Where Writers Write: Brian Griffith

Welcome to another installment of TNBBC's Where Writers Write!

Where Writers Write is a weekly series that will feature a different author every Wednesday as they showcase their writing spaces using short form essay, photos, and/or video. As a lover of books and all of the hard work that goes into creating them, I thought it would be fun to see where the authors roll up their sleeves and make the magic happen. 

Brian Griffith is an independent historian who's interested in culture wars and cultural creativity. So far he's published four books. The Gardens of Their Dreams: Desertification and Culture in World History examines how environmental degradation has affected society across the center of the Old World from ancient times forward. Correcting Jesus: 2000 Years of Changing the Story and Different Visions of Love: Partnership and Dominator Cultures in Christian History reflect on the culture wars that have raged within Christianity from the religion's beginning down to the present. A Galaxy of Immortal Women: The Yin Side of Chinese Civilization explores the alternative traditions and religions of Chinese women, which offer the world a powerful vision for partnership, health, and spirituality. Griffith lives in a multicultural marriage in the multicultural hub of Toronto.

Where Brian Griffith Writes

Here's my solarium tower, shown with the blinds pulled aside for a 10th floor view of Toronto's burbs. The view out the windows has remained almost unchanged for years in this economy. About half the year, the outside world is cold, gray, or just iced over. But that's okay for focusing on the screen or pieces of paper without distraction. For some reason, however, I always seem to write about other parts of the world. The flower pots seem to have baby date palms growing in them, because I ate dates on the job and tossed the seeds there. Guess we'll soon need a neon flamingo to go with the palm trees.

The office's interior walls are also of glass, as you see looking through them in the picture from the dining room table, The reference books and boxes of notes are fairly under control, and mostly inside drawers or bedroom closets. If my clutter was exposed to view, it would be clearly visible from the surrounding living and dining areas, which would clash with my wife's clean and open style of life. The desk has a fairly big surface, but still holds little more than the computer equipment, keyboard, and mouse pad. To use notes for writing or to keep style sheets for editing, I need to set up folding tables to the side. Anyway, that's the condo writing life -- small spaces with big views.

Check back next week to see where Kristy Athens gets her writing done.