My thoughts won’t settle. I recently spent the day with my mother as she fed a final sweetness to her sister. They’ve reached their mid-nineties, an ancient age. Two sisters side by side through a Southern childhood, the Second Great War, multiple marriages, moves, children, grandchildren, great grandchildren.… Continue Reading
Thoughts on Women’s History Month
I like that March is Women’s History Month. I like that February is Black History Month. These are segments of our society that are like pillars holding our strength and we are empowered by seeing them celebrated. Ultimately, however, I hope that history will be rewritten to be inclusive and the need for this segmentation… Continue Reading… Continue Reading
History Revised
There is a shift in the way we view history and a shift in the way we perceive our leaders. My generation was taught that there were great figureheads we should emulate. We were taught that our political leaders and institutions were to be admired for the ability they had to make change. We were… Continue Reading… Continue Reading
Grown Children and Boxes
The boxes that are stacked downstairs dwarf the room. Cobwebs weave from one to the other. The labels are fading and the tape is becoming brittle. They have been there for years, untouched and unwanted by their owners. Yet I’ve been paralyzed by the idea of getting rid of them. After all, they contain the… Continue Reading… Continue Reading
Inspiration Can Feel a Lot Like Lust
Imagine you’ve been working on one story when suddenly, without intention, you’re inspired by a new idea for another story with completely different characters. You know nothing about the new story, yet you know it is attractive and you can’t stop thinking about it. Every part of your being suddenly wants to spend time with… Continue Reading… Continue Reading
Eighth Graders Discuss the Civil Rights Movement for Black History Month
To help celebrate Black History Month, I will lead a discussion with an 8th grade class tomorrow afternoon about the Civil Rights Movement. While it might seem strange, I feel more pressure to review and prepare than when discussing the same issues with adults. Why? The questions will be less predictable. … Continue Reading
Writing, Reading and Retirement
The interview with Philip Roth in New York Times Book Review discussed, among other more contentious subjects, what he has been doing since he retired from writing. The answer: reading.… Continue Reading
‘Waking Up…..’
My mornings start with coffee and the New York Times. Often, however, during these past two years I have promised to break this ritual as campaign stories and oval office horrors deplete creative energy. Not this morning. This morning the paper shook me awake. I wasn’t expecting much as the holidays are here. And, like… Continue Reading
Writing About People You Know
Having written and published ‘Look Homeward Angel,’ Thomas Wolfe was perplexed to learn he was no longer welcome in his hometown, Ashville, NC. A collective nerve had been hit. Wolfe had, at best, only thinly disguised the town and its people with his rambling descriptions, leaving individuals horrified by his impression of their lives. Few… Continue Reading
Book Club News
At the end of book club evenings when I have attended as a featured author, I am left with a strange, empty feeling. These are evenings when questions about my work are served with bites of dinner and glasses of wine. They are also evenings of friendship and literature. The club members have often known… Continue Reading