Hi, all!
Here's the link to my newest column at The Greenville News. Hope you enjoy!
Also: The Greenville News is asking folks to tag them on Twitter (@GreenvilleNews) and Facebook and Instagram with your own memories and photos of The Big Snow of 1988.
Showing posts with label SC. Show all posts
Showing posts with label SC. Show all posts
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Thursday, January 16, 2014
Writing a Newspaper Column & in Need of Advice
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| Nielsen.com |
The column will focus on parenting, the outdoor life, empowering girls (especially) and anything in-between, all with a personal and regional touch. It’ll appear every Thursday starting in late February.
If y’all have any ideas for what to call the column itself, I’d love to hear them! (I’ve never been any good at titles.)
Friday, November 15, 2013
Show & Tell Friday: the Middle School, Nature, and History Edition
Hello to all on this crisp, cold (at least where I am) Friday in November. Hope everyone is having a wonderful Fall so far.
I sort of semi-extended my Internet fast into the week, and haven't spent nearly as much time as usual online. It's been .... wonderful. Really, really nice. In that vein, I don't have much to share! We found out over the weekend that my 6 month-old is allergic to Amoxicillin, a fairly common allergy in infants but still scary to us at first. Took a little while for us to adjust ... and to not want to sleep on a camp pad beside her crib every night to make sure she was still breathing. But all is well.
So just a couple of quick things to share:
1. The Awkward Years Project
There's a little one-page article in the December issue of O Magazine called "The Dork Ages," and it's about a woman named Merilee Allred, who started a site on Tumblr called "The Awkward Years Project." In it, people post photos of themselves, now, holding a photo of themselves at their most awkward. Allred says, "I want people to relive their past and be proud of who they are now" (O Magazine, 36). The article struck me because A) It's a neat concept--and especially good for young people, who are at times paralyzed by how they appear to the world--to consider, and embrace: this is who I was, who I am; B) Allred is curiously close to my age, so her "awkward" portrait looked oh so familiar; and C) I love the title. Those years--especially the middle school ones--truly are the dark ages. As in no light. As in horrifying.
Think I'm exaggerating? Ask a 13 year-old.
Anyway, I may just post a photo of my own. I can see it now: In it, I'm about 12 or 13 years old--definitely in the 7th grade, which was probably the most glorious year of my life. Ha. I'm wearing a color-blocked knit dress (funny how color block is now back in style?) black hose (yes, hose--as in nylons), ginormous patent leather black dress shoes (long feet are a blessing from my mother, whose father once told her she could waterski in her church shoes), and I've got one of those early '90s haircuts. You remember them: the almost-grown-out perm. The puff bangs: one section curled down and one curled up? I think this was the last time I used an actual curling iron. My features are too big for my face: giant, lipsticked lips on my great big smile, a huge nose, big eyes and bright, shiny metal braces.
This was the year in which several 8th grade girls bullied me--back then I'd have called it "ganged up on," but now I know better--daily, consistently, for the entire year; my up to that point solid little group of girlfriends dropped me like a hot rock, and I basically had one girlfriend who stood by me, and lots of guy friends who didn't know the difference. God bless them!
It was an ugly, ugly year. But I got through it, and that, I think, is Allred's point. And I must say, I'm proud I still grinned big, even with the brace face. (P.S. I don't really blame those girls. It was a long time ago. And 7th grade is like a long, hard, hormonal war from which no one escapes unscathed.)
I'd post the photo here, but it's currently molding in the basement of my parents' house in South Carolina. I swear.
Check out the Awkward Years Project here. Think about posting a picture of yourself!
2.) Currently on my bedside table, to read:
Super Natural Home: Improve Your Health, Home, and Planet--One Room at a Time by Beth Greer
Sent to me by a dear friend, this book is by the same woman from the brand SuperNaturalMom. She's a journalist, holistic health advocate, and runs the SuperNaturalHome web site, which is "devoted to providing healthy, natural strategies and advice." Deepak Chopra says that it's "... an invaluable book, filled with practical solutions on how to eat healthier, breathe cleaner air, and transform your home into a safe haven, free from toxic chemicals."
