Sunny, supportive Jenna McG!
Thank the good lord for BlogHer06, where along with all the choice swag I picked up a lovely long-distance friend, Jennifer McG! (Yo, McG!)
Jennifer has an easy way about her that makes you want to just sit back with an iced tea and talk the afternoon away. And as someone who’s boldly (and wisely) learned to call herself a writer, Jennifer will have traveled the path recently enough to help others who are trying to own their artistic I.D.
Jennifer’s been helping me get all our ducks in a row for Soulsisters ’09, so be sure to pour her an extra glass of white wine on our pretty oceanside deck this July. In the meantime, say hello or ask her a question in the comments below, or stop by Jennifer’s blog,The Word Cellar and introduce yourself.
Jennifer’s Intro:
I’m a freelance writer and editor. It’s taken me a lifetime of writing to be able to call myself a writer, but I finally reached that milestone a few years ago – and it feels good to have that as part of my identity.
This summer I will start my MFA in Creative Nonfiction, which is exciting and a tad bit overwhelming. I occasionally play around with paints and mixed media, but I’m not very comfortable in that medium yet.
I’m coming to the retreat because I’m lonely. I need people. I need a tribe. I’m hoping to nurture long-distance friendships, as well as figure out how to find some closer to home. I live with my husband and two grey cats about an hour outside of Pittsburgh, PA, in suburbia extraordinaire.
More than almost anything, I dream of living near the sea. I’ve recently found myself in the midst of a spiritual crisis, as my old ways of understanding God and Christianity have crumbled before my eyes and left me moored in sea of confusion. (There are too many mixed metaphors in that sentence!) I’m looking forward to communing with women who can walk this path with me, either side-by-side, or as leader-helpers. I think Rachelle would call that “with-mates.”
Wow, Jenna– you and I seem to be living in a parallel universe. Lonely, crumbling understandings of Christianity, dreams of living near the sea… my cat is grey, too.
I’m excited to be your friend in person (not just on Facebook), and I’m eager to hear more about your MFA process. Only 23 sleeps to go!
I’m excited to meet you. I love talking with people who have managed to call themselves “A Real Writer!”
And I need a tribe, too: people with whom I can say, “I’m an artist!” or “I’m a writer” and not “Oh, well, I just dabble…” Looking forward to sharing dreams with you!
Hi, Jennifer. Oh, you sound like such a sympatico soul! I’m a writer, used to edit creative nonfiction for Literary Mama, am longing to do an MFA writing program (fiction), and like you and Jolie dream of living by the sea and also have dealt with a dismantling of the way I understood and practiced Christianity. So much to talk about. Four days will not be enough!