Janet Mason, author

Heartfelt, Thought-Provoking, and hopeful…Mason's compelling latest novel lays bare the quiet yet relentless struggle for freedom within the heart of a dairy farm, where survival and empathy collide in the bond between a cow and her conflicted farmer. Wary of her fate, Cinnamon, a talking cow, hesitantly befriends Jody, the farmer who “owns” her, hoping this bond might bring freedom.read more ... https://wix.to/lPCxkWb

In the interest of continuing to connect my past with my present, I am posting a poem from my collection a woman alone that I wrote twenty-five years ago when I was on a pilgrimage to the poet Sappho's homeland in Lesvos, Greece.read more .... https://wix.to/iKKhw8X

My mother told me that when she was a girl that my grandmother would tell her stories about her own childhood. Her favorite stories were about the People's Theater...read more ... https://wix.to/WvUkNLJ

"So this is what the Goddess Ishtar looks like." Tabitha held the bas-relief on her lap so that it faced the children."She's NAKED!" exclaimed Zerah. “Just like in the story. And she's really pretty. She looks just like you Mama -- when you wash -- except her breasts are bigger.""And you don't have wings," chimed in Pharez. "Wait a minute. Where's her penis?"read more ... https://wix.to/aSfZvC8

In the end, it was Linda who saved her. She started coming to visit when Art was in the County Jail. Art still remembered their first visit with the glass window between them when Linda was fighting back tears. Linda said that she left Tommy after he told her he and Cal set Art up the first time she had been busted.read more.... https://wix.to/aXZHyDk

Casey looked like she was suppressing a snicker, but then she said with the utmost conviction:      “Yes, people may be able to delude themselves into thinking they're just eating burgers, but what they are really eating is the future and the air their grandchildren could have breathed.”read more ... https://wix.to/NaOWi8E

a woman aloneis her name--undeciphered inhieroglyphswritten on wallsread more.... https://wix.to/vJ4IjKZ

"It seems that I don't only have a nephew," Tamar said as Orpah turned toward her with the other infant. "I have a niece, too.""What are you talking about?" asked Orpah.read more here .... https://wix.to/8ZFT65A

I've heard that humans like to eat pigs and call the strips of fleshbacon but have never seen it before. I had just smelled it one morningin the pasture when my cow friend from childhood remarked, “Oh, thesmell of bacon is particularly strong today.” Then she proceeded to tellme what bacon was. When I looked horrified, she said simply, “Don'tworry, I never heard of cows being turned into bacon.”“As if that solves the problem,” I had retorted.read more ... https://wix.to/Ix42vTJ

Lately, I've been thinking about the importance of connecting the dots between the past and present. I was a poet before I was a prose writer, and I decided to find my broadside of Boobs Away and bring the poem back to you! The video of me reading the poem now is below, and under that I pasted the text of the poem.read more ... https://wix.to/qLuZ8QC

The look the cow gave me was cold and hard. Her eyes narrowed andbecame glassy. The air between us seemed to crackle. She didn't need tospeak to tell me she felt betrayed.read more ... https://wix.to/MN31nE5

Discover a Cow's Path to Freedom in Janet Mason's Latest Novel: Cinnamon In her latest novel, Cinnamon: a dairy cow's (and her farmer's) path to freedom, author Janet Mason tells a moving tale through the eyes of Cinnamon, a wise, witty and unexpectedly vocal dairy cow. Cinnamon forges an unlikely friendship with Jody, the farmer that owns her, sparking a journey of mutual transformations. When Cinnamon's friend Spice falls ill, Jody's compassion awakens, ultimately, leading her to abandon animal products and reimagine her farm as a sanctuary instead of a place of production.read more ... https://wix.to/ISXF5Bw

We are all animals and have much to learn from other, nonhuman animals.  My little cat reminds me to be content and happy with the simple things in life—a place to sit (a windowsill will do); something to eat, and pleasure and curiosity. Peanut came to us several Mother's Days ago, when abandoned and starving, she showed up in our backyard. She is a reminder of how a little being can come into your life and make a world of difference. This morning, when she woke me up by licking my arm—she reminded me of the power of love, as always. I am honored to have her sit with me when I write.read more ... https://wix.to/gjAJVV2

