Lisa Ohlen Harris

Nearing Solstice

2011-09-09T16:45:00.000-07:00

Think back to June and those long days nearing solstice. Think back further to the longer days of childhood. Read this essay with your first cup of morning warmth, when the world still sleeps and you are alone with your longings. I'll meet you there.

My Graduate Reading

2011-08-15T16:59:00.000-07:00

As part of my MFA graduation week, I read from my thesis (which is also my second book), The Fifth Season: A Daughter-in-Law's Memoir of Caregiving. Thanks to my friend John Engler for recording the reading, which is about thirteen minutes long.

Kyoko Mori says this about Through the Veil

2011-04-28T14:35:00.000-07:00

Through the Veil didn't win the Oregon Book Award, but the judge, Kyoko Mori, wrote a lovely review of my book. Mori is the author of the memoir Yarn: Remembering the Way Home (2009). She has also published a book of essays, a memoir, and three novels. Her work has appeared in The American Scholar, The Missouri Review, Harvard Review and elsewhere. Here's what she says about Through the Veil. In

Manzanita Author Tour

2011-02-22T10:51:00.000-08:00

This past weekend Todd and I traveled to Manzanita, on the northern Oregon coast, as part of the Oregon Book Awards tour. I arrived early at the Hoffman Center in Manzanita and met Susan Denning, the Literary Arts program director. We shook hands, then hugged—how could I do anything but embrace this woman whose name I will forever associate with the best email I received all

I'm Back!

2011-02-16T13:15:00.000-08:00

Snow mixed with the early morning rain, and my sixteen-year-old quipped, “They should cancel school. We can’t possibly drive in this dangerous weather.” My poor deprived kids. The rest of the country has been hip deep in snow more than a few times, while here on the West Coast we’ve had a very mild winter. The thirteen year old stayed home with a cold today, which means I skipped out on my

Oregon Book Award Finalist

2011-02-10T16:13:00.000-08:00

Through the Veil has been selected as a finalist for creative nonfiction in the Oregon Book Awards. The winner will be announced at the end of April. Can you believe it? Here's how happy this makes me.If you haven't had a chance to read the book yet, you can buy Through the Veil from Amazon or from your local bookseller.

Comfort Food

2010-09-17T18:14:00.001-07:00

I'm so pleased to let you know that my essay, "Comfort Food," appears in the September 2010 issue of Brevity: A Journal of Concise Literary Nonfiction.

End of August

2010-08-23T21:23:00.000-07:00

Sure enough, our maple leaves are turning their faces to greet autumn. I have blogged my first year in Newberg: autumn, winter, spring, and summer. When I first moved from Southern California to Oregon as a teenager, my friend Michelle gave me a five-year diary to record my new life. Each page bore a date and five divided spaces for daily entries underneath. When I filled the first

August Begins

2010-08-01T08:31:00.000-07:00

I’m up this morning before the rest of my family, as I am most days. I love these solitary early morning hours with coffee, reading, writing, and Facebooking to keep me company. The air outside is cool and the windows are open wide. If the window fans aren’t running, I hear birdsong. Under the eaves on our front porch hangs a barn swallow nest. Mama and Papa barn swallow have already raised

Family Wedding

2010-07-18T17:55:00.001-07:00

My brother-in-law Jeff got married last weekend in North Texas. We left 90-something degree temps in Portland and flew into thunderstorms in Dallas Thursday night. We woke Friday morning to clouds and a cool (for Texas at least), pleasant day. The kids swam in the hotel pool and we didn’t even bother with sunscreen. Jeff arranged childcare for all the cousins Friday night, so the wedding

Author's Copies

2010-07-02T12:34:00.001-07:00

My copies of Through the Veil arrived this morning!

Deanna Interviews Me About Writing and Editing

2010-06-22T08:03:00.001-07:00

I "met" writer Deanna Hershiser via email a few years ago when I edited one of her essays, accepted for publication in Relief Journal. Deanna joined the Relief team a couple of years ago and has been a faithful reader of nonfiction submissions. More recently, she has become an editing client, and I have been stunned by the bare-bones honesty of her writing as well as the degree of improvement

Anniversary

2010-06-16T13:16:00.000-07:00

Exactly one year ago we signed paperwork and shook hands and received in exchange the key to our new home in Newberg. We’ve now experienced the full cycle of the seasons. We’ve learned our way around; we’ve made friends. Now we understand the routine of this place, and in our second year I suspect we will know more deeply. This June is not a replay of our first June a year ago. This June is

