Archive for July 2021
The Hour of Vigils: The Long Dark
Today begins a series of eight reflections on the Hours of prayer, starting with Vigils, the time deep in the night known as “the long dark.” This series celebrates the release of the Praying the Hours soundtrack by Lolo Meares. An excerpt from the Vigils album of the soundtrack starts the post so that you…
Read MoreThe Greek Chorus and the Cry of Oyez
The first and the last words you will hear in the film Praying the Hours are sung by a Greek Chorus—all of whom are played by one woman: Lolo Meares. The chorus helps the audience transition from one Hour to the next, urging them to pay attention. This is the purpose of praying the Hours,…
Read MoreSuccess Is What We Say It Is
“Woah,” he said, tears filling his eyes, “that’s it right there. That’s everything.” I was in conversation with a young artist at the end of his strength in that strange dance marathon of making a living while also making his own art. He started our conversation declaring that he is “through”—done with spending all his…
Read MoreHow An Idea Turned Itself Into a Movie
We called the completion of Praying the Hours a little over two months ago—on Mayday, 2021, so it would be easy to remember. Within the time since then, while I have been working on finding its audiences, I picked up one of my journals from over two decades ago. There I found the slip of…
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