Lisa Colburn6 days ago6 minMy Father, the WriterWhenever I came home from college, where I was studying English literature, my father, Wendall Kinney, would tease me: “What are you...
Lisa ColburnMay 314 minCreating in the Middle of ThingsIn the past few weeks my best ideas have come to me while lying on the acupuncture table, my skin bristling with stainless steel needles...
Lisa ColburnApr 213 minVisiting Emily Dickinson's HouseI’ve been rooting around in my workshop notebooks for the past few months looking for material I may want to develop (a practice I highly...
Lisa ColburnMar 304 minPermission GrantedA few weeks ago my husband and I had dinner with friends who asked about the creativity coach training I’m taking with author and...
Lisa ColburnFeb 13 minReading Incarcerated WritersFor the past two and a half years, I have been responding to the writing of incarcerated people from around the United States as a...
Lisa ColburnOct 22, 20213 minRetreat + Journal = TransformationLast night I arrived home from a five-day personal writing retreat with a couple of friends at the Highlights Foundation’s retreat center...
Lisa ColburnJun 1, 20214 minListening for Your Original VoiceLast month, after my mother and I were both fully vaccinated, I flew to Maine to visit her for Mother’s Day. She picked me up in Portland...
Sue McCollumMay 1, 20214 minThe Gift of LegacyThe 120-year-old embroidery piece my grandmother created when she was a teen hangs on my office wall. It was a sewing exercise for her to...
Lisa ColburnApr 8, 20213 minThe Week That Changed My Life“Tell me something I can’t forget.”—Pat Schneider, founder of Amherst Writers & Artists I can’t forget Pat Schneider’s charming yellow...
Lisa ColburnMar 23, 202112 minWriters on ReadingMarch is National Reading Month, which I am happy to celebrate since—like most writers—I love to read! My earliest reading memories are...
Lisa ColburnFeb 25, 20213 minBye for Now, BaileyEverything you go through grows you – Bob Sima, “No Mud, No Lotus” On Monday night I had the honor of hosting a special event to launch...
Lisa ColburnJan 2, 20213 minFinding Joy“I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve (or save) the world and a desire to enjoy (or savor) the world. This makes it...
Lisa ColburnAug 24, 20204 minRemembering Pat SchneiderIt wasn’t Emily Dickinson who put Amherst, Massachusetts on the map for me: it was Pat Schneider. Pat was a gifted poet, author, and...
Lisa ColburnMay 10, 20204 minPhenomenal WomenIn early March I offered this video of Maya Angelou reading her poem "Phenomenal Woman" as a writing prompt to celebrate International...
Lisa ColburnDec 9, 20193 minBeginning Again (and Again)Do you ever want to hit the reset button and begin again? I certainly do, especially when it comes to my writing practice. As many of you...
Lisa ColburnOct 16, 20194 minThe Perfect Writer's GetawayI am writing this at my desk in cabin #20 at the Highlights Foundation’s retreat center. As I look out my window past the screened-in...
Lisa ColburnApr 23, 20193 minWriter Showcase: Lynn LothmanI've enjoyed having Lynn Lothman as a participant in my Monday afternoon Amherst Writers & Artists workshop, “Writing from the Heart.”...
Lisa ColburnMar 28, 20191 minWriter Showcase: Barbara LearyIt's been far too long since I've showcased one of the talented writers in my Monday afternoon women's writing workshop, "Writing from...
Lisa ColburnFeb 20, 20193 min10 Things To Do on a Snow DayWhere I live in Loudoun County, the snow is falling thickly. According to the forecast, we are supposed to get up to 10 inches, which is...
Lisa ColburnAug 24, 20183 minWhere Do You Write?Sometimes I think I do my best writing on my friend Summer Hardinge’s screen porch. As a writing workshop leader, I have long realized...