From Nancy, About Nancy

In the fourth grade my teacher Mrs. Semonche, introduced me to the arts. Our class listened to music, viewed images of great paintings and sculpture, got our hands dirty with clay and paint, and even performed A Midsummer’s Night Dream. We also wrote. Of all these activities, writing was my favorite.

We wrote short pieces such as How to Make a Sandwich, How to Find Your Car in a Parking Lot, and a short story titled A Room in Moscow. We were encouraged to use our imagination. There was nothing that was too flighty or fantastic for writing class.

I had never been a good student, but finally I was receiving little check marks on some of my school papers. Sometimes Mrs. Semonche would write along the margins of my papers, “Nice Details,” and “Good!” This was all the encouragement I needed.

Writing suited my temperament, and my lifestyle too. I was extremely shy, and I lived with a large, loud family in which it was difficult to be heard. I turned to the page when I had something to say. It didn’t really matter if anyone read it or not, as long as I got it said.

I took creative writing classes all through junior high and high school. I mostly hated school, and when  I graduated in 1972 I shunned college, and married my high school boyfriend instead. Admittedly, this was not the best choice in the world. We split up several years later and I began working a variety of jobs to support myself... Nancy's list of jobs

In 1996 my first book, Life Without Water was published and chosen as a New York Times Notable Book. It was followed a few years later by Home Across the Road. In spite of this success I still had to keep my day job. I worked for years as a self-employed housecleaner. My third book, and my first work of nonfiction, is taken from my experiences of living as an artist and a maid. A Broom of One’s Own: Words on Writing, Housecleaning, and Life will be published by Harper Collins in April 2008.

I now run writing workshops in my studio. I live with my husband, Ben, and a resident box turtle named Caroline in a small house in Chatham County. Well, actually Caroline lives outside and has, so far, graced us with her presence every morning. ...more about Workshops and Classes