Welcome to Ra’s Spiral Path
The Website of Sarah J Batchelder
Writer < Weaver > Storyteller
Writer, Weaver, and Storyteller
Weaving words and wisdom
Intuitive Tapestry Weaver
I can keep big pictures and stories in mind, while refining details.
Lifelong Learner
As a mother of a tween, educational specialist, and former children’s librarian, I strive to make learning fun.
Copy Editor and Writer
Words matter. And how they are presented matters as well.
Solution Oriented DIY’er
I practice by doing and experimenting and accept failure as a part of the learning process.
Maker of Quirky Items
I find joy in the strange and weird. Do you too? I now have a POD store.
Brewer, Gardener, Hiker
I reclaim ancient knowledge, spaces, and ways to connect with previously hidden ancestral paths.
Writer
I have written in many types of formats – academic, informational, and fictional. I once wrote a rhyming play about the summer reading program where I worked and performed it with a coworker and puppets to an elementary school. The kids loved it.
My portfolio can be found here.
Weaver
I primarily weave tapestries and baskets made from discarded wires and often use repurposed items and upcycled textiles in my work. I am also learning how to use other types of looms – rigid heddle, inkle, and a Swedish counterbalance floor loom.
Moon Views
- Woven in 2023 in Jamesport, NY
- My first completed circular weaving
- Selected for a group exhibition in 2025
Ancestors Calling
- An experimental pulled warp tapestry
- My weaving almost always include repurposed materials.
- I honor my planet and her life forms in the materials I choose to work with.
Sylvia Snake
- A pulled warp tapestry woven in three parts – head, middle, and tail.
- Sylvia is a Sonoran Mountain Kingsnake.
- Her retractable tongue is made from cable wire.
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Big Journey
While chatting on the phoneWith an old friendThis past weekendShe told me that myJourney was BigRight nowRevelations:ADHD and Ancestry.Relatives found on both sides.Sleuthing skills activated.Connections made.Back doors found.People I want to meetPeople I am unsure ofDo I want this?Is it too late to back out?Why would I want to?I have always strived to be brave.And…
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Happy Poetry Month!
I finally got around to switching out the kids display at my library last week and made a poet tree with leaves for adding poems.
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The Truth in Dreams
I have wondered about my ancestrySince I was a teenSelf consciously learning aboutThe worldAnd my place in it.I’ve had Ancestor DreamsSince my twentiesThat include:An alien father With swirling blue eyes That matched his cloak.A Grandfather CoyoteWith slicked black hairAnd sunglasses -Strutting his stuffAcross the streetIn style.AlsoA small, leathery grandmotherFrom the Andes.She has a huge smile…
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Life Story: Lies and Truths in America
I’ve been asked if I am Italian.I’ve been asked if I am Mexican.I’ve been asked if I am Spanish,Native American, Greek.I have never been asked if I am AfricanOr part African.And why would I?I don’t look at all African(with the possible exception of Egyptian.And I do have 1% DNA from Mali)And yet this is the…
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A visual for my current work in progress
I’m working with a repurposed French press. I still need to make the base a bit larger for a better fit. Then I plan to fill in some more around the sides of the pitcher with fibers of different origins.
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Feeling good
Yesterday I called in sick. I said I wasn’t feeling well. Which wasn’t not true. But I haven’t been feeling well for a couple of years at least. The real reason I called in had to do with “self care” and holding myself accountable.
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All the feelings….
I went through a particularly bad spell in November where I had a mini breakdown at work while reading picture books. Nervous exhaustion meets quiet room.
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Snooze button
The earth is giving us a wake up callAnd we keep hitting the snooze buttonThe earth is giving us a wake up callAnd we keep hitting the snooze buttonThe earth is giving us a wake up callAnd we keep hitting the snooze buttonAnd what happens next?You snooze, you loseAnd the earth will remain
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Do I like my job?
This morning my son and I had a really good discussion. He told me that he really doesn’t like his in class time at school. I told him that we could look at other schools that might suit his learning styles better, but he doesn’t want to change schools. And at this point in the…
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Full moon morning
Maka’s inside watching tvAnd I made a fire outsideSipping my coffeeWith warm knees and cheeksAnd I can finally seePart of the moon -Her light -From behind clouds and treeA long time agoI did this more oftenThis honoring of you – moonAnd me, and womenAnd lifeI want to do it moreAgain
Ra's Spiral Path 