Comments on: Discourses on Paper Dolls

By: Linda McHenry

Linda McHenry — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 16:33:17 +0000

Very nice story. Loved the contrast between living dolls and paper dolls. I remember playing with paper dolls as a little girl, too. I named them, loved them, abused them with ugly, mismatched outfits. I remember the creases at the waistlines and how easily they fell over and lost their clothing.
Beautifully written story.

By: Rosemary Murray

Rosemary Murray — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 18:49:53 +0000

I loved this story. It was so creative and the writer expressed her love of Paper Dolls in an exceptional manner. I, too, loved paper dolls and whenever I was sick and had to stay home from school, my mother would bring me a new book of paper dolls and clothes. I would spend hours cutting out the different outfits, fitting them to one of the cardboard dolls. My paper dolls usually wore pants, though there were not a lot of options back in the 50′s. Dresses were for girls, pants were for boys. So I would draw my own clothes on construction paper, cut them out, and afix them to one of my dolls.

Thank you for a wonderful read. It has inspired my own creativity for creative non-fiction and also, brought back wonderful memories of a less complicated world than the one we live in today.

By: Gail Storey

Gail Storey — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 16:59:38 +0000

What a fascinating piece, taking paper dolls as the operative metaphor and plumbing layers of meaning with so innovative a strategy. I liked it a lot; kudos to Nick Flynn for choosing it.

By: Yolanda Lewis

Yolanda Lewis — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 12:30:21 +0000

I love the story/articles regarding paper dolls. It brought so many memories when I was a little girl. I used to play with paper dolls for hours, my sister and I. It was one of our favorite things in the whole world. My mother would tell us stories about when she was a little girl and how she would play with paper dolls also, for that was the only way she could have a doll is through paper dolls for she would make them homemade and she taught my sister and me how to make homemade paper dolls. I treasure those moments. When I had my daughter I introduced her to paper dolls, but I never got the opportunity to show her how my mom showed me how to make homemade paper dolls and that’s one thing I regret. Thanks.

Yolanda L Lewis

By: Pam Mitchell, RN

Pam Mitchell, RN — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 20:54:40 +0000

Wonderful work! Thank you for this. Creative non-fiction at its best.
As someone who just left seminary due to realizing the subtleties of abuse, you have made this powerful. It is so often difficult to find the words…….
Ah Diane, thank you!