Images of America: Oconee County by Piper Peters Aheron
I meet Piper Peters Aheron at the 2013 Birchwood Book and Author Fair at Table Rock State Park in South Carolina, where we quickly realized we shared a deep interest in and abiding love of the South Carolina Upcountry--and that we'd perused several of the same research sources when writing our books about the area. Since then, we've become Twitter buddies, which is a blast--one of the very neat perks of having writer-friends.
Dark and Bloody Ground: The American Revolution Along the Southern Frontier by Richard D. Blackmon
Yep. I'm a history dork. I studied the American Revolution in the South, and along the Southern frontier (i.e. in the foothills and mountains of the South) for two years when researching Keowee Valley. Now that I'm diving into its sequel--a dreadfully slow process--I'm looking for great new books. This one popped up on a Google search, where one reviewer called it "... a solid overview of the entire frontier war for the South in one volume, placed deftly in the context of the larger war as a whole" (Past in the Present). Exactly what I was looking for.
and the September-October issue of South Carolina Wildlife magazine (I'm a little
behind)
I love this magazine, from the SC Department of Natural Resources; subscribed to it as a kid all the way up until a few years after we moved to North Carolina. Either my Crawford grandparents, aunt, or one of my uncles had originally given it to me as a Christmas present, long ago. Recently, it arrived in the mail: my uncle had decided to gift it once again--a lovely surprise. I can't wait to dig in. A must for any South Carolinian interested in learning more about the natural treasures of home.
FYI: They're running a special right now: you can give the magazine as a gift for only $12 per year.
Happy weekend to all! Stay warm!
I sort of semi-extended my Internet fast into the week, and haven't spent nearly as much time as usual online. It's been .... wonderful. Really, really nice. In that vein, I don't have much to share! We found out over the weekend that my 6 month-old is allergic to Amoxicillin, a fairly common allergy in infants but still scary to us at first. Took a little while for us to adjust ... and to not want to sleep on a camp pad beside her crib every night to make sure she was still breathing. But all is well.
So just a couple of quick things to share:
1. The Awkward Years Project
There's a little one-page article in the December issue of O Magazine called "The Dork Ages," and it's about a woman named Merilee Allred, who started a site on Tumblr called "The Awkward Years Project." In it, people post photos of themselves, now, holding a photo of themselves at their most awkward. Allred says, "I want people to relive their past and be proud of who they are now" (O Magazine, 36). The article struck me because A) It's a neat concept--and especially good for young people, who are at times paralyzed by how they appear to the world--to consider, and embrace: this is who I was, who I am; B) Allred is curiously close to my age, so her "awkward" portrait looked oh so familiar; and C) I love the title. Those years--especially the middle school ones--truly are the dark ages. As in no light. As in horrifying.
Think I'm exaggerating? Ask a 13 year-old.
Anyway, I may just post a photo of my own. I can see it now: In it, I'm about 12 or 13 years old--definitely in the 7th grade, which was probably the most glorious year of my life. Ha. I'm wearing a color-blocked knit dress (funny how color block is now back in style?) black hose (yes, hose--as in nylons), ginormous patent leather black dress shoes (long feet are a blessing from my mother, whose father once told her she could waterski in her church shoes), and I've got one of those early '90s haircuts. You remember them: the almost-grown-out perm. The puff bangs: one section curled down and one curled up? I think this was the last time I used an actual curling iron. My features are too big for my face: giant, lipsticked lips on my great big smile, a huge nose, big eyes and bright, shiny metal braces.
This was the year in which several 8th grade girls bullied me--back then I'd have called it "ganged up on," but now I know better--daily, consistently, for the entire year; my up to that point solid little group of girlfriends dropped me like a hot rock, and I basically had one girlfriend who stood by me, and lots of guy friends who didn't know the difference. God bless them!
It was an ugly, ugly year. But I got through it, and that, I think, is Allred's point. And I must say, I'm proud I still grinned big, even with the brace face. (P.S. I don't really blame those girls. It was a long time ago. And 7th grade is like a long, hard, hormonal war from which no one escapes unscathed.)
I'd post the photo here, but it's currently molding in the basement of my parents' house in South Carolina. I swear.
Check out the Awkward Years Project here. Think about posting a picture of yourself!
