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March 1, 2021

The Talbot Spy

The nonprofit e-newspaper for the Talbot County Community

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Arts Arts Portal Lead Arts Arts Top Story Arts Library Guy Spy Top Story

The Library Guy: Donald Hall Award Winning Poet Joy Priest

December 19, 2020 by Bill Peak

Bill’s guest today is the young poet Joy Priest, whose very first book of poetry, Horsepower, won the prestigious Donald Hall Prize for Poetry last year.  She has also just won the Stanley Kunitz Poetry Prize in June.

Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in ESPN, Gulf Coast, Mississippi Review, The Rumpus, Virginia Quarterly Review, and Best New Poets 2014, 2016, and 2019, among others. Priest is the winner of the 2019 Gearhart Poetry Prize from The Southeast Review, and the 2016 College Writers’ Award from the Zora Neale Hurston/Richard Wright Foundation.

She was the 2018 Gregory Pardlo Scholar at The Frost Place and is the recipient of fellowships and support from the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, the Kentucky Arts Council, the Kentucky Foundation for Women, and the University of South Carolina, where she received her MFA in Poetry with a certificate in Women & Gender Studies.


This video podcast is approximately forty-seven minutes in length. The Library Guy is co-produced with the Talbot County Free Library and the Spy Newspapers. Photography courtesy of Landon Antonetti.

 

Filed Under: Arts Portal Lead, Arts Top Story, Library Guy, Spy Top Story

The Library Guy: Ann Finkbeiner on Wars in Space

November 27, 2020 by Bill Peak

The Library Guy, Bill Peak, speaks with Ann Finkbeiner, author of an article in the November edition of Scientific American entitled, “Orbital Aggression: How do we prevent war in space?” Finkbeiner explains why America depends so heavily on its satellite fleet, how our global adversaries are already toying with the idea of destroying those satellites, and how a major attack upon them could, quite literally, endanger civilization.

Filed Under: Library Guy, Top Story

Bill Peak Spends Some Time with Author Alice McDermott

November 4, 2020 by Bill Peak

Bill Peak, the Mid-Shore’s “library guy,” has just completed an interview for the Spy with Alice McDermott, who has been called “the Virginia Woolf of American letters.”  Peak’s interview was performed as part of a partnership between the Talbot County Free Library and The Spy to introduce area readers to the poets and writers behind some of our country’s best literature.  

Alice McDermott’s eighth and most recent novel, The Ninth Hour, made it to the Best Books of 2017 lists of The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and Time Magazine, among others.  Her seventh novel, Someone, was long-listed for the National Book Award.  Three of her previous novels, After This, At Weddings and Wakes, and That Night were finalists for the Pulitzer Prize.  Charming Billy won the National Book Award.  That Night was also a finalist for the National Book Award and the PEN/Faulkner Award.  

McDermott’s stories, essays, and reviews have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The New Yorker, Harpers, Commonweal, and elsewhere.  She has received the Whiting Writers Award, the Corrington Award for Literary Excellence, and the F. Scott Fitzgerald Award for American Literature.  In 2013, she was inducted into the New York State Writers Hall of Fame.  McDermott retired last year from Johns Hopkins, where, for the past 23 years, she served as the Richard A. Macksey Professor of the Humanities.

This video is approximately sixty minutes in length. You can also listen to this as a podcast at the following:

 

For more information about

 

Filed Under: Spy Chats, Spy Highlights, Spy Top Story

The Library Guy: Celeste-Marie Bernier on Frederick Douglass’s Family

September 26, 2020 by Bill Peak

In honor of Frederick Douglass Day, Bill Peak’s guest today is Professor Celeste-Marie Bernier, Professor of United States and Atlantic Studies at the University of Edinburgh, and a world-renowned Frederick Douglass scholar. Bill speaks with her about her latest book, If I Survive, and the remarkable Walter O. Evans archive of Frederick Douglass Family correspondence and art it chronicles, including letters home from Lewis Henry Douglass, who fought with the illustrious 54th Massachusetts at Fort Wagner.

This video is approximately thirty-four minutes in length. Photo credits; National Park Service, Frederick Douglass National Historic Site, Washington D.C.  For more information about the Talbot County Free Library please go here.