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read more ... https://wix.to/q35t4nN

Lately, I've been consciously taking care of my mental health. Perhaps this is because we are increasingly living in a toxic society—so it seems to me.Perhaps it is because I am a writer and the flip side of having the muse come to me and insisting that I write a novel in a few months, leaves a huge swirling void inside of me, where negative emotions can and do linger.Read more on https://wix.to/BRuFMZj

Excerpt from my interview in Adelaide Literary Magazine about the real-life inspiration for my novel CINNAMON, a dairy cow's (and her farmer's) path to freedom. Read more... https://wix.to/1ZDsK0n

I thought I'd post this week about a very interesting book I found on holistic eye care titled Enlivening Consciousness.learn more on my author blog: Holistic Eye Care — Enlivening Consciousness— More reasons to #govegan #amreading | Janet Mason, author

This morning, I participated in a Unitarian Universalist service on security, both inner and outer security. In my reflection, I lead a short Buddhist exercise on feeling more secure in side, how my Buddhist skills helped me handle the harassment of my novel THEY, a biblical tale of secret genders (Adelaide Books; New York & Lisbon; 2018), and how compassion is always the healthy choice.read more on my author blog: ”Yay Us!” — Compassion as inner security — a #UU take #amreading #Faithfullylgbt | Janet Mason, author

As a result of the ongoing harassment of my novel THEY, a biblical tale of secret genders, I have decided to bring you excerpts of THEY on a regular basis. Thinking about the psyche of the harasser, brought to mind my late mother's saying: “ Twinkle Twinkle Little Star What You Say Is What You Are.”read more on my author blog: The Serpent — a reading from THEY and some thoughts on hate — “twinkle, twinkle little star, what you say is what you are” #amreading #faithfullylgbt | Janet Mason, author

dairy cow's (and her farmer's) path to freedom, (published in 2024 by Adelaide Books – New York and Lisbon). This piece takes place at the local ThanksLiving gathering (a vegan celebration of Thanksgiving) where the narrator Jody hears Dr. Will Tuttle speak. Although the novel is fiction, I did hear Dr. Will Tuttle speak at our local ThanksLiving celebration and I credit this (along with knowing some dairy cows) among the top reasons I went vegan now more than five years ago. This decision was life changing!read more on my author blog: What would Pythagoras do — reading from Cinnamon, a dairy cow's (and her farmer's) path to freedom #govegan #amreading | Janet Mason, author

This week I decided to share an excerpt from my novel THEY, a biblical tale of secret genders (Adelaide Books – New York & Lisbon). Although the novel was published in 2018, it has recently come to my attention because it has been seriously harassed online by white supremacists who have harassed me with a barrage of homophobia, antisemitism, and the threat of book burnings. As a practicing Buddhist, I do believe in having compassion for everyone and I do, including for the harassers. Because of them, I have decided to revisit this novel and for that I am thankful. These few paragraphs I am bringing you are from Book Two, Chapter Thirteen of THEY, a biblical tale of secret genders where my main character, Tamar, is reborn in the womb of the Mother, with her twin brother Yeshua.read more on my author blog: Compassion for the harassers—revisiting THEY, a biblical tale of secret genders #FaithfullyLGBT #amreading | Janet Mason, author

Since the presidential election this past November, I've been increasingly harassed online for my novel THEY, a biblical tale of secret genders (Adelaide Books NY/Lisbon; 2018). For the most part, I've ignored it. But this time the harassment was so bad, threatening me with book burnings, going to hell and with antisemitism. I know we're living in a time of increased hatred, including anti-LGBTQ sentiment and antisemitism, but this was kind of jaw-dropping. I think this harassment missed its mark though, in terms of making me frightened. Maybe it's because I've been through so much, but this kind of harassment just makes me more determined. In my book, religion belongs to everyone and there has always been different genders. In that way, fiction is a fact. I decided to bring you the opening paragraphs of THEY.

