"I was asleep while you were dying . . . " from "Myth", in Native Guard, Pulitzer Prize 2007 ... about her mother, Gwendolyn Ann Turnbough "...you will find the scaffolding of form to bear that weight– for yourself and for your mother." Inscription to me, on Thrall, August 2012, at Bread Loaf Most daughters want to make our mother's proud, and I imagine Natasha Trethewey is no different. Except, her mother died before Natasha finished … [Read more...]
Terry Tempest Williams and the Legacy of Mother, Earth, Spirit
It's late on the 25th day of Women's History Month, and from amongst the crowd of worthy women and organizations on lists I wrote as I contemplated a month of daily tributes, I'm choosing Terry Tempest Williams. Reading her memoir, Refuge, in 1993, inspired me on so many levels. In luminous prose, she wrote of her mother's slow death from breast cancer, the loss of habitat of the birds of the Great Salt Lake, and the dark legacy of patriarchy and nuclear testing. Almost twenty years later, as … [Read more...]
Artist, Mentor, Treasure
Today's Women's History Month tribute goes to Janice Edgerton Griffin, an active artist and mentor whom I call "Aunt Jan." She was born and raised within the circle of my mother's family and the Winona, Ohio Quaker meeting. When I was exploring ways to shape the book about my mother's art, we reviewed her extensive collection of art books. I interviewed her in 2007, and we discussed how she and my mother became such passionate artists. I wanted to know how their background … [Read more...]
Esther Hepler Inglesby, WPA Artist and Community Inspiration
For the eighteenth day of Women's History Month, I'm thinking fondly of Esther Hepler Inglesby (1909-2000), a well-loved member of the Merchantville community and an accomplished artist. For my wedding shower, she gave me a handwritten poem about marriage, and when it turns up, I'll post it. Her joy in life and art was contagious, and she was an active member of the Merchantville Historical Society for decades. Fortunately, she has a granddaughter who curated her work, and kept her … [Read more...]
Women’s Stories Count and VIDA Keeps Track . . .
For women to make history, we must tell our stories and listen to each other. We must name names. We must count. When I promised my mother that I would curate her art and archives, neither of us realized how difficult it would be. I counted the paintings in her studio and the family collection, mailed a request for information to her collectors, and compiled a database of 1,200 works, out of an estimated 2,000 she created during her lifetime. I selected a representative 200 color plates … [Read more...]
A Woman’s Century of Wisdom: Margery Binkerd Wells Steer
For the twelfth day of Women's History Month, I honor my maternal grandmother, Margery Binkerd Wells Steer. She was born on a farm in New Canaan Connecticut, August 29th, 1899. She died at her daughter's home in Merchantville, New Jersey on April 10, 1992. In her 92 years, she was fond of remarking how much change she had witnessed and participated in. She came of age as women won the right to vote. She … [Read more...]
An Awesome Mother’s Breast Cancer: A Difficult Daughter’s Redemption
When celebrities like Angelina Joli, Joan Lunden and Hoda Kotb summon the courage to speak openly about their breast cancer, they offer an alternative to fear, hopelessness and isolation. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but for many, this awareness is year-round. My awesome artist-mother, Alice Steer Wilson, died of the disease in 2001. As a high-risk woman with high-density breast tissue (difficult daughter with complicated breasts), I've undergone MRIs, ultrasounds, genetic … [Read more...]
Summer’s End
When I saw this painting on Alice's easel, I cried. She was going to die, and she knew it. That's what I saw. My mother loved what she called "jumping off places" like this path across the dunes to the ocean. I couldn't let the painting out of my life, so I bought it and hung it in my studio. One day I was writing about the painting and I noticed that the two figures crossing the dunes resembled the two of us. My mother was shorter than me, and she favored red. I love blue. The conversation … [Read more...]
Ten Interview Questions for the Next Big Thing
I am happy to participate in this writer’s round robin after being tagged by the lovely poet Lorraine Henrie Lins (thanks, Lorraine!). After I answer the questions, I’ll tag two additional wonderful writers. What is the working title of your book? The working title was The Alice Book or OK FOREVER: Alice Steer Wilson’s Cape May. However, the real title – the one that will be printed on the book’s cover very soon, is Alice Steer Wilson: Light, Particularly. Where did the … [Read more...]
the Alice book goes to press . . .
Yesterday morning I made the final correction to the document that will become a book of my mother's art life, with more than 200 images from her studio. What was the final change? The addition of the title "POEMS" on the copyright page . . . it's interesting how many iterations it takes to get things right. This is not a book of my poems, but there are three of them in it. It is not my grandmother's book, but her portraits by her daughter are included (two of them) as well as two photos of her: … [Read more...]
