Writers and readers alike may find inspiration in the story of Brunswick resident Nancy Collins, a former educator whose winding career path eventually led her to writing a memoir later in life.
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| Maine author Nancy Collins will appear at the Windham Public Library from 6 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 1 to discuss her new book 'The Perfectly Imperfect Potter.' SUBMITTED PHOTO |
Collins confesses that she never saw herself as a writer. She first studied Interior Design at the University of Connecticut, though she admits she never found her footing in that field. She returned to school to earn a degree in computer science from Norfolk State University in Virginia, where her interests continued to evolve as she noticed growing concerns among college students, prompting her to pursue a master’s degree in counseling at Old Dominion University, followed by a doctorate in education.
“When I was very young, my mother started taking me to the library every other week. I especially remember Nancy Drew mystery stories. In much later years, I fell for British writers,” says Collins. “I never thought about writing. I was more interested in arts, like painting and pottery. I also loved the outdoors.”
Collins’ first attempt at writing was inspired by her sister Jo Anne.
“Decades ago, when my sister Jo Anne and her husband were taking a three-year-long sailing trip, she mailed me fascinating stories about their experiences. I thought it would be interesting if I could write a book based on her,” says Collins. “I worked on the book for about a year and then totally gave up on it. I was not interested in sitting still.”
However, when Collins’ friend Ann invited her to join a writing group about 12 years ago, things began to change.
“I did not really have time or much interest, but I decided to give it a try,” says Collins. “Once a month, I submitted a story I had written about one of my experiences. I started thinking that it was fun and I could do it.”
A turning point came when Collins realized that readers found her stories funny.
“I like making people happy,” she says.
Since then, humor has become the central inspiration behind her work, shaping both her voice as well as the themes she explores.
“When I discovered an article in a Martha Stewart magazine titled, “Wabi Sabi Your Life,” I was hooked,” says Collins. “The idea of wabi sabi is that imperfection is fine. It is OK to be average.”
“The Perfectly Imperfect Potter” begins when Collins climbs aboard an old wooden boat and her life as a “live-aboard” begins. She leaves behind her wayward husband and their over-mortgaged house and becomes the pilot of her own power boat, the First Class. Hoping to create a perfect life for herself, she tries pottery lessons and immediately becomes hooked on clay. She soon discovers that playing in mud is only the beginning of her new life.
In Part One of the book, Collins says that she is focused on being as perfect as possible. By Part Two, she changes her vision to imperfection accepted.
“In the first half of my book, I show how I wanted to appear to be perfect, as if sculpting flawless clay pottery,” says Collins. “In the second half, I was living wabi sabi; I was learning to live with imperfection.”
Her “The Perfectly Imperfect Potter” is made up of two parts, “Perfection Expected” and “Imperfection Accepted.”
“In chapter 1, my second husband left me for another woman. So, I decided to buy an old wooden boat and move onto it. The next chapters contained crazy pottery lessons, a new cat, and a better boyfriend,” Collins says. “In Part Two, I learned about the philosophy of Wabi Sabi and how to accept Imperfection. I moved to Maine with my third husband where we discovered skating and islands. and very interesting people.”
Collins currently lives in Maine where she taught at Southern Maine Community College for about 10 years. When COVID occurred, she retired. She is now enjoying the best life in Brunswick.
Choice of attending her book discussion at the library is in-person or virtually by ZOOM. Call or email the Windham Public Libraty’s Help Desk at 207-892-1908 ext. 5 or [email protected] to learn more about the event. Transportation may be available from Age Friendly Windham by calling 207-892-4649. <
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