I was way too busy getting over the flu and stuffing my face (in that order, more or less) to stay on top of electronic communication this holiday, but that doesn't mean I'm not grateful. My life (like my stomach) is way too full.
So. Giving thanks. Yeah. In no particular order:
1. My husband. Our 1-year anniversary is coming up this week - what the what? When did that happen? We're off to Paris on Thursday to celebrate. Ooh, la la! More desserts and revelry, surely.
2. My readers. Every single person who's ever read one of my books, whether you liked it, hated it, or were entirely indifferent. A few weeks ago, my esteemed editor, Elizabeth Law, came to talk to my Media Bistro YA workshop. When she spoke of becoming a publisher she mentioned how overwhelming it was to have achieved a lifelong fantasy of being involved in the process of creating classic books. While I'd deign to refer to any of my own writing as "classic," I absolutely appreciate where she's coming from. Since I've been old enough to read (or be read to), all I've wanted to do is to write, and to spend my life (professional or otherwise), celebrating books.
3. And speaking of celebrating books: these girls rock. Likewise these folks.
4. Oh! I'm thankful for family. (And also: this kind.)
5. And finally, where would I be without my guilty pleasures? "Us Weekly?" Check. Peanut butter m&m's? Check. "Real Housewives" on the DVR? Check, check, and check.
Thanks, y'all. Hope everyone had a fab holiday.
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Posted on 11/29/2010
Blog: First person present (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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By: Mary Lee,
on 11/25/2010
Blog: A Year of Reading (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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I wouldn't be who I am today as a writer if Philippa Stratton and Bill Varner at Stenhouse hadn't believed in my ability to turn the sketchiest of proposals into a book.
I am grateful to Brenda Power for valuing my article-length thinking and writing for Choice Literacy. Thanks to her recent generosity, I now have ideas brewing for several articles about using new technologies in my classroom.
Who pushes my thinking? With out a doubt, Franki does, both on the blog and off: about reading and writing and education and baking and the value of Disney in the world (just to mention a few recent topics). Time spent with Meredith always results in new thinking and learning around technology and the arts. And then there are my smart colleagues in Dublin and Central Ohio, my blogging friends from far and near, and Tweet Peeps whose 140 character thinking prods, provokes and amuses.
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Posted on 11/26/2009
Blog: WOW! Women on Writing Blog (The Muffin) (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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Today is not only a day for eating turkey, enjoying time with family and friends, and giving thanks for those in your personal lives, it's also a time to be thankful for your writing life.
I'm lucky to have a job where I get to work with talented writers who inspire me daily. These writers include our current staff members: Margo L. Dill, Marcia Peterson, LuAnn Schindler, Joanne Stacey, Jill Earl, Jodi Webb, Anne Greenawalt, Carrie Hulce, Cher'ley Grogg, Chynna Laird, and Elizabeth King Humphrey. And the many, many previous staff members (including most recently Alison Diefenderfer and Senior Editor Annette Fix) who've passed through the WOW! halls. Working with these ladies is such a joy. They're all excellent writers and I love hearing what they're up to in their writing lives and watching them grow as writers.
I'm also thankful for our instructors who've chosen to teach with WOW! Your knowledge and ability to help others with enthusiasm and patience is extraordinary. We're lucky to have you, and those that take your classes are lucky too!
I'm thankful for the Premium-Green community of women writers. This group has to be one of the most encouraging group of writers out there. Thank you for sharing your successes, big or small, and engaging in conversations about the freelance writing life on the group boards. You bring out my entrepreneurial spirit and inspire my pep talks! I hope they inspire you too.
To the multitude of contestants, I owe you a big thank you for always being gracious and understanding--even if we're late with prizes. I love reading your stories and learning more about you through interviews here on The Muffin. You're all such a talented bunch of writers, so creative. I'm still in awe at how you can come up with a complete story with a beginning, middle, and end in such a short word count.
I'm thankful for the guest judges we have each season, who donate their time and judge stories simply for the love of the written word. Thank you for dedicating yourself to our contests and for encouraging writers everywhere.
I'm especially thankful for those of you who visit and read WOW! and share your comments, stories, successes, and your passion for writing. It's this community that keeps me motivated and striving for the best.
To the freelancers and interviewees who've worked with WOW!, I'm thankful for your well written articles and for the advice you've shared with our readers. Without you, there wouldn't be a publication.
And last, but certainly not least, to my webmaster and partner, Glenn Robnett. Thank you for your dedication to WOW!, your expert tech savvy, and for always making our publication look beautiful and shine online.
So as you enjoy a day of family and friends, remember to give thanks to those in your writing life too. (Before you fall into a turkey-induced tryptophan-coma!) Happy Thanksgiving!
Posted on 12/2/2008
Blog: First person present (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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And yes, I know, I'm late to the party. But given how crazed my schedule has been this semester (and yes, I will continue to measure out my life in semesters until I graduate from my MFA program this Jan; bear with me), two weeks is actually not too shabby.
Anyhoo, around this time of year I, like so many other people, do a lot of sentimental taking-of-stock, and I wanted to share the top five things for which I'm all grateful and stuff this holiday season:
1) My friends and family (which OF COURSE includes the little devil pictured above, Miss Bridget Jones, aka my constant partner in crime). As I've mentioned on this blog, my family will be increasing in size exponentially come next fall via the wedding that ate Manhattan, and I can't believe that I get to live out my own personal RoCom with the coolest, funniest, smartest guy around.
2) My health. I haven't been running or hitting the gym nearly as hard as I have in years past, but I'm dedicated to keeping fit. Sound body, sound mind, etc., etc...Top New Year's resolution? I'm going to be way more diligent about flossing. Swearsies.
3) Inspiration everywhere! Every time I read a book I adore, I fall in love with writing all over again. Most recently? THE ADORATION OF JENNA FOX, THE WAY HE LIVED, and PAPER TOWNS. Have you read them yet?
4) The opportunity to make a living doing exactly what I've always wanted to do. How cool is that?
5) Fans/readers/writers/cyber-buds like YOU.
Okay, you've heard my list. So what I wanna know now is what you're thankful for, these days! Post post post!
I wish to write my own book soon, too. :D
I am thankful to you, Mary Lee, for your generous spirit here in the blogging world. Your tireless enthusiasm, open kindness, and boundless curiosity are inspiring indeed! Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours... A.
Excellent Blog! I really admire your thinking and the way you have put these information in this post. Thanks for sharing an informative post.
THESIS WRITING
Beautiful reflection Mary Lee! We are all thankful for you, your ideas, and your love for teaching!
Mary Lee,
I'm incredibly touched and honored by your mention of me. I am incredibly grateful of your work too. In particular my admiration knows no bounds for your staying in the classroom and fighting on behalf of good teaching and good learning. Being in a private school it is much easier for me and so I admire and respect all of you who manage to continue to teach creatively, with books, and so intimately in this time of high-stakes tests and standards. Thank you so much for all you do.
**wipes tears from eyes**
Thanks, Monica. Thanks from me, and thanks on behalf of all public school teachers.
The way I see it, it's like Robert Frost wrote in "The Tuft of Flowers":
`Men work together,' I told him from the heart,
`Whether they work together or apart.'
I think we're actually all in this together, both public and private. Sometimes the energy to go on in MY corner of the teaching world comes from reading the dispatches from YOUR corner of the teaching world. Knowing what's possible where there is more freedom helps me work all the harder to give my students the kind of education that parents of any income level would want for their children.
What can we do about the idiots who "malign and demonize and disrespect" the teaching profession? My best defense is to continue teaching their children, with passion and creativity, to THINK FOR THEMSELVES!