Friday, February 23, 2024, would’ve been my father’s 77th birthday. Two years after his passing and in honor of a, in the words of the bishop who celebrated the mass, recalcitrant Catholic, we celebrated his anniversary in church. It was a touching ceremony with aunts and uncles, my daughter Jimena crying as much as she did the day of the funeral, and my sister, who lives in Atlanta, on Facetime. …
Our Family Gap Year Will Derail My Writing Routine. Here’s How I Keep Up with Writing on the Road
With one child graduating from university, the second from high school, a husband retiring, and a writer who can work from anywhere, the stars aligned this spring to free up our schedules for a family gap year. Twelve months to escape the daily grind and explore new places, together.…
“The Coast Road” by Alan Murrin Review
In 1994, divorce was illegal in Ireland. Alan Murrin’s “The Coast Road” is set in a small town where the law, gossip, and societal pressures trap women in unhappy marriages.
Colette Crowley, a poet who fled to Dublin to be with a married man, returns to town, disrupting the delicate equilibrium of several relationships.…
Fill the Chairs: How to Elevate Local Authors
“Fairytales can come true,” Frank Sinatra croons, then promises, “it can happen to you,” but does it? An author sets up a table piled with copies of her latest novel and assembles rows of chairs for the scads of people surely lining up outside the bookstore to hear her read and get her well-practiced “scrawl” on crisp title pages.…
Setting: Take Your Character Reinvention Story Abroad
“La vita e un viaggio. Chi viaggia vive due volte.”
Life is a journey. Those who travel live twice.
Italian proverb
Foreign settings allure and entice. They whisper of things unknown, exotic, and enriching. The Italian saying quoted above proposes a second life for traveling characters.…
Reading to Improve Line-Level Writing
My grandma patiently waited as I swiped through photos on my phone to find a picture of my friend’s new baby. A proud ‘auntie’ in my own right, I was absorbed in the search when my grandma asked, “Why are there so many pictures of words?”…
“The Harvesters” by Jasmina Odor
The Harvesters by Jasmina Odor is a beautifully written novel that asks the reader to slow down and examine the power of memory and the desire to harness the future. Odor creates a character study dealing with immigration, what it means to belong, and the role we play in our lives.…
A Work in Progress: OK, I’ll Focus, But on What?
For years I’ve worn an oversized memento mori ring on the secure side of my tight-fitting wedding band. The rattle continually reminds me of the commitment I chose, but I’ve mostly ignored the memento mori ring. It’s been the clapper in the bell, noisy but invisible, essential but forgotten.…
Visit Brattle Street Review
Just a quick shout out to our friends in the Harvard University HES Creative Writing and Literature Society. Check out their brand new literary journal, the Brattle Street Review.…
So, I Listen: How Music Alleviates Writer’s Block
Hanging out on “Story Street,” my writing compadres and I were bemoaning writer’s block and how to dodge, nudge, or obliterate it. For me, short of divine intervention, the only cure is going for a long drive and listening to music.…