Literary fiction, speculative fiction, and selected nonfiction

Haiku and a Book Endorsement

Haiku Challenge

Stephen met the Haiku Challenge! You may ask, what is a haiku challenge? Tricycle: The Buddhist Review, the first magazine to present Buddhist perspectives to a Western readership, sponsors a monthly haiku challenge. In January, Stephen received honorable mention and was one of three haiku published. The editor, Clark Strand, wrote: “Stephen Billias sees two worlds (and two seasons) in the frozen hillside above a valley where spring has already arrived.”

frost on the hillside
but not here in the valley
two worlds, winter, spring

Check out more on haiku at: https://tricycle.org/trikedaily/january-haiku-frost/

Pilgrim Maya recommended for seekers!

Barbara McHugh, author of the award-winning novel Bride of the Buddha generously provided a wonderful endorsement for the cover of Pilgrim Maya!

“Pilgrim Maya tells the story of a woman has suffered the kind of devastating loss that could easily destroy the rest of her life – or transform her into a powerful force for love and healing. With such high stakes, plus the lucid voice of its first-person narrator, this novel has the essential ingredients for an uplifting and engrossing read.   Besides offering illuminating glimpses into the paradoxical “Oneness of Everything,” its characters and communities have dedicated themselves to awakening in sometimes novel and surprising ways.  The Pilgrim is a testament to the creativity and kindness of one’s fellow pilgrims on the path to redemption. Recommended for seekers!”

A Friendship Blessing in Troubling Times

Writing on Easter Sunday morning after reading the front page of the New York Times prompts us to end on this note from a poem by John O’Donohue in his book Anam Ċara:

May you be blessed with good friends.

May you learn to be a good friend to yourself.

May you be able to journey to that place in your soul where

there is great love, warmth, feeling, and forgiveness.

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