by Toni McNaron | Jul 30, 2023 | Uncategorized
The James Webb telescope is sending back amazing images from deep space, changing our whole approach to the universe and our place within it. Recently I saw ten of those photographs and was mesmerized by them. The colors and amorphous shapes drew me in to the unknown,...
by Toni McNaron | Jul 13, 2023 | Uncategorized
This is the first line of a poem by William Butler Yeats that I have liked for many years. It’s written to a woman he loved when very young, but I have brought it to mind when I’ve been out of touch and am re-engaging with myself or a friend. It’s...
by Toni McNaron | Oct 15, 2022 | Uncategorized
The first words I read about trees was the much-panned poem by Joyce Kilmer. My mother had me memorize and recite “Trees” when I was about ten. I remember the opening and closing lines–“I think that I shall never see/A poem as lovely as a...
by Toni McNaron | May 1, 2022 | Uncategorized
Twenty-six years ago, I began co-ordinating a program offered at my university (University of Minnesota) for bright high school seniors. The course is taught in their high schools by their teachers and carries university-level credits recognized by colleges and...
by Toni McNaron | Mar 18, 2022 | Uncategorized
For over twenty years, my neighbors to the north of me have been part of my chosen family. Ten years younger than I am, they have assured me they’d stay in place till I was gone. We have keys to each other’s homes; they let me cut out the crossword puzzle...
by Toni McNaron | Dec 5, 2021 | Uncategorized
A lot of words have been spoken about the verdict of the three white men who murdered Ahmaud Arbery as he was jogging in their neighborhood in Georgia. The white female prosecutor has been praised by some and criticized by others for not making more argument about...
