Amber McClain Shaw

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I Started My Book In A Coffee Shop: Highly Recommend!

I Started My Book In A Coffee Shop: Highly Recommend!
Apr 25, 2024 by Amber McClain Shaw

I went to Chicago to start on my book and got more inspiration than I could have hoped for from a stranger.

From Dayton to Home: Extra Delights!

From Dayton to Home: Extra Delights!
Apr 21, 2024 by Amber McClain Shaw

Collaborative art, the eclipse, the best bar in the country, and a Moth Story Slam. The Erma magic followed me all the way home!

After the Erma Workshop: Insights, Laughter and Lessons Learned

After the Erma Workshop: Insights, Laughter and Lessons Learned
Apr 18, 2024 by Amber McClain Shaw

Essential take-aways from my second Erma Bombeck Writer's Workshop in Dayton, Ohio.

Confessions of a Reluctant Recipe Tester

Confessions of a Reluctant Recipe Tester
Jan 22, 2024 by Amber McClain Shaw

I thought it would be fun. It's not. OK, it's not that bad.

The Gifts of Moving

Jan 22, 2024 by Amber McClain Shaw
All mankind is divided into three classes: those that are immovable, those that are movable, and those that move. —Benjamin Franklin
 

Murder in the Neighborhood

Murder in the Neighborhood
Jan 13, 2024 by Amber McClain Shaw

I have a neighbor who rides his bike every day past my house. It’s not your usual daily ride. There is something rather magical and murderous about it.
 

2024's Word of the Year Is . . .

Dec 31, 2023 by Amber McClain Shaw

My word of the year for 2023 was Yes. It didn't always work out.

I Know People Who Buy Art

I Know People Who Buy Art
Dec 13, 2023 by Amber McClain Shaw

I Know People Who Buy Art

Come With Me

Come With Me
Dec 08, 2023 by Amber McClain Shaw

Come with me to a winter session of beach yoga. Don't mind the weather or that guy over there rolling around in the water. He's not in your class.

Notes on Camp

Notes on Camp
Nov 16, 2023 by Amber McClain Shaw

A series of notes on and after Life is A Verb Camp, 2023 hosted by Patti Digh. My notes include stories, poems, math, and what it's like to re-enter the real world after such an intense creative experience.

Hey Barbie! She's So Cool, All Dolled Up

Hey Barbie! She's So Cool, All Dolled Up
Jul 27, 2023 by Amber McClain Shaw

From childhood play to artistic endeavors and unconventional decorations, Barbie has been a constant thread in my life, a source of inspiration that continues to spark joy and creativity. Even if you are not a fan of Barbie (I know there are lots of you), read on, maybe I can convince you she's pretty great. And if you have old Barbies lying around, save them for me!

Cookie Crumbs, Booty Lifts and Unexpected Encounters: A Tour of Senior Living Facilities

Jul 21, 2023 by Amber McClain Shaw

Join me on a fact-finding tour of senior living facilities through a series of informational tours. Though I have no immediate need to move myself or my loved ones into senior living, I want to be prepared for the future. As I toured a few of these communities, I encountered eccentric tour guides, quirky amenities, and some surprises that senior living has to offer. These tours also had me pondering what kind of community I'd want (and someday I do plan to live in some kind of community). Definitely more touring necessary, but this was a good start.

Dear Diary: Life at age 10

Dear Diary: Life at age 10
Feb 15, 2023 by Amber McClain Shaw
The first two weeks of my childhood diary disprove my memory that I grew up mostly without TV (I watched The Donny and Marie Show often), introduce the reader to the main characters of my life at the time including my pet mouse and a frequent babysitter, touch on important cultural trends (Pete's Dragon and Shrinky Dinks), friendship (sleepovers, showers and indignation over a bad grade), and my painfully factual reporting on the illness and death of my grandmother. I had a lot to write about at age ten.

Dear Diary

Dear Diary
Jan 28, 2023 by Amber McClain Shaw
I started my writing career with an existential crisis.

I was ten years old when I got my first diary. 

On the blank page before January 1st, I wrote: Dear Diary, I will try to tell the truth as well as I can.
 

Where Are My People At?

Where Are My People At?
Jan 25, 2023 by Amber McClain Shaw
When the kids were younger we knew where to find each other. Carpool, volunteering at school, the sidelines of all kinds of sports matches or at one of the kid-friendly restaurants in the area. But now that they are off to college and beyond, we no longer have a connection through our children. How do we find each other? Now that, in theory, we have more time for ourselves and our own interests, I’m wondering where everyone went.
 

I Have Not Loved a Car for 26 Years. Until Now.

I Have Not Loved a Car for 26 Years. Until Now.
Jan 18, 2023 by Amber McClain Shaw
I have loved convertibles since I was a kid and my dad had several that were so fun to ride around in; an MG and a Fiat. When I bought my first car, it was a convertible, a Miata. I loved that car and only gave it up when I absolutely had to; I was a week away from my due date and I realized a stroller would not fit in the trunk. I have not loved another car for the last 26 years. Until now.

How to Eat Cereal

How to Eat Cereal
Jan 06, 2023 by Amber McClain Shaw
My boys left me with a Costco-sized box of Frosted Mini Wheats that they opened but didn’t finish. It’s making me question my sanity.
​​​​I don’t consider myself a particularly fussy person, but Frosted Mini Wheats bring out an intense desire for order, organization and doing things the RIGHT WAY.

Connection Was My Word of 2022: How It Went, And Why Social Media Got In the Way

Connection Was My Word of 2022: How It Went, And Why Social Media Got In the Way
Dec 07, 2022 by Amber McClain Shaw
At the start of a new year, I choose a word of the year. More than eleven months into this year, my word is still going strong. I find it more interesting and powerful than a resolution. A word has a way of echoing back to you in a song, in something you read, in a conversation with a friend, and asks you to pay attention. This year I chose the word connection.

Know Thyself: The Practice of Journaling

Know Thyself: The Practice of Journaling
Dec 01, 2022 by Amber McClain Shaw

I’ve kept a journal since I was in about fourth grade, on and off. My first diary had a lock on it, which I thought was such a great feature. I could pour my heart out without anyone else being able to read it. The fourth-grade me apparently had a few secrets to keep. But that lock was easily picked with a hair pin and whatever secrets I had were no longer secret.

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