Emma Catherwood

WELCOME, KEEPER.

Not everyone notices the forgotten things. The old key beneath fallen leaves. The train ticket tucked inside an antique book. The map with one corner missing. The story hidden inside an ordinary object. The Keepers do. They believe imagination begins with curiosity. If you've ever picked up an old key and wondered where it belonged...You've always been one of us.

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Many years ago, I subscribed to a newsletter called Small Stones, created by a husband-and-wife team. Every month, they sent updates on the small pieces of writing they had produced, the observations they had made of the sun, the light, and the dust of their everyday lives. These were small sentences (Stones) of poetry. A glimpse of something ordinary and magical. The newsletter eventually stopped, but even now, twenty years later, I still think of the concept of the things we don't notice, the beauty of the everyday, as Small Stones. 

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This life we have is busy and fast for a lot of us. The world of AI is growing at a rate we can't comprehend, and we treat it like a toy. It's fun. Instead of getting lost in it, I've found myself moving toward a slower life for my kids and myself. More nature, more time spent cultivating skills: knitting, sewing, painting, woodworking, growing food. Using landlines.

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When I set up this website, I wanted to give something back to those who love books like I do. I'm definitely being presumptuous, but I figure those who are curious will sign up, and those who aren't won't. Either way, I'm going to keep publishing. 

 

Once a month I will be sending you my small poems inspired by the everyday, in hopes they will inspire you. I’ll send you photographs I’ve taken and spells for the seasons, pieces of folklore that can be woven into your life. Snippets of knowledge. 

I don't know what happened to the couple who created Small Stones, but I hope they are well and still creating.