About me
The short story
Lorna is a Pacific Northwest writer and speaker and native Midwesterner. Her creative nonfiction and poetry have been recognized by Pacific Northwest Writers Association and the Oregon Poetry Association, and have appeared or are forthcoming in About Place Journal, Jellyfish Review, Painted Bride Quarterly, Writers Resist, and elsewhere. A past president of Write On The River, a literary arts organization supporting writers in Northcentral WA and beyond, she is the recipient of a grant from Seattle-based Artist Trust to further her project. Currently an MFA candidate at Augsburg University, Lorna is at work on a memoir about going from LA party girl to trail worker in rural Alaska. When not wrangling her two children, she fantasizes about being interviewed on NPR’s Fresh Air.
A slightly longer story
I am a poet, creative nonfiction writer and speaker exploring themes of healing from intergenerational trauma and sociopathic abuse, as well as motherhood and neurodiversity. I write to claim my feelings, allowing me to do with them what I need, to affirm and sit with myself in ways I couldn't otherwise, and to inspire others.
After writing short stories in grade school, I stepped away from the craft. In my mid-30s I came back to it when my oldest was born. I wrote about motherhood, especially the surprising aspects of it, such as not feeling bonded with my son and missing my old life. Then I wrote about other topics. I started submitting to journals, calling myself a writer and meeting other writers. I fell in love with the craft again; it was like coming home.
Currently I'm at work on a memoir about going from LA party girl, complete with drugs, lots of men, and living a secret fantasy life, to trail worker in rural Alaska, all the while trying to heal from childhood trauma.
Because I join boards to procrastinate on deadlines, in the past I've served as a Director for the Oregon Poetry Association and the Alaska Writers Guild, and am past president of Write On The River. At present I'm not serving on any boards, but don't worry, I'm sure I will find something with which to procrastinate.
Wild Rose Retreat
My latest endeavor is turning my Southern California rental property into a writers' residence. My vision is to hold space for writers, particularly those who are also mothers of young children. Balancing motherhood and artistry is one of my passions (it's the topic of my masters thesis); in the artist world, which purports to be all-inclusive, mother-writers are, at best, not accommodated for, at worst, not seen. I'd love to have accommodations for small children so mamas could write. Continuing to create is vital for a new mom. Stay tuned!
Quotes and Lyrics I really dig
"Ring the bells that still can ring. Forget your perfect offering. There is a crack, a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in." -Leonard Cohen
"I contemplate what our lives would be like if we knew how to cultivate awareness, to live mindfully, peacefully; if we learned habits of being that would bring us closer together, that would help us build beloved community." -bell hooks
"You own everything that happened to you. Tell your stories. If people wanted you to write warmly about them, they should have behaved better." -Anne Lamott
"I've got some scars, I've been around. I've felt some pain, I've seen some things, but I'm here now." -Macklemore
"What is the greatest lesson a woman should learn?
That since day one she's already had everything she needs within herself. It's the world that convinced her she did not.” -Rupi Kaur
"Every child is an artist until he's told he's not an artist." -John Lennon
"Maybe there's a God above, but all I ever learned from love was how to shoot someone who outdrew you." -Leonard Cohen
Recognition
GAP recipient, Artist Trust (Seattle)
Finalist, Fishtrap Fellowship
Honorable Mention, Oregon Poets Association
Finalist, Pacific Northwest Writers Association contest (memoir)