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.

Thursday, September 3, 2015

Spiritual Journey Through Grief



Book: Leaning Into Love, Elaine Mansfield

This book is honest about Elaine and Vic’s life together, honest about the cancer that took his life and their struggles with chemotherapy and medical interventions, and it's honest about grief. That’s what we want from a memoir when matters of life and death are involved. We don’t want sugar. Sugar doesn’t give us real hope. Sugar melts away when tears begin to fall. We want truth because we know that one day we will face what they have gone through, and we want to know what to expect and how to respond.

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

2 comments:

  1. Thank you, Mark. What a delicious surprise this is. I just read some quotes from 'Leaning into Love' for NPR's Author's Corner. The producer chose one of the same quotes you chose: “The downward pull of grief persists, but I often touch the slippery edge and rise above instead of being sucked under.” Looking back, I can say my whole experience of handling grief has been one of seeking balance in myself in the way you suggest and balance between dark and light, grief and love, hanging on and new beginnings. I wanted to grieve completely and still have periods when that's what's needed. I also wanted to live well. That's been the harder task, but also has brought the most surprise and joy.

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