Ever since I left the Tin House Summer Writers Workshop, I’ve spent almost every free moment in my studio, because, while at Tin House, I figured out where Unreformed stops and starts.* I owe this revelation in part to my mentor, Jodi Angel, who read and critiqued the whole hot mess of my manuscript, Steve Almond, the leader of our “Gimme Fiction” workshop (a.k.a. The Almond Joys),** as well as the crew of writers with whom I studied. You all ROCK!
On this past Friday, my last true Friday of the summer, my friend Bart Lemahieu recorded me reading Burnt Norton by T.S. Eliot, a piece that has helped me come to grips with accepting loss in my life. Amazing! Afterwards, as the sun set, we listened to the cicadas. Audio will be posted when we get it right.
During the past few weeks I also began conversations with Escuela Caribe alumni who came after me- and all I can say is- Crosswinds/ Caribbean Mountain Academy/ Escuela Caribe/ Caribe Vista- despite your denials- I KNOW YOU ARE THE SAME PLACE. You kept the same people on as staff. You were mentored by former abusers. Many of the procedures remain the same- the only major change seems to be the name (and we have seen that before!).*** And I will address that matter soon- in another post- but now I am writing, writing, writing…
And to all of you who read and engage and comment here- know that I appreciate you. And I cherish your assistance in helping me expose the abuses of Caribbean Mountain Academy/ Escuela Caribe. Thank you so for being…
*This is huge- I was meandering way over on both ends.
** Album by the band Spoon. My mental soundtrack in Portland. I write nonfiction, but studied fiction this workshop to learn more about craft. Love learning outside the box.
***Newsflash- Crosswinds/ CMA/ EC- in regards to your blog post: writing is NOT a lucrative career. Most writers have jobs to support their passion. And understand- I am extremely passionate about ensuring that other kids are not abused.