march madness

in many forms

Well, it’s that time of year—when you’re sick of your sweaters and ready for spring sunshine, but in Rochester, it never fails to stop snowing, and soup season continues.

Olive loves it

Welcome to March madness, the unexpected narrative thread of this newsletter.

Beginning with HOOPS!!

It’s all about fast breaks, step back threes, but most importantly it’s about making your free throws.

“Because that’s what they are - free throws!”

Thank you, honey. I heard you the first time.

I must confess I was heavily invested in my first-ever bracket. Okay, I may have had some assistance, but picking Princeton to punch their ticket to the Sweet Sixteen made all the difference. Going into Sunday’s games, my bracket was ranked 849! Then it started going to hell. I still picked ten teams for the next round, but my overall bracket nose-dived to 10,978…

How is your bracket doing and who do you predict to win it all? I’ll post my team in the comments.

Moving on to some domestic madness—

John and I have also found ourselves in the midst of an unexpected home renovation, the extent of which is still unknown. I’ll keep you posted.

reading

In anticipation of the publication of Mona Simpson’s Commitment, I’ve been thinking about the literature and legacy of mad women in the attic. Although it’s been almost twenty-seven years since I was the mother of a newborn, I will never forget when Evan was a baby, and my pediatrician’s wife told me it was perfectly normal to have thoughts about killing your child. 

“I mean, don’t do it,” she said, but there were times in the nursery when I found myself clinging to those words in the wee hours of the night. Grateful to know, in my exhaustion, I was not alone. 

What We Still Don’t Understand About Postpartum Psychosis made me realize how lucky I was and how far we have to go. I continue to wonder why is that women’s care has always depended on women’s sharing stories with one another?

Judy Blume is having a Renaissance and I’m all for it! Recalling the dog-eared pages of Forever takes me back to a more youthful way for women to share in story, although the fact it was my copy that made its way in front of the Fairport school board over which my mother presided is just another form of insanity all its own. Or, maybe it was just a late seventies, pre-internet sign of the times.

Blume uses the same two words for Wordle each morning: toile and saucy.

Hmmmm.

in the kitchen

I’m no Irish, but over the weekend I indulged in some mad, magical making:

first a little something savory

Corned Beef Hash

1 lb baking (russet) potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice

1-lb piece cooked corned beef from the deli, sliced thick

1 cup chopped onion

1 bell pepper, any color, cut into 1/4-inch pieces

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/4 cup heavy cream

4 large eggs

Italian parsley

Step 1
Cook potatoes in boiling salted water to cover until just tender, about 3 minutes, then drain. Cube the sliced corned beef.
Step 2
Sauté onion and bell pepper in butter in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderately high heat, stirring, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add potatoes and sauté over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in corned beef and salt and pepper to taste, then cook, stirring occasionally, until browned. Add cream and cook, stirring, 1 minute.
Step 3
Make 4 holes in hash and break 1 egg into each. Cook over moderately low heat, covered, 5 minutes, or until eggs are cooked to desired doneness, and season with salt and pepper. Garnish with parsley.

followed by a little something sweet

finally, I’m late in learning about the work of Bernadette Mayer, especially memory, but I expect some of her writing prompts and approaches to journaling as a noticing tool will find their way into this this year’s retreats on Monhegan.

A few more spaces remain in both June + September—I’d love for you to join me.

that’s it for now ~ wishing you a wonderful week ahead ~ xosew

---

current offerings and ways to work together

---

two retreats • always on island

When Women Were Birds: solstice, story, sea

June 18 - June 22, 2023

When Women Were Birds: murmuration, memoir, meditation

September 22 - 26, 2023

Monhegan, ME

This retreat is an invitation and an embodied book group: journeying and journaling through the words of Terry Tempest Williams's poetic memoir When Women Were Birds: Fifty-four Variations on Voice with the many seasons of the sea. It is for anyone who longs to learn or return to the practices of writing and meditation to discover our stories through silence and speech.

all the details • 2022 retreat highlights here

Sarah has an amazing talent of weaving so many things together and listening. It was a truly inspiring few days together on retreat...I am going to continue to write every day ... Jeanne, Philadelphia

one of the best ways to support and sustain my work is through the act of sharing. if you know somebody who would enjoy this newsletter

you can also share my posts on social media, follow me on IG, leave a comment, send me a message privately or buy me a coffee

as always i love knowing what speaks to you, and if you want to know more about me you can read my full archive here.