Posts by Saloma Furlong
Amish Conference 2016, Part 1
I traveled back from the Amish Conference at Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania yesterday. I was so glad I attended the conference. There were so many good presentations that stimulated good conversations and debates, that it is hard for me to know where to begin to describe it. Perhaps I will start in the beginning, as…
Read MoreInterview on American Studies Blog
A new interview was published today on the American Studies Blog. It’s called “Art Meets Life: An Interview with Ex-Amish Author Saloma Miller Furlong. Sabrina Völz, from Leuphana University in Lüneberg, Germany, is the author of this blog. She asked me for an interview a few months back. I look forward to meeting her at…
Read MoreDonald Trump and the Amish
I have been reflecting on how little I was aware of what was going on in presidential elections when I was still living among the Amish. Sometimes I almost wish I could tune out this election the way I used to then. Then I discovered the story about Amish PAC. I realized that wishing myself…
Read MoreKeepsakes
I have been focused on spring cleaning. I don’t clean the inside and outside of my cupboards very often, but during this week of rain we’ve had, I did. I could not wash the windows inside and out, so I tackled the cupboards instead. It was a satisfying feeling, wiping out that last drawer. In…
Read MoreWhat Do Amish and Kenyan Women Have in Common?
A few months ago, I received an unexpected package in the mail. It was one of my faithful readers, who sent me a book as a gift, called Footsteps by Kirsten Johnson. It has taken me a while to get around to reading it, but I am so glad I did. I knew nothing about…
Read MoreThe Crocuses are Blooming at the Bridgeside Retreat
Last autumn I planted several dozen white and purple crocus bulbs next to the walkway and around the mailbox. When other crocuses in the area started blooming, along with our daffodils and the irises were growing, I thought the crocuses were not going to bloom. Then last week they started poking through the ground and…
Read MoreBook Review: Simple Pleasures by Marianne Jantzi
I breathed deeply and reveled in the beautiful morning. The vehicles hummed by on the pavement, the sun burned the mist off the river, and the birds busily ate breakfast. ~ Marianne Jantzi If you are interested in Amish life and you are tired of those Amish fiction books produced by the mass market, then…
Read MoreA Peaceful Pause
Like many others, I am more engaged in this presidential campaign year than I have ever been before. I won’t start a whole debate about who is the best prospect we have because I know this year people have very strong feelings one way or another. Nor will I point fingers at the people who…
Read MoreGood Friday
By the time I awoke this morning, we had already had our Good Friday rain. You may be wondering what I mean by this, so let me explain. When I was growing up, my mother claimed that it rains on every Good Friday, even if it is just a few raindrops. She said this rain…
Read MoreThe Fulbright Decision
The Fulbright decision came through on Tuesday, and it was not the one I was hoping to read: “Dear Ms. Furlong, “The J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board has asked the Institute of International Education to inform you that you have not been selected for an award for the 2016-17 Fulbright U.S. Student Program.” When…
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