2.) Currently on my bedside table, to read:
Super Natural Home: Improve Your Health, Home, and Planet--One Room at a Time by Beth Greer
Sent to me by a dear friend, this book is by the same woman from the brand SuperNaturalMom. She's a journalist, holistic health advocate, and runs the SuperNaturalHome web site, which is "devoted to providing healthy, natural strategies and advice." Deepak Chopra says that it's "... an invaluable book, filled with practical solutions on how to eat healthier, breathe cleaner air, and transform your home into a safe haven, free from toxic chemicals."
Images of America: Oconee County by Piper Peters AheronI meet Piper Peters Aheron at the 2013 Birchwood Book and Author Fair at Table Rock State Park in South Carolina, where we quickly realized we shared a deep interest in and abiding love of the South Carolina Upcountry--and that we'd perused several of the same research sources when writing our books about the area. Since then, we've become Twitter buddies, which is a blast--one of the very neat perks of having writer-friends.
Dark and Bloody Ground: The American Revolution Along the Southern Frontier by Richard D. BlackmonYep. I'm a history dork. I studied the American Revolution in the South, and along the Southern frontier (i.e. in the foothills and mountains of the South) for two years when researching Keowee Valley. Now that I'm diving into its sequel--a dreadfully slow process--I'm looking for great new books. This one popped up on a Google search, where one reviewer called it "... a solid overview of the entire frontier war for the South in one volume, placed deftly in the context of the larger war as a whole" (Past in the Present). Exactly what I was looking for.
and the September-October issue of South Carolina Wildlife magazine (I'm a little
behind)I love this magazine, from the SC Department of Natural Resources; subscribed to it as a kid all the way up until a few years after we moved to North Carolina. Either my Crawford grandparents, aunt, or one of my uncles had originally given it to me as a Christmas present, long ago. Recently, it arrived in the mail: my uncle had decided to gift it once again--a lovely surprise. I can't wait to dig in. A must for any South Carolinian interested in learning more about the natural treasures of home.
FYI: They're running a special right now: you can give the magazine as a gift for only $12 per year.
Happy weekend to all! Stay warm!
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Artist-in-Residence: The Reserve at Lake Keowee (Part I)
I've enjoyed a few artist residencies during my short time as a published writer, and they've all been different: located in different parts of the country, with varying lengths of stay, accommodations, perks, and expectations of the artist. Certainly, my own creative output during each has varied. During one artists' residency, I began a new novel; at another, I researched that novel and wrote poetry; at yet a different residency, I wrote an essay that actually won an award that ended up covering the cost of a rental car and plane fare to and from that residency.
At my most recent gig as the very lucky Artist-in-Residence at The Reserve at Lake Keowee in Sunset, South Carolina, where I stayed for a week, I wrote five pages of what I imagine will be the sequel to Keowee Valley.
I know what you're thinking. Five pages--only five pages--in a week's time? Let me explain: my family was there with me. Yep, the husband, the (newly-turned) 4 year-old, and the 12 week-old. Only one absent was the dog.
I know there are writers out there who can write amid professional and familial chaos, but I am not one of them. My brain spins in overdrive and my imagination is as fickle and mercurial as an afternoon thunderstorm over the Southern Appalachians. And if you know nothing about the storms we get around here, they're moody, fast-moving, completely random, and often violent.
So what I'm saying is, five pages is miraculous! Especially since the 3rd trimester of pregnancy and these first few months of my infant's life have been energy-sucking. Wonderful, wouldn't-trade-it-for-the-world wild, and exhausting. To feel inspired to write again was a blessing. And the impetus for the inspiration was entirely because of our gorgeous and peaceful accommodations at the guest house of a pair of incredibly generous members. (Who also happen to be HUGE Clemson fans. Go Tigers!)
The guest house was set away from the main house across a lovely bridge spanning a little
mountain cove. Bubbling and gurgling (and full-on rushing, as it was after several days in a row of rain) down the back of that tree-filled cove was a series of small waterfalls. The creek rushed beneath the bridge just below the house, emptying into the lake nearby. Inside, the home was elegant, warm and comfortable--a combination I think can be sometimes difficult to find. Designed with rich wood, stunning stone and completely outfitted with anything a guest could need, it was the perfect place to get my groove back.
Yes, I just said that. Forgive me, Stella.
