Sallie Bingham

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You are here: Home / New Mexico / The Welcoming of Friends

The Welcoming of Friends

December 30th, 2018 by Sallie Bingham in New Mexico 3 Comments

It works both ways. I welcome them, they welcome me into their lives.

Over the twenty-seven years I’ve lived in Santa Fe, many people have come and many people have gone. The high altitude here is difficult for some with breathing problems, and they often disappear into lower altitudes, but it seems to me the resilient remain.

Today, with ten or so inches of new snow on the ground and the temperatures dropping as the wind arrives, not many people are out in the streets and the sidewalks—when there are any—go unshoveled. The quiet is astonishing now when the morning parade of cars is stilled. I will go out after a while and see if it’s fit for walking or snowshoeing, probably not driving, since cars tend to slide through the icy intersections.

I’ve been looking through the pictures Seth Roffman shot of my Christmas Eve party, a tradition now several years old, which gives friends a chance to warm up and eat and drink before walking down to Canyon Road to see the farolitos. So many friends—as well as my Santa Fe family—came, giving me hope for a new year that will see changes for the better in all of us. I will be glad to see 2018, with its terrible loss, pass away.

Over the twenty-seven years I've lived in Santa Fe, many people have come and many people have gone.

I’m wishing everyone who reads this to look forward to the New Year, with friends, family, work, and most important, Hope.

The Welcoming of Friends
The Welcoming of Friends
The Welcoming of Friends
The Welcoming of Friends

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In New Mexico Santa Fe Christmas 18 Favorites of 2018 New Year's

A long and fruitful career as a writer began in 1960 with the publication of Sallie Bingham's novel, After Such Knowledge. This was followed by 15 collections of short stories in addition to novels, memoirs and plays, as well as the 2020 biography The Silver Swan: In Search of Doris Duke.

Her latest book, Taken by the Shawnee, is a work of historical fiction published by Turtle Point Press in June of 2024. Her previous memoir, Little Brother, was published by Sarabande Books in 2022. Her short story, "What I Learned From Fat Annie" won the Thomas Wolfe Fiction Prize in 2023 and the story "How Daddy Lost His Ear," from her forthcoming short story collection How Daddy Lost His Ear and Other Stories (September 23, 2025), received second prize in the 2023 Sean O’Faolain Short Story Competition.

She is an active and involved feminist, working for women’s empowerment, who founded the Kentucky Foundation for Women, which gives grants to Kentucky artists and writers who are feminists, The Sallie Bingham Center for Women's History and Culture at Duke University, and the Women’s Project and Productions in New York City. She lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Sallie's complete biography is available here.

Comments

  1. Carol M. Johnson says

    December 30th, 2018 at 11:59 am

    “There only moments. live in this one. The happiness of these days.” – Kate Millett
    Life can change on a dime, as I discovered a few days ago. As I age, I’ve tried to stick to Kate’s philosophy, as you apparently do. Finding joy in each day is an exciting way to live.

    Much joy and happiness – big or tiny pieces of them – is my wish for you – and me.

    Reply
  2. JAMES Voyles says

    December 30th, 2018 at 3:44 pm

    Happy Healthy New Year, Sallie, and let’s all pray for our country, our world, our climate, our water….

    Reply
  3. Wren Smith says

    December 30th, 2018 at 3:57 pm

    Beautiful, Sallie. Sending you much love for what I know has been a year of great loss. Yes, hope in the year ahead!

    Reply

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Latest Comments

  • Martha White on The Fruits of the Past Five Years: “Eudora Welty’s One Writer’s Beginnings: “And suddenly a light is thrown back, as when your train makes a curve, showing…” July 6th, 11:14 am
  • Nenita on The Fruits of the Past Five Years: “I like your writings, I can relate to you. If I had been persevering and seriously aware of my interests…” July 6th, 11:13 am
  • Sallie Bingham on Whose Eyes: “Thank you, James – you are correct!” June 29th, 11:19 am
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Watch Sallie

Taken By The Shawnee

Taken By The Shawnee

July 6th, 2025
Sallie Bingham introduces and reads from her latest work, Taken by the Shawnee.
Visiting Linda Stein

Visiting Linda Stein

March 3rd, 2025
Back on October 28th, 2008, I visited artist Linda Stein's studio in New York City and tried on a few of her handmade suits of armor.

Listen To Sallie

Rebecca Reynolds & Salie Bingham at SOMOS

Rebecca Reynolds & Salie Bingham at SOMOS

November 8th, 2024
This event was recorded November 1, 2024 in Taos, NM at SOMOS Salon & Bookshop by KCEI Radio, Red River/Taos and broadcast on November 8, 2024.
Taken by the Shawnee Reading

Taken by the Shawnee Reading

September 1st, 2024
This reading took place at The Church of the Holy Faith in Santa Fe, New Mexico in August of 2024.

Upcoming Events

Jul 25
July 25th - July 27th

The 9th Annual Taos Writers Conference

SOMOS Salon & Bookshop
Taos MO
Sep 23
All day

How Daddy Lost His Ear – Garcia Street Books

Garcia Street Books
Santa Fe NM
Sep 30
3:00 pm - 4:30 pm MDT

How Daddy Lost His Ear – The Church of the Holy Faith

The Church of the Holy Faith
Santa Fe NM
View all of Sallie's events

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salliebingham avatar Sallie Bingham @salliebingham ·
10 Jul 1943388047287963824

Recently, I was reflecting with my good friend John on the fruits of the past five years. I’m so very grateful for all my readers who keep me and my books alive! https://buff.ly/NgnRjO3 #DorisDuke #TheSilverSwan #Treason #LittleBrother #TakenByTheShawnee #HowDaddyLostHisEar

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salliebingham avatar Sallie Bingham @salliebingham ·
9 Jul 1942957873966792785

It's important not to be ploughed under by the chaos and intemperance in #WashingtonDC. We don't live in that swamp, and we don't need to allow our hopes and dreams to be drowned out by the noise. "Reasons to Hope": https://buff.ly/Z8lH33D

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Recent Press

Sallie Bingham's latest is a captivating account of ancestor's ordeal
Pasatiempo, The Santa Fe New Mexican

“I felt she was with me” during the process of writing the book, Bingham says. “I felt I wasn’t writing anything that would have seemed to her false or unreal.”

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