Create bold marginalia

February 11, 2009 in Uncategorized


Life is a Verb marginalia – A reader's story from Patti Digh on Vimeo.

LIAVCarol1 Imagine my delight at hearing from people around the world about how much Life is a Verb has meant to them. I am so touched to know that it has been helpful and inspiring. I've heard of people using it in their Sunday school classes, book groups, community reading circles, and more. LIAVCarol2 One young woman and her new husband took it on their honeymoon and walked to the end of a long dock every evening to read a story from it to each other. Another woman bought copies for all the women in her family for the holidays and over 20 female family members are gathering for a retreat in April to talk about the book. LIAVCarol3 A church group in Canton, Ohio, is reading several essays a week and meeting to discuss them. A mother and daughter are reading the same copy, annotating it in the margins in different colored pens so they can read each other's thoughts.

LIAVCarol5 At my recent reading at Random Arts in Saluda, North Carolina, a woman named Carol B. Sloan appeared with a beautiful, wildly annotated copy of Life is a Verb, covered with silver pen. Her story is in the video above and in the photos that accompany this post.

LIAVCarol9 How are you using Life is a Verb? What has it meant to you? Send a note, leave a comment, or post a video to YouTube (tag it LifeIsAVerb) and let me know about it –  and I'll include them here to highlight how LIAV is making its way out into the world, to spark ideas for others on how to use it, and to share your stories. LIAVCarolfrPatti If you do so before February 21, you'll be entered into a drawing to win something so incredibly wonderful that I don't even know what it is yet.

About Patti Digh

Patti Digh is an author, speaker, and educator who builds learning communities and gets to the heart of difficult topics. Her work over the last three decades has focused on diversity, inclusion, social justice, and living and working mindfully. She has developed diversity strategies and educational programming for major nonprofit and corporate organizations and has been a featured speaker at many national and international conferences.

11 comments to " Create bold marginalia "

  • Reply
    Wendee
    February 11, 2009 AT 2:27PM

    Boy. Now *that* is fantastic, and so inspiring. Wow! :) Hugs to you, Patti

  • Reply
    Miss Marshall
    February 11, 2009 AT 6:14PM

    I have two copies of Life is a Verb…one that I write in and one that I’m saving because it’s just so stinkin’ beautiful.

  • Reply
    Debra
    February 11, 2009 AT 9:03PM

    It is understandable how this book has touched so many hearts and souls; afterall, it is beautiful to look at, the words are rich and delicious. I LOVE this book so much! I wish ever person had a copy of this book. I am buying one for each daughter, and it is the perfect gift to buy for a friend or relative. There are some book that reach you in a deeper place, this is one of them.

  • Reply
    Rick Hamrick
    February 12, 2009 AT 8:16AM

    I have three copies of LIAV, one which I will keep pristine (I read it, but I’m very careful with it) because it is the copy Patti sent me to honor my contribution to the book, one which I received at her retreat (that’s the one I write in), and one which will be a gift as soon as I know whose it is to be. As soon as I give that one away, I will buy another one. Never be without a giftable copy!

    As you may recall, Patti, it was quite an adventure in self-confidence (trying to find some) and felt like I was opening myself to failure when I made my contribution.

    Now, the book serves as a beautiful reminder of what one woman can accomplish when she has lots of friends and she is willing to call upon them, and she is willing to stand up for what she knows the right use of her own artful words will prove to be.

    I use the book as one of my truth-telling sources. I open it at random and read what’s there, and it always informs whatever issue I am dealing with.

    Here is what LIAV told me just now:
    “I wonder…what gifts we don’t put out into the world because we are afraid of the response we might get.”

    I’m grateful for the small part I played in LIAV and for the big lesson it provides me every day.

  • Reply
    chris
    February 12, 2009 AT 9:46AM

    Oh my gosh…Carol is such a treat! That is the kind of lady you would want to be your friend! I would love to write in my book, but I can’t get myself to do it! What she did was so great and so relevant! (I think I used enough exclamation marks here….)

