I was honored recently to be part of a panel discussion, “Shining a Light on Grief,” with Carole Geithner, author of “If Only,” a young adult novel I thought was enchanting. I’d recommend Carole’s book to anyone, young or old. … Continue reading
As a bereaved mother who mourned and still mourns the loss of her three-year-old son, Michael, I cringed when I heard former governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin, make reference to the families of the victims of the terrible shooting in … Continue reading
Fran Dorf’s book, Saving Elijah, is available at Amazon.com.
A few days ago, I went to see a performance by “channeler” Roland Comtois, when he appeared locally before a group of about forty parents who’ve lost children. I like to “suss” things out, as my son’s former nanny, a … Continue reading
My trusty Shorter Oxford English Dictionary includes this definition of the word “inoculate”: The deliberate introduction into the body of a micro-organism, especially in order to induce immunity to a disease; vaccination. In the fifteen years since my three-year-old son, … Continue reading
Around 1:30 in the afternoon, Dec. 7, 1993 – by coincidence, Pearl Harbor Day – I put my three-year-old son, Michael, down for his nap, went to my office, turned on the intercom, and began to work on my third … Continue reading
By Fran Dorf The following is the Prologue for Saving Elijah, Fran Dorf’s novel about child-loss. When the woman phoned, I couldn’t place her name until she said she was Maggie’s mother. Then I knew. They’d made quite a pair … Continue reading
By Fran Dorf — This somber, difficult film directed by Atom Egoyan, based on the 1991 novel by Russell Banks, is set in a small town in the aftermath of a school bus accident that has killed most of the … Continue reading
Review by Fran Dorf – This 2004 film honestly examines a marriage breaking apart after child-loss. Adapted from the first (and best, in my opinion) part of John Irving’s best-selling novel, A Widow for One Year, the film is set … Continue reading
Reviewed by Fran Dorf – Written and directed by Tamara Jenkins, The Savages is a nuanced, closely observed film about a middle-aged brother and sister reckoning with their guilt, responsibility, and ambivalent feelings when their long estranged father develops vascular … Continue reading
By Fran Dorf — Grief is both the thematic underpinning and the overarching aura in this low key, but absorbing and powerful film. Although humanistic and realistic, the film is suffused with memories of the dead, which loom over the … Continue reading
Poet/writer Fran Dorf gives voice to the experience we often have when we see someone who looks like a loved one who has died. It’s a haunting, healing reminder of how grief works. Continue reading