Day 2 of the Slice of Life Challenge has me feeling energized with all of the fabulous writing that bloggers are sharing at Two Writing Teachers for the 2026 Slice of Life Challenge, where writers share daily snapshots of meaningful moments of their lives. You can check it out here.
My theme for this month was inspired by a friend who recently sent me a book she’d read (The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali). Thanks, Glenda Funk! Glenda said that she passes most of her books on, but she keeps poetry. It got me thinking about the living poets who are part of The Stafford Challenge and other writing groups like Poetry Friday. Perhaps I could expand my own collection of living poets – and that became a mission.
And so I set out to take a hard look at a diverse range of living poets. I discovered that no matter who we are – male, female, of all ethnicities and heritages, of urban or rural settings, of all religions and ages and places in the world – we all need poetry. Especially now. Especially in these times. Some of us read it, some of us write it, and many of us read and write it.
I decided to feature a living poet each day, celebrating their work and using their poems to create Cento poetry by taking lines of their existing poems and weaving together a whole new poem. You can read more about Cento here.
Today, I celebrate Brian Rohr, author of Shaken To My Bones: A Poetic Midrash on the Torah.
Brian Rohr started The Stafford Challenge, now in its third year of inviting poets to come together and to write a poem every day for one year. You can read more about Brian at his website. I’ve taken his collection of poems and formed a Cento poem, and I’ve listed the names of the poems I used, in order, beneath the poem.
When God Speaks
A star shoots across the sky.
Blue and red birds appear in my birch tree.
A bird with a blue head and blue wings flies past my window.
There are ways God speaks to me.
We can see the breath.
Taken from: Before; My Longing; Outside it is Raining; I am Joseph; In the Cool Air of the Morning Mist.
The first ten days of March will feature these poets – this is a sneak peek photo!
This month’s Slices of Life are dedicated to the love of poetry. Each day of March, I’ll be celebrating a living poet by creating a Cento poem from the lines of their poetry, along with links to more information about each poet as three of my writing circles intersect this month: The Slice of Life Challenge with Two Writing Teachers, Open Write with EthicalELA, and The Stafford Challenge.
I’m kicking off the celebration with Sophie Diener, who wrote Someone Somewhere Maybe. She’s a poet who teaches and resides in Ohio, and she started writing in journals from the age of five or six. She’s the friend so many of us would have had in grade school and kept for life. She keeps a strong social media presence on Tik Tok and Instagram. You can follow her on Instagram:Â @sophiediener and on Tiktok:Â @sophiediener.
You can read more by and about Sophie here and here.
Cento poems feature lines of existing poetry that are put together in new ways to create a whole new poem, a lot like a quilt. Or Frankenstein. Or one of those photography montages where all the photos are put together to look like Abraham Lincoln or something. As I create a Cento from each collection of poetry this month, I’ll add the titles of each poem in line order beneath the poem. If you’ve never written a Cento, you may wish to challenge yourself to try this form this month and see how fun it is to write! Here is a Cento I’ve created from several of the poems in Sophie Diener’s book Someone Somewhere Maybe:
Becoming
Things take time to fall into place
in this precious part of your life.
There are parts of you that fade with time
But oh, how beautiful.
Recognize how far you’ve come.
Lines taken from these poems, in this order: Have Hope; Don’t be a Stranger; Blue; A Heart with Legs; You are Safe.
For anyone in the Thomaston/Newnan/Zebulon areas of Georgia, please come out and join the Silent Book Club Flint River in person if you are free on the dates listed on the flyer below. If you are not local, please read with us wherever you are in the world and let us know you did! Set aside an hour of time to read, then send a quick snapshot of you and your book to the Facebook page where our group news happens.
I’m part of the team trying to build this book club so that we have both an in-person and virtual following. We love to see people and their books!
Some Tuesdays I write about a tiny slice of life. A moment. Today, it’s going to have to be the whole pie. You see, I’ve been on a book adventure, and I want to share it with you.
When you fall head over heels in love with a book, its setting, and all the characters, you can’t just shake loose of the mind and heart embrace and move on with life. You want to live there in the pages, remain with the people, and mourn the ending of the page-turning joy that held you tight right through the last sentence. You slowed down because you didn’t want it to end, but you couldn’t stop that train.
When all you want to do is linger, you can’t accept that it’s over. The End. Done.
I’ve told all my friends about Theo of Golden by Allen Levi and its impact. It restores our hope in humanity and leaves us wanting to be more like Theo.
When fellow blogger Sally Donnelly watched Katie Couric interview Allen Levi, she sent me the link. A huge shout out to Sally for doing this ~ I was meeting with my own book club that evening and could not watch live.
When my sister-in-law Bethany finished the book, she was eager to see the coffee shop that inspired the book. We planned the one-hour drive over to Columbus, Georgia and invited our husbands along for the fun. Turns out, there is also the bike shop and the book store and the fountain and so many benches and the Riverwalk and even a character. But we didn’t know about the inspired character until our visit.
