my book, The Seeker and the Monk, of course discussing Thomas Merton and all things spiritual. But no worries!  You can go here to view the recording of this free event.

Lots going on and I think the hardest thing is remembering to simply enjoy it all. But I’m getting there! I am grateful.

Be well, and enjoy the summer!

Sophfronia

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The Weight of Expectations

Expectations can buoy you or bury you. It all depends on how tightly you’re holding on to them. For this morning’s walk, as we get closer to the start of the Alma College MFA in Creative Writing summer residency, some thoughts on leaving space to let the magic happen.

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In case you’re wondering, the Alma College MFA in Creative Writing is a low-residency graduate degree program that features residencies twice a year. The rest of the semester you work one-on-one with a faculty mentor, submitting packets of writing once a month. Our next residency, is December 27-January 6 and the application deadline is November 1. Check it out. I’d love to hear about what you’re writing and your thoughts about joining our artistic community.

Did you miss my recent book event with the excellent Barbara Brown Taylor for the Mark Twain House and Museum? We were in conversation about my book, The Seeker and the Monk, of course discussing Thomas Merton and all things spiritual. But no worries!  You can go here to view the recording of this free event.

Lots going on and I think the hardest thing is remembering to simply enjoy it all. But I’m getting there! I am grateful.

Be well,

Sophfronia

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National Catholic Reporter Publishes Excerpt from The Seeker and the Monk

An excerpt from Sophfronia Scott’s The Seeker and the Monk: Everyday Conversations with Thomas Merton, appears in the May 22, 2021 online issue of National Catholic Reporter. The article, “I am a bird, waiting: How to find God’s presence in nature,” is taken from the book’s chapter four and features the author engaging with the writings of Thomas Merton on nature and transcendence:

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Over the course of a wet and chilly weekend in December, I walked in the footsteps of Thomas Merton. I wouldn’t call my trip to his corner of Kentucky a pilgrimage. I knew I would do some praying when I joined the monks in their daily cycle of chanting and prayer, but I didn’t have a plan beyond that. I’d traveled alone, and I wasn’t sure how comfortable I’d be rambling the woods by myself. But I knew I wanted to try.

The grounds of the Abbey of Gethsemani cover nearly 1,500 acres of hills (called “knobs”), valleys, lakes, fields, and forests. To know Merton’s work is to know this landscape, because he photographed it and wrote about it so often: from basic observations about the weather to contemplative ruminations connecting the natural world to the divine presence at work. His observant eyes and ears absorbed the vital details, and he found words to bring it all to life. Such words from his book Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander are what first captivated me, as I heard out loud his descriptions of birdsong awakening, each in their own turn. Even now when I hear a crow, I think of how he thought, “The waking of crows is most like the waking of men: querulous, noisy, raw.”

Merton’s connection with this corner of the earth, located fifty miles south of Louisville, Kentucky, is so deeply personal. It only made sense for me to venture out and, in a fashion, meet him where he once was. I pulled on my hiking boots and zipped up my coat. I studied the map on the sheet of paper I received from the lobby desk of the abbey’s guesthouse and then set out down the driveway under a tin-gray sky.

Continue reading here.

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Not On Your Own

In the Harry Potter books, Professor Dumbledore reminds Harry that help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it. Well, that really goes for all of us no matter where we are. But do we remember to ask for help or do we keep trying to go it alone? Hey Harry Potter, Frodo, and even Jesus all needed a little help from their friends. Why should you be any different? For this morning’s walk, the wisdom of asking for help and support.

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Yes, as you can see in the video, I’m excited about our first summer residency for the Alma College MFA in Creative Writing coming up next month. Just so you know, our graduate degree program features residencies twice a year. The next one, our winter residency, is December 27-January 6 and the application deadline is November 1. Check it out. I’d love to hear about what you’re writing and your thoughts about joining our artistic community.

Did you miss my recent book event with the excellent Barbara Brown Taylor for the Mark Twain House and Museum? We were in conversation about my book, The Seeker and the Monk, of course discussing Thomas Merton and all things spiritual. But no worries!  You can go here to view the recording of this free event.

