The Passion of Mary Magdalen | Magdalen Rising | Bright Dark Madonna
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Dear Readers,
First, thank you for reading. It’s all very well to write—sometimes it’s a lot of fun—but a story isn’t complete until it becomes part of someone else’s imagination. Each reader and each reading enriches the life of a story. Reading is not a passive act. It’s your mind’s eye that sees, your inner ear that hears the characters speak. And it is your experience and reflection that deepen the meaning of the story.
I am a reader, too, and I have a number of books that I call my re-read books, which I have been reading at odd intervals for thirty or forty years. They become a measure of my own life, for each time I understand the same familiar, well-loved story differently.
Does the writer put in all those layers of meaning—and just wait for the reader to uncover them? I wouldn’t give the writer quite so much credit. Very often readers find meanings in my stories that I didn’t know were there. And yet when they are pointed out to me, I see them, too—which confirms my sense that stories have a mysterious, ongoing life of their own and that readers are co-creators.
So thank you again, and welcome to the Readers’ Room. I got the idea for this page when I saw that my publisher had created a Press Room. “What about the Readers?” I asked. “They are just as important. I want a room for them!” And there was hearty and unanimous agreement.
Yours for a click are articles on research and travel, an essay on sacred prostitution, an interview that explores one of my primary literary influences. From time to time, I will be adding other pieces to the site. If you have a burning question you’d like me to address in the Reader’s Room, let me know. I can’t promise that I will write on every topic. But I would very much like to know what is of interest. And when my schedule allows, I would like to write some reflective essays.
Wishing you Happy Reading,
Elizabeth
Articles by Elizabeth Cunningham:
Sacred Prostitution: The Whore and the Holy One
"Did You Have To Make Her A Prostitute?"
Archetype vs. StereotypeIn Search of Real Gardens: Onsite Research
Pilgrimage to Magdalen Country
Fact, Fiction & Truth: the perils and joys of writing religious fiction
Pacifica Radio PODCAST- showdate-April 20, 2006
INTERVIEW WITH ELIZABETH CUNNINGHAM
TO HEAR SNIPPET OF PROLOGUE SUNG BY AUTHOR (from The Visionary Activist Show)
LINKS & SUCH
How To Spin Gold by Elizabeth Cunningham - NEW VERSION!
Visit the site of the brilliant, eccletic, visionary artist Victoria Mowrer www.victoriamowrer.comEd Conroy's articles on Magdalene in National Catholic Reporter: #1 #2
NEW! Newspaper and magazine articles
Ariadne Green, author of Ariadne’s Book of Dreams and Divine Complement 2006
ROSWILA'S DREAM & POETRY REALM with a DAILY DREAM HAIKU
ROSWILA'S TAROT GALLERY & JOURNALBlack Earth Institute: Connecting earth, spirit and society through the arts
Black Earth Institute is a progressive think-tank dedicated to re-forging the links between art and spirit, earth and society. Elizabeth Cunningham is a returning Fellow.
From Elizabeth: "I have recently become aware of the plight of Iron Thunderhorse, Grand Sachem and culture bearer of the Quinnipiac people. A Vietnam Veteran and political activist in the 1970s, he is one of this country's "disappeared." Though he has been incarcerated for thirty years in the Texas prison system, he has continued his work as an activist, artist, writer, linguist, scholar and spiritual leader. His biography: Walking in the Footsteps of a Stone Giant: the Life and Times of Iron Thunderhorse by Ruth Mahweeyeuh Thunderhorse, includes a succinct history of the Quinnipiac people. I was struck by similarities to the first century Celts in terms of social, political, and religious structures. Please help by alerting your elected officials to his circumstances. Like the druids, Iron Thunderhorse is a keeper of his people's history, culture, and language. He needs to be restored to freedom to pass on his knowledge to the next generation. For more information, read his biography or visit: For more about Iron Thunderhorse: http://www.acqtc.com/ and http://saveironthunderhorse.com/ "