Thorny Things

2010-06-04T06:50:00.000-07:00

When we moved to this property a year ago, the demands of yard care overwhelmed me. Our place is landscaped on all sides, growing slightly wild only in the back acre that slopes down toward the creek. That’s where the beaver snacked on young fruit trees last spring, destroying a modest orchard put in by the prior owners. I confess I’ve felt guilty more than once, knowing that the folks who

Wind and Rain

2010-06-01T14:07:00.000-07:00

In just two weeks we will have lived in Newberg a year. The end of the academic year makes my kids miss their old school in Texas—especially the friends they said goodbye to through tears one year ago. My eleven-year-old cried in my arms Friday night. “I love Oregon,” she sniffed, “and I love our school. But I lived my whole life in Texas, and here I still feel like the new girl.” I told

Keeping the Wilds at Bay

2010-05-25T17:33:00.001-07:00

I pulled weeds today, and I cut back the crazy wisteria vine—it’s pretty, but annoying. A few months ago I'd chopped back a dead shrub as far as I could, thinking Todd could help me yank out the rest later. Long grasses have since grown up through what's left of the shrub's dry branches, and when I pulled up those grasses I saw new glossy leaves emerging. Maybe I won’t yank the stump just yet.

My Mother-in-Law

2010-05-19T16:10:00.000-07:00

When I started writing about my relationship with my mother-in-law, I wrote the first essay as a break from my Middle East writing, to have something new that wasn’t filled with Calls to Prayer and swirling desert cadences. I wrote my day-to-day life with Jeanne in an essay about the intimate acts of caregiving. As that first essay reveals, I knew early on that the

Known by Name

2010-05-11T09:26:00.000-07:00

We’ve identified the bird of prey circling over our canyon. Several times this past week the hawk flew over the house and rested for a few minutes in one of the cedars on the far bank. Long enough for us to admire his red tail before he continued south over the creek canyon. We spent Sunday afternoon with our next-door neighbors—an established Newberg family with five

Time Travel

2010-05-06T10:05:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I started proofreading my galleys for Through the Veil. I am rereading many of these essays for the first time in well over a year. In fact, the last day I had this manuscript spread out before me was the first week of October, 2008, when I was preparing to send my book proposal, along with a complete manuscript, to Canon Press. Jeanne, my mother-in-law, lived

Pre-ordering Available for Through the Veil

2010-05-04T10:56:00.000-07:00

Canon Press is offering free shipping on all pre-orders of Through the Veil. Click the link on Canon's order page to read the first three chapters of Through the Veil and admire the beautiful job Laura Storm did on the layout.

Letting Go

2010-04-26T14:46:00.000-07:00

My fifteen-year-old just returned from a class trip on the other side of the country. She arrived home late Saturday night, after her sisters had already gone to bed, and then she slept late the next day. The younger girls tumbled over each other like puppies when their big sister finally got up. So much to tell her—how the neighbor’s pet rabbit escaped and the girls recaptured it, the path

Page Proofs

2010-04-24T15:08:00.000-07:00

My galleys arrived today. I love the Arabic calligraphy border on the title page!

Through the Veil

2010-04-23T06:49:00.000-07:00

Here's a look at the cover for Through the Veil, which will be available for pre-ordering soon!

A New Thing

2010-04-14T10:12:00.000-07:00

For the past six years my writing life has been project oriented. Creative, sure. But also neat and tidy. Each themed essay folded into a larger book project. I wrote my memories of life in Syria and Jordan, and when the essays were strung together, they became Through the Veil. I found the next project, writing somewhat therapeutically of the complex relationship between me and my mother-in-law,

Spring Break

2010-03-22T16:03:00.000-07:00

The water is now steel blue under cloudy, variegated skies, but things change so quickly. By the time I finish writing this post the colors will have changed. Yesterday a bald eagle swooped over the deck and down toward the shoreline. Last night the rain fell hard; this morning we looked out over the waters and saw a rainbow. We’re in a beach house on the Oregon coast with lots of good food

Daylight Saving Time

2010-03-14T08:48:00.000-07:00

I’m the only one in the house who’s up this first March Sunday of Daylight Saving Time. As the sun rose this morning, I watched the outline of a large bird—could it be an eagle?—flapping strangely against a top limb of the tallest cedar. It looked like he held something in his talons, and I wondered, did he have to finish the kill from the treetop? Then the bird of prey rose and with a slight

