being a woman

the sergeant’s daughter

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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

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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

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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

dropsy

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not long before my mom died, i took her to a doctor’s appointment in a nearby town.  the car trip was relatively short but wiped her out.  getting into and out of the car was difficult, as she had grown weak from rapid weight loss.  by the time she was finished with blood tests at … Read more

and this is what writing is all about

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this weekend, i snuck away to Fernie on my own, to write. and it was great. there’s nothing like writing yourself around, into, and through a story. and i had one of those experiences, you know the ones, where you write something and it kinda blows your mind. it’s only a paragraph and i won’t … Read more

drizzle

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drizzle, drazzle, frazzle. PS  thanks to Sarah Johnson for above.  

vulnerability

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i reworked an old essay of mine titled “MEmory” and shortened it so i could submit to CBC Creative Nonfiction contest.  it was difficult to do for a variety of reasons, mostly emotional.  it’s an essay about my grief after my Mom died and, in it, i’m as honest as i can be.  this kind … Read more

i avoid personal stories

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and i don’t know why beyond fear.  and conditioning.  but every once in a while my stories show up inside my fiction and it’s always a surprise.  it happens when i’m in flow.  yesterday i wrote about changing my mom’s dressings for the first time, hands shaking.  oh, i placed the scene inside a story … Read more

abandoned suitcases

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an article/project about abandoned suitcases. http://www.collectorsweekly.com/articles/abandoned-suitcases-reveal-private-lives-of-insane-asylum-patients/ i’ve worked with mentally ill folks and the stuff they packed was fascinating. in my days in the ER doing psych assessments, i would ask to see their suitcases. you can tell a lot by the manner in which a bag is packed and, also, by who packed it. … Read more