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

  • Dispatch from the Diaspora,  Northern Ireland,  Rituals,  The Troubles,  Themes of Childhood,  United Workers Council Strike 1974

    Haunted

    October 23, 2024 / No Comments

    "Given the courage, we live by moments of interference between past and present, moments in which time comes back into phase with itself. It is the only meaning of history. We search the past not for other creatures but for our own lost selves."

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  • Dispatch from the Diaspora

    made to last

    October 13, 2024 / 2 Comments

    artisan Pronunciation:/ˌɑːtɪˈzan, ˈɑːtɪzan/ NOUN a worker in a skilled trade, especially one that involves making things by hand:street markets where local artisans display handwoven textiles, painted ceramics, and leather goods “We knew love. It wasn’t a matter of declaring it. It was proven.” ~ Seamus Heaney I was on the phone with a friend the other day when I heard a high pitched whistle from the street. My friend heard it too, and I took a little detour from our conversation to explain that we were hearing the distinct sound of the knife-sharpener passing through my Mexican neighborhood. I like it. More than a call to potential customers, the knife-sharpener’s…

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    Epitaph . . . for your birthday

    September 21, 2025

    For my Father on his Birthday: A Harvest Bow

    October 12, 2021

    Something is happening here … Happy Birthday Bob Dylan

    May 24, 2023
  • American Dream,  Bruce Springsteen,  Themes of Childhood

    Dream On …

    September 23, 2024 / No Comments

    "I’ll often have people tell me, “I'm really not that into politics.” Well too damn bad – politics is into you! Get engaged, get registered, and go vote." - Tim Walz

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  • Lou Reed,  Memoir,  Mother Daughter Relationship,  Music,  The Velvet Underground

    hand ballet

    September 21, 2024 / No Comments

    The day Lou Reed died shouldn’t have been particularly relevant, but I remember it. I remember the way the afternoon sun made shadows on my daughter’s fingers.  Graceful and elegant. Just a twinkling ago, my baby girl first discovered her hands. For me, her besotted mother, it was a magical milestone in her development. She was surely the first child to ever make such a discovery, her little fingers in constant motion. Her father and I called it “hand ballet.” Transfixed, as though under a spell, she paid rapt attention, staring intently, unblinking, at the dancing fingers that would soon cooperate to clap hands, tie laces, make music, whisk eggs, and wipe…

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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 .

take time to consider the lilies every day . . .
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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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