Marlene Wagman-Geller

"As far back as I can remember, it was always on my bucket list, even before the term bucket list was coined,
to be a writer. It was a natural progression to want to go from reading books to writing one."
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Glory Day (1994)

Glory Day (1994)
Apr 30, 2024 by Marlene Wagman-Geller

Ellen: “Haven’t you ever had sex dreams about people?”

Paige: “Ellen, I’m a doer, not a dreamer.”

   “Who shot JR?” In 1980, the question was on everyone’s lips, bumper stickers, and magazine covers. Television audiences were delirious to discover who had fired two .38 caliber bullets into the disreputable oil tycoon during the third season’s finale of Dallas. Seventeen years later, Ellen replicated the furor; on that occasion the question: Is she or isn’t she?

Seen the Glory (1861)

Seen the Glory (1861)
Apr 23, 2024 by Marlene Wagman-Geller

Songs have oftentimes encapsulated the spirit of protest and become synonymous with a movement. In 1772 former slave trader turned abolitionist, John Newton, penned “Amazing Grace,” an ode against slavery.  In 1969 during his ‘bed-in,” John Lennon composed “Give Peace a Chance” against the Vietnam War.  In 1972 Helen Reddy, the voice from Down Under, became the roar of Women’s Liberation.  Another paean was born during a clash between the blue and the gray.

Women's Spaces (2024)

Women's Spaces (2024)
Apr 15, 2024 by Marlene Wagman-Geller
With the exception of hours devoted to sleep, I’ve probably spent more time sitting at a desk, with my hands on a keyboard, than anyplace else.  Kitchen, couch, hiking trails, library, lake, ocean, classroom, tub. I’ve put in my time in all of those spots, but if you tallied up where I’ve physically situated myself for the greatest amount of time over the past seven decades, it’s my desk –some desk, someplace; I’ve known a few—that would win out. 

Still Somewhere

Still Somewhere
Apr 05, 2024 by Marlene Wagman-Geller

“Sorrow lies like a heartbeat behind everything I have written.”

–P. L. Travers

 

The Story Bank (opened in 2019)

 Maryborough, Queensland, Australia

 

If the east wind blows you into the town of Maryborough, visit The Story Bank to partake of heaping spoonfuls of sugar. The museum was the birthplace of P. L. Travers, the Australian-born author of British nanny, Mary Poppins.

Remember the Lady

Remember the Lady
Mar 31, 2024 by Marlene Wagman-Geller

“Give up the harsh title of Master for the more tender and endearing one of Friend.”

–Abigail Adams    

 

            If one listens intensely enough, the walls of Peace field do talk. They whisper of Founding Mother, Abigail Adams, who admonished the periwigs to share power with the petticoats. To discover an intriguing slice of America, explore the Old House at Peace field.

T.G.I.M. (1962)

T.G.I.M. (1962)
Mar 29, 2024 by Marlene Wagman-Geller

   In the 2003 episode of The Simple Life, Paris Hilton, claiming she had never heard of Walmart, asked if it was a place where “they sold wall stuff.” Although Paris does not frequent Walmart, millions do, oblivious to the fact that Samuel Walton, (the last three letters of his surname and the word ‘mart-’abbreviation for market), served as the namesake of the megastore.

ThIs Great War

ThIs Great War
Mar 20, 2024 by Marlene Wagman-Geller

“There is more done with pens than swords.” –Harriet Beecher Stowe

            Extraordinary novels have had a global impact: John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath, Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, and George Orwell’s 1984. Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin altered history as it helped ignite the American Civil War. To learn about the female great emancipator, follow the road to the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center.

Jewel in the Crown (1982)

Jewel in the Crown (1982)
Mar 16, 2024 by Marlene Wagman-Geller

 

  If the Grimm brothers had championed morganatic marriages, Cinderella would still be sweeping cinders, Rapunzel would remain trapped in her tower, Snow White would yet slumber. Similarly, if the English monarchy had harkened to the matrimonial rule of yesteryear, a throne would not beckon for a coal miner’s “daughter.”

The Other Hamilton

The Other Hamilton
Mar 14, 2024 by Marlene Wagman-Geller

“No lapse of time, no nearness to the grave, makes any difference.”

–Eliza Hamilton on her refusal to forgive President James Monroe

 

            At the conclusion of the megahit musical, Hamilton, Eliza Hamilton lets out a gasp, followed by the chorus breaking into the haunting lyrics, “Who lives, who dies, who tells your story?” A way to discover Eliza’s story is to visit the Hamilton Grange house-museum.

         

Let History Make the Judgment (1993)

Let History Make the Judgment (1993)
Mar 12, 2024 by Marlene Wagman-Geller
Historically, females could not be attorneys; they could not be generals. Hence, when Janet Reno became the first attorney general, the splintering of the glass ceiling sent seismic shock waves throughout the country.

A Room of One's Own

A Room of One's Own
Jan 25, 2024 by Marlene Wagman-Geller

“For most of history, Anonymous was a woman.”

–Virginia Woolf

  

Monk’s House (opened 1981)

East Sussex, England

 

Leonard Wolf observed, “What cuts the deepest channels in our lives are the different houses in which we live.” His words apply to Monk’s House that served as a lighthouse for him and his writer-wife, Virginia.  

