Who I am.

I write about the landscape of grief, nature, and the wisdom of fools. The author of four books, my essays, poems, and reviews have been published in over 50 journals, including in the Huffington Post and Colorado Review. I’ve won the River Teeth Nonfiction Book Award, the Chautauqua and Literal Latte’s essay prizes, and my work has been nominated for four Pushcart Prizes and named a notable by Best American Essays. My account of hiking in Yosemite to deal with my wife’s death, Mountains of Light, was published by the University of Nebraska Press. http://www.markliebenow.com.

Tuesday, December 30, 2014

New Year of Grief



My essay "Grief Walkers," on the need for kindness when people are grieving, was published today at Manifest Station. It mentions Naomi Shihab Nye's poem "Kindness."

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On the first New Year’s Eve after the death of a loved one, grief is a morose bear in purple that sits next to us on the couch and occasionally reaches over to claw us.

There is no late night dancing. No twirling of sparklers. No blowing of horns.


* If you would like to read the rest of this post, let me know and I’ll send it to you. *


2 comments:

  1. I lost my wife two years ago to cancer. I visit your website several times a week. For me, your site is a kind of alternative to a grief group because what you write makes me feel that I am not the only man going through this dark experience. Your posts articulate what I always feel and fail to express. I sincerely thank you for writing this blog. Please keep writing for many widowers like me out there.

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    1. Thank you, Sunny, for your comments. This is the main reason why I write this blog. When I was first grieving, I could not find any resources to help me understand what I was going through, and I resolved to share what I had learned, and continue to learn, with others.

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