About Me
A love of reading began early in life despite my assignment to the Bluebird reading group. Sister Frances fooled no one by using that innocuous name. We Bluebirds knew we were the slow readers. Despite this early no-confidence vote, I grew up on Jane Austin, the Bronte sisters, Tolstoy, Steinbeck, Hemingway, Morrison, and others. I’m still a painfully slow reader but it detracts not at all from the joy of discovery that accompanies each book. Books satisfy the introversion I inherited from my father and free me of the shyness that perhaps grew out of being the fifth child among seven. I mean, not even the distinction of being the middle child.
Raised Catholic in a time when the Church spoke out about racial justice and social equality, I found inspiration in books that embraced those themes and discovered the power of authors to influence us. The desire to write was born out of that discovery, though its path to fulfillment proved to be circuitous.
I discovered feminism while attending graduate school where I earned a Ph.D. in psychology. Upon graduation, I was sure I would find a job at a college where I could mentor women. In one of those twists of fate that prove God has a sense of humor, I wound up at a Catholic men’s college run by Benedictine monks where I comprised one-third of the female faculty. Oh well, men need mentoring too, right?
When a monk returned from school and replaced me, I moved to the Smoky Mountains and tried my hand at program evaluation in a mental health center. I fell in love with the mountains but not the job. With one exception. I got pulled to fill in for a social skills camp serving people with developmental disabilities when one of the assigned staff had an emergency appendectomy. That experience led me to settle into a career, first as psychologist, then administrator, and finally CEO providing service but, more importantly, improved life opportunities with people who had disabilities. I learned a lot from those I served. It turns out that a high IQ is not required for empathy, dedication, humor, compassion, or love.
Now that I spend my mornings writing, people with disabilities keep finding their way into the stories. I hope these characters will influence others to look at people with disabilities through new eyes.
Interests and Inspiration
Weaving
Weaving is a release from words, a journey into math and design. Like writing, it offers an opportunity for continual learning. The current project you see on the loom above is a contribution being prepared for the Violet Protest. Fiber artists across the country are contributing 8-inch squares composed of equal parts red and blue. These colors blend together to give a violet color. The project goal is to present each member of Congress with 50 of these squares to state our belief that the country will be better served by a meaningful blend of red and blue
Hiking
I love the solitary pleasure of hiking. I do not listen to music or podcasts while walking but simply allow my senses to absorb nature’s array of visions, sounds, textures, and scents. Above is a picture of the grasslands in Wind Cave National Park. I set off on a hike, hoping to see bison and other wildlife. With one exception. I didn’t care to encounter a rattlesnake that the warning signs at the trailhead assured me were plentiful and to be avoided. Not long after taking the picture, I looked ahead on the trail to see a large tubular object yellowish in color with distinct markings familiar from the warning signs earlier mentioned. Was it really a snake? I took a few steps forward. What else could it be? No companion to get help, no mobile phone service, insufficient knowledge of how to coexist with rattlesnakes, I decided to turn back and find another hike. Was it really a rattlesnake? I’ll never know for sure but that’s okay.
Family
I am one of seven children raised Catholic, raised to value education and work. Our family has grown through six marriages producing 11 children and 13 grandchildren. I am the aunt who gets to play and leave when family life gets dicey.
Reading
Currently reading A Swim in the Pond in the Rain by George Saunders. It's a great book and especially enlightening for aspiring writers