Now What?
“What do you think is going to happen?” I must have heard this 50 or more times since it happened. After a brutal election cycle, I – like millions of Americans – spent my November 9 feeling overwhelmed by a swirling and full range of emotions. Nothing about this week, and now, is straightforward. The […]
Creative Non-Fiction
Over the summer, Brent and I took a creative non-fiction writing workshop. It was awesome. Not only was it taught by one of my dear friends and colleagues, but it was also an opportunity for me to write consistently and explore a style that I haven’t really played with before. Being a blogger is sort […]
The Struggle With the Gut
Do you remember when you were growing up and learning all about gut feelings? Those moments when you were told to stop and listen to the internal jerking that made you nervous, uneasy, or anxious? You were reminded to go with your gut when it told you something. Listen to it. Appreciate it. Learn to […]
What happens when you take a blogging holiday.
My last post was months ago. I’m not sorry. The break was good. I lived fully for several months, taking in all of the best parts (and even some not great parts) of this beautiful, crazy, and often bewildering world we live in. I stopped feeling guilty about not writing because really, when it comes […]
75 Thoughts You’ll Have Getting Ready for Your Wedding Day
A few months ago, Brent and I tied the knot. It was…perfect. Absolutely and in every way. But internally, while I was surrounded by all of this perfection, my mind raced. So many thoughts and feelings. They sounded and felt a little something like this… The Morning Of 1.) Zzzzzz….. (*alarm blasts waking you from […]
Why Does Creativity Feel So Difficult?
I scheduled the time for me to write this. I planned it in advance. In my whirling brain, I committed myself to sitting down and writing about… … … … Something. Creativity doesn’t always come easily to me. There are times when I sit and stare at an empty screen, waiting for an answer that […]
Letter to Self
There’s a file on my Google Drive named “Mandy’s Big Fat Wishlist”. In it, there’s a list of things I want to do in the next few months, the next year, and then within the next 3-10 years. Somehow sitting down and actually writing out things that I want to do/see/be makes it feel more […]
Hamlet
In 2013, lightning struck. The New Vintage Ensemble was born out of a love for taking the work – but not ourselves – seriously. And now, we’re at it again. “Hamlet” opens next week and I couldn’t be more thrilled about it. The countless hours, phone calls, and Google Drive documents (I’ll get to that […]
Sometimes
The labyrinth in the @marywooduniversity Rotunda. #meditation #walk A photo posted by Mandy (Boyle) Pennington (@mandyboyle_) on Nov 18, 2015 at 6:08pm PST Sometimes, you leave a class you taught and need to sit in the Rotunda. You sit. You breathe deeply. You remember. You remember how it felt to have a few moments […]
Bursty Heart Feels & Fringe
Scranton Fringe has me feelin’ lots of things. Here’s why you should be opening up your thought locker and heart cavern to them, too.