October unleashed

October is here. I am back at my desk, writing. Like a snail. But writing. I am happy and hopeful.

Lovely things in October thus far:

I had the honor of reading Hedgebrook residency applications this past weekend. In the course of reading the many essays and writing samples, I became inspired–that we are not alone, that we are all struggling forth in our unique ways. The voices were all so amazing. One voice was so amazing that I wrote down the name of her upcoming chapbook (the applications are all anonymous, but I am hoping the chapbook name is unique enough that if I search for it come next year, I can find it and buy it). We helped sift through a portion of the nearly 800 applications that came in.

I made a new friend while reading Hedgebrook apps. We were each paired with another Hedgebrook alum/writer; Naomi and I were paired together (funny–we happened to have arrived almost simultaneously, had introduced ourselves to each other, and were sitting next to each other when we discovered we were also partnered). Another commonality that I didn’t realize until afterwards: we were both mentored by Yiyun Li. 🙂

Speaking of Yiyun: she was awarded a MacArthur “Genius” Grant! Well deserved.

We spotted 2 gray foxes in our neighborhood! Now mind you, we live in a semi-urban city, even if our neighborhood has a bit of green space (lots of empty lots because houses that burned in the 1991 fire were never rebuilt). Every year in the Fall, we see an increase in deer that meander down from Tilden Park into the foothills, and of course, there are wild turkeys…but I’ve yet to see any foxes. Until now. There are no pictures, because I just sat there in the front seat of the car mesmerized as they, lit up like ghosts, crossed the road in the night. Also, they are awfully cute looking, even if they are wild animals.

I got a Kindle! It is amazing. It is changing my entire reading experience. For the better. I had to buy reading glasses, but I don’t need them on the Kindle, because I can increase the font size. Also, I can carry 10 books without being weighted down. My arm muscles are atrophying, though.

An excerpt of my novel was accepted in an anthology entitled Men Undressed: Women Writers and the Male Sexual Experience (women writers writing the male sexual experience–in response to all the years/books with male writers writing the female sexual experience ala Madame Bovary and Lady Chatterley’s Lover, etc). that will be published in the Fall of 2011. Of course, I called my mom and told her right away about the sex scene I wrote for the anthology. I can’t wait for my parents to read a sex scene I wrote. They probably won’t read it–they might even gag, or at the very least shut the book immediately. But I’d love to tape them reading it. Maybe I will.

I resigned from a volunteer job that I’ve loved, but a job I’ve no longer time to do, and a job that deserves more attention than I’ve been able to provide in recent months. I’m sad, but I know it’s for the best–and I’m leaving on good terms. More to come on that.

As usual, my students inspire me, and also break my heart. I wish I could write more, but we have a ground rule that what is said in the classroom, stays in the classroom.

Sugar posted a new column today. It struck a nerve in me. 16 years ago, I decided that I needed to “change my life or die.” It was the toughest decision I made, to leave the known and make a massive leap of hope into the unknown. It has led to immense happiness in my life, and it is a decision I have never regretted. Feeling, and being “stuck” is not good. I hope “Ruler” also finds his road to happiness.
 

Will post more, later. October is full of good stuff. I am hoping it will be full of Muse-charmed writing, too.