Deleted Scene: To Kurdistan

2010-03-04T19:10:00.001-08:00

Here's another scene not included in Through the Veil. Todd and I, along with two other research team members, traveled to the far northeast of Syria, to the Kurdish homeland. We stayed in a small town right on the Turkish border with Syria and spent a few memorable days researching Kurds in the lush agricultural region between the Tigris and Euphrates in northern Syria.The cross-country bus trip

Early Spring

2010-02-27T08:17:00.001-08:00

My girls feel cheated that we had snow only once this first winter in Oregon, while their friends back in Texas report snowstorm after snowstorm, missed days of school, and impressive snowman-construction skills. Winter still holds much of the country, while in the northwest the daffodils are up and blooming and we can go without jackets most afternoons. “No fair,” my kids say. “It’s supposed

The Drive Home

2010-02-19T19:12:00.000-08:00

My friend Jeana lives way over on the other side of town. It takes a good five minutes to drive from Jeana’s place to mine—maybe seven minutes, depending on traffic. And by traffic I mean pedestrians, because in Newberg we stop for them whether they’re anywhere near a crosswalk or not. Today as I drove the two and a half miles home, I saw my friend Dave stand from his car and walk to his

Deleted Scene: Sanaa

2010-02-13T06:56:00.000-08:00

Here's another scene not included in the book. Todd and I, along with two other research team members, traveled to the far northeast of Syria, to the Kurdish homeland. We stayed in a small town right on the Turkish border with Syria and spent a few memorable days researching Kurds in the lush agricultural region between the Tigris and Euphrates in northern Syria.I met Sanaa in a small Kurdish

My Eldest Daughter

2010-02-03T13:51:00.001-08:00

Most mornings I get up early to write. And when I say early, I mean it. As in, hours before sunrise. While I wait for coffee to brew, I often walk to the front of the house to gaze out the library window. I love looking out into the dark, at the warm circles spread by streetlamps over the rain-slick street. Lately, the library shades are drawn when I enter the room. My eldest daughter closes

Deleted Scene: The Scar

2010-01-28T14:32:00.000-08:00

Here’s another section that didn’t make it into Through the Veil. Read it first, and at the end I’ll tell you why I left this scene out of the book. The Scar I stayed home with the baby that night. I must have fallen asleep on the sofa, because when I woke about midnight, Todd wasn’t home yet. The gathering at the Manning’s house must have run late, I thought. While I was putting on

Damascus, February 1990

2010-01-22T13:23:00.000-08:00

We bumped suitcases up a set of stone stairs, and into the narrow pathway of the Old City. Along with the eleven other Americans in my research group, I followed our team leader, Steve, through a maze of stone and dust, of small doorways and little children. I could not imagine finding my way in or out of these corridors every day for three months, but Steve assured us, "Everyone will know where

First Snow

2009-12-30T17:19:00.000-08:00

We’d planned a hike yesterday, but the day was so cold that instead we drove an hour with cousins, one uncle, and two aunts, up to Portland to visit the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry. The first flakes started falling some time between 1:00 and 2:00, and a dozen children rushed out the museum exits to leap and rejoice and catch snowflakes while adults watched

Full Circle

2009-12-24T05:24:00.000-08:00

During my junior year of college I thought I would need to leave school in order to pay the rent. Before withdrawing from classes, I applied for one more job on campus. A friend had mentioned an opening at the English Language Institute, where international students came to study English before going on to university studies. I walked into the ELI, asked about the job, and was led to a back room

The Night in Question

2009-12-17T21:07:00.000-08:00

While ironing shirts, I listened to Tobias Wolff reading his short story, “Bullet in the Brain.” When the titular shot was fired I put down the iron and sat on the side of the bed, so riveted by Wolff’s words and images I couldn’t do anything but listen. Then it ended, perfectly. Wow. A normal person would at this point breathe a deep sigh of satisfaction, stand, spritz a sleeve, and

Rain Returns

2009-12-15T09:27:00.001-08:00

My weeks-long absence from the blog is directly related to a weeks-long spell of beautiful clear weather here in western Oregon. When Thanksgiving weekend came and it wasn’t raining, we decided to go ahead and cut down our Christmas tree—quickly, before it starts raining again! Day after dry day we waited for the clouds to take hold and the rain to fall. We’ve had

Thanksgiving

2009-11-26T08:04:00.001-08:00

Todd and I arrived at The Coffee Cottage for the reading Tuesday night. Already the place was packed, but we nabbed a table near the back door. My cell phone buzzed. College friends Joe and Heidi, who live in the next town over, were one block away. I walked outside to meet them and to tell Joe to carry in patio chairs if they wanted a place to sit. I knew maybe half the

