Motherhood & Words

in iowa

November 5, 2010 / Kate /

I’m sorry I’ve been quiet the last week or so. Life has gotten in the way of blogging (and writing in general). Hopefully I’ll be able to return to my computer with new vigor when I’m back home. But right now I’m in Iowa City at NonfictioNOW, soaking up as much as I can.

I love writing conferences. I love to listen to other writers’ perspectives on form and narrative, voice and time. I love to walk away with new insights on how to frame my own work and where it fits within the genre of creative nonfiction (though over-thinking the latter can paralyze me, so I try not to think about it too much).

I’ll post more about the conference next week after I’ve had a chance to reflect and digest. Until then, I’ll take notes and try not to freeze my butt off. (I forgot my warm coat on the porch in Minneapolis, and it is COLD here.)

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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.

2 Comments

  1. Karna Converse on November 5, 2010 at 9:29 am

    Oh. I wish I had known you were going to attend. I might have tried to make it for Saturday … UIowa is a beautiful campus — hope you're enjoying it.



  2. CribsheetKay on November 5, 2010 at 9:32 am

    Kate I'm so jealous – I LOVE Iowa City – spent a fantastic 4 years of my life there and I have the calf muscles to prove it. (hilly)

    Enjoy your time there, ICIA has great creative energy! It does get cold, no doubt. What I would do if I were you: Hang out at Prairie Lights bookstore, poke around the pedestrian mall – eat chips and salsa @ Mickeys, take a stroll by the river and look at all of the ginkgo trees turning yellow, have breakfast at the Hamburg Inn, and go to a cute little stationary store called RSVP on Linn St. and the owner (Niki) that Kay says hi! That's what I would do. Enjoy!
    🙂