A mini gathering of potatoes

My last two school visits of the year took me to Washington state. I turned the trip into a vacation with my friend Gary, and while he was visiting his cousin on Whidbey Island, I was able to have lunch with Mark, who graciously showed me his beautiful home and took me to a deli where I had one of the best meals of the trip. Although I had only met Mark in person for the first time less than two months earlier, seeing him again felt like seeing an old friend. In our short time together, as we sat by the ferry on Puget Sound, we got to talk about our current writing projects, as well as the hope for future spud retreats.

And congratulations to Lauren and Stephanie for having books on the prestigious Kids' Indie next list (DEER DANCER and SHIPWRECK ISLAND), and to John, Lauren, and me for having books listed on the 2014 Bank Street's Best Children's Books list (HOOP GENIUS, WHEN STRAVINSKY MET NAJINSKY, and HOW MARTHA SAVED HER PARENTS FROM GREEN BEANS).

Go Spuds!

Thank you!

My sister and I are ten years apart, but we must have a thing about dressing alike!  Note above photo, and our purple jackets in Redwing!!  Needless to say, we have a good time together, especially when we travel.  What a blessing it was to have her join our group at the Anderson Center.  It was a healing trip in so many ways, and good for our souls.  Thank you all for just being your wonderful potato selves!!

I returned to a book signing at Barnes & Noble, as well as our local bookstore, Frugal Frigate.  Still struggling with the last 15 words for my latest book, but my agent is pitching a book to Peachtree this week.  School is almost over and my eyes are worn out from reading so many papers.  This summer will be recovery, reading some classics and some y.a., and letting my old brain rest for a little.  It will also involve looking at my sister's book about our retreat, remembering conversations at the dinner table - thanks for making us laugh so hard, John, reliving the wonderful taste of Mark's fresh salmon and Betsy's garlic potatoes, relishing the secret passageway to the magnificent works of art, smiling at the height difference between Tall Dave and Tall Carmen, quiet talks with Edie, wonderful advice from Christy about playing with art, getting lost with Stephanie on the way to Vasa, and reading stories with my fellow potatoes. I will also remember the symphony to beat all symphonies, and Lauren so bravely reading her story on that giant stage.   You all are so talented.  It is an honor to be a part of this group.  When can we do this again??

Community

Right now I am in the midst of the Spalding University MFA residency in Louisville, Kentucky, relishing the intensity of daily workshops, lectures, readings, panel discussions, and individual meetings with my students,
                                                                                                                     ...and enjoying the elegant surroundings of the Brown Hotel.

But just over a month ago, I was basking in the serene and inspiring atmosphere of the Anderson Center in Red Wing, Minnesota with my fellow spuds and writing up a storm.

What we as writers need is community--whether it be the intensity of a writing program or a quiet, more inspiring time to gather with a trusted group of writer friends, who give freely of their wisdom, expertise, and encouragement.  As other spuds have mentioned, the Saturday afternoon workshop session was a favorite part of our 5-day retreat.  I will always treasure the sharing of voices, the honest feedback, the brainstorming of ideas, and the camaraderie of our group.


                                       

This was our first gathering of all ten spuds, but I know it won't be our last.

P.S.  And if it weren't for the Spalding MFA program, where I met Stephanie and Betsy, I would never have been a part of One Potato...Ten!

A Different Menu

Anderson Center

Mis diez papitas

 

In my house in Portland, Oregon I have half a basement for an office. The room has two large desks, a love sofa, and a bookcase packed with books. I am often alone in the house, so I can write anywhere. But sometimes a writer needs a change of menu.

I wasn't going to attend our blog retreat at the Anderson Center in Red Wing, MN. My father had diedthe previous month and I thought I'd missed the retreat. But as soon as I heard otherwise, I began to plan.

I'd met Stephanie, Lauren, and Edie. Even though Mark lives in Whidbey Island, where I teach for the Northwest Literary Arts MFA, I'd never met him. I felt I knew Christy because she illustrated a Juan Bobo book for Felix Pitre. My grandsons love David's books, so I felt I knew him, too. The other papitas  I didn't know as well. Meeting them tempted me to take the trip. I wasn't disappointed. What a warm and talented group!

I could go on and on praising the group and telling about the fun moments we had together, but my intention here is to tell what happened when we were not socializing.

I've been for years trying to write a middle grade novel. Actually, I've written multiple terrible drafts. I knew that, if I could write a satisfying first chapter, the rest would follow smoothly. But despite the silence in my house, the first chapters had too many characters, told too much, lacked action, didn't entice the reader to keep on reading. That was the project to take to the blog retreat.

