A WRITER'S WORK

Lauren Kessler, currently one of my favorite writers, is the guest blogger this week on the Web site for Powell’s Books. She’s new to blogging, but you’d never know it from the excellent entries she’s offered so far this week. She’s written a couple of exceptional pieces, spiritual accompaniments to her latest book, Dancing with Rose: Finding Life in the Land of Alzheimer’s, which shine a light on the inevitable process of aging, a subject that people of my age (approaching 50) may not care to spend much time thinking about. But Ms. Kessler’s sharp and optimistic takes on facing death and society’s attitudes toward the aged make reading her thoughts and confronting the issue well worth the time spent. And she’s a fine writer too, which makes me look forward to reading Dancing with Rose even more.

Her post from Tuesday, however, is the one I want to point you toward today, especially if, like me, you are a writer--aspiring, blogging, napkin-scribbler, whatever. Kessler poses an interesting question in her piece entitled “Working Hard or Hardly Working,” and that is: “What is work for a writer?” The journey Kessler takes the reader on in this post is an illuminating and delightful one, as she shines a light on her process of preparation and what happens once those words start to come.

She’s got two more days—today and Friday—in her seat as guest blogger at Powell’s. Here’s hoping that the experience will prove to be as fruitful for her as a writer as it has been for us as readers and that Lauren Kessler will soon find a regular spot in the blogosphere.