writing
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Come visit me at my new website -- www.rebeccabrams.com Would love to see you there! Photo credit: Kevin Floerke -
Rebecca - - 4 responsesNew story in print for the first time in a looonnng time I am happy to say that I had a story published in The Stonecoast Review, Issue 8. It's a long short story, so settle in with a cup of tea or a long subway ride. To read the story, titled "Surfacing: Three Voices," online, click here. It's also being published in print! To order a paper copy, click here. I wrote a rough draft of this story and did initial research back in 2003-4, so it's quite satisfying to ... more -
Rebecca - - No responsesInca terraces and snow-covered peaks, Peru, July 2016 I’m not going to get into all the reasons I have had to pull myself out of despair over Trump becoming president. I won’t say “winning the election,” since he lost the popular vote by nearly 3 million. But I will say this: climate change terrifies me. I am writing a book set in a world where the permanently snow-covered mountains are living gods, deities of the highest order. In the Andes, that reverence still exists today. But the glaciers are receding, threatening not ... more -
Rebecca - - No responsesTrying on handwoven ponchos, Peru, July 2016 A year ago, I published this essay that centered around a bone I buried in my yard, on direction from my character, shall we say. It was an offering, old-school:"I buried the bone in my backyard, under the Japanese maple tree, as Puma told me to. I would have thought the offering should be left in the wilderness, in the high places, close to the mountain gods. But no, under this tree in our tiny yard, the dense weave of city life ... more
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Rebecca - - No responsesNew bookshelf by my desk: journal, books as reminders, books for the future, and a tortoise If I were going to teach a MFA class, it would be "How to keep being a writer once you're no longer in grad school and no one is keeping tabs on your writing anymore." Seriously, why is there not a class like this? It should be mandatory in the last semester of all MFA programs. The send-off should be "Now we've taught you what we can, we've given you deadlines and feedback, and we're ... more -
Rebecca - - No responsesA beautiful morning in Berkeley, April 2016 I'm loving the time management/prioritization concept of "3 big rocks," which I discovered via writing coach Jenna Avery, and she credits to Stephen Covey. If you're not familiar with the concept, Jenna explains it nicely in this blog post, so I won't recap it here. This has got me thinking: what are my three big rocks, overall, in my life right now? Two are easy: Boys. Book. But what's the third? I'm torn between two possibilities. It could be Wellness, which would include my near-daily attempts ... more -
Rebecca - - 4 responsesI am honored to have a new essay published alongside luminous writers in Dark Matter: Women Witnessing, Issue #3. The essay is called The Bone in My Yard: A Story-Carrier's Path. It's available in a neat Flip Book format by clicking here (though do note the title is not exactly right in the Flip Book version). Or you can read the regular version by clicking here. There's a way to leave a comment on the article by clicking on Reader Response. If you do, I'd love if you also ... more -
Rebecca - - One responsePath to Eagle Rock, Topanga Canyon, California, While on writing intensive with Deena Metzger, May 2015 In May, I finished the draft of my book. It took me 18 months to write it. The first year was pretty much 15 minutes a day, plus retreats. Then I got impatient and decided I wanted this draft done before I turned 40. I picked up the pace and increased my average daily writing session. I gave myself the deadline of July 1 and calculated how many words I would have to write a day to ... more -
Rebecca - - No responsesOne of my favorite spots in New Jersey, July 2015 In many things, I am a perfectionist. I try to tell myself “good enough is good enough,” but it’s often hard for me to believe it. However, there is one place in my life where striving for mediocrity is just right for me, and that is meditation. There has only been one period of my life when I meditated regularly, and I always did it badly. In fact, I remember only two sessions of meditation that felt anywhere close to transcendent. ... more -
Rebecca - - No responsesLego creation, April 2015 What on earth have I been up to? Oh, yeah, that writing a book raising a family doing work in the world cooking cleaning laundry juggling act called life. I have a lot I could say. Sometimes having a lot to say equals not saying anything. Circuits get overfull, or something like that. And so, a poem for you. "Advice to Myself" by Louise Erdrich, via The Writer's Almanac Leave the dishes. Let the celery rot in the bottom drawer of the refrigerator and an earthen scum harden on the kitchen floor. Leave the black ... more -
Rebecca - - No responsesThis one's from the vault. June 2005, backpacking in the highlands outside Chinchero, Peru. I've been looking at pictures to remind myself of the geography, which often leads me down memory lane to major distraction, but amazingly hasn't much this weekend. Ironically, I am not feeling distracted at the moment. I am feeling focused and intentional, in the flow of ideas, big and little. Don't you love that state? I'm on another of my solo writing retreats (I'm such a lucky girl). This weekend I'm a lady with a vision on a ... more
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it’s a boy!We are so thrilled to welcome our baby boy to our family! Emry Isaiah Brams Davis October 22, 2010 7 lbs 15 oz, 20.5 inches Emry is a Welsh name…
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the end of an eraToday my grandfather, Popa Al Alper, passed away. He was 101 and a half. June 2008 Back when he turned 99, many of you sent him postcards in the mail.…
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In DecemberIt is December now, and I notice that for the past several months I have maintained silence here on my blog about how I have continued to deal with the…
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a goalYesterday I spent a lot of time thinking and writing about what kinds of habits or practices I could put in place that will support my vision of myself as…
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about my week offlineFamily photos at Bodega Bay in the fog, August 2011 I absolutely loved taking a week offline. We were in Colorado for a family reunion, so there were lots of…
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All The Rest Is Just Icing30 weeks Warning: this post involves vomit. You might want to put down your sandwich. I might have mentioned before that I am not a puker. I have not vomited…
