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In the Blink of an Eye
I’m happy to present another VOICES post! In the Blink of an Eye by Lisa Trank. Lisa and I met at a Highlights Foundation Workshop last year. Lisa writes poetry and young adult fiction. Her powerful words below capture the emotions a mother must face when her firstborn leaves for college. In the Blink of an Eye brought tears to mine. Introducing Lisa Trank! I began writing after many years of being a performing artist – an actress and singer – and am happy to be bringing those years of crafting characters and musical storytelling into my writing life. I’m a former recipient of a Rocky Mountain Women’s Institute Fellowship…
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The Dark Room
The room is empty, pitch black; I’m standing in the doorway trying to decide whether to walk in or shut the door and move on. I take a step. There’s a light switch. I turn it on, but it only illuminates as far as my next step. Curious, I continue knowing I could escape, run out slam the door and return to the comfort of what I know. Little by little, I make my way to the center of the room switching on more lights as I go, excitement stirs, I remember. It feels as though I’m standing in an abandoned amusement park watching as one ride after the other comes…
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Stretching Outside My Comfort Zone
Stick me in a room full of kids or teens, and I’m comfortable. I’m in my comfort zone. I’ll listen, I’ll talk, laugh, feel as though I’m right where I belong. Ask me to go to a party or a gathering of adults, and it’s another story. I’ll probably say no, or I’ll go and hope that I can find someone who has the gift of gab. They’ll talk. I’ll listen. The past few months, I’ve decided to make some changes. I knew I needed to stretch outside my comfort zone. I was spending too much time at home in front of the keyboard; I had to encourage myself to…
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Still, I Write
I’ve been to a lot of writing conferences and workshops over the past twelve years. One of my favorite experiences was three years ago with Emma D Dryden on Martha’s Vineyard. We were a small group of writers who wrote, learned, and cooked together. That’s where I met Beverly. I’m grateful she agreed to write a post for VOICES. I look forward to reading her novel. Introducing Beverly James!
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Precious Time
The butterfly counts not months but moments and has time enough. Rabindranath Tagore I was asked by someone very special if I could remember when my kids were little. My answer had a lot to do with why I still insist on family vacations even though my children live on their own. I answered that I remember moments. I remember the feeling of first holding my daughter in my arms and trying to wrap my head around the word mom. She studied me wide-eyed as if she was saying, so you’re the one I’ve been listening to all these months. I remember when my son would give me kisses by planting his toothless…
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Silence Is Status Quo
Shelly Hassett is the featured writer for this month’s post. Shelly is twenty-four years old. She has a B.S. in Environmental Studies and teaches elementary school science. I met Shelly when she was in middle school. When all the other students were in line talking a mile a minute on the way to lunch, there was Shelly, book in hand, learning about the world. She’s extremely well-read which is why I keep encouraging her to write. I was thrilled when she agreed to write this post.
