[The Stage is on Fire] is a page-turner in which, much like life, there are no easy answers and yet each step of the journey yields insight and hope. This work of heart must not be missed!
Melanie Faith
Creative Writing Teacher, Essayist & Poet.
Katie Steedly’s first-person piece [The Unspeakable Gift] is a riveting retelling of her participation in a National Institutes of Health study that aided her quest to come to grips with her life of living with a rare genetic disorder. Her writing is superb.
The Society of Professional Journalists
In recognition of receiving the Dateline Award for the Washingtonian Magazine essay, The Unspeakable Gift.
I thank you … It is the authenticity of your “class notes”; and it is the delicacy and skill with which you present the nuances of classroom life and the actuality of your students’ and fellow teachers’ lives.
Maxine Greene
Philosopher and Education Scholar
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Map to the Stars
A Schwinn-ride away: Eagledale Plaza.
Adrian Matejka
Thinking back to the the days when my bicycle meant freedom and Dairy Queen felt 100 miles away. Thinking about needing permission. Thinking about being years beyond my training wheels and being on my own. Thinking about safety and space. Thinking about boundaries and trust.
My map to the stars felt vast and endless. It was huge in the way I knew the ocean was huge and elephants were huge. My map to the stars was a kaleidoscope of desires and dreams and perfectly broken glass. My map to the stars was a way beyond. People talk about a way out. I don’t think I ever sought a way out. I sought a way beyond. A way to new places. A way where my thirst was quinched. A way where my hunger was satisfied. A way were my curiosity slowly burned.
I saw the Southern Cross on a trip to New Zealand years ago. Māori call this constellation Te Pae Mahutoka and see it as an anchor for the sky. The idea that constellations were celestial guides for explorers makes sense to me. Anchors and guides ground journeys in something other than wandering, something that makes getting completely lost impossible. If we do get lost, we can find our way back to center.
So, I think about Dairy Queen as a map to the stars — a first exploration — a proof of concept for a lifetime of experience. Searching for a way beyond is part of my rhythm. Peace within the rhythm is easier to find with a map to the stars.
About Katie
From Louisville. Live in Atlanta. Curious by nature. Researcher by education. Writer by practice. Grateful heart by desire.
Buy the Book!
The Stage Is On Fire, a memoir about hope and change, reasons for voyaging, and dreams burning down can be purchased on Amazon.
