“I want to come home, Mama” Lumber-camp Slavery
“I want to come home, Mama,” his letter said. Dated April, 1916, this poignant letter from my grandfather to his bride, and the mother of their infant son, was not from the battlefield of World War...
View ArticleIn Praise of Friendship
My grandmother did not smile for pictures. I’m not sure why. She smiled at us, her grandchildren in real life, except for when there were thunderstorms. Then, she would purse her lips and herd us all...
View Article“He held her over a well, poised to drop her in”
My grandmother, Esther Lee Corley Stewart, was more terrified of water than she was of lightning. I found out why when her fear became my pre-adolescent shame. One hot summer day when I was ten, a...
View ArticleRaped, Pregnant, Alone
Washington County, Florida It’s a blistering hot day in August, 1898. Four months pregnant, my great grandmother, Minnie Clara Bertha Brock must find a way to survive. Her parents are dead, her land...
View ArticleThank you, Tony Simmons
Tony posted this in the News Herald yesterday. I just love that he posted the picture of my mom! Thank you, sweet friend.
View ArticleFamily Secrets Uncovered
I love teaching a workshop called Memoir to Fiction–one of the tricky things that happens when you are writing about your family is that you sometimes uncover truths that no one wants to talk about....
View ArticlePanama City, Port St. Joe Library Events
For the past few weeks I’ve had the pleasure of meeting with wonderful writers at the Panama City and Port St. Joe public libraries. How much fun it is to hear the family stories of local heroes and...
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