Pause for Peace: drop in the bucket

Pause for Peace: Pray for Peace

Episode Title: Pause for Peace: Pray for Peace — featuring a poem by Ellen Bass Episode Description: In this Midweek Pause for Peace, Laura Davis shares a poem by her longtime friend and co-author Ellen Bass — a poet whose work, Laura says simply, sings. "Pray for Peace" is a poem that refuses to keep the sacred confined to temples and kneeling benches. Paired with peaceful imagery, this episode offers a midweek reminder that prayer, in its broadest and most human sense, is hiding in plain sight — in every ordinary act of an ordinary day. What Laura Covers in This Episode: Why Laura chose this particular poem by her longtime collaborator and friend Ellen Bass, and what makes Bass's voice so distinctive How "Pray for Peace" expands the very definition of prayer — and why that expansion matters right now The way Bass weaves the mundane and the sacred together until the line between them disappears An introduction to Ellen Bass — Guggenheim Fellow, Chancellor Emerita of the Academy of American Poets, and one of the most celebrated poets writing today About Host Laura Davis: Laura Davis is an acclaimed author and writing teacher with over 35 years of experience helping writers craft powerful, authentic stories. She is the author of seven books, including the award-winning memoir "The Burning Light of Two Stars," which won the BookLife Prize in 2021. Laura is also co-author of the groundbreaking book "The Courage to Heal." Through her Midweek Pause for Peace podcast series, Laura pairs carefully selected poetry with peaceful imagery to support listeners' emotional wellness and nervous system regulation. Each week, host Laura Davis pairs beautiful imagery with meaningful poetry, offering listeners a respite for both heart and nervous system. These midweek pauses provide essential moments of reflection, healing, and inspiration in our complex world. Perfect for: Anyone seeking Laura Davis' signature blend of poetry and peace, those managing stress and anxiety, and listeners who appreciate thoughtful, heart-centered content. About Ellen Bass: Ellen Bass is a poet and teacher who earned her MA in creative writing from Boston University, where she studied with Anne Sexton. Her poetry collections include Mules of Love, The Human Line, Like a Beggar, and Indigo (2020), and her poems appear regularly in The New Yorker, American Poetry Review, and many other journals. She co-edited the first major anthology of women's poetry, No More Masks!, and her nonfiction books include the groundbreaking The Courage to Heal: A Guide for Women Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse and Free Your Mind: The Book for Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Youth. A Chancellor Emerita of the Academy of American Poets, Bass founded poetry workshops at Salinas Valley State Prison and the Santa Cruz, California jails, and teaches in the MFA writing program at Pacific University. Her honors include fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts, the Lambda Literary Award, the Pablo Neruda Prize, and four Pushcart Prizes. Visit her at: https://www.ellenbass.com/ [https://www.ellenbass.com/] CONNECT WITH LAURA DAVIS Join Laura's Community: Subscribe to Laura Davis' Midweek Pause for Peace series for consistent, nurturing content that honors both your need for beauty and your nervous system's need for calm. The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support her work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You'll receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully crafted reflections, prompts, essays on life and the craft of writing, and more. Subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/ [https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/] Learn about Laura's writing classes, books, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/ [https://lauradavis.net/] This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit laurasaridavis.substack.com/subscribe [https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

Our Time Will Come

Episode Title: Our Time Will Come: Keep Fighting with Joy Episode Description: Some words stop you in your tracks. In this episode, Laura Davis shares a passage from J. Drew Lanham — MacArthur Fellow, wildlife biologist, and poet — that has strengthened her again and again. It names the fire, the fuel, and the only rain that matters. What Laura Covers in This Episode: A passage from J. Drew Lanham that Laura returns to when she needs steadying Why joy is not escape — it's the backing fire A brief introduction to Lanham and his MacArthur Fellowship-winning work Key Takeaways: Despair is the fuel. Joy is the rain. Write, sing, paint, shout for it. Fireproof your heart — and keep the ember glowing. Our time will come. Fight joyfully until it does. About J. Drew Lanham: Joseph Drew Lanham is an American author, poet, and wildlife biologist awarded a MacArthur Fellowship in 2022. Learn more about his work here [https://www.macfound.org/fellows/class-of-2022/j-drew-lanham]. Connect with Laura Davis: Substack: laurasaridavis.substack.com [http://laurasaridavis.substack.com] Website & Retreats: lauradavis.net [http://lauradavis.net] The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support her work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You'll receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully curated poems and nature photos, essays on life and the craft of writing, and more. You can subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/ [https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/] Learn about Laura's writing classes, books, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/ [https://lauradavis.net/] This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit laurasaridavis.substack.com/subscribe [https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

