Charity Hume

Writer / Educator

charity hume
The Naked College Essay bookcover

The Naked College Essay

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On November 25, 2020

In Blog

I am happy to announce my latest book, The Naked College Essay: Writing the True You. Now available on Amazon as an e-book, or as a paperback, it’s a step-by-step writing guide to de-mystify this rite of passage. The writing techniques in this guide will help writers immediately capture the attention of the admissions team. The techniques and writing advice given here have been developed over decades.  It reverse-engineers The Common Application by beginning the process with the most important memories and experiences that have shaped your identity. By focusing in on the unforgettable moments of your life, the essay will be unforgettable to the reader.

To me, the transition to college is a rite of passage, and it makes sense to take a moment and reflect on who you are as you begin the process. Thanks in advance for checking it out, and please be in touch if you are interested in coaching, workshops, or a zoom session to tweak your own essays before you submit. In the meantime, happy writing!

Purchase here

Kintsugi: Finding gold in broken parts of ourselves

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On August 4, 2020

In Blog

Director Terushi Sho’s video on Kintsugi was posted recently on BBC Reel, Japan’s ancient philosophy that helps us accept our flaws, giving the viewer a window into the ancient practice of this art form. Kintsugi artisans take broken pieces of pottery, and repair them with a lacquer made of tree sap, then brush the irregular seams with gold. Although the original pot becomes whole, it retains its broken history. Its flaws deepen the object’s poetic meaning; they make it more beautiful.

From Kintsugi, I treasure the concept that we do not have to hide our pain. We do not have to find ourselves “perfect.” Instead, by looking into the fragments of who we once were, we find the means to accept what has happened in the past. We can steep ourselves in the beauty of a tradition that celebrates the wisdom, the gold, that age and experience can bring.

In the patient acceptance of imperfection, I take heart in the creative process of looking at flaws with curiosity and tenderness, seeing mistakes as an opportunity for inner enrichment. In the scars of the past, there lies a vein of hidden gold, that can once again make us whole.

https://www.bbc.com/reel/playlist/ultimate-japan?vpid=p08mk3br

The world inside a cactus

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On January 20, 2020

In Photo Diary

I took this photograph in the Desert Garden at The Huntington Library. I love the way there is a miniature forest on the top of this one, as though one is looking down from a great height on a world inside this desert plant.

Follow the Money: immigration and global wealth

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On August 30, 2019

In Social Justice

The Pulitzer Prize winner, Sonia Nazario, the author of Enrique’s Journey, makes the case for a much more efficient and economical means of addressing the immigration to the United States.

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“All I have is a voice, to undo the folded lie”

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On June 16, 2019

In Social Justice

“September 1, 1939,” by W.H.Auden

As we read about the conflicting accounts of the tanker attack in the Gulf of Oman last Thursday, there is considerable doubt as to both its source, and the justification for an escalation into war with Iran. In this time of profoundly challenging times for our climate, the earth, and the many people of all nations struck by poverty in the face of the economic wars that have further divided us and left millions to starve or flee their homelands, I seek a voice of wisdom.

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daryl davis

What does the world need now? A lesson from Daryl Davis

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On April 18, 2017

In Social Justice

As April has brought our country the escalation of conflict in our national and international dialogues, I wonder where the language of diplomacy has gone, and why mature, wise voices so rarely have air time in our media coverage.  Yesterday, as I was driving in my car, I heard a story so riveting I could not bring myself to turn off the radio once I’d reached my destination.  I had to hear this story to the end.  In this extraordinary podcast, a black musician, the jazz artist, Daryl Davis, tells the story of meeting a member of the Ku Klux Klan.  NPR aired his story on Easter Sunday but it was originally recorded earlier. In this story, Davis’s masterful storytelling teaches all of us what unexpected results can start with a simple, sincere conversation, a shared drink, a willingness to simply talk about something that completely opposed people might have in common.

Resist the urge to read NPR’s transcript, and instead, click the blue arrow to listen.  You don’t want to miss Daryl Davis’s voice which expresses humor, artful suspense, brilliant storytelling and above all, his wisdom. You will not be disappointed. I am blogging about this story because I think it is “what the world needs now.”  Follow this link to hear the podcast: NPR: The Silver Dollar Lounge

New Year’s Eve meditation

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On December 31, 2016

In Writing

My cousin Catherine Larson has made her front curb in Eugene, Oregon a place to renew one’s thinking by putting poetry out from time to time, so that anyone who walks by can be moved and inspired.  The St. Francis poem that happened to be in the frame when I last visited her caught my attention today when I was looking over the year’s photographs.

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Meryl and the Hidden Hillary

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On July 27, 2016

In Blog

Please view and share Meryl Streep’s moving and articulate view of the hidden Hillary.  Streep elegantly demonstrates the kind of information and tone we need to reach our friends who are on the fence about Hillary.  You cannot underestimate the powerful influence of the opinion of a respected close friend. Now is a good time for each of us to begin conversations with one colleague at a time.

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InHouse Theatre Presents The Weir

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On December 27, 2015

In Blog

Last week, I lucked into a site specific showing of Conor McPherson’s Olivier Award winning play, The Weir, and took my seat at a table in Hutchinson Cocktails and Grill, an Irish bar in West Hollywood, and waited for the play to unfold around me. Yes. I said, “Bar.” InHouse Theater Company uses site specific locations to create an immersive theater experience for the audience:

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billie jean king

Billie Jean King PBS Documentary

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On September 14, 2013

In Blog

This documentary about Billy Jean King is a tribute to a transformative figure in the ongoing quest to help the world see women as powerful figures who deserve equal opportunities, not only in sports, but in leadership. 

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