Claudia Putnam

Journal Entry 4/28/12

May 1, 2012

—

by

Claudia Putnam

in Grief, Life Changes, Literary Inspiration, Poetry

God drains what God breathes into us so long between breaths

Standout Reads of 2011

Jan 9, 2012

—

by

Claudia Putnam

in Books, Literary Inspiration, Poetry, Reading, Writing

Once again these are the books that stood out for me among those I read this past year. They were not necessarily published in 2011; many of them appeared decades ago, in fact. Fiction Native, by William Haywood Henderson. Henderson’s gorgeous, delicate, but also ripping first novel explores some themes similar to those in…

Pieces of Silver

Oct 11, 2011

—

by

Claudia Putnam

in Poetry, Uncategorized

No small thing, the shine passing from one person to another… A poem I’m working on starts this way. It’s growing out of a conversation with a New York City taxi driver in which he offered small “advices” that wound up making a big difference in a terrible family crisis. The other night…

Dearly Beloved

Jun 13, 2011

—

by

Claudia Putnam

in Bereavement, Death and dying, Grief, Life Changes, Parenting, Relationships

It took 22 years to come to this. I never knew what to do about letting Jacob’s ashes go. But I am taking a creative writing fellowship on the East Coast this fall. My ex-husband is also moving, and our other son is in college on the West Coast. It didn’t seem right to put…

In Progress

May 18, 2011

—

by

Claudia Putnam

in Life Changes, Parenting, Relationships, Writing

Positive discipline, like going for a run, or studying, or writing a first draft—THAT I can do. But negative discipline: NOT eating the chocolate, or having the second martini, or sleeping with the guy on the first date. That’s harder. Then there’s accepting, moving on, whether it’s positive or negative. Integrating things I didn’t want…

Broken

Apr 26, 2011

—

by

Claudia Putnam

in Books, Boulder Fire, Literary Inspiration, Outdoor activities, Wildfire, Writing

Walking nurtures an open mind… The sky is like an upturned plate—a big platter of openness filled with thoughts.” –Liz Caile, A Life at Treeline In Deep Survival, Laurence Gonzales writes that people who are lost in the wilderness and survive often have in common that they prayed. Those who are found but only…

Unpreparing

Mar 1, 2011

—

by

Claudia Putnam

in Bereavement, Death and dying, Grief, Literary Inspiration, Writing

A further post on the matter of mentally preparing for death. Or un-. Not sure why I’m on this kick. But as I was in the middle of all these thoughts, a high-school English teacher of mine, David Weber, sent me the gorgeous poem below. It was written by another former teacher at Exeter, Charles…

Massive

Feb 21, 2011

—

by

Claudia Putnam

in Bereavement, Death and dying, Grief, Life Changes, Relationships, Trauma

At the end of last year I posted about some “night terrors” after I met an older man contemplating his impending death. A high-school classmate responded by telling me of his heart attack a few years back. His comments are included at the end of the blog post; he says he felt an overwhelming sorrow…

Night Terrors

Dec 22, 2010

—

by

Claudia Putnam

in Bereavement, Death and dying, Grief

Just last week I met a very elderly man with a terminal illness (let’s face it, we’re all terminal) at a party. We had a frank discussion. He said he was tired of funerals and hoped when he returned to his home state he could attend a few weddings or christenings instead. He dreaded reading…

Standout Reads of 2010

Dec 14, 2010

—

by

Claudia Putnam

in Books, Literary Inspiration

Not necessarily written this year, just the ones that popped for me of those I read. Fiction: Every Man Dies Alone, by Hans Fallada (a German couple find a way to resist the Nazis) The Informers, by Juan Gabriel Vasquez (the legacy of Nazi Germany tears apart a modern-day Bogota family) Life and Fate, by…

Claudia Putnam: Writer: Poetry & Prose

Author: Claudia Putnam

Journal Entry 4/28/12

Standout Reads of 2011

Pieces of Silver

Dearly Beloved

In Progress

Broken

Unpreparing

Massive

Night Terrors

Standout Reads of 2010