Pause for Peace: testify

Episode Title: Pause for Peace: testify — featuring a poem by Eve L. Ewing Episode Description: In this Midweek Pause for Peace, Laura Davis brings a poem that made her want to walk through her day celebrating beauty — and hopes it does the same for listeners. Eve L. Ewing's "testify" is a poem rooted in the Black church tradition of bearing witness: to grace, to survival, to the unexpected gifts hiding inside an ordinary afternoon. Paired with peaceful imagery, this episode is a midweek invitation to notice what is still golden, even now. What Laura Covers in This Episode: Why this poem stopped Laura in her tracks and sent her back into her day with fresh eyes The tradition of testifying — bearing witness to blessing, protection, and survival — and how Ewing brings it alive on the page How a single walk home becomes a portal to something larger, and what that means for how we move through the world An introduction to Eve L. Ewing, award-winning poet, scholar, and cultural organizer whose work spans poetry, nonfiction, theater, and Marvel Comics About Host Laura Davis: Laura Davis is an acclaimed author and writing teacher with over 35 years of experience helping writers craft powerful, authentic stories. She is the author of seven books, including the award-winning memoir "The Burning Light of Two Stars," which won the BookLife Prize in 2021. Laura is also co-author of the groundbreaking book "The Courage to Heal." Through her Midweek Pause for Peace podcast series, Laura pairs carefully selected poetry with peaceful imagery to support listeners' emotional wellness and nervous system regulation. Each week, host Laura Davis pairs beautiful imagery with meaningful poetry, offering listeners a respite for both heart and nervous system. These midweek pauses provide essential moments of reflection, healing, and inspiration in our complex world. Perfect for: Anyone seeking Laura Davis' signature blend of poetry and peace, those managing stress and anxiety, and listeners who appreciate thoughtful, heart-centered content. About Eve L. Ewing: Eve Louise Ewing is a writer, scholar, and cultural organizer from Chicago, and an associate professor in the Department of Race, Diaspora, and Indigeneity at the University of Chicago. She is the award-winning author of five books, including the poetry collections Electric Arches (2017) and 1919 (2019) — which was adapted into a hit play by Steppenwolf Theatre — the nonfiction work Ghosts in the Schoolyard: Racism and School Closings on Chicago's South Side, and her most recent book, Original Sins: The (Mis)education of Black and Native Children and the Construction of American Racism, an instant New York Times and USA Today bestseller. She is also co-author of the play No Blue Memories: The Life of Gwendolyn Brooks and has written several Marvel Comics series, including Ironheart and Black Panther. Her work has appeared in The New Yorker, The Atlantic, The New York Times, and many other venues. "testify" was originally published in Poem-a-Day on January 28, 2022, by the Academy of American Poets at poets.org [http://poets.org]. CONNECT WITH LAURA DAVIS Join Laura's Community: Subscribe to Laura Davis' Midweek Pause for Peace series for consistent, nurturing content that honors both your need for beauty and your nervous system's need for calm. The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support her work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You'll receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully crafted reflections, prompts, essays on life and the craft of writing, and more. Subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/ [https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/] Learn about Laura's writing classes, books, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/ [https://lauradavis.net/] This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit laurasaridavis.substack.com/subscribe [https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

