Linda C. Wisniewski

Writer / author / memoir teacher

Behind the Scenes

Curiosity is a writer’s best friend. Ask anyone who has researched a topic for a book, article or presentation. We are drawn to interesting stories, the ones that often come from behind the scene of an otherwise familiar setting. At a writing conference last year, author Colum McCann told the audience how it works for … Read more

A Day for Something New

This afternoon, I took a walk through my neighborhood, as I do almost every day. The sky was clear blue, with not a cloud to be seen after yesterday’s gloomy day. My neighbors were out and about. A man walked his dog. A woman passing me on the trail smiled and said she hoped the … Read more

When Hope is Hard to Find

The title is a quote from one of my favorite hymns, written in 1976 by Carolyn McDade, called “Come Sing a Song With Me.” When she taught the song at a women’s state prison in Framingham, Massachusetts, she said she had to stop singing herself and listen to the women’s voices. “That song needs context—‘I’ll … Read more

Toni Morrison and the “Woman’s Award”

My writing friends and I have been talking about Toni Morrison since her death early this month. Her influence on American letters is gigantic, and many have written about her effect on them personally. I have two small connections myself. As a docent at the historic home of author Pearl S. Buck, I point out … Read more

The In Between Time

This is the week in the year when I feel most in-between.  Thanksgiving and Christmas are over and a New Year waits in the wings. I feel like the director of a play in which I hold back the actors for just another moment. Not yet, it’s not quite time, we’re not ready, please wait. … Read more