Back from a Blog Hiatus

I did not intend to take an extended hiatus from blogging, but the past seven weeks have been so filled with other to-dos, something had to give. I don’t know why I forget every year, until March arrives, that spring is just as frenetic as fall. Unrealistic optimism?

Our family fit in a 10-day vacation during the last half of March, an epic driving trip to Savannah, Georgia, to visit Louisa, who is nearly done with her first year of studying at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). In our typical fashion, we packed the itinerary with sightseeing, delicious food and lots of walking, which helped balance the food intake.

Elias, Seb, Louisa and Steve at Montgomery Hall, the SCAD animation building.

The itinerary also included a few stops related to my book project and my great-grandfather, G. Oliver Riggs—at this point, my kids would probably be shocked if we took a trip that did not relate in some way to G. Oliver.

Highlights on the drive down and back included visiting friends in Nashville and Kansas City, having barbecue with Steve’s cousin and his wife in Memphis, and visiting the Andersonville National Historic Site, where G. Oliver performed a sacred concert in 1906 as a member of the 51st Iowa Regimental Band. 

The Iowa Monument in the Andersonville cemetery.

We all had a blast, but toward the end, Elias did ask, “Can we ever take a vacation where we just relax?”

Steve’s quick response: “No.”

I thought April might be better, but I was deluding myself. Steve has been in rehearsals for the Northfield Arts Guild’s production of Oliver!, which just wrapped up its successful three-weekend run last night. Sebastian has been in rehearsals for As You Like It, which opens on Thursday at Northfield High School, and he has been busy with high school speech, band, jazz band and choir events. Elias is playing on the middle school tennis team, and until his match last Thursday in Lakeville, he and his doubles partner were undefeated.

As for me, I have been busy with writing and writing-related activities. Along with 12,000 other people from around the country, I attended the Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP) conference April 9-11 in Minneapolis. The panel discussions were inspiring, and it was invigorating to be amid so many writers, editors, publishers and others who share a passion for writing and literature.

In mid-March I received a $2,500 emerging artist grant from the Southeastern Minnesota Arts Council (SEMAC) for my book project. As part of the grant, this month I have started sending draft chapters of my book to my friend/teacher/mentor Kate Hopper. Of the planned 25 chapters, I have completed the first five, plus the prologue and two other chapters.

The grant requires that I organize a public capstone event as part of my project. I will provide more details later, but if you want to put it on your calendar now, it is set for Monday, Nov. 23, which is the Monday before Thanksgiving (this year Thanksgiving happens to fall on G. Oliver’s 145th birthday). I will give two presentations, one at 3:15 p.m. at the Northfield Retirement Center and one at 7 p.m. at the Northfield Senior Center. I will read from my book in progress and show photos, and it should be great fun!

My goal this month is to complete four new chapters, so I need to get busy. I will be returning to Faith’s Lodge in Wisconsin in mid-May for another Kate-led writing retreat, and I am looking forward to an inspiring and productive weekend.

I may find some more time for blogging, too. But my priority at the moment is to keep up the momentum with the chapter writing. Now that the weather is nice, you are likely to find me writing on the back porch. Stop by if you are in the neighborhood! I can give you a tour of all the cool boulders and landscaping we had done last spring, just in time for Louisa’s graduation party.