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Newsy! Shoeboxes Filled With Love + Chicken Pot Pie + The Young Widower’s Handbook: a Novel (v.26)
November 30th, 2016
willowwrite@gmail.com
Consider this:
How To Fill 350 Shoeboxes With Love
Elizabeth and a few hundred shoeboxes
I met my friend Elizabeth in San Francisco on Election Day, 2002. I was a brand new mom, still figuring out how to get my three-month-old and myself out of the house each day, along with his stroller and a backpack filled with everything a baby could possibly need. That particular morning, my own mom was with me, and we strollered on over to my local polling station so I could cast my vote. Read more
Newsy! Thank You, Bone Marrow Donor + Cranberry Nut Bread + The Poison Artist (v.25)
November 22nd, 2016
willowwrite@gmail.com
Consider this:
This Thanksgiving, I’m Giving Thanks To A Stranger
Dear Anonymous Bone Marrow Donor,
First and foremost, thank you. Thank you for joining a registry of donors who are on-call for active duty. A military analogy seems apt for describing the way you and your fellow volunteers spend months or even years awaiting a phone call that informs you, you’re up. Recently, on what probably began as a perfectly ordinary day, someone from Be The Match told you your marrow matched that of a 14-year-old boy. You don’t know this lad, but I do. He has a laser bright smile and is sweet and funny and strong. Right now, due to a rare bone marrow disease, he’s the wrong shade of pale. Read more
Newsy! Time Out + Sticky Toffee Date Cake + A Little Life (v.24)
November 16th, 2016
willowwrite@gmail.com
Consider this:
Time Out
Last week felt endless.
Our escape to a little town in Wine Country with the dog and one of the boys was perfectly timed. The sun was warm. The river was low, but it flowed. Golden leaves dazzled against a clear blue sky.
We didn’t fully unplug, but we took a time-out. Read more
Newsy! Is Dazed, Confused And Desperate For Funny (v. 23, an election week special)
November 11th, 2016
willowwrite@gmail.com
Consider this:
After This Election, I’m Dazed, Confused And Desperate For Funny
Does this count as a smile? (Photo credit: wikimedia.org)
The morning after the election, I staggered out of bed with an aching head after a fitful sleep. My 14-year-old was already in the kitchen, waiting for his bread to toast. He was logged onto the computer.
“Did it really happen?” I croaked. My red, puffy eyes filled with tears as he nodded, wordless.
A moment later, he turned the computer screen my way. “Check this out,” he said. I saw a photograph of a vast, towering structure sitting the middle of what looked like a national park. Read more
Newsy! Hello, Gorgeous + Obsessively Good Green Beans + Season Of The Witch (v. 22)
November 10th, 2016
willowwrite@gmail.com
Consider this:
Hello, Gorgeous
A few months back, I was sitting in the sunshine on a bench in my local town square, noodling back and forth about a project idea with one of my favorite partners in creativity. The project involved, among other things, writing, photography and video. At one point, as part of a “readability” test, I pulled out a black Sharpie and wrote three words in all caps on the back of my business card:
YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL Read more