This morning, I participated in a Valentine's Day service at Unitarian Universalists of Mt. Airy, and offered the following reflection on inclusion, including insights on the diversity leading up to the election still being here—in spite of everything; thoughts on a possible spike in people becoming healthy vegans in light of an already over burdened “health”care system threatening to become worse; and the power of community.read the text on my author blog: Some UU thoughts on inclusion and a possible rise in the number of people going to a healthy vegan diet — #UU #diversity #LGBTQ #amreading | Janet Mason, author

This week, I decided to post this excerpt from my novel Cinnamon: a dairy cow's path (and her farmer's) to freedom (published by Adelaide Books in New York and Lisbon) which I first wrote five years ago. This section is based on my partner's description of The Cow Sanctuary. I later visited the sanctuary several times. The Cow Sanctuary, where cows and other animals can live out their natural lives, is a truly magical place. This section is written from the point of view of the female dairy farmer who turns her farm into a sanctuary. Cinnamon (the name of the dairy cow) is written as a tribute to the important work that sanctuary owners and operators do every day. The excerpt is recorded on YouTube below and under that is the text of the same excerpt.read an excerpt on my author blog: CINNAMON— in celebration of the work of #sanctuaries #amreading #plant-based | Janet Mason, author

You can read this reflection or view it on my YouTube video (also on my blog) at: A writer's origins—a #UU reflection honoring Sonia Sanchez #Poetry #amreading | Janet Mason, author

You can read this excerpt from my novel CINNAMON, a dairy cow's (and her farmer's) path to freedom on my blog or view the YouTube video (also on my blog) at: CINNAMON Chosen as one of top LGBTQ Christian Books of the year—#amreading #faithfullylgbt | Janet Mason, author

You can read this reflection on my blogpost or view the YouTube video (also on my blog) at: Becoming Stronger Through Presence — a #UU reflection #Buddhism #amreading | Janet Mason, author

Read an excerpt from my novel Cinnamon, a dairy cow's (and her farmer's) path to freedom on my blog (or view the YouTube video (also on my blog) at: ”a rippling tradition” — CINNAMON and religion #FaithfullyLGBT #plantbased #amreading | Janet Mason, author

You can read the review on my blog or see the review on a YouTube video (on the same page): Trigger, Poems by Maria Fama — revisiting the past and present #amreading #poetry | Janet Mason, author

This weekend, I participated in a Unitarian Universalist service on pluralism and the origins of Memorial Day and mentioned my most recent novel Cinnamon: a dairy cow's (and her farmer's) path to freedom which was just published by Adelaide Books (New York/ Lisbon). The You Tube video of the talk is below and the text is below that. read more on my blog: Being many things at once and a new novel: #intersectional #LGBTQ #Animalrights #amreading | Janet Mason, author (wordpress.com)

This is an excerpt from my novel Cinnamon: a dairy cow's (and her farmer's) path to freedom published in the Spring of 2024 by Adelaide Books (Lisbon and New York). The recording of the reading is below on YouTube and the text is pasted below that. read more on my blog: ”Moo River” — #amreading from a new #novel CINNAMON: a dairy cow's (and her farmer's) path to freedom | Janet Mason, author (wordpress.com)

Today I'm posting an excerpt from my novel, CINNAMON. The recording from YouTube is below and the text is below that. The novel is pro-cow and pro-farmer. Enjoy! read more on my blog: Telling It Like It Is — reading from CINNAMON a dairy cow's (and her farmer's) path to freedom #amreading #govegan #LGBTQauthors | Janet Mason, author (wordpress.com)

I'm posting the first chapter from my novel CINNAMON, a dairy cow's (and her farmer's) path to freedom. The novel is pro-cow, pro-farmer and this first chapter is told by Cinnamon, the cow. Below the You Tube video is the text. Enjoy! more on my blog: ”Wow! Look at her go!”—reading from Cinnamon; #amreading #vegan #sanctuary | Janet Mason, author (wordpress.com)

