Memoirous

With all the early warm temperatures the trees have fully blossomed. In fact most of the blossoming trees are now PAST and are losing their petals. The air was filled with white. And as I was riding my bike yesterday, I suddenly freaked out thinking I was riding over glass--but it wasn't; it was all these white blossoms on the ground. Enjoy your weekend.

I don't have room for a lot of stuff where I live, but after both my parents passed away this winter (I know, incredibly sad) I asked if I could bring home with me a large collection of pictures. It was a HUGE job. Scads of miscellaneous ephemera and pictures of who? when? why? Then I stumbled upon an envelope--and truthfully it made me cry. It was full of pictures, some you can tell only taken a second or two after each other, of Mom and my oldest brother, my parent's first-born. Anyway, I never knew this person. Mom looks SOOOOO young and thin and in love with her baby boy. I think the word would be PROUD. Steve--you made Mom proud. Enjoy: back of this one says at Aunt Sallie's house in Cincinnati

Kevin Nikkel is raising funds and completing a side-by-side documentary about 1) finding "lost" footage of a documentary made in 1920 about the Hudson's Bay Co. 2) Now with that footage and some recent stuff making a documentary. But, really, folks I love the Arctic, the Far North, stories and myths from those regions. READ Jack London's To Build A Fire a GREAT short story that has stayed with me ever since I read it as a kid. Anyway, Kevin has been spending time way up north, going to various villages and meeting with tribal leaders and with an IPAD showing them footage. What is amazing is that some of these elders are recognizing ancestors, grandfathers, great-uncles, etc. Can you imagine the look, the wonder, the idea that this way of life, this person caught forever in film! I'd be excited and I am excited to see the completed documentary.

A friend of mine who is a friend to writers (actually a saint to writers) has turned her energies to a project that combines her love for writing and writers (and her saintliness). Cheri Peters who used to be the administrative director of the Sewanee Writers Program is giving a boost to a fellow writer’s project called Lift the Lid Lift the Lid, Inc. helps struggling schools with little more than a roof and four walls. Overcrowded, lacking in tools, teachers and structure, these schools are often the only hope for children brimming with talent and the desire to learn. We believe encouraging students to be creative instills confidence and hope. It also sends the message that someone cares. Sometimes that’s all it takes to reveal the hidden talent in children and to give them a future. Join us in encouraging creativity! When you give to one of our sponsored schools, you also show interest in a student’s writing. Cheri’s parents were involved in missions work in the Philippines and...

If anyone you know is going to the Festival of Faith & Writing at Calvin College in Grand Rapids April 19 - 21 let them know about the Festival Circles. Here is a link to the Circles: http://festival.calvin.edu/festival-circles This year, we are once again offering Festival Circles, small groups that will meet at least two times during the Festival to discuss a topic of common interest. Each circle, composed of approximately 12–15 attendees and led by a Festival participant, will meet during Thursday dinner and Saturday lunch. So if anyone you know is going to the Festival of F & W let them know about it and maybe SIGN UP for my Circle: The Relevance of the Arts in Personal Worship This circle, led by a singer/songwriter, a poet, and a blogger, will encourage participants to uncover their creative talents and use their gifts to the glory of God. Facilitators: Jane Hertenstein , Nancy Hughes, and Jan Krist Bios: Jane Hertenstein is the author of numerous short...

The Violence Against Women Act became law in 1994 to protect women from domestic abuse.  Both parties agreed and signed on.  No more.  When the VAWA came up for reauthorization on Feb. 2 it had to wiggle in under the doorjam with a 10-8 vote split right down party lines. Republican committee members didn't support the bill.  Seriously. (Wisconsin officials are now trying to enact legislation equating single-parenting to child abuse.)  Part of the language for that is below: “In promoting those campaigns and materials, the [Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Board] shall emphasize nonmarital parenthood as a contributing factor to child abuse and neglect.”--snip-- --snip-- Republican State Rep . Don “white” Pridemore, speaking in support of the bill he co-sponsored with State Sen . Glenn Grothman that says single parenting is a contributing factor to child abuse (emphasis added): The bill’s co-sponsor, Representative Don Pridemore , told TODAY’S TM...

I just found out I have been awarded a residency HERE : " Blueberry View Artists' Retreat is a simple setting, designed as a space for concentrated contemplative work in the privacy of a country setting. Just 100 miles or 2 hours from downtown Chicago by car, it is in the little town of Riverside, Michigan, 8 miles north of Benton Harbor and St. Joseph"

Live Your Life For a Change I never realized when I started this blog how freeing it would be. Imagine: the ubiquitous of the Internet--there are over 651835100 million active users on Facebook--and yet on this public forum I am invisible. I track my stats. I have a few readers, but largely I can say anything without fear of offending or slandering. It's like I can tell all my secrets. Hours before Dad died (unfortunate timing, to be sure) my sister told me I had been written out of my father's will. Later my grief clung to that revelation, wanting to milk it. But then Christmas rolled around and my daughter came home from college and the things that were important to me returned. We celebrated with homely gifts, either handmade or bought for 25 cents from floor sales. We, all three of us, agreed it had been our best Christmas ever. Then Mom passed--and the details of the will have again come back into focus. If my dad had just been middle class then this all probab...

I’ve been running at warp speed these past few days at the AWP (Associated Writers and Writing Programs ((I think))) conference and bookfair that was here in Chicago. Now my body and head are playing catch-up. And a terrible job at that. I think I’m coming down with a cold/strep/mono. At least, thank God, I’m not needing any contraception—because I might be out of luck there. Yeah, I’m just now getting around to reading about the LATEST brewhaha. I write here LATEST because it’s all truthfully beginning to run together in my head. I can’t keep up. Most of the time I try not to pay any attention to what “the other guys” are saying—as I’m not voting in this primary—on the federal level. Even that Susan G. Komen thing, which was irritating, I thought to myself—give it 2 days, then see where that decision lands them. Did anyone else see the word similarity between Komen and Women?? I like to say I’m a feminist, but in the back of my head I have to ask myself—what does that mean? Reall...