Author Archives: Ann C. Averill

Be Real, Be Loved, and Belong

Posted on October 29, 2021 by Ann C. Averill

It seems appropriate that my brother passed away only days before Halloween. As a child, he loved to dress up as someone else, and as an adult, he always hid who he really was, saying what he thought you wanted … Continue reading →

Posted in Flash memoir, Spiritual Growth | 10 Comments

The Power of Knowing Your Name

Posted on October 13, 2021 by Ann C. Averill

What if you didn’t know your name? Your first name? Your last name? Not just the name, but everything behind your name? What if you didn’t know who your people were and what they were like? Where they were from? … Continue reading →

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Bittersweet

Posted on September 22, 2021 by Ann C. Averill

All summer the West burned, the South succumbed to hurricanes and Covid, and the East Coast sobbed with rain and flash floods, as if nature itself was manifesting all the emotions whirling through me after my brother was diagnosed with … Continue reading →

Posted in Flash memoir, Spiritual Growth | 10 Comments

First Podcast

Posted on September 8, 2021 by Ann C. Averill

Today I’m so excited to share my first podcast about my book, Teacher Dropout, on Beth Jordahl’s podcast, Beth’s Bookcast. It’s a conversation about the hard realities and high hopes of teaching in an “under-performing” urban school and the spiritual … Continue reading →

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Spinning Fact into Fiction

Posted on August 27, 2021 by Ann C. Averill

********************************************************************************* Where do stories come from? What mysterious alchemy stirs fact into fiction? This week I’d like to talk about the writing process that led me to write a children’s story in the folktale tradition, so you can see concrete … Continue reading →

Posted in Flash memoir, Writing Process | Tagged | 2 Comments

The Times They Are a Changin’

Posted on August 19, 2021 by Ann C. Averill

I was sixteen when the Woodstock concert rocked the world. **************************************************************************************** It’s the summer of 1969 when Linda, moves out of my neighborhood, leaving behind the modest house where we’ve played since third grade. No longer can I walk two … Continue reading →

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Horrible Gravity

Posted on August 5, 2021 by Ann C. Averill

Laura has a secret power to somehow make you do stuff you don’t really want to do. It’s like she has a dog whistle and you’re the dog. Continue reading →

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Carried

Posted on July 29, 2021 by Ann C. Averill

I’ve always known I was adopted. But in 1963, at age ten, headed home from a summer vacation at my grandmother’s farm, I learned, for the first time, I had another name when I was born. Here’s the story. ***************************************************************************** … Continue reading →

Posted in Flash memoir, Spiritual Growth | 4 Comments

Walking on Water

Posted on July 22, 2021 by Ann C. Averill

After a short vacation, I’m finding it hard to get back into the groove, especially my writing groove. And my thoughts are telling me to: Take a little more time off. It won’t make any difference. Who reads your stuff … Continue reading →

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Road Trip

Posted on July 16, 2021 by Ann C. Averill

Last week I was on a summer vacation which reminded me of another vacation I took with my family back in the 1967. **************************************************************************************** The same year I graduate from eighth grade, my dad accrues thirty days of vacation from … Continue reading →

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