I have these short stories, you see, and I can't get them out of my head. I'll be in the car or the kitchen or the shower and a little tweak pops into my head. It could be a better character name or a new title or scraping a scene or adding a new one.... Continue Reading →
Seeing Lorrie Moore in a Crowded Room
It was March 9th, 2018 when I was first in the presence of Lorrie Moore.Setting: Tampa, Florida. AWP Conference.Mood: Giddy.Me and my best friend, Jen, a fellow Lorrie Moore Obsessive, went into the conference room early, before the last panel had even left. Once people started filing out, we pounced on the best seats.For background:... Continue Reading →
our pursuit
I have lived through much, and now I think I have found what is needed for happiness. A quiet secluded life in the country, with the possibility of being useful to people to whom it is easy to do good, and who are not accustomed to have it done to them; then work which one... Continue Reading →
not snowed in, not at all
I am watching it snow, thinking of Florida.Where tomorrow, I become a part of the greater writing community. Greater than this intimate writing group I host. Greater than this local MFA program I am a part of. I am going to AWP, which is an annual conference where writers and editors and publishers convene and... Continue Reading →
constant panic
It was 1:06 this afternoon, I was napping off a headache, when my phone buzzed. I used to ignore all calls, but now that I've got a child in school, I answer every call in a panic. It wasn't the school, but rather the spa I have a massage scheduled at, calling to inform me... Continue Reading →
snapshots
This morning was rough.Sometimes, I get overwhelmed.I'm taking a class on campus which might seem stupid, but it's not, because yesterday, when I was stuck on a story, the required reading for my campus class got me unstuck, so it is worth it, but it adds to my stress, to my endless list of things... Continue Reading →
Q417 Songs
I haven't kept up well on my blog. It is my final semester of grad school. I'm also taking a screenwriting class on campus. 𝄼 I'm occupying my time in other ways, but sometimes, when I'm sitting at my computer any way, I think, I'll blog again. Blogging is my first draft, my unedited writing.... Continue Reading →
Diners on Christmas
Something there is about diners open on Christmas. There have been two instances that I have eaten dinner at restaurants on December 25th.The first was 2004.I had just returned from spending Christmas with my family,my conservative Christian family. I was pregnant, unbeknownst to them.My secret was scratching me, clawing me from the inside. I wanted to... Continue Reading →
Recognizing myself
It was midwest cold, January,the day I was legally divorced.I took a hot bath wheresunlight danced on the tilesfrom the light of the window. When I moved, the dancingchanged: faster, higher, calmer, smaller.It was still January, cold, when I got my name back.The name I was always called by,the name I knew myself asforever, all... Continue Reading →
what will you do for work?
People want to know what my plans are. "These are my plans," I reply. Because I am a writer and I plan to remain one."But what will you do for work?"And then I realize that although this life I have carved out works now--now while I'm finishing school, now while Holden is only three, now... Continue Reading →
holly pelesky 