This is excerpted from my essay titled The American Sappho: In Pursuit of a Lesbian Emily Dickinson originally published in the Harrington Lesbian Fiction Quarterly HLFQ in 2002. more on my blog: A Lesbian reading of Emily Dickinson—#LGBT #LesbianLit #amreading | Janet Mason, author (wordpress.com)

Second Chances and Loving Artemis: #LGBT #addictions #amreading April 20, 2024 by Janet Mason When I heard that the I Heart Sapph Fiction website was featuring books that spoke to the topic of addiction and that my novel Loving Artemis, an endearing tale of revolution, love, and marriage (Thorned Heart Press; 2022) was being published, I decided to post an excerpt. This is from the ending of the novel which tells the story of Art, short for Artemis, who was a drug dealer in high school, got caught, went to reform school, and then a few years later deals again, is caught, and sentenced to prison. After a few years, she gets released and eventually marries the love of her life, Linda, and goes on to lead her lesbian life. I have always believed in second chances, and this is Art's story. I am reading the excerpt from Loving Artemis below on Youtube and have pasted the words on my blog below. *** In the end, it was Linda who saved her. She started coming to visit when Art was in the County Jail. Art still remembered their first visit with the glass window between them when Linda was fighting back tears. Linda said that she left Tommy after he told her he and Cal set Art up the first time she had been busted. “They had the whole thing planned,” Linda had said. “Tommy polished off two six packs the night that he told me this, and he acted like he thought it was funny. Then he demanded to know if you and I were ever lovers. I told him we were, and that I was still in love with you. He said he suspected as much because things were never right between us. I packed up our things and took Clio with me back to my mother's house that night.” Then Linda held her hand up against the dirty glass window between them and said she was sorry for leaving her, that she had been young and stupid and just doing what she thought she should be doing. Linda named her daughter Clio after one of the Muses. She told Art she chose the name from Greek mythology so that she would think of Art whenever she said her daughter's name. After Linda came to visit, Art signed up for auto mechanic classes in the prison. Linda came every week, and when Art pressed her hand against the glass opposite Linda's, she remembered being a teenager and wishing on the evening star to marry Linda and spend her life with her.  *** This is Janet Mason reading from my novel Loving Artemis, an endearing tale of revolution, love, and marriage published by Thorned Heart Press. For more information on my most recent novel Loving Artemis, an endearing tale of revolution, love, and marriage, click here. To read another excerpt from Loving Artemis, click here. Second Chances and Loving Artemis: #LGBT #addictions #amreading | Janet Mason, author (wordpress.com)

