I came across a thread on Twitter the other day by a history teacher named Seth Cotlar that I can't stop thinking about. Here's how the thread begins: The conservative freak out about the 1619 Project (of which Cotton is just the latest example) is not about history. It's about memory; about what parts of … Continue reading Re-Creation of History
Lexicon: the vocabulary of a language, an individual speaker or group of speakers, or a subject. (Merriam-Webster) I wrote my book An Adoptee Lexicon, in which I discuss forty-five terms that are significant to me as an adopted person, because I want to have a conversation about the words we use surrounding adoption, especially those simple words we … Continue reading The Words We Use: National Adoption Month 2018
This post has been a long time coming. I began thinking about writing it back in August, when Michael Brown’s killing in Feguson first hit the news, well before yesterday’s announcement that Eric Garner’s killer would not be charged with any crime. This post is about me, an average middle-aged white woman who grew up … Continue reading What an Average White Person Like Me Can Do About Racism
Recently I attended a local writing critique group for the first time. While introducing myself, I mentioned that I write at a communal blog for adopted women (referring to Lost Daughters). “A what?” the woman seated across from me asked. “A blog for adopted women,” I said. “Adopted women?” “Women who were adopted as children,” … Continue reading Talking to the Non-Adopted about Adoption
In a previous post, I proclaimed, "Good writers allow themselves to be seen naked on the page." I do believe that the best writers are able to express their vulnerability in what they write and that this vulnerability is what makes good writing so good, because it opens a window through which a reader can see … Continue reading Being Naked on the Page vs. Tearing off the Clothes of Loved Ones
Karen Pickell: Between 