Diane DeBella and I Am Subject: Women sharing their stories to become “subjects” in the 21st century
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,..
One of the messages I have consistently shared since putting my own story out into the world four years ago is that by sharing our truths, we can heal ourselves and help others. That is why I started the Healing Stories Project. Yesterday afternoon I was lucky enough to attend an extremely moving storytelling..
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..
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..
Most of us have learned not to choose a book based upon its cover. I have certainly learned the hard way not to choose a wine by its label. So I don’t know why I continue to be sucked into a film by its trailer—but that is exactly what happened last night. It had been..
My daughter recently published a blog post about the meaning of home. In it, she contemplates all of the various places she has called home, and what home means to her now that she has ventured out on her own. I was particularly struck by one thought in her piece: “Every time we become part..
Last night I decided to stream a film. I started my search with nothing particular in mind, and chose a film with Robert De Niro simply because I usually enjoy his films. The movie was Everybody’s Fine. De Niro plays a recent widower—his wife passed away eight months earlier—whose four adult children are supposed to..
I seem to do much grieving on planes. Perhaps that’s because whenever I receive very bad news, it usually means getting on the first flight I can book in order to get home to Vermont. I’ve experienced this type of plane grieving—the kind that involves death or serious illness—three times in recent years. First I..