Three times a month, I'll post a writing prompt. Open a notebook and write for 10 minutes. Don't worry about grammar or punctuation - just write. Then let the writing simmer and your mind wander for awhile.
And who knows? Maybe you'll discover a character for your next short story or a theme for a narrative essay. Or maybe you'll use the idea to create a special holiday card or photo album for someone in your family. However you decide to use your journal entry, I know you'll enjoy re-reading it months--and years--down the road.
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Given the choice, which super power would you prefer to have:
InvisibilityAbility to fly
Ability to teleport
Ability to read people's minds
Ability to time travel
Click here to see the results of this fun Marist Poll survey, conducted in February 2011.
Journal Entry: Write a story with your child. Cast him/her as the superhero and ask "What evil deed will you make right today?"
Fiction
The Gap Year
By Sarah Bird
Knopf, 2011
Reviewed by Lindsey Mead
The Gap Year is a laugh-out-loud funny book about motherhood's rawest and most difficult task: letting go. That Sarah Bird manages to make a story about such a profoundly emotional topic hilarious is a testament to her brilliant writing. In The Gap Year Cam Lightsey, a single mother whose husband left her for a cult religion 16 years ago, grapples with her daughter Aubrey's threat not to go to college. Told through Cam's and Aubrey's alternate perspectives, and in voices memorable, clear, and honest, The Gap Year shows us a back and forth dance of mother-daughter intimacy and separation.
Sarah Bird has created two vividly human characters. Cam is a lactation consultant, the very embodiment of maternal attachment. She is funny, wise, and vivacious, and has poured her heart into raising her daughter alone. When Aubrey describes starting the day with her mother as like "being woken up by a Japanese game-show contestant," we can instantly visualize Cam's enthusiasm, as well as Aubrey's teenage exasperation with such indefatigable energy. Cam is also full of hilarious one-liners: "But I seize upon it like a vegetarian backsliding with a bucket of KFC," she says of her stance in a familiar and fruitless argument with her ex-husband. As their argument continues, she describes how "going beyond sarcasm to out-and-out insult is delicious, like wriggling out of a pair of Spanx."
Amidst all the humor, though, Cam's experience of mothering a teen contains flashes of true pathos. In one scene she sits on her daughter's bed and listens to a song from Toy Story 2, remembering her toddler daughter nestled on her lap watching the movie for the first time in the theater. I am sure most mothers can relate to the way memories glint constantly through daily life with children, reminding us of the brilliance of those moments and of their irrevocable loss. It is clear that Cam and Aubrey's relationship is a very strong one, built on mutual affection and respect. Even as Aubrey's efforts to define herself strains their bond, Cam can feel that "an umbilical connection joins us and I feel her anguish as surely as if she were kicking me beneath my heart."
Aubrey, too, is a poignant character, a "quiet, ordinary" girl in the high school marching band who finds herself suddenly the object of the star quarterback's attentions. As she and the golden, popular "Ty-Mo," Tyler Moldenhauer, build a friendship that turns into a love affair, Aubrey's sense of herself shifts on its axis. She leaves the band and sheds her rule-abiding, good-girl behavior. She starts to imagine not going to college, which is her mother's worst nightmare. Her estranged father, with whom she's had no contact in 16 years, friends her on Facebook and they commence a surreptitious conversation. Aubrey initially hides both of these relationships from her mother, and it is this deceit that begins their relationship's slide into difficulty.
Cam is the beating heart of The Gap Year, which is essentially an exploration of her letting go, both her daughter and of the way she thought her life would be. When her ex-husband returns and they work together to find Aubrey, who has then disappeared, we see Cam grappling with the presence of this man she never thought she'd see again on her porch, in her house, in her life. They find their way back to an unimagined truce, and she notes that he "took a different route than I did to arrive back at us together."
Cam's embrace of a life whose contours are radically different than she had anticipated is both brave and mature. The romantic relationship that began on a train in Morocco, with a man who was like "crack cocaine" to her, held both heartbreak and, ultimately, redemption. Equally, the bond begun with Aubrey in the hospital, when she was to her infant daughter the source of all comfort, nutrition, and vitality, may indeed endure the enormous strains of adolescence, growing up and growing apart.
Do you keep a journal - or wish you could get one started? Literary Mama wants to help.
Three times a month, I'll post a writing prompt. Open a notebook and write for 10 minutes. Don't worry about grammar or punctuation - just write. Then let the writing simmer and your mind wander for awhile.
And who knows? Maybe you'll discover a character for your next short story or a theme for a narrative essay. Or maybe you'll use the idea to create a special holiday card or photo album for someone in your family. However you decide to use your journal entry, I know you'll enjoy re-reading it months--and years--down the road.
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In the introductory pages of The Children's Book of Virtues, William J. Bennett writes about the importance of showing children what the essentials of good character look like and why they deserve admiration.
"Today, we talk about how important it is to 'have values,' as if they were beads on a string or marbles in a pouch. But these stories speak to morality and virtues not as something to be possessed but as the core of human nature, not as something to have but as something to be."
His list of virtues: courage, perseverance, responsibility, work, self-discipline, compassion, faith, honesty, loyalty, friendship.
Journal Entry: Look at your child's bookshelf and list one book, story, or poem for each virtue listed above. Write two or three sentences about each choice, describing the message or moral it teaches.
Congrats to this LM staffer on her latest publication!
C. Delia Mulrooney, Columns Department Editor: "I've recently had an essay published with the I Am Enough Collaborative."
The Mindful Writer
Chris Malcomb
Eleven weeks beginning the week of October 3
7:00 - 9:30 p.m.
$375
Sit. Breathe. Write.
Chris Malcomb
Saturday, October 15
9:30 a.m. - 4 p.m.
$75 - $125 (sliding scale)
Berkeley, California
Specific location to be determined
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The Mindful Writer Workshop
Mindfulness is full attention to the present moment. In this eleven-week workshop, we'll explore how to use this practice -- both formally and informally -- to facilitate the discovery and writing of our deep stories. We will write from personal experience, using in-class exercises to generate topics, learn techniques to address "writer's block," and deepen our understanding of various nonfiction and fiction craft elements. Significant time will be devoted to discussing how the foundations of mindfulness apply to our creative practices and to learning various techniques for listening and responding to the work of peers. Suitable for beginning and experienced writers alike, this workshop provides a safe, inspiring, and nonjudgmental place to coax forth one's inner writer.
Three sessions offered -- Mondays, Tuesdays or Thursdays
Each run from 7:00 to 9:30 p.m.
No classes the week of November 21.
Sit. Breathe. Write.
In this daylong workshop we'll explore how we might incorporate mindfulness techniques into our writing practice and daily lives. We will explore the Five Hindrances and discuss what it means to write from a place of grounding, to integrate sense awareness into our creative process, and to trust in words that arise from a place other than the intellect. Each daylong with have a specific theme (change, renewal, exploration, etc.), and significant time will be devoted to creating a safe environment for listening to the work of peers in nonjudgmental and supportive manner. Suitable for experienced and beginning writers alike, this workshop provides an inspiring place to connect -- or reconnect -- with your writing practice amidst a community of creative souls.
Saturday, October 15
9:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
$75 - $125 (sliding scale)
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About the presenter:
Chris Malcomb has practiced mindfulness meditation for ten years and is very interested in Buddhist psychology, NVC, and Asian tea ceremony. He has taught English, Writing, and Literature at both the middle and high school levels and has led private classes and workshops for the California Association of Independent Schools, the Bay Area Teacher Training Institute, and the Prison University Project at San Quentin. His essays & articles have appeared in over a dozen publications, including Teachers & Writers, San Francisco Chronicle Magazine, Narrative, The Sun, and KQED Perspectives. He earned his M.Ed. from Lesley University and his MFA in Creative Writing from the University of San Francisco.
To register or request more information: The Mindful Writer
Writing Raw II: Finding Power and Purpose on the Page
Presenter: Stephanie Hunt, LM Column Editor
September 21
7:00 - 9:00 p.m.
$25 in advance; $35 at the door
The Sophia Institute
Charleston, South Carolina
Delving Deep: Creating Passionate Characters, Conflicts, and Dialogue
Presenter: Jewell Parker Rhodes
October 28 and 29
Friday 6:30 p.m./Saturday 9:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Evening lecture only: $25 in advance; $35 at door
Workshop, including Friday lecture: $195
The Sophia Institute
Charleston, South Carolina
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Writing It Raw II
Writing, whether it's poetry, journaling, fiction, essay, blogging or just jotting, is an invitation to venture and explore. And often, what the words churn up is surprisingly powerful. Join us for an evening of discussion and writing exercises as we play with the risky and intriguing practice of "writing raw" and see where the page leads you..
Delving Deep
A strong writer dares to uncover emotional truths. These truths fuel the creation of three-dimensional characters and a compelling narrative. Through character motivation and conflict, all stories whether fiction or nonfiction can be made memorable. Good dialogue reveals subtext, hidden emotions, and makes character and plot more immediate and intimate. Through film, writing exercises, role-playing, and critiquing literary texts, this workshop will provide concrete skills to improve your writing.
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About the presenters
Stephanie Hunt is Charleston-based writer and editor. A contributing editor for Charleston Magazine, Charleston HOME and a regular contributor to Skirt! Magazine, her work runs the gamut from personal essays to features, profiles and travel writing, to spinning copy for corporate clients. She also contributes to several online journals, including SOMA Review and Literary Mama. A graduate of Duke University and Vanderbilt Divinity School and former development associate at Harvard Divinity School, she brings a curiosity and passion about the life of the spirit to her writing. Stephanie lives in Mt. Pleasant with her husband and three daughters.
Jewell Parker Rhodes is the author of six novels: three historical tales, Voodoo Dreams, Magic City, Douglass' Women, and the mystery trilogy, Season, Moon and Hurricane. Her first children's novel, Ninth Ward, was selected as one of the "Best Books of 2010" by School Library Journal. Rhodes has published a memoir, Porch Stories: A Grandmother's Guide to Happiness, and two creative writing texts: Free Within Ourselves: Fiction Lessons for Black Authors and The African American Guide to Writing and Publishing Non-Fiction. Her honors include: the American Book Award, the National Endowment of the Arts Award in Fiction, the Black Caucus of the American Library Award for Literary Excellence, the Pen Oakland/Josephine Miles Award for Outstanding Writing, and two Arizona Book Awards. Rhodes is the Virginia G. Piper Endowed Chair of Creative Writing at Arizona State University.
To register or for more information: Sophia Institute
Do you keep a journal - or wish you could get one started? Literary Mama wants to help.
Three times a month, I'll post a writing prompt. Open a notebook and write for 10 minutes. Don't worry about grammar or punctuation - just write. Then let the writing simmer and your mind wander for awhile.
And who knows? Maybe you'll discover a character for your next short story or a theme for a narrative essay. Or maybe you'll use the idea to create a special holiday card or photo album for someone in your family. However you decide to use your journal entry, I know you'll enjoy re-reading it months--and years--down the road.
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Writer and historian Wallace Stegner called national parks "the best idea we ever had. Absolutely American, absolutely democratic, they reflect us at our best rather than our worst."
How much do you know about America's national parks? Match the park to its description.
1. Has the only inland rainforest in the contiguous United States
2. Protects Saguaro Cacti in its Sonoran Desert environment
3. Only place in the world where alligators and crocodiles co-exist
4. Named by Mormon settlers to recognize a place of peace and refuge
5. Windiest place on the Pacific Coast
6. Site of the first lighthouse and US-built fort on the West Coast and later, a federal penitentiary
7. Has 70 miles of natural beaches and is the longest remaining barrier island in the world
8. Is a 2,175 mile foot path through 14 eastern states
9. Considered one of the world's richest mammal fossil beds
10. Mountain range created by earthquakes
a. Everglades National Park, Florida
b. Appalachian National Scenic Trail, Maine to Georgia
c. Zion National Park, Utah
d. Mount Ranier National Park, Washington
e. Badlands National Park, South Dakota
f. Saguaro National Park, Arizona
g. Point Reyes National Seashore, California
h. Alcatraz Island National Recreation Area, California
i. Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
j. Padre Island National Seashore, Texas
And: Can you finish these tips from the National Park Service Junior Ranger program?
