literary living
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Wonderful: Preventative Grace in a Classic Film
As per tradition, my mom and I watched It’s a Wonderful Life on Christmas day, cozy and sleepy after an early morning. Although I’ve seen this movie countless times, it struck me very differently than ever before. Perhaps it is because this year has been so turbulent, so full of disappointed hopes and thwarted expectations,… Continue reading
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Christmas Fear
I love Christmas. I am one of those eternally annoying people who begins singing along to Christmas radio stations before my birthday (November 14th) and I remain fueled almost entirely by peppermint mochas throughout December. The lady in the video below is my hero. And yet, as I wholeheartedly throw myself into the kitschy joy… Continue reading
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Morning Music
There is a peculiar cadence to my morning routine. My mom pointed this out a few days ago, and I’ve found it to be a source of amusement and consolation. Each morning, I apparently not only follow the same routine but make the same sounds. First, there is creak of my bed as I search… Continue reading
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Stand Out and Show Up
In addition to my work as an editor and church organist, I help teach choir at a Christian high school. This week, in place of regular classes, the school put on a conference (masks required!) during which multiple breakout sessions were offered. I was asked, because of my particular background, to prepare a session on… Continue reading
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National Novel Writing Month 2020
It’s November, a month that inspires both terror and excitement in writers everywhere. Each November, I reminisce on my first attempt at National Novel Writing Month, in which I hand-wrote my first real draft of a novel. It told a sweet story of personal growth, literary love, and quirky community, and I fondly remember that… Continue reading
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From a Moonlit Run
Along with you I now will wax poetic, As you cast your spell upon this bleak canalRevealing the beauty of the beaten trail,Rendering me, in the truest sense, lunatic. A reluctant runner, no—I am no more;I am again a huntress as of old. I dash about, bright, brazen, beaming, bold:Forgotten fancy, myth of maiden lore.… Continue reading
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Running as Active and Imaginative Practice
I think the main reason that people hate running isn’t necessarily that it is strenuous but that it is dull. The reason that I am a decent runner, after all, is the same reason it is basically boring; all it entails is starting and not stopping. It’s as simple and mundane as that. When we… Continue reading
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Nation’s Organists Rally to Fight Stereotypes as Halloween Draws Near
Originally posted on Ryanne Molinari: 9 October 2019 Los Angeles, California Nearing the middle of October, spooky season is in full swing and Halloween celebrants across the nation are gathering their pumpkins, brooms, and ominous soundtracks in preparation for their night of revelry. Halloween has long been a time of community, of neighbors sharing chili… Continue reading
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Knox Knock: Protestant Parents Reform Halloween Door-to-Door Tradition
Originally posted on Ryanne Molinari: OCTOBER, 2017: SCOTTSDALE, AZ As families of children and teens work together to plan their annual Halloween festivities, one family is changing up their traditions, or, rather, continuing those began 500 years ago. “We don’t celebrate Halloween,” said Mrs. Geneva Knox, mother of four, as she welcomed reporters into her home,… Continue reading
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“The Whole Earth is Our Hospital”
Earlier this summer, a short personal essay of mine was published by Critical Read, a non-profit publisher committed to artistry and literacy. I highly recommend exploring the site and am including a link to my own essay below: Although I wrote this reflection shortly after returning home from Scotland in the spring, it remains relevant.… Continue reading
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Honey Oat Latte, Hot
Recently, a small vignette of mine was selected to be shared by CaféLit, a site that pairs stories with beverages. As such, I am not going to share this little scribbling here, but will link to the site in case any of you are looking for some coffee-shop reading this lovely October afternoon. This piece… Continue reading
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The Philosopher
Poetry as a metaphorical art is all about connections, about synthesizing seemingly disparate things to show how they are at once like and unlike. Although I am a lover of structure and thus often gravitate toward sonnets (as in “Lack to Love”), I find that free verse lends itself to some delightful and, perhaps, insightful… Continue reading
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