I have been a fan of Abigail Thomas ever since I read her memoir, “Three Dog Life,” years ago. I recently re-read it along with everything else of hers I could find. I just finished her latest, “Still Life at Eighty: The Next Interesting Thing,” with a beautiful photo of her multi-lined face on the cover and a beloved dog in her lap. I love her for the way she observes her life in moments, nothing longer than a few pages, exploring how she came to be the person she is. The everyday and the ordinary are her territory, and where her mind goes “when it’s off-leash,” as she says. And along the way we get her thoughts on writing: “Something interesting might show up at any moment as long as I keep at it, as long as I don’t boss it around…It’s all about discovery, it’s all about possibilities.” That seems to be her attitude to life as well. I consider her a treasure as she continues to write her way through adversity and delight, memory and aging, chronicling the myriad details that make a life worth living.
— Melinda Burns is the daughter of a Mohawk mother and an English father. Her poems, essays, and stories have appeared in The New Quarterly, Grain, Canadian Notes and Queries, The Fiddlehead, and One Art. Her collection of poetry, Homecoming (BookLand Press) is forthcoming in 2025. She lives in Guelph, Ontario.
You can read Melinda Burns' story "Legacy" in Issue 302 Winter 2024. Order the issue now:
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