Long winter, no see

Winter came (around January in Alabama), and brought with it snow, the flu, and a huge case of writer's block. It was so bad, I had a hard time even reading...and I can't say that's ever happened to me before. But, low and behold, a light bulb finally came on in my winter-logged brain, and I've found a topic for an upcoming essay for this summer's SOL creative non-fiction workshop with Diane Thiel. I'm also reading for a 19th century American poetry class with Dr. Jenn Lewin (one of my favorite SOL professors). 

April's Camp NaNoWriMo begins on April 1, and I've set my word count goal at 10,000, during which time I'll be working on my essay for the summer. 

Knitting Yarns: Writers on Knitting by Ann Hood

Found Ann Hood's Knitting Yarns: Writers on Knitting in Barnes and Noble this past weekend, and I LOVE this collection of essays. You don't have to be a knitter to get something out of them, either.



Here's an overview:

“In this lovely anthology, Sue Grafton, Barbara Kingsolver, and other authors go public with their passion for knitting.”—People magazine, four stars
“The impressive collection of writers here have contributed essays that celebrate knitting and knitters. They share their knitting triumphs and disasters as well as their life triumphs and disasters. . . . These essays will break your heart. They will have you laughing out loud.”—Ann Hood, from the introduction
Why does knitting occupy a place in the hearts of so many writers? What’s so magical and transformative about yarn and needles? How does knitting help us get through life-changing events and inspire joy? In Knitting Yarns, twenty-seven writers tell stories about how knitting healed, challenged, or helped them to grow. Barbara Kingsolver describes sheering a sheep for yarn. Elizabeth Berg writes about her frustration at failing to knit. Ann Patchett traces her life through her knitting, writing about the scarf that knits together the women she’s loved and lost. Knitting a Christmas gift for his blind aunt helped Andre Dubus III knit an understanding with his girlfriend. Kaylie Jones finds the woman who used knitting to help raise her in France and heals old wounds. Sue Grafton writes about her passion for knitting. Also included are five original knitting patterns created by Helen Bingham.Poignant, funny, and moving, Knitting Yarns is sure to delight knitting enthusiasts and lovers of literature alike.

Book List for 2015...in progress

2014 didn't quite pan out for me, book-reading wise, for two reasons: my thesis work, and severe eyestrain that finally forced me to get prescription reading glasses. I'm hoping for no hang ups in 2015, and my list (in progress) is as follows:


(*denotes a book I've read in the past, but feel the need to revisit)

David Mikics--Slow Reading in a Hurried Age 

David Sedaris--Holidays on Ice
                         Barrel Fever
                         Me Talk Pretty One Day

J.R.R. Tolkien--The Hobbit *

Mary Karr--Cherry
                    The Liar's Club
                    Lit

John Green--The Fault in Our Stars

Cheryl Strayed--Wild

Henry David Thoreau--Walden

Arthur Conan Doyle--The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes

Charles Dickens--Our Mutual Friend

TO BE CONTINUED...

NaNoWriMo novel draft accomplished!

I hit the 50k word mark on November 22 this year, giving me plenty of time to do proofing of the first draft. Below is the book cover for this year's NaNoWriMo novel, designed by my amazing husband, Brad.

Countdown to NaNoWriMo 2014

NaNoWriMo 2014 begins in 25 days. I’ve decided to work on a new YA novel, while also working on short creative non-fiction pieces during that time. That way, if my word count falls short with the novel, I can use the creative non-fiction pieces to make up the difference. Hopefully I can use the non-fiction work I do as a jumping off point for next summer’s SOL session. 

NaNoWriMo has a few new sponsors this year, including Blurb (which I use a lot for book printing), and Inked Voices, a platform for small-setting, online critique groups. I like the idea of Inked Voices, especially if you’re like me and live in a smaller city with few writers, and even fewer who want to share their writing. They offer a free 14-day trial, so I may give it a go after NaNoWriMo finishes up (as they’ll offer a discount code for the monthly fee). 

May graduation, June classes

My graduation day on Mother's Day 2014 in Sewanee, TN was amazing, and far more than I ever imagined a graduation ceremony could be. At least 400 students (both graduates and undergraduates) accepted their diplomas, and swarms of friends and family members cheered as we exited All Saint's Chapel. A dozen School of Letters students walked that day, and I can honestly say it was magical. And in May 2018, I'll do it all over again...except this time I'll be receiving my M.F.A., instead of my M.A.

The long awaited day

I didn't have long to bask in the glow of achievement, however, because I started back to the SOL less than a month later for my 1st summer as an MFA candidate. My classes were Creative Non-Fiction workshop with Nat Geo writer, Neil Shea, and Bible as Literature with one of my favorite professors (and thesis advisor), Dr. Jenn Lewin. Both courses were demanding in their own right, but I managed to get through them both without pulling my hair out. It helped having four previous years of grad school under my belt, I think. I had the fortune of dining at Pearl's with the editors of The American Scholar and the Virginia Quarterly Review (along with Neil Shea, April Alvarez, and a couple of my classmates) before the summer ended, and learned many hard-to-swallow facts about the publishing world. I learned that I will not be pursuing traditional routes to publication in these types of journals. I have not the patience nor the will power, and I honestly feel that the publishing world has become a soul crusher. The main point of this harsh education, however, led me to realize that writing is not something to be taken lightly (not that I've ever taken much in my life lightly), and like any craft, skill, or profession, it requires constant attention, work, and perseverance in order to walk the lonely road of a professional writer. Writing isn't easy, or I should say, good writing isn't easy, and whoever says so is a big fat liar.

So, all that to say: three copies of my thesis has been submitted for binding, and will take their rightful place in the library, archives, and SOL. My summer papers have been turned in, and I'm officially free to do whatever the heck I choose (writing-wise) from now until June. I have two YA novel drafts waiting to receive 2nd edits, and a NaNoWriMo novel to plot before November. Onward!

Rivendell Dinner with a few professors and former classmate.

These Walks: Poems

After 5 years of writing short poems on WDC, I decided to put together a collection of my favorites, and had them printed up for friends and family. Blurb did a great job with the printing (as always), and I'm happy with how they turned out. A big thanks to my husband, Brad (www.bradwallaceimaging.com) for the cover and layout design.