The grass on the hills guiding my commute has suddenly shifted brown. I noted the turn with dismay but in a feeble Pollyanna attempt pondered: Not so pretty, but how would Annie Dillard describe this scene? What beauty or universal theory would she garner from these hills? Do these poets truly view their surroundings with greater perception or are they just better at describing what they see? It is their perspective or their talent that impels their written re-creations of reality? I wish I could write!
(Clearly, I am not cut out to be a Pollyanna any more than an Annie Dillard!) While reflecting further on my recent intake of creative nonfiction (Garrison Keillor, Marilynne Robinson, Susanne Antonetta--anyone?), this thought flashed: I like creative nonfiction for the same reason I like paintings; they both help me to see reality differently. The most skilled artists manage to focus attention, tell a story, and invite us to view a shared reality in a new way.
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Susanne Antonetta
A Mind Apart: Travels in a Neurodiverse World |
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Dorothea Lange
"Migratory Mother-Texas" |
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Vincent Van Gogh
"The Good Samaritan" |
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