Tag Archives: story

Oct21

write something.

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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

Sep15

lwd. (laughing while driving.) is this a ticket-able offense?

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The Patron Saint of Second Chances

 a debut novel by Christine Simon

—

on my weekday commutes to school

i listen to quite a few books

and this

was the first one in a long time

that had me laughing out loud while driving

while i may have looked a bit crazy

 it was so worth it for the belly laughs

all from this book

set in a small italian village

filled with larger than life, passionate, eccentric characters

who you will absolutely fall in love with

a community who finds a way

where no path is clear

using the power of optimism, love, and fate

(along with a few pleas to obscure patron saints)

to overcome all obstacles.

you simply will not want this beautiful story to end.

 bella.

—

“my optimism wears heavy boots and is loud.”

-henry rollins

 

 

—

image credit/publisher: atria books

Sep13

story about the stories.

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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)

Jun20

finding dabls in detroit.

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i recently went with a group of colleagues/friends

to find the artist, dabls

working on his block in detroit

where we learned so much from him

an experience i’ll never forget

dabls’ installation-‘iron teaching rocks how to rust’ 

artist/storyteller dabls

uses materials as metaphors

to pass on his stories

of african and european art/cultures

open to everyone

he can be found working and sharing stories

on this abandoned block

that he has reclaimed

as his own and the community’s

most every day

dalbas mbad african bead museum

where each of his beads tells a story

dabls’ art has brought this house to life

—

 “Stories are able to help us to become more whole, to become Named.

And Naming is one of the impulses behind all art;

to give a name to the cosmos, we see despite all the chaos.”

-Madeleine L’Engle

—

The Kresge Foundation elected Dabls as “2022 Eminent Artist”

to recognize his accomplishments in the arts as well as his lifelong impact on Detroit’s culture.

—

to read his full story go to:

http://www.mbad.org/best-friends

or just stop by to see him.

Feb15

breathings.

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the long letter

written on the outside of my valentine

was even more important

than the card inside

 the kinder who worked very hard to write it all down

read it out loud to me

confident, proud, with voice inflections, hands moving

and so much to say.

—

“fill your paper with the breathings of your heart.”

-william wordsworth

Oct25

full of life.

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what an honor and a joy

to see the culmination

of my dear friend, breeda kelly miller’s

 hours, days, months, year, spent

writing, creating, staging, rehearsing, distilling

and bringing the story of her mother, mary kelly

to life on stage at the world premiere

of her emotional and brilliant one-woman play,

Mrs. Kelly’s Journey Home.

 the arthur miller theater, ann arbor, the university of michigan

—

“you should feel a flow of joy because you are alive. your body will feel full of life.

that is what you must give from the stage. your life. no less. that is art: to give all you have.”

-anton chekhov

 

 

 

 

 

Directed by Brian Cox, a Pencilpoint Theatre Production. Go to mrskellysjourneyhome.com for updates. 

 

Jul6

extraordinary.

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rereading one of my favorite books

well-worn/well-loved

dr. zhivago

  sweeping epic set in russian history

extraordinary characters

extraordinary times

pasternak a poet

i would love for it to have

a different ending

for just one reading

yet know

it would not be

the story it was meant to be.

 

—

“literature is the art of discovering something extraordinary about ordinary people,

and saying with ordinary words something extraordinary.”

-boris pasternak

Mar25

mother goose.

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mother goose waits patiently on a rock in the river

luckily she has lots of stories to tell until baby’s big enough to swim. 

“rock and roll is music, and why should music contribute to…juvenile delinquency?

if people are going to be juvenile delinquents,

they’re going to be delinquents if the hear… mother goose rhymes.”

-elvis presley

 

 

—

huron river, argo park, ann arbor, michigan, usa – spring 2021