Louise Steinman

I'm in snowy Chatham, a writing retreat at the cozy house of my friend Beth Thielen, a wonderful visual artist. Beth works upstair in her studio while I work downstairs on the edit of CROOKED MIRROR. The woodstove is crackling crackling. Snow is falling falling falling. There's an old cemetery across the road and I've been taking daily walks there, among the Hodels and the Thorpes, the Cosolinos, the McGilvrays and the Mallorys. (My favorite name on a tombstone, d. early 1800's is STORY GOTT). Today the stones are nearly obliterated by the drifts of snow, blanketed with that white weight. In my writing, I'm in Poland, in Radomsko and Sejny, Lublin and Krakow, at Milosz' house at Krasnogruda, walking the Planty in Krakow with Adam Zagajewski. I'm also across the continent from my dear husband Lloyd, working in his studio back at our house in Silver Lake.

to all readers of THE SOUVENIR, to all future readers of CROOKED MIRROR, whoever you are and for whatever reason you've come to this intermittent blog, i offer wishes for a peaceful New Year.