387:; in 1986, she bought a house in St. Paul. In 2003, Bly donated to the University of Minnesota her correspondence, notes from writing workshops and classes she taught, and drafts of her works. The eighty-nine boxes included papers written when she was a child as well as later work. Also in 2003, Bly and a friend, Cynthia Loveland, opened Bly and Loveland Press, a small publishing company which has so far published four books that they have written together. Their press also sold custom crossword puzzles, which Bly designed. She continued to work until the end of her life, completing a novel,
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which, to her, is seen in people or organizations which find enjoyment in enslaving, humiliating, or crushing their opponents. The stories emphasize redemption through empathy, which, to Bly, is the step of deliberately looking at how one's actions impact others. Bly always called herself a C.S. Lewis person; she dutifully read
Bonhoeffer, but found him dull.
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from 1991 to 1994, and the board of
Episcopal Community Services in 1978â1979. Bly was also a member of the Minnesota Book and Literary Arts Building Authors' Advisory Group in 1999. She has designed workshops for Women Against Military Madness, National Association of Social Workers, and the Midwest
333:
in 1966, Bly used her literature to reflect modern-day concerns. Her work is in many ways an ethical treatise, often featuring a "bully", embodied by either a person or a corporation, who takes pleasure in forcing his will on another person or group of people. Some of her stories also explore evil,
337:
A typical Bly protagonist is a conventional woman who has been content to live in "ignorant complacency," but, through her own strength and intelligence must first identify the moral crisis facing either her or her community and then work to accomplish change. In her best works, the moral center is
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Bly's short stories are known for their realistic characters and situations, which are fully developed within the small number of pages the story allows. Although many of her stories are set in
Minnesota, the people and the situations transcend local boundaries, emphasizing pride in one's work,
259:. At the time, the farm had no running water. The family lived a relatively simple life, and as she once told a disbelieving census taker, instead of owning a television they entertained themselves with their more than 5,000 books. Their house was usually filled with visiting poets, including
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To reach a broader audience, Bly wrote several books to assist others in learning to write well. Rather than concentrate on the technical basics of writing a story, these books provide tips for writing a story that is "morally, politically, and emotionally deep." Her books are somewhat
31:
183:, and nonfiction works on writing. Her work often featured Minnesota women who must identify the moral crisis that is facing their community or themselves and enact change through empathy, or opening one's eyes to the realities of the situation.
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as well as in the talks and readings she gave. The workshops were of limited size, usually including only eight students, with Bly lecturing as well as providing individual advice and criticism of the student's works.
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Magazine. Writing these short essays about rural life taught her how to think and to express herself well in a relatively small number of pages. The essays were later compiled into the book
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controversial, as they encourage students to use "the sort of 'empathetic questioning' therapists and social workers use" in order to find their strongest feelings and amplify their ideas.
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While her children were small, Bly worked on the farm when necessary and found time to manage the literary journals published by her husband and
William Duffy,
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on a blind date. She was
Episcopalian; he was Lutheran. They married in 1955 and moved to Robert Bly's family farm near the small town of
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Edelstein-Keller
Distinguished Minnesota Author (1998â1999) and the Minnesota Women's Press Favorite Woman Author (2000).
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resourcefulness, the ability to laugh at one's self, and the ability "to hold values beyond one's own immediate welfare."
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At the beginning of the next decade, Bly was asked to write a monthly column, "A Letter from the
Country" for the
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Carolyn McLean was the youngest child and only daughter of
Mildred (nÊe Washburn) and Charles Russell McLean of
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These principles were demonstrated during the four creative writing workshops that Bly taught each spring in
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and a best-selling romance novelist under the pseudonym Eloisa James. Carol and Robert Bly divorced in 1979.
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in 1951 and spent several years working in New York and Boston before undertaking graduate-level work at the
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Institute of School Social
Workers, and was a consultant to the Land Stewardship Project from 1983 to 1992.
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Bly was awarded the 2001 Minnesota
Humanities Award for Literature. She had previously been named the
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McLean's mother died in 1942, at a time when two of her older brothers were fighting in
837:"Review of Carol Bly, CHANGING THE BULLY WHO RULES THE WORLD (Milkweed Editions, 1996)"
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1994 - Friend of School Social Work, Minnesota School Social Workers' Association
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219:. She never lost her preoccupation with the damage that evil people could do.
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888:"Close Up: Carol McLean Bly - Teaching students to dig deep for writing gems"
309:, published in 1981. Three of her stories were also combined into the movie
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hard to find, as each character has some claim to the reader's sympathies.
298:, as well as managing their business, the Sixties and the Seventies Press.
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Seabury-Western Theological Seminary Distinguished Christian Service Award
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Soil and Survival: Land Stewardship and the Future of American Agriculture
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1985 - South Dakota Council of Teachers of English Certificate of Honor
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391:, which was published posthumously in June 2008 by Holy Cow! Press.
171:(April 16, 1930 â December 21, 2007) was an American teacher and an
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Beyond the Writer's Workshop: New Ways to Write Creative Nonfiction
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Minnesota Women's Consortium Distinguished Minnesota Leader Award
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and was often away from the family being treated in sanitariums.
