Author Archives: Jill
Totally fucking gay
“Who drops you off,” the client asks Mary, “your husband or your son?”
She hasn’t been asked this question for at least a year. We assumed they’d finally sorted out that I’m a girl. Sadly, no.
Which reminds me of something my therapist said years… Read more
The Family Fang
When I wake before 7 a.m., I read with my headlamp on. And so, for the last few days, I’ve been reading the Family Fang in that way that always makes me feel like a child. As though I’m sneaking the story in. And I… Read more
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Tagged adventure, ann patchett, art, bliss, boundaries, brokenness, character, control, Family Fang, Freaks & Geeks, grace, heartbreak, injury, joy, kid, memory, mindfulness, power, queer, relationships, Royal Tenenbaums, safe, savor, self, shame, story, women, Writing
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Riverwalk
Maybe I was born skipping stones. I don’t seem to be able to explain technique to them, or maybe they prefer hucking giant rocks into the river. They cheer every splash.
She’s in sandals and checking along the bank for frogs. “I love to catch… Read more
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Tagged adventure, bliss, boundaries, heart, Hermione, joy, kid, memory, mindfulness, Miyazaki, mother, power, Princess Leia, princesses save themselves, relationships, safe, savor, self, simple, story, women, Writing
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Paperless
Mary DuChene, first mother. One of my favorite experiences with you was the walk up the hill after Thai on First. I’d run down and was wearing a sad little outfit. And you were forty minutes late, and finally arrived in a cab. Your car… Read more
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Tagged adventure, birth mother, bliss, boundaries, dia de las madres, grace, grief, heart, heartbreak, injury, joy, lesbian, love, mary, memory, mindfulness, mother, New Orleans, power, queer, relationships, safe, savor, self, simple, sing, story, women, Writing
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You probably think this blog is about you
I met this old man once who was terrified of trees. He filmed hours and hours of footage of all the trees on his property being cut down. He drove along the canopy roads cursing the city planners. Who lets trees get out of control… Read more
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Lovesong
While I was in New Orleans, she texted me. “You need to call me,” she wrote. “I’ve just finished your second novel. You need to explain yourself.”
I sneaked out to the pool at 3:43 a.m. and called her. “It’s a tragedy,” I began. “It’s… Read more
Posted in Writing
Tagged adventure, art, artist, boundaries, brokenness, character, control, field guide, grace, grief, heart, heartbreak, injury, joy, kid, lesbian, love, mary, memory, mindfulness, New Orleans, power, relationships, safe, savor, self, shame, simple, story, tragedy, women, Writing
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Upset
The kid is very small. Like not quite three. So small that all of her feelings still fit on her face. Her mom, prone on the ground, kicking, screaming and pounding her fists into the carpet.
The little girl’s face scrunches up. “Is that the… Read more
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Tagged adventure, art, bliss, boundaries, brokenness, character, control, grace, grief, heart, heartbreak, injury, joy, Kermit the Frog, kid, lesbian, love, mary, memory, mindfulness, mother, orangutan, otter, power, relationships, safe, savor, self, shame, simple, story, women, Writing
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You, madam, are no instrument of karma
When I was a kid, I practiced everything in front of the mirror. I practiced singing, and teaching, and convincing. I debated my image. I debated the room around me. I debated my expressionless stuffed animals. I sang into my pink plastic brush. I danced.… Read more
The treatment
I’m reading Alison Bechdel’s “Are You My Mother?” And it’s a little owie. I remember my mom coming to the house and sitting on the staircase crying. “It’s my fault you’re like this,” she said.
“No. It isn’t. There’s nothing wrong with me.”
But she… Read more
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Tagged Alison Bechdel, Are You My Mother?, art, boundaries, brokenness, character, control, grace, heart, heartbreak, injury, kid, lesbian, love, mary, memory, mindfulness, mother, power, queer, relationships, safe, savor, self, shame, simple, story, women, Writing
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You are inconstant
I was once a person who listened to Whitesnake. It was a long time ago. For a short spell. We all try stuff on. Not that I’m defensive, you understand. This was Jersey, and I lived across the street from this girl I had a… Read more
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Tagged adventure, bliss, boundaries, character, control, cure, grace, grief, heart, heartbreak, injury, joy, lesbian, love, memory, mindfulness, new jersey, power, queer, relationships, safe, savor, self, shame, simple, story, White Snake, women, Writing
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