                

The Last Word (1501)

The Last Word (1501)
Jan 25, 2024 by Marlene Wagman-Geller
  Kings are subject to grand gestures, sometimes of a romantic nature. Legend holds that when Queen Amytis grew homesick for the lush landscape of her native Media, her husband, King Nebuchadnezzar II, commissioned the Hanging Gardens of Babylon in his desert kingdom. When Mumtaz Mahal died giving birth to their fourteenth child, Shah Jahan immortalized his wife with the world’s most magnificent mausoleum. King Edward VIII, urged to give up his mistress, Wallis Simpson, instead relinquished the British throne. Another crowned head changed his country’s religion to legalize his obsession.

Graves are Always Tidy

Graves are Always Tidy
Jan 24, 2024 by Marlene Wagman-Geller

 

Chapter # Graves are Always Tidy

“One can give up many things for love, but one should not give up oneself.” -Edith Wharton

 

The Mount (opened 2002 )

Lennox, Massachusetts

 

         The writer who punctured the stereotype of the starving artist, Edith Wharton comes across as a cosseted, stiff-necked dowager, with stays firmly fastened. However, if passion had not beat under the primness, she could never have penned her passionate epics. To partake of her gilded world, grab your lorgnette and head to The Mount.

        

Ready to Depart

Ready to Depart
Jan 14, 2024 by Marlene Wagman-Geller

The Karen Blixen Museum (opened in 1986)

Nairobi, Kenya

 

 

“I had a farm in Africa, at the foot of the Ngong Hills…” are the opening words of Karen Blixen’s memoir of her seventeen-year sojourn in Nairobi.  Visiting her former home, now the Karen Blixen Museum, is to return to a yesterday where the “The Dark Continent,” then the domain of British East Africa, was the paradise-playground of rich Europeans.

The Past

The Past
Jan 09, 2024 by Marlene Wagman-Geller

 

“Never relight a dead cigarette or an old passion.”

–Katherine Mansfield

 

Katherine Mansfield House & Garden (opened 1988)

Wellington, New Zealand

 

The possessors of sphinxlike personalities prove challenging subjects for their biographers who must strip off various masks. Katherine Mansfield, in her journal, paraphrased Polonius’ words from Shakespeare’s play The Tragedy of Hamlet, “True to oneself Which self?” To best understand the New Zealand enigma, journey to the landscape of her childhood: the Katherine Mansfield House & Garden.

                

Of Their Number

Of Their Number
Jan 04, 2024 by Marlene Wagman-Geller

  

“Afflictions are the steps to heaven.”

–Mother Elizabeth Ann Seton   

 

The National Shrine of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton (opened 1965)

Emmitsburg, Maryland

                 

A Negro spiritual, popularized by Louis Armstrong, begins with the lyrics, “Oh, when the saints go marching in, oh, when the saints go marching in…” To learn about the woman who traversed the road from socialite to saint, head to Emmitsburg, Maryland, the site of the National Shrine of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton.

           

Iron Butterfly

Iron Butterfly
Dec 30, 2023 by Marlene Wagman-Geller

“The people need a role model…especially in the dark of night.”

–Imelda Marcos

 

Santo Niño Shrine and Heritage Museum (opened 1979)

Tacloban, Philippines

                

If a Grimm’s brother princess possessed the ability to write, her message would read, “A new pair of shoes can change your life-Cinderella.” A former First Lady of the Philippines would have wholeheartedly agreed. To partake of a dwelling of fairy tale proportions, enter the estate of the Santo Niño Shrine and Heritage Museum.

Bid Time Return

Bid Time Return
Dec 24, 2023 by Marlene Wagman-Geller

 

“Surely for everything you love, you have to pay some price.”

–Agatha Christie

 

Greenway House (opened 2009)

Devon, England

 

As a rule of thumb, people are not salivating to visit an isolated manor whose hostess’ specialty is poison, where random bodies turn up. While the latter scenario is the case in Agatha Christie’s novels, the author’s retreat, Greenway House, is a pastoral estate to which fans flock.

Coded Diary

Coded Diary
Dec 22, 2023 by Marlene Wagman-Geller

“The more spontaneous the pleasure, the more happy the result.” – Beatrix Potter 

Hill Top (opened 1946)

Near Sawrey, Lake District, England

 

            For over a century, children have delighted in the adventures of Peter Rabbit, the bunny who dressed in blue coat with brass buttons. To enter the whimsical world of his creator, Beatrix Potter, hop on over to the Lake District’s Hill Top.

Quiet Earth

Quiet Earth
Dec 19, 2023 by Marlene Wagman-Geller

“My home is humble and unattractive to strangers, but to me it contains what I shall find nowhere else in the world-the affection which brothers and. Sisters feel for each other.”

–Charlotte Brontë   

 

Brontë Parsonage Museum (opened 1928)

Yorkshire, England

            Historic houses reverberate with secrets, and one is how an isolated parsonage on a windswept moor produced the passion that birthed two immortal love stories. To enter the confessional of the original weird sisters-Emily Jane, Charlotte, and Anne-one can journey to the Brontë Parsonage Museum, a British literary shrine second only to Stratford-on-Avon.