"On the Body..."

Let Workshop Never End

The first day we met, Tom Spanbauer told us, a little group of strangers, about fainting in Central Station in New York. People walked over him. He woke up on the ground. Soon after, he came to Portland. He said, “I want to write my stories before I die.” Life was precious, his health was precarious. He dedicated himself to living, writing and teaching. The memory of the urgency in his words has often kept me going, too.

I heard his message: mortality, time, art.

It was Tom who pulled so many of us together with his kitchen table writing workshop when he launched what would become Dangerous Writers. I was his first student. He always reminded me, and I was honored to hold that spot. He offered us all a tremendous literary gift of his heart and knowledge.

I’m going to hold on to the memory of all the years he was able to keep going, keep writing, the decades in between then and now.

As some of you know, Tom passed away last weekend, about 33 or so years since I was fortunate to first cross paths with him, to take a seat at his table, learn his lexicon, and see the care he took with our work. I was fortunate.

There’s more to say. So much, really. For now, cheers.

Take care of yourselves and each other.

Love, M