Filed Under: Spy Chats, Spy Top Story, Top Story

The Library Guy: USNA Poet Temple Cone Talks to Bill Peak

August 12, 2020 by Bill Peak

The Library Guy’s guest today is Temple Cone, Professor of English at the U.S. Naval Academy.  Cone is the author of four books of poetry: Guzzle, That Singing, The Broken Meadow (which received the 2010 Old Seventy Creek Poetry Press Series Prize), and No Loneliness (which received the 2009 FutureCycle Press Poetry Book Prize).  He has also published seven poetry chapbooks.

In today’s interview, he will be reading poems from the most recent of these: Southrenody.  Cone holds a Ph.D. in Literature from the University of Wisconsin, an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from the University of Virginia, an M.A. in Creative Writing from Hollins University, and a B.A. in Philosophy from Washington & Lee University.  From 2018-2019, he served as the first Poet Laureate of the City of Annapolis.

This video is approximately twenty-five minutes in length. The Library Guy is co-produced with the Talbot County Free Library and the Spy Newspapers. 

Filed Under: Arts Portal Lead, Library Guy, Spy Top Story, Top Story

The Library Guy: Poet Meredith Davies Hadaway Talks to Bill Peak

July 2, 2020 by Bill Peak

The Library Guy’s guest today is Meredith Davies Hadaway, a poet who writes about her life and experiences living on the banks of the Chester River. 

Hadaway is the author of three collections of poetry: At The Narrows, The River Is a Reason, and Fishing Secrets of the Dead.  She has received fellowships from the Virginia Center for Creative Arts, an Individual Artist Award from the Maryland State Arts Council, and multiple Pushcart nominations.  Her collection, At The Narrows, won the 2015 Delmarva Book Prize for Creative Writing.  In addition to publishing poetry and reviews in numerous literary journals, she served for ten years as poetry editor for The Summerset Review.  Hadaway holds an MFA in Poetry from Vermont College of Fine Arts.  She is a former Rose O’Neill Writer-in-residence at Washington College, where she taught English and creative writing.

This video is approximately fifteen minutes in length

The Library Guy is made possible through a partnership between the Talbot County Free Library and the Spy online newspapers.  Future interviews with local literary figures are planned.  

Filed Under: Library Guy, Spy Chats, Spy Top Story, Top Story

The Library Guy: Poet Sue Ellen Thompson Talks to Bill Peak

June 1, 2020 by Bill Peak

Today, Bill Peak, also known as the Library Guy for many years for his devotion to the Talbot County Free Library, continues his series with writers with a conversation with award-winning poet Sue Ellen Thompson.

Thompson is the author of five books of poetry, including her most recent work, They, which tells the story—through poems and the found poetry of postcards—of the poet’s sometimes troubled relationship with her transgender child, and the connection they find through the author’s father.  She also edited The Autumn House Anthology of Contemporary American Poetry.  Eleven of Thompson’s poems have been read by Garrison Keillor on his Writer’s Almanac radio show. . In 2010, Thompson received the Maryland Author Award, which is given once every four years to a Maryland poet in honor of his or her body of work.  Sue Ellen lives in Oxford, Maryland.

The Library Guy is made possible through a partnership between the Talbot County Free Library and the Spy online newspapers.  Future interviews with local literary figures are planned.  A link to Peak’s interview with Thompson will be made available on the library’s website: www.tcfl.org.    

Filed Under: Arts Portal Lead, Arts Top Story, Library Guy Tagged With: Sue Ellen Thompson, The Library Guy

The Library Guy: New Yorker Writer Casey Cep on Dorothy Day

May 5, 2020 by Bill Peak

The Spy is pleased to announce that the Talbot County Free Library’s “Library Guy,” Bill Peak, has joined the Spy as a frequent contributor. Bill earned his nickname through earning the respect and devotion of hundreds of library patrons through his creative programming and outreach efforts during his tenure at TCFL. He is also a critically acclaimed author.  The Spy will be offering this in a long-form format, similar to Bill’s past live conversations.

