The name of this blog, “Telling Herstories,” reflects the mission of the organization it represents, Story Circle Network, to nature and support women’s voices and stories. I thought of that mission recently as I followed an email discussion among a group of women writers. The thread involved a mystery writer who had taken over her […]
Betwixt & Between: Creativity in a Liminal Time
liminal – adj. [technical] 1. of or relating to an initial or transitional stage of a process 2. occupying a position at, or on both sides of, a threshhold. origin: late 19th century; from Latin limen, limin ‘threshhold’ For the past few weeks, the word “liminal” has been in my mind. It’s a curious word […]
Accountability
By B. Lynn Goodwin Writing is a lonely business. Sometimes. Other times it’s a joyous celebration with friends or a slog through one’s own unique valley of despair. Frankly, I’m glad I’m not on a writing team at the moment, though that might be an interesting project if the subject matter was right. Since I […]
A Woman of Worth: Laura Mitchell Keene
Laura Mitchell Keene and I met at church many years ago. She read stories in Sunday school when my boys were small, and attended a women’s writing group there, making insightful and encouraging comments. When the group disbanded two years ago, we decided to meet together at her home. A tiny African American woman with […]
A Little Chat With the Masters at the Tate Modern
In this post, writing coach/teacher Len Leatherwood reflects on some artful lessons she’s learned from masters of their craft. On our vacation, Ray and I spent the afternoon at the Tate Modern in London. I go into an art museum with an inquiring mind. I am there to experience the art, but also to learn […]
The Value of a Good Wander When Writing
by Len Leatherwood Any of my personal essay students will tell you that I often say, “It’s important to use writing as a form of discovery.” I contend that personal essays that set out to prove a point automatically have built-in constraints. The writer has a plan, an objective, a purpose, which is to convince […]
