Jill Harper-Judd
Bio
I've been writing poetry and short stories since childhood....but my life has often been chaotic so (mental) space to write can be hard to find. I am a lover of words and the worlds we can create with them. I seek beauty in all things.
Stories (25/0)
Two fish in a coffeepot
My husband and I bought a fixer-upper right before housing prices doubled in our area. We were thrilled – we knew that when we decided to sell, we would not only be able to pay off the mortgage and home repair bills, but we would also have enough left over for a nice little nest egg for the future. Sadly, he passed away only a few years after we purchased the home. In addition to grief, I felt completely overwhelmed by all the same fixer-upper tasks that we had so enjoyed previously. For my own mental health, I needed to go somewhere without so many memories…but despite pressure from my family to sell my home, I wasn’t quite ready for that either. As a short-term solution, I decided to rent it to some acquaintances of mine.
By Jill Harper-Judd3 months ago in Lifehack
Let go
I joined Vocal only a few months ago, so I don’t really have a “past year”. But – in exploring different online writer communities I quickly came to realize that there are platforms for any creative writing I want to do – and a plethora of readers and writers with whom I can interact to help me improve and refine my writing. That it took me until middle age to realize this and find my (online) tribe is entirely my fault! But Vocal in particular suits me. I like the way communities are grouped into genres and that I can move freely from one to another depending on where I want my writing to be seen. I love that I can comment on published work -and especially that others can comment on my own. We don’t grow unless we push past our comfort zone and it is high time I embrace and act on my desire to be a “WRITER”.
By Jill Harper-Judd4 months ago in Writers
Lullaby
Chapter 1. Lullaby The baying of the hounds carried faintly up the mountain, spiralling into the canyon where the woman – more of a girl, really – and her companion had paused. Both were scratched, cut and bruised from passing through the thick forests leading into the wash, but there was no time to tend these small wounds. She carried a child in her arms – a baby so small that it couldn’t possibly have been a burden – and the child needed feeding. While it nursed, she cast her exhausted gaze around the dry wash where they sheltered, taking in heavy, rounded boulders and walls carved smooth by the movement of water over millenia.
By Jill Harper-Judd4 months ago in Chapters
All we need to know
Identity Who am I? What am I? How is my identity determined? Is it decided by what people see on the outside? By how I feel on the inside? I am a wife and a widow. A mother and a daughter. A friend, a partner, a lover. The list goes on (theoretically) indefinitely – scientist, scholar, teacher, caretaker… - are all those identities discrete? Of course not. They are all descriptions of ME.
By Jill Harper-Judd5 months ago in Writers
I am what I choose
I Am What I Choose (Identity) Jill Harper-Judd I’ve been turning this idea of identity over in my head for a few weeks now. Initially I thought “Oh, I have plenty I can say about that!” And I do. But at the same time, writing about those specific times in my life or reflecting on choices I’ve made feels a bit self-serving – very much a “look at me and how good I am” …and that isn’t in any way my goal. I don’t know that I’m all that good. I’m human. I’m imperfect. I’ve made plenty of mistakes…although I do try to learn from them. As we’ve all heard many times…good judgment comes from prior bad judgment.
By Jill Harper-Judd5 months ago in Writers