Diane DeBella and I Am Subject: Women sharing their stories to become “subjects” in the 21st century
My fondest memories of the winter solstice were when my kids were young, and the cartoon Little Bear was popular. There was a winter solstice episode, and it was filled with love, family, food, joy, community, warmth, and the uplifting refrain, “Happy Winter Solstice!” It still makes me smile to think of it today. Yet..
The biggest predictor of change is misery. The biggest reason people will change is because they are suffering to a degree that they can’t continue to live the same way. ~ Dr. Cortney S. Warren, Clinical Psychologist Denial is a film about climate change. That was the original intention of both the director, Derek..
Over the years, as a teacher of women writers, and as a woman writer myself, I have taught and written about countless women, their lives, and their works. I don’t shy away from a challenge. After all, I have taught Toni Morrison’s Beloved. I have examined the demons that pursued Anne Sexton and Sylvia Plath,..
Each week for 26 weeks, I am publishing a post about women who are not widely known but should be—women who can inspire us, teach us, and encourage us to get out of our comfort zones and reach for our dreams. Week 25 of my A to Z challenge introduces us to Yoshiko Uchida…
I recently shared with a friend that I felt irrelevant. What led to that conclusion was a year of tremendous upheaval. I left my university teaching job, sold my home, moved away from my community and friends, and sent my twins to college 14 hours away. All of the roles I had assumed for..
As I was drinking my morning coffee while surfing the latest headlines, I paused mid-sip when I saw “Life Expectancy Drops for White Women” in health news from NPR. This is the first time since the Centers for Disease Control started tracking life expectancy that the lifespan of white women has declined (NPR). I wish..
I was Skyping with a friend I hadn’t spoken to in quite some time the other day. When she asked me how I was doing, I struggled to find the words to describe exactly how I was feeling. Finally, I told her I was free floating, an astronaut on a space walk, which is disconcerting..
I am always hesitant to write an end of year post. Whether I reflect on the year about to end, or share my hopes for the year that has not yet begun, I run risks. If I look back over the past year, I risk writing a piece that sounds more like a highlight reel—similar..
Everything in my world is changing. My entire universe is shifting. There is much ‘leaving’ going on. I am leaving behind academia after 25 years, and stepping off the treadmill of holding down two jobs while attempting to raise two kids. My children—twins—are leaving for college, setting out on their own paths, so excited to..
Lately it seems that everywhere I turn, in real life and in fiction, I come face to face with women who are struggling with the harsh realities of midlife. I recently watched Boyhood, the Oscar nominated film twelve years in the making that follows one boy through childhood and adolescence. While Mason’s story was..