For most of the days we were there, if the baby and the 4 year-old let me, I would wake at 5 a.m., brew my coffee and head out to the screened-in porch on the second story. The porch overlooked the aforementioned bridge and creek, and so when I looked out all I saw were green trees--all I heard the rush of water through the woods. Heaven.
Kathryn Gravely, the Director of the The Community Foundation, had pretty much the absolute perfect week planned for me: one book talk to members of a couple different book clubs in The Reserve, two informal meet-and-greets with members outside The Reserve's Market, and one history talk at Orchard House, a beautiful room with a huge fireplace located at the Clubhouse. Orchard House reminded my husband and me of an inn we'd stayed in when we'd traveled in Scotland several years ago. With a kick of Southern style, of course.
The rest of the week, Kathryn told me, I was to relax with my family at the lake and by the community's fabulous pools (let me just say that there was a grotto), enjoy the natural beauty of The Reserve (the lake, hiking trails, orchard, views, etc), and to WRITE. What a gift!
As a bonus, I met some fantastic people during the week, at the informal gatherings, by the pool, at the Market, and at both my talks. Kathryn--who is as genuine, classy, cool, and savvy as they come (not to mention very, very good at her job)--had assured me at the beginning of the week that The Reserve was home to some of the friendliest people I'd ever meet, and she was right. In addition--and she'd told me this, too--the folks there were welcoming, very casual, inclusive, and fun. This was something I'd not necessarily expected from a place as "exclusive" as The Reserve. Meeting and talking with people from all walks of life is probably, besides the actually crafting of the story, my favorite thing to do as a writer.
In addition to all the good fellowship, let me just say that this was an incredibly generous artist residencies in so many other ways. And I'm truly grateful to have received it.
** Next time, I'll talk about some of the other things I got to do at The Reserve, including exploring a couple of early 19th century graveyards, hiking around an "Indian cave," and answering questions about local Cherokee history and culture. I'll also share my thoughts about how to best enjoy and utilize an artists' residency like this one.
At my most recent gig as the very lucky Artist-in-Residence at The Reserve at Lake Keowee in Sunset, South Carolina, where I stayed for a week, I wrote five pages of what I imagine will be the sequel to Keowee Valley.
I know what you're thinking. Five pages--only five pages--in a week's time? Let me explain: my family was there with me. Yep, the husband, the (newly-turned) 4 year-old, and the 12 week-old. Only one absent was the dog.
I know there are writers out there who can write amid professional and familial chaos, but I am not one of them. My brain spins in overdrive and my imagination is as fickle and mercurial as an afternoon thunderstorm over the Southern Appalachians. And if you know nothing about the storms we get around here, they're moody, fast-moving, completely random, and often violent.
 |
| the Guest House (or, as my 4 year-old says, the "castle house") |
The guest house was set away from the main house across a lovely bridge spanning a little
 |
| "our" bridge (my husband's got the infant carseat; my 4 year-old's the tiny figure sprinting ahead) |
Yes, I just said that. Forgive me, Stella.
For most of the days we were there, if the baby and the 4 year-old let me, I would wake at 5 a.m., brew my coffee and head out to the screened-in porch on the second story. The porch overlooked the aforementioned bridge and creek, and so when I looked out all I saw were green trees--all I heard the rush of water through the woods. Heaven.
The rest of the week, Kathryn told me, I was to relax with my family at the lake and by the community's fabulous pools (let me just say that there was a grotto), enjoy the natural beauty of The Reserve (the lake, hiking trails, orchard, views, etc), and to WRITE. What a gift!
As a bonus, I met some fantastic people during the week, at the informal gatherings, by the pool, at the Market, and at both my talks. Kathryn--who is as genuine, classy, cool, and savvy as they come (not to mention very, very good at her job)--had assured me at the beginning of the week that The Reserve was home to some of the friendliest people I'd ever meet, and she was right. In addition--and she'd told me this, too--the folks there were welcoming, very casual, inclusive, and fun. This was something I'd not necessarily expected from a place as "exclusive" as The Reserve. Meeting and talking with people from all walks of life is probably, besides the actually crafting of the story, my favorite thing to do as a writer.
In addition to all the good fellowship, let me just say that this was an incredibly generous artist residencies in so many other ways. And I'm truly grateful to have received it.
