Dear Reader,
It was August 2004 when I first typed this heading and salutation
into a document to write the first Judy’s Journal for the
following month. Looking back at the Index and binders filled
with printouts and ideas for future blogs, I can see that it’s
been quite a journey.
Twenty-two years. The through line is art, poetry and music
inspired by a life dotted with travel and exploration, underlined
by a commitment to write a monthly entry that documented highlights,
disappointments and losses.
The essence has remained the same, with one change in the frequency
of Judy’s Journals – I combined July/August (2017)
and November/December (2023). It’s not that I’m slowing
down, it’s that I’m even busier with a variety of
projects. A review of titles is a way of entering my life during
the past twenty-two years. The series – “In Case You
Missed This,” “Stop, Look, and Think” are ongoing
and a joy to create. I have written about artists Milton Avery,
Hilma af Klint, Sonia Delauney, Paul Cezanne, Graciela Iturbide,
musicians Gershwin, Lateef, Tchaikosky, Mahler, Pärt, the
Beatles and Elvis, writers Peter Schjeldahl, Donald Murray,
William Faulkner, Elizabeth Bishop, Stanley Kunitz, Ray Bradbury,
and those houses of the holy, museums and theaters. Twenty-two
years in an undulating, interactive dance choreographed by creativity
and wonder. I challenge anyone to offer a better way to be in
the world.
