Another Place I Write

I am back here visiting this piece of my recent past, and I realize how many of you came with me, and how much I really did get around to writing on my journey. I wanted to update you all a little, and invite you in to another part of my mind and life.

I am sad to admit that I have not been writing a travel book about my journey. At some point, a book will happen, and the bike tour will be a large part of that work, but for now, I am in a very different place with my life and my spirit.

The end of the bike tour somehow led me to divinity school, in Berkeley, California. I am not ordaining to be a minister, but I am moving through a ministry program, and collecting incredible details about world theologies. I am hoping to one day complete a doctorate in Iranian Culture and Islam, and help connect young revolutionary Iranian artists with galleries in the United States. I am so tired of Islamaphobia, and the lack of education we receive about other cultures in the Unites States, especially as youth.

Everything is so complex. What we see of Islam on the television is not Islam. Islam is a body of millions of people, with deeply varied perspectives and desires. The "extremists" of any religious group are dangerous, especially when they believe they are right, without fail. I can only hope that "Fundamentalist" American Christians can see their own reflection in Islamic "extremists" before we further lose our grip on what little peace we know and hold so dear.

I am excited about my new adventures. I am learning the traditional art of Sufi Storytelling, and studying the Kabbalah. I am relearning the story of Moses from every available lens, and engaging in dialogue about the revolution in Egypt. Life is beautiful and powerful, and the journey continues.

So, in the meantime, I have started writing a very personal blog of poetry and prose, which I will share if you email me and ask for the link. It is darker, heavier, writing than what you have grown accustomed to here. Meatier, gamier... chew 27 times before swallowing.

So much has happened in this little life of mine, and I am trying to get it down in fragments, but I needed a sketchpad... a little space of solace within the written word. Hopefully that will keep my pen greased until I am ready to engage in a long, serious writing project. The pieces are often fragmented, or unfinished, and some are short sketches or drafts.

I am keeping that writing very private right now, and I may not pass it along if you are a member of my close and immediate personal community. Please ask, though, if you are genuinely interested. (malcolmrollick at gmail dot com)

Thank you to all of you who came with me on my bike journey. As my writing evolves, and other blogs, spaces and practices pop up, I will pass word along.

Much Love and Transformation,

Malcolm