The Chalice in Golden is the fictional version of Fountain City Coffee Company, which sits on Broadway, a downtown street two blocks east of the Chattahoochee River that divides Georgia and Alabama. This is where we started our adventure on a rainy Sunday. We ordered coffee and muffins and sat at a table admiring the portraits on the wall – wondering about the stories of each face.
The man in the left corner above, wearing khakis, offered to take the photo below of our group when he saw us discussing the photos and referencing the book. Locals were extra kind and seemed to understand our need to experience this place.
We asked about Fedder Fountain, and one of the baristas explained that Columbus is known as “the fountain city” because there are fountains everywhere. We discovered this as we walked, but as we later discovered in the bookstore, all of the significant places we wanted to see were wrapped tightly within a block or so, and the photo below is probably the inspiration for Fedder Fountain. We believe that they turn the fountain off for the winter months to prevent freezing.
We saw art everywhere, but here is what we believe to be a feather (or a dragonfly wing), below. It resembles the cover of the book even in its gold and beige tones.
Next, we strolled down to the Riverwalk. The bricks to the left in the picture below form a walkway that extends a good way, and this is where Ellen and Theo would have taken their bike ride along the river. You can see the bridge in the photo, too – this takes you to Phenix City, Alabama on the other side, and there is a bike shop called Brickyard Bike (RiverRides in the book) where Ellen arranged the bike ride. Along the banks would be the place where she showed him the birds’ nest. One of my favorite parts of the book is when she takes out the Student Driver tag and puts it on the back of his borrowed Noble Invention after giving him these instructions: “Don’t bring anything with you. I want you to be able to keep both hands on the handlebars and your eyes on the trail. The last thing I need is a casualty. I’ll bring some water for us in my basket.”
Next, we found the bookstore. JudyBug’s Books was exactly as I had pictured The Verbivore from the descriptions in the book. The man behind the counter was as friendly as they come. We asked if he was the inspiration for Tony, and he grinned a knowing grin, tapping his chest. “I’m Tommy,” he smiled, introducing himself while stressing his similar name.
I have never met a bookseller I didn’t like, but I genuinely took interest in Tommy. He talked with us and told us about the town, even pausing to explain how before Covid, men would gather outside and talk (the Penny Loafers). I could tell that this man was happy and unhurried, peaceful and well-read. I asked him the title of the last great book he’d read. He ambled over to the display, kind of scratching his chin, and recommended Big Fish as the one he recommends to everyone. He explained that while he isn’t big on magical realism, he thinks this book is the best in its genre. Of course, when Tommy from JudyBugs or Tony from the Verbivore recommends a book, I’m buying it as I envision him drinking port with Theo from that bottle that told the story of a life.
I’d overheard a woman speaking with my sister in law as I was paying. She said she’d overheard us talking about Theo of Golden, which her book club was reading this month, and wondered if we’d read it. “Oh yes,” Bethany explained……and I watched the woman’s face light up as they talked after Bethany asked her if she realized she was standing in the Verbivore.
Tommy at JudyBug’s Books
Before leaving town, we drove across the bridge to Phenix City to see Brickyard Bike Company, which sits just half a block away from the river. It was closed, but we imagined Ellen giving biking advice to Theo before setting off down the Riverwalk.
A quick video of The Riverwalk in Columbus, Georgia
The photo below I have intentionally saved for last to leave those who have read the book with one last photo gift ~ Theo’s balcony.
if you know, you know
the significance of that
balcony upstairs……
I nearly cried when I saw it: there, directly across the street from the coffee shop, is a balcony with the most exquisite railing.
Special thanks to Two Writing Teachers at Slice of Life
I’ve recommended Theo of Golden to everyone I know, with this sense of urgency: stop whatever you’re doing and read this book.
So when my sister-in-law had turned the last page and both scolded me for not revealing the impact the book would have (I won’t give specific spoilers) and in the next breath thanked me for recommending it, she was eager to visit the coffee shop and see the portraits that became the inspiration for the book. Fountain City Coffee is an hour from our family farm in rural Georgia, so we made plans to take our husbands (who are brothers) and go to the coffee shop on Sunday, February 15. Though we’ve been to or through Columbus, Georgia on many occasions (my own brother was born there), we wanted to see it through the lens of this amazing book – the art on the walls of the coffee shop, the Riverwalk and adjacent bike shop where Theo and Ellen go for a ride and talk about the bird nest on the bank, and the little bookstore.
It was a stroke of magnificent timing that my writing friend Sally Donnelly of Arlington, Virginia sent me the link to Katie Couric’s interview with Allen Levi, the author of Theo of Golden in the comments on her blog post. I’d hoped to watch it but had an event with my in-person book club in my home that evening and couldn’t watch the live interview. Sally knows what a fan I am, and it was simply the best Valentine ever to watch that interview. I’d hug her if she were here!
I’ll be taking plenty of photos and maybe even doing a few recorded clips as well, and I’ll plan to blog about this experience on Tuesday morning. As I write, the rain is pelting down in heavy waves on this 48-degree morning here in rural Georgia, so I hope it has blown over by the time we make our jaunt west to the state line that divides Georgia and Alabama. If you’re having the same weather we are having, it’s a great day to run by the bookstore on the way home from church and grab a copy of this book and then sink down into a chair by the fireplace and devour it!
