At Work in Life's Garden: Writers on the Spiritual Adventure of Parenting

by Sarah Conover (Editor)

In this collection well-known writers tell their personal stories about how the wonder, the chaos, and the pain of raising children has led them to engage more deeply with the world, with themselves, and with other people. Essays by Barbara Kingsolver, Barry Lopez, Anne Lamott, and Alexandra Fuller, among others, reveal the ways parenting transforms the parents as well as the children. Some writers are practicing Catholics, Protestants, Jews, or Buddhists, while others claim no particular religious or spiritual affiliation.

241 pages, Paperback

First published November 30, 2005

About the author

Sarah Conover holds a BA in comparative religions from the University of Colorado, and an MFA in creative writing from Eastern Washington University. She has worked as a television producer for PBS and Internews (an international media NGO), a social worker for Catholic Charities, a public school teacher, and taught creative writing through the community colleges of Spokane, Washington. She is the author of six books on world wisdom traditions and spirituality published by Skinner House Books, the educational publishing arm of the Unitarian Universalist Association. Her poetry, essays and interviews have been published in a variety of literary magazines and anthologies. She is a feature writer and columnist for Tricycle Magazine: the Buddhist Review and has taught meditation for many years at Airway Heights Corrections Center and within the Spokane community.

Ms. Conover was a recipient of Washington State’s Grants for Artist’s Projects (GAP grant) and writing fellowships from the Ucross Foundation in Clearmont, Wyoming, and the Willapa Bay Artist Residence Program in Oysterville, Washington. She lives in a condo in Spokane, Washington and in her beloved yurtiverse at the base of the North Cascades in Winthrop, Washington, where she and her husband are building a small hermitage for monastic retreats.

Reviews

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great collection of essays about parenting and how it changes your perspective on life. I could identify with some of the stories more than others, but I found them all moving in their own way. I certainly recommend the book for any parent trying to combine the spiritual with the mundane, especially those of us who need to be reminded that we're all doing the best we can and that is good enough.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

It took me a long time to finish this book because many of the essays did not speak to me in the way I hoped they would. A few were spectacular, most mediocre, and a couple I really didn't enjoy. So I give it 2 stars for the two essays I loved most: the one by Alexandra Fuller and the other by Barbara Kingsolver.

[Mariah McKay · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up this compilation of short stories at the UU Church of Spokane book table because I personally know the editors and several of the authors. This was a pleasant way to explore the many possible ramifications of parenthood from a safe distance. I would recommend it to any Spokane parent or parent to be.