Recommended Reading #sol23

On (some) Tuesdays I write about education and then post to the Two Writing Teacher blog. and then comment on at least three other blog posts.

My pattern of reading continues!

Good Words In = Good Words Out

The Bradbury Trio [reading a poem, an essay, and a story every day] fuels my writing. I am doing a challenge this month to write a complete story every day for the month of May and these words have been incredibly helpful.

This is what I read today:

Poem: Proverbs from Purgatory Lloyd Schwartz The Paris Review

This poem is fun and takes many cliche phrases that are changed. I used to give this assignment to my first graders. I would print out pages with the first part of the saying and the kids would finish it with the first thing that came to mind.

Here are a few lines from the poem:

I know this town like the back of my head.

People who live in glass houses are worth two in the bush.

One hand scratches the other.

A friend in need is worth two in the bush.

A bird in the hand makes waste.

Essay: From a Rural Mexican Village to Creating Haute Cuisine in the Big City from Lit Hub

This essay is full of beautiful sentences and descriptions. It is an excerpt from a book that recently was published.

Story: Did I Mention the Fires? Teddy Engs Flash Frog

I appreciate the short staccato sentences of this story. This story is about a woman who is juggling multiple identities and relationships that seem to be in conflict with each other.

What have you read that resonates with you lately?

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Recommended Reading #sol23

On (some) Tuesdays I write about education and then post to the Two Writing Teacher blog. and then comment on at least three other blog posts.

One of the ways I have been nourishing myself and my writing is to read. It seems like a simple input strategy but sometimes finding the time and focus is difficult.

I love physical books, but love the convenience of e-books. I am lucky to live in a place where the library is full and the librarians order great books. I live in a time when we have Hoopla, Libby, and Kindle on my phone.

I have been staying true to my Bradbury Trio and have been reading a poem, an essay, and a story every day. Most days I read multiples of each.

This week the Ursa Short Fiction podcast brought me back to Milk Blood Heat a short story collection by Dantiel W. Moniz.

I had heard about this book and picked it up but hadn’t cracked the cover. Then when I was teaching my cohort of Story Intensive writers one of my students chose a story from the collection for her Show and Tell assignment.

[The Show and Tell is a response to a story outlining a craft element to use for writing later.]

After listening to the writers talk about this collection with the author I had to dive in again. Yesterday, I spent time in the afternoon reading and capturing beautiful sentences the author wrote. Through the podcast, I learned how important the rhythm and cadence of her sentences are to her. She talked about re-reading aloud to herself at the start of every writing session when she is working on a story.

It is a podcast I will listen to again just because it was so amazing and full of practical advice for writers.

What have you read that resonates with you lately?

Last night in my last PUSH writing group I will host for the summer we shared readings that resonated. One of the writers shared a story about yogurt taking over the world! Now that is a story I might not have come across any other way than Chari sharing it!

I love when readers recommend to each other and have the space to talk about why it landed for them.

Resources from this post:

Ursa Short Fiction Podcast

Milk Blood Heat

Sarah Selecky Writing School

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SPACE #sol23

On (some) Tuesdays I write about education and then post to the Two Writing Teacher blog. and then comment on at least three other blog posts.

One of the Substacks I read (I am trying to find which one so I can give her credit) started using a format for her posts that I have adopted in my notebook.

SPACE is the acronym and stands for Schedule, Plan, Absorb, Create, Engage.

S is for SCHEDULE

I need to schedule a few things in the coming weeks and months. I am in a big picture planning mode right now more so than day to day. I do not need to schedule writing time or running.

P is for PLAN

I am planning a Bradbury Trio course which includes annotation. I am thinking about a Character Development Writing class as well.

A is for ABSORB

This is the place for reading and learning. The books I am reading are Deborah Levy’s The Cost of Living and Kara Goucher’s memoir. I am also reading Ada Zhang’s collection of short stories.

Bradbury’s 1000 Day MFA program is to read a poem, essay, and short story everyday. Not only does it bring great words into my brain but they often influence my writing for the day. I have brought this back into my routine and have been loving the results.

Today my poem is Exhaustion by Saadi Youssef from The Paris Review. I get the daily poem sent to my inbox every morning.

