You may have tangible wealth untold:
Caskets of jewels and coffers of gold.
Richer than I you can never be
I had a Mother who read to me.
~ Strickland Gillilan
This Succeed and Soar series invites writers to answer questions about their artforms and special inspirations.
Welcome Lori Jakiela
Lori, what phrase inspires your writing and life?
Welcome to Earth.
It’s hot in the summer and cold in the winter.
It’s round and wet and crowded.
On the outside, babies, you’ve got a hundred years here.
There’s only one rule that I know of, babies:
God damn it, you’ve got to be kind.
– Kurt Vonnegut
Lori, share how these words helped your writing, your life.
I love Kurt Vonnegut. As a prisoner of war during World War II, he survived the bombing of Dresden by hiding in a meat locker. He saw the terrible, nearly unimaginable things humans do to one another, and yet his focus, in these lines, is on kindness. Kurt Vonnegut, who had every reason to despair, chose hope and humor in the midst of tragedy. It’s not easy hope—he’s sensible, of course. But it’s there stitched between the sorrow. He is a great teacher of empathy—that essential element that makes writing and living possible.
Belief Sample Text:
When my real mother dies, I go looking for another one. The Catholic Charities
Counselor’s word for this other mother I want after decades to find is biological. Illegitimate is another word for people who end up like me. It’s what I feel now, unlawful, unauthorized, unwarranted here in this office that smells like antiseptic and rubber gloves, hot teeth drilled down to bone.
Review
I’ve been having a hard time writing about Lori Jakiela’s beautiful new memoir Belief is Its Own Kind of Truth, Maybe. I think I love it too much. I think it hit too hard. As with the best art, I needed to chew on it and keep it to myself for a while until I found the proper words to express just how much the work matters to me. …
About Lori Jakiela
Lori Jakiela is the author of eight books, most recently the essay collection, ALL SKATE (Roadside Press). She received the Saroyan Prize for International Literature from Stanford University for her adoption memoir, BELIEF IS ITS OWN KIND OF TRUTH, MAYBE (Autumn House Press), has been published in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Pittsburgh Magazine, and more. She directs the undergraduate writing program at The University of Pittsburgh-Greensburg and teaches in the doctoral creative writing program at The Pittsburgh Theological Seminary.
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