12 Comments
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Patricia Donahue's avatar

What a lovely and inspiring reflection. Thank you!

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Riley Reed's avatar

Thanks so much, Patricia. I appreciate you reading!

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Patricia Donahue's avatar

I'd love to read more!

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Christina's avatar

I appreciate this! I hadn’t thought it like this. Thank you.

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Riley Reed's avatar

Glad it opened something up ♡

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Diana Raab's avatar

Great job, Riley! As a journal keeper for more than six decades… I totally agree that what’s not said is sometimes more important than what’s said.. it’s about reading and writing between the lines in the same way that we need to read and hear between the lines when listening to others speak. In my writing workshops, I encourage participants to dig deeper with each sentence which encourages tapping into what’s between the lines. It’s also important to be fearless. Fear is a show-stopper and prevents us from writing from the heart which can sometimes be seen as “between the lines!”

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Nanette's avatar

Appreciate this post and the insight. Love finding gems like this when reading.

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Riley Reed's avatar

Thank you for reading. x

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Bay's avatar

I have always found marginalia intriguing and the examples shared here are wonderfully provocative. Marcia Tucker, founder of the New Museum in NYC, loved marginalia, too--

I always feel that the margins tell you more than the center of the page ever could.”

Marcia Tucker (A Short Life of Trouble: Forty Years in the New York Art World, University of California Press, 2008, page 1)

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Marcia Ziffren's avatar

So beautifully written, Riley. Thank you!

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Holli Thompson's avatar

So true, The journal has always been a struggle for me for this very reason.

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Evie Haun Zuroske's avatar

What a thought provoking article. Thank you Riley. I have journaled nearly every day since my life shattered almost two years ago. Sometimes the pages reveal the depth of my grief and sometimes it does not. When I have to force myself to write, I am 100% shielding myself from something and I’ve learned that that’s okay. I now trust that my writing will take me where I need to go in the moment. Anya’s thought on the permanence when writing is something I think about too. After all, how much do I really want to feel and remember days, months and years later? Your thoughtful article helps me believe that I’m on the right track.

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