after 3 days of conferences with parents
sharing stories of each child’s gifts
i’m all talked out
but really loved the conversations.
—
“we are all gifted, that is our inheritance.”
-ethel waters
—
photo credit: bbc earth
after 4 years and 4 tries
at last i find myself in
the erma bombeck writer’s workshop
at the university of dayton
her alma mater
where she has left an endowment
to support writers of humor and the human condition
i’ve always admired her style of writing
her daughter spoke of growing up in the family
the joy of erma’s looks at life
already feeling inspired and so lucky
with very welcoming writers
of all shapes and sizes, ages and stages
beginning to accomplished author
each with a unique story and reason
all with a common passion
the desire to write.
—
“to say, ‘well, i write when i really get into it’ is a bunch of bull.
put the paper in the typewriter, stare at it a long time,
get snowblindness if you have to, but write something.”
-erma bombeck
remember when
you heard all those scary stories in the dark?
where you looked in your rearview mirror and saw
the man with the hook/claw/bones in your backseat?
think maybe i should wave this driver over to warn him?
—
“the thing I hate most about skeletons is you can never tell when they’re smiling.”
-stephen blackmoore, american author
on this special day
i brought out
an old treasured story
written by
my former student, nicole
who i taught for grades k-2
(in a school where we were known by our first names)
a story about me sharing stories
made me cry happy tears to read
how much she enjoyed the stories
what ginormous heaps of praise
from a fellow roald dahl fan.
—
happy roald dahl story day!!
—
“words are our most inexhaustible source of magic.”
-albus dumbledore (j.k. rowling, harry potter series)
my wall plug looks quite content
and has a story to tell.
—
“it seemed to me at an early age that all human communication-
whether it’s tv, movies, books –
begins with somebody wanting to tell a story.
that need to tell, to plug into a universal socket,
is probably one of our grandest desires. and the need to hear stories,
to live lives other than our own for even the briefest moment,
is the key to the magic that was born in our bones.”
-robert r. mccammon
peter bence retells toto’s story of africa in a new way
not confining himself to just the keyboard
of this half million dollar piano
well worth a listen.
—
“i’m an interpreter of stories.
when I perform it’s like sitting down at my piano and telling fairy stories.
-nat king cole