In our inaugural installment of “The Library Guy,” I am pleased to welcome  Casey Cep, New York Times bestselling author, staff writer for The New Yorker magazine, and graduate of Easton High School (Class of ’03).

Last year, Casey Cep’s first book, Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud, and the Last Trial of Harper Lee, debuted at #6 on The New York Times’ bestseller list. Today, I talk with Cep about her most recent New Yorker article, “Dorothy Day’s Radical Faith.” In the piece, she writes about the life and legacy of the Catholic writer and activist, whom some hope will be made a saint. The New Yorker article is available in its entirety here.

Due to COVID-19, this interview was recorded remotely. In order to take advantage of a Wi-Fi hotspot at the local high school, Casey Cep joins us from the back seat of her car while I am broadcasting from what I admit is a rather cluttered home study.

This video is approximately fifty-two minutes in length. For more information about the Talbot County Free Library please go here and for the Kent County Public Library please go here. 

 

Filed Under: Arts Portal Lead, Library Guy, Top Story Tagged With: Bill Peak, The Library Guy

Evergreen Lifestyle: Season Allergy Relief Is Possible by Freya Farley

June 4, 2018 by Bill Peak

The enthusiasm for a beautiful spring day can be marred by symptoms of seasonal allergies, such as sneezing and stuffy noses. Worse yet, is that it seems more and more of us are being affected. There is a strong correlation of the development of allergies to an overuse of antibiotics, pollution exposure, poor diet, Vitamin D deficiency, and even an overly clean lifestyle (which interferes with our immune system).

The following is some the advice I give clients who come to me looking for either long-term allergy relief or even eliminating this seasonal occurrence:

Incorporate Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine, which can be quite effective at helping to ease symptoms and boost the body’s natural ability to respond less reactively.

Use a good quality vitamin supplement daily.

Aim for a healthy, anti-inflammatory diet focused on whole foods and fresh local vegetables (especially seasonal bitter greens), fish, free-range animal products, nuts, and seeds.
Include fermented foods, such as kimchi, live kraut, kombucha, and shoyu, every day. They can improve the wellbeing of your body’s beneficial bacteria and make you less reactive to various allergens. (Note: One exception would be in histamine intolerance, where fermented foods can make symptoms worse.)

Identify and avoid any food allergens or intolerances that are problematic for you–common culprits include wheat and dairy.

Eat local raw honey. Honey is an excellent antioxidant and has antibacterial, antifungal, and anti-allergenic properties. Locally sourced honey is a popular natural remedy for allergies as it conditions the body to the presence of local pollens.

Use a Neti Pot daily to irrigate and cleanse the nostrils and sinuses, flush out irritants and thin the mucus, resulting in less congestion.

Start or continue to do stress reduction techniques such as mindfulness meditation, yoga, aromatherapy, and massage. While stress doesn’t cause allergies, it can make an allergic reaction worse by increasing the histamine in your bloodstream.

There is one additional recommendation I make that deserves further explanation, and that’s the use of integrating some specific allergy reducing herbs. These include butterbur, reishi and astragalus, and nettles. These can be purchased at Hill’s Drug Store or ordered through our online dispensary.

Butterbur: Among all the herbs used for allergies, butterbur has by far the most clinical research to back its use for allergies, migraines, and asthma. Studies have found it significantly better than placebo and comparable to common allergy medications Zyrtec and Allegra. It can be used symptomatically for occasional symptoms and daily in chronic allergies. Since butterbur root contains liver-toxic pyrrolizidine (PA) alkaloids, look for PA-free butterbur, such as Petadolex.

Reishi & Astragalus: These two tonics can be used together or separately; however they are often used as a blend and have shown to decrease the severity of allergy symptoms. Reishi is a mushroom and Astragalus is a plant, whose root is used medicinally. Each has anti-inflammatory and anti-stress properties. When taken on a regular basis, these immune tonics help modulate or regulate your immune system response to fight germs, yet are less over-reactive in allergies and autoimmune disease (Note: For some with autoimmune disease Astragalus may stimulate the immune function too much to tolerate well – reduce intake to build up slowly). Reishi and astragalus blend well with chai spices like cardamom, star anise, cinnamon, and a pinch of nutmeg when making tea, or you can add them to soup broth.

