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.
Stand-up, Slaps, and Suffering: What’s Wrong Got to Do with It?
By Kellie Schorr As a teen in the early 80’s in El Paso, I loved to go to restaurant named Springfire that was a favorite of college kids and high schoolers with permissive parents. It featured great barbeque, a well-stocked bar, and offered stand-up comedy...
Bodhi has Five Letters: What Your Wordle Score Doesn’t Tell Us
By Kellie Schorr *Author’s Note: This article is not about any particular person or the habit of posting your wordle score. There is no judgement of people who play/people who don’t/people who post scores. Get all...
Slow is a Speed: Three Great Places to Take Off Your Red Shoes
By Kellie Schorr When I was a child, legends, parables, conventional wisdom, old wives’ tales---whatever you want to call them---had nothing on the...
You’ll Be Fine Once You Get There: Having Tea With 2022.
By Kellie Schorr I looked forward to going to my friend’s house for dinner. I said yes, found a time that worked for us, and responded with a hearty “can’t wait to see you!” I said it. I meant it. I put a star on my calendar and picked my clothes....
The Little Drummer Boy: Mantras Amidst the Mayhem
By Kellie Schorr At an ecumenical retreat, I was sitting with a number of teachers and leaders from many religions, ethnicities, and backgrounds. We had spent the day learning how to communicate across differences and retreated that night to a fire pit...
Joy to the World: Guilt-Free Happiness for the Holiday
By Kellie Schorr Have Yourself a Merry Dharma Christmas is a series written for the holiday season combining the ever-present songs of the season with a little holiday dharma. ~ “What right have you to be merry? You’re poor enough.” Charles Dickens, A...
I Will Disappoint You: An Offering of Truth
By Kellie Schorr “I’m always gonna lift you up. I’m never gonna let you down.” Michael Bublé In the film, The King’s Mistress (Miramax, 1990), after an afternoon of delights, a suitor tells Jeanne she is his first and best lover. She smiles politely...
Permanent Impermanence: The Lost Art of 9/11
By Kellie Schorr It was Tuesday morning, and I was at home getting ready for work when a friend dropped by to give me tickets she’d picked up for me. I was wearing a pair of shorts and a beige polo shirt. My shoes were still sitting by the door waiting...
Be There Now: A Review of Cynicism and Magic by Chogyam Trungpa
By Kellie Schorr In 1974 while I was playing Star Trek in a cardboard box Enterprise, taking chess lessons, and watching Super Friends, a Buddhist Master Teacher was giving the opening series of lectures at the Naropa Institute (now Naropa University) which he...
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...