Author Archives: Ann C. Averill

The Onion Principle

Posted on July 17, 2020 by Ann C. Averill

Understanding life happens in layers. I’ll call this the onion principle. You think you know how things work and what is important and then it is disproved or refined by experience, and another layer of the onion is stripped away … Continue reading →

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New book, Teacher Dropout, Finding Grace in an Unjust School

Posted on July 11, 2020 by Ann C. Averill

My first ebook, Teacher Dropout, Finding Grace in an Unjust School, is FREE this Sat.- Sun. 7-11-20 thru 7-12-20 on Amazon. I wrote this book a decade ago, but it takes a while to sort out what events really mean … Continue reading →

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Is it Done Yet?

Posted on July 3, 2020 by Ann C. Averill

How do you know when you’re ready to publish something you feel absolutely compelled to write? For memoir writers, especially, this question is paramount. This week I watched Michele Cushatt interviewed by Emily Freeman of Hope Writers and found answers … Continue reading →

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Gold Mine

Posted on June 19, 2020 by Ann C. Averill

At this critical juncture in our national dialogue about race, I remember, a few years back I picked up Go Set a Watchman, purportedly a new novel by Harper Lee, author of To Kill a Mockingbird. I purchased it on … Continue reading →

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Tarzan

Posted on June 11, 2020 by Ann C. Averill

As a little girl, my family ate dinner at 6:30 every night. A meat, a vegetable, a starch, and a homemade dessert like tapioca pudding or apple brown betty. Often my brother and I watched The Early Show from 5:00-7:00 … Continue reading →

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Home of the Brave

Posted on June 4, 2020 by Ann C. Averill

In this time of tragedy and civil unrest, I take a knee by sharing this chapter titled Home of the Brave about my white middle-class collision with generational poverty in an under-performing urban school. ************************************************************************************ It’s only the sixth day … Continue reading →

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Open Seas

Posted on May 28, 2020 by Ann C. Averill

In this season of Covid 19 and commencements, I remember my own graduation many years ago, also punctuated by death, the first death of a peer. So, I share this chapter from my upcoming memoir, Back to the Garden, that … Continue reading →

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Calculating the Truth

Posted on May 12, 2020 by Ann C. Averill

I recently read, The Memoir Project by Marion Roach Smith. In it she emphasizes that a memoir is not about the author. It is about a central theme, and a select portion of the author’s life simply illustrates that theme. … Continue reading →

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The Red Cross

Posted on May 12, 2020 by Ann C. Averill

As a brand-new Hope*writer I was struck by Gary Morland’s piece, “Self-Protection or Saving Lives.” Gary uses the analogy of a lifeguard who sits high above the beach on a lifeguard chair with a red cross flag flying overhead. The … Continue reading →

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Write On

Posted on May 8, 2020 by Ann C. Averill

The other day, I was feeling stuck and discouraged. At times, what writer isn’t? So I chatted with a writer friend who asked me these questions: Why did I write? What do I hope to achieve? What do I want? … Continue reading →

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