Bonni Brodnick Blog

What a delightful and delicious lunch in Brooklyn with our grandson. From the moment my husband and I held his hands outside the apartment building to returning him home two and a half hours later, he never stopped talking. What did he say? Indecipherable! Caught a word here or there, like "Mater," "Doc Hudson," and "Lightning McQueen" in the movie "Cars," "Mahones, touchdown, yay!", " vroooooom ," "That's a blue bus," staring at the Heinz ketchup bottle and making pretend he's reading, "Five, five, five." One story was followed by another. Received a text from his mother later: "Spoiler: It's a lot of stories about cars, Formula 1, and most of them end in crashes."  

More than 35 people came to the reading and book talk on a July Sunday at the Hudson Valley Writers Center. It was quite the hubbub. And quel honneur to be interviewed by my memoir mentor, Susan Hodara. I became teary as we drove up, remembering the classes I took at Hudson Valley Writers Center. It's in the former Philipse Manor train stop. Sweeping view of the Hudson River. Cozy beyond . Its proximity to the tracks makes one stop talking until the train has passed. A few pix: After the stroke, I had to relearn how to walk, talk, swallow, type & drive. Intensive speech, occupational, and physical therapy helped transition me back to life. I began writing the book when I was still at half-mast. A writer friend asked me how I wrote it, especially under such compromising circumstances.  My response: "It was like running up a mountain with a 103-degree fever and in labor."  I am glad to be here, back to my magnificent life, to inspire so many with my journey & recov...

I am so excited about this upcoming reading of My Stroke in the Fast Lane: A Journey to Recovery . First of all, it's at Hudson Valley Writing Center , where I took memoir classes with the esteemed writer, teacher, and memoir mentor, Susan Hodara. It was just after my stroke. Each week, we had the assignment to write a few pages, and then read them aloud in class. I remember going up to Susan after one of the classes and apologizing for speaking so softly. I was actually  embarrassed that my voice was so muted.  Wow ... I've come a long way from that beginning.  "Writing a memoir is hard, and you did it under compromising circumstances, to put it mildly," Susan said recently. "This is a testament to your grit and commitment to yourself." Along with giving advice to those struggling with their stories, we'll also discuss: When, during the recovery process, did I decide to write a book? Why?  With my right hand so floppy, especially my pinky and ring fing...