Lots going on and I think the hardest thing is remembering to simply enjoy it all. But I’m getting there! I am grateful. Talk to you next week from Michigan.

Be well, and enjoy this beautiful spring.

Sophfronia

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Sophfronia in New Chicken Soup for the Soul Book

From The Newtown Bee, May 7, 2021 issue:

‘Be You,’ Says Scott And Dozens Of OthersBy Shannon Hicks

Since 1993, Chicken Soup for the Soul has published over 250 titles.

Sophfronia Scott has had her work included in four of those collections, including the latest — Chicken Soup for the Soul: Be You — 101 Stories of Affirmation, Determination and Female Empowerment — released in April. “No Sacrifice” shares Scott’s thoughts, concerns, and realizations before, during, and after her son was accepted into a magnet school 20 miles away from the home she and her family share in Sandy Hook.

“No Sacrifice” is not, she writes toward the opening on the 1,200 word essay, “a story about parental sacrifice, like the ones you hear about moms and dads who sit in cold cars waiting for children to finish early morning sports practices or late-night rehearsals.”

Instead the essay is, Scott told The Newtown Bee during a phone call on May 4, “a different take on a mother’s story.”

Referencing back to the work’s opening sentences, Scott this week said the essay demonstrates that mothering is one place in life “where we may not seem to have agency.”

Mothers, she said, “give so much to our children, and so in my mind, it doesn’t have to be a ‘give everything away to your child.’ It could be possible that in entering a new opportunity for your child, you can find new opportunity for you, if you look at it that way.”

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Be You, Scott feels, is an empowering collection.

“It’s about showing people that you have agency in your life, in so many different areas.

“You can make choices — good choices — for yourself,” she added. “It’s not about life just happening to you.”

Read the rest of the article here at The Newtown Bee’s Website.

What People Don’t Want to Hear

Sometimes it seems like writers are waiting for some kind of authority when really what is within them is all that’s required. For this morning’s walk, gaining the confidence to say what you have to say.

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Yes, as you can see in the video, I’m excited about our first summer residency for the Alma College MFA in Creative Writing coming up next month. Just so you know, our graduate degree program features residencies twice a year. The next one, our winter residency, is December 27-January 6 and the application deadline is November 1. Check it out. I’d love to hear about what you’re writing and your thoughts about joining our artistic community.

Another very cool thing: On May 20 I’m doing a book event with the excellent Barbara Brown Taylor for the Mark Twain House and Museum. We’ll be in conversation about my book, The Seeker and the Monk, of course discussing Thomas Merton and all things spiritual. You can go here to register for this free event.

Lots going on and I think the hardest thing is remembering to simply enjoy it all. But I’m getting there! I am grateful.

Be well, and enjoy this beautiful spring.

Sophfronia

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On Cutting Back

For this morning’s very windy walk, editing and deleting anything (words, shrubbery, people) can be a sad and disheartening process but it doesn’t have to be that way. Instead of focusing on what’s lost, look at what you may gain.

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The movie I reference during this walk is Genius starring Colin Firth as the editor Maxwell Perkins and Jude Law as the writer Thomas Wolfe. I highly recommend it. I love the writing talk and the various expressions of what it means to be a writer.

And, speaking of writing, my new book, The Seeker and the Monk: Everyday Conversations with Thomas Merton, is now available wherever books are sold. You can use this link to order from the publisher, Broadleaf Books (group discounts available). I loved writing this book. I hope you’ll enjoy reading it.

Be well,

Sophfronia

The Side Effects of Living

For this morning’s walk: My second COVID vaccination shot threw me for a loop this morning but I’m taking it as a chance to learn from life’s curveballs. Shout outs to Alma College MFA in Creative Writing.

Update: The side effects increased throughout the day and I was feeling pretty awful by nightfall, but I was fine by the middle of the next day.

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The Seeker and the Monk: Everyday Conversations with Thomas Merton is now available wherever books are sold. You can use this link to order from the publisher, Broadleaf Books (group discounts available). I loved writing this book. I hope you’ll enjoy reading it.

Be well,

Sophfronia