God is good. I admit it. I say it out loud publicly. God is good and faithful and present. Even when our insides rail against such an obscene claim. But it is true. And I can’t pretend it’s not. Forever. God is. Good. Truly. Good. God speaks words. I hear these words. I believe them. [...]

“It must be a skill, like fishing, to cast your net into a river of dreams and catch a splendid array of words.” So says the young poet Nur, one of the complex characters in Lyrics Alley, the newest novel by Muslim Sudanese-Egyptian author Leila Aboulela. It is true. Writing is a skill requiring practice [...]

Paris is for lovers. This is fitting, because I am here for six weeks, to write yes, but also aching to fall in love again with my own heart. I am here hoping to woo myself back to that childish curiosity for life. I am here flirting with my delight in ordinary things like walking, [...]