Magical Memoir Moments
A Memoir Poem for Late November
Poetry is the genre I feel least comfortable attempting. Most of the poems I’ve written deserve their ignominious fate in manilla folders. I write them most often to sustain a contemplative mood or moment. Here’s one inspired by thinking of my daughter Kate and some of her favorite things this time of year. Apologies to…
Kurtis Lamkin Will Take Your Breath Away on the Healing Power of Art
Here we are for our video one-a-day vitamin! This time, however, there’s a bonus. You will want to watch two videos, because these are amazing! I had the privilege of being the interviewer (off camera) when Kurtis told the story of how art healed him and his wife as they struggled to have a baby–and…
The Joy of Creation: Our Writer Video of the Day
Here’s your creativity vitamin for today from the Fetzer Institute Writer’s Retreat collection: Alison Leuterman, Jenifer Louden, Michael Jones, and Dianne Suess discuss making art. I agree with Alison that making things and joy are intimately connected. Take a few minutes to visit the links above if you enjoy hearing these great voices. https://youtube.com/watch?v=E2AGFrUz6AY%3Ffs%3D1%26hl%3Den_US%2522%253E%253C%252Fparam%253E%253Cparam www.youtube.com…
Mary Karr's Secret–Humility and Confidence–Interview in the Paris Review
Mary Karr has done it again. Maybe I should say that Amanda Fortini has done it–meaning that the interview Fortini published in The Paris Review with Karr as a subject is wonderful. If you haven’t read any of Karr’s poetry or her three memoirs, you will want to do so after reading the interview. If…
Smell: The Memoir Writer's Stimulus Package
“What smells trigger memory for you?” My niece Joyous Derner asked the above question on her Facebook page a few days ago. She got lots of responses, which led me to remember a wonderful book: Diane Ackerman’s A Natural History of the Senses. I read this book soon after it was published in 1990, and…
Reposting a Tribute to My Mother-in-Law: A Mini-Memoir
Note to Readers: My first blog was created on the Santa Barbara Writer’s Conference site. When the site closed, I lost the web connection for this post written in 2008. I am reposting it so that others can appreciate the woman I considered a second mother–and so that one small piece of her legacy is…
A Perfect September Day
Corn fields ready for harvest along the Kal-Haven Trail What is more beautiful than a day in September? Today the answer was, “nothing!” I am looking out the window in my office right now as the sun is setting in the west, lighting up the weeping willow tree that has doubled in size since we…
Let Us Now Praise Independent Bookstores, Public Libraries, and Local Newspapers
If it weren’t for independent bookstores and my local newspaper I would not be writing this blog. So this post is all about thanks and praise. There’s a role for you to play too, so keep reading! I got the idea to praise these outstanding local institutions by reading this delightful Ann Patchett essay in…
Never Underestimate The Power of the Pen to Change Lives
Sometimes we get surprised by joy–by the growth of seeds we planted but did not cultivate. On August 18, 2010, I was asked to attend a tea commemorating the beginning of the Anabaptist Center for Religion and Society at Eastern Mennonite University, my alma mater. Apparently, in 1994, when I gave a speech at EMU…