A Cash Cow I wandered back to my place next to Spice's side and before she could ask me how it went, I said to her matter-of-factly, “Tell me what you know about money.” She blinked her big eyes in surprise. The fringe of her thick lashes seemed to lengthen. “Money?” she asked. “What makes you ask about that?” “I heard Sunflower talking about it one day,” I replied. “I had never heard the word before, but it seemed important.” I didn't tell Spice that Sunflower had mentioned money in terms of having to borrow some to get Spice's illness treated. I didn't want to remind Spice that she had been ill. She had been doing so well lately. She was almost back to her old self, but I could tell that she was a little wobbly. “'Sunflower?'” “That's the name that I gave to the farmer. She named us so I thought I would name her.” Spice regarded me levelly and nodded. “'Sunflower,' I like that. Maybe you were right when you said the farmer had a lot in common with us. I became close to her when I was sick. I heard her talk about money a few times. It seems like she is always worried about it.” Now it was my time to nod. “Was she talking to you?” I asked, my tail flicking a fly from my side. “Yes, she was. But I don't think she knew I understood her. Do you want to learn about money or not?” I looked at her expectantly and held my long tongue. “Well one time she – I mean Sunflower – was talking to me about money and another time, I heard her talking to one of the farm hands when she was on the way to come see me when I was still in quarantine.” “And?”  “I was just getting to it. Please be patient.” I wondered which farmhand, Spice overheard Sunflower talking to. But I didn't want to ask too many questions. I inhaled deeply and exhaled. The air in the pasture smelled like us – like cows and cow dung. There was probably a little cow pee mixed into the scent. It also smelled like the fresh grass that had been planted there just for us. It smelled like home. “When I overheard her talking to the farmhand, she mentioned that she couldn't pay him on time because the property taxes had gone up. The farmhand seemed to understand.” It must have been Jimmy, I thought. Ham Sandwich would never accept not being paid on time. “Property taxes?!” I asked. “You mean they charge money to live here?” Spice nodded. “Money” – explained Spice – “is something that humans made up. Sometimes their self-worth is based on it – you know their self-importance.” I widened my eyes. “I didn't know this,” I replied. Well, now you do,” retorted Spice. “When humans have more money, they feel superior to other humans who have less money.” This didn't make any sense to me. I couldn't hold my tongue any longer. “Why would anyone want to feel superior to anyone else?” “Don't be silly. There's always a pecking order – even among cows,” Spice replied. “Not to mention the fact that we used to be money.” “Be money! Us!?” I could barely contain my curiosity. She looked at me coolly and chewed her cud. “I meant what I said,” she said finally. “An old cow told me that in ancient times the kings valued their worth on how many cows they owned. They even invaded other lands and took the cows as their own. Haven't you ever heard the expression ‘a cash cow'?” I shook my head. “I never heard of such an expression. It sounds ridiculous. We don't exist to make some king wealthy.” This is Janet Mason reading from my novel Cinnamon: a dairy cow's (and her farmer's) path to freedom (published by Adelaide Books in New York and Lisbon). Cinnamon is available as a traditional book and as an e-book. You can find it where books are sold online, and through your local bookstores and libraries. This reading is for YouTube and Spotify. To read my post on being intersectional, click here: Being many things at once and a new novel: #intersectional #LGBTQ #Animalrights #amreading | Janet Mason, author (wordpress.com) My most recent novel is available on the publisher's website: CINNAMON: a dairy cow's (and her farmer's) path to freedom | Adelaide Literary Magazine (adelaidebooks.org) and on amazon.com: Cinnamon: A dairy cow's (and her farmer's) path to freedom: Mason, Janet: 9781958419786: Amazon.com: Books more on my blog: What's Money? A cow's perspective —reading from a #newnovel #lgbt #intersectional #amreading | Janet Mason, author (wordpress.com)

THREE FIGS Direct from the store on a hot July morning you bound brilliant and sunny through the front door in your hands three green plump figs wrapped in leaves the first of the season brought into the grocery from a neighbor's tree It's still too soon for our backyard tree to bear its large purple figs we will pick in September you in the yellow Italian soccer shirt, I in the matching blue, delighted with the figs and each other  we laugh as though we still were the teenagers we were when we first met You say as long as we are together we will always be fifteen It is high summer now in a light filled dining room we savor and share three green figs on two china plates. more on my blog: Traveling back through time—“Three Figs” and “Trigger”, a new book of #poetry by Maria Fama #amreading | Janet Mason, author (wordpress.com)

