In a Man’s Voice: Life and Love, the Inseparable by Robert S. Boone | Esse Diem

“My childhood began as if on a hot-air balloon ride, and Jess was the flame that thrust me into the clouds. The view from on high was magnificent, and the world looked as it does from dizzying  heights: sparkling, orderly, a perfect grid. That fateful November day, my flame died, and I watched my childhood come crashing back down to earth at a paralyzing speed, thrusting me into the mud and the muck so long forgotten. It was years before I had the courage to lift my head and look at the messy, chaotic world around me.”

via In a Man’s Voice: Life and Love, the Inseparable by Robert S. Boone | Esse Diem.

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In a Man’s Voice: Three Silver Dollars by Terry Gillispie | Esse Diem

“Despite Mom’s expense management, spring 1979 was very tough. I can remember short periods where money was tight and Mom was frantic with worry over how she would pay a bill. There came stretches where we were without food for several days between paychecks from Mom’s various employers. Now a parent myself, I can only imagine the worry Mom felt then over how she was going to feed me, keep me decently clothed for school, keep utilities on, and several other worries and fears a parent endures.”

via In a Man’s Voice: Three Silver Dollars by Terry Gillispie | Esse Diem.

 

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Thank You, West Virginia Public Broadcasting!

This morning, Beth Vorhees of West Virginia Public Radio featured an interview with Elizabeth Gaucher about the Essays on Childhood project on West Virginia Morning.

Read the story intro by Vorhees here, or play the 6 minute interview by clicking here: http://www.wvpbmedia.com/news/2012/0502ChildhoodEssays.mp3

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Essays on Childhood: Pick a Little Talk a Little by Susan Byrum Rountree | Esse Diem

My father was an amateur magician. With a sleight of hand, he used to pull coins from the ears of grandchildren, use his nimble fingers to shuffle a deck of cards into a magic trick. He could separate inseparable rings.

He was a busy man when I was growing up. One of only three doctors in my hometown, he was up and out early, and though he most always was home for supper, often in the middle of it, the phone would ring, or people would show up at the back door, and he was gone again. My mother, brother, sister and I shared him all those years, waiting at home as he delivered babies (12 in 24 hours once), treated hearts — both broken and diseased — mended bones and emotions, nurtured families as they took root, grew old, died.

via Essays on Childhood: Pick a Little Talk a Little by Susan Byrum Rountree | Esse Diem.

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In a Man’s Voice: Happy Again by Douglas Imbrogno | Esse Diem

Douglas Imbrogno is an exceptionally creative man, someone who can tell a story both in words and in pictures.

His essay here tells of a pivotal dynamic in his childhood, and of the night his emerging adult identity intersected his parents’ stormy marriage.

Something has broken in me. I quiver head to toe, shaking uncontrollably for minutes. I do not to this day have the words to describe what broke, unless it was something like the compact between parent and child. It had something to do with the fact that never again could I look at my parents without complicity, a knowing and direct participation — both embarrassing and far too personal – in the magnitude of their estrangement.

via In a Man’s Voice: Happy Again by Douglas Imbrogno | Esse Diem.

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Essays on Childhood: The 2012 Writers | Esse Diem

Writer Rob Boone of West Virginia with his daughter, Jessica.

The Essays on Childhood project is pleased to introduce you to the writers for 2012.

They are, in a word, strong.

They are all skilled writers, but they are also individuals who exude a quality best described as simply iron. I know many of these people in some way: Some are social media friends, some are “real life” friends in my community, and some are even people with whom I shared a part of my own childhood experience. Their strengths come from intellect, and physical power, and emotional fortitude. They are special.

As a third year editor in this project, I’ve come to appreciate the different types of essays people write about their childhood experience. Every type is valid and good, but one can tear at your heart while another sends you into gales of laughter. Others may leave you reflecting on the mysteries of life, or convinced it’s time to reconsider your own story.

The word essay means a trial, or an attempt. Essay writing is personal writing, and it  requires courage.

This year I’ve seen a few drafts, and I have a good feeling about this group. These writers have plans to open their worlds to us.

I’m ready. I hope you are!

via Essays on Childhood: The 2012 Writers | Esse Diem.

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Men, Writing, Expression: Their Way | Esse Diem

John from thebeautifuldue

I loved reading this poem the first time and have re-read it several times since. It is a combination by the poet of “several male sources.” While it could be the experience of just one man’s childhood influence, it pulls together pieces of various lives to tell the story that may very well speak many men.

via Men, Writing, Expression: Their Way | Esse Diem.

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