Day: April 20, 2014

The last class of my Hubbard Hall Short Story class wrapped up Saturday, it was one of the best classes I have ever taught, so worthwhile I’d like to teach it again in the summer or the fall, depending on Hubbard Hall. In many ways, these classes are about fear and then, about imagination.

So many of the students come telling me their stories are stupid, awful, that they can’t write, that their stories are unimportant, that no one wants to hear them, that they can never sell them or make it in the world of writing. These are lies. I forbid my students to speak poorly of their work, the role of the teacher is to show them what they do well, not what they do poorly.

I believe the creative spark is present in every human being, some of us are blessed with encouragement or the opportunity to light this spark and free the constipation of our souls, some of us don’t get the chance. What a blessing to see each one of these students reach inside of themselves, pull out wonderful stories of meaning and life, encourage and support one another and begin to learn to love their work.

Each story is a gift to me, and the ones in this class are especially good. Encouragement is the fuel of creativity, it works to free the powerful spirits trapped inside of us.

I’m dedicating this blog post to Gabriel Garcia Marquez and to resurrection. Marquez was my favorite writer, a great inspiration and joy for me to read all of my adult life. He often said we are required to give birth and rebirth to ourselves many times in our lives if we wish to be alive. Not too many years ago, I gave rebirth to my life, I left a long marriage, moved away from my family, set out in search of love and meaning. I wanted to know what the purpose of my life was.

I was reborn. I found love, as I swore to do. I became a photographer, and freed a powerful and imprisoned part of myself. I committed to sharing my life on this blog, a daily journal, a daily memoir of my existence. Maria and I found one another. I began writing poetry and also facing the truth about who I was and who I wished to be. I sought friendship and found it. I sought help and got it. I began learning how to stand in my truth in the face in a time of great fear and conformity and anger. We have moved to our rightful, and, I imagine, final home. I was close to death then, I have given up on love and intimacy and the sharing of my life. I will never give up on those things again.

Rebirth is my life, the creative spark is my faith. Life does require us to give birth and rebirth to itself, I set out for New York last week in search of a publisher who values me and my work. I may have found one. I am committed to trying and save the New York Carriage Horses and thus keep animals in our world. I am dedicated to writing books that are honest and thoughtful. I am being reborn every day, it is never over, it is never done.

Easter means many things to many people, I take rebirth and resurrection from this holiday and honor it in my own life. It is a universal story, it belongs to the ages, to the world, to my life.