Category: Writers

About Writing, Essays, Flash Fiction, Poetry, Poets, Quotes, Read Women, Women, Writers11 Comments

15 Amazing Stories to Read by Women When You Need a Break from the Festivities

Charlotte Hamrick

Those who read this blog regularly know how much I enjoy sharing other writers writing. I try to do that from time to time. Lately, I’ve read some astounding stories via poetry, flash fiction, and essay that I want to share with you. They’re all pretty short and only take a few seconds to a few minutes to read but, oh, such power in these words! I’ve added a snippet to each selection to give you an idea of the wonderment in store when you click over. These stories are great for taking a slice of quiet time from all … Continue reading 15 Amazing Stories to Read by Women When You Need a Break from the Festivities

About Writing, Books, Poetry, Poets, Pop Culture, Read Women, Writers6 Comments

3 Books, 3 Poets

Charlotte Hamrick

The last three books of poetry I’ve read couldn’t be more different. Two of them, “Milk and Honey” by Rupi Kaur and “Good Bones” by Maggie Smith, came to my attention on Twitter. Did you know there’s a vibrant poetry community on Twitter? Actually, there’s a vibrant writing community there. I’ve found some fantastic books, poetry, flash fiction, short stories, nonfiction, etc., there and, these days, it’s the only reason I’m still hanging in. The only reason. Anyway, I digress. The third book, “From Every Moment a Second” by Robert Okaji, came to my attention from Robert himself. I read … Continue reading 3 Books, 3 Poets

Essays, Flash Fiction, Photography, Poetry, Poets, Read Women, Women, Writers2 Comments

Focus on Four: Reading Women Online 

Charlotte Hamrick

There are some fantastic women writers writing interesting, enlightening, bold stories online but, sometimes, its not so easy to find those voices among the cacophony that is the internet. So. I’m going to share four women whose stories and poems stood out for me recently. Oh, I could share so much more but, if you’re like me, posts with a long list of  “what I read online” can be daunting. Why not focus on four gorgeous women and their writing? First up is Lori Sambol Brody, a writer of incredibly good flash fiction that I discovered this summer. Lori has … Continue reading Focus on Four: Reading Women Online 

About Writing, Poetry, Poets, Women, Writers3 Comments

Happy birthday, Lucille!

Charlotte Hamrick

Lucille’s mother was a gifted poet with only an elementary school education. Her poetry was offered publication but Lucille’s father wouldn’t allow it and forced her to burn the poems in the fireplace. It’s said Lucille never forgot it and I’m sure it shaped much of her own poetry. About the incident, she wrote a poem called “fury”: “her hand is crying. / her hand is clutching / a sheaf of papers. / poems. / she gives them up. / they burn / jewels into jewels.” She was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for two separate books in the … Continue reading Happy birthday, Lucille!

Photography, Quotes, Writers1 Comment

Inspiration Interlude: Diane Ackerman

Charlotte Hamrick

“There was nothing to do but wait. It is always like this for naturalists, and for poets–the long hours of travel and preparation, and then the longer hours of waiting. All for that one electric, pulse-revving vision when the universe suddenly declares itself.” ― Diane Ackerman, The Moon by Whale Light and Other Adventures Among Bats, Penguins, Crocodilians and Whales *** Image: the lagoon at Audubon Park, New Orleans / Photo by me Continue reading Inspiration Interlude: Diane Ackerman

About Writing, Essays, Poetry, Poets, Women, Writers4 Comments

Women Online: Great Reads You Shouldn’t Miss

Charlotte Hamrick

I LOVE this tweet by Kelli Agodon, writer and co-founder of Two Sylvias Press who has a great twitter feed. Just had to share. Anyone who writes poetry has had a version of this wonderment in their head at one time or another. But, thing is, if you’re born to write poetry your really don’t have a choice. I wrote when I was very young then didn’t for years and years, only coming back to it in my mid-30’s but it was always in my head. Fragments, bits and pieces, phrases….it was always in there because it’s just how I … Continue reading Women Online: Great Reads You Shouldn’t Miss

Poetry, Poets, Women, Writers3 Comments

Happy Birthday, Sylvia

Charlotte Hamrick

“The hardest thing is to live richly in the present without letting it be tainted out of fear for the future or regret for the past.” ~ Sylvia Plath Happy birthday, Sylvia. I’ve been reading her poetry this morning – so relatable, so poignant – and thought I’d share one of my favorites. There are so many opinions of Sylvia: that she was a genius, that she was tragic, that she was only an appendage of Ted Hughes. I think she was a woman, flawed and beautiful, like most. I think she did the best she could. There’s no doubt … Continue reading Happy Birthday, Sylvia

Inspiration Interlude, Photography, Poetry, Women, Writers3 Comments

Inspiration Interlude: Diane Ackerman

Charlotte Hamrick

“The sensory misers will inherit the earth, but first they will make it not worth living on. When you consider something like death, after which we may well go out like a candle flame, then it probably won’t matter if we try too hard, are awkward sometimes, care for one another too deeply, are excessively curious about nature, are too open to experience, enjoy a nonstop expense of the senses in an effort to know life intimately and lovingly.” ― Diane Ackerman, A Natural History of the Senses Happy birthday, Diane. Continue reading Inspiration Interlude: Diane Ackerman

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Inspiration Interlude: Louise Beech

Charlotte Hamrick

“Isn’t all writing life writing? Life made us who we are and so it makes us what we write. We’re influenced (both consciously and subconsciously) by what has happened to us. Every word we put down we expose ourselves in some way. Writing our stories helps us to look at things more clearly. We can make sense of what has happened to us by recording it.”  – Louise Beech from her wonderful essay “On Life Writing” in Women Writers, Women’s Books Continue reading Inspiration Interlude: Louise Beech

Blogs, Books, Poetry, Women, Women in Translation Month, Writers7 Comments

My Book List for Women in Translation Month

Charlotte Hamrick

August is Women in Translation Month, a movement originated by book blogger Meytal Radzinski in 2014 which she details here. Basically, it’s an effort to encourage and spotlight translated books by women which are severely underpublished as compared to men. Meytal has posted supporting statistics for the past year on her blog here. 2015 was the first year I participated in WIT month. I chose and read three books and enjoyed them all. Honestly, what initially drew me to this effort is that I enjoy reading about other cultures and hadn’t read many books by non-American authors. I didn’t even … Continue reading My Book List for Women in Translation Month