Theory and Practice
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Family Photographs
After my mother died, a box arrived in the mail. I didn’t go back home to Cumberland, Maryland, to attend her funeral, despite the fact that I was her only child. She had a brother and several nieces and nephews who took care of the arrangements. They cleaned out her house and disposed of her Continue reading
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It Happened to Me; It Happens to Others
Shortly after my poetry chapbook, Falling: A Memoir in Verse, was published, I was asked by the university where I taught at the time to give a reading on our campus. I write about difficult subjects. My instincts prod me to face experiences from my past that cause me the most discomfort and to write Continue reading
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Finally, an Understandable Definition of “Voice” in Nonfiction
Have you ever noticed how writing experts tend to trip and fumble when they try to explain the concept of voice in nonfiction? They may say that voice is that undefinable something that makes your writing your own. It’s the magic on the page that allows readers to recognize you, the speaker of the text, Continue reading
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What Anne Lamott Said to Me (Sort of)
One of the advantages of living near Ann Arbor, Michigan, is the opportunity to be part of the thriving literary community that revolves around the University of Michigan’s prestigious Zell Writers’ Program. When I moved here twelve years ago, I declared that I had landed in Writer Heaven. One of Ann Arbor’s gems (in the Continue reading
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Wondering What to Write About? Try These Prompts
We are writers. We are committed to writing regularly. Some of us face a blank page every day. Writing is generally a solitary exercise. The topics about which we write arise from the deluge of our thoughts, from the minutiae of our impulses and emotions. Sometimes, though, our minds may feel blank. What will we Continue reading
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25,000 Words by April 1?
I’m fired up! I just finished reading Jami Attenberg’s new book 1000 Words: A Writer’s Guide to Staying Creative, Focused, and Productive All Year Round. Reading her book led me to explore #1000wordsofsummer, a popular movement in which people commit part of their summer to writing a thousand words a day. Attenberg advises, “Write 1000 Continue reading
Do you write about yourself and your experiences? Do you write about traumatic events in your life? Or, do you struggle to find time and motivation to write?
If so, this blog is for you.
Person on the Page 