The summer before I got married Dave went away to teach at a program for brilliant young writers and I stayed in Pittsburgh, trying to finish my master’s thesis, which I hadn’t started. One night, there was a terrible thunderstorm, and my friend Rachael came over to keep me company. We drank mint juleps and […]
Jessica Mesman Griffith
The Mudroom at The Festival of Faith and Writing
More than half of us are going to Calvin this year for their legendary writing conference, The Festival of Faith and Writing. Tammy Perlmutter, Ashley Hales, Heather Caliri, Grace Sandra, Cara Meredith, Caris Adel, Nicole Walters, and Jessica Mesman Griffith will be there. Most of us will be meeting each other in person for the first […]
Wearing Our Lives Lightly
Growing up in and around New Orleans, I celebrated January 6 as the opening of carnival season, the several weeks of hedonism that lead up to Mardi Gras, Fat Tuesday, which precedes Ash Wednesday and the long, bleak penances of Lent. We went to church, and we ate a king cake, a ring of sweet […]
Mudroom News #2: Quarterly Contributors
Due to increasing writing projects and deadlines, Tanya Marlow has asked to step down as a monthly Mudroom contributor so we have made her a quarterly contributor. She will share the position with two new contributors. It is a privilege to write alongside these extraordinary women. Please welcome them! Grace Sandra is a Jesus follower […]
Heartbreak and Shipwreck
“What are your worst fears?” Tammy asked me. My first reaction was, well, this is a no-brainer. I’ve lived most of my life with anxiety and dread. I should be able to rattle off my fears like a grocery list. And yet my hands lingered over the keyboard. I hesitated. I realized, I don’t know. […]