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Jane Kirkpatrick’s Something Worth
Doing Scrapbook Page
My writing is influenced
by four categories I weave into every story: landscape, relationships, spirituality,
and work. Something Worth Doing is a novel about a suffragist in the
1800s, and her story is told through those four threads. My scrapbook has
photos to reflect those threads in my life, and they parallel Abigail Scott
Duniway’s life as well. All photos are mine except for Smith Rock, which was
taken by Deb Barnes and is used with permission.
1. Landscape: homestead. We lived for twenty-seven
years at the end of a dirt road called “Starvation Lane,” seven miles from our
mailbox and eleven miles from a paved road. We “homesteaded” our 160 acres,
building a life from scratch. Abigail lived on a remote farm she called
“Hardscrabble.” This landscape is in Oregon. Much of Abigail’s work was
in Oregon. (Our homestead is now part of Oregon’s state park system, and our
adventure building a life there resulted in my first book, a memoir titled Homestead.)
Abigail used her experiences on Hardscrabble as backdrops for several of
her novels.
2. Landscape: spirituality
umbrella. This picture was taken in Burundi, East Africa. One of my passions is
working with indigenous people, and our church works with three Batwa villages,
bringing them identity cards, school access, health access, and agricultural
work. It was very hot in Burundi, hence the umbrella. Abigail’s passion was
helping women adversely affected by laws. She saw her work as a calling by God,
and it was her faith that helped her carry on during the difficult times when
men kept voting down the franchise for women.
3. Rancho Mirage. This past year,
my husband and I moved for half a year to Rancho Mirage, California, for health
reasons. There are still mountains in our view! Abigail went to California on a
buying trip for her millinery business. It was there she discovered other women
passionate about women’s rights and suffrage. That visit changed her life. Our
visit to California last year changed ours, too. We now spend six months there
and six in Oregon. Abigail had a disabled husband who was supportive of her
work; my husband is disabled too and my biggest cheerleader. Abigail and Ben
moved to Portland in part for his health. In moving, we discover how new
landscapes shape us.
4. Work: book wall. Not
far from our home in Rancho Mirage is this book wall. It’s on a walking trail
and it speaks to me, reminding me of the work of writing. Abigail wrote twenty
novels, had a column in a local paper, and then started her own newspaper
called The New Northwest, which she ran, wrote for, and edited for seventeen
years. Books and writing were her work. Mine too. I’ve written for newspapers
and magazines and written nonfiction books and twenty-nine novels. Abigail had
six children! I have three stepchildren. I don’t know how Abigail did it all
while keeping her family together.
5. Landscape: Smith
Rock. After twenty-seven years, we moved to Bend, Oregon. Just down the
road from us is Smith Rock, an internationally known place for rock climbers, a
very demanding landscape. Abigail didn’t climb rocks, but after years of living
on a farm, she moved to the city, and then in later life, found the stark
landscape of Idaho called to her. “Landscape” is a word coined by Dutch
painters to describe their efforts to paint the interior, as opposed to
seascapes. Landscapes speak to our interior souls. (Photo by Deb Barnes, used
with permission)
6. Relationships. In addition to my
husband of forty-four years, dogs are a special part of my life. The Cavalier
is Caesar and he is eleven. Bodacious Bo, the wire-haired pointing Brussels
griffon, passed away last year. Dogs and cats have always been a part of my
life. Dogs were a part of Abigail’s life too. Their unconditional love can keep
us uplifted when life tugs us down.
7. Work: bookstore. This
is bookstore owner Judy Wutzke and I in Clarkston, Washington (right), on the
Snake River near Lewiston, Idaho. Abigail would have known the Snake, and she
gave speeches all over Idaho as well as Washington, Oregon, California,
Illinois, Washington, DC, and even British Columbia. She would have signed her
books, just as I did and hope to do again one day, in stores. I’ve spoken in
Italy, France, Canada, and throughout the US about the power of story in our
lives.
8. Work and
relationships:
Yreka, California. Libraries are a significant part of my writing life. I
visit several each year to support reading programs. Siskiyou County Public
library was the last event before the pandemic hit. Now I’m doing virtual
visits. Abigail’s brother was the first head of the Portland, Oregon public
library. I think she envied his access to all those books. Harvey was the first
graduate of Pacific University. Abigail only had a formal third-grade
education. She used her parents’ library to educate herself. Part of her story
is a great rivalry between Harvey and Abigail. I have a younger brother and I
adore him. I think he adores me too!
Spirituality:
It’s hard to find a picture to describe this thread, but all of them combine to
bring meaning to my life as a writer, mental-health professional, and public
speaker. Abigail challenged many religious figures of her time who felt women
should not be public speakers and that gaining the vote would diminish them.
She felt called by God to be an activist for women. I’ve felt called to bring
healing through writing. Maybe the book wall or the Homestead photo is a
good photo to demonstrate both of our spiritual journeys. Abigail was, and I and
many others are, called to what our faith community calls “Spacious
Christianity,” whose task is to “cultivate spaces of grace for hope, healing,
and purpose.” (Bend First Presbyterian Church)
Jane Kirkpatrick is the New York Times and CBA bestselling and award-winning author of more than thirty books, including One More River to Cross, Everything She Didn't Say, All Together in One Place, A Light in the Wilderness, The Memory Weaver, This Road We Traveled, and A Sweetness to the Soul, which won the prestigious Wrangler Award from the Western Heritage Center. 
9/15/20
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Character Interview
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9/15/20
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BONUS Post
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9/16/20
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Review
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9/17/20
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Excerpt
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9/18/20
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Review
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9/19/20
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Author Interview
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9/20/20
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Scrapbook Page
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9/21/20
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Review
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9/22/20
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Deleted Scene
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9/22/20
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BONUS Post
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9/23/20
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Review
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9/24/20
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BONUS Review
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9/24/20
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Review
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What a great insight into the author through the stories behind the pictures. This was great! When I lived in the country I thought seven miles to town was a good hike. Seven miles to the mailbox? Yikes! Mine was about 100 yards down my dirt driveway. My little place was called Grandma's Ranch.
ReplyDeleteIt was an amazing time! Definitely makes you appreciate how we live today.
ReplyDelete