Thanks to all of you who posted a comment in response to my post about Patricia Zaballos’ wonderful new book, Workshops Work! The winners of the three ebooks are Michelle of the Parent Vortex, Maria, and Tee! Patricia will be in touch with you soon via email. Happy reading, friends, and as soon as I…
Read MorePlease join me tomorrow night for the 6th Annual Motherhood & Words reading. When: October 10 – 7 pm – 9 pm Where: The Loft Literary Center, Open Book, 1011 Washington Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55415 I will be reading with award-winning authors Debra Gwartney and Amie Klempnauer Miller. As always, there will be a…
Read MoreThank you to all the mother writers who submitted essays as part of the Use Your Words virtual book tour. And congratulations to the finalists!! I’m so grateful for your words. One essay celebrated the birth of a third child, a son. One described the bittersweet and terrifying preparation of leaving the NICU with oxygen tanks…
Read MoreI spent the weekend of May 18-20 at the inaugural River Teeth Nonfiction Conference at Ashland University in Ashland, Ohio, and let me tell you: It was the best conference I’ve ever attended. Why? Well, I’ll tell you. Here are the Top Ten Reasons that the River Teeth Conference Rocks: 1. It’s small. (Seriously, have you…
Read MoreI knew that February was going to be a whirlwind, and it was. But it was also a month that energized and inspired my writing and teaching. Between my Motherhood & Words retreat (Thank you, ladies, for your wonderful writing, your bravery, and your laughter!), and AWP (less than a week later), I’m ready to,…
Read MoreI left work at 2 p.m. on Thursday and picked up my friend, Jess, and then we hit the road for Milwaukee. Jess and I have been friends since college and we see each other regularly, but we rarely get to spend extended periods of time together. Nothing like a road trip to fix that!…
Read MoreJoin Sheila Bender and Ruth Folit for a 30-minute free telechat tonight! I am currently reading Sheila Bender‘s wonderful and heartbreaking memoir A New Theology: Turning to Poetry in a Time of Grief, about dealing with grief and renewing her commitment to life in the wake of her son’s death. And I hope to have Sheila as a guest…
Read MoreFor almost five years, I have been blogging under the name “Mother Words.” I have also taught classes, led retreats, coordinated an annual reading, and mentored other women writers under that name. It’s time for a change. It’s been a hellish year in which I lost ten pounds and gained ten pounds (inevitable, I guess).…
Read MoreFaith’s Lodge, where I hold my annual writing retreat for mothers, was devastated in a storm that hit Western Wisconsin on July 1st. The lodge provides a place where parents and families facing the serious illness or death of a child can retreat to reflect on the past, renew strength for the present, and build…
Read MoreThank you to everyone who commented on my de-lurk for Japan post and also to those of you who linked to it from your blogs. What an amazing community! I feel so fortunate to be a part of it. I’ve been a little scattered lately. This weekend D turned 40! (Happy birthday, babe!) We had…
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