by Paula Wagner | Jan 2, 2023 | Newcomers in an ancient land
Adventure, Love, and Seeking Myself in 1960s Israel An excerpt from “Newcomers in an Ancient Land” “I crept along a dirt road under a black dome studded with stars on my way to my job as a volunteer in the vineyards of Kibbutz Dan. At four in the...
by Paula Wagner | Aug 1, 2020 | Newcomers in an ancient land
The pitch black sky was studded with stars as I crept down the dimly lit paths of Kibbutz Dan on my way to work in the kerem (vineyards) at 4:30 in the morning. My heart thumped as I passed the terra cotta bungalows, children’s houses, health center and hadar ha’ochel...
by Paula Wagner | Dec 1, 2019 | Newcomers in an ancient land
I shuddered at the thought of venomous vipers, as snakes were called. But darkness had long since fallen and I could no longer put off finding a place to sleep. The youth hostel was full, my fair weather English friends were sleeping on the beach, and I’d finally...
by Paula Wagner | Nov 1, 2019 | Newcomers in an ancient land
The Negev Desert was a land of extremes – by day a white-hot griddle; by night a blackened skillet; at dawn a copper pot; at dusk a painted gourd. Its unforgiving rocks and sharp scent reminded me of my early childhood in Texas and Kansas, where the harshness of the...
by Paula Wagner | Oct 1, 2019 | Newcomers in an ancient land
I couldn’t resist the beauty of the nocturnal sky as I crept up on deck alone. A shimmering canopy of stars arched over the cobalt sea, falling to the horizon like a fishnet tugged tight by unseen hands. Flying fish played in the ship’s wake, their silvery tails...
by Paula Wagner | Sep 1, 2019 | Newcomers in an ancient land
As a young woman my mother had made her own Atlantic crossing to bring my sister and me from England to America. Our parents had met in the midst of World War II, when Dad was an American GI stationed in Britain and Mom was coordinating live entertainment for the Rosy...
Patience or Perfection?March 1, 2023Next, I pay attention to my surroundings: the iridescent green of a hummingbird whirring through the eucalyptus leaves outside my window. That enormous hawk I spotted sunning her creamy chest in the sun’s early rays high on a redwood spire. My mother always said she wanted to be a bird in her next life. Now I’m sure of it. I imagine her spreading her spirit wings at dawn, then nesting with them again at dusk. […]No Comments
Stories are like mushroomsFebruary 1, 2023Stories are like mushrooms. Who knows where they start or end? Perhaps you stumble across one on a walk in the redwoods at dusk after a spring shower has drenched the earth and the conditions are just right. The setting sun streaks the trees in glowing bronze. […]No Comments
Newcomers in an Ancient LandJanuary 2, 2023Adventure, Love, and Seeking Myself in 1960s Israel An […]No Comments
Outsiders in FranceJanuary 2, 2023I’m so excited to share the mockup cover for Outsiders […]No Comments
Is Hindsight 20/20? Checking the Crystal Ball in your Rear-View MirrorJanuary 1, 2023No Comments