Read recent articles by Elizabeth Jarrett Andrew on writing, mothering, spirituality, and more.
“Walking on Air,” Brevity Blog
Do you ever feel self-conscious on the page? A shout-out to the Brevity blog for publishing these reflections on stumbling our way to consciousness through writing.
When my partner Emily teaches traditional circle dance to a group of newbies, they go through a predictable progression.
First, they stride easily into the class, unaware of their grace.
Next, Emily teaches a few steps. She’s patient, and the movements themselves are simple and repetitive. But students nonetheless trip over their feet, giggle to draw attention away from their awkwardness, scowl or apologize and sometimes give up. The circle jolts and falters.
Then, if the dancers continue practicing over weeks and months, their effort and self-consciousness fall away. They turn their attention away from individual steps to a shared, collective movement.
I know this learning progression from the inside because I, too, have been Emily’s student. Despite having two left feet, over time I’ve lost myself in the turning circle; I’ve closed my eyes and become the dance.
The pattern is uncannily similar to learning to write…
“What Others Think,” Author Magazine
I landed in adulthood with my attention well-honed toward “what people think.” It’s haunted my writing, where worries about audience invade even my private journal. I’m as good as the next writer at leaping from rough draft to imagined New York Times review fame, or for that matter, obscure disdain.
Dealing with my thoughts about what others think is an ongoing, daily artistic struggle.
“Thanks to Nikki,” Author Magazine
Once, after participating in a panel discussion on sexuality and faith at a local university, I was approached by a student with the usual request to sign her copy of my book. But when she handed it over, I was shocked. The soft-cover bristled with post-it notes. Pages were dog-eared, the text striped with fluorescent highlighter, the margins crammed with handwriting, and the cover ripped. She might have run over it with her car.
That memoir was used.
“Maternal Fabric,” The Bluebird Word
Here’s a little piece I wrote after my mother’s death when I both missed her terribly and was relieved she was gone. Grief is complicated, isn’t it? Thanks to The Bluebird Word for including this in their latest issue.
“No Relief,” Mutha Magazine
Fun to dig this little essay out of the unfinished pile, polish it up, and give it life. My parenting writing has gone silent now that I’ve got a teenager. Thanks to Mutha Magazine for publishing this piece.
“Writing as Deep Listening,” Presence Magazine
Are you a spiritual director? Check out my reflections on doing spiritual direction with writers in the latest issue of Presence Journal. (You must be a subscriber to read.)
“The Small, Accessible World of Publishing,” Hippocampus Magazine
How few people could find your writing indispensable and still make it worth doing? My answer is one. Shout out to Hippocampus Magazine for publishing this piece, which is a little taste of what’s in The Release.
