Making Marks

Back to the Newsletter

My hiatus in newsletters has been noted, and I yearn to do better. Topics and photographs are piling up. I have been working on the ‘book’ and completed a complete draft in late summer, 2025. It spent a month with a professional editor, and since then, I am incorporating and/or ignoring her suggestions.

The bad news is that publishing has become more difficult in the last couple of years. The ‘big five’ are taking no risks. So, despite my misgivings, it may get self published or go to a hybrid press (which have become more reputable). We shall see.

Meanwhile, Earth in the world has changed. The USA threatened to invade Greenland for its strategic minerals, and we are now bombing Iran - for the oil? Who knows? More deep water, off-shore drilling on the horizon. So I, yet again, question what this book is really about. That keeps me busy.

The good news: my essay, Joy, was a finalist in the non-fiction category in the 2025 Writing Competition of the San Francisco Writers Conference, and it has been published in their anthology of 2025 winners, The Words You Were Looking For. Of course, there’s a bit of geology - reference to opal structure and color - but it’s mainly about my uncle and my cow. A fun little essay. I will publish it here if it doesn’t make it into a literary journal in the next few months.

In the Coming Months

A couple of years ago, in this newsletter I wrote about a calligraphy workshop in Turin, Italy. I am not a calligrapher in the traditional art, but I’m fascinated by graphical images. I’m going to explore WHY in the next few months as my approach to art is now through graphs, maps, and graphics.

For years, I’ve played around with using geologic map symbols as proxy for my own alphabet – played sketchily in two senses of the word – drawing symbols and not working very hard at it. But my time in Turin has led me to approach this in a different way. I’m playing with these three graphic ‘letters’ based on geology.

A personal pattern based on geology.

In September, 2025, another journey to Turin was instigated with the promise of making rusty paper - I am obsessed with earth’s materials. We were charged with bringing personal words from the past, present, and future. My words:

Past: rivers, springs, flowing
Present: cisterns, pipes, dams
Future:  parched, dry, and drought 

The teacher said “Not personal". One friend said “Dystopian”. My hydrologist friend said, “Realistic”.

A brush of water distorts writing in walnut ink.

My product from the workshop is special to me - but here is Lona Lee’s fabulous book made of work done during Massimo Polello’s Workshop at a 1515 A.D. Certosa Abbey just outside of Turin. Lona Lee is actually employed full-time as a calligrapher for the City of Los Angeles. You can see more of her work @lona.letters

Why I Love this Rock

Late last year, knowing my love of rocks, a newsletter reader offered this for my Why I Love This Rock. No one could love a rock more than these little guys. Oceana was founded as an independent Canadian charity in 2015, part of the world’s largest advocacy group dedicated solely to ocean conservation.

More about Earth to Susan

I am writing a book about how people experience the Earth in different ways. I took a break but am back at the writing. In this newsletter, I’ll bring science, poetry, music, theology, literature, philosophy, history, geography, politics, and economics to these pages – all in relationship to Earth.

This month’s newsletter is just getting me back in the groove.

I still believe that helping people understand that we all see the Earth in different ways will open conversations to help find solutions for the many issues facing the planet we call home.

I hope you will continue to read this and share with your friends! It’s free.

Until next month,

Susan