Swamped and crippled by endless drafts, pitches for magazines and newspapers, homework and as-yet unwritten commissioned pieces, I find myself sleepless in New York. And speaking of endless drafts, I’d like to draw your attention to a new rewrite of Attack of the Mothers. A head’s up: it’s tragic, it’s shocking and it’s violent. It… Continue reading Drafts, Pitches and Homework
As some of you know, I’ve been having a long drawn out fantasy about getting an MFA in Creative Nonfiction at Sarah Lawrence College. Their writing program has famously churned out some epic writers. The school requires two recommendations as part of its application process. Which is of course why I sent four, no? The… Continue reading The MFA Dream
The assignment for my Personal Essay Writing class was to “write about a moment that taught you something unexpected about yourself.” Those of you that read and enjoyed my previous blog Living in the Spotlight about the “wetsuit” incident at Bally’s, you may enjoy the rewrite for my class: The Good Little Teacher That Could.… Continue reading The Good Little Teacher
Friday morning, I went into withdrawal. I take nine medications daily. Funny enough, if you can find humor in having a pill case at 27 which of course I do, none of the medications are for fibromyalgia. After years of trying combinations of different medications (from mood stabilizers, anti-seizure meds, anti-inflammatories), including all the ones… Continue reading Withdrawl Weekend=Boring Blog
They can’t write. This symptom manifests itself in different variations at the university tutoring center where I spend my afternoons. I tutor mostly freshmen and the rare upperclassmen in writing. As the high school teacher made famous for packing on the writing assignments, students and teachers alike complimented my relentless drive to ensure that my… Continue reading The Subject-Verb Disagreement
Everyone I know is pregnant or trying to get pregnant. Well, everyone except me. The other day I felt like a hostage as I sat around with moms discussing daycare options over lunch. During my regular Target shopping spree, I became harried going through racks of baby clothes as I searched for a gift for… Continue reading Mothers/Submission for "Personal Essay Clinic: Writing about About Family" Class
Hubbie’s cousin is a Radio City Rockette. And last night, she almost became my creative guru. If it were up to her, I’d be giving art lessons, painting and writing up a storm…oh, and taking some risks. I am not a risk taker. I have never had enough stability in my life to be willing… Continue reading Portrait of an artist
I’ve had to give up on a lot of dreams. As a child, when I didn’t grow past 5’3,” I let go of the momentary dream of being a firefighter. I gave up the dream of becoming a fashion illustrator when I realized I would never be able to afford the art supplies I would… Continue reading On Dreaming or The Sarah Lawrence Obsession
Finally finished The Ten Commandments According to My Mother. It’s in its second draft before I hope Devora and hubbie take it apart and help me work on it some more. Deadline’s two weeks away. How is it that I am talking about relationships at LimmudLA? I plead insanity. What am I Dr. Phil? I… Continue reading In The Zone
There is actually a guidebook for converts. Of course, I didn’t know this. I didn’t even think to look. I had to get through all 50 odd books that the rabbi listed on the curriculum, forget going out there and looking for myself. The thing is, as I page through many books about conversion in… Continue reading Finding my place in the world…
Memoirs of a Jewminicana 