TAMMY DIETZ, nonfiction editor for Silk Road, is a writer, instructor, and instructional designer. Her work has appeared in various anthologies and literary journals including Bringing Light to Twilight, a critical examination of the Twilight book series, and The Legendary Online Journal. She lives with her husband and children near Seattle.
Her nonfiction piece “Everything I Know I Learned from Shoplifting” appears in bioStories.
I’ve always wanted to write about my experiences as a shoplifter, but I’ve avoided the subject for both obvious and less obvious reasons. Obvious: It’s a little embarassing. Less obvious: I didn’t know how to do it and I held no interest in writing a self-indulgent, preachy confessional. The truth is, I’m not proud of being a thief as a child and young adult. But I don’t think my experience is unique (just a hunch) and for me, it took exploration of this morally questionable terrain to develop a sense of responsibility about it. There is something very American (where fortune favors the brave) about my experience, and when I found that angle, I also found the heart of the story.
Read “Everything I Know I Learned from Shoplifting”here in bioStories.
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May 16, 2013 at 12:02 am
Michelle
I am responding to your essay from Bringing Light to Twilight here because I don’t know where else to go.
First, it was very well written and as a Mormon I enjoyed the validation “You are nothing without a man so get a makeover” messages I also grew up hearing.
Next, not all women who read Twilight are married. I’m pushing 40 with no temple marriage and no children. I’m the Mahana who was never chosen. If I’d written Twilight, Bella’s biggest beef with Edward would be the subject of physical conception. Breaking Dawn will always be my least favorite book in the series as Bella never wanted motherhood, just sex, while I whine and throw things because I have to wait.
Finally, I’m sorry your mother fell into depression after reading The Feminine Mystique. It’s so hilariously outdated today as women outpace men in obtaining college degrees (I’m working on a second bachelor’s in English as I type this) so you should know that 21st century women who choose to abstain from sex, sign for their own homes, find a new calling as eternal aunt, and travel the world will indeed wake up one day to ask, “Is this all?” Then the second coming will hit.
You can find all this on my blog http://www.oldmaidmormon.blogspot.com/ and I’d be interested in your feedback.
Thanks and have a great day!