My book clubbers and I had a special outing. Marilynne Robinson, Pulitzer Prize winning author of Housekeeping, Gilead and Home -- was in Davenport, Iowa for a book signing. That's a majorly good day for a bunch of book junkies like us.
I could have listened to her talk for hours
I'm happy to report that our local Borders was JAM PACKED. Gee, I love Iowa...A junior high teacher asked "how can I motivate kids to write?" Marilynne Robinson's thoughtful answer was, "you should make sure they know that while learning to write, they will encounter some difficulties."
That was an epiphany for me. I mean -- Duh! If you want to learn to play the violin -- you expect to encounter some difficulties. Any accomplished ballerina can tell you she encountered some difficulties...And that's not a bad thing, is it?
My life is about both writing and sewing. (I do a LOT more writing than I do sewing) And, tonight, after listening to Marilynne Robinson, I was thinking about how much time and energy the sewing industry puts into trying to bring the younger generation into this life skill -- sewing -- this artistic, creative, inspirational hobby we love so much. Every effort aimed at them is always about how "easy" it is.
Maybe we need a new approach. Maybe we should tell them -- while learning to sew -- you should expect to encounter some difficulties...
Hummm.....
Tomorrow, I'm going to introduce you to a young sewer who doesn't worry about "easy"...
This is the world famous Marilynne Robinson, signing my book -- 
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