Posts by Kate
writing parenthood – one-day workshop
Thanks to everyone for the birthday wishes for Zoë. I think she had a wonderful birthday (and she’s very excited about the new wagon from her grandparents!) I wanted to let you know about my upcoming Writing Parenthood class at The Loft — it’s a super-condensed version of Mother Words (and dads are welcome, too!)…
Read Moretwo
It’s my little Zoë’s birthday today. How can she already be two years old? I remember the day she was born, the thick wet snowflakes falling outside as I tried not to think about being sliced open. I remember the terrible cold I had that day (as I do now). I remember that Donny took…
Read Morea few photos
Here are a few photos from the Mother Words Retreat. The view. The Great Room. The sunny meeting room on the very top floor. The evening ritual. Reading some of our favorite poems and essays by the bonfire. (Yes, there were s’mores.) What’s not to love?
Read Moreretreat recap
I wrote about arriving at Faith’s Lodge on Friday, about the feeling of that place, the incredible energy there. This energy only intensified, crystallized, as the weekend progressed. The weather was perfect—in the 40s, bright sun, blue sky. (Don’t be afraid of Wisconsin in February!) As we sat in the top floor meeting room, sun…
Read Moreretreat day 1 – the arrival
Yesterday morning I woke early with an oozing eye. This happens to me sometimes when I have a cold—the snot tries to exit through the tear duct of my left eye. I know. I know. I wish there was a more delicate way to say it, but there’s not. I wasn’t too concerned about the…
Read Moreconnections
My mind has been buzzing these last days with thoughts about form and function in creative nonfiction, memoir as discovery, and the role writing plays in memory revision. Both of my classes are underway now, and I’m loving them. My students are so smart and engaged. I realized this week that I love teaching two…
Read Morea thought about winter
We’ve gotten more snow here. I pulled back the curtain this morning, and said, shit, more snow. But now, as I stare out the window in my tiny office and I’m blinded by whiteness, by the glinting and sparkling of billions and billions of snowflakes in the bright sun, I have to admit that it’s…
Read Morelost and found: a memoir of mothers
I have been meaning to post about Kate St. Vincent Vogl’s Lost and Found: A Memoir of Mothers for months and months. Kate read as part of the 3rd Annual Mother Words Reading last fall at the Loft, and her lovely memoir is a story of adoption, love, and what it means to be a…
Read Morethe other side of perseverance
Last week, I found myself staring longingly at mail carriers, watching them tromp through the deep snow, doing their rounds. And I thought, I could do that. That could be my job. I’m organized and I’m a perfectionist (though I’ve tried hard not to be). But perfectionism seems like a useful trait in a mail…
Read Moreon friday
Zoë woke at 1:30 am with a fever. She’d had a cold for a week, but this was the first sign of a fever. She was inconsolable, so I brought her into our bed. “Cuddle me, mama,” she said, wrapping her arms around my neck. We had a fitful night of sleep, and in the…
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