Be Safe
Stay on _____ while hiking
Hike with a ______
Wear ______ shoes
Always carry water, food, and ____ ________
Be Respectful
Stay away from ______ __________
Don't pick plants or ___________
Keep parks _____
Journal Entry: How are you teaching your children to respect and care for nature? Write about a time your child experienced the "awe" of nature.
(Answers: 1d, 2f, 3a, 4c, 5g, 6h, 7j, 8b, 9e, 10i, trails, buddy, sturdy, sun protection, wild animals, wildflowers, clean)
The randomly selected winner of our book giveaway is Victoria Gilbert, who will receive a copy of A Smart Woman's Guide to Diabetes in the mail. Thanks to everyone for participating and posting such great comments!
CALL FOR PAPERS
Demeter Press is seeking submissions for an edited collection on
Mothering in the Age of Neoliberalism
Editor: Melinda Vandenbeld Giles
DEADLINE FOR ABSTRACTS: NOVEMBER 1, 2011!
The term "neoliberal" has come to define our current global age, yet definitive understandings of what "neoliberal" means remains a contested terrain. In the past three decades, neoliberal economic/social ideology has created a global world governed by free-market principles. The purpose of this edited collection is to explore the meanings and effects of neoliberalism from the perspective of "mothers." Arising from an inclusive and broad understanding of "mothering," the intent of the collection is to compile diverse works from an assortment of geographical areas and interests pertaining to mothering and neoliberalism. For the purposes of this volume, neoliberalism is to be understood as a social as well as political/economic ethos whereby the free-market focus has come to infiltrate all aspects of society. The collection will focus on ethnographic (research-based) and theoretical submissions.
Topics can include (but are not limited to):
Marginalized mothers, mothering and homelessness, mothering and the social welfare state, mothering and childcare, intensive mothering and neoliberalism, mothering and migration, transnational mothering, mothering and capitalism, mothering and maternity leave, mothering and employment, mothering and "working from home," mothering and individuation, mothering and neoliberal child-rearing practices, neoliberal representations of "mothering," single mothering, connections between neoliberalism, feminism and mothering, neoliberalism and re-conceptualizing the "nuclear family," eco-mothering, neoliberal policies and reproductive rights, mothering and the economy, mothering and collective political mobilization, mothering and finance, entrepreneurial mothers, mothering and neoliberal education, neoliberal reconfiguration of public/private dichotomy, mothering and neoliberal discourses of health, gender roles and neoliberalism, mothers as niche markets, mothering and urban living, neoliberal redefining of family/home spatialization, mothers and microcredit, mothering and poverty, mothering and media, mothering in the informal economy, mothering and governmentality, mothering and risk discourse, mothering and transnational spatiality, mothering and Marxism, mothering and NGOs, global neoliberal maternal health discourses, mothering and volunteerism, mothering and the global labour market, effects of privatization and decentralization on mothering, effects of neoliberal structural readjustment on mothering, neoliberalism and reconfigured kinship networks, mothering and globalization, neoliberalism and family law, mothering and social activism, mothering and alternative sustainable economic paradigms.
Submission guidelines:
Abstracts: 250 words. Please include a 50-word biography (with citizenship information.)
Deadline for abstracts is November 1, 2011
Please send submissions and inquiries directly to:
Melinda Vandenbeld Giles: melinda.vandenbeldgiles@utoronto.ca
Accepted papers of 4000-5000 words (15-20 pages) will be due July 1, 2012, and should conform to American Anthropological Association style.
DEMETER PRESS
140 Holland St. West, PO Box 13022
Bradford, ON, L3Z 2Y5 (tel) 905-775-5215
http://www.demeterpress.org info@demeterpress.org