Back in the woods again, at last

"I feel safe in the woods, safer when I���m alone. Some people find that solace in church, others by listening to music, or reading quietly by a fireplace. For me it���s always been nature. Yesterday I took a long walk in the woods behind my house. I���ve been there dozens of times, but each time I see something new. Nature is brutal and relentless, but it is also gorgeous and balanced. I came home dirty, wet and happy. I���ve learned more from being alone in the woods than anything else."  -  Chris Offutt

I couldn't agree more.

"The World is not something to look at, it is something to be in."  - Mark Rudman

And I'm so very glad to be back in the World.

The quote by Chris Offutt is from an interview in Salon (March, 2016). I recommend his fiction, for he's among the still-too-few American authors skillfully depicting rural and working class lives. His latest book, which I'm admittedly curious to read, is a memoir about his father, fantasy writer (and pornographer) Andrew Offutt -- who, oddly enough, I worked with years ago, having been given the assignment of editing his "Conan" and "Red Sonja" novels when I was a very young editor at Ace Books in New York. It was a strange experience, to say the least.

The poem in the picture captions is from Poems: 1960 - 1967 by Denise Levertov (New Directions, 1983), and was inspired by the Mark Rudman quote. All rights reserved by the authors or their estates.