Life gets busy. And painful. And complicated. And many other adjectives that bear no explanation. Pondering the meaning of human existence is something to which I’ve devoted many hours of late night solitude and a furious many clove cigarettes (they’re just so darn delicious and spicy sweet and mysterious). We all practice this ritual of vulnerable wisdom-seeking, our minds, perhaps, all linked together at the same time in an unaware handshake at 1 o’clock in the morning as we lift them up to the furthest reaches of the cosmos. It’s funny how easily morning transforms the forlorn werewolves of night-wisdom into humans again; how gently we slide from the depths of soul-searching into conversations about Honey Boo-Boo with a cup of coffee. I digress.
But sometimes – when we are being smart animals – we allow ourselves the opportunity to become more than our usual daytime drone; we may actually lift a book from the shelf. The bullhorns of Truth are often easier to hear when they meander from the voices of gifted writers. And we can sip from their words and remind ourselves that the complications of our lives are universal and important and worth more than lonely moments in the dark.
One such writer will be lifting her voice out of those pages this weekend; Georgia Green Stamper will present as the keynote speaker for tomorrow’s Writer’s Day Conference at Jefferson Community and Technical College. Join her at the Southwest Campus tomorrow, Saturday, October 13th, as she brings her own brand of humor and observation to the audience.
An awarded and opinionated Kentucky writer, Georgia Green Stamper is the author of the book You Can Go Anywhere from the Crossroads of the World, a collection of essays that sketch masterful tellings of life in the Bluegrass and the intricacies of simply living human. A recipient of numerous honors, including the Emma Bell Award for Essay from Lincoln Memorial University’s Heritage Literary Festival and the Carole Pettit Creative Writing Medallion and Legacies Award from the Carnegie Center, Stamper has spent more than a decade ruminating with wit, humor and a keen eye. Stamper is perhaps best recognized for her bi-weekly column, “Georgia: On My Mind” for the Owenton News Herald and her regular commentary for the NPR member station WUKY. Her essays have been featured in the pages of Kentucky Monthly Magazine, Kentucky Humanities Magazine, as well as the anthologies New Growth, Tobacco, Daughters of the Land and both Motif I and Motif II.
Were we curled inside our minds together last night? I hope so. I hope You and I spent a little time matching up in the search for meaning in the mysteries of life. Let’s speak about it next time we meet; we’ll share that knowing glance for just the briefest of seconds and remember that everything really is going to be ok.
JCTC’s Southwest Campus is located at 1000 Community College Drive.
Image: Courtesy of Georgia Green Stamper’s website www.georgiagreenstamper.com