As I was saying recently to a friend, after five years of being a healthy vegan, it makes sense to me that what we eat affects our health, that the animals deserve not to be eaten and not to suffer in any way, and that we all need to be concerned about the planet. Despite my decades of conditioning (some would say brainwashing), going to a healthy plant-based diet opened my eyes and changed my life. I initially went to a healthy vegan diet because of a health condition (the results have been remarkable) and then went through a consciousness-raising about the animals and the environment, which inspired my novel Cinnamon: a dairy cow's (and her farmer's) path to freedom published just recently by Adelaide Books. So, I am also a vegan for ethical reasons. But when it comes to old friends, I am concerned about the human animal. Recently, when an old friend suffered a very serious heart attack, which rendered her unconscious for two weeks, I ordered UnDo It! written by Dean Ornish, M.D., and his wife, Anne Ornish. I was impressed with the explanations of the science and the proof supporting healthy plant-based eating. The book also talks about the importance of having a gratitude practice, something that I've recently incorporated into my life.  After telling us that a gratitude practice has been proven to lower blood pressure, and reduce stress, along with offering other health benefits, the authors write: “Gratitude often naturally bubbles up when you're feeling upbeat, happy, and well. Yet when you consciously practice gratitude—especially during hardship—it can actually improve your health while breeding deeper contentment and love in your life. … Letting your heart open to acknowledge the grace around you and to savor the preciousness of your life is the first step. This means shifting your awareness so that you can begin to notice the small, subtle things that spark joy and nourish your heart, such as your warm cup of morning tea, the splendor of the sunrise, or simply feeling blessed when you wake up and get to greet a new day.” When I read UnDo It by Dr. Dean Ornish and Anne Ornish (published in 2019 by Ballentine Books), my life was greatly enriched, and I knew it was the right book to send to an old friend who needs it. This is Janet Mason reviewing for Book Tube and Spotify. My most recent novel is available on amazon.com: Cinnamon: A dairy cow's (and her farmer's) path to freedom: Mason, Janet: 9781958419786: Amazon.com: Books more on my blog: Undo It! — connecting to ourselves and others #govegan #amreading #animalrights | Janet Mason, author (wordpress.com)

When I heard that the I Heart Sapph Fiction website was featuring books that spoke to the topic of time travel and that my novel THEY, a biblical tale of secret genders (Adelaide Books – New York and Lisbon; 2018) was being featured, I decided to do this excerpt from Book Two where the main character Tamar is reincarnated and reborn along with her twin Yeshua. more on my website Traveling through time with THEY—#IheartSapphFiction #LGBTQ #amreading | Janet Mason, author (wordpress.com)

Te text of my essay about Berenice Abbott appears on my author blog: The Lens of Eternity in Sinister Wisdom: #lgbt #BereniceAbbott #amreading #writingcommunity | Janet Mason, author (wordpress.com)

The text of this review of The Pagoda is on my author blog at The Pagoda in review — revisiting the old days #LGBT #amreading | Janet Mason, author (wordpress.com)

This podcast is written about on my author blog at Second Chances and Loving Artemis: #LGBT #addictions #amreading | Janet Mason, author (wordpress.com)

This piece, inspired by the Gospel of Mary Magdalene is written about on my author blog at: History Revealed: Gospel according to Mary — #amreading #FaithfullyLGBT #TheGnosticGospels | Janet Mason, author (wordpress.com)

This poem -- and related information -- is on my author blog at Bringing Together the Past and Present—#Poetry #LGBTPoetry #amreading | Janet Mason, author (wordpress.com)

My essay about the late Toni P. Brown can be found on my author blog at 'Dreadlocks”: remembering an important #lesbian poet #ToniBrown | Janet Mason, author (wordpress.com)

The Dickinson House can be found on my author blog at: Revisiting Lesbians in History: #Lesfic #EmilyDickinson #LGBT #amreading | Janet Mason, author (wordpress.com)

The excerpt of this essay can be found on my author blog at: A Lesbian reading of Emily Dickinson—#LGBT #LesbianLit #amreading | Janet Mason, author (wordpress.com)

This review is featured on my author website and can be found at The Highest Apple in review — how #lesbian literature can change lives | Janet Mason, author (wordpress.com)

It's my pleasure to post a review of The Highest Apple – Sappho and the Lesbian Poetic Tradition by Judy Grahn (in 2024) re-published by Sinister Wisdom as part of its Sapphic Classic line. The video of the review is above (on YouTube ) and the text of the review is below. The Highest Apple in review — how #lesbian literature can change lives | Janet Mason, author (wordpress.com)

This is excerpted from my essay titled The American Sappho: In Pursuit of a Lesbian Emily Dickinson originally published in the Harrington Lesbian Fiction Quarterly HLFQ in 2002. The text is published on my blog: A Lesbian reading of Emily Dickinson—#LGBT #LesbianLit #amreading | Janet Mason, author (wordpress.com)