Celebrations! Awards! Seaside Retreats!
Originally Published November 11th, 2019
Lillie & me, near window
Hi, friends! Some wonderful news to share!
First, the essay my daughter, Lillie, and I co-wrote last winter/spring was selected by Calyx literary journal as first-runner up for the Margarita Donnelly Prose Award! This essay, Bent: Daughterhood Recalled Through Skin and Bone, was tender to write and even more so to share. It is an epigenetic love story about mothers, daughters, and the intergenerational persistence of trauma. So, it is full ghosts, yes, but also, we hope, a testament to the power of love and light, the strength of the human spirit, and the invisible cord between mothers and daughters. It is about, perhaps most of all, how even though we carry the shadowy corners of trauma within us, we also carry open windows for healing.
I couldn't be more thrilled to see this at Calyx, not only one of the nation's oldest presses, but also a stunningly gorgeous, mission-driven feminist literary journal whose iconic early contributors and supporters happen also to include my own literary heroes (Sharon Olds! Barbara Kingsolver! Ellen Bass! Natalie Goldberg!). Many thanks to all of you, who have been a constant source of encouragement and support. So grateful!
I’m also delighted to share that one of my students/mentees, Kristine Jepsen, has been nominated for a Puschcart Prize for her essay Jaw Wiring: Everything You Need to Know, an essay that originated in Elephant Rock’s Art of the Fractured class! Big congratulations, Kristine!
Finally, thank you to the 19 writers who gathered in October and November for our two fall sessions of Write for Your Life Memoir Intensive. I am certain we will be seeing some of the beautiful work from these intensives in print soon, as well. What a hardworking, inspiring group of writers!
Last but absolutely not least, our Equinox in Ixtapa retreat still has a few spots left and early bird pricing is still in effect! Payment plans are also available if you need one. We will work with you to make it work, so please do inquire. This seaside retreat is going to be one of the most extraordinary writing offerings we’ve concocted yet. We’d love for you to join us!
Warmly,
Jeannine
