This is the story of an idea, a dream that just won’t die. Thirty years ago I signed up for my first writing class at a local college: Writing for the Children’s Market. Amidst a small group of writers who elected chose contemporary fiction as their genre, I knew that the story I wanted to…
Last week I participated in a workshop titled “Writing Vertically.” The facilitators are both dream analysts, one a non-fiction writer and the other a poet. Each workshop participant was asked to bring a scene from a current work and/or a dream. I am four years out from completing the rough draft of my teen…
I am honored to be a guest blogger today, over on Live to Write – Write to Live. Wendy Thomas and I first met at the annual Friends of the Nashua Public Library book sale, or maybe it was one of our Beyond the Book author soirees. In any case, she was covering the event…
Did you know that books can be a competitive sport? I’ve never been a successful competitor type, but I did take a chance during a professional dinner last summer. One of the publishing professionals at the table asked what everyone was reading. When it was my turn I gulped, held my breath, and blurted, “Patrick…
knitting – crochet – sewing – photography – writing These are the kinds of unfinished projects hanging around my place. The charm of a new project is almost irresistible, but the fact of the matter is that I simply cannot function amidst clutter. Too many incompletes distract me mentally, keep me from optimizing a new…
Smack-dab in the heart of New York City’s Times Square thousands of knitters and fiber enthusiasts converged for this year’s Vogue Knitting Live 3-day event. There were free lectures, like this one with Debbie Bliss, who described how to create flattering knitwear for all body shapes. To be honest, since my bust inflated from menopause’s…
This happy jumble of cleome, coreopsis, cosmos, cone flower, sweet peas, and morning glories has the power to draw me outdoors at all hours of the day to water, fertilize, and snag the weeds that elbow their way into the garden patch. Alas, there are no edibles this year — my focus has been on…
My love affair with all-things-bookish goes way back, so I barely paused before volunteering to help at my library’s handmade books workshop. As well, my friend Jerri had recently won this year’s MFA Contest in the Amoskeag Journal, and in honor of her award, the ‘concertina’ or ‘flower fold’ style book seemed the perfect something special. After…
We had an esteemed houseguest recently, but someone wasn’t pleased. Beware of the calico personality! Our visitor, Ann, is the author of the lighthearted-with-serious-subtext novel, On Maggie’s Watch. Ann makes me laugh more than almost anyone, but Corabelle fails to appreciate the humor. “How long is she staying?” she seemed to be asking. Before Cora’s patience…
Today is a special day. My Aunt Liesa, a woman wise and endlessly supportive, is embarking on her own memoir-writing adventure. A faculty member of the MFA program at Fairfield University is running an eight-week memoir-writing course. My aunt wrote me, “…You inspired me. Will take good notes with you in mind. …” I am tickled…