Today my essay is Everywhere in Salad Chains. There is an amazing description of salad at the beginning of this piece which is intriguing to me. There are lots of facts later in the piece. Sometimes my essays focus on writing. I read a lot from Lit Hub but not always.

Today my story is Time Travel. This story was recommended to me by Coffee and Paneer. There is a lovely use of objects in this story which appeals to me.

C is for CREATE

Creating pieces is a daily affair. I am in the middle of a story challenge for the month and am writing a short fiction piece daily.

E is for ENGAGE

This is the connection piece. There are certain writer friends that I check in with several times a week. If there is someone I need to touch base with then I write their names down in my notebook.

*****

How does this structure land for you? I would love to hear!

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#WeekendDinnerShare Instead of Coffee, Let’s Have Dinner

Thank you for joining me for a chat today. I link up with Natalie the Explorer with others who enjoy Weekend Coffee Share posts!

Hello! Thank you for chatting with me today.

Normally, I invite you to have coffee with me every Sunday. Most of my posts have been holding space in Substack lately.

I have been doing the coffee format for several years and decided to change it up a bit.

If you would like to read this week’s edition complete with recipes and a conversation about the Bradbury Trio please click here: https://tammyevans.substack.com/p/instead-of-coffee-lets-have-dinner-e77?sd=pf

If you like this format, please subscribe there so you don’t miss a dinner!

Here is that link again: https://tammyevans.substack.com/p/instead-of-coffee-lets-have-dinner-e77?sd=pf

Thank you for joining me for a chat! I am already looking forward to next weekend!

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Two on Tuesday #sol23

On (some) Tuesdays I write about education and then post to the Two Writing Teacher blog. and then comment on at least three other blog posts.

Lately, I have been evaluating what is important to keep and what needs to be deleted or changed. It is more about energy and what is helping me align my actions to my goals. I do this at least 3 times a year. I have been known to make quick decisions and then take immediate action. I am trying to make some decisions and let there be a slow burn as to the action that will disrupt many apple carts.

Today I am sharing two important things with you!

  1. I am adding a library writing day to my schedule. I will start with weekly and see how that shakes out. Kelly Link’s new book came out and I was able to pick up my hold at the library. I highly recommend all her writing.

2. Many of you who follow my blog know that I have done a Sunday Coffee Share every week for several years. I have decided to try something a little different! You are invited to my DINNER PARTY here:

https://tammyevans.substack.com/p/instead-of-coffee-lets-have-dinner

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Challenge Reflection #sol23 #day31

On (some) Tuesdays I write about education and then post to the Two Writing Teacher blog. and then comment on at least three other blog posts. Every day in March I will blog and post for the Two Writing Teacher challenge.

Today’s inspiration comes from The dirigible plum

I have participated in this challenge for so many years I lost count. I participated before I even had a blog. I emailed my “posts” to participate.

This year I did not post every day. I did not have anything to prove to myself or the world at large and I am happy with that decision. There were many days I drafted a post but didn’t feel the energy behind it so it remains in that folder.

One of the best parts of this challenge is catching up with teachers I have followed for years. It is fun to see new teachers join in the challenge. Some I will see on Tuesdays and others I won’t see posts from til next March.

I love seeing the formats that other teachers use for their posts. I started creating a draft of the new format and creating a link to the inspiration post so it is ready to go when I decide to modify it for my blog.

Next month is poetry month. I will continue to read a daily poem and will play with different poetry formats each day.

Do you have a goal for April?

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Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow #sol23 #day25

On (some) Tuesdays I write about education and then post to the Two Writing Teacher blog. and then comment on at least three other blog posts . Every day in March I will blog and post for the Two Writing Teacher challenge.

Today’s inspiration comes from Teaching from an Empty Nest.

Yesterday

Chris and I were at an education conference in Indy. It is one we have been to before but this time the circumstances were dramatically different. He works for a different corporation, he has a different job title, we are married and I am there only as his wife. We often laugh that I am education adjacent now. The drive back was fine. There were no issues. I was glad to be home. My brother-in-law had dinner for us shortly after we arrived. It was wonderful to sleep in my own bed and be able to pet the cat.