Five Newberg Writers

2009-11-20T06:50:00.000-08:00

A couple of months ago my friend Lynn sidled up to me during the coffee hour after church. “We should do a reading,” Lynn said. “At The Coffee Cottage. What do you think?” I liked the idea, and so did a few other writers in our small church. Lynn scheduled the event for the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, which happens to be the one-year anniversary of my first visit to Newberg. While Todd met

To Remember

2009-11-05T20:01:00.000-08:00

Exactly one year ago. To the day. After nearly a month of hospice care in our home, my mother-in-law slipped into a deep sleep. When we could no longer wake her, a hospice nurse came to sit at Jeanne’s bedside and administer medications to keep her pain free. Three days later, on November 9, 2008, Jeanne took one last, deep breath and was gone.

Almost November

2009-10-29T12:35:00.000-07:00

We raked leaves again yesterday—so different from last week. It’s been raining nearly every day now, and things are soggy. Yesterday was dry, with some afternoon sunshine, but it didn’t make much of a difference. Something in the season has shifted, and there’s no looking back. This time the neighborhood kids needed shovels to lift the soggy leaves into the curbside bin

Raking Leaves

2009-10-22T12:27:00.000-07:00

Rain

2009-10-14T09:10:00.000-07:00

Our local weather forecast displays a puffy cloud and raindrops for all five of the coming days. I have known and loved rain in every place I’ve lived. Philadelphia After a hot and humid August day in Philly, the afternoon darkens and fat raindrops fall. The rain comes hard and fast, breaking the thick air and providing relief from the humidity, if only for an hour or

Our Town

2009-10-08T09:09:00.000-07:00

I got my library card this week. Wrote my name on it with my very best penmanship. “You may only check out one book the first time,” the librarian informed me. That’s like hearing you may only trick or treat at one house. Like getting paid for just the first hour of babysitting. What’s the fun in checking out only one book? “We find that the majority of

Knowing and Being Known

2009-10-02T13:28:00.000-07:00

At least once a week someone asks me, “Are you feeling settled yet?” “The moving boxes are all unpacked,” I’ll say, “And we figured out the back roads to avoid weekend winery traffic on 99W.” My answer implies a positive response, that we are indeed settled. In truth, I know that it will be months and years before we deeply belong to this place. One night in early

Autumn Leaves

2009-09-29T05:12:00.001-07:00

The weather changed this week. Last Saturday was probably our last mild evening for eating out on the deck. Tim and Sarah, friends of mine for more than twenty years, arrived early with their three small boys. “Give me something to do,” Sarah said as she followed me into the kitchen. Together we shaped the meat into patties, and Sarah told me how she and Tim had finally

A Writer Blogs about Me

2009-09-27T13:14:00.000-07:00

Over the summer I worked with writer Elizabeth Westmark, providing critique and suggestions on her creative nonfiction work-in-progress. This was the beginning of my critique service, officially launched in September. Today Beth blogs about working with me on a writing project. Thanks, Beth!

Book Release

2009-09-23T11:38:00.000-07:00

Through the Veil is entering production, with a release now scheduled for summer 2010. This week I’ve been working on acknowledgements, credits page, bio, and an author’s photo. I’m thinking ahead now to readings and book signings in 2010-2011 and beyond. Until a few days ago, Through the Veil still felt like my private journal from the years we lived in Syria and

Compost

2009-09-19T20:38:00.000-07:00

Since we moved here in June and discovered a composting bin in the side yard, my daughters have been eager to start composting. I’ve been the spoilsport, insisting that we grind and swish our peelings and coffee grounds down the disposal instead. You see, this bin we discovered was full of beautiful compost, rich and ready. Day after day, from June until now, I’ve found some

Saying Hello

2009-09-15T16:44:00.000-07:00

The filbert orchards around Newberg are starting to turn rusty gold. Often I wake in the night to hear rain through our open bedroom window, but by mid morning the sky is blue and the sun warm. Autumn comes gradually here in Oregon, and I’m glad. I want to enjoy every red leaf and raindrop and Indian summer day of it, until cold November takes the stage and the rain begins. A year ago I was

Changing Seasons

2009-09-13T16:13:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I stood at Boiler Bay on the Oregon coast as waves crashed against the rocks and the salt spray speckled my glasses. After eighteen years away, I'm back in the Pacific Northwest. I left as a newlywed with my life all mystery and possibility. I'm returning having lived on the East Coast, in the Middle East, in Texas—having birthed four children and written a book and cared for a