Comments on: Allen Shawn Discusses Phobias http://calitreview.com/221 Book reviews, essays, and author interviews. Sat, 21 Nov 2009 06:53:03 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Jessica http://calitreview.com/221/comment-page-1#comment-39166 Jessica Sun, 04 Jan 2009 01:18:13 +0000 http://calitreview.com//2007/06/13/allen-shawn-discusses-phobias/#comment-39166 Just read your essay, Family Menu, in Eat, Memory: Great Writers at the Table. Enjoyed your story so much had to google you and learn more. Just read your essay, Family Menu, in Eat, Memory: Great Writers at the Table. Enjoyed your story so much had to google you and learn more.

]]> By: Caryl Joy http://calitreview.com/221/comment-page-1#comment-34284 Caryl Joy Sat, 01 Nov 2008 21:22:46 +0000 http://calitreview.com//2007/06/13/allen-shawn-discusses-phobias/#comment-34284 Allen, how are you doing? It's such a long story, but I am a fellow agoraphobic...spent 16 years of my life from age 20 to 36 a prisoner in my own home and in my own mind. It's a lengthy saga and long gone now...but I would like to know how you are, and just to wish you well. I am going to order your memoirs tomorrow...thank you for being brave enough to write them. Like me, I am sure you are all too familiar with the well-meaning and caring...but blank...stares when you try to describe this confounding situation. Thanks, Caryl Joy Allen, how are you doing?

It’s such a long story, but I am a fellow agoraphobic…spent 16 years of my life from age 20 to 36 a prisoner in my own home and in my own mind. It’s a lengthy saga and long gone now…but I would like to know how you are, and just to wish you well.

I am going to order your memoirs tomorrow…thank you for being brave enough to write them. Like me, I am sure you are all too familiar with the well-meaning and caring…but blank…stares when you try to describe this confounding situation.

Thanks,

Caryl Joy

]]> By: deborah goldman http://calitreview.com/221/comment-page-1#comment-21455 deborah goldman Wed, 25 Jun 2008 10:54:51 +0000 http://calitreview.com//2007/06/13/allen-shawn-discusses-phobias/#comment-21455 Your poignant and beautiful article "family meal", which i just finished reading left me in a torrent of tears and filled with curiosity to know more about you. I knew (or felt) that the story would have a "happy" ending or else you wouldnt have published it in this column. after i dried my tears i had to satisfy my curiosity. of course, i couldnt help wondering if Mary responded so easily and well to the sight of the apartment that perhaps all those years your parents had"read' her wrong.or, had Mary changed somehow? and i wondered how it felt to be the twin and out and about, so to speak. then google and then learning about "wish i could be there..." and then understanding that in some way Mary and you share more than you mention. an amazing and as i have already said beautiful story ( i havent event mentioned your Mom's magnificent response) to say nothing of the accompanying recipe. which whenever i prepare it i will be thinking of you, Mary and your Mom. thank you so much. ( a hearty cry isn't such a bad way to start the day. - my brother ( two years older than i who died in 2001) and i had a somewhat similarly complicated realtionship) Your poignant and beautiful article “family meal”, which i just finished reading
left me in a torrent of tears and filled with curiosity to know more about you. I knew (or felt) that the story would have a “happy” ending or else you wouldnt have published it in this column. after i dried my tears i had to satisfy my curiosity. of course, i couldnt help wondering if Mary responded so easily and well to the sight of the apartment that perhaps all those years your parents had”read’ her wrong.or, had Mary changed somehow? and i wondered how it felt to be the twin and out and about, so to speak. then google and then learning about “wish i could be there…” and then understanding that in some way Mary and you share more than you mention. an amazing and as i have already said beautiful story ( i havent event mentioned your Mom’s magnificent response) to say nothing of the accompanying recipe. which whenever i prepare it i will be thinking of you, Mary and your Mom. thank you so much. ( a hearty cry isn’t such a bad way to start the day. – my brother ( two years older than i who died in 2001) and i had a somewhat similarly complicated realtionship)

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