Today

Waking naturally seemed like such a gift today. We had coffee and I wrote. We had a fire in the fireplace. I had to run to the cleaners, the library, and the grocery store. I stopped at the park to walk even though it is cold and windy. I listened to Ann Patchett’s article from the New Yorker: How to Practice. There will be more reading and writing as the day goes on. Corned beef and cabbage is in the crock pot for dinner.

Tomorrow

We will have our weekly ritual of going out to breakfast. I have a class that begins at 11am and then I am spending time with my son, Sebastian in the afternoon. The plan is to make Lemon Basil Chicken salad for dinner.

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Delight #sol23 #day23

On (some) Tuesdays I write about education and then post to the Two Writing Teacher blog. and then comment on at least three other blog posts . Every day in March I will blog and post for the Two Writing Teacher challenge.

Delight of the day.

I met with a writing friend in-person for the first time this morning. I had a honey lavender latte and chocolate croissant. It was delicious. The bakehouse was cute too!

We talked a lot about writing workshops and how we choose the times and the cost. We talked about writing short fiction vs novels. We talked about MFA’s. We talked about family.

It was a lovely time to get together.

What was your delight of the day?

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List Appeal #sol23 #day21

On (some) Tuesdays I write about education and then post to the Two Writing Teacher blog. and then comment on at least three other blog posts . Every day in March I will blog and post for the Two Writing Teacher challenge.

Susan Sontag shared her like/dislike lists.

Fellow slicer, Britt, shared hers.

Here are mine:

Things I like: fires, Colorado, tequila, sunrises, coarse sea salt, Mane coons, being barefoot, cinnamon, cayenne, medium rare steak, poetry, orange, driving, the smell of newly mown grass, craftsman style, sushi, stone fireplaces, DOCS, ice water, red licorice, tattoos, Mickey waffles, cooking, wine, mountains, winter, writing, reading, trees, talking to Chris

Things I dislike: sleeping without my husband, hot weather, comb-overs, umbrellas, being photographed, wearing a wristwatch, kale, expectations, IPA’s, feeling rushed, olives, talking on the phone, puzzles, spring, wearing hats, Daylight savings time, rules in general

These are all writing prompts in themselves!

What are your like/dislikes?

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Truth, Memory, and Green #sol23 #day17

On (some) Tuesdays I write about education and then post to the Two Writing Teacher blog. and then comment on at least three other blog posts . Every day in March I will blog and post for the Two Writing Teacher challenge.

Today is St. Patrick’s Day

This year is very different from last year.

I am choosing not to wear green today. I have one shirt that was bought for the purpose of wearing today and I have no desire to wear it. It is a Red Sox t-shirt that I was happy to buy when I traveled to Boston and Salem for Halloween in 2021 but the complicated feelings it brings up are not worth putting it next to my skin.

There are many pieces of clothing that are tainted with the stories of what happened when I was wearing them.

There are ones that stick out in my memory that won’t go away like the red dress I don’t have anymore.

A long black dress that I love and was told “I’ve never liked that dress” at an anniversary dinner.

There is a closet full of clothes I have lost or gotten rid of over the last few years that have stories I remember and forget.

But last year I was sad and still wondering what was really going to happen in my life. I was at a crossroads and was not sure I could trust everything that was around me. I went to school last year in my green shirt and I am sure I talked to kids about leprechauns and not pinching each other , but I don’t remember. I thought about how I have never drank green beer. I thought about how that was not the vision I had for my life a few weeks before that day. I remembered past years when I had corned beef and cabbage and mashed potatoes and it was good.

This year I am happy. I am in Colorado for a writing workshop that is going to be amazing. I slept well and I know the path my life is on and it is the best one. All the other roads led to this path.

Memory is an odd thing. The details change every time we come back to it in our mind or retell the story. Maybe that is why I like writing. If I capture it close to the event then I can remember the closest version to what happened. Is that the truth? I used to think it was but now I believe it is one truth of many. Several things can be true at the same time even though they seem conflicting.

Yesterday, one of the 15 podcasts I listened to was Book Exploder with Tayari Jones, the author of American Marriage. (I listened to this book on audio when I was driving to Ohio for a teacher conference years ago) She said (paraphrased) that she overheard two people have conflicting opinions in an Atlanta mall but they both were right and she knew that was where the story was.

Maybe truth is more like memory than I thought.

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