The End

I recently published my first edited book,  Labor of Love: A Literary Mama Staff Anthology ,  with  Small Harbor Publishing . It's an anthology of writing from  Literary Mama  staff over the past 20 years. It's a beautiful collection and I am proud of the writers and proud to share the book.  It seems a fitting moment, as I pondered sharing about the book here on the blog, to reflect on my life as a blogger, and acknowledge that it is time to officially end this blog.   I started blogging in about 2007, when my baby was learning to toddle, when I was learning how to be a mother and stepmother, when I was just starting to see my way as a writer. I needed it back then. I craved it. I had a variety of blog iterations--family, art, creativity, writing things I delved into. There's a freedom in blogging, a casualness, an easy familiarity that's lacking (for me anyway) in other kinds of writing. I loved blogging and the words came pouring out.  Over the years since then, some
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The MFA Journey- Beginnings

A few years ago, I wrote a post summarizing what I had discovered as I dreamed of attending an MFA program. There are a plethora of writing programs, and in that post I contemplated many of them. Even back then I knew that Chatham University was the place for me. Even back then I knew that it would be incredibly difficult to pursue an MFA and raise children and keep a house. Even back then, before any belief that I could or would do this thing, I was pretty scared.

 So here I am, beginning something new. It's two months until I head to Pittsburgh to begin the work. Yet, already it has begun. In the next two weeks I have to send a decent version of a CNF essay (to be worked on later). By July 1, I have to have read read seven books and written 500 word responses to five of those books. I also have been trying to read other works by the authors who will be at the summer residency. Thankfully, I have known about these assignments for the past month, and have been working on them already. 

 I feel busy right now, but also like I have enough time to accomplish these things, and get the rest of life dealt with too. When the end of July comes, however, I have a feeling I will need to switch into hyperdrive for pretty much every waking moment. This is exciting and scary both.

 I am choosing to drop some of the current things I am working on, and writing activities and groups I participate in, but I am also taking up other things. Earlier this week I wrote a piece for the Literary Mama blog about the beginning of this journey. I will write a few more posts for LM as the program progresses. And I thought I might write some regular posts here as well. Partly to share the experience of life as and MFA student and mother, partly to chronicle my thoughts and feelings (good, bad, and ugly) about it, and partly to help me sort through what it is that I am doing exactly. 

 It's funny, two years ago I was only dreaming of what an MFA program would be like. Now, here I am, walking into that dream and though it is scary, I am doing it, I am motivated, and I feel totally alive.

Comments

Posegates said…
So neat of you to do this! Keep up the good work!
May 22, 2014 at 7:04 AM
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