Analyze This . . and this . . . and this

September 6, 2007

OK. I survived the checkup. List in my journal: — Muzak makes me feel like I’m late to something big–and it isn’t happening in this waiting area. –Note to self: Need an IPod. –Cute teenage boy in cargo shorts with a bloody syringe taped to his jugular, tubes running under his polo shirt. –Grey-ponytailed hippy […]

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To The Doctor

September 4, 2007

What, you might ask, does a calming photo of a Rhode Island glacial pond with a canoe have to do with the title of this blog: to the doctor? In a few minutes, I’m heading out for a physical–the first I’ve had in several years. I used to be an extreme hypocondriac, until my own […]

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Visiting the Parents

July 25, 2007

It’s a blessing, having old parents. Yes, they’re creaky and crumbly and leaky and shuffly, and shrinking in size and stature. But I adore them. And every time I see them I come away with a new slant on my own life–and on theirs. I notice how my mother, who also adores me, still needs […]

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Tears: They happen

July 17, 2007

I always say at the beginning of a workshop: if tears come, don’t worry. Let the waters flow. Don’t even try to hold them back. Writing and reading our work aloud can unleash emotion like nothing else. In one workshop, a young woman who was reading aloud for the first time choked up and couldn’t […]

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What’s Living in Your House?

July 5, 2007

Song for Sampson, a poem about a cat, makes a fun prompt. I sent it out to one of my workshops, knowing that there are folks in the group who don’t like animals. So, I ask: what else is living in your house. Ants on the kitchen counter, mold on the shower curtain, a plant […]

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Writing at the Chateau

June 27, 2007

Warm sun, fresh baguettes, strong cheese, the smell of roses and herbs–Provence is the lavender capital of the world–this is an idyllic setting for writing. We had a glorious week. Lots of images on the pages, powerful narratives and essays, aha moments. Camaraderie, connections, creativity. Projects launched. Next summer join me in France’s Loire Valley. […]

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Writing and teaching in Provence–just barely

June 21, 2007

Friends, I have to pinch myself. Here I am in France–beautiful Provence–teaching what I love to a group of wonderful people, writers, whom I’ve come to know and appreciate quickly; it doesn’t get much better. But were it not for my Congressman, and a fast car, I would be at home right now, cooling my […]

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About Our Mothers

May 14, 2007

I use a list in my column today in the Chapel Hill News to capture some of my mother’s endearing and absurd ideas about how to maintain health and live well. I love lists. They’re a great way to:cover a lot of material fast and briefly, almost like shorthand. Sometimes we feel we must write […]

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On the Road…to Qatar

March 23, 2007

Just got back from my four-day teaching residency in Doha, Qatar, in the Persian Gulf. Sometimes I invite students to get inside a place or an experience by doing a stream of consciousness exercise. Begin by writing one or two words that capture anything about the experience. Keep the pen moving or keys clicking. To […]

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One Thousand Words a Day

February 2, 2007

Just do it! Just write 1,000 words a day. This advice is standard fare–I don’t know how many books I’ve read that recommend, well, demand it. What to be a real writer? Write 1,000 words a day, for starters. I’ve tried . . . I can’t remember how many times, and failed–every time. I get […]

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