Author Sandra Cisneros tells the poignant story of Rachel, a girl pulled unwittingly into a crisis of identity on her birthday, when her teacher coerces her into accepting a red sweater that has been hanging for some time in the cloak room, unclaimed. The sweater does not belong to Rachel, and she doesn’t want it. Just like we sometimes don’t want, or understand, the discomfort of identities colliding, in a difficult conversation.
Search Results for: difficult conversations
Difficult Conversations: Mind the Whales
We continue our book club discussion of Difficult Conversations with an exploration of the Feelings Conversation— accompanied by a humorous and thoughtful look at Claire Trévien’s “Whales.”
Difficult Conversations: Book Club & Pod Club Announcement
In October, the focus of our Friendship Project turns to the subject of Difficult Conversations. Join us for upcoming book and pod club discussions on this important topic.
Literacy Conversations: When a Robber Steals the Show
Bethany Rohde starts a literacy conversation with her children that doesn’t go quite as planned. And maybe that’s a good thing.
Piloting Friendship, Starting at Mooyah
A trip to Mooyah provides the perfect, if unexpected, place for a decision to be made: it’s time to pilot a Friendship Project. Burgers and fries aside, consider joining the takeoff.
Poet Laura: Poems of Identity
Poems of identity can orient us to who we are and who we want to continue to be—even against the odds of unkind or neglectful forces.
50 States of Generosity: Illinois
We continue our 50 States of Generosity series with a focus on Illinois and its state fossil, the mysterious Tully monster.
Poetry Prompt: Love In Algebra
Join author Callie Feyen for a poetry prompt as she considers the many ways (some mathematical) to say, “I love you.”
Children’s Book Club: ‘Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe’
For pride month we read Benjamin Alire Sáenz’s “Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe.” Join our YA Children’s Book Club.
Home is Where the School Is—A Pandemic’s Eye View of Homeschooling Vs Virtual Learning
An exploration of homeschooling vs virtual learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Includes interviews with 15 parents, students, and educators!
Poet-a-Day: Meet Rick Maxson
When Rick Maxson heard his wife singing, in a rare moment of freedom from pain, it needed a poem to hold his wonder. It needed a rondeau.
How to Like Your Essays, More and More
If you want to like your essays, more and more, it helps to begin by liking others’ work—and seeing what *makes* it work. Get inspiration for how. Plus prompts! From author Charity Singleton Craig.
To Bless the Space Between Us Book Club: Callings & Beyond Endings
In this final installment of our To Bless the Space Between Us book club, we reflect on John O’Donohue’s blessings related to callings and endings.
Book Club Announcement: Deaf Republic by Ilya Kaminsky
In our upcoming book club we’ll consider Ilya Kaminsky’s collection, Deaf Republic, and ask it guide us in a reimagining of what it means to be a hero, of disability, of the movements that compel us to survive.
The Silver Chair Book Club: A Pattern That Others Made
In this final installment of our book club discussion of The Silver Chair, our trio rescue the Prince, and make their way back to Narnia, but not before discovering an important truth about the others with whom we share space in the world.
Literary Analysis: The Yellow Wall-Paper Affects Us All
The Yellow Wall-Paper may seem like a simple story on the surface, but it’s actually quite complex. This analysis of the classic 1892 story by Charlotte Perkins Gilman probes that complexity in fascinating ways.
The Silver Chair Book Club: The Darkness Around Us Is Deep
In the dramatic escape scene of a children’s story, we discover important truths about staying awake to our lives and the world around us. Join us for the latest installment in our book club discussion of The Silver Chair.
The Silver Chair Book Club: The Circus Won’t Find the Park
Our young heroes continue their quest to rescue the Prince, and discover a hard learned secret about being in it together as our discussion of The Silver Chair continues.
The Silver Chair Book Club: Horrible Errors of Childhood
In the first installment of The Silver Chair book club, we consider the errors of childhood that haunt us in our efforts to good in the world.
It’s Random Acts of Poetry Day—And The World Could Still Use Kindness
In a world that still needs kindness, more than ever, we bring you Random Acts of Poetry Day and encourage you to “freshen the world with poems,” as Ted Kooser puts it.