Do you know when I tend to get the most reading done? When I am completely overwhelmed by everything else in my life. The holiday season is a time that, while frequently joyful and memorable, is also inevitably full of frenetic activity, deadlines, obligations, and expectations piled higher than the Whos’ presents on the Grinch’s […]
For each issue of Literary Mama, Literary Reflections shares a writing prompt, inviting our readers to respond. Our editors provide feedback on the responses we receive, and we post our favorites on the blog. This month’s writing prompt is inspired by Sara Dutilly’s essay, Daily Bread. ~~~~~ Recently, in my job at the public library, […]
A few months ago, I asked my 6-year-old son, who attends a Spanish immersion magnet school, a question. Looking directly into my eyes, he responded: “Mom, I’m going to answer you in Spanish. No.” Almost two years ago, I found myself following authors Myriam Gurba and David Bowles and journalist Robert Lovato, the originators of […]
My mom listened to NPR constantly while I was growing up. Morning Edition packed my lunch and sent me out to wait for the bus. In the afternoons the brass fanfare of All Things Considered layered an uninvited counterpoint over my piano practice. And Terry Gross narrated every ride to soccer practice. As a kid […]
Last weekend, I somehow found myself with a new book in one hand, a cup of coffee in the other, and a tantalizingly unscheduled afternoon. I’d had half-hearted intentions of catching up on all the details of family life that get sidelined during the workweek, but in that moment the yellow brick road of my […]
Last month, we invited readers to share their responses to a writing prompt inspired by Erin Lyn Bodin’s Even In Winter. We asked, “What passions, interests, or activities do you reserve time for amidst the varied landscape of motherhood? How do they serve your personal wellbeing?” Below is Leigh April Knight’s response. ~~~~~ To Tell the Truth In […]
At my house, the beginning of summer is always a bit of a whirlwind. Planning family vacations, scheduling swimming lessons, organizing play-dates, negotiating conflict between siblings who suddenly have to be around each other all the time—I relish the chaos even as it threatens to overwhelm me. My anchor amidst the upheaval of summer, in […]
For each issue of Literary Mama, Literary Reflections shares a writing prompt, inviting our readers to respond. Our editors provide feedback on the responses we receive, and we post our favorites on the blog. This month’s writing prompt is inspired by Annette Lucksinger’s Confronting Literary Theory: Ice Princesses and Don Quixote ~~~~~ Many of us […]
“Reading! Now!” I find myself barking, again, at my pandemic-weary 16 year old, waking them up from yet another nap. “Book!” reminding them about their assigned Accelerated Reader book, the due-in-three-days book, the didn’t-you-miss-the-last-deadline book. “Now!” I nag, “Reading!” as I find them once again distracted by a screen, seeking solace in digital art projects […]