Nimrod Hall Travel Log Day 3 Yesterday was a tough writing day. I couldn’t control the movements of my cursor–no creating, editing, or even printing documents. At a writing workshop! I tried everything I or others could think of. By late afternoon I was ready to pull my flat hair out by the roots. But […]
Nimrod Hall Travel Log Day 2 At the Nimrod Writers’ Workshops, the first thing to go is sleep. The second thing is any pride of appearance. I live in T-shirts, scrub pants, and Tevas. Here I am doing my after-dinner reading, from DIFFERENT DRUMMER, “The Darwinian Co-Op Lending Library.” Today was my big day to […]
Nimrod Hall Travel Log Day 1 Midnight is approaching. I’m wiped out–equal parts exhaustion and expectation! Sheri Reynolds is the writer-in-residence for Week 1. I met her this afternoon when she helped unload my “stuff,” got to know her a bit during our organizational meeting, and heard her read in our after-dinner session. She […]
Nimrod Hall Travel Log Heading Out For many years I’ve traveled to Nimrod Hall in Millboro, Virginia, for their annual writing retreat. Nimrod has inspired several of my stories and given me hours of valuable writing time. This year, I’ll share a brief travel log. So, I’ve packed for Nimrod. This photo doesn’t include laptop or the […]
My Nimrod week this year has included much more waiting than usual. The usual includes waiting for morning coffee and three abundant meals a day. The usual includes waiting for afternoon conferences and workshops and evening readings. Some years—including this one—it’s not unusual to wait for the rain to stop. Because I’ve been […]
So, I’m here at Nimrod for the week, and it is gorgeous as ever in spite of the daily showers and thunderstorms. I arrived with great optimism and enthusiasm for the days ahead. And then it all went to hell in a handcart. First my printer wouldn’t print. It signaled low ink so I replaced […]
That’s an announcement I’d dearly love to see! Last night was her first reading and signing in Richmond and I, for one, want more. She read from her two newest books. She started with a selection from lost places: on losing and finding home which was released in April. It is a memoir in essay form. […]
The upside to writing is almost limitless! Which is fortunate, because few of us gain significant income for our efforts. Here are some of the best things about the writing life for me. 1) It’s good for your brain. Writing requires rational thought, planning, focus, and practice, all of which is good exercise for maintaining […]
I’m always in the midst of one book or another, but I’ve recently come to appreciate all the rich reading out there that comes in small portions. For example, the September issue of Smithsonian Magazine included an article about Benjamin Lay, “The nation’s first radical abolitionist [who] was one of the most dramatic outspoken figures of the 18th […]
Each summer for more than ten years, I’ve attended Nimrod Hall summer writing workshops. Unfortunately, I cannot attend this year. But you could! There are still a few spaces left. Why am I recommending Nimrod? You could see my blogs from years past. But here is a brief overview. Excellent writing teachers. I’ve worked with […]