Blogs at AmyLouJenkins.com: Choose Your Journey

What Does It Mean to Eat With Grace

What Does it Mean to Eat With Grace? Previously Published in the Muir View To Eat with Grace features work from Tamar Adler, Jane Hirshfield, Barbara Kingsolver, Maxine Kumin, Gary … Read more

Shooting a Deer: the Integrity of Deer Hunting

Shooting a Deer Previously Published in Sport Literate Magazine and the anthology Corners: Voices on Change under the title Shooting a deer. This title makes an aspirational connection to George … Read more

The Lost Words

MacFarlane and Morris Save the Lost Words

Macfarlane and Morris Save the Lost Words in a Spellbook .   When the Oxford English Dictionary removed entries related to the natural world, Macfarlane and Morris saved the … Read more

How to Write an Authentic Memoir

How to Write an Authentic Memoir:  Three Powerful Strategies That Keep Readers Hooked Transform your life story from predictable to powerful by mastering the essential elements of authentic memoir … Read more

Pantser or Plotter

Pantser or Plotter? Finding the Sweet Spot Between Spontaneity and Structure in Creative Writing Some writers meticulously plan every step of their story before typing a single sentence, earning … Read more

WRITE OPINION

Your Voice Matters: WHY YOU SHOULD WRITE OPINION PIECES Write opinion pieces, because thoughtful, human communications are more crucial than ever. Our nation is divided. Strong voices tell you … Read more

The Literary Memoir

Make Lasting Meaning From Your Life   Write a Literary Memoir The Art of the Literary Memoir: Storytelling for Troubled Times The literary memoir serves as an amalgam of personal … Read more

Award Winning Nature Books

Award-Winning Nature Books You May Have Missed Award-winning nature books worth checking out: Halcyon Journey, In Search of the Belted Kingfisher by Marina Richie, 2022, Oregon State University Press, … Read more

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Video Essay

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Video Essay on Hate Arnold Schwarzenegger’s video essay: A Recorded Personal Essay This video essay by Arnold Schwarzenegger startled me. As an admirer of the essays of … Read more

Create a Family Cookbook

Create a Family Cookbook: Turning Memories Into Tangible Treasures I’ve always been enamored by the power of words to enhance the meaning of lived experience. I treasure handwritten letters … Read more

Spineless Decorating: Disrespect and Punishment

Spineless Decorating: Stop Punishing Your Books   I just saw a decorating a post with a bookshelf hiding all the spines and displaying the edges of pages. Someone could … Read more

Book Women of Kentucky

Let’s Celebrate the Packhorse Librarians also Known as The Book Women The Book Women of Kentucky: Igniting Minds During the Great Depression Set against the bleak days of the … Read more

Show and Tell In Personal Essay Writing

Find the Magic of Show and Tell in the Personal Essay Writers have been told to “show, don’t tell.” This advice, while useful in many contexts, can be limiting … Read more

Master Personal Essay Writing

Crafting Compelling Narratives: Master How to Write Personal Essays  Create meaning from  experience and analysis by weaving your narratives into personal essays that resonate with readers. Let’s  unravel the … Read more