February Newsletter!
The Mudroom came into being in our founder and curator Tammy Perlmutter’s mind in 2014. She wanted it to be where everyone is welcome; beginner and seasoned writers. She collected a few women who threw in their lot with hers and The Mudroom was launched on February 2, 2015.
That month hosted a number of incredible writers on the theme of New Leaves and Clean Breaks: Esther Emery, Abby Norman, Ashley Hales, Emily McFarlan Miller, Cara Strickland, and Andrea (Aundi) Kolber. It was the start of many beautiful friendships.
The lineup has changed over the years but two things stay the same: We are still a vibrant, welcoming community and continue to offer stellar, thought-provoking, creative writing.
Thank you to all our readers and writers for coming alongside us on this thrilling adventure!
Catch up on our January posts!
Episode 11: How Our Longings Lead Us Home
Our guest at The Mudroom today is Tammy Perlmutter, Founder and Curator of this space, and—among so many other things—our resident expert on longing. Tammy’s journey is a mixture of heartbreak and hope—including childhood abuse—so we want to issue a trigger warning here. But, as Tammy expresses here, there is also God’s beautiful redemption arc—and for her, it’s made all the difference.
Rest Redefined by Rebecca Detrick
“Rest is typically defined as leisure time, a time to put work aside, and a time to turn off my brain. It is well-known that I am not good at these things, that my idea of leisure is not what everyone else thinks of as leisure. In fact, upon telling my family that I have been writing about rest this month, I may have received a few sarcastic remarks, and, unanimously, laughter.”
The Starting Line: The Journey Begins by Sheila Wise Rowe
In honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Sheila Wise Rowe is in The Mudroom with an excerpt from her new book coming out next month, Young, Gifted, and Black: A Journey of Lament and Celebration. “The South African word ubuntu loosely translates, “I am because we are,” and highlights how our lives are deeply intertwined and impacted by one another. Without ubuntu, individualism, possessiveness, and self-centeredness are the order of the day. Black folks in general and specifically young adults are trying to find a footing in our families, communities, this country, and around the world.”
The Rest of the Time by Michelle Hurst
Michelle Hurst is with us today, contemplating rest. “A God that promises rest for a weary world and a light burden when most of us carry around so much unnecessary heaviness is one I want to know. One I want to know me. Beyond a physical reprieve, there is also something of a relief in the recognition for the rest of us and the rest of the time. In the days and times and stories that maybe aren’t our best moments. The rest of the ones that we keep hidden.”
For the Heavy Lifters by Nichole Woo
“In these few and fleeting moments between appointments made, paychecks earned, groceries gathered, kids acquired-deposited, and the steady stream of prayers prompted by prodigals, prognoses, settlements, and unsettledness . . . .
Before you finger the Gordian knot that is today—
the one that gets tighter the harder you pull;
the one that may unravel you first.
Before all that, sister, I beg you to lay it down here,
just for a while . . .”
Giving Up the Shoulds and Coulds by Judy Allen
Judy Allen reminds us of what happens when we overlook the rest we need and instead drive ourselves to distraction.
“We know it when we experience rest, but specific definitions of rest are complicated.”