by Mithra Ballesteros In a small corner of my kitchen hangs this framed needlepoint rooster, one of my most beloved possessions. My Persian grandmother stitched it when she was a young girl living in Hamadan, Iran, probably sometime in the 1920s. Her name was Zarrin and she was very talented with a needle. After her […]
Why Her Story?
There is a reason I use the word history, and not herstory, as might be predicted by my role as a feminist. I grew up in a time and in circumstances where I could not grow to be anything but a self-declared feminist. However, in many ways I am a traditionalist, though a quite progressive one. I love change, […]
Juggling Prompts, Themes & Challenges
Last week was significant for me as it was back to work after a break to hang out with my daughter while she was back in the old home town finding a wedding venue. It took a week before last week to re-engage in writing, blogging group planning and events, a new take on local networking […]
Gathering the Past for the Future
I encourage everyone to gather their past in the way that is most meaningful to them. If you want to share aspects of what you have gathered, I recommend digital sharing. A project I made a few days ago can stand alone as a Facebook post or become part of a cookbook and memoir of […]
Tucson, Five Years On
Lives changed as lives were lost five years ago today when Tucson changed forever. It was not the first time Tucson opened her arms and gathered survivors of mass gun violence to her breast to hold and heal families in her embrace. October 29th 2002 Robin E. Rogers, Barbara Monroe, and Cheryl McGaffic, all instructors in the U of […]
When Christmas Hurts
A huge hurt builds inside me. My father died on Christmas Day 1986. It is a familiar, old hurt. This year it is freshly layered with new hurts and loss. Five months ago the my last living brother died. He was the eldest of my siblings. 13 months ago my brother who was closest to […]