Sophfronia’s Blog
Kind Words
A blog about what I find amazing, smart, beautiful, or just plain fun.
VCFA Puerto Rico Residency Day 2
[Posts from my Vermont College of Fine Arts winter residency.] Saturday morning. I sit here at a stone checkers table in the shade of this fine old tree down by the marina. You see the garbage men taking a break from their work. I stare out over the water pretending [...]
VCFA Puerto Rico Residency Day 1
[Posts from my Vermont College of Fine Arts winter residency.] As I write this I have been in Puerto Rico for 24 hours. I think I am still getting acclimated. Still absorbed in the wonder of the fact that I am not cold! Because of the heat I expect the day [...]
The Time It Takes to Tell a Story
This week I've been helping a friend with a story he wanted to submit to the editors of Chicken Soup for the Soul for an upcoming book on caring for loved ones with Alzheimer's disease. As he sat down to his computer I sent him a text: "If you get stuck, [...]
Autumn Update
First of all I'd like to welcome the wonderful friends I've met in my recent travels who have joined our conversation here. I hope you'll be inspired to create your best work in the months to come! Have you been enjoying this glorious autumn? Here in Connecticut the trees have reached [...]
Why Writers Must Travel
A few months ago I received a postcard from a writer friend I met just as he was graduating with his MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts (VCFA). He was traveling in Guatemala and said the new surroundings had affected him deeply. "When I wake up and step out [...]
Personal Essays: Letting the World In
I'll confess right now: I have a bee in my bonnet when it comes to certain works of nonfiction--memoirs and some personal essays in particular. These pieces tend to have the same issue which I'll call a failure to communicate. The writer is telling a story, and many times it [...]
My Essay in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Inspiration for Writers
Look what arrived in the mail last week! These are my copies of my latest book, Chicken Soup for the Soul: Inspiration for Writers. I have been a contributor to this popular series of books in the past (Chicken Soup for the African American Woman's Soul) but recently a new publisher, [...]
Connecting by Heart at Writers Conferences
I'm back from spending several snowy days in Boston for the AWP Annual Conference & Bookfair. Next week I'm traveling to Ohio to teach at another writers conference, at Columbus State Community College on March 23. These trips aren't easy when you consider the time away from my family and the expense [...]
