Weekend

I know there's a metaphor somewhere in that photo of a little knothole in the Ventura Pier that I took last weekend, but I just haven't been able to think of one. Let me know if you have any ideas.

I'm getting ready to drive down to Orange County with the boys. Henry has a lacrosse tournament over the weekend, so I'll be -- what is it called? -- stateside, with my book, some knitting and my best pretend sports-Mom look. I'll keep you posted.

I know I have a lot of readers who are writers, and I wanted to tell you about a very cool opportunity you have to contribute to a wonderful cause and get a languishing manuscript read and critiqued by a famous writer. My alma mater, Caregifted (the organization founded by the MacArthur Genius grant winner, poet Heather McHugh) that sent me the amazing one-week, all-expenses paid trip to Victoria in June of 2013, will benefit from all the proceeds of this fabulous event/opportunity. Seriously, ya'll. Some of the writers donating their time to read YOUR manuscript are

Rae Armantrout, Mary Jo Bang, Robin Black, Matt Bell, Janet Burroway, Ron Carlson, Alexander Chee, Billy Collins, Nicholas Delbanco, Mark Doty, Cornelius Eady, Therese A. Fowler, Daisy Fried, Linda Gregerson, Mark Halliday, Matthea Harvey, Tony Hoagland, Major Jackson, Ben Lerner, Philip Levine, Thomas Lux, Rebecca Makkai, Michael Martone, Elizabeth McCracken, Joyelle McSweeney, Eileen Myles, Lucia Perillo, Joanna Rakoff, Roger Rosenblatt, Natalie Serber, Brenda Shaughnessy, Rebecca Wells, Joe Wenderoth, Hilma Wolitzer, Laura van den Berg, Dean Young, and Matthew Zapruder.

You can read more about it here.

Reader, what are your weekend plans? Do you have a metaphor for my photo of the greeny sea through knotty pine?

Helping Hands Needed

A reader sent me a lovely email about this blog and about the community that has grown up around it. She is a mother of two children, one a young girl with Down Syndrome and the other a teenager with significant and crippling anxiety and depression. I asked her permission to post her question here, because I just have a feeling that someone out there reading might be able to help her. If you can answer, please leave a comment or email me your contact information. If you yourself write about these issues, please let us know! My email is elsophieATgmailDOTcom.

Do you know of any blogs written by moms, or dads, of teens with major depression/anxiety?   I've been looking for a really insightful one, with really good writing. 

Thank you so much. 

The Best Blog Post Evah

In case you missed it, you can read my earlier post HERE. I got this graphic novella from a Reader named Missy Slick.

illustrated by Missy Slick

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My posse is growing and my gratitude overflows.