Ruins of Santa Cristina Hospice in Somport

One can start the Camino, the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, from hundreds of different places all around Europe or even further abroad. But if you want to do the Spanish portion, as we did, then you are most likely to start in one of the spots in the Pyrenees where the routes from France cross into Spain. The two principle passes are in Roncesvalles and in Santa Cristina de Somport, which is only a few miles north of Jaca.

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Detail from Codex CalixtinusFor all of us who have walked the Camino, or those who dream of walking the Camino, the Codex Calixtinus is our original guide. But now the oldest version of it, an illuminated manuscript from the 12th Century, has been stolen from the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela.

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Aljaferia Mihrab

For many years I've had a poster of an interior of the Aljaferia on the wall in front of my writing desk.  Read more »

Our Camino Map

So, we're finally doing it. After twenty years of dreaming about it, Charlie and I are going to walk the trail to Santiago de Compostela. We will do the Spanish portion, also known as the Camino Frances (because in the tenth century the Spanish kings were encouraging Franks to move into new towns they were founding along the trail). We start at Puente de la Reina, the place where the trails from various countries meet and become one, and walk to Santiago over the course of thirty-five days, staying in hostel-style "albergues" or "refugios" set up for pilgrims along the way.

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Dingaling Reunion in GloucesterIn July of 2008 Ted and Annie Deppe led one of their bi-yearly Stonecoast residencies in Dingle, Ireland. We spent an amazing ten days in workshop with each other and learning literary wisdom at the feet of writers like Harry Clifton and Carlo Gébler and reading writers like Eavan Boland, Eamon Grennan, Martin Mcdonagh, Nuala Ní Dhómhnaill, Thomas Moore,  Edna O'Brien, and William Trevor.

Our Stonecoast Residency in Dingle had such an impact on all of us that we have reunited as a group twice since then, once for dinner in Maine and two weeks ago for a weekend of readings and socializing. Everyone who attended the original residency was able to attend our reunion except for Taryn who has just produced a beautiful baby. Most amazing is how everyone in the group is getting published on a regular basis.

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Soundtrack for a night in Jerusalem:
The Muezzin's loudspeakered call to prayer. A group of Armenian nuns  Read more »

Leanna Renee Hieber gets a Prism Award at The GatheringSTEAMPUNK PANEL AT RWA 30

This summer was the thirtieth anniversary of the Romance Writer's of America, and the RWA conference took place in Orlando, Florida in July. There were two steampunk themed events: the steampunk panel and The Gathering, in which the best Steampunk costume won a prize.

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Ciphers

Sometimes dreams to come true, and you get what you wished for.

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Basking in the aura (the unreproducible essence) of the original art work, is important because Di Filippo is a steampunk man, even when he’s writing erotic sci-fi like A Mouthful of Tongues.
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