And so we come to the place where we talk about our guest speaker,
She is, as Dana Sullivan wrote in an email,
"a force."
Those of us who've known Martha for a while know how hard she works, and how wonderfully she works a room. Those of us who were lucky enough to listen to her last night knew, from the moment she began with references to her literary nemeses (complete with hilarious Power Point visuals), that we were in the presence of someone special.
Martha is, as we all strive to be, a storyteller. So when she plugged her own path into her magic formula for capturing an audience, we were putty in her hands.
She inspired us, she cracked us up, and she even made references to, ahem, certain parts of feline anatomy. But that's Martha. She tied it all together and delved into the heart of the matter (or the anus, but who's checking?).
Her career has taken her on a roller-coaster ride that she shared in captivating and sometimes heartbreaking detail, and we whirled along with her every failure and success. She made us feel, from that squidgy stomach-drop of being rejected rudely to that glorious relief of having her 31-times-drafted manuscript find a home, like we were all on the same team. And how very human it is to experience these highs and lows and try to keep our passion alive.
Decked in splendid holiday finery––check out THOSE SHOES!––Martha gave us a precious gift last night. It was greater than a few nuggets of inspiration. It was a humble, funny, and fiercely emotional perspective on her journey through frustration and success. She embodied the artistic process, and what it means to live in pursuit of one's dreams despite its messy, unpredictable and fulfilling results. To keep up with Martha's ups and downs (and ups!), as well as her comings and goings, please go to her site.
Martha Brockenbrough!
"a force."
Those of us who've known Martha for a while know how hard she works, and how wonderfully she works a room. Those of us who were lucky enough to listen to her last night knew, from the moment she began with references to her literary nemeses (complete with hilarious Power Point visuals), that we were in the presence of someone special.
Martha is, as we all strive to be, a storyteller. So when she plugged her own path into her magic formula for capturing an audience, we were putty in her hands.
She inspired us, she cracked us up, and she even made references to, ahem, certain parts of feline anatomy. But that's Martha. She tied it all together and delved into the heart of the matter (or the anus, but who's checking?).
Her career has taken her on a roller-coaster ride that she shared in captivating and sometimes heartbreaking detail, and we whirled along with her every failure and success. She made us feel, from that squidgy stomach-drop of being rejected rudely to that glorious relief of having her 31-times-drafted manuscript find a home, like we were all on the same team. And how very human it is to experience these highs and lows and try to keep our passion alive.
Decked in splendid holiday finery––check out THOSE SHOES!––Martha gave us a precious gift last night. It was greater than a few nuggets of inspiration. It was a humble, funny, and fiercely emotional perspective on her journey through frustration and success. She embodied the artistic process, and what it means to live in pursuit of one's dreams despite its messy, unpredictable and fulfilling results. To keep up with Martha's ups and downs (and ups!), as well as her comings and goings, please go to her site.
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