The Hometown of My Heart

Published in Velocity Weekly, July 15, 2009

Four years ago I moved to Louisville with nothing but two suitcases of clothes, a few Rubbermaid containers full of junk and a dream of inspiring people with words.

July 17 will be my last day as a staff writer for Velocity Weekly and next week I’ll pack up my car once again, this time to head back to my Sweet Home Alabama. Hubster and I are moving to Birmingham where, starting next month, I’ll be teaching literature and writing at a school for gifted kids.

I’m excited to share the same area code with my family again, excited to experience my hometown as a working adult and, most of all, I’m eager to show students how empowering and inspiring the written word can be. The moments I’ve spent packing up my desk and my condo, however, have been bittersweet. There’s a knot in my throat reminding me just how much I’m going to miss Louisville.

I’ve long before said that Louisville is the hometown of my heart. I love Birmingham dearly and I’m proud to call it home. But while Birmingham is where I grew up, Louisville is the city where I became a woman… Read more.