27 Comments

Laurie Stone has been my writing guru for years. She has made me more productive, more curious about what other people write. I owe a lot to her.

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Thanks so much! Happy New Year, dear Linda.

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Love this! "At the risk of biting the hand that feeds me, the headline In the New York Times piece about Richard and me getting married, a piece that is otherwise loving and tender, says I have "softened" my view of marriage, suggesting my feminism has lost its erection. I would like everyone to know my feminism remains rock hard."

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A girl has to do what a girl has to do.

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Laurie, anyone who knows you even a little doesn't think you've gone flaccid -- on feminism or anything. Here's to you (and Richard too).

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Thanks, love!

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Every time I read something you've written I feel as if we grew up together and somehow, despite the fact that we are separated by as many time zones as possible without moving closer, we have maintained a meaningfulness that is sharpened and yet saddened by the distance. It is unlikely we will ever meet - my trips back to EST are further between wishing and doing than ever, but, I'm just wondering if most of your online seminars are usually in late afternoon/evening - here in Aotearoa New Zealand, we are too often out of sync

Good to see you're both still celebrating.

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Hi Susan, We do have people attending from NZ and Australia. They get up early . . . right now I think at least for some time zones it's 7am your time when it's 3pm our time the previous day. You live in the future in the train we are riding in together, and I'm in the opposite seat, seeing what we've left. Let me know if you would like to join the January 25 Zoom. xxL

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I love it. The Leonard reference is so cool. When I was young I thought he’s not much but over time he grew on me. It’s his emotionalism that gets me every time and his vulnerability or maybe that he’s not afraid of his Jewishness. Thank you for the post.

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Dear Laurie, reading you, noticing the way you write , the freedom with which you move from subject to subject, the vulnerability and the creativity, all of it has helped me start to move away from the constraints of my old big media job and way of thinking. I’m so glad I discovered you here in Substack.

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Many thanks and very happy for you!

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You write, "It's some kind of cruelty to oneself to imagine you know where you stand in the eyes of other people." Brilliant. I've thought/realized this for some time but couldn't find the right words to say it in all its complications. This comes not as a sudden revelation but a slow slog of denial towards realization...... in this never-land limbo where you're now everyone you've ever thought you were and someone you don't know in the "eyes of others....." Perhaps it's the way it always was but then you felt you could tinker around the changing .... but now I'm here in Never-land. Thank you for your writings and congratulations on your long true love match.

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Thanks, darling Jean.

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“I would like everyone to know my feminism remains rock hard.” Laughed out loud—one of those loud, appreciative chortles. It does indeed. Anyone who’s paying attention can see that.

I’m going to try and make it to the next gathering on risk taking. Great topic for sure.

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Send me an email, honey.

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Will do. :)

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Loved that yr job application succeeded. Does it stay there or can it be shared?

And thanks for Leonard Cohen's "I'm Your Man." A great song from his best album.

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You know the job application is completely made up.

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Now I do.

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I was wondering if you know Ruth Reichl. She also lives in the vicinity of Hudson, N.Y. and is a writer.

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I do not know her.

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I meant I do not know her personally. Of course I know her work.

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I recommend her first memoir, Tender at the Bone. It would be a great read when you're snowbound.

I'm just finishing the book, A Three Dog Life by Abigail Thomas - well written but a sad subject.

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Congratulations again, and thank you for including the lyrics to the Leonard Cohen song. Can't resist loving him!

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Wonderful -- love that job application :) Interesting that Richard's background is in theology -- my BA/MA was in theology and then a PhD in feminist christology -- why was I surprised that religious hierarchs didn't like that kind of thing? :)

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Thank you! Richard was not studying theology, he was doing sociology of religion, especially in Leeds. xxL

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ah -- trying to make it out from the bit of text on the picture. Close cousins :)

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