In the twilight of October 29, my mother arrived for a visit to my home, traveling all the way across the country. It was the first time ever. She had vowed never to fly after being on an airplane that was struck by lightning. “Even the Monsignor was praying,” she
In my life-long shunning of my mom, I pretended that her history had nothing to do with my history. In all the ways that she was, I wanted to be different. After a childhood that braided love with neglect, indulgence with abuse, I wanted nothing to do with her. Even
For my mother, Judith Ann BurnsOctober 30, 1946 – August 22, 2025 What happens when a girl of 17, imprisoned in her father’s violence and alcoholism, escapes by dropping out of school and marrying a man she doesn’t love? That was the premise of my mom’s life. A seed of
Two days ago, on a perfect August Saturday, a girl sat in the Lewiston City Library. She wasn’t fidgeting or whispering. She sat perfectly still, pivoted in her chair to listen to the lecture on Ice Age Idaho. She was maybe ten years old, her freckled face a bit ketchupy,
As we enter the dog days of summer, I am puzzling over the word trope. According to Merriam-Webster, a trope can be either: a: a word or expression used in a figurative sense : FIGURE OF SPEECH b : a common or overused theme or device : CLICHÉ Should a word have two opposite meanings? When
Mary Karr, in The Art of Memoir, writes about the importance of truth telling. About lying or embellishing, Karr says, “It’s as if after lunch the deli guy quipped, ‘I put just a teaspoon of catshit in your sandwich, but you didn’t notice it at all.’ To my mind, a
If your mom died baldWhen you were sixor disappeared barredwhen you were eightOr you never knewYour mom.If your sisterRushed you pastThe scene of your momAnd the blood,Down the fire escapeAnd to the neighbors.If your dad did a 360,On Ventura HighwayAnd your mom pretendedEverything was Jack Daniels fine.And if there’s no
In writing memoir, writers choose a slice of life that might illustrate the whole. Like a tree branch that is part of the larger tree, the memoir exists in relation to the life story. It’s included. Branch of a tree, branch of a memoir, branch of a bank where money
Memoir writing is an act of writing about a specific time of your life. You recall it, you shape it, and you revise it. But what causes someone to write memoir? What is the occasion to write memoir? For me, writing memoir is a way of investigating not only my
If my Golden Retriever Josie was choosing a freelance editor, what would she look for? Although I can’t know for certain, I believe she would look for someone who understood and cared about dogs. The editor wouldn’t have to be a Golden Retriever or even a dog herself. But the
