“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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Tag Archives: motherhood
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
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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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
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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“Welcome to Girl Land, my good little girls!”—Thank you Marlo Thomas and Friends
Caitlin Flanagan has a new book out. When a writer of a certain standing (read: excellent agent and/or energy-filled editor and publicist) is about to publish (again or for the first time), her name begins to pop up, there and … Continue reading
Posted in COUNTRIES OF LOST THINGS, Grief & grieving, Memory, Motherhood, Writing & Reading
Tagged 1970s, Caitlin Flanagan, divorce, Girl Land, grief, housewife, Joan Didion, motherhood, writer, writing
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Thoughts on reading, breathing, writing & grief
Barnes and Noble has demoted its literary journals, shifting them further in and narrowing their shelf space, during my recent period of inattention. Of course these facts are unrelated: my distraction—consumption—by family life and my local B&N’s shelf make-over. Yet, … Continue reading
Posted in Memory, Motherhood, Suicide, Writing & Reading
Tagged Aleksandar Hemon, grief, memory, motherhood, Rachel Cusk, reading, suicide, ulnar nerve, VIDA, women writers, writing
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Ulnar-nerved Mama—when you want to be a superhero
Here I am at the computer, wondering whether the internet, particularly its subset, or offspring, known as the blog, should be classified as heavy machinery, which I’ve been warned to refrain from using. The doctor seems to think I can … Continue reading
Posted in Memory, Motherhood, Suicide, Writing & Reading
Tagged depression, medical, memory, motherhood, reading, suicide, superheroes, ulnar nerve, writing
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The legacy of suicide – Mark Madoff redux
I usually save this space for original essays (using tumblr—karakrauze.tumblr.com—for interesting articles, quotes, and tidbits). But The New York Post, admittedly not my usual go-to paper, recently published a story about Stephanie Madoff that speaks to the legacy of suicide—the … Continue reading
Posted in Memory, Motherhood, Suicide
Tagged "Madoff's Ultimate Victim", "The Madoff Tapes", Bernie Madoff, grief, Mark Madoff, memory, motherhood, Stephanie Madoff, suicide, suicide survivors
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From Russia with love—unexpected gifts and the open horizons of youth
Last week I met Cynthia Ozick, stood within (almost) spitting distance of Meryl Streep, and received a surprise package from Russia. First of all, I would never, ever spit at Meryl Streep. She is amazing. Since I first saw her … Continue reading
Posted in Memory, Motherhood, Poland, Russia, Writing & Reading
Tagged Cynthia Ozick, In My Mother's House, Kim Chernin, memory, Meryl Streep, Moscow, motherhood, russia, women writers
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