My semester teaching has started at The Lawrence Arts Center and lucky me – what a great group of students! Fourteen of us come together on Friday mornings to read, write and talk about the power of our stories. These are some of my favorite things! The authenticity and energy of everyone is infectious. I want to end all my sentences in this post with exclamation points!

As much I love the time in class, preparing for it every week is satisfying too. I’ve been reflecting on that and realize that teaching causes me to pay closer attention. To interesting pieces of writing, circumstances I’m in that I may want to write about, the funny expressions on my dogs’ faces, the way the fallen leaves look on my moss-tinged patio, the conversation around the table at a new restaurant with my family.

I’ve been busy with preparing my memoir Float On for publication on December 1st. It’s exciting! Going with the momentum is fun! Planning a party for its launch feels almost the exact opposite of how much of the writing did about painful family memories. But I don’t want to miss any of it by not paying attention. Is there anything you need to pay closer attention to?

Love, Molly