Permission granted to post here by: Pat Schneider, Writing Alone and with others, Oxford Univ.Press, 2003.
I have truly adored this poem since the first time I read it – the descriptions are exquisite and everything about it is full of unselfconscious whimsy and joy. I’ve been a huge fan of Pat Schneider’s work for years now and when I originally emailed her directly to ask permission to eventually put this on the blog, she was supremely gracious and we began a brief bit of back and forth correspondence which was absolutely thrilling to me.
I treasure her sharing these snippets about her life and I’ve re-read this particular one (extracted here) many, many times:
Sadly, very sadly, I learned that Pat passed away last summer. I’m so grateful that I got to know her personally, however slightly – I hope she knew what a difference she made to so many writers’ lives and certainly to my own. I deeply regret not discovering her sooner than I did. She would have been a true mentor and I know I would have benefitted from her kind wisdom.
It’s unusual to find theology, literature, the aging process, honest self-disclosure and earthy, common sense woven alongside highly practical writing exercises, but this is exactly what Pat achieves in Writing Alone and with others.
What a lovely remembrance of someone you admired. It is great to read about the two of you, sharing your work and enjoying a correspondence.