They Made Me Part of History

PODCAST SHOW NOTES Episode Title: They Made Me Part of History: A Final Deleted Scene from the Cutting Room Floor Episode Description: Some stories are too good to lose—even when they have to go. In this special episode, acclaimed author and writing teacher Laura Davis shares the final deleted scene from her award-winning memoir, The Burning Light of Two Stars. It's a piece she fought to keep, shaped with care, and ultimately had to release. What remains is a story that illuminates not just a family, but an era—and the quiet, ordinary moments that place us inside the extraordinary. What Laura Covers in This Episode: The painful editorial decisions behind cutting 30,000 words from a completed memoir draft Why even a perfectly written scene must go if it doesn't serve the core throughline The relationship between ruthless cutting and creating a "page-turner with real momentum" A vivid personal narrative set against two watershed moments in American history How childhood memory, sensory detail, and family values intersect in memoir The role of parents in shaping a child's moral imagination and sense of witness Episode Highlights: The Story Behind the Story — Laura sets the scene for this deleted piece, explaining why she wrote it, what it was meant to do, and why, in the end, it had to go. A Classroom Moment That Stops Time — Something happens in an ordinary second-grade classroom that no child expects—and the world is suddenly, irreversibly different. A Mother on the Couch — Laura describes coming home to find her mother doing something she never did, and what they watched together that afternoon that neither of them would ever forget. A Family Decision Made Over Dinner — Around a table with a favorite childhood meal, Laura's parents make an announcement that will take the whole family somewhere none of them have ever been. A Sea of People — Three months before the classroom scene, Laura's family was already somewhere remarkable—part of something hundreds of thousands of people had traveled to join. Feet in the Water, a Voice in the Air — An eight-year-old girl, tired and hot at the end of a long summer day, hears words that will echo for the rest of her life. The Craft Lesson Underneath — Laura reflects on what this scene taught her about memoir structure, throughline, and the courage required to cut what you love most. An Invitation to the Memoir It Came From — Laura shares reader praise for The Burning Light of Two Stars and invites listeners into the larger story this scene was written to serve. About Host Laura Davis: Laura Davis is an acclaimed author and writing teacher with more than 35 years of experience helping writers find and tell their most important stories. She is the author of seven books, including her award-winning memoir The Burning Light of Two Stars (BookLife Prize Winner, 2021) and the groundbreaking co-authored work The Courage to Heal. Laura leads weekly writing classes on Zoom, hosts writing retreats including Flourishing as We Age and the Creative Camino pilgrimage. She reaches writers around the world through The Writer's Journey podcast and her Midweek Pause for Peace series. Her teaching is known for being both rigorous and deeply humane—challenging writers to go further than they thought possible while honoring the courage it takes to tell the truth. Key Takeaways from This Episode: Your throughline is everything. Every scene in a memoir—no matter how beautifully written—must serve the central spine of the story. If it doesn't, it has to go, regardless of how much you love it. Cutting is a creative act. Removing 30,000 words from a finished draft isn't failure—it's the work. Momentum is built not just by what you include, but by what you're willing to release. Sensory specificity is the engine of memory. The details that seem too small to matter—the wool skirt, the crystal doorknob, the taste of an Oreo—are often what make a scene unforgettable. Childhood scenes can carry enormous moral weight. The values a child absorbs, and the moments a family chooses to witness together, become part of that child's lifelong understanding of what matters. Even deleted work has value. A scene cut from a memoir isn't wasted—it deepens the writer's understanding of the story, and it may find its audience in an entirely different form. Episode Call-to-Action: For Writers: Take a close look at your own manuscript. Is there a scene you love—one you've been holding onto—that may not be serving your throughline? Laura's experience cutting this piece is an invitation to ask the hard question: What does my story actually need? For Readers: If this deleted scene moved you, imagine what didn't get cut. Pick up a copy of The Burning Light of Two Stars and discover the memoir this scene was written to support. If you haven't yet read The Burning Light of Two Stars — the memoir these deleted scenes were written for — now is the time. Readers describe it as impossible to put down, a book that sends them straight into thinking about their own mothers, their own estrangements, their own unfinished reckonings. You can purchase the print edition and audiobook here: 👉 lauradavis.net/the-burning-light-of-two-stars [https://lauradavis.net/the-burning-light-of-two-stars/] Subscribe: Don't miss future deleted scenes, craft essays, and writing insights. Subscribe to Laura's Substack at laurasaridavis.substack.com [http://laurasaridavis.substack.com] to receive every new post directly in your inbox. Deleted Scenes in This Series: The Summer I Dropped Acid with My Father: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/p/5d90f2b6-2d68-4d9f-a120-cad131f6e3f2 [https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/p/5d90f2b6-2d68-4d9f-a120-cad131f6e3f2] I Could Still Let Her Comfort Me Then: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/p/d72ed72f-70c3-4489-8def-1cf5ad6d5a86 [https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/p/d72ed72f-70c3-4489-8def-1cf5ad6d5a86] They Made Me Part of History: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/p/de5c307d-9165-43e9-a7d2-50b7cf957362 [https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/p/de5c307d-9165-43e9-a7d2-50b7cf957362] Connect with Laura Davis: 🌐 Website: lauradavis.net [http://lauradavis.net] ✉️ Substack: laurasaridavis.substack.com [http://laurasaridavis.substack.com] 🎙️ Podcast: The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis 📚 Writing Classes & Retreats: Available online and internationally — visit her website to learn more The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support her work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You'll receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully curated poems and nature photos, essays on life and the craft of writing, and more. You can subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/ [https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/] Learn about Laura's writing classes, books, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/ [https://lauradavis.net/] This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit laurasaridavis.substack.com/subscribe [https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

