ARTICLES
Here are some of my recent articles on a variety of topics you may find interesting.
Please click here for articles in my archives.
Meet Catherine Stover
We're excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Catherine Stover. We hope you'll enjoy our conversation with Catherine, the full interview is linked below.
Hi Catherine, so excited to have you with us today and we are really interested in hearing your thoughts about how folks can develop their empathy? In our experience, most folks want to be empathic towards others, but in a world where we are often only surrounded by people who are very similar to us, it can sometimes be a challenge to develop empathy for others who might not be as similar to us. Any thoughts or advice?
I Was a Tourist That Night
There is a memory that I have carried with me for many years. It was Reggae Night at a bar on State Street in Madison, Wisconsin, back when I was a college student. I believe we were on the second floor, and that a live band was playing and that the wooden floorboards were uneven—but sometimes my memory and my imagination intertwine.
President Kennedy, Waterskiing, and You
The Story Circle Network / Her Stories / Writers Write About Writing
We were in a memoir workshop, listening to Brenda read her description of the day JFK was shot: she was in seventh grade, standing with her tray in the cafeteria, about to have lunch, when the principal announced over the intercom: the President of the United States has been shot. The students could hear their principal try to choke back tears.
REVIEW: "A Confluence of Rivers" by Katherine S. Hansen - Wisconsin Writers Association Website
You will want to become friends with this author.
Readers of memoirs get the front row seats. While readers of poetry get feelings and images, and readers of fiction get drama and surprises, those of us who read memoirs get real life. And a real person who tells us their story.
Two True Things
Sons of Norway Magazine
I always assumed that there was nothing special about my family. Growing up on a dairy farm in Wisconsin among other kids from other dairy farms, it seemed as though everyone was more or less the same. The fact that three of my four grandparents grew up in homes where Norwegian was spoken didn't make us unique; it made us similar to the other families who were as apt to say takk as they were to say thanks.
Why You Should Be a Warmhearted Writer
The Story Circle Network / Her Stories / Writers Write about Writing
“I didn’t have time to write this week. Don’t know if I should come to class. Thoughts?”
I see red flags and hear alarm bells go off whenever I receive an email like this from one of the people in my Writing Memoir workshops. If this email comes the night before the second workshop, the alarm bells are at double volume.