Seton Hill University MFA Mentors at Work

Back at Seton Hill University to teach and mentor in the Writing Popular Fiction MFA program. Mentors have a bit of downtime between sessions. So what do we do? We write! An empty classroom in the Admin building becomes a place to get some work done for an hour or two.

Paul Goat Allen, Will Horner, me, Anne Harris and Rebecca Drake.

What a year!

2016 will go down as the year I spent more time at Sentara Williamsburg General Hospital and with the physical therapy team at TPMG Strive than I did doing just about anything else! Totally unanticipated.

In March, a torn meniscus in the left knee had me hobbling around. Then, in late September, I had a hard fall out in the woods doing Master Naturalist stuff on a nature trail. (Which reminds me, I've totally neglected my Brown Girl in the Woods blog!) My constant companion for six weeks was this sling. Not fun for sleeping. And no driving either.

When I showed up at TPMG Strive, the physical therapists were like, "What are you doing here again?"

Had to get the hair braided straight back since lifting both arms was out of the question. This pic was Dec. 18, a week before I was released to drive again and to ditch the brace.

What I discovered along the way ... it's more than a bit difficult to write when you're in pain! I tried to manage with one hand then just gave up. Glad to be out of the sling now.