When I set out to learn about my mother's bridge club, the Jewish octogenarians behind the matching outfits and accessories, I never expected to fall in love with them. This is the story of the ladies, their game, their gen, and the ragged path that led me back to my mother.
L.A. Times
Started with a new assistant today and so far so great. Working with someone who is eager to learn about publishing and is curious and excited to be around a lot of bookcases is so lovely. When I was in graduate school, I answered an ad for an assistant position at a literary agency off of Gramercy Park. The agency was housed in the basement of the couple’s brownstone. It was book-lined, manuscripts were piled everywhere. A bulletin board was fixed with book jackets. I couldn’t believe such a magical place existed and for the first time in my life I believe I found a place where I might actually fit it.
Where do you fit?
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Betsy Lerner 
Hi Betsy – really enjoyed catching up on your latest posts. It’s been too long and you are so good. Very happy to hear about your novel. Looking forward to reading. Where do I fit? It took a long time, but I actually fit in as the Wizard in Washington Square Park! But it’s too cold for that now so I have to stay home and read. How boring, haha.
Welcome back! We have a free bed. 😉
I don’t fit and I guess that’s fitting too.
“Where do you fit?”
I think I fit where I am. I’m screwed in pretty tight.
I turned down a job in NYC being assistant to a well-known editor at a major publishing house. The pay sucked and I felt I was too old to be a starving artist in Manhattan. I returned to New Mexico, and as fate would have it, soon found myself being a starving artist there.
I took, then, a career in legal support. I have lived all my life with an eye to what stories I could glean from it. Legal support has certainly been interesting, and from it I have harvested a full crop of tales (turns out there are stories anywhere there are people). I’ve worked on cases that have reached to the very tops of national and international affairs; cases involving national defense information; cases involving people you read about in the news. Joke’s on me — due to ethical and legal considerations, I can’t write about any of that stuff. At least it’s been a long time since I went hungry.
Say, I just remembered: I’m supposed to be having one of the legal support stories that I can tell coming out real soon in a publication right there in NYC. It’s J Journal: New Writing on Justice, house litmag of CUNY’s John Jay College of Criminal Justice. The story’s called “Breaking Leather on the Dog.” Keep an eye out for it.
I can smell the books and papers. It describes my office/ studio. Writers and all artists are my tribe. I didn’t know it until an artist friend told me some time in my 40s. I’ve never looked back. It’s great to stop being the “ugly” duckling and join the swans.
I think the lyric is “if Dreams were lightning, (and thunder were desire), but I guess either works. I don’t even fit into my pajamas.
https://www.lyrics.com/lyric/2365724/John+Prine/Angel+from+Montgomery Thanks for the correction. Miss you.
Putting down roots in the forest, getting along better with trees than people, although some falling cherry tree limbs tried to take me out a few years back.
(The title Angel From Montgomery refers to Alabama prisoners on death row hoping for a governor’s pardon to come winging down from the capital.).
I fit in best with my family and amongst the very young and the very old. Also, outdoors; I’m very much at home in nature.