I’m on my way to northern Georgia for two weeks at The Hambidge Center, an artists’ colony I’ve written about a lot on this blog. Two weeks of solitude and reflection! Two weeks of connecting with other creative spirits! Two weeks of daily walks in the woods! And most importantly, two weeks of working on […]
The universe has a way of throwing us a lifeline when we need one. Not long after I blogged about feeling lost — and got so many encouraging comments from you all — an e-mail appeared in my inbox from The Hambidge Center. Does the name ring a bell? Hambidge is the artist’s colony where […]
I’m an accidental dog owner. Cooper found me six months ago in the woods of my writer’s residency in Georgia, when he was a starving, matted stray. I didn’t adopt him because I wanted a dog. I adopted him because he needed a home, and I knew what would happen to him if I didn’t. […]
Author Dani Shapiro said something in Monday’s interview that struck a chord with me: The art of memoir isn’t in discovering what happened, but rather, in how to tell the story. If she’d told me this before I wrote my memoir, I wouldn’t have believed her. Memoir is largely about recounting what happened during a […]
Had I waited a bit longer to name Cooper, I might have called him Shadow. This dog has been glued to my hip since the first day I fed him outside my studio at The Hambidge Center. Now that he’s living with me in upstate New York, he’s on my heels whenever I get up […]
I wrote a lot at Hambidge, an artist’s residency in Georgia. I made friends. I reflected on where to go from here. But something else happened that I haven’t yet told you about: I fell in love. With a dog. I first noticed him, raggedy, soaked and trotting by my studio, during the rains that […]
A lot has happened since I left upstate New York in late August. I’m several chapters away from completing a draft of my manuscript! I’ve got a new working title (although I’m still not satisfied with it). I’ve read through all seven of my travel journals. And I’ve rewritten my proposal. But more on all […]
One of the coolest parts of being at The Hambidge Center is learning about its history. Mary Hambidge (fascinating character) moved to these 600 acres in 1934 with a vision: to establish a place where artists could reflect, create and return to a way of living that was sustainable, good for the land and for […]
I’m still working on my book at The Hambidge Center. Only nine more days left of my residency! You requested more photos, so I’m sharing them today.
I expected to write a lot at this residency. I’ve already had several breakthroughs on that front, including producing a new first chapter that I shared with the other artists here. They say it works. I think so, too. What I didn’t expect from this experience — because I knew it would include many hours […]