Leni Wiener

The last of the creative writing inspired by Stories in Stitches at the New Rochelle Library is also by Sharon Latimer-Mosley and was inspired by the quilt “Market Day, Hong Kong.”  If you are close enough to New Rochelle, the show will be at the library until January 28, please visit and let me know what you think.  I would love to see your quilts and/or the stories that go with them.  Please email them to me at Leni@leniwiener.com and if you are willing,  I will share them with other readers of this blog.  Of course, if you don’t want me to share, I won’t! (But I would still love to see them.)

Here is Sharon’s story:

My son has asked that I join them in the United States. My husband is too ill to travel. My temple is here. My home is here. I shop here.  All things I need are right here. Dr. says my feet swell from too much water. Too much salt.  I tell him, I am 82 years old, because of me, he is a doctor. They can swell.

It is a son’s duty to care for his parents. It is a grandparent’s duty to care for grandchildren. Tell them about their ancestors. Help them grow. Children of today have lost sight of this. My son and daughter in law moved to the United States 7 months ago. Business. They will live there for two years. My precious granddaughter was born in the United States. I have not yet held her. They send me pictures of her by computer. Pictures by computer.  My neighbor’s son is a good son. He cares for his parents. Shops for them. Keeps his children nearby.  He makes sure I get the pictures of my granddaughter. She is so beautiful…reminds me of my mother.

Thanks to so many of you who came to the opening of my exhibit Stories in Stitches at the New Rochelle Library yesterday afternoon.  It is good to know that so many people like my work, sometimes working alone all the time I wonder if there is any point.  Obviously, there is.

There was a nice turnout, I got a certificate of merit from George Latimer (our NYS Assemblyman, pictured above in the beige jacket), and there was a lovely spread of wine and food.

My family was there to support me; shown here my husband, Fred; sons Jordan and Jared; and Jared’s girlfriend, Channon:

Barbara Davis, the community relations director of the library, organized the show and had a terrific idea for a tie-in with the exhibit.

She organized two creative writing workshops last week, and the quilts were the inspiration for the creative writing.  Three people shared what they had written standing in front of the quilt which inspired them.  I will post them one at a time for the next few days.  I always find it interesting the stories that others derive from my work.  I know the story that started the piece for me, but no one else does (I purposely keep the titles of my pieces somewhat ambiguous for exactly that reason).

Today, Ken Valen, who ran the workshop and what he wrote about this piece, Jordan;

Ken wrote: