Irmgarde Brown

Sister Jane was awarded Best Books of 2021 INDIE by Kirkus Reviews
Harford County Living named Irmgarde Brown, Artist of the Week Jan 24, 2023
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Contextual Moments Blog

Musings

Circle of Awareness

Circle of Awareness
by Irmgarde Brown
                Some years ago, my friend Nancy owned a beautiful home whose interior was decorated in the most amazing way. As far as I know, no professional designer did this work. Instead, it was Nancy herself, a lover and collector of art who had fashioned a feast for the eyes. No matter where I stood in her house, wherever I looked, something beautiful or intriguing filled my gaze. Sometimes it was a painting, but it could be a set of vases or a small figurine or sculpture, or perhaps a platter she had hand-carried from Italy. And there were family photos too, but expertly framed and perfectly placed to capture the eye and experience her family of love. With everything that she placed around the rooms, she invited guests to notice—to be aware of the surroundings, to see beauty.

Doors and Liminal Space

Doors and Liminal Space
by Irmgarde Brown
The other day, a photographer friend posted a series of door photographs from around town on his Facebook page. They were all in black and white and very moving. I remembered then that I, too, have photographed doors over the years, but rarely with any deep meaning or conscious intent. Certainly, I must have intuited how they can symbolize possibilities or new beginnings. But up until recent years, I haven’t embraced their potential for deeper significance.

I have since learned that there is a moment in between as one passes through a door, leaving one place and entering the next. It’s called liminal space, a period of transition. It's a gap, and it can be physical (like a doorway), emotional (like a divorce or widowhood) or metaphorical (like a decision).

In the Silence

In the Silence
by Irmgarde Brown

What happens in the silence?

Back in my acting school days, we were often encouraged to dwell in the small silences between sentences—to not feel compelled to speak straight through, but to allow the character to think, to consider, to ruminate, if you will. And then going even further back, I remember a one-act play, actually a “sketch”, by the avant-garde playwright, Harold Pinter, in which silences were a key aspect. Of course, the two characters were both in midlife and I was in my twenties; what did I know of broken marriages and broken lives where silence reigned? That would come much later.

An Author Posse

An Author Posse
by Irmgarde Brown
My adult son has a group of friends he started with back in middle school. We call them the posse. They laugh together, they hang together, they support each other, and yes, they get in trouble together. I thought they’d split up after marriage, or parenthood, or girlfriends, or out-of-town jobs. But no, they’re still together after fifteen years. I’m looking for an author posse. Granted, I can write alone, but the rest of it? I need a gang.

The Path to Healing

The Path to Healing
by Irmgarde Brown
Certainly, Sister Jane (and its companion novella, Sister Jane’s Lenten Journal) examines healing in a variety of ways: physical, emotional, and spiritual. In the last several months, I have been struggling with another kind of pain that requires healing—organizational trauma.  

Opposite of Faith is Not Doubt, but Certitude

Opposite of Faith is Not Doubt, but Certitude
by Irmgarde Brown
Other people have known this. I just heard it for the first time last week at my Symposium as part of the School for Action and Contemplation. And once I heard it, I knew I needed to ponder it. At the time, I assumed the phrase was original to Richard Rohr, but a quick Google search seems to give Anne Lamott the attribution, although she uses the term, "certainty." Same thing. Although Rohr's use of "certitude" has more flair. All good. I like Lamott too. 

Why a Lenten Journal

Why a Lenten Journal
by Irmgarde Brown

I don’t remember when I became intrigued by the church calendar. Certainly not while I was active in Charismatic and Evangelical churches, where the only calendars celebrated were Christmas and Easter week. At my Methodist church, we acknowledged Advent with the lighting of candles on a huge wreath (3 purple and 1 pink) but they didn’t have much meaning for me. When my late husband and I adopted our children (aged 4 & 5), we had a variety of Advent calendars, one with tiny books that told the Christmas story and two others that involved daily chocolate. I don’t think I need to say which calendars were the most popular.

Writing a Story is Like Going on a Date

Writing a Story is Like Going on a Date
by Irmgarde Brown
So says little known Indian author, Pawan Mishra. But I’m thinking he has a point as I ponder my own style. Here’s the truth: when an idea drops into my mind, it pours out of me like water from a bucket. Let me explain...

Looking Through the Fog

Looking Through the Fog
by Irmgarde Brown

I have now had several opportunities to chat with people who have read my book and I am gratified when they pick up on one of the core themes that is underneath the "miracle" story: self-discovery. Jane Freedle had no idea who she really was by the time of her husband's death. For most of her life, she had been under the thumb of two men in her life, her father and then her husband. 

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