28Apr 2017 by Christine Crutchfield 4 Comments

Too Far Gone

Writing

I'm getting super excited about summer break in two weeks and all the extra time to write, blog, and revise my novel, Too Far Gone. I'm hoping to start looking for beta readers in June, so if you're an avid reader and are interested in helping me out with constructive feedback, please let me know. I would be forever grateful! In the meantime, here's a little snippet: I stepped into English, and there she sat – in my chair. Well, I assumed it was her. I could only see her hair—a sheath of dandelion, honey and lemon in layers that looked sun-touched—but this late in the semester everyone sat in the same unassigned seats day after day. No one else would’ve taken my desk today. The intrusion annoyed me,…

01Apr 2017 by Christine Crutchfield No Comments

How to Celebrate National Poetry Month

Writing

It's April 1st, one of my favorite days of the year, and that's no April Fool's joke. I love this day because on my Facebook and Twitter feeds I see an explosion of one of my favorite things - poetry. If you read my blog on World Poetry Day, you know this already, and I don't want to bore you. What I DO want to do is to encourage you to take this opportunity to expand your horizons a bit and add a little joy and beauty to your life in the form of poetry. The key here is to try it with an open mind. Here are 7 ways you can celebrate National Poetry Month. Whether you love it, hate it, write it, or teach it, there is something here…

21Mar 2017 by Christine Crutchfield 1 Comment

So, you don’t like poetry?

Teaching, Writing

Next month, April, is National Poetry Month, but today is World Poetry Day. As someone who earned my MFA in Creative Writing with a concentration in poetry, this is one of my favorite times of the year. I LOVE poetry. Unfortunately, not everyone does. I see it on the faces of my Comp and Lit students when we move from the fiction section to the poetry section of class. There's often a fear or a nervousness in their eyes, an apprehension. It is my job to try and change that look, if not to one of adoration like I feel, at least to one of respect and hopefully a little understanding. What I want them to learn is this: Poetry is for everyone. As Pamela Spiro Wagner says in her poem…

08Mar 2017 by Christine Crutchfield 5 Comments

We Are Women – for My Mother and Other Amazing Women Out There

Writing

It's International Women's Day, and it seemed like the perfect opportunity to launch this blog on a topic that has been in the forefront of my mind over the last several months - the amazing women in the world and specifically those in my life who have inspired, challenged, and nurtured me over the years. A perfect example is my mother, who is a nurse and nursing administrator by trade and who is the best person I know for advice, logic, and quick thinking in emergencies. I just want to say that I am proud of all the strong women out there, the mothers, pioneers, business owners, teachers, scientists, CEOs, leaders, students, volunteers, caregivers, soldiers, and so many more. I Am a Woman – after Anne Waldman You want me…