** Next time, I'll talk about some of the other things I got to do at The Reserve, including exploring a couple of early 19th century graveyards, hiking around an "Indian cave," and answering questions about local Cherokee history and culture. I'll also share my thoughts about how to best enjoy and utilize an artists' residency like this one.
Friday, March 8, 2013
Books, Music & More: Show & Tell Friday
Last week, I inaugurated “Show & Tell Friday” here at The Writing Scott and over at my author website.
I dug it. I’m doing it again.
First up, my dear writer-friend Christine Byl’s debut book of nonfiction: Dirt Work: An Education in the Woods. I was lucky enough to get to know Christine back in 2008, when we spent a month as writing fellows at the Vermont Studio Center. We talked the wonders of Alaska, and she lent me her cross country skis. She is good people.
I know from personal experience reading her work that she’s an incredible talent. This is a book worth buying! It releases April 16, 2013 from Beacon Press, but you can reserve your copy now at Amazon and other stores, including your local independent bookstore.
By the way, that’s her in the wheelbarrow on the cover!
Next, a poem to share: “Waking,” by Stephen Dobyns. This was Monday’s featured poem on my daily dose of The Writer’s Almanac (which can show up in your Inbox, too, dear reader, if you only sign up). I am an awful poet, yet I adore poetry. And this poem just touched me with its gorgeous familiarity. It’s about marriage, and family, and it says so many of the things I’d like to say if I could.
Then, for you Western North Carolina, Upstate South Carolina, Eastern Tennessee readers–heck, anyone in the near-enough area–there’s some great music being created in my neck of the woods. This time, by two of my favorite people: Bradley Carter and H.R. Gertner, guys I worked with in my college days at an outdoor adventure camp in the mountains. Back then, I got to listen to these two pick, play, and sing on Sunday nights around a roaring campfire. (They’re also mad climbers and paddlers.) Check them out on Facebook!
Now they’re sharing their talents with the world. Keep your eyes and ears peeled for dates when they’re playing near you. Bradley will be coming home to Brevard, N.C. on April 16, 2013, to play at 185 King Street!
Finally, I’ll be signing copies of Keowee Valley and chatting with readers this Saturday, March 9 at the Oconee Heritage Center in Walhalla, S.C., from 2 – 3 p.m. My visit coincides with Old Time Music Day, so there should be a lot of great sounds coming from this fabulous little museum. (There’re also two incredible 18th century, preserved Cherokee canoes–pulled from nearby rivers–to check out at the OHC, along with all kinds of other cool stuff.)
Happy Friday, everyone–hope it’s a great weekend for us all!
I dug it. I’m doing it again.
I know from personal experience reading her work that she’s an incredible talent. This is a book worth buying! It releases April 16, 2013 from Beacon Press, but you can reserve your copy now at Amazon and other stores, including your local independent bookstore.
By the way, that’s her in the wheelbarrow on the cover!
Next, a poem to share: “Waking,” by Stephen Dobyns. This was Monday’s featured poem on my daily dose of The Writer’s Almanac (which can show up in your Inbox, too, dear reader, if you only sign up). I am an awful poet, yet I adore poetry. And this poem just touched me with its gorgeous familiarity. It’s about marriage, and family, and it says so many of the things I’d like to say if I could.
 |
| Bradley Carter |
Finally, I’ll be signing copies of Keowee Valley and chatting with readers this Saturday, March 9 at the Oconee Heritage Center in Walhalla, S.C., from 2 – 3 p.m. My visit coincides with Old Time Music Day, so there should be a lot of great sounds coming from this fabulous little museum. (There’re also two incredible 18th century, preserved Cherokee canoes–pulled from nearby rivers–to check out at the OHC, along with all kinds of other cool stuff.)
 |
| 18th c. Cherokee canoes - Oconee Heritage Center |
Happy Friday, everyone–hope it’s a great weekend for us all!
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Going Home
Oh, I had the loveliest time yesterday down in Greenville, S.C. (I say “down” because I drive down through the Blue Ridge Mountains of N.C. and S.C. to get there from my house) at the Aldersgate United Methodist Church’s Adult Group.
