"The Place Worth Seeking"

While re-examining Sanders's 'Writing from the Center,' a key passage stood out. Throughout the entire essay, Sanders states that there are many ways to write, and many places to draw inspiration from, but the most abundant source of purpose is the home. He contrasts exile and isolation with the feeling of comfort that one gets from the home.

At the beginning of Sanders's essay, he states, "We have expected the writer to be a misfit, an outsider, a stranger in strange lands, uprooted, lonely and lorn" (page 150). While Sanders does not entirely believe this expectation, he does acknowledge that revered writers have emerged from exile and isolation (pg. 150-151). Nevertheless, this is not the case in his personal history. Sanders states on page 164 that "The truth about our existence is to be found not in some remote place or extreme condition but right-here and right-now; we already dwell in the place worth seeking." He does not believe that exile is the most suitable writing environment for all people. Throughout his essay, he tries to prove this point. Sanders provides a personal example to elaborate this concept. For example, he states that he left Cambridge and came back to his home in the Midwest, because it was the place where he knew how to write (pg. 152). Sanders feels that the home stirs up emotions that cannot be found anywhere else, and can also stimulate the writing process (page 152). This is a feeling that I agree with.

Sanders then goes on to explain his "place worth seeking". He explains that he has "a family, a community, and a landscape" (pg. 164) These elements of his life form "concentric rings of duty and possibility" (pg. 164). This means that while Sanders can take care of his family and surrounding environment, he can also give back to them by writing about them. Sanders feels that working from home in an environment that is familiar is, for him, the only way to write well.

Through the use of the word "concentric", Sanders illustrates how his writing life is not separate from his family life, but rather, how they are interconnected. Taking the time to think about this idea, it seems clear that all parts of life are connected in some way. But according to Sanders, most prominent writers separate themselves from either their homeland, their family, or their wife. Despite what writers have done in the past, however, Sanders has the ability to live with all of the pleasures of life (wife, home) while still being able to write about his home. I found that his defense of his homeland was refreshing because not many people would write about their homeland, let alone the Midwest.