Lucia Berlin’s Litany of Failed Homes

LUCIA, JEFF, AND MARK, ACAPULCO, 1961.
PHOTO: BUDDY BERLIN (© 2018 LITERARY ESTATE OF LUCIA BERLIN LP).

Author Lucia Berlin called many different places home during her lifetime. She compiled a list in the late eighties detailing the pitfalls of some of them.

• Juneau, Alaska—Avalanche the day I was born, wiped out a third of town.
• Deer Lodge, Montana—No heat, just the oven. Earthquake.
• Helena, Montana—Splinters in the cellar door. Blizzards.
• Mullan, Idaho—River right outside, too dangerous to play. Mill right by. Stay inside. Flood.
• Sunshine Mine, Idaho—Paper-thin walls. Mama crying crying. Woodstove smoked. Avalanches.

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