What is primarily on my mind is the visit of my elder niece. She lives in Athens, Greece and comes to the States several times a year to teach and to read. She is a MacArthur Fellow (2011). They had a conference for their Fellows (the first one in 15 years). It was all very hush.
Monday, she gave a reading of her work at the Poetry Foundation. I remain amazed at how alive her words are when she reads. Then, I told her my favorite poems are the ones about events I recall. One was about the doll house that her mom and I had. Another one was about a haircut her mother had. When Alice saw her mom she burst into tears – not knowing what happened to the mom she knew! I recall that tantrum vividly; Alice hid under the piano in tears.
Needless to say, I am very proud and amazed at Alice’s talent. She studied Classics (on scholarship) and then received a Master’s degree from the University of Oxford, which is where she met her husband (a Greek). She has kept her maiden name, A.E. Stallings. I agree with this decision, as her husband’s name is John Psaropoulous – not an especially poetic name.
Alice has never commented on my academic accomplishments (many), but her best friend told me how proud Alice is of her aunt. That gave me a warm glow from deep down inside me.
Aside from my academic skills (4 books, 45 articles, 130 presentations, a Fulbright grant, and on and on), I love Improv, the beach, my cats, cooking dinner for friends, scuba diving (I’ve made over 100 dives), and books by D. Silver (i.e., spy novels). I am honing my clay skills, as I am a clay artist. Because I developed lymph-edema in my left arm after cancer surgery, I cannot throw pots. My left arm is weak and cannot lift more than 15 pounds. So, I am working on a potter’s wheel that goes the other way. I have to teach my muscles to do different things (in some ways quite a challenge).
During my many travels from 2002 to 2010 as a Fulbrighter, I was able to take a lot of photos – and these have been seen in small shows. They include photos of rural Pakistan, Argentina, Taiwan, and Thailand. I’ve been to Thailand 2 times. (I guess I am a risk-taker, to have done this in 2010!) My sense of adventure and risk-taking continues.
— Frances E. Anderson, October 30, 2014