  • Reply
    zen
    February 12, 2009 AT 10:07AM

    Patti,
    I must share (confess!) that I have three copies of your book. The fact that I have multiple copies of a favorite book will come to no surprise to those who know me, or read my sordid tale outing myself a while back on my blog.

    But REALLY! I have a legitimate reason for all 3 copies!

    The last one I bought is my-
    “I just know this will be the perfect gift for- well I’ll just keep it handy til I figure out who” copy.

    The second one is my-
    “I can’t believe what I did to my first copy the day after I got it in the mail” copy.

    And the first one I ordered off of here was formerly known as my-
    “It finally came!I’m so excited I’m throwing it in my tote bag to read in the waiting room- WHAT? I CAN’T BELIEVE I FORGOT I HAD A WATER BOTTLE IN HERE AND IT LEAKED ALL OVER MY BRAND SPANKIN’ NEW BOOK” Copy.

    But after reading “How to read this book” it will forever be known as my-

    “Hey! It’s a little warped and needed some clear packing tape to save the cover and some pages that were tearing but since it’s already “ruined” I feel permission to write freely and YES boldly in the margins won’t Patti be PROUD!” Copy.

    And after reading all the ways people are using the book, my “gift” copy is hereby known as my-
    “What a great idea! I think I will try that with my step daughter Adrienne” copy! Thanks to the mom and daughter for sharing that suggestion!
    Z

  • Reply
    chris
    February 12, 2009 AT 11:57AM

    OK, I already posted once, but now after watching the video again and reading all the comments, I have a second book in my shopping cart at amazon! Maybe I will take the plunge and be bold with my book.

  • Reply
    smallbluebird
    February 12, 2009 AT 12:23PM

    Wow, I thought I was the only one who kept multiple copies. I cannot bring myself to write in my “dedicated” copy. I am writing like crazy in my “work” copy and I can’t seem to keep a gift copy around for very long. I always thought it to be unsophisticated to write in books after college was over. But on the video Mr. Brilliant can be heard saying that it is okay and I believe what that man says. He is smart (no, brilliant)…look who he married! When I pick up a book with marginialia, bet you can guess what I read first. Sorry, I have to go now, I have some writing to do in my LIAV!

  • Reply
    brandi
    February 12, 2009 AT 1:18PM

    omg!! this is so inspiring! I love how she’s turned LIAV into a wonderful work of art.

    than you for sharing-

  • Reply
    Heidi Fischbach
    February 16, 2009 AT 7:23AM

    Dear Patti– Surely you know Billy Collins’ poem Marginalia. It (along with Naomi Shihab Nye’s) is one of my favorites too. I actually wrote a blog entry about “Me & Billy Collins” inspired by that poem, and it comes to mind here, looking at how you wrote all over the margins of your book. Awesome! Now I really must find your book. xo

    Link to Me & Billy http://babayagasplace.squarespace.com/heidi-musings/2008/10/8/me-and-billy-collins.html

  • Reply
    Andrea
    February 21, 2009 AT 12:20AM

    My first thought was “There’s no WAY I can write in this book, it’s too beautiful!” After all didn’t I, with various degrees of success, teach my daughter NOT to write in books!? (I think that lesson will have to be amended)But…Patti said it was ok. Right there in aforementioned beautiful book. Right in the Intro. And then Mr. Brilliant gave the ok! And so I got out my absolute favorite going-to-be heartbroken-if-I-ever-lose-it, really cheap double sided pen/highlighter, and later realized there was no way I could NOT write in it. Scribble little messages for my girls to read some day, journal, draw arrows, question marks, hearts for fabulous quotes, highlight….dig in, become part of this fabulous creation. (That being said, I still can’t bring myself to dog-ear any pages).
    As for making its way out into the world, this needs to be on the Oprah Book Club!!!! And I am not just suggesting it to perhaps win something incredibly wonderful! That would get the word out in a huge way and would make me and many other LIAV fans deliriously happy. Surely somebody somewhere can get a copy into her hands! That’s all it would take, I’m sure of it!

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