bullshit
“I’ve been accused of vulgarity. I say that’s bullshit.” Mel Brooks
being a woman
weeping woman
Weeping Woman (Dora Maar) by Grace Nichols 14. Picasso, I want my face back the unbroken photography of it once, I lived to be stroked by the fingers of your brushes Now I see I was more an accomplice to my own uprooting Watching the pundits gaze open-mouthed at your … Read more
a marked grave
writer Mavis Gallant rests in a marked grave in Montparnasse Cemetery in Paris. in 2015 it was difficult to locate without knowledge that she resides, temporarily, in her friend’s family crypt, because Mavis died almost penniless. when faced with fragile, failing health and dwindling finances, she stated, unequivocally, “i have chosen to be a writer, … Read more
platform
platform a landing alongside railroad tracks. you’re waiting. coal trains flashing past. most of the time you can’t speak on a train platform. there’s too much noise. and the anxiety about the ticket. where is it? should i move it to another pocket? check, double check. tiresome. this year i’ve watched writers who are so … Read more
the sergeant’s daughter
here’s a piece of creative non-fiction i wrote about (not) belonging. sometimes i wonder if i don’t belong because i’m a woman but that’s a dark thought on this beautiful sunny day. i think it’s the tired talking. here’s the link: http://www.cbc.ca/books/canadawrites/2014/09/stories-of-belonging-writing-challenge.html#mid=20589651&offset=41&page=3&s=hits%20DESC,%20id%20ASC
on being a (wo)man
dear imaginary readers of the blog, it’s been a misogynistic couple of weeks. you know, Ursula Le Guin’s essay on being a failed man is thought provoking. as an older woman, she was born just as women were considered persons. she tried to live as a man and now she’s old, and considering living as an old … Read more
a singular woman
Mavis Gallant has died at age 91 in Paris. a short story writer who was born in Canada, she lived her adult life in Paris. she wrote about expats living in Europe and themes of alienation/loneliness emerged. the stories of people living in-between cultures and their often shabby personal lives. i’ve read some of her … Read more