As Mother’s Day approaches I think about my own mother and her mother before her. The grandmother I never knew, the gentle woman who died in Auschwitz.

My mother, who escaped with my father, became a motherless daughter when she was only 24. She never got to say goodbye to her mother. And she never got over the loss.

I was raised by a woman with a deep motherwound. A wound she tried to heal by pouring her love into my brother and me. When that didn’t heal her grief she became a painter who poured her sorrow and joy onto canvases of color and light.

I was inspired to create MOTHERS AND DAUGHTERS ONLINE WRITING SLIPPER CAMP when I studied this photo of my mother and me.

At three months old I’m trying to leap out of her arms. Eager to see the world. Unwilling to be contained. Looking for something out there, something my mother can’t give me.

My mother smiles tentatively. Her eyes are looking somewhere else, too. Somewhere she longs to be. We can’t connect.

That set the template of our entire relationship.

Five years ago I created 30 illustrated prompts for Mothers and Daughters Online Writing Slipper Camp, a 20 day course. Every year, I rewrite the prompts. Every year I’m blown away by the writings I receive.

I hope you will be one of ten writers who sign up for Mothers and Daughters Online Writing Slipper Camp. It begins the day after Mother’s Day, May 9th, and ends May 28th.

– You will receive three illustrated prompts every other day.

– You will send me 1,000 words on whatever prompt you choose.

– I will read everything you write.

– By the end of Slipper Camp you will have written 10,000 words.

– Then we will talk about your writings.

– It’s only open to the first ten writers who sign up.

– Please PM me for tuition cost and details.

– Payment secures your spot.

** Mothers and Daughters Online Writing Slipper Camp is a fundraiser for mothers and daughters in Ukraine. A portion of every tuition will go to www.Care.com – they are on the ground in Ukraine.