I got to share so many memories of growing up at Aldersgate UMC, and then talked about Keowee Valley and my research and writing process. There were lots of great questions at the end; and, after, a delicious lunch! I’m so thankful to Director of Children & Leisure Ministries, Ruth Hughes, for putting it all together and inviting me to come.
This was a particularly special book event because I grew up at Aldersgate: I was a member there from the time I was two years old until just last year, when we finally transferred our membership to the church we’d been attending in the mountains. I played on the basketball team, was involved in youth fellowships, went to vacation bible school, acted and sang in church plays–all the good stuff. So it was just like going home.
Last week, I was the guest author at a book club in the neighborhood where I grew up, which was another special treat. I got to sit at a gorgeously appointed table with a fabulous group of women readers, eat delicious dessert and talk all about Keowee Valley, Quinn, Jack, Ridge Runner, and the rest. Such fun!
Tomorrow, I’m headed to another book club–one of which my own mother and one our dearest family friends are members. I know it’ll be a blast.
After this, I’m slowing down quite a bit in my book travels. Being 31 weeks pregnant takes a toll on a girl. But I plan to pick back up in late summer, after my baby is born and my whole family is settled into life in a whole new world.
This was a particularly special book event because I grew up at Aldersgate: I was a member there from the time I was two years old until just last year, when we finally transferred our membership to the church we’d been attending in the mountains. I played on the basketball team, was involved in youth fellowships, went to vacation bible school, acted and sang in church plays–all the good stuff. So it was just like going home.
Last week, I was the guest author at a book club in the neighborhood where I grew up, which was another special treat. I got to sit at a gorgeously appointed table with a fabulous group of women readers, eat delicious dessert and talk all about Keowee Valley, Quinn, Jack, Ridge Runner, and the rest. Such fun!
Tomorrow, I’m headed to another book club–one of which my own mother and one our dearest family friends are members. I know it’ll be a blast.
After this, I’m slowing down quite a bit in my book travels. Being 31 weeks pregnant takes a toll on a girl. But I plan to pick back up in late summer, after my baby is born and my whole family is settled into life in a whole new world.
Monday, January 21, 2013
Martin Luther King, Jr; Headed to Aiken, SC; Artist-in-Residence; & the Snowstorm that Wasn't
Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree.
Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day!
I hope everyone gets this day off from work and school, but I know some don’t. If you do, enjoy! After a week of straight rain, my daughter and I were able to take a (slow) hike in the Pisgah National Forest this morning with some friends, and on the way home caught part of Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech on our local NPR station. So very cool.
I’ve mentioned this before, but King’s 1963 “Letter from Birmingham Jail” is, bar none, one of my favorite pieces of persuasive writing. I teach it nearly every semester in my college writing and rhetoric courses. If you’ve not had a chance to read it, truly you should. King wrote the letter in the margins of a newspaper he was brought while serving a nine day prison sentence for his involvement in the Birmingham Campaign, a nonviolent protest against segregation in Alabama.
* * *
Some Keowee Valley news …
 |
| Aiken County History Museum - photo by Trey Martin |
 |
| www.ipmhoa.com |
And, I’m thrilled to announce that for the week of August 3 -10, 2013, I’ll be the Artist-in-Residence at The Reserve at Lake Keowee, a lovely lake community in the South Carolina Upcountry. Sponsored by The Reserve at Lake Keowee Community Foundation, I’ll spend the week giving book and history talks, and participating in other informal gatherings with residents and guests. The Community Foundation has graciously offered my whole family and me (including Baby 2, due to arrive in early May) the use of a guest house. I’m particularly excited about this residency because: 1) I truly enjoy getting to know readers and history lovers, and 2) the history and landscape of the Keowee River Valley plays an important role in my novel.
Finally, we didn’t get any snow this past weekend. Not even a flake. It was supposed to be the Blizzard of 2013, and yet … nothing. I was so positively giddy–truly, like an elementary-schooler–I even told my 3 year-old that it was surely going to snow, and we’d build snowmen and make snow angels and get out the sled. Big. Mistake. I was so bummed, in fact, that I pouted all day. All day. To the point where my husband told me, “You’ve got to stop talking about this.”
So, if any of you got any of that wondrous snow, I hope you thoroughly enjoyed it. I know it’s a hassle for many, but I love the stuff.
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