As a journalist, I often get to connect with people throughout the year who are smart and thoughtful, and I treasure what they say about their life and work. Their ideas about hope come back to mind each January as I try to cultivate a brighter view of the future. A new year can renew our sense of possibility, though that kind of confidence might be hard in such an anxious world.
Here are some pearls of wisdom I encountered last year, words that have helped me keep things in perspective.
Last October, I attended an evening program with Essie Chambers, winner of the 2025 Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence. Now in its 18th year, the award honors the legacy of Gaines, the Louisiana author best known for “The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman” and “A Gathering of Old Men.” I’ve worked in a small way as a volunteer for the awards program, which is curated by the Baton Rouge Area Foundation, so meeting Chambers was special for me…