Motherhood & Words

cafemom & hunger relief benefit

It was so nice to be home this weekend. The week had been a long one. Donny and I began it on a red-eye flight and then dove straight into work. (Well I guess he dove straight in; I had a four-hour nap and then sort of dragged myself in.) But all week we couldn’t quite shake the tiredness. And it was a busy week: a reading, our anniversary, and I was trying desperately to finish the book proposal for my ghostwriting gig. Which I did, on Friday. (Whoop!) All of that is to say it was nice to sleep in a bit on Saturday morning, before heading to Party City for Halloween costumes with the girls. (Hermione? Wizard? Death Eater? And for the little one: Pirate? Fairy? Bubble bee?) We spent a little too much time at Party City, if such a thing is possible. And then the rest of the weekend was filled with social events and house cleaning. And now the house is quiet, as it always is on Monday morning.

So I’ve turned my attention to the Internet.

And there are three things I want to share with you. As part of the blog book tour, I’m over at CafeMom all week answering questions. Ask away, and you’ll be entered to win one of three copies of Ready for Air. Please read the other questions and answers first, though, so I don’t have to answer the question How long Stella was in the NICU? 84 times. Because that would be silly.

The other thing that has popped up for me this morning on the wide world of cyberspace has to do with hunger. This is always the time of year that Charles Baxter and the University of Minnesota’s MFA program host the annual Hunger Relief Benefit. This year Robert Boswell will be joining Charles Baxter and Peter Campion. Rock on! It’s free, but there is a suggested donation of $5. All funds go to Second Harvest Heartland. So come on down to the McNamara Alumni building on Tuesday, October 29th (tomorrow) if you can. 7 p.m. 

And speaking of hunger, this morning I also read this amazing piece by fellow LTYM-Twin Cities cast member, Jenny Ball.

One in six Minnesota children lives at risk of hunger. Hungry Minnesota families miss 100 millions meals a year. But don’t assume that you know what these people look like. Don’t assume the person you’re talking isn’t one of them. Please read Jenny’s powerful piece, which is featured over at Scary Mommy as part of the Third Annual Scary Mommy Thanksgiving Project.

Read away people, donate if you can. Let’s help make sure kids don’t go to sleep hungry.

Kate

I have been teaching creative writing for almost twenty years. Reading about other women’s lives and experiences has expanded my world. To be able to walk in someone else’s shoes, whether it’s for a moment or an hour or a few days, is an incredible gift, providing me with insight into the human experience. It takes courage to write your truths, especially if it doesn’t seem as though anyone cares, as though anyone is listening. Let me tell you: your stories matter, I’m listening, and I’m here to help you find the heart of those truths, to get them down on the page, to craft them, and to send them out into the world. Together, we will change the world, one story at a time.

4 Comments

  1. Sue on October 28, 2013 at 11:53 am

    Loved the post about hunger & those people. Thanks for directing me there.



  2. Angie Mizzell on October 29, 2013 at 7:30 am

    I kind of wish she had said she was one of “those people” (after smacking the manilla folders out of her hand). Such a great post and even though the person who made the comment may remain clueless, so many others will be helped and positively influenced by that powerful post.

    I hope you are feeling more rested this week and that people won’t ask how long Stella was in the NICU 84 times. 🙂



    • Kate on October 29, 2013 at 7:39 am

      I KNOW, Angie! I was hoping for a smacking of folders, too! I’m also hoping that somehow she finds her way to reading the piece.

      Rest is out of my reach. But really I just need to go to bed at 9 instead of 11.