Kellie Schorr works as a commissioned novelist who writes mystery genre novels for traditional publishers. Her published credentials also include: journal articles, short stories, and a two-year stint writing for a web-comic. Kellie’s fiction is represented by the Kathryn Green Literary Agency. Kellie has been practicing meditation for nearly 20 years. Her practice is housed in the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism. She is currently studying Vajrayana and Dzogchen as a member of the Buddhist Yogis Sangha from Ngapka International. She lives and works in rural Virginia with her partner, Cathy, and three beagles. Her favorite word is chiaroscuro. You can contact or find more about her at The Bottom Line.
A Haunted Path: Can We Have Equanimity in an Unjust World?
By Kellie Schorr There’s a sticky, sweet smell in the crisp morning air rising from the verdant grass as droplets of dew descend from the branches of the trees overhead. It’s still early enough for the sun to be both bright but mild; It marks the stone-paved...
Meeting Your First Teacher: How to Begin a Body-Positive Path
By Kellie Schorr Dr. Maya Angelou met her teacher, Bertha Flowers, after childhood trauma took away her ability to speak for five years. Flowers took Maya Angelou to the library, brought books home for her to read, and was instrumental in helping Dr....
Walkin’ After Midnight: A Two-Step for the Path of Change
By Kellie Schorr “I go out walkin’ after midnight out in the moonlight, just like we used to do. I’m always walkin’ after midnight searching for you.” ~Patsy Cline Like every teen in the early 80’s my world had the best music imaginable: Bon...
The Lighthouse: What to do When Your Compassion Isn’t Welcome
By Kellie Schorr Many years ago, while working as the leader of a youth group, I took some teens to a weekend “lock in” with young people and leaders from other places. The event leader set up a service project to feed the homeless who gathered in a certain...
What Do You Get for the Year that has Everything? A Promise for 2021
By Kellie Schorr Dear 2021, I see you. Here you come down the lane with your bags packed and your hands empty. We’ve had such a party planned for you. Every day we hand 2020 an eviction notice and make more space for you to settle in and start something...
Bodhi Trees and Reindeer Paws: Walking the Path of Light
By Kellie Schorr Has there ever been a more serviceable word in Buddhism than the word path? It represents one of the most foundational and relatable ideas that we have. Think of all the ways we have used this word in our practice. Q: Is Buddhism a religion of...
Justice Passing: Finding the Middle Way in the Shadow of RBG
By Kellie Schorr I passed the test. Again. This week it was baseball. Last week it was Batman. Two weeks ago, it was Star Wars trivia. Last month it was a computer game. With football season just getting started, it won’t...
How I Started in Vajrayana: Following Batman onto the Path
By Kellie Schorr "How I Started…" is a series of articles sponsored by The Tattooed Buddha to trace the beginnings of our authors' unique journeys. I am Vajrayogini. Red in body, I hold a hook knife to cut away...
Serving Right Speech: Why We Shouldn’t Call Her a “Karen” (No Shade)
By Kellie Schorr DJ, gimme a beat… Strike a pose: Suburban Busy Trendy The Haircut The Minivan The Walk The Snarl The Cellphone... The Karen Now, Hold. That. Pose. For. Me. This caricature of white, suburban,...
Waiting for a Flood: The Difference Between Weakness, Vulnerability, and the Bullies Around Us
By Kellie Schorr “Are you waiting for a flood?” I was never bullied as a kid. When the topic of bullies comes up and I reveal I was not a target, people generally look surprised. I had all the attributes of “bully bait.” I was the...
A Tale of Two Lamas: Surya Das, Sexual Misconduct, and The Stories We Tell
By Kellie Schorr “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the...
Politics and Prayer Beads: Finding the Path in Portland and Beyond
By Kellie Schorr It was a time of war. Acrid smoke stung the nose of the terrified woman cradling her infant son, huddled behind a wooden cart while the thatched roof of her home burns, billowing her dreams into the sky along with her...
That Breathing Thing: What to Remember Before You Burn The Bridge
By Kellie Schorr My father worked for a defense contractor so we moved every two years. They weren’t little moves from one side of town to the other. They were big honking cultural change kinds of moves---the Marshall Islands to North...
Masks, Monuments, and Moments: How to Become a Great Ancestor
By Kellie Schorr I was walking out of the grocery store on this simmering summer day, a bead of sweat edging toward my gray cloth mask with a coffee filter inside, when I saw her. She was tiny compared to my six-foot frame, inching step...
Please Stop Teaching Me
By Kellie Schorr This used to be on the top 5 list of things I never thought I’d say. But, here it is: Please stop teaching me. I tried to treat this thought in the Buddhist method of dealing with arising feelings---greet it, and let it...