Monthly Archives: May 2009

digging for buried treasure

Posted on May 30, 2009 by

Sometimes I sit down at my desk to make a post, and I think I know what I want to write about. So I’m typing away on the computer and what I started with is getting farther and farther down … Continue reading →

Posted in why I write, writing | Tagged | 7 Comments

living out loud

Posted on May 26, 2009 by

When I did the first post on the russian-doll aspect of life, I knew I’d read it somewhere else too, but I couldn’t find it. This morning I came across the words in some underlining of mine (in a black … Continue reading →

Posted in essays, life | Tagged | 4 Comments

details, details

Posted on May 22, 2009 by

In the car yesterday, I was listening to the CD that came with The Writer’s Notebook. On it are two recordings. One was a discussion on character. On the panel were Ron Carlson, Dorothy Allison, and Dennis Johnson. There was … Continue reading →

Posted in catching moments, character, craft of writing, Dani Shapiro, details, Pam Houston | Tagged , , | 8 Comments

passion and patagonia

Posted on May 20, 2009 by

It’s often what grabs us when we are very little that becomes our passion. We can remember the moment. For me, it was a morning in kindergarten. I must have been five. One of the kid’s mothers put on a … Continue reading →

Posted in ecole champlain, journeys, memoir, place, reviews | Tagged | 3 Comments

why we go back

Posted on May 16, 2009 by

One of the comments on the last post has me thinking about when, during the process of reading a book, I will go back to reread. Because I have so many books waiting to be read, I only stop to … Continue reading →

Posted in reading | Tagged | 9 Comments

I want something good to read

Posted on May 14, 2009 by

How many times have you thought this or said this? When I say it, I actually don’t mean good; I mean that will take my breath away. That will make me want to read it again. So I say this, … Continue reading →

Posted in books, favorite books, reading, reading lists, writing group | 22 Comments

your little brother’s red wagon

Posted on May 12, 2009 by

Hey, do you remember in elementary school when there would be paper drives? You’d go around to your neighbors’ houses, maybe with your little brother’s red wagon, to collect all the newspapers they had. Well, I was thinking we’d have … Continue reading →

Posted in books, dialogue, life, reading, the day, writing | Tagged | 8 Comments

when I’m not being a mother

Posted on May 10, 2009 by

My husband and son just left the house to take his mother (my son’s grandmother) to church and to lunch. I declined. It is, after all, Mother’s Day. As the mother, I should get to choose what I want to … Continue reading →

Posted in family, life, perspective, the day, truth, writing day | Tagged , | 4 Comments

stop time

Posted on May 7, 2009 by

Frank Conroy was the director of the Iowa Writers Workshop for 18 years. He was also a writer himself, the author of 5 books, including the “classic memoir” Stop-Time. He died of colon cancer in 2005 at the age of … Continue reading →

Posted in craft of writing, memoir, memory, reviews, time | Tagged , | Leave a comment

sometimes in the open

Posted on May 4, 2009 by

On the evening of April 14th, I attended a reading at the Sacramento Poetry Center. It was a cold night in California. Bright colorful blankets were provided–such  a nice cozy touch. Perhaps all poetry readings should include blankets. Anyway, the … Continue reading →

Posted in poetry | Tagged | Leave a comment