Neckties and silky dress fabrics were used in the 36x36 quilt that I made many years ago, it was one of my first uses of embellishment I included beads in the rows of hand quilting. I had forgotten about this quilt and about another two-sided quilt I made using ties until yesterday when I got into the top most shelf of a closet.
Today I gave this quilt to my long time friend, Adrienne Kennedy, the playwright, who is a neighbor and whose plays I typed for her during a certainly period of our aquaintance. She is a very lovely and thoughtful woman. We tend to talk about both writing and about what growing older and being grandparents means, and about money as well and making ends meet. I went to say goodbye, although that's not a word she wants to hear. She thinks of living with or near her youngest son but feels it's not a good thing for her, we discussed what being near family means when ou are older.
She pointed out that we have known each other since 1984 -- which is 25 years. Lately as we both go into different life phases we have not seen or talked to each other often, but a warm bond is there. She is a unique writer first and foremost, as a woman who seems fragile -- she has severe asthma -- but, in fact, is a strong person and has persevered with her very personal and poetic writing against the odds of being both a woman and a black person in a theatre world that has not welcomed and rarely understood either. She has been enormously encouraging to me and has often asked to read my work, as almost no one else has. Just the asking is generous far beyond the usual. I have appreciated that very greatly. This is a good-bye that I will keep on thinking about for some time to come.
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