Yvonne Watterson Writing

Yvonne Watterson Writing

considering the lilies & lessons from the field ©

More About Yvonne

More About Yvonne

More about Yvonne

Yvonne Watterson is a Northern Irish-born writer and educator, now based near Guadalajara, Mexico. Her career in public education spans 30 years, during which she led school reform initiatives featured in national outlets including The New York Times and Education Week. Her work as a high school principal in Arizona focused on equity, inclusion, and student advocacy, earning both local and national attention. Yvonne's writing life began in November 2011, after an invasive breast cancer diagnosis sent her searching for answers online. What began as survival grew into a practice of storytelling, with her work appearing beyond this blog in The Irish Times, Irish Central, Reading Ireland, and other outlets. Yvonne's essays and reflections explore themes ranging from The Troubles in Northern Ireland and the poetry of Seamus Heaney to personal experiences of illness, loss, and resilience after being widowed in 2013. She compiled and edited Documented Dreams, a bilingual collection of letters documenting her advocacy with young immigrant students, and she contributed to Bravados: An Anthology, featuring 21 personal narratives by expats living in the Lake Chapala region. Most recently, she collaborated with Stephen Travers on The Bass Player – Surviving the Miami Showband Massacre. Yvonne’s social justice advocacy has earned her numerous honors, including the City of Phoenix Martin Luther King “Living the Dream” Award and the YWCA Tribute to Women Social Justice Leader Award. She is also a musician, performing with her partner, Scott Henrich, in The Old Souls Band, a six-piece Americana ensemble based in Ajijic, Mexico and she plays violin in the Lake Chapala Community Orchestra. Her daughter, Sophie, also a writer, lives in Arizona. “If you have the words, there's always a chance that you'll find the way.” ― Seamus Heaney

  • After death of a spouse,  Animals,  Arizona Humane Society,  Best friends,  Dog Rescue,  Dogs,  Friendship,  Love,  Mary Oliver,  Memoir,  Mother Daughter Relationship,  Rites of passage,  Themes of Childhood,  Van Morrison

    in the shape of a heart

    August 10, 2023 / 3 Comments

    “And it is exceedingly short, his galloping life. Dogs die so soon. I have my stories of that grief, no doubt many of you do also. It is almost a failure of will, a failure of love, to let them grow old—or so it feels. We would do anything to keep them with us, and to keep them young. The one gift we cannot give.” ― Mary Oliver, Dog Songs: Poems

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    Epitaph . . . for your birthday

    September 21, 2025

    Something is happening here … Happy Birthday Bob Dylan

    May 24, 2023

    the write stuff … for valentine’s day

    February 13, 2025
  • Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band,  Cadillac Ranch,  Coming of age,  Drive All Night,  The Price You Pay,  The River,  The River Tour 2016

    by the river on independence day

    July 4, 2023 / 1 Comment

    I’m remembering the fireworks that exploded into the sky over Slane Castle on a summer evening in 1985 when Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band made their Irish debut. Close to 100,000 of us had made the pilgrimage through the sleepy and disapproving village of Slane to see The Boss. Between assurances of increased security and a promise–– that remains unfulfilled–– that this would be the last rock concert to disturb them, the residents had been placated. Even the weather cooperated. It was the kind of sun-drenched day the Irish pray for. Everybody was young that day, even the crotchety old farmers who let us park our cars on…

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    Magic Time

    December 21, 2022

    an irish mother’s day dance

    March 19, 2023

    Dear Igor . . . the last name on the list

    September 11, 2021
  • Memoir,  Teaching

    please read the letter . . .

    June 19, 2023 / No Comments

    The 74-year old man in black still sounds like the Robert Plant in your memory … the one who never failed to hit the paint-peeling high notes on a Led Zeppelin classic, the one who belongs up there on a Mount Rushmore of rock and roll frontmen. A sold-out crowd at the University of Arizona’s Centennial Hall is on its feet by the end of a revamped ‘Rock and Roll, and then a kind of hush as Plant leans into “Please Read The Letter.” It’s a slow-burn of a song that hints at infidelity and mistakes that can’t be fixed. It’s also a song about the way we used to…

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    Walking on air . . . for your birthday

    September 21, 2021

    What would Dr. King do?

    January 16, 2022

    a homing bird

    March 3, 2023
  • Being young,  Coming of age,  Death and dying,  John Lennon,  learning to drive,  Memoir,  Mother Daughter Relationship,  riding a bicycle,  saying goodbye,  Starting over,  Time,  widowed

    How to ride a bike . . .

    June 18, 2023 / No Comments

    And what is a bicycle? It is trust and balance, and that's what love is. Love is trust and balance. 

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    Enniskillen lingers

    November 8, 2023

    Epitaph . . . for your birthday

    September 20, 2022

    Something is happening here … Happy Birthday Bob Dylan

    May 24, 2023
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ycwatterson@gmail.com

Field Notes

  • Straight Talk about Curly Hair
  • these are the good old days. . .
  • titanica – keep me in your heart for a while
  • No Sanctuary: By The Wayside
  • Epitaph . . . for your birthday

Shortlisted for 2025 Irish Book Awards

Stephen Travers with Yvonne Watterson, Foreword by Alexandra Orton

Longlisted. 2015 Blog Awards Ireland

Finalist: 2014 Blog Awards Ireland – Best Blog of Irish Diaspora

SHORTLISTED: 2013 BEST BLOG OF THE IRISH DIASPORA

The Lilies at Rideau Hall, Ottawa, Canada ~ photograph by Ken Kaminesky .

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Copyright © & Usage 2025 Yvonne Watterson Writing - All rights reserved. All content published on this blog—including articles, images, and media—is the property of Yvonne Watterson , unless otherwise noted. Unauthorized use or duplication of this material without express written permission is strictly prohibited. You may share brief excerpts and links to blog posts for non-commercial purposes, provided that full and clear credit is given to Yvonne Watterson with a direct link to the original content. This blog is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License . Disclaimer The views expressed on this blog are solely those of the author and do not reflect the opinions of any organizations or affiliates. Some posts may include affiliate links, meaning I may earn a small commission—at no additional cost to you—if you choose to make a purchase through those links. These help support the blog and its content.

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Copyright © & Usage 2025 Yvonne Watterson Writing - All rights reserved. All content published on this blog—including articles, images, and media—is the property of Yvonne Watterson , unless otherwise noted. Unauthorized use or duplication of this material without express written permission is strictly prohibited. You may share brief excerpts and links to blog posts for non-commercial purposes, provided that full and clear credit is given to Yvonne Watterson with a direct link to the original content. This blog is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License . Disclaimer The views expressed on this blog are solely those of the author and do not reflect the opinions of any organizations or affiliates. Some posts may include affiliate links, meaning I may earn a small commission—at no additional cost to you—if you choose to make a purchase through those links. These help support the blog and its content.
 

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