“Sustaining the Creative Life
by using Small Beans”
A Review of
Rumors of Water:
Thoughts on Creativity & Writing
By L.L. Barkat
Review by Denise Frame Harlan.
Rumors of Water:
Thoughts on Creativity and Writing
By L.L. Barkat.
Paperback: T.S. Poetry Press, 2011.
Buy now: [ Amazon ] [ Kindle ]
The secret of the prolific writer: to agree to use… the ingredients at hand.
Small beans. A scourge of pantry moths eats its way through L.L.Barkat’s collection of grains, leaving only the Japanese adzuki beans. Thus the adzuki—the small beans—become a substitute in all recipes. One bean salad recipe requires tomatoes and cider vinegar, for which the poet substitutes oranges and mint, rendering the final dish into something new and beyond duplication. That is how a poet cooks: with a hint of desperation, perhaps, but also with flourish of grace, and confidence enough in the ingredients at hand. We use what we have. It’s all we can do.
One year ago, Barkat’s God in the Yard blew me outdoors to contemplate spiritual discipline that seemed like an un-discipline, a school of wonder. This year’s Rumors of Water chases me back to my work life and parenting life. Barkat says she is trying to have a conversation about why she can’t seem to write in a sustained way. Yet she keeps writing. When children interrupt her writing time, Barkat transcribes their questions. When the kitchen sink clogs, she sets up a dishwashing station in the back yard, where children beg to rinse dishes with the garden hose, turning a chore into play.
Click the link below for Page 2…
 Reading for the Common Good From ERB Editor Christopher Smith "This book will inspire, motivate and challenge anyone who cares a whit about the written word, the world of ideas, the shape of our communities and the life of the church." -Karen Swallow Prior Enter your email below to sign up for our weekly newsletter & download your FREE copy of this ebook! |
Understanding Christian Nationalism [A Reading Guide] |
 Most Anticipated Books of the Fall for Christian Readers!
|
 Hilarious One-Star Customer Reviews of Bibles |
![Catherine McNiel - Fearing Bravely [Feature Review]](https://englewoodreview.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Fearing-Bravely-130x130.jpeg "Catherine McNiel - Fearing Bravely [Feature Review]")
![Abraham Verghese - The Covenant of Water [Feature Review]](https://englewoodreview.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/The-Covenant-of-Water-130x130.jpeg "Abraham Verghese - The Covenant of Water [Feature Review]")
This definitely makes me want to read this book! Great review of what sounds like a great book.
What a wonderful review of a lovely book. I highly recommend this one too, Denise. What I love about Rumors is that it is not your typical “how to” book. Rather, it inspires the muse, fires up my creativity by being so beautifully crafted.
“Each time I read her work, I feel more rested and settled in my calling, …” Yes. And yes.
L.L. Barkat bears witness…so do you, Denise. Beautiful review of the beautiful book you invite readers to taste.
Looking forward to reading it…
What a perfect gem of a review for a perfect gem of a book. Thanks for these good words.