I have another new book club, and I hear that this kind is sweeping the country. It’s all the rage right now. I’d heard of Silent Book Clubs, and the idea was intriguing. My first thought: I can read silently at home in my pajamas in my favorite chair; why do I need a silent book club? Then I was invited to one, and I went as a guest. I was delighted to be surrounded by readers who were completely immersed in the joy of actual reading – – something we don’t see at most other book clubs, since we read ahead. It feels reassuring to glance around and see others taking in print, not distracted by the dryer buzzer or the dogs or the kids or anyone asking for anything.
My friend Janette is one of the most avid readers I know, so it’s no surprise she has begun hosting the Silent Book Club Flint River chapter here in middle Georgia. You can check out and join the page to follow all of our book adventures and see what folks are reading by clicking here. It’s not the only book club the two of us attend together, but rather than being a club with a common title and established meeting location for discussions each month, the meetings are created pop-up style in various locations, and each reader brings whatever book they’re reading at the time. We know there’s going to be a meeting when we follow the Facebook page and see the time and location. We show up with our book and read for an hour in a room full of old friends and new friends. Some read from Kindles, some listen to audiobooks, some read hard copies, and some, like me, even bring noise-cancelling earbuds or headphones to play nature sounds as they read.
Reading downstairs in 1828 Coffee Company in Zebulon, Georgia
If you don’t have a Silent Reading Club chapter near you, consider starting one. Until then, join us – no matter where you are in the world. Find out when and where we are reading, then do the same from your favorite comfy chair….or bench….or beach towel. Send a picture of you and your book and say hello on the Facebook page. Let us know that you read for the hour. We can’t wait for you to be a part of all the fun and to create new opportunities for reading wherever you are!
Check out Georgia Heard’s Substack for monthly writing calendars that work for both children and adults. Her February Valentine Mini Writing Calendar, inspires us to fall in love with the everyday. Day 5 asks us to fall in love with love with a word, one that feels good to say, then to write it down and let it lead.
Since my One Little Word of 2026 is Onward, I’m choosing it today.
Rabbit, rabbit! It’s the first day of February, and here we are almost to Groundhog Day again, about to hang all our faith and hope in a soothsaying rodent. It’s 15 degrees here and feels like 3, and I’m not sure whether to wish for more chances of snow for mid-week reading or hope for the greeting of the roadside daffodils.
One type of poem I’ve been writing since last year is a gift basket poem – – what would I give a recipient in any given month of the year? For February, the choice is clear: it’ll be filled with oatmeal colors to help keep you warm.Â
If I were giving you a gift basket I’d go with oatmeal tones
My friend and writing buddy Glenda Funk of Idaho joined the slow readers’ group of War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy for 2026. I’d read about this on a blog post by a writer in our Tuesday group and been intrigued. Sharon Roy was choosing to write a haiku after each of the 361 chapters., where readers read one chapter per day and listen to a podcast about it. The irony! War and Peace in haiku! I smiled and secretly wished I’d joined but feared I was too late. Next year, I told myself.
Then, I sent a picture of a stack of books through a text exchange asking Glenda which poetry book I should read next. Glenda is the most voracious poetry reader I know. She is a fast reader and is a good matchmaker to suggest the next book based on poets she knows her friends like and those she thinks they will enjoy next. She shared that she was still reading Instructions for Traveling West by Joy Sullivan because she is also reading War and Peace.
And that’s when it happened. Her next text had me joining a Substack group to be a slow reader this year.
Here is actual text footage of how a reader gets sucked into a challenge like War and Peace :
Screenshot
You know those movies where someone misses the train and has to run down the tracks and make a jump for it, praying they catch hold of the book party caboose? That was me. Instead of getting on at the station when it was pulling out on January 1, I waited until the last possible time to feasibly begin – – around 8 p.m. on January 30. Flailing hands and flying hair in a flurry of free-spiritedness like who cares if I have to read 31 chapters of War and Peace to catch up with everyone else? Like I’m some sort of reading ninja. I’m not. I have 31 chapters of War and Peace to read, and now I’m in a war zone with myself looking for some peace.
Perhaps I will use my silent reading hour this morning that I was going to use at the Silent Book Club on the Zebulon square in 1828 Coffee Company to catch up. Extreme weather caused its cancellation, so now, instead, I’ll be reading all all day at home, apparently with snow falling, by the fireplace with my own home brewed coffee in the way I always dream,. Or maybe I’ll finish Reminders of Him by Colleen Hoover, this month’s Kindred Spirits reading group pick. Or, perhaps – just perhaps – I will pick a poetry book to devour. A Bit Much by Lyndsay Rush has my eye. Let’s face it: most likely it will be all of the above.
I’m writing today’s poem using a Write the Story prompt to create a Tanka, which is a poem of 5 lines with syllable counts 5/7/5/7/7. I used Matthew 18;22 as inspiration for the final line of the poem.
Prompt: Mash Up Two Classic Fairy Tales into One Story
Words to be Used: fireplace, sword, grove, stoke, underbrush, mourn, seven, friendship, cardboard, giver
Common Threads 