Kortney Garrison

Homeschooling With Ease

Last Quarter Books

by

Between now and the end of the year I want to finish up a few books that I’ve started. There will probably be an Ann Patchett novel or two, maybe I’ll start the Earthsea Trilogy again as well! But here’s what’s officially on my list:

Augustine. Confessions.
This moved to the top of the list after Father Schall died this year. If I read a chapter each week, I can finish by the end of the year….

Molly Gloss. Unforseen: Stories.
Molly writes characters that I can’t stop thinking about. I tell my kids stories about them as if they are people I once knew.

Lyanda Lynn Haupt. Rare Encounters with Ordinary Birds.
Lyanda simply said, Mammals don’t outsource the care of their young. With one sentence, this book set me on the course I am still walking.

Doris Orgel. My Mothers’ Daughter.
Just finished this today. My daughter and I read it as part of our Greek myths study this Fall.

Elizabeth Vandiver. Classical Mythology.
I am listening to these audio lectures. Almost done!

Kareem Abdual Jabbar. Coach Wooden and Me.
Reading this with my son–the second book by Kareem that I’ve read this year. We are also memorizing “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost because Coach Wooden loved it!

Julianna Baggott. Efficient/Creativity.
Run, don’t walk to get this series of audio lectures! You can listen to the first one for free. Julianna is funny and smart and so fun to spend time with. I took these lectures with me on my Fall writing retreat and will be working though them again. If you are serious about improving your writing process, you will learn so much.

Susan Shaughnessy. Walking on Alligators.
This is a book of daily readings that I got from my friend, Sarah. So good. I am reading one before bed as a way to seed my dreams (a la Julianna Baggott) and give me something beside the looming to-do list to ponder as I fall asleep.

Pam Barnhill. Better Together.
Reading this for work along with a fabulous group of women. You could read along with us! It’s a great exploration of Morning Time–one of the essential parts of our learning together.

To see all the posts in the series Listening to My Life :: Homeschooling an MFA in Poetry, click here.

The Homeschool MFA Notebook

by

This is where the magic happens! In this notebook I track three simple things: the week’s reading, watching, and writing.

My composition book is where my daily writing happens. But the Homeschool MFA Notebook lives in the handsome green Leuchtturm from Modern Mrs. Darcy up there. But I’m almost finished with that one! And going to be getting one from Minimalism Art. In it I track what I’ve been reading that week, what movies I’ve seen or good writing podcasts I’ve listened to, and what the week’s writing looks like.

It doesn’t seem like much. But even this tiny ritual marks that I am serious about this work. I keep a running list of craft books I want to read. And a collection of Lost Lines–overheard pieces of conversation that seem like they are meant for a poem. When I submit poems to journals, I celebrate that bravery here. And when I hear back, I record that too.

But really the main work of the Homeschool MFA Notebook is just a place to check in, to affirm again the path that I’m on and the active ways I’m pursuing it.

How do you track your most important work?

To see all the posts in the series Listening to My Life :: Homeschooling an MFA in Poetry, click here.

Listening to My Life :: Homeschooling an MFA in Poetry

by

Last summer, my sweet friend Kara, got me a subscription to Cozy Blue Stitch Club. I love the designs that Liz creates and was so happy to know that new projects would be coming my way.

The last pattern to arrive was called Evening Walk–a field of wild grasses with a line of trees behind and flock of birds overhead. The scene looked so much like the view from our house across the river to the West Hills. I love the line of fir trees at the top of the ridge, and I knew those tiny blue birds were actually geese flying to the river.

A few years ago I came across an interview with the former poet laureate Ted Kooser. He talked about his daily writing routine. He comes to the page every day because “you got to be there when the geese come flyin’ in.”

That simple phrase has become a touchstone for me. A little nudge toward the work I want to be doing. I want to show up every day so that I’m ready when inspiration alights. In season and out of season.

From the bluff above the river where we live, we watch the geese flying over, hear their calls, and see the neat Vs come unraveled. And every time it’s a reminder of this work.

This month I’m going to be writing about my Homeschool MFA experience–what’s working and what I’ve learned in the first two years of this project. I’d love for you to join me. And do tell me what you are working on!

Tools for Conviviality

by

(Yes, this title is a clear rip off of a book by Ivan Illich, a mostly forgotten Catholic education philosopher.

There’s a worthy assignment–read some Illich!)

1906: King Street Station in Seattle, one of my destinations

Twice this year I’ve had the chance to meet with far away women friends who are also on this writing journey. And each time I’ve come home and scribbled a list of resources that I wanted to share with them, trusted guides that have illuminated my path.

But instead of just sending them an email, I thought I’d share a bit more widely.

Gottman Marriage Minute

This weekly newsletter from the Gottman Institute aims to give a tiny bit of marriage advice that you can act on in just a minute. I keep one up on my desktop that entreats me to Be Kind. This isn’t rocket science, but I can often use the reminder.

Daily Dad

Another email newsletter. This one comes every week day from Ryan Holiday. It applies his interest in Stoic philosophy to being a better dad. I’m not a dad, but I know some! And I’m raising boys. I haven’t read this long enough to know if it’s something I’ll use long term. But it’s very interesting.

Efficient/Creativity

This six week audio series by Julianna Baggott is all about using your quirky creative process to your own advantage. It’s about noticing when you get ideas, developing strategies to capture them, and even ways to deal with writer’s block. Get these lectures because Julianna is an excellent writer–funny, smart, and self-deprecating. She’s wonderful to spend time with. But along the way you’ll also find ways to enrich your writing life.

Shaunta Grimes

Shaunta is a novelist who publishes nearly everyday on Medium about writing and productivity. She’s serious about helping people become authors and shares her experience and expertise freely. Her work is the basis and inspiration for my own Homeschool MFA. Her articles are behind the paywall on Medium. So you can only read a few each month without paying–enough to get a taste for the work she shares. Then you can join her email list, and she’ll send a friend link that will give you free access.

A Free Ebook for You

Bringing Easter to Memory Work

Archives

wonder

Our life in the Jungle

Categories

(with words) 50 days of Easter 100 Days of Soul Rest 300 before 40 adventures books and such celebration daily life GWS keeping advent learning all the time show your work teaching our own The Wonder Project thirty-one days this bright world what we eat

natural Building

Some links on this website are affiliate links. That simply means I will receive a referral commission if you choose to purchase something through the link. Thanks!