by Julie Riddle I miss Laura Bloxham. She died in November 2019, and even though she had coped with significant health issues for years, her death was still unexpected. After she had become homebound, I would visit her every few weeks. Our wide-ranging discussions would always include books: what we were reading and planned to … Continue reading Where Learned Poems, Loved Books and Lost Friends Live
by Julie Riddle During my annual eye exam last November, I asked my optometrist if she was ready for the “2020” jokes she’s sure to hear from patients in the New Year. She looked at me blankly. Then she smiled and chirped, “Ha! I hadn’t thought of that!” I was instantly troubled by why I … Continue reading Make it New: Letting Go of 20/20 in 2020
by Julie Riddle I have a child for you. In an instant these six words dismantled my long-held identity as a woman who had chosen to not have children. (On my bookshelves you will find a copy of Beyond Motherhood: Choosing a Life without Children. Its pages are heavily highlighted. That book got me.) I … Continue reading Shaping Identity: This Beautiful Mess
Rock & Sling's Creative Nonfiction editor, Julie Riddle, recently corresponded with writer Dawn Claflin about what R&S seeks in an essay. Check out Claflin's blog post on the conversation. Riddle is the craft-essay editor for Brevity. She works as senior writer for marketing and development at Whitworth University, and is associate editor of Whitworth Today magazine. Her memoir, The Solace of Stones: Finding … Continue reading CNF Editor Offers Advice to R&S Submitters
by Julie Riddle Once the carefree summer days of my youth (floating the stream that winked past our house, playing baseball on a freshly mown field, tanning at the lake, my skin shiny with baby oil) gave way to the horrors of adulthood (global warming, suspicious-looking moles, wrinkles), summer became my least favorite season. A … Continue reading How Beachcombing and Book-Combing Brought Summer Back
Summer's in full swing. Here at R&S headquarters, we're seeking out the shade and waiting for tomatoes. Summer's also prime time for camp. How To Pack for Church Camp, an online anthology of creative nonfiction about summer camp, is edited by R&S web editor Nicole Sheets and features work from several R&S folks. Check out: … Continue reading R&S Editors and Contributors Share Summer Camp Stories
Huge congratulations are in order for Julie Riddle, nonfiction editor for Rock & Sling. Riddle's memoir was chosen for the American Lives Series from the University of Nebraska Press. The series is edited by Tobias Wolff, and the book is slated for publication in 2016. Read more about the book here. Julie is the craft-essay editor for Brevity. She works as senior writer … Continue reading Congratulations To Rock & Sling Nonfiction Editor Julie Riddle
by Julie Riddle “You have to go to considerable trouble to live differently from the way the world wants you to live. That’s what I’ve discovered about writing. If you wait till you got time to write a novel or time to write a story…if you wait for the time, you’ll never do it. Cause … Continue reading Skip the Cotton Candy: Writing Is Sweeter
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