Nettles: The benefits of this herb have been documented for centuries as containing various compounds that decrease allergy-related inflammation and histamine. It is full of vitamins, minerals, protein and amino acids, and very safe to use long-term. Considered to be springtime’s natural elixir, nettle can be easily brewed into a tea or used as a tincture. Nettle tea is used to improve heart action, for headaches, and for urinary tract infections and inflammation of the bladder that can lead to gravel (kidney/bladder stones). Nettle tea is said to clean out the entire intestinal tract while activating the body’s natural defense mechanisms. It is also used as an overall health tonic and to treat high blood pressure, anemia, skin inflammations and more. For best results use daily as tea. Use the tincture for more acute symptoms.

Here is one of my favorite recipes for Nettle tea:

Sparkling Nettle Lemon Mint Tea
Ingredients
Dried nettle leaves and stems, as needed (see note)
Boiling water, as needed (see note)
Ice, as needed
1 tbsp honey per serving
⅛ preserved or fresh lemon (or a ½-inch [1.5-cm] chunk) per serving
several mint leaves per serving
1 cup sparkling water per serving

Place the nettles in a teapot or a non reactive pot and pour the boiling water over them. Let the nettles steep for 15 minutes, and then strain them from the water.

Add ice to a tall glass and muddle the honey and mint with the preserved lemon. Pour in ½ cup (120 ml) of the strong nettle tea and finish with the sparkling water.

Notes: As a general rule of thumb use 1 tablespoon dried nettles per 1-cup water. If using ice and sparkling water, use 2 tablespoons dried nettles per 1 cup water. For example, to make 4 servings, use 8 teaspoons nettles and 4 cups water. *Best – Use double the amount of fresh nettles leaves and steep overnight for a stronger tonic.

Now, go out and enjoy the spring weather!

Freya Farley is Evergreen Easton Point’s executive director, and an acupuncturist and herbal medicine specialist at Evergreen’s Wellness Center with a focus on women’s health and fertility. Freya practices a food-as-medicine approach, helping others to utilize the healing powers of food to nourish their bodies, minds, and spirits. She also offers personal consultations, a Community Acupuncture Clinic, and Open Studio morning yoga sessions. Evergreen’s Wellness Center also offers holistic and integrated approaches to Health & Wellness. Please visit here or email freyaf@mac.com for more information.

The information in this article is intended for your educational use only, does not necessarily reflect the opinions of Evergreen’s Wellness Center, and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Filed Under: Health Homepage, Health Portal Lead

Evergreen Lifestyle: Gentle Cleansing Techniques for Springtime by Freya Farley

May 25, 2018 by Bill Peak

With spring finally arriving on the Eastern Shore, it might be time to consider a Spring Cleansing. A cleansing will make room for new growth and creativity by removing toxins, debris, and stagnation built up through the long, cold winter. In the same way that you spring clean your home, cleansing is an excellent way to rejuvenate your body!

According to the principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine, the liver is the organ of spring energy. Your liver helps to process the toxins in your body; however, we are all exposed to more toxins than any previous generation. This influx of toxins comes from pollution in the air and water, toxic ingredients in beauty care and household cleaning products, electric and magnetic fields from technology, and more.

Some common symptoms of an excess toxic load in your body include:

Fatigue
Intestinal issues
Headaches
Back pain
Infertility
Skin conditions (acne, eczema, psoriasis, etc.)

There are many cleansing programs available. Some such as juicing, fasting, or eating raw fruits and vegetables can feel intimidating and extreme. The good news is that there are more subtle and gentle techniques that you can use to support your body in clearing toxins.
Here are my top 6 suggestions:

1. Dry Skin Brushing

If you think of the lymphatic system as the stream that helps to efficiently move and release toxins, dry skin brushing specifically helps to activate this system. All you’ll need is a dry skin brush or glove with natural fibers (look in your local health food store or online).
Starting at your feet, brush your skin in a circular motion up toward your heart. Then, using the same circular motion, brush both of your arms—starting from the hands. Brushing should only take about three minutes.