There are inspiring writing vibes at the Anderson Center. We all wrote and wrote and wrote. We wrote all morning every morning. We wrote all afternoon every afternoon. On Saturday, the ten papitas got together to share what we'd written. As I read my chapter, I glanced to see the reaction of my listeners. I knew then that I got it! I came home and finished another draft of the novel. A draft, all right, because I know an editor would ask for changes here and there. But this is the first time I am satisfied with a draft. I even added Doña Estafanía (Stephanie), Doña Laura (Lauren), and little David to a scene that talks about things they said at the critique.

For this I thank not just the papitas but the Anderson Center for their inspiration.              

Balance

This past year has been filled with many, many school visits and lots of book events for me, and I'm truly grateful for each one. But doing all these events has come at the expense of working on new projects, spending time with friends, and even unpacking at my new town home.

Spending five days at the Anderson Center with the other Potatoes gave me a break in my busy spring schedule. One of the things I enjoyed most during our retreat was just taking time for some long walks along the Canon River. It reminded me of how much I miss spending time outside, and how good that is for my soul.

It's difficult for me to say "no" when asked to speak at a school or a library. It seems that everyone around me can juggle so many things (families, jobs, multiple book projects, dozens of speaking engagements); shouldn't I be able to do the same thing as well? Once again I'm learning not to judge myself by what others can do, and to respect the slow pace at which I work.

I promised myself not to agree to any new speaking events for this summer and to give myself time to be creative again. For the most part I'm following through on this promise. I had a taste of that leisurely pace today, when after a morning book event I allowed myself to attend a friend's art show, then go for a walk around one of the lakes in Minneapolis. This afternoon of leisure helped me relax a bit, and I came home with a new idea for a picture book. Whether that idea goes anywhere or not, I don't care, but it felt good to experience that spark of creativity. I hope a slower-paced summer will give me lots of those sparks, because those sparks make me happy.

Potato ALCHEMY

Each new group I’ve joined and every class I’ve taught or taken undergoes a kind of alchemy as the previously unconnected members interact and form a new unity. GOLD!

I relish the alone time I have to create but I do need others, and this One Potato Ten group is an important source of community for me. My favorite part of our recent five-day retreat was the Saturday afternoon workshop session. Each of us read a work-in-progress or solicited help brainstorming ideas for a new project. Such original voices and a wide array of ideas from my fellow writers! I was further amazed by the sensitivity and creativity of all the supporting listeners.

Here are some of the reasons I need community as a writer:

Accountability: I am motivated knowing that I will be regularly reading for a writers group or posting on the blog. I don’t want to let others down.

Listeners: I need to hear how my work sounds as I read aloud or “e-hear” as I submit my posts to the blog

Continuity: In my writers group we know the history and development of each other’s work. The long virtual relationship for One Potato Ten made our first group meeting feel like a reunion. We have been invested in one another for four years.

Honest criticism: I want to get better at writing; I want to sharpen and expand my ideas. A writing community can analyze “the work” and offer ways to improve it.

Exchange of info about the industry: We shared lots of insider tips—agents, advances, contracts, and more!

Multiple perspectives: We each bring something different to the table. Vive la différence! We benefit from shared knowledge and experience. Also, seeing something from different vantage points can help me clarify my own POV.

Yield: Since joining writers groups and the blog I have published more work. Now have the support I need.

And we're back.....

Yes, the polar vortex got the better of us this winter and apparently made us unable to type or post. Just kidding. I have no idea what happened so I 'll blame it on the weather. BUT we are back! After a lovely five day writing retreat spent at the Anderson Center in Red Wing, MN, the Spuds are ready to begin spouting about writing and the writing life once again. Here we are, all together for the first time:

When I formed this blog about four years ago, I never dreamed we would all meet in person. This is not unlike when I spend months writing a book and am stunned when it actually becomes a book. Everyone meeting for the first time meant to much to me, because it was affirmation that we have developed a deep bond from our email correspondence. As Christy Hale said, it is like we have been pen-pals for years that finally get to meet. For five days, we lived in the same house, made meals together, watched pouring rain together, drank pots of coffee and tea, and got to know one another better. (We also got a lot of writing done!) Many events I've been to this past year, I have been the oldest writer. In this group, I am the youngest, and I cherish the wisdom and support I get from these wonderful writers. I'm honored that they said "Yes" when I asked them to join me in my silly idea of starting a blog, and I was so sad to say goodbye to everyone and cannot wait until we all meet again.
Our blog format will change a bit. Instead of two week cycles with everyone posting each day, we are going to expand each person's time to a week, and have ten week cycles. So I hope you will join us as we begin the next phase of this blog journey.
Stephanie
AKA One Potato