A Walk Through Time – Acoma Sky City
On my recent travels in America, I visited Acoma Sky City, New Mexico. The experience made me feel lightheaded. I am not sure if it was just the altitude (6,460 feet), or a touch of vertigo - Acoma Rock, is 357-feet above the surrounding land with sheer cliff edges on all sides. Perhaps it was something else altogether. Visiting Sky City, the oldest continuously occupied community in what is now the US, felt like a journey into a fourth dimension.
Reaching the summit was a breathtaking experience. The panoramic view is unlike anything I've ever seen. The vast expanse of desert stretches out in every direction, a sea of sand and rock punctuated by distant mountains. How this isolated community managed to endure for so long in such a harsh landscape, and then under the cruelty of the European invaders, is a testament to human resilience.
Today, Acoma Sky City remains a living, breathing community. The arduous path up and down the ancient stone steps, once essential for survival, can now be taken by mini-bus. However, visitors can still take the steps if they choose, and this way is recommended. With each step, the walker traces the footsteps of countless generations before them, connecting to a shared human experience. It’s a reminder that walking can be both an everyday necessity for survival, and something sacred and transcendent.
As walking artists, writers and creatives, many of you will have experienced some transcendent aspect of walking. Perhaps, for you, walking is meditation, or a way to connect to inspiration, or an act of defiance against the status quo. Whatever your reason to walk, walk · listen · create has plenty of opportunities to share your experiences, connect with others and explore the power of walking as a creative act.
On 20 August, join us on A Coastal Treasure Hunt. Our Walking Writers Salon guest Kathryn Tann will discuss her new book Seaglass, a collection of essays blending nature writing and memoir and exploring how connecting with nature can help us navigate life’s challenges.
And on 27 August, why not come Walking by Midnight. Clare Qualmann, founder of the Walking Artists Network, will chat with artist Eléonore Ozanne about her Women Walking at Night event, a collective walk, at night, conducted by women in several cities at the same time.
Finally, don’t forget to polish your entries for our upcoming competitions and awards. The deadline is fast approaching for our writing competition: Write About Walking Together. Submit your flash fiction or poems, 250 words or less, on the theme of ‘walking together’, for cash prizes, art, and a chance to get published.
You’ve got until the end of September to submit your sound walk for Sound Walk September. And remember, any sound walk that was produced in 2023 and 2024 and is submitted to the walk · listen · create website is eligible. Keep walking and enjoy the journey!
Keep walking and enjoy the journey!
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Writer, walker, digital storyteller, psychogeographer
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Placecloud
Researchers use Placecloud to mark sites of significance with short podcasts.
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Free for supporting members, open to everyone
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2024-08-20 18:00
· Online
Kathryn Tann is our guest for August's Walking Writers Salon discussing her debut volume of essays "Seaglass". Keep reading
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Latest podcast episodes
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Join @thebuzzknight for this episode with singer-songwriter Peter Himmelman. Peter was the first music guest on Takin A Walk at the beginning of the journey, and he... Start listening
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Libby and Alex discuss the importance of supporting friends and how to show up for them. They reflect on their recent experience of supporting each other during one... Start listening
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This month’s show features music from Rachel Sermanni, Naomi Bedford and Paul Simmonds, Sam Lee, Kinghfishr, Linda Thompson and Fink. Lucy Shields has all the lates... Start listening
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Join @thebuzzknight for this episode of Takin A Walk with founding member of the classic rock band Blue Oyster Cult Buck Dharma. If you have questions or comments ... Start listening
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Join @thebuzzknight with this Classic Replay with Country Music Singer Songwriter Russell Dickerson. He continues to share his unstoppable energy as he tours the co... Start listening
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New walking pieces
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A soundscape created by me based on field recordings in a Swiss mountain town Keep reading
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Upcoming events
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2024-08-11 12:00
· Balham Station London Underground Station, Underground Ltd, Balham High Road, London, UK
South of the River Thames the buildings are dense, and green spaces are in short supply. All the same, great rhomboids of park land dot the landscape on what was co... Keep reading
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13 - 31 Aug, 2024
· Catalonia, Spain
El Grand Tour project curated by Clara Gari of Nau Côclea in Camallera, Spain which this year celebrates its 10th edition, is a 250+ km, three-week walk that partic... Keep reading
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Eighteen years ago, I was doing contract communications work with a New South Wales (NSW) Government natural resource management agency. I recall a meeting about ho... Keep reading
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This recent post from Treecreate explores a recent creative experiment that touches on … Keep reading
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New zine! If you’re Minneapolis, you can pick one up for free from a selection of Free Little Libraries on Colfax Ave S, or you can order online. Check out Edible ... Keep reading
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The Newport Rising of 1839 A Newport Declamation: These are the women and men of Newport, The charged and imprisoned; We shall remember them. Saint Leonard of Nobla... Keep reading
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When we were in Venice in July, I had the incredible opportunity to … Keep reading
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The Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA) is currently hosting Judy Watson’s retrospective exhibition, "mudunara: kundulama: wandaral: jararibirri... Keep reading
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Dear Wisconsin friends! I hope you’ll join me this Saturday, and share with your people in the region: Saturday, Aug 17, 2024 – 3pm Author and Artist Talk with Elle... Keep reading
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A Canterbury 4WCoP24 walk on Saturday 7th September 2024, 10-11.30am. The Church and Parish Hall of St Paul’s without the Walls is on Church Street Saint Paul’s, Ca... Keep reading
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Latest videos
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Walking Books are shared by members of the Australian Walking Artists at their monthly online gathering. An audio snippet is played from Amy Tsilemanis' bookish podcast Gather. Keep reading
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Stuff we found
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[Episcopal News Service] Fifty years ago, on the morning of Aug. 7, 1974, Philippe Petit, a French highwire artist, made history when he wire-walked on a 131-foot c... Keep reading
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