Motherhood & Words
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4th Annual Mother Words Reading
I am thrilled to announce that authors Hope Edelman and Bonnie J. Rough will be joining me in Minneapolis for the 2010 Mother Words Reading! Thursday, October 7 – 7 pm The Loft Literary Center Open Book, Minneapolis Hope Edelman is the author of five nonfiction books: the international bestseller Motherless Daughters (1994), which was…
automatic
Years ago, when I was just starting to write seriously—probably the first year of my MFA program—I remember saying to a friend that writing helped me slow down. “How so?” she asked. “Well, instead of inhaling a bowl of strawberries, I have to stop and think about how I would describe the taste and the…
june storms and revision
We’ve had lots of stormy weather in the last few weeks. My sleep has been interrupted with flashes of lightening, cracking thunder, and rain slapping against the windows. The days have been heavy, the air dense and oppressive. Is it the weather that puts me into a funk? Or all the freelance work I’ve been…
2011 mother words retreat
I’m excited to announce that the dates have been set for the 2nd Annual Mother Words Retreat! Join me for a weekend retreat for mother-writers. We’ll write, share our writing, discuss challenges with craft, and have time to connect with other mother writers in the luxury and quiet of Faith’s Lodge. Group meetings and individual…
happy father’s day!
Just a shout out to all the dads out there. Happy Father’s Day! There are some really wonderful Father’s Day pieces up at Literary Mama this month. I especially love Sheila Squillante’s “All Things Edible, Random, and Odd.” Enjoy!
plot, narrative urgency, and children’s lit
The other day Stella went to the library with my mom and she came home with The Boxcar Children. When she pulled it out of the library bag, I started to squeal, “Oh that was one of my favorite books growing up. I can’t wait to read it to you!” I could tell she was…
big girls
Sorry I’ve been quiet this week. Zoë has been out of toddler school and Stella has been out of her before-school program for almost two weeks now, and I’ll admit that it’s been a serious challenge to try to get all of my work done. Thank God for my parents, and especially my dad, who…
for the running mamas
I spent last weekend at my mom’s cabin in northern Minnesota with my family, and it was just what I needed. The weather was gorgeous on Saturday (think mid-July heat and sun), so I decided I’d take a day and not work at all. (I clearly have an unhealthy relationship with my computer if it’s…
my dancing girl
The last two nights, we’ve sat in a darkened auditorium and watched Stella prance onto stage and spin and twirl with a handful of other 6-year-olds in their line-up of Aristocats. As I sat and watched my composed daughter sashay and pirouette with incredible grace, I tried to keep the tears from my eyes. Three…
ignoring the signs
I’m at the coffee shop (my “office”) for the first time in a couple of weeks, and it feels good to be back. Most of the creative work I’ve done over the last seven years has been done here, sitting at one of these red tables. I hadn’t been consciously staying away. I seemed to…
sunshine, running and rejection
I spent last week checking things off my to-do list. The days were rainy and cold, so I put my head down and tried to work as much as possible. It wasn’t creative work, but it needed to be done. This kind of productivity usually buoys me, but the weather and the disappointments inherent in…
happy mother’s day!
I had some quiet reading time this morning when D took the girls out to track down some fresh strawberries and a vanilla latte for me. Then with strawberries and coffee in bed, Stella presented me with all the Mother’s Day cards and stories she had written. (Some were collaborations; Zoe contributed scribbles and swirls.)…