Why a Real Life Story is Never the Whole Story
A drab and wet November morning--perfect for revising at the Royal Coffee House. Monday evening two weeks ago I wrote a story. I wrote it sitting in my car. I plugged my laptop into the car’s one outlet (my battery has surpassed its lifespan), while waiting for my son’s basketball practice to finish. I wrote about the day’s horrific events. I [...]
When Past and Present Evil Collide
Dalya Lemkus - May soon her family be able to look at her picture without crying. Sometimes all I can do to come to grips with a terrible event is to write about it. This is especially true when the way a day turns from good to bad is so stunning, and when the coincidence of subject matter [...]
Joy is… 31 Walks
The sound of fall: Walking through leaves October went out with a bang here in Chicago; we had such a mighty storm that the waves were swapping over and Lake Shore Drive had to be closed Friday afternoon. I myself joyous because I'm looking back at a month when I actually did manage to go for at least a 20-minute [...]
3rd/4th Graders Visit the Hemingway House
I know it's been all about the Hemingway House here lately, but I'm simply having too much fun with it. This week three 3rd/4th grade classes came to visit, and it was a great experience. Not only for them, who loved learning about how people lived around 1900 and touching all the cool old stuff, but also for me to [...]
Hemingway Birthplace Home Video Tour
For my students who missed class at the Hemingway House and all my blog readers, here's a little video tour of my writer-in-residence studio in the attic, the attic itself, and a few glimpses into the rest of the house in Oak Park, Illinois.
Holding Class at the Hemingway House
My Advanced Memoir Workshop meets in the dining room of the Hemingway Birthplace Home. What a cool occasion to take a group selfie! Yesterday my Advanced Memoir workshop, usually held at StoryStudio Chicago, met at the Hemingway Birthplace Home in Oak Park where I am currently writer-in-residence. This class has been running since 2008, and this was the first time [...]