I am honored to have a piece in this beautiful new anthology. My friend and long-time colleague Michael Thompson, one of the editors of this book, emailed me last spring and asked me to take up the challenge. What could I come up with to fit the theme of fire? I loved this challenge and I work well with deadlines, so I took it on and they ultimately accepted my submission.

My contribution starts, “Fire cleanses. The forest needs it to survive. It will pull in the lightning and set itself ablaze. Out with the dead wood, making the way for new life. What does it have to teach us?” My question took me through the next 4 pages of pondering it.

A friend asked me what genre my piece is and I had to pause. Creative non-fiction, I guess, but there is also an embedded poem. Multi-genre may be the best answer. In any case, it’s exciting to have produced something that fits into a collection of “Fire Poems and Prose.” It sent me to dreaming of ancient bonfires.

Flame is the third book in a series that celebrates our elemental connections to our planet. First came Wet, honoring the element of water. Next was Fertile with earth poems and prose. Now Flame. You can expect that Breath isn’t too far away in the future.

Sacred Elements Press is led by aforementioned Michael Thompson of Farmington, New Mexico, who with co-editor Renee Podunovich took up the leadership of this project when Cortez artist Sonja Horoshko, the woman who birthed the first two anthologies, passed away before anyone was ready to let her go.

The books are available at Maria’s Bookstore in Durango, Colorado, the Lithic Bookstore in Fruita, Colorado, and the Quill & Qwest Bookstore and the Farmington Museum in Farmington, New Mexico. You can also order online at the Sacred Elements website. I think if you order one, you won’t regret it.