Greetings!


"To feel the love of people we love is a fire that feeds out life."
~Pablo Neruda

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August is Romance Awareness Month and the perfect month to promote my new poetry chapbook, AN IMAGINARY AFFAIR: POEMS WHISPERED TO NERUDA. For years I have admired Chilean poet Pablo Neruda. His sensuous passion for life resonates deeply within me. His poetry, like much of my own, explores love, death, and life's simple pleasures. Like many creative writers and poets, Neruda was touched by early childhood trauma. His mother died within a month of his birth, which could explain the melancholy undertones in his work.

For more on why I love Pablo Neruda, please check out my article on Medium. I also have a number of readings coming up where I will share my poetry (see below). If you have access to an online book launch or a bookstore who would be interested in me reading, please email me at diana@dianaraab.com.

Another note of interest is that my article "14-Self-Care Rituals to Practice Now" was published in Psychology Today and elevated to "Essential Topic." This is a testament to how important self-care is. Summer is a great time to get into a self-care routine, whether it's daily writing, walking, or meeting up with friends. You know what makes you feel good. Try incorporating more self-care into your life. It's food for your body, mind and soul.

Enjoy the rest of your summer!
dianaraab.com
AN IMAGINARY AFFAIR: POEMS WHISPERED TO NERUDA

Now available where books or sold or by clicking link below:



WRITE A BOOK REVIEW FOR A GIFT

Please consider writing a book review on Amazon. Then email me and I will send you a special gift!


  • Write about your most romantic relationship.
  • Write about what romance means to you.
  • Consider writing a love poem.
  • Write about your favorite self-care ritual/s.
August 17, 2022
Interview for An Imaginary Affair with Dr. Michael Anthony
“Quintessential Listening: Poetry Online Radio”

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August 25, 2022
6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
“An Imaginary Affair: Poetry Reading”
Ventura, CA

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September 6, 2022
10 a.m. – 12 p.m. PST
“Personal Writing for Well-Being: Workshop”
The University Club of Santa Barbara
(Members Only)
Santa Barbara, CA

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September 17, 2022
3:00p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
"An Imaginary Affair: Poetry Reading"
Tecolote Bookshop
Montecito, CA

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September 19 – 22, 2022
“What We’re Reading Series”
“Writing for Bliss”
Miraval Resorts and Spas
Austin, Texas

"Cloudy Days." (poem). Fauxmoir. Spring 2022.

"Life and Death." (poem). Surging Tide Magazine: Issue 6. June 2022.

“Are You Grounded, Centered, or Both?” (article). The Good Men Project. June 30, 2022.

"Jeannine's Kitchen." (poem). Moss Piglet. July 2022.

“How to Find Light in the Darkness.” (article). The Good Men Project. July 7, 2022.

"How Storytelling Gave Me Hope and Perspective." (article). Medium. July 11, 2022.

"Gratitude Can Be Sexy." (article). The Good Men Project. July 14, 2022.

“14 Self-Care Rituals to Practice Now.” (article). Psychology Today. July 21, 2022.

"The Passionate Art of Storytelling." (article). The Good Men Project. July 28, 2022.

"Using Poetry as a Memory Keeper." (article). Sixty and Me. July 29, 2022.

As someone who has read many many memoirs, I must say that this is one of the most powerful ones I've read in ages. The book is about love, illness, decisions, and dying with dignity.

Author Amy Bloom observes noticeable changes in her husband and after multiple tests learns that he has early onset Alzheimer's Disease. Determined not to let the disease get the better of him, he choses quality of life over quantity. Bloom's husband decides to travel to Switzerland, to a place called Dignitas, which helps individuals die gracefully.

The journey to this decision and the trip to Switzerland, her husband's life ending, and Bloom's solo trip home are heart-wrenching and poignant. Even as a psychotherapist, Bloom had to figure out how to go on with her life without him.

The book brings home the idea of what we might do in Bloom's situation and how to know if we are making the correct decisions. I was unable to put this book down while reading. After I finally did, some of the images remain with me and will, for a very long time. I was struck by the power of Bloom's words, love, and conviction under dire circumstances. This is a thought-provoking and deeply powerful book.
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