write.share.connect

Slice of Life 21: Spring Comes to the Pennsylvania Writing and Literature Project

By Janice Ewing

Today actually felt like spring, even though slush still lingers from yesterday’s snow. It wasn’t just the warmer temperature and intermittent sunshine. Today was PAWLP’s Saturday Seminar, and spring was in the air at the West Chester Graduate Center. There was the fun of reconnecting with friends and colleagues, the anticipation of new learning and growth, and the energy of throwing open the windows to let in fresh ideas. Read more

Slice of Life 20: Snow on March 20

By Janice Ewing

Instead of warming breezes and brightening skies
we have a cover of clouds and dusting snow

Instead of promising green grass
we have still another white-blanketed lawn

Instead of watching for crocuses and robins
we’re checking for slick spots  Read more

Slice of Life 19: A Day for Listening

By Janice Ewing

“Even the silence has a story to tell you. Just listen, listen.” This quote from Jacqueline Woodson was posted on the Two Writing Teachers site today as an inspiration for writing. It got me thinking about why really listening can be so hard. For me, and I guess for many of us, there’s almost a constant commentary running through my mind, not unlike the news feed below the actual news, interrupted by breaking news… Read more

Slice of Life 18: Grad Class, a Lighter Moment

By Janice Ewing Last week in my grad class a teacher fell off of her seat. How, I don’t know. One minute we were in the midst of a group discussion and the next minute she was on the floor laughing, fortunately. When the others saw that she was okay, they let themselves laugh too. I made sure that she was really okay, not just covering up embarrassment, and then paused as a realization washed over me. I thought about it for a minute, and then decided to share it with the class. This is what I told them. Read more

Slice of Life 17: Hide and Seek at Ikea – It’s a Thing

By Janice Ewing

You never know what you’ll hear on NPR. In this case it was BBC news, on NPR. Anyway, between pieces about the tragic flooding in Malawi and the closely-watched election in Israel, came an interview with a thirty year old Belgian woman who had organized a huge game of hide-and-seek for adults at her local Ikea store. Her age is relevant to the story, because when the interviewer asked what had possessed her to want to do this, she explained that, at age twenty-nine, she had had a sense of “getting old” and had created a list of “thirty things to do before the age of thirty.” Read more