Pause for Peace: The Moment

Episode Title: Pause for Peace: "The Moment" by Margaret Atwood Episode Description: In this Midweek Pause for Peace, Laura Davis offers a poem that stops you cold — and then cracks something open. Margaret Atwood's "The Moment" holds up a mirror to one of humanity's oldest assumptions, and asks us to look again. Paired with peaceful imagery, this episode is a quiet invitation to reconsider what we think we own — and what has always owned us. What Laura Covers in This Episode: Why Laura chose this particular Atwood poem and what it illuminates about the human relationship with the natural world The tension at the heart of "The Moment" — between the desire for ownership and the world's quiet, firm refusal How poetry can shift perspective and loosen the grip of assumptions we didn't know we were holding An invitation to sit with Atwood's closing whisper and let it settle into the nervous system About Host Laura Davis: Laura Davis is an acclaimed author and writing teacher with over 35 years of experience helping writers craft powerful, authentic stories. She is the author of seven books, including the award-winning memoir "The Burning Light of Two Stars," which won the BookLife Prize in 2021. Laura is also co-author of the groundbreaking book "The Courage to Heal." Through her Midweek Pause for Peace podcast series, Laura pairs carefully selected poetry with peaceful imagery to support listeners' emotional wellness and nervous system regulation. Each week, host Laura Davis pairs beautiful imagery with meaningful poetry, offering listeners a respite for both heart and nervous system. These midweek pauses provide essential moments of reflection, healing, and inspiration in our complex world. Perfect for: Anyone seeking Laura Davis' signature blend of poetry and peace, those managing stress and anxiety, and listeners who appreciate thoughtful, heart-centered content. About Margaret Atwood: Margaret Atwood was born in Ottawa in 1939 and is one of Canada's finest living writers — a poet, novelist, essayist, and environmental activist whose work has been published in more than forty-five countries. Her fifty-plus books include The Handmaid's Tale, Alias Grace, The Blind Assassin (2000 Booker Prize), and The Testaments (2019 Booker Prize co-winner). Her most recent book, Book of Lives: A Memoir of Sorts, was published in November 2025. Visit her at: https://margaretatwood.ca/ [https://margaretatwood.ca/] CONNECT WITH LAURA DAVIS Join Laura's Community: Subscribe to Laura Davis' Midweek Pause for Peace series for consistent, nurturing content that honors both your need for beauty and your nervous system's need for calm. The Writer's Journey with Laura Davis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support her work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. You'll receive regular posts like these, as well as beautifully crafted reflections, prompts, essays on life and the craft of writing, and more. Subscribe here: https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/ [https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/] Learn about Laura's writing classes, books, workshops, and international retreats at: https://lauradavis.net/ [https://lauradavis.net/] This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit laurasaridavis.substack.com/subscribe [https://laurasaridavis.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]