“Memory, in short, is engraved not merely by the life we have led but by the life of the mind…by all the lives we so nearly led but missed by an inch, and—if we grant enough leeway to the imagination—by the lives of others, which can cut into ours every bit as sharply as our own experience.” – Anthony Lane, writing about W.G. Sebald in The New Yorker (May 29, 2000)
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Category Archives: Writing & Reading
This Day (Origami Boxes)
The day feels slow and languid and long and loud and like it is rushing by. The pressing weight of grief. Precise and heavy and yet simultaneously diffuse, and everywhere. And, outside, the sun shines. And on the radio: old … Continue reading
Simon Critchley writes of science and creativity—memory and morality
The New York Times published a beautiful essay on science, creativity, human morality and fallibility by Simon Critchley this past weekend, “The Dangers of Certainty: A Lesson from Auschwitz.” Critchley writes of his childhood memories of the science show “The … Continue reading
Old Memories and New Stories
A new year, and there is much talk about resolutions and what lies ahead. I’ve been engaging in this looking forward too, aspiring and hoping for this or that to receive more time, energy, success…. But in the midst of … Continue reading
Posted in Grief & grieving, Memory, Suicide, War, Writing & Reading
Tagged André Aciman, dyslexia, Failure, memory, Neurodiversity, Philip Schultz, poetry, revising, Sholom Aleichem, veterans, writing
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On writing and war—voices of veterans
This morning, instead of heading out for a longed-for run in that quiet half hour between the kids’ departure for school and the forward rush of my day, I sat down to glance at the Times and got swallowed up … Continue reading
Jam in my purse—and unsticking the novel
Rule number one, never put jam in your purse, even if you think it will come in handy for the Dramamine your son needs in order not to throw up. When it comes down to it, would you rather have … Continue reading
Posted in COUNTRIES OF LOST THINGS, DOWN THE STREET..., Memory, War, Writing & Reading
Tagged adultery, bosnia, Countries of Lost Things, fiction, motherhood, parenting, writing
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Superstorm Sandy—grains of sand
Lately, I’ve been composing more blog posts while running by the East River than here in the tangible world of type and technology. Today, I want to try to bring them back together. This weekend I returned to the East … Continue reading
Posted in COUNTRIES OF LOST THINGS, Grief & grieving, Memory, Motherhood, Writing & Reading
Tagged 9/11, blackout, disaster, East River, eastern seaboard, electricity, Manhattan, memory, power, Sandy, superstorm
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Memory—my mom’s story of motherhood & Joe Queenan on books (beautiful books)!
I want to share the wonderful review my mom (Joanne S. Frye) received this week from Literary Mama (great site for lovers of writing/reading) for her memoir Biting the Moon: A Memoir of Feminism and Motherhood. Check out the review … Continue reading
How shy are you? – Some thoughts on thoughtfulness
These past weeks I have been mulling over the need for solitude. Why do we need it? When do we need it? Does everyone need it? What do we even mean by solitude? What do I mean? Sometimes we stumble … Continue reading
Posted in Grief & grieving, Memoir, Memory, Motherhood, Suicide, Writing & Reading
Tagged dyslexia, Hanif Kureishi, introvert, Judith Warner, Memorial Day, parenting, reading, Ritalin, shyness, solitude, Susan Cain, writing
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Adrienne Rich—what death leaves us missing
There are people we presume will always be there. This is something we seldom examine or think about; it just is. This morning when I picked up the paper and found those book-ended dates by Adrienne Rich’s name (1929-2012), my … Continue reading
Posted in Grief & grieving, Memory, Motherhood, Suicide, Writing & Reading
Tagged Adrienne Rich, Biting the Moon, Diving into the Wreck, divorce, feminism, motherhood, poetry, secrets, silence, suicide
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Motherhood, divorce, public vitriol—(don’t) tell us more
There was much bustle over in the UK last month, in the pages of The Guardian, in particular, with Telegraph readers jumping in too, about the release of Rachel Cusk’s new memoir, Aftermath: On Marriage and Separation, which was excerpted … Continue reading
Posted in Memoir, Memory, Motherhood, Writing & Reading
Tagged Aftermath, Biting the Moon, divorce, feminism, gender roles, Joanne S. Frye, memoir, memories of books, motherhood, Pen Parentis, Rachel Cusk
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Kara Krauze 