Once done, hop into a hot shower to increase the benefits of this gentle exfoliation cleansing practice.

2. Greens Powder

We know we need to increase the number of green vegetables in our diet, although it’s not always easy to get all the nutrients needed. That’s why I’m a huge proponent of a greens powder supplement. The concentrated vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients (such as polyphenols, terpenes, and organic acids) found in a complex greens powder are helpful for gently opening up detoxification pathways and supporting liver cleansing. Most greens powders contain sea algae such as chlorella and spirulina, which are phytoplankton from the ocean that have antioxidant effects in the body. Chlorella is also rich in chlorophyll, which assists in heavy metal and pesticide detoxification.

To jumpstart your system and boost your energy levels, I recommend adding one scoop of greens powder to a cup of coconut water with half a fresh lemon in the morning or mid-afternoon.

3. Yoga & Breath Work

The movement and breath work in Yoga can help gently cleanse the system, oxygenating and rejuvenating the whole body. Gentle twists can “wring out” the organ systems and help them release the last remaining stuck areas. A deep yogic inhale breath of fresh, pure oxygenated air cleanses your lungs, oxygenates your cells, and purifies your blood, and the exhale releases toxins.

4. Bodywork

Bodywork, such as massages, encourage the lymphatic system and stimulates the release of metabolic waste products stored in the cell tissue. The circulation resulting from a massage enhances oxygen exchange among local tissues and improves colon drainage capability, which helps to escort impurities out of the body.

Make sure to drink plenty of water after a session to allow the elimination of waste products, which will further detoxify the cell tissue and boost the immune system.

5. Salt Baths

Another great way to flush the toxins out of your skin is a salt detox bath. Bath salts are beneficial to health due to the presence of minerals in them, primarily magnesium, which plays a crucial role in all intracellular physiological functions. A deficiency in the mineral can lead to various neuromuscular, cardiac, and nervous disorders.

A salt bath helps relieve stress, improve your sleep, boost your blood circulation, maintain healthy heart rhythm and blood sugar levels, regulate your hormone, and decrease blood pressure. As often as possible, soak in warm water with Pink Himalayan Salt, Sea Salt, or Epsom Salt and a few drops of your preferred aromatic oil to draw toxic waste swiftly out of the pores.

6. Sauna & Infrared Sauna

Saunas help to increase your blood circulation and stimulate your sweat glands to help get rid of toxins. They also heat the body from the inside out, raising your core temperature and driving toxins and heavy metals out of your skin. Regular saunas are found at most gyms around the area.

Infrared sauna treatments are available at three different levels representing the size of infrared wavelengths and intensity of the treatment:

Near-infrared levels are best for wound healing and increased immune function,
Middle-infrared levels are ideal for improving circulation and promoting muscle relaxation, and
Far-infrared levels are used primarily for detoxification purposes.
Infrared saunas are available for purchase and found in local spas.

If you are new to using saunas, start slowly by going in for 10 to 15 minutes, working your way up to 25- to 45-minute sessions, three to five days per week.
These cleansing techniques are just some of the many different ways to support your body’s purification process and help maintain your health and prevent disease. If you are looking for support, Evergreen offers various levels of Yoga and Yoga Therapy for group or individual instruction, as well as massage, acupuncture, and many other integrated wellness services.

A ‘gentle’ press of the reset button can have you start experiencing the many healing benefits of cleansing toxins from your body this spring!

Freya Farley is Evergreen Easton Point’s executive director, and an acupuncturist and herbal medicine specialist at Evergreen’s Wellness Center with a focus on women’s health and fertility. Freya practices a food-as-medicine approach, helping others to utilize the healing powers of food to nourish their bodies, minds, and spirits. She also offers personal consultations, a Community Acupuncture Clinic, and Open Studio morning yoga sessions. Evergreen’s Wellness Center also offers holistic and integrated approaches to Health & Wellness. Please visit here or email freyaf@mac.com for more information.

*The information in this article is intended for your educational use only, does not necessarily reflect the opinions of Evergreen’s Wellness Center, and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health providers with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition and before undertaking any diet, supplement, fitness, or other health programs.

Filed Under: Health Homepage, Health Portal Lead

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