the deep dark light

Poems by Ali de Groot
Paintings by Michele Théberge

The Deep Dark Light gives you a chance to slow down, observe, read, and ponder. Twelve reflective poems and twelve meditative paintings combine to carry you on your own journey, with your own unique impressions and interpretations.

Come along with us and illuminate your memories, dreams, fears, visions, wishes. Embrace the moment in The Deep Dark Light.

Sit on the banks
of weary wondering,
open a jar
of rising tales
as you taste the distance
from solitude
to hope.

About the Author

Ali de Groot is Director of Publishing at Modern Memoirs, Inc., where she has worked since 2003. She holds a bachelor’s degree in anthropology from Tufts University, and a master’s in teaching from the School for International Training/World Learning. For 15 years prior to discovering Modern Memoirs, she taught university-level English, ESOL, and writing both in the U.S. and abroad.

She is author of two books and editor of an anthology. Her first self-published work, Learning to Speak (1999), is a dual bereavement book and memoir of her late mother. Sands of Pearl (2004), published by the non-profit American Tribute Center, is an as-told-to tribute of a 9/11 victim, commissioned by and gifted to the bereaved family. The anthology The Reader's Chair (2018), published by Modern Memoirs, Inc., includes stories and poems of members of First Person! First Night!, a monthly public reading event for writers that she co-hosted for 13 years.

Ali loves working with authors, with a “hands-off” style of editing and a belief that the raw and authentic can often express as much if not more than a heavily edited, polished work. When not at Modern Memoirs, she is usually swimming, writing, dancing, camping, or lately, practicing qigong.

About the Artist

Michele Théberge uses collage, drawing, painting, installation, and interactive projects to explore connections between the material and immaterial worlds. Her work is known for its quiet, meditative quality. With a long-standing meditation practice and deep study of nature through native traditions, Théberge welcomes people to a place of contemplation, peace, and interconnectedness with the world around us.

“Seeds of Hope,” an interactive installation at New Museum Los Gatos, invited visitors to contribute their hopes and wishes, each represented by small watercolor painting of a seed. Hospitals such as Kaiser Permanente and UCSF Medical Center have sought out her meditative arcs paintings to create a calming atmosphere for their patients.

Théberge’s works have also been exhibited in museums and galleries worldwide, including the Museum of Kyoto, Sharjah Art Museum (United Arab Emirates), Sakai City Museum and the San Francisco Museum of Craft and Folk Art. She has been an affiliate artist at the Headlands Center for the Arts and a resident artist at the Morris Graves Foundation in Arcata, California and at In Cahoots Residency in Petaluma, California. She is also the recipient of two grants from the Center for Cultural Innovation. She holds a joint BFA/BA degree from Tufts University and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts and an MFA from California College of the Arts.

Find out more at micheletheberge.com.

She divides her time between Oakland and Occidental, California, where she wanders the woods taking frequent pauses to marvel at native plants. When indoors, she can be found meditating, banging on her vintage Ludwig drumkit, honing her napping skills, or dancing around the kitchen.