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In my first year of teaching, the Philadelphia Teaching Fellows had graciously placed me in an urban, large, and run-down school. True to their mission statement, the Fellows dropped me into a ring of fire, a school that made Philadelphia’s persiste…
Everything Asian by Sung J. Woo - trying to find a good Korean-American author
The Prey by Michael Crichton- catching up on my sci-fi
(rereading) Heartbreaking Work of the Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers - teaching some Bronx Science Kids who are t…
Absolutely not. I want to reiterate what I said to Cara when telling you that I do not believe that there is a single way to reach the writing grail. So, judging what from what I know about you already, I'm sure that you are not anywhere near being…
Cara Cara,
I think we both feel similarly about people making claims about the writing process. What makes them more qualified to talk about a writing process than us? Then again, I feel that since there are no universal truths in writing, I can ta…
Call me naive, but up until three years ago, I thought that writing about the writing process was futile. How could anyone truly describe and teach something so individual, so unique, and so innate? My belief was, you either have the writing mojo or…
Comment Wall (3 comments)
- At 2:40pm on July 26, 2009,
Pamela Sebastian Ridge said…
- Maria,
I printed out your piece and read it as a hard copy because I think it deserves that kind of time and non-electronic concentration. It is a very well-written, well-thought-out story full of meaningful detail. The cooking metaphor is terrific and beautifully sustained throughout.
Structurally, I think the beginning would be much stronger if you started at: "It was dark in my house, but no one was asleep." That sentence really drew me in; I was invested after that. It seems like a natural beginning. (But don't throw anything away! Save it for use elsewhere, like good cooks do!)
I understand why you mention your boyfriends, but I wonder if those relationships could be more tightly tied to the metaphor of cooking. Or, perhaps less detail on them would work; just some mention of your personal progress on the love line. There is some repetition at the end of the story, but that may just be a technological, cut-and-paste issue.
I think you have a great story here as it is, and you have the talent to make it even better if you wish. The first chapter of a book?...
- At 8:55pm on July 22, 2009,
Carrie James said…
- Maria, I truly loved your piece. The comparison between cooking and the relationship you share with both of your parents was awesome. It is a strong metaphor that I haven't seen before. I appreciate your willingness to reveal this in your work. I can relate to many of the ideas you share. I know it might be hard, but this seems to be a source of inspiration. Don't run away from it, embrace it.
- At 9:23pm on July 20, 2009,
DaisyGuo said…
- I love your revised piece. It is very clear by now that all the cooking is only n your mind. It flows smoothly and naturally and I love the words you use, very beautiful. From the first time you read to us in the small writing group to this revision I can see you made it much better and clearer. Congratulations! really good job!
Profile Information
- Who am I?
- a knower of nothings with an interest of learning everything
- My School
- Newtown High School
Maria Lam's Blog
In the Name of Change
In my first year of teaching, the Philadelphia Teaching Fellows had graciously placed me in an urban, large, and run-down school. True to their mission statement, the Fellows dropped me into a ring of fire, a school that made Philadelphia’s persistently violent list for six years in a row. West Philadelphia High School, in its 110 years of existence, had gone through bouts of success and failures, but in 2006, the community deemed the school as one of the worst in the city.
This is not to say th… Continue
This is not to say th… Continue
Posted on July 28, 2009 at 2:10pm —
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Search our work:
Hypertext Stories
Postcards by Paul Allison
The Key & the Board by JoAnn Chen Stockbridge Stories by Julie Conason
Having Kids by Wendy Farkas
Chapeaux by Margaret F.
Running Memories by Mat Gerowitz
The Smell of Gardenia by Julia Loving
My Brown Purse by Aileen Malave
Landslide by Julie Miele
My Grandmother by Beth St John
VoiceThread Narrative Discussions
Family Camp by Paul Allison
Quality of Life by JoAnn Chen
Ellie Tells a Story by Julie Conason
Childhood... by Wendy Farkas
Life in Shards by Margaret F.
Honeymoon by Mat Gerowitz
My Loving Family by Julia Loving
Family Stories by Aileen Malave
Travel by Sonali Matani
Amsterdam 2008 by Julie Miele
My Running... by Beth St John
Our reflections on creating these VoiceThreads.
Tumblr Inquiries
Values & Education by JoAnn Chen
Curriculum Reform by Julie Conason
The Final by Wendy Farkas
My Tumblr Project by Margaret F.
Tumblr Postings by Mat Gerowitz
Social Activism by Karen Levy
My Journey by Julia Loving
Confidence by Aileen Malave
Becoming... by Sonali Matani
Finding Faith by Julie Miele
Social Networking by Beth St John
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