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Colloquium on Violence and Religion Annual Conference 2004
701:. Girardian Reflections on the Lectionary. Archived from
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1990 - Minnesota State Arts Board Individual Artist Grant
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Ramsey County Women's Political Caucus Founding Feminist
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The couple had four children, Micah, Bridget, Noah, and
782:"Books: My Lord Bag of Rice: New and Selected Stories"
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1990 - Minnesota State Annual Book Award, for essays
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2000 - Minnesota Women's Press Favorite Woman Author
944:. University of Minnesota Elmer L. Andersen Library
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545:1998-1999 Edelstein-Keller Author of Distinction,
758:"Review/Film; Plain Jane, Her Perils and Pathos"
539:2001 - Minnesota Humanities Award for Literature
329:Perhaps inspired by Robert Bly's co-founding of
1057:Deaths from ovarian cancer in the United States
1012:Carol Bly, Minnesota's lioness of letters, dies
370:Bly was a member of the board of directors for
734:. Minnesota Historical Society. Archived from
612:"Reviews For: AN ADOLESCENT'S CHRISTMAS: 1944"
463:Bad Government and Silly Literature: An Essay
432:My Lord Bag of Rice: New and Selected Stories
8:
511:Three Readings for Republicans and Democrats
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554:1992 - Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters,
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1122:20th-century American non-fiction writers
1052:20th-century American short story writers
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563:1991 - Bush Foundation Artists Fellowship
383:Following her 1979 divorce, Bly moved to
990:. Bly and Loveland PRess. Archived from
965:. Bly and Loveland Press. Archived from
692:"The Natural World is a Spiritual House"
331:American Writers Against the Vietnam War
862:"Books: The Passionate, Accurate Story"
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560:1991 - Friend of American Writers Award
670:"What It's Like to Lead a Double Life"
473:Changing the Bully Who Rules the World
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231:boarding school, McLean received her
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919:. CarolBly.com. 2003. Archived from
839:. Catholic New Times. Archived from
646:. CarolBly.com. 2003. Archived from
644:"Carol Bly Biographical Information"
1112:21st-century American women writers
1107:20th-century American women writers
479:There once was a man from Nantucket
427:The Tomcat's Wife and Other Stories
1067:Writers from Saint Paul, Minnesota
398:on December 21, 2007, aged 77, in
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278:, who is an English professor at
526:Against Workshopping Manuscripts
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1097:21st-century American novelists
1092:20th-century American essayists
835:Weshues, Kenneth (1997-03-30).
457:An Adolescent's Christmas: 1944
251:While at Wellesley, McLean met
200:. She was raised in Duluth and
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1087:People from Madison, Minnesota
1082:University of Minnesota alumni
1062:Writers from Duluth, Minnesota
963:"About Bly and Loveland Press"
917:"Upcoming Talks and Workshops"
864:. CarolBly.com. Archived from
784:. CarolBly.com. Archived from
614:. Star Tribune. Archived from
498:The Passionate, Accurate Story
1:
942:"Carol Bly Papers, 1936-2003"
516:Stopping the Gallop to Empire
610:Grossmann, Mary Ann (1999).
235:in English and history from
813:. PeaceWork. Archived from
756:James, Caryn (1989-02-17).
690:Johnsen, Bill (June 2004).
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1027:Carol Bly Official Website
521:A Shout to American Clergy
227:After graduating from the
894:. Andover. Archived from
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1117:American women essayists
1102:American women novelists
1077:Wellesley College alumni
1072:Novelists from Minnesota
811:"Ask Me About Carol Bly"
451:Letters from the Country
422:The Tender Organizations
385:Sturgeon Lake, Minnesota
372:The Loft Literary Center
307:Letters From the Country
668:Bly, Mary (June 2005).
547:University of Minnesota
440:(Holy Cow! Press, 2008)
417:Backbone: Short Stories
365:University of Minnesota
241:University of Minnesota
110:University of Minnesota
532:Awards and recognition
303:Minnesota Public Radio
505:With Cynthia Loveland
500:(1990, reissued 1997)
453:(1981, reissued 1999)
406:Selected bibliography
379:Later years and death
352:Saint Paul, Minnesota
202:Tryon, North Carolina
1132:Abbot Academy alumni
144: 1955;
988:"Nifty Crosswords"
400:Oakdale, Minnesota
280:Fordham University
257:Madison, Minnesota
243:in 1954 and 1955.
83:Short story writer
70:Oakdale, Minnesota
556:Northland College
253:Robert Elwood Bly
237:Wellesley College
198:Duluth, Minnesota
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101:Wellesley College
89:nonfiction writer
63:December 21, 2007
53:Duluth, Minnesota
16:American novelist
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213:World War II
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206:tuberculosis
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65:(2007-12-21)
1047:2007 deaths
1042:1930 births
892:Spring 2002
732:"Carol Bly"
359:Recognition
261:Donald Hall
187:Early years
119:1970sâ2000s
1036:Categories
998:2007-02-14
973:2007-02-14
948:2007-02-14
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902:2007-02-14
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767:2007-02-14
742:2007-02-14
712:2007-04-30
676:2007-02-07
654:2007-02-14
622:2007-02-14
586:References
130:Robert Bly
77:Occupation
46:1930-04-16
269:Bill Holm
223:Education
192:Childhood
169:Carol Bly
97:Education
23:Carol Bly
481:, (1950)
342:Teaching
161:Mary Bly
156:Children
86:essayist
411:Fiction
296:Sixties
292:Fifties
217:Gestapo
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494:(2000)
475:(1996)
459:(1999)
445:Essays
434:(2000)
286:Career
267:, and
247:Family
181:essays
173:author
124:Spouse
116:Period
72:, U.S.
55:, U